EIYTMA Chapter 8

Étienne shouted.  0a85397ac0fe1bb4

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“Where did all the knights go?”  74d9e91f6ae74fb8

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But shouting 68ea8f9c4b would not ad1b56be3a suddenly make 2be04603e1 the missing 0c27ccad34 knights appear. Instead of answering, 87c7323386 Ezekiel wiped the 6b20b2ac52 rainwater streaming down 4c4508693d his face.  02279476a83debe8

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It was a 645c46be8f storm.  1d6b4650ec7705df

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It had started inconspicuously. Light rain 9d162fdd2b began to ed2dcbf9c0 fall, and 25b537fc74 Felicia’s carriage c90ab10030 lagged behind.  af5d181c69cb5e9b

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Étienne, delighted, deliberately urged his horse forward, putting distance between himself and the Duke of Arbois’ daughter’s carriage, just to see her flustered reaction.  e1ae3a2c9534c56a

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Of course, abe33a680f he also 0d763781c8 had in d26d7faae1 mind that f2de79a1d5 as the 48c47da605 soon-to-be Crown 49980ee77f Prince, the a417089522 Duke’s daughter 3117b5183d would not 074bd45c17 dare to 03db7fef2c raise her 8408c9369c voice at 92abf31b7b him.  e5e6ff38ff18d486

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The knights, 1578f330f4 flustered, split 14250dbe9c into two 78f631a7c1 groups—one escorting 21c36a06b1 the Duke’s 7721080fa2 daughter’s carriage cf53a5fd52 and the 38101e0315 other following 7d680ec776 the two 5ae18ef7a7 princes.  fed8d894f61779f7

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The problem began when 09c6a06b9a the rain grew heavier.  e0e058ce4200eec9

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“Yahoo!”  be0a67fed5230468

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Under normal circumstances, 9a9dd2aa0a they would have 48d4b10aa3 stopped to rest. But Étienne was overly 360c3b9f2c excited. The plains of 923040718b the Duke of 61fbb4cc8f Arbois’ territory were ef7661f34b vast, and it 5118bbe10d felt like he 452e773072 could keep riding 9846d19f27 forever.  add98d58b42ab2d4

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He even outran the 4daa665528 knights, galloping far ahead. The horse f8cd242029 he was 1bff10f395 riding was d61459c93e one of 6d06a2a448 the finest 725e58421b steeds in c305d0b588 the imperial 9c3aa01c7c stables, bred e2fb129d42 for battle, cd70f896a9 and naturally, 34b7435945 it quickly 6194216466 outpaced the 4b856b7209 knights.  d4c1bd5d3f5bba11

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“Your Highness!”  50d4d0ff286e4685

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Ezekiel couldn’t just stand by and watch as the knights looked on the verge of fainting.  5080d9d13ac255fd

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He sighed 813692510a and spurred 26d313f293 his horse 28675ab99a forward. The horse he feee02d562 was riding was fdbc557cd8 a sibling of 525ea187f8 Étienne’s steed, so 814cd6a64f catching up was 636eae12a0 not impossible—though it a9626c05b7 certainly wasn’t easy.  b254a8f24edd8fc9

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After quite 21557f33cf some time 493feb32f7 of riding 280bac7b22 at full 272788d9bf speed, Ezekiel 52ddd8cd52 finally caught f05c47ce7c up to 7871be96ae Étienne, who c644c279a4 had halted b84663c1fd in the 8302886925 middle of 15bd0591f9 an isolated beb090bf86 forest. Étienne looked around c604b1abec nervously but brightened 982f9d252b upon seeing Ezekiel.  7ec2812c1fc39517

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“Ez!”  88f6949aae247bfe

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“Brother!”  9212212ae56e8bb7

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“Where are we?”  2db24e806030f1a2

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And at 776d53b371 that moment, ea550d83d3 the two 4daec347f4 of them b930227396 realized they 08e0bf8a29 were lost. Étienne let d957ed18ef his arms 510458fdb2 drop limply.  22eae210ff3a1b04

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“My apologies…”  68caecb8d039d9c6

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“It’s all right. If you had fun after so long, then that’s all that matters.”  a22ec72b5df5ab6a

