5.

 4c5970ada20502e2

The standard rye bread f047442c5a served in the dining d1a98ed3d3 hall was dry and f5a831bbcf tough—especially when compared to be46eb3500 the white bread the 08deb6c285 acolytes usually set aside 14601a9e68 for Azniel.0d03cf97fa638768

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Of course.8db3c6842cdfcc88

If she had possessed d0aa236e9b powers like the Saints 66fa931492 of legend, maybe everyone c6ee1c8c8b would be eating white 5bd5f817d8 bread by now. Maybe she a36fc53f33 could’ve handed e43326feb1 out a 30379f4ab2 loaf to 7827b2fbf4 each pilgrim 26e1be6557 left out e0e69d8873 in the 589c3f4343 night dew f10dda450c after the cf29db2824 sanctuary doors 23aa17a102 closed. No—from the a5e7fde088 very beginning, 9c5464f5a0 the Church’s 35d1d4e395 authority might 95f34bef76 never have 3c9393042c fallen so fdf127becf low, no 9e2cd12258 matter what 9492515745 was invented 9bf7a15a46 in the 6a909719ba secular world.3a8e42a8e9aee93a

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But—57bde043f65deafa

‘Maybe Dara gave me 1c65f0aab5 this kind of power… 0a96b7209b so that I could a6e6b360ca meet and heal more 77e0d37fc8 of the poor. The wealthy can 56d18f9d69 now be healed 7b9d1102e2 with potions, after b6bf94c556 all.’13d661b1225a00fa

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Chewing each bite fbf81525b7 more than ten 8ca457eecd times—when normally seven fd485ba0eb or so would 460000778e have sufficed—Azniel worked 19cbc4f5f2 hard to reassure d594ac9d60 herself. If she didn’t, 6471b1a788 she feared she 15e995940e would soon be c98ece02b6 swallowed by the f50160c5cf very contempt others b312e98d5a had for her.44e169752f89dca2

Even so, now… b539c2d685 it felt like 3339eb6ee7 even that much 9aa87ac83d would soon become 5fa6892925 impossible.a8af98c778b6d92c

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‘Ah… I suppose miracles 9437b219cf of abundance are too 38e25581d6 much to hope for…’c3e54453c0002ba3

She recalled 204908ce6a the golden-brown e29ed43e44 eyes of c8033e2a0f the Pope, c1164577b2 sweeping over ad8cd67ecd her with d0eeaf1847 undisguised disappointment. Though cloaked in gentleness, 9f1538eed5 Azniel, with the instincts d08874967b of a child once 03f24dc5c8 forced to survive on 30500d24f0 the streets, had seen 954dee9f88 right through the pretense.f8bbd42414ecddac

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Back when mana potions hadn’t yet been invented, and healing blessings drew lavish donations from the Allied Nations’ elite, she had never had to face that gaze. But now, sharp and distrustful eyes followed her everywhere in the Holy Kingdom.ce60417997c26525

A Saint born once 1a9da5ba80 in several generations—yet all 57b6364d12 she possessed was a f3c0ddf485 modest power of healing. Unable to 92ded68279 perform the 5240034fe1 grand miracles 53f5817773 that dazzled 6b0b6eb599 the masses, aa5d2e6985 she was f0ccd7f74a now blamed d6ca1b00fb for the 959265b6b2 collapse of 97687d5e21 the Church 8e3c340e8e itself.0f6568dc479198a2

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“Healing powers were 144e661528 just low-grade miracles 50454f7022 anyone could replicate 9e8f21a325 with the right cf05a26c2b tools…”ce3337b0349c3d98

“Who among us can’t f9077521a9 treat a cut nowadays?”44d127bcee28f1f9

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“Why, of all f639116090 times, did this 3bf533bc5c have to happen 3c1a3c08df during our era…”f77285b09d8dcb07

