IFLDMHF – Chapter 63

IFLDMHF | Chapter 633890dab3cdb5baa7

Episode 63516a785705d2e767

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My admiration was d3710a1a0b short-lived, and I a7ca45e292 began to wonder e7ceaf7e20 why Euclid, unlike 5297cbed40 me who was 4244844baa unfamiliar with imperial 83b3a7d264 law, had taken 6059194f07 no action.6bcde72349900276

‘Did he really trust his brother so completely that he didn’t even suspect anything?’69f92d5b9a052482

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But then—ef3a28cdc40e6177

“They say the prices were raised outrageously before transportation costs were received. It happened almost ten years 0385ac7276 ago.”e73e82e6a33d17e8

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Isn’t that outright tyranny by 8638135166 the merchant guild?afe909f335fe9d3b

How could there be 7f0b4a8359 anything more unfair and 9929542efb unjust in terms of 2132cef9ee economic practices?dcfa13a13b7a4841

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“Really? If it wasn’t just 3564efc540 moderate price hikes but 8f2fec1f4a even essential goods were 9316aa19b2 involved, immediate punishment might d2dba084ea have been possible.”d5e69910c822863c

Anne responded immediately. That made it even stranger.88a63d36463dde96

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If there were laws 0c6613a51a in the Empire to c5605fce35 regulate and control such 82ca338258 actions by merchant guilds, 7e2fa94f31 shouldn’t the Rudion Ducal 0d5622b6c6 House have reported this 88b020af10 issue directly to the 0c527a9c91 imperial family as soon 0d91a531ad as the problem arose?4e0d2e1f416a8c3b

Why did the 41d897e1ce Rudion Ducal House 13f69dfd0e choose to negotiate 44035cd590 directly with the 8027e84d74 Count’s family instead 69da0294fa of pursuing formal 5e5f1127be protest methods?2c4418e566bd89bb

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As soon as 9360219f99 the question arose, b70fb0c6e5 a possible reason 34eba44467 came to mind, 361f831d1d but I shook e05d022e43 my head.1fd7138a6ea8a08b

‘That can’t be it. The Rudion Ducal House is 8e7df6c2df one of the founding contributors, d534397945 just like the Basilian Ducal 8b1cfffac1 House.’7ced4126850be11d

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Even if they 97929514a9 rarely set foot 9c5b2c5ead in the capital cea8be3fc8 and thus weren’t 12fc577a9c particularly close to 4fbbdc5a52 the imperial family, 740471cdee there was no e1145431a3 reason for their b4f375bcd9 relationship to have 639389e654 turned sour.35bb3526967c96a6

But then I 9809bfe8af remembered how troubled 59f47fecf3 Euclid had seemed 8bb1e6244d when I suggested ee424d21fd we visit the 68fd0c1953 emperor.74603423825744d4

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‘At the time, I thought it was because he was worried about his nephews. Or perhaps he felt d3208273db burdened by the idea 650cd2312e of staying in the de40d617bc capital for a few 980944e634 more days… Ah, come 8a9cd08314 to think of it.’8e05132888f81f39

I recalled how c64f7b8162 I had been 5ae6a0bf20 hesitant to ask 349a69314b Euclid about it, 5d72cd8b5d distracted by the 60d1027538 immediate priority of 694b6bd548 resolving debts.5da3258b536389af

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Normally, when a territory suffers 5624dd420f from drought or poor harvests, 77cc8b984e the empire exempts taxes and d2f5b11cb1 provides relief funds and supplies e9188ea272 in times of disaster.40de5aaa8bf44b4d

However, upon reviewing the ledgers, 2425bb3a82 I discovered that the northern c54cfcca7e region had never received tax d3cadf9b98 relief or any form of 3031e7531a support, despite enduring harsh conditions.bcd314a4872e9e1c

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“The imperial family…”504993c20a2e4dff

Do they harbor resentment toward 1ec872325a the Rudion Ducal House?567678feaf66a9d1

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Knowing this, did the Rudion 447cb52b74 Ducal House refrain from reporting f02cfa2e7a to the imperial family because fb7ee55938 they knew it would be e4ba7d88e3 ignored and unresolved, leading them 4be75f1a7e to attempt to resolve the 3db1e7c573 matter on their own, only c3921ae3db to make a misstep?5e4f1f8080b9f013

The realization made bf0800657c me grow serious.b505a4ac13b76199

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“Ah!”af3b0aaa466fbb2f

Anne, who had 8ddc80cae9 sharp hearing, caught 9f9994d518 my muttering again.e989e7a2f5a7d53f

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“So that’s what you were concerned about? I was planning to report 4005774900 this to you anyway. I knew the imperial family 593aff6000 was biased against the Rudion 3b68fad967 Ducal House, but after coming 2da5d3bfbb here and looking into it, 376d2ef17c it’s far worse than I 3ef6771f02 thought.”d85e9d31dd84e760

“!”f1855f9da6418f30

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“The imperial family is biased against the Rudion Ducal House?”ffca3402916b14a3