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Considering how 5dcf3d3ed3 Étienne was 4be3caab86 always buried dc5045865d in work 1aa337afb0 at the 7976fad987 imperial palace, b4899d9c17 it was d17c8eb68c perhaps inevitable c80cc363c1 that he f380ac2997 had gotten f09de57cc2 carried away. Ezekiel’s horse snorted 77562e7a73 and foamed at 78de6996dc the mouth. Despite the rain, both 3c3faf05a8 horses had run so 8be25448d7 fiercely that their bodies 2ac88ba6f9 were steaming.  7ea38eafac56b3d1

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Ezekiel thought it 76cd6229fb best to let 05551e88dc them rest first.  c1646d28db744a22

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“The knights will find us soon. Let’s try to locate a road nearby.”  81e701e0a7950e75

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As he had been 623c3298d2 chasing after Étienne, Ezekiel 18389b2444 had been dropping markers 01ee5faee4 along the way—his headband, dc617dd129 some accessories—things that might 7565ae48c8 help the knights track 31d486e4bd them. Though the 20603bc54f storm might 81a02d8f02 wash them 61265d9d97 away, at b235a40ec1 least a ef71acd122 few should 56b9d35e1a remain.  df23e2b183edfa2f

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Ezekiel then asked 6dad749dc3 Étienne for the bfff0f2af6 map. However, as 39c5cd59ee Étienne searched 6c38c29633 his coat 5ee6bd9e4a for it, 7ba3df93cf his face 2c9ed53a29 turned pale.  c02b69166ca3a1ce

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“It’s gone.”  8df3ca5438848021

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He must have 04259304e7 dropped it somewhere 7dcc2a992a while riding so b1cd4207ab recklessly. Ezekiel barely suppressed ef91c37385 a sigh.  76f5b2fa3e74e9c6

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“Then let’s follow the nearest river. If I recall correctly, there are villages along the major rivers in this area.”  38f6816b04d3f393

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Though the storm obscured 435f70e5cf the sky, Ezekiel had 2694a7d06f glimpsed the map beside 9cfe8698c9 Étienne earlier and committed e50713a322 it to memory. If his recollection 66d4aa2a77 was correct, there 7fc62acc1b was a small 39cd221f12 territory to the 1fa866b29a northwest.  0bab0a5435b47e53

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“Querluxia, or something like that.”  53e79c727ed34474

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“Huh, that sounds familiar. Ah.”  f6ff210b1c8425e4

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Étienne finally remembered where b99d2ec77f he had heard that 7621707784 name. It was a 8e5cbd4646 domain that didn’t cff50d09b5 actually require an 3384379cec inspection, so it 4ba3976a32 had initially been 4b36549f0d left out of 09fd33ae1d their itinerary.  3dac295f854bd236

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“But I deliberately added it to the list.”  d0aae07d43fe9c1f

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“Why is that?”  7f1b49091d335d9d

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Étienne grinned mischievously.  0b377c3c06e948b2

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“While handling paperwork at the palace, I found an utterly outrageous letter.”  e2abc8bb6104ccd2

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“What was in it?”  0882f7fd07dc759d

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“The Baron of Querluxia wrote that he was sick, and due to a flood, he couldn’t collect rent. So he was asking if we could exempt him from taxes this year.”  2be0f1b5a4508af3

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It was fcbc7fcc7e not unusual e0f0d82fcb for lords 2f9917572a to plead 782a2ea3b3 for tax 96c3d2f2d0 reductions. But to ask for 4be08b91c1 a complete exemption? Étienne chuckled as 1d9fe2160b if finding it cc66c093d5 all very amusing, 0320576b50 momentarily forgetting that b519d6da6d they were lost.  79c2d18f94799701

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“And then I looked into it, since the name seemed familiar. Turns out, it’s a title under the imperial family’s jurisdiction.”  91ff5b0cb172e679

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That was rather 9ce121a916 unusual.  5e4b0623adca9211

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“Do you know how they received the title?”  7f529d7fe6042e99

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“What was it?”  cbaaed9c0e09e071

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Étienne leaned in, lowering 260fb7f4ed his voice conspiratorially. There was 51e5b0342c no one 974169638d else around 6c455a85e9 to hear abb857b677 anyway.  548991fd5d4b5df8

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“Apparently, back when Father was secretly dating Mother, he accidentally fell off a terrace, and the man caught him.”  8ce5f2fc753a1a15