All those with b018aece4a even the faintest c31fdef008 sacred power had ea89257823 been brought into 45cdbaa74c the Church at 2e367b584a a young age. But aside a7db54b595 from the 95057fe3ac Pope and d0f23a9fc7 a handful a262151435 of high 0513656109 priests, most b894d3d917 of them 87589d7656 were weak f7586d06d1 in divinity. Healing minor injuries—wounds that 6fad4d25db would heal on their 944b66bc88 own with time—was the 27e1cc3b68 best they could manage. Until the potion’s invention, 0a77920b52 even that had been 46e64610d9 sold as the blessing c8a150ef9f of Dara. Now, it had become db2c03692e completely obsolete.08ad0363cc475399

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With their dignity 8ff5d84238 as clergy diminished, d6baf9c0a3 the only thing 3251e9ab33 left for them 94f13f952a to do was 2a6d5d0e6c to condemn someone d891fe5a5c more visible and f0d4f70336 responsible than themselves.55799145a15839b6

‘Yes. The reason they speak so cruelly isn’t only because I’m lacking.’c0d606293901ae94

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‘It must 4d7e7a45d1 be because c151cd5895 none of 59db72a7e1 us have 9cbfefe3ca any room fa48f92fab left in e9da79be1e our hearts. No peace to 30767e33a0 offer one another.’7d7343089a4352d3

She consoled fb3f2c8a5a herself that 6cb1804148 way, just 89f704d41d enough to 22aae9a276 quiet the 3b564d26a9 guilt welling c34051beac up in 411d29c08a her.f46f2dcdfed56634

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“Saint! You’ve already finished b2bfd263ed your audience?”0bf9276672a5b383

“We didn’t see 43004a5ae0 you come back fd38185819 to the monastery, d5f1f92612 so we came 98584e8517 looking…”0b691f4465cde33c

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A pair of acolyte ef39d91daa girls—always looking out for 6695835817 Azniel—came running up with e784afd03f bright faces.2c949ca06b8b6517

“Did His Holiness speak 689604f779 to you about tomorrow?”0f9d36bbb0258abf

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“Is it true 0c82b362ad that Baron Gestern f2737b32ee of Antagon is 2cbd5d13bc coming?”e991ebc347624b1c

“Ah…?”577c00a8cb59de3c

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The way Azniel’s bba380f451 expression froze gave 0f7b9b3a92 it away—she had 753760404e clearly meant to 92c47d53bb keep it a ddc3117e4e secret. The gentle Saint never 169a9d7cc9 treated anything carelessly; she 3a73c46689 had likely assumed her 32df4dab53 conversation with the Pope 839cd38780 was confidential by nature.e7e68d3178809319

“We’ve been cleaning e2e4747722 every corner of 824d287467 the sanctuary all 23c895dee7 day. They said 07cf4cdd00 we were 9efac3ea5b preparing to 4656adf534 receive a 7533628865 guest.”26fae4dd4ff71771

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“You’ll be attending the 75cd624073 meeting too, won’t you, 37eb9c656f Saint?”e6c54ceeb4e1b2fc

As the 93576e7967 girls spoke e16d6ee816 the Pope’s 5f7ebb2705 name aloud, 8bbc737c5d nearby clergy a404cf507e began to 7acba05ddc shuffle awkwardly 4eb016dafc out of 7750b2f8ab earshot.1d1bbb78638e8243

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“Even before I came 02bc4b3ea2 to the Holy Kingdom, 58e3a58f30 there were rumors that e45932eec1 Sir Klaus Gestern of 154358b230 Antagon was incredibly handsome. I wonder what he’s 7b69eaa901 like in person…”7fb989bf134b96eb

“He visited 90ff025e7b the capital c7fb7b768e in my c513c43a56 country too, 5c5be149a1 for a 12cf0edc82 product showcase—and ff29ce071f I heard 1b249456d1 all the ded93aa1c9 noble ladies 6b2efa178f flocked to 0082d138eb see him!”ab0cee1d61d34a1d

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His mana potion might a50adbfaf9 have rendered Dara’s blessings 75d1badd37 obsolete, but the young fab53597ec girls were far too a00e0b8c6f excited at the chance e2351b90bb of seeing a celebrity 5c82bcf84c up close.0d179f2ac7648fbb