Gressel asked the question I f4a55c79fd was unable to voice.a8fae201aed7f15b

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Anne shrugged.03f96ffc24484a41

“Then what do you call it if, despite these harsh conditions, they provided neither relief funds nor even basic measures of support? Everyone who knows fd8b11df49 about it understands 9415252677 that the emperor 808214426e subtly dislikes the 8c2129b4ce northern territories. He can’t openly 6936066ab8 oppress them, but aa8b863f65 he silently neglects a1e42df245 them, almost as 0c84d1a6e1 if he’s hoping 5f616f5344 they’ll fall into a819fa340b ruin on their 6a488b86fa own. In fact, five years ago…”72d68898f3885131

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Anne trailed off, glancing at 09e3e75bc4 me hesitantly.7dda416e5c28ad70

“This isn’t the right place to discuss it further.”e386b238e7eef120

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What? What is it? Tell me!c7de3b05a4aaf07a

I inwardly screamed, but Gressel a4d853466b awkwardly scratched his head.2a36391b6993f81d

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“I’ve been so busy trying to earn money for my brother’s medicine and keep myself afloat that I knew nothing about this. Even if I had more ff3e5763f0 time, I doubt I’d have 956356f80b learned about the higher-ups’ circumstances.”0d7250f036fdad6a

But Anne shook her head.ffe6b69c5bc160fd

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“No, actually, I might have exaggerated a bit. I said ‘everyone who knows,’ c7e442c805 but even among nobles involved 6ecd2ac7fc in central politics, unless they’re 9631db6ae2 close to the emperor, most d4d0eba0df people are clueless about these 79f9fe550e matters…”1f83087f10150ecb

As I listened blankly 3cfb1eeaa0 to their conversation, I 7266878bce swallowed hard.552d832249862e48

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It wasn’t just that 8d1ce8dd0f my deduction had been 64eb8e2e9a largely correct—it was the 6a6115d52f fact that Anne was 9d2119c581 casually reciting information even 5fa9d76712 high-ranking nobles weren’t privy 9cab793ded to.c631c1254c840b8b

‘And Anne… you just said ‘the emperor.’ Not ‘His Majesty the Emperor.’ And you said it twice!’83602b8d27a471dc

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Of course, people 1e43683a76 often speak disrespectfully 02b351b2fc about rulers in e64e58f0e7 private.9b2c97263b5c7e95

But that wasn’t the 9ecf25a733 only reason Anne’s blunt 96dbc2b70c words unsettled me.8f0b7230ea5ef66c

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I suddenly remembered what cdde1e9089 Evgenia, after her divorce 5010934831 in the original story, 34841293a4 had ultimately done—and a 0a542a4233 chill ran down my 97dede4d24 spine.df904e6c1bf49b17

‘Surely not…’19c43696f776a0c8

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Fear surged within me, 107597e8f0 rendering me speechless.f51e003d0ed3e5d1

“At least Duke Basilian seems to have made a significant decision in that regard. He acted solely out of 8c10308bb1 concern for the lady, forming b08fda9da8 ties with the Rudion Ducal 888079100d House and even allowing the b009eb3391 merchant guild to establish a bae9f37f19 branch in the northern region.”04e6de5ab45733c6

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Anne pointed out an ee29d5fcc3 angle I hadn’t considered.9abbbd5404c58c1a

Certainly. While Duke Basilian had 2318492425 enough power and wealth 830e105d93 to afford slight displeasure 3fa35f23f5 from the Emperor, there 733382aa50 was no real need a183ac35f7 to provoke the ruler’s 472f85c7ce mood unnecessarily.803641679a662528

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It was clear 390f8538e2 just how much a8cf5fe8e5 displeasure the Imperial 637a49b2e2 family felt about 031c5631b0 the marriage proposal 2433db94ed sent to Melissa.c4a5550c2d8bc3b1

‘And above all… they prioritized me—Evgenia—above everything else.’458e860b1e434b70

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What seemed like 40254c85ba a simple marriage f56db247ab with Euclid had, db73c759c6 in reality, been 4ee8ad131d formed under such c6ed01d820 complicated circumstances. It was a relief, but d6d3f6324b at the same time, she a96e0f9b00 felt a strange mix of d0568f007b gratitude and fondness toward Duke d3482d3cf6 Basilian.4a6bcd86690fbe9c

At that moment, ff85da15a4 when Gressel heard e5d3cfeb17 from Anne about 84d3a60901 the Imperial family’s 7f773d46d8 indifference and subtle bf9fcdbeb9 rejection towards the 9611a2c671 North—and how the 033e67ba2b Rudion Duchy had 06362a62bf to bear the bc3b503a1a full brunt of cc980dc66b the consequences—he nodded 18685b9679 seriously with a cc5719f725 grave expression.ad76a8f4ff607e52

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“Now I understand. Honestly, the Rudion Duchy 8af419b075 isn’t particularly famous for e193b88202 its swordsmen, and even 6f823635bc considering their financial struggles, eeb01c81c1 the state of their cae626930a knight order was rather a16be42712 disappointing…”1ffc8e5b399889bc

