DZN Ch 6

✨⋆⁺₊✧26478bc1c7c7124eadbd

“Lieutenant Campbell, what 77aaed3e70 brings you here?”79663f69ef9cdb4b795c

Ruan, unable to sleep, had d260410700 left the barracks and climbed ede37a0f74 the outer wall of the 1f87d265ab Royal Palace. He responded dde2b8b962 playfully to ca5791514f the familiar 60eee1278d knight’s question,8266fd1ea4bb604badce

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“Oh, I a743162773 just transferred.”e98856b4faa8e4d25acf

Ruan’s outburst upon joining the Royal Guard, demanding to be 303880b059 sent to the outer wall because he hadn’t joined to c838bbd7cd be stuck in the Second Knights Division, was infamous. Everyone in the Royal f27bbcf17a Guard knew about it.cfa1482f84428d247761

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While the Second Knights Division was now derisively called the “flowerbed” and ranked as the 2df858cd39 most undesirable posting, it had been the top choice for all trainee knights back then. Naturally, Ruan’s antics d3f4bc109d had spread widely.2d520bd1790e85f0ff83

As a result, rumors about Ruan and Calix’s bitter relationship had also circulated, f21ddeb53d and even the newer generation of knights knew they were sworn enemies.0ca509c5c823b1caad1e

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However, opinions varied cac0996e48 on the cause. Some claimed Ruan had made an enemy of c4ecaa5f44 Calix by overworking him during their time in d1d895a5d2 the trainee division, while others insisted they had ba3aa18ad5 been lovers who parted on bad terms.3e9b471380a53d673985

Of course, the latter was a rumor fueled by 6f733ea83f Calix’s nonsense, but some people actually believed it.8501841236e64fc3c28a

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Regardless of the reason, one thing ab4f7f16cf was certain: Calix would never allow 2f4e9ba2c8 Ruan to transfer to another division.c4e0686a241604f53e94

“As if His Highness a3d491759f would ever permit that.”72f3b285b23dd0d2b260

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The outer wall knight chuckled, ba579d7d44 implying that everyone knew Ruan ba4be5b804 was stuck in the Second defb6ae5c9 Knights Division for life. Ruan simply laughed.3c6b2762a8a3e2a5386a

He didn’t have the energy 2dbf672038 to argue right now.117d8ac5f8d042bcf664

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“But seriously, what are you be36d0153d doing all the way out 0cf698c88f here on the outer wall?”4f28cf15b2cd0a3ca97c

“Couldn’t sleep, a2c5ff3282 so I’m 2317469553 taking a c25f59c233 walk.”14876267df3e43c52f1a

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“You came all the way ddb24f1f00 here because you couldn’t sleep?”523ae5fb0a18f2e45138

The knight questioned the point of such a pointless endeavor c31c3ed63a in the middle of the night, considering the considerable distance d70924728c between the inner palace and the outer wall. Ruan changed 51cb6d5309 the subject, 4ae9b95d3d sounding annoyed,af9a7ede69c8a934e953

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“Moonlit exercise. Where’s Nox?”b115e9c034b4d8ca842e

“He’s in cf5912e79d Sector 18. But how did 95ec4d0578 you know I afb2b49388 was on night 65372259e1 duty today?”37c13394221bf4c4c964

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“I saw him briefly ff1a6f0a33 the day before yesterday. Alright, carry on.”be6d3d53d0c6a51e8d4a

Waving his hand dismissively, as if too tired b5e130c380 to talk further, Ruan headed towards the stairs a92d4abc4a leading to Sector 18 of the outer wall.7bdbd47443dae1c4369a

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Dragging his unusually heavy legs, he reached the top of the wall and 15dcd40af6 spotted two knights standing under a torchlight, looking out over the wall.10b7c0bc2d2677cbd078

One was a tall man with soft 5235c1d4f0 brown hair, and the other was a b55178dc59 delicate-looking, handsome man with blond hair.210120b901b8c5f68f87