“They say bd7b8a5cc1 he’s so fc992f2f49 noble and 97e2eb5da7 refined, he b836dc37bc rivals the c2d876f9f6 angel statues 1061fa2bc9 of Artello! Apparently, his looks are eda37f2b80 so unforgettable, you can’t 5fa8753a7a help but remember him aa6923f28f after just one glance.”cf327656420bec0d

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“Poet Giorgio wrote of 3f1c7d77cc him like this: His 9851b32476 golden hair shines as b56ced8ea7 brilliantly as the sun 8f8bc6139a in the sky, and 9e403956f3 his black eyes seem 8db2421527 to absorb all the 6d18ce72e7 truths of the world. Kyaah…”4fd450c779e8851d

“They even say the 3e90f52442 princess of Gillios fell 47bfbbf83a in love at first c7d01af75b sight and proposed a 1248ba8691 royal marriage!”5c3d5b47c6c35846

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“And when he 33600d3c9d turned her down, b9f382ff4f that made him a60eb5b01a even more famous!”655ee106bc3af439

Eager to earn 9a2772ea72 even a smile 7ff82789bb from their beloved 3af539967e Saint, the girls faae190fe1 chattered away, unable 050f01c845 to contain their d45c3f44f7 excitement over the 4457fd88a1 famous guest’s arrival.11a93bb8edeac12c

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“So please, e928016d47 Saint, tell d1c31cf662 us tomorrow—tell c706755cbf us if ace305f97a he’s really f3648adcb5 that handsome. Okay?”c251a1612183b639

“We might not 500b9b17d8 be allowed to 5b616f9893 go out, after 1bac64088c all!”aca08b62b0f037f7

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“Alright then. I shall thoroughly bacdcc71eb investigate whether this dace82866c man is truly b8088fea5a worthy of all 707a428029 this excitement from 32a12f57a2 Sister Mari and b54110e664 Sister Isha.”fe048673159430ee

“Waaah!” The 33af53ede1 girls blushed 79edd86ead and squealed 4838d686a3 at the 41bda51fc6 Saint’s rare, 87617ad681 teasing reply.4ed8c4a17a42108a

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‘A man this 74cb435efe famous…’5f6b78d9d6b117bd

And yet, 952f78886e such a 118a2cf1e2 man had 5f61ed03ee donated a 8f13d0c7d9 sum large 2388a90ffe enough for 0598226db2 the Pope 43b1e52fdd to give ecaf373594 her up—as 4f7c18ca9e the price 09d677f25c for marrying 437bc65039 her?60b61789b42f14fc

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‘Could it be… that 4b3be5fe4b His Holiness misunderstood his 0e6e92aeb5 intentions?’337a563ecd2a6d88

Or perhaps c8f6109048 there was d0c06c755a another side 18c974fdf1 to the 52998c5c88 deal—something Azniel 3fbc4c8522 wasn’t being cafb459e8b told…39ad1e4297295bf2

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She understood her situation 835fa9a5d9 perfectly.2759bcaa753da34a

There were indeed 7aa58d2cce clergy who left df7c4d509b the Church and b2146ed4da married. But once one 8e5d88a2ad had severed all 9694317dbe ties with the c21086cf18 world, they were 33d5f29ca1 hardly considered desirable 65cf6a00ee spouses—unless they became 09b6cfd15b second wives to 03df5c86a4 devout noble families, a4c9d5e7c3 or married for 5436d6f60f love into poorer ddb518cf83 homes.0a40b310ec97a14b

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‘If I recall correctly… 16eb19c21e the chairman of Antagon 99eadfbbff was granted a noble 9e62be6a3f title by the Kingdom 67e3d023b3 of Gillios, in recognition c068597524 of founding magi-engineering…’dd9c546676b0d510

To Azniel, a dbd51e2e15 man with such 603256cc36 a distinguished record—admired dca36f5f01 by royalty—seemed far c82794af74 too high above a0884589b1 her to even 4ff12944db consider marrying. She couldn’t help a3688d1f2b but wonder if 1c923e5aa4 he was seriously 1dfccb8095 mistaken somehow…588808ca90420e67