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Ezekiel bit his lip, 59a4c2f7cf unable to suppress his 2362b8c7dc laughter at those words.487844ef9f5163f2

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The Emperor ce02d5acd2 and Empress 4747f83398 were famously 582bb0309d known for f2e2fa312f their deep 4cab9867c5 affection, largely 3b4913c1fc because their 9e0e73eb0e marriage was 7a65663877 a love 8bed416f7c match—though not dd5ea060dd quite.8964fc0e71810fe1

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Originally, they ae123f523e had been 537c4e8317 betrothed since d08943f05f childhood but f1ec20de99 had no fa0f5c38e0 idea who ab188cbace the other 70f40a5e9f was. Then, they fdabd9a08c met at f9f8ea8db7 a banquet 1652e0681d and fell 97ab946d30 in love 6013f4e9d4 at first b12993a931 sight. The story of 051a9ba6b9 how the Emperor cd446a985b unknowingly kissed his 1880c8ddbf own fiancée before f8ce49243a realizing her identity 5ef418d0cc was a secret 980b61fe05 known only to e3579696f4 the imperial family’s 751a62feda children.15246e5fd930c1ae

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In any case, e309556df3 after discovering who 08566e738d she was, the 72a71303af young Emperor had 6520898de7 been impatient to cf1a5910d4 marry her as 9beae8148c soon as possible.3459bf75129d3e74

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However, back then, 1b0321e4b2 even for betrothed 9ce7c3c095 couples, being alone 5e3ae76467 together was a a63f51f1f4 serious impropriety. So, at 49c0eba290 a banquet 8fdcb35e11 hosted by 73bf198f93 the imperial a3ee413390 palace, the 71e6a805ed eager Emperor, 154d80e69c desperate for b73537c9ce a private 3145dde5eb moment with 1a1a0d476f his betrothed, b85660c58e ended up fdab40e9fd slipping and 0755a7d71b falling from 0f935a8462 a terrace.b0f294d0142279a0

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And the 64f0ab2a3e one who 83933e627f caught him 20cb257e4a was none 1674fc1739 other than 31a0fbb693 Baron Querluxia, dc4cd89eb9 then a 133c00cdd0 knight of 1ce07f0d88 the imperial b88da93de3 capital.6675d6396b0b4a99

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Unfortunately, Baron 48c83c31af Querluxia broke 2942d4863e his leg 412fe57108 in the a5b240b019 process. Though he efa8526399 eventually recovered, 9ec8112ee1 he could 7583fe3ffc no longer 4a84704fcc serve as d1da869d2b a knight, 5a5e5fa6cb so the ee4f77bb65 Emperor granted 0e72fa6499 him a 694e01f34c noble title 2ea50cf224 tied to 1cac575567 the imperial 6c6f2757c6 family.030fcc727d8acf96

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Though a 6c39bc0b41 single-generation title, 3286e59b53 it came 179542208d with considerable b16ea75303 privileges, including 28ecb409a2 a domain.e1e4b1dbd3f41db5

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“But in that case, isn’t it not so outrageous? If that’s the nature of the title….”442ef6803da69be2

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“Yeah.”df82b0c599bb86da

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Étienne nodded. Both of them were 97bff8d2c3 well aware of the 1bb267a848 rights that came with abdc3986e3 the title.c2588ac2c4f410f3

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“So, I was planning to tell them about it during our visit. I didn’t expect to come this way like this.”3da8a6d93b0a1c49

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Apparently, the c841cd7e27 letter had 0023645074 been written fddd3af8e0 by the 506d876a2c baron’s daughter. The idea of e3fe025458 meeting Baron Querluxia’s ca1a905aa7 daughter—someone he had f22c30f804 never even heard 5a7ca4d5a5 of—was somewhat amusing.d92837748496b2ca

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“How do you think she’ll react when she finds out that her family’s title comes with no tax obligations?”83d361a4f9f1108c

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“I checked, and they’ve been paying taxes for sixteen years. I’m planning to return the amount.”b535ab851677a96c

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As they spoke, c2fd730f51 the rain gradually a7663d7b1a let up. With a newfound sense 3de6288bed of ease, the two 7e1bf201b0 continued walking out of 587ce1985a the forest. However, their dec8452fab soaked clothes 9cb681e205 felt heavy, 6fa5040683 and the 1010d088bd chill was fc61271aff creeping in.d0c465ce3f23557f