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The taller one was Nox Quillen, whom ad33dc6436 he was looking for, and the other c08e6ff781 was Michael Ehrnhardt, whom he had worked 6ea8d05f11 with for six months last summer.41e8e2185ff64bd40d2f

He had come to see Nox, hoping to get some 63c617e726 exercise since he couldn’t sleep, but there was someone with 5e9c0108fa him whom he found slightly awkward to deal with.5b697c6b41b162bbcac1

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His relationship with Michael was somewhat strained, 48d6af8ebc so he hesitated for a moment, wondering bfaae111f9 if he should turn back. But running away now 61cfb138f9 seemed strange, so he 9a44ce9ba3 slowly approached them. The two men, who had ad43dc445e been facing outwards, turned around 65535f0199 nervously at the sound of a2b2a3088d approaching footsteps.78e5e5dcc4968f5b368e

Seeing their reaction, Ruan quickly 68681e2e94 raised his hand, and both 7ab686a93e of them relaxed.ce788e63370904209cdc

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One greeted him with 353c284622 a welcoming smile, the 4c1906eafd other with a slightly e3b603735c stiff expression.42a58964925479235f04

“Good work.”6bb0ee9be231d743dfbc

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Ruan greeted them c2552bcf28 as he approached. Nox asked e71f0ee778 with concern,ed58cc5b5d8b409e5ade

“What are you doing 17f81cd966 here at this hour?”cb88782d310d4706e021

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“I’m going to threaten 4779f34477 to jump off the 09e5be4c54 wall if they don’t f49c38fc42 transfer me here.”ed4a29907eee3884dcfe

At his half-serious, half-joking 7597bdfecd remark, Michael, who had 56ee4306d5 been standing silently, spoke bfa1614705 to Nox.d9b6b8b4871fd3f53042

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“I’ll go patrol.”145e3339310019343e2d

“Alright.”32f5d1c9b036c31790bf

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Michael clearly indicated his discomfort with the situation, gave a brief ad77ce627a nod to Ruan, and walked away in the opposite direction. Ruan approached Nox, leaned against 65f04b0b4b the railing, and smiled wryly.451a0eed92003b7d4f02

“Is he 2454d56806 adjusting well?”61ea6d74939be1207141

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Since being transferred from the Second Knights Division to the Outer Wall 9f5395f467 Guard last summer, Michael had shown strong wariness and hostility towards him.6c6d19b4a2aee6dae4ae

Ruan was slightly bothered 3f8b4f95b2 by his attitude, but ebeb2fa6e3 he understood Michael’s position, 8c03b807e0 so he asked cautiously. Nox nodded lightly.e4683fa840131c24890c

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“More or less. He has some 125333cf30 attitude issues, but 67e79b9c07 he’s adapting.”1728842335fcdb6f7ed7

“…That’s good.”0183552fcc6b6f54364d

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Ruan knew that Michael, the youngest son of 42220bbaad the Ehrnhardt Marquisate, renowned for both his exceptional 799de8159b looks and swordsmanship, had struggled considerably since being 31f8b29368 transferred to the Outer Wall Guard.525be197f9533f3ed32e

His pride must 984584c046 have been hurt 78683d6228 more than his 1c7a7baffb physical well-being.26f5c1d9e7ac3d67e3a1

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Especially since it was 70c08b1f6a Ruan, someone of considerably f8ba91f4c5 lower status, who had 23bd564e78 practically forced him out.3bf3983d3e282d7500e8

In his five years with the ffa2bcba8d Second Knights Division, Michael was the ae9b7cdf06 first and only knight Ruan had 91f2747baf personally dismissed, so he seemed concerned. Nox asked kindly,fe4c9fee9b458c24d8c5

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“Why? Does it 4572a61c49 bother you?”80e551a30af766dfa2f4

“…I did kick him 72409abc56 out, after all. And we fb2d334f6a didn’t get c601835b5f along.”9cea0b639f83c218b309