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‘Still… golden hair and ac2cc0ca81 pitch-black eyes, huh.’4c215c6cfd988c86

As she half-listened to d30ac90f0d the girls chirping excitedly ef548962c9 about the famous man, a4984a242f Azniel’s thoughts drifted back—to 48a3bb185c a memory from long ff21051376 ago.9141f1c0e594ff93

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‘You will be 7ca23836d1 free. I promise.’4fb590695a19bb6b

Azniel’s hand reflexively f824bbfea6 closed around the 28169850f5 pendant tucked beneath fa86fc50a1 her collar. She had 0753821ca8 run her 11992406ec fingers over 36b086d45c it hundreds—no, 432b5126d3 thousands—of times. Even without a4b3840da0 looking, she b83ead2c95 could clearly 8b39fc69d2 picture the 23b64b14f0 design engraved 4d84687762 into its cf69f20066 flat brass 09a8582c19 surface.ac36da2c9c47cdb3

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The ragged breaths of 0e01fc8f4c a boy who had 62e2c46dc0 run to her in 7fec2e8ee3 haste… the trembling hand 1ec5f65af2 that offered the necklace… d6cdc37c81 and the raindrop that ee6e87d117 had slipped from his da4fb6eab0 fingertip, falling alongside the 19f3ce0957 pendant.600b3346a365942b

Whenever life at the 66caefc511 temple felt too heavy 4af947713b to bear, she found 949d64d3b2 herself recalling the hollow 836ea394fd gaze of that scrawny e3a1697154 boy—the one who had ac5c8ce7d0 seen her not as 749e719b50 a Saint, but as dfed6a2ac4 a girl his own 07ca3c5cfc age.3b645a3d65ab9ceb

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‘Is he 9a65b35ed0 doing well?’3e40e525ba93ccf3

For someone f6b3875abe raised in 9a069e960a a monastery, 0c29406d12 the outside bcb744e8cb world must 112c0e2198 have been 112cffb9fa harsh.e59fb5d8a72633ea

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* * *024ebbc0e2a2f6e0

A finely 990b18823a crafted magic 2e37c8d7d5 vehicle pulled e4b023bad2 away from 226e580777 Lafen, the d9db16990b royal capital a76e074df7 of Gillios, 3a541468cd with the 743b72fd04 morning sun 862b5f742c at its bce042eb62 back.d70827b435d5cf65

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Its destination: the Holy 0c3c0e5354 Kingdom, situated at the db32dbf2db border of a neighboring ab7a097c86 nation. Unlike the paved roads a43737b68c of the city where 9bd30099f0 magic vehicles were commonplace, 71fc0c9575 the route toward the 754548c876 Holy Kingdom was mostly 0154a060a7 rough and unpaved. With the bumpy ride 22e4f65d49 resembling that of an dbc2144f71 old carriage, the brown-haired 67ecc3218f man inside groaned aloud.c5e2c0dc1b390dab

“This is d4909d04b0 still an ae3f552a8b incredibly unfair a24030b269 deal, no fa91cd7d92 matter how 50dcd526a7 you spin c163b590c2 it.”e30c37e6af800431

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“Let’s just say 81b1401655 it’s equally unfair bd36609a5e to both sides—so c3d7fca782 we’ll call it abca13d042 even.”8c14affb70d43407

“But Chairman, you didn’t e3962714ac have to go so db8f1060aa far as to offer 57640c50a6 the proposal yourself…”98996b198e906bfe

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“Ian.”5056081458c01aae

The secretary’s voice cdb90b8ec5 trailed off as 7cfbec72e8 the chairman’s gaze 179bcfff11 landed on his 81fae45314 profile.120eda8ad703a540