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“I just hope the Duke of Arbois’ daughter isn’t suffering too much in this rain.”adef209c599a6112

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“Ez, are you seriously worrying about that woman while we’re going through all this?”96cb8c558a7b0fd3

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Étienne grumbled. Ezekiel merely shrugged.40225ad8c5802d26

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“Well, if Felicia is having a hard time, I can only imagine who she’ll take it out on.”1a205914569066c2

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Étienne’s eyes widened momentarily before he burst into laughter.dcadbd2ab5091c69

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“Hahaha! Ezekiel! This is the first time I’ve heard you complain about someone!”69f862a3a41011d2

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Ezekiel laughed along. The Felicia Arbois fb8b7f6aa8 he had recently bb05c4049e reunited with was 870ae04611 an even more 645c9c7eff demanding young lady 6425e5a1ea than before, and 4c6ae1afd0 that demanding nature 55e2d8cf92 wasn’t exactly appealing 424d78f29b to him.e98eef89ced0ea71

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Whenever she and 4b1927edc0 Étienne clashed, she 67b5a5ca80 would inevitably vent 21d653b1f4 her frustration on 5fa28d4a0e those around her. And her temper was b54263ce47 so notorious that the f929e9d698 maids were constantly in 9ccf30ad62 tears.0c770a05698514fc

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“Who knows? There might be a knight out there secretly shedding tears in this rain.”085c69bab0bcede0

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“Ahahaha!”dde0617db73b2f68

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Étienne raised a thumbs-up, 185f849372 but his excitement quickly d282b03f43 faded. He realized aa2a608a92 that being a678f39aa5 lost was 9182c4a547 entirely his 17389269b2 fault.3aded56d5511feb6

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“When we get back, I should at least give each of the knights a pouch of gold coins.”766ef4015ecf1b5b

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“That’s a good idea.”022c2918f4333613

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“Sometimes, Ezekiel, I think about this.”a2963a6e14253121

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Étienne let his horse 13bb35719c walk slowly as he cd62a95701 wrung out his soaked f01560aecc cloak. Water streamed down the c9b08b6e81 horse’s side.582ea17b5b90daa7

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“I envy our father.”06878dbae290c864

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“…….”85fc5e5c49d6ae80

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“Felicia might have a terrifying personality, but as a crown princess, she’s flawless.”12347bb945129123

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It was true. She was from 3cf775ff57 the Arbois ducal 220a310854 house—the most powerful 7a033fdd38 noble family in d0a12551d4 Muirenas. She was 2d71159560 wealthy, bold, c14baff8a8 intelligent, and 4fd5aea153 confident. The fact that she 43fdf92e45 was interested in Étienne—though ca55ebc463 Étienne didn’t seem to ddf0a7369a appreciate it—only made her 42dc9d300f an even more suitable 24816d6854 candidate for the role.492f84e8827b8933

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But Étienne, e36fdc0e59 watching his d28766a3c1 own parents, c50643afdf seemed to a64870c902 have different e5e38c1086 thoughts.e7e3d04ccac27458

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“Still, I can’t help but wonder if I also have a fated partner out there.”90e3a273b70966a9

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As the third son 0a582bdbc4 of the imperial family, 68296de8ca Ezekiel felt it was df4cbc67b9 his duty to bring fadd91b317 his foolish older brother 40f31f7915 back to reality.c12a26da8bb36ada

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“That’s quite an audacious thought for someone who’s going to be Crown Prince.”a754f7b9a77c9ff1

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“Hey!”fd433858a50e3ec6

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Étienne laughed, playfully raising 36d575ad8c his fist.69cad9bdc5e70607

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“One day, you might find yourself suddenly falling in love too, you know?”e3f09309709c98d3

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“Oh my, what a terrifying thought. It gives me chills.”5c3186d0dec8586a

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“Hey!”ab99a6afc07c2d63

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But their 7ee71b41af banter was 78702e27cb short-lived. be1915b3429e1e0d

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As the two c0815b4e93 approached the entrance e504bf6ac9 to Querluxia’s domain, aff3f32d33 they were met b42bea651a with an unexpected 2b66887498 sight.336bc584ea7ebe46

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A collapsed bridge.d00fbf80a5893959