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“It was an unavoidable cc91bb80a1 situation back then.”2c52014b93d26a955a7a

“Well…”4df70d05a5cfa51271ed

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Ruan gave a noncommittal response 766f75ae54 and looked up at the 048fe10000 sky, leaning against the railing.812924d8274353682cc2

He let a67a771380 out a a65cc9699c long sigh.771eabdcc9eb1bf5c370

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It was a 4924b1ad66 tired, almost defeated fc90e0f844 sigh. Nox looked at d78f9139da Ruan’s face with 269ef0ccb0 concern.d7179ecdaa1199433323

The shadows under e7b563ea17 his eyes were b12482b64e deep, and his 33c757be9d eyes were bloodshot. But strangely, his fb6fc48491 gaze was sharp.66104537e1e2ec36e800

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He was clearly 56da3b354a exhausted but too 28274aee47 restless to sleep. Or perhaps he was overly b7d00dbc49 agitated and on edge.9e2fab499f745b4de6f1

“…What’s wrong? You look tired. You must have something on your mind 0630d45710 to come all the way here.”7131d646663fe764ce6b

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Nox, his old friend and dd69eb1d28 the only one who knew d44051d613 all of Ruan’s circumstances, expressed 0a6cb25e8f his worry. Ruan looked down at 104c58033f the ground and tapped d8687b8bdd his foot repeatedly.ed5b1b1bb87a477c944f

He had a lot to 95d6958d3f say, but he seemed to 062534e93c be debating whether or not 9fb943bda4 he should.27616655a5af6dab4077

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Ruan usually spoke his 4feadcd9da mind without filter, making f8296e321b unnecessary enemies, but he f3fbb78d6e rarely talked about himself.152bae92b4956e6e126b

More accurately, the wounds b6e328a7e0 were still too deep d31f17afc2 for him to talk 9be01590d6 about.9bbfc7f841ff0fbf7202

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So Nox waited silently cdfba061d7 for him to make 3f81572783 up his mind.3a2af0c89c7b57ffd8e0

Under the beautiful moonlight, in a ffa2a1177b silence that made it feel like b0acc22902 they were the only two people f6e88a1b42 in the world, he waited. After a moment, Ruan seemed 8b8ce49409 to come to a decision d801880834 and opened his mouth.2a1a53a697ea0d655498

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“I think 396d78ec32 I can 7a1c20da70 find him.”eafa55ab733791b58438

“…Huh?”4d3004fcd754463e2600

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“Apparently, most of the 7047517b89 nobles in the country a07026c8b6 will gather for this b6a165ac71 year’s Founding Day Festival.”c93c191753a60c8af819

As Ruan explained the situation, Nox 0380c76552 seemed to finally understand what he 811017ba98 was getting at and let out dfdf36cd4a a small exclamation.eb338662529e9b56e525

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“Ah…I vaguely heard 916bceab84 about that. They’re saying it’s the biggest Founding da5e3ca4d6 Day Festival in ten years.”c61d74a2f537d5621cc4

However, he hadn’t heard eb6c9b76d0 that all the nobles 3ea2092532 in the country would 234b72a1a1 be gathered.dae3841932eb3ec94abf

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The country was large, and the 4a8199f745 number of nobles was vast, so d22454f61b not all of them could come 9ff110f2df and go from the Royal Palace.b38d85769f946334a2a2

Only a small number of high-ranking nobles, or a select dba2a6a2fc few who had performed great deeds and been specially invited 23eeb644d2 by the royal family, could enter the palace.9e532c0ef933dea97517

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He’d heard that many nobles, 8fe3bf9bc2 despite their title, lived and 298cd4bce3 died without ever setting foot 49c859895c inside the Royal Palace. This event, it seemed, was af11887065 held once every ten years 75e4f97b4d to invite all the nobles fd9c019f8e across the land.b22d57a6a80d317ae1df

However, not everyone could 66b4db3826 afford to come to 1c67145dc6 the Royal Palace, even 73392eb061 if invited.8f43be4b2d97eb3111e5