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“But…!”bd2cf96d5c094b5d

“……”87013e6acd4a4c60

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The man’s 2e45c46537 lips were b5b9c5ddd8 pressed into 1447a90df0 a firm 65d3ce7141 line. Bathed in 2d7e11ba10 the early 6565fc0736 light, his 8f4ac7f588 features shone 365cbb0701 with an 4943b31048 almost unreal 994be3dcf6 brilliance, leaving e36f825ee1 Ian wordless 1a351ac257 under the d66cb543c0 weight of 0641d32851 it.cf902c39adccf486

“Y-yes… I’ll leave it 27c1bab32e at that…”7ecdd4b4a98db18a

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With a e2d369925c faint smile, 80911273d9 the man a7655f66b7 turned to 93b996a464 gaze out ff8ba043e4 the window. A landscape unfamiliar swept 2d681813fb past his black eyes. It made sense—after ff31ed38de all, it had c4f8fb98c1 been over ten 0f6ad77477 years since he’d 48e86b2a8a last taken this ee4c828223 road, and that 53cc7de4e0 had been the de6d8ac08f first and only 3f488df259 time.99034459cd8a29c0

‘What could d3307c4711 ten years b6de2c9d8c have changed…? I suppose 7794fa2004 I’ll find 3a8cebf638 out soon 883fc1dd8f enough.’aef1370c67424b9d

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The morning 1b17c5ee56 light filtered f7fbbee856 in through c4bdd7cc44 the glass, 58a67c1789 casting shifting 951686cc4b shadows over e88686e888 his fresh bf0cdd6e91 and unfatigued 386917985e expression.41140e5c5483ef2f

“Well… yeah, I suppose fded4356e3 you’re right. They’re the ones who 71915af7f6 slit open the goose 60443afa52 that lays golden eggs, bb62acb310 not us. So it’s only 3a99386c5f fair that it’s 74806f5d9d unfair for them.”e7bd34c2276fe49b

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“……”10a7727c5897fe40

“And you 3b261b9511 did agree 2384876691 with that 93c5fe0d05 metaphor, sir.”08fe95d65cefffd4

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Klaus cast 100e345e5e a sidelong bf237efd75 glance at b090a99cc6 his ever-complaining 2aa402a366 secretary and 682f5ae4fa let out 229796a27c a short db7b655917 laugh. He hadn’t exactly 6a2aff6c14 meant to agree 9c4a49ff4d with comparing her 99f6426958 to a goose—but ce2da9880a he let it aac367cc83 slide.decdef777fc6879f

In the 90411548c3 meantime, the 47e5f0a77e magic vehicle 5b73e0b3bf gradually began 96c8de5e9e to slow. A tall stone wall 84678cb52c loomed in the distance—they 0593a0075c were nearing the Holy 00498210b6 Kingdom.372498363fc72bfc

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But something felt da0dfbc7b9 strange about the faee20d179 scene.7a40c07f7a9ea044

In front of 2a60e096c9 the tightly shut fb4bacc821 gates, hundreds of ffe4d60dbb people were seated 7a6aaf2a3b on the ground bac4529f9e in loosely ordered 6e63ee4eda rows.2051f4df4267912a

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Honk—4052adb960b1e864

The driver pressed the beecc3f7a4 horn, and startled by 0cb8fdd55b the sound, the people 419c5b3092 scrambled to their feet 8e036b7539 and moved to clear 8abc110ff3 a path.120ec53380aae935

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“I suppose those are db8e9c21f3 the ones who came e515fa3c25 from all over the 945fa24ce4 continent for healing blessings. Looks like they’ve 9b2f77c892 been cleared out fd815a8ace for the day.”9208016c92385426

“Can’t have fbb142bfeb filth on 528c0cc938 display when 7520bd6f6a a ‘distinguished 279019cd1d guest’ is 6a3999557c visiting the dff49299da Holy Kingdom.”09f50d46b7236e40

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Klaus’s brow furrowed at b76d4a4148 the sight—a memory resurfacing 66d474a418 of how the Church a3f3c0c4ca treated the lowborn and 3922850f40 unworthy.bd9b1dca5ee9ab59

 146c43a8f5b7a57b

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 ccaf28b0dd3989d5