When I looked at d732993af2 him, puzzled by his 5a2fae4078 words, Gressel offered me e084e86262 a slight bow and be1aafe9e2 explained,d4776a05a2504f80

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“Your safety is of utmost importance, Madam. I’ve been observing 8dbd239eab the knight order 2a12a2c982 for some time… 7ac00ac521 but there isn’t 953e1ab462 a single knight ab5458d879 among them.”a642c022a2d0031c

What kind of nonsense was 6689f60a6e this? A knight order without 8e324ce422 knights—was that even a 495f883446 knight order?c44fb8fad925241a

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I let out a dry 0629563fdd chuckle in disbelief, and Gressel, b22001abee looking awkward as if he c006109105 felt apologetic, elaborated,e4a5997bc3c762d7

“Officially, the position of the Knight Commander remains vacant. Instead, about twenty squires b165b91330 and knight hopefuls are 8e4cbd8e4b taking turns guarding the 0a148d66d8 ducal castle, with Duke 934661e6c9 Euclid himself assigning their c18521064c shifts.”50f6d77819e5faa4

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“The Duke personally…?”f0bc8aa2f89d3f9a

“Yes. They also seem 43dddec1da to conduct their bd5d602f7a training on their af22749158 own.”4d6cae913a089274

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Though all of 483c2d480c them were loyal c5953a4957 and diligent, with 792dd7e684 a deep sense 416582d08b of responsibility toward 316480121b the North and 957434d755 the Rudion Duchy, 0bdb2d1152 Gressel added that 6e971f9242 the lack of 6ac80dd27c proper funding and, 1073c22abb most importantly, the 6bfe214fb1 absence of a b18e525a81 formal leader had 150f2e1f44 resulted in significantly 23f1e79454 lower overall skill a30b0c51a8 and training standards 3ea2182c07 within the knight ddcbc72d04 order.f2ae8745b4eb73f6

First Anne, and now Gressel.b61743a95136fdfe

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The information both eed85bbce3 had shared was 61ee688e4e heavy, adding more 993f26ddc8 weight to my e3963678d7 already exhausted mind.9bc337642d1e0074

More than anything, my heart 3e6da78d37 ached as I thought about dd8e1d8e46 how much burden Euclid must a9169a2aed have shouldered alone all this ddbc90de60 time.832ca2c8c7227692

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‘It was heartbreaking enough to know about the Duchy’s debts…’da82bf97bf7cd491

I forcibly soothed my troubled cab8609be8 emotions.28f7b885c9500c8e

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It would be fine 65fd8ae367 because I would now 3825c1ca1c take on every single e2efe00393 burden Euclid carried.6db23d45a791b0fc

However, there was 2e3c99845c an issue that ae4fa1aa7e needed to be d4f22654fc addressed immediately.9ca835267269a056

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“So, is the security of the castle stable?”475249071d129f93

While the original 63d1dd062f story never mentioned e97e8e8a43 Euclid facing any 05b1d40aed immediate danger, I 9fe97660df felt slightly uneasy, 5bee5149a7 wondering if it 5104e00ab4 was simply omitted d6f383d764 due to his b8143c80ab minor role.291481e443952c9c

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After all, the duchy 80b853b39d was located just across e12d5c30da the mountain range from 8a1c2a92f6 a foreign country and 118b9417c3 was facing rejection from 24d86f605c the Emperor…209681a5ea654fc9

It was crucial 7e50dcba7a to have a a2edc12d03 plan in place a8b89dcd87 in case anything 70216c5b9b went wrong.e2dca81d00465ac7

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Euclid, Marianne, Dior, and the c4495052d9 overly kind and innocent people 4ebadd15b2 of the ducal castle—the people c04f0699e5 Euclid cherished in his territory—they 2be58c0a56 were all now my responsibility 1e72609cb9 to protect.3d189d604ed6a332

I was even considering f2963d651b whether I should hire d854adb25a a skilled mercenary group 46d1b3a21e when Gressel’s next words 845f0a6464 brought me some relief.c0ebe7fd2e2f7f42

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“I was concerned as well, so I looked into it thoroughly. It turns out 8bbc3e4888 this castle itself f0108b1c47 is a fortress b9df56fb35 meticulously crafted by ebbb8c0032 the first Lord 989c057cce of Rudion. It is said that 366e4391b9 various magical attacks and 4775205570 defense mechanisms are inscribed cdd8ba07a3 throughout the castle, but 21b3c2c9d5 even longtime staff members bc1a2a52f6 don’t know how to ed580c8191 activate them.”ca98f5b285e95b71

“Really?”4f957a3647cedfbc

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A castle imbued with magic—it 60e9fa6ac9 was like something straight out 27c2625379 of a fantasy tale.eabf4be01d781a53

‘They say the first Lord of Rudion was such an exceptional mage that he aided the Emperor in slaying an evil dragon. Truly remarkable.’30daae2e009c3b09

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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •69f1468422368dbc

If you want ab0f580bf3 to support the bda8eb4c3f translation and the 41e27225c3 translator, you can dced5bfcd7 buy a coffee~62a5eb27b13817ac

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