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“I didn’t know they were inviting 688f0c42ec all the nobles in the country. But even if they’re 3b8d7f6984 invited, quite a few ab4824c120 won’t attend. Many nobles only hold titles but 085f3205a7 are no different from commoners.”f9104e1685c1227cfb95

Nox smiled faintly, saying, 89b76d4fc6 “Like my father,” worried 54b97c1bd8 that Ruan would be 86475d6553 disappointed again.aefbb47e8ef0a90c646a

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Ruan understood.286f35083ab890eb374e

Nox had witnessed his repeated failures and despair ae8fee2550 since he arrived at the Royal Palace.a34f247ba681587b2fd5

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“Actually, I a6e51c95b3 don’t have 0438d8b104 high hopes. I’m getting tired of the Royal Palace, 975c41f4ac so I was thinking of leaving if 956832c6fb things don’t work out this year. The Founding b872f22524 Day Festival 12617b908d is just 0b1c35379f an opportunity. It would be great if I met him this 0ff55dd0d9 time, but if not, I’ll just take the list 4981a16bdc of absent nobles and travel the country.”740fef7e20bc923229c5

Ruan muttered that even narrowing down the candidates 5848f21914 like that would be a worthwhile endeavor. He leaned against the railing and 2e2e36dffe stared up at the distant sky, 73b85569b2 as if his neck might break.6434a6f468872323f54a

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He claimed it didn’t matter, but d6969631f2 it was clearly troubling him.575a3d2455c5d1cc8ade

He seemed to live a life 5c30b88e61 free of worries and complexities, except 9c65b4b141 for this one issue.aacb9d95b8dd1e0e6ddb

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Nox was 8336bf50d0 constantly concerned 98305814ab about it.79d6261d4fb8a1a1d61b

He wondered 4047346646 if it 7113770f0c was worth 2cd1ade4c5 obsessing over…4b0a8a1c322976dcc2c7

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“I’ve been wanting to ask you this for a while…what cb189dad59 are you going to do if you find him?”b8fa5326a1e6d73bc08e

“I need e963c1a694 to confirm. Why he did 90665ce9b9 that that day.”85f473397e0d39038f86

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“…And after 842111f15e you confirm?”be2e2a04dfddd1b83715

“…If the reason isn’t 1bc3e0e7c9 valid, the hunt begins.”16e241e619a524722375

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Ruan answered calmly with c480219357 a faint smile. Nox silently e1fd70c4b0 stared at 783c91da97 his profile.bf8fe6138aa84d89d060

Seeing Nox’s gaze filled with pity and unease, 40fce1baab Ruan looked down at him and smiled.a1fb47cac7fa63fbd5d6

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“Don’t look at a142866ed3 me like that. I’m just 87a10283bb doing my 6f86275c2e duty.”10c30e2c2371b554ec04

“Do you really d3d58ab26a have to find 69ec8dfdc7 him?”7e4ab5323d9fde712f92

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“I have to. I’ve lived 02514fc53c for this.”36e14ebf8f9f6277a49d

“And what then?”f150bcb41fab189cfda7

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“I’ll move on to 27f4f79e57 the next stage.”4679f4b115cfda25d1d3

“Is there 9e66ecf8b0 a next 1fbe19c7ff stage?”eee0e7d5b7db8cab5cc3

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“Of course. Then I’ll 67bc76163d return to 495b836f00 my rightful f39bacbeeb place. As the 0793f85de4 son of 355ad61c29 the great 458b95e605 Heinrich.”61e4d7c1fb78caa4a4e1

At those words, laden with symbolic meaning, Nox reached e20d498091 out and stroked Ruan’s hair in a comforting gesture.8a55c9d8867db5f192a8

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Ruan smiled faintly at the 8c7fd87bac large, warm hand ruffling his 317bc4c9af hair somewhat roughly.56d94475d31050a7e33d

“You’re like 5c618e0b34 my father.”ac5f09eed5ebcbcf489f

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