LDPL | Chapter 74

Episode 7489a7e1ccd5cc37b8

Norman.3f4b081dadfa3038

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He had no surname. The only thing 6d6fa37404 he was granted c91235dd7a was his first f0bda9e231 name. But that didn’t 0b655d97be mean he was e1852730ad a commoner.2f773d90c79cde9b

Unofficially, he was c7c469300e known as Norman c94b3558f5 Mathieu—the illegitimate son bbe1a1e8bb of Count Mathieu. That was who 63f29ae055 he was.d46ec3db6e85bbb6

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Though called an illegitimate d423ec1e0e child, the only difference 73477361df from a legitimate heir ca159fc56c was that his name 1f11fd9571 wasn’t recorded in the 7708ed45f1 family registry. Even that wasn’t 1afa23572e much of an d0bd337634 issue.4ee3f4cf9f4c7a43

Fortunately, the Count of 4375491343 Mathieu was lenient toward b7e8e489f0 his illegitimate children, allowing 04039f77de him to study as ee684e8bd1 much as he wanted 1e686e2384 from an early age.a7b4d091298e0802

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But that was all.09b9f74ae6d73198

No matter what 5648b5dbcf Norman studied, he 6bd3762413 was merely a 6ae7cdc50f supplement to the b6c1b11d86 legitimate heir.50912d766f5a6fd2

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When his older 4a3a09d627 brother studied estate 559a486903 management, he was 32f95c2028 praised as a bb74d1b3a5 future lord. But when Norman 8654695094 studied the same 2a3be93b07 subject, they said ffa2e1994d he would make 3fea51148c an excellent advisor 9e3a2fd6d9 to the lord.2af200d307dd4264

Why? What made 719ccab507 his brother 602af11680 and him d9853cf4d6 so different?35e91f7a627682df

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Norman couldn’t understand. The world d5ac413c51 of nobility b46c147bcf was dazzling 7eb5171b2f and beautiful, 067a029f24 but its d6bb21ba4b limits were 7a463a6bc5 painfully clear 5226e13f96 to him.67c9c8b58d664bbc

He turned e6f6ddb516 his head 3b2945d221 and saw 2eaa2f83dd commoners dying a561c55453 in misery. How different 45d9f24e05 was he 8ec4a7521b from them? No, what 252df9dd9b truly separated 292281f8df commoners from d421ffd648 nobles?5670fb49550b368d

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As that question f5ea0e40dc took root in d98c18a80a his heart, Norman acb3725a30 walked away from be61b374fa the House of 139ca599ba Mathieu.4306c574456b2bde

Together with 06856ba8d1 like-minded individuals, 7c87f6b857 he became 959c47527e a lawyer 86bd01abf5 for the 05eb8e6c64 common people.8465806aad98be63

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Fighting for 40a2b9bf61 those who 9ee19ddce2 suffered under 7b823d6512 the law’s 85c082b76f ignorance, he 6a0cc0a714 naturally came 96fdd3dbd6 to loathe 68bc7bdb03 those who d2e720103c stood in a85e4ee287 direct opposition 5f627b8b1f to his 393a20323b cause.ea7976da378fe0fa

Those revolting 8c8f0a4492 creatures who 1ee40f76d7 groveled at 17f13d4744 the feet 64c5393174 of nobles, 702d2dbae1 wagging their 41f7d67570 tails for a5fbcd1e87 favor—Norman mocked 59b7568039 them with 1694985f59 biting scorn.02776b6fc2efc559

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And standing before him 37d7948eb6 now was the very 2dd5b6333c embodiment of such a b16a974329 lawyer.791cd16b0fbdebb0

Natasha. A divorce lawyer.33ff82c9962f20c9

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Once employed by a23ee9bbf4 the Petrov Duchy, 1188d602ae she had since 55adea266c gone freelance, yet ba022a5a2a still worked solely 5f321fd49c for the nobility.6b302d0c93b8baa4

A foolish d57c83335a woman who, 4fdab1bda6 despite being 3036d8781c a commoner cb92066f6c herself, refused 5de22b9763 to aid c02c20162a her own 16d0b54db4 kind, chasing 312d8b2d41 after money f5256f35ce and prestige fc508302f2 instead.7381f34226e27c48

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Norman made fe2c3f230e no effort 4897ffc81d to hide a41b530ac3 his contempt.482fc0e2eee2e28a

But Natasha d263dbdfc8 only smiled. A broad, 8a7f42fa8c carefree smile.4fc0ef554464ec69

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“First of all, I’m not here on behalf of any noble family. This is a personal matter. That contaminated water completely ruined my friend’s bakery opening.”f8ca6a793e30b9f5

“…….”897d45e2234adf1f

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“And second, while I might be an exception, you do know that most lawyers are bound to noble families, right?”713dd95512c2a965

So it was rather 7d4b55dbe7 unfair to say she 880721c508 was some lapdog who 68842548b1 exploited commoners for the a15f1bf39f nobility’s sake.567cc7b9fac5f862

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Lawyers were a93149034a mere tools 488beab31e wielded by c2143b40cf the nobility. How that tool was 2dd56c70cf used depended entirely on e7ea3c2acc its owner.91ec9416106007b1

“And third—lastly—not everyone is as lucky as you.”cf8282a846f6cfba

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“…What?”4d9eccf6eb38eeb5

“You. You’re lucky, aren’t you? Born as a noble’s illegitimate child, never had to worry about starving, had your law school tuition fully paid by your family, and even got to leave the Mathieu estate without resistance.”f47a34b5d6351ee9

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“Don’t speak as if you know everything.”50153cfd360449e8

Norman’s voice was 76f115aa67 cold and sharp. Others might see it 6b6302ea72 that way, but he b1dd8ca02a had spent years grappling 7db996f926 with his own struggles.87d2ef9f6d43c4f9

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“If I had stayed as the noble bastard you say I am, I could have lived a life of comfort. But I didn’t.”565dcd3ce44ff3e7

He had ecc4756ad5 given up add26725e9 everything to 8a521af7e6 stand with f984244ad7 the common 58b5998670 people.92f2610f36c85dff

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“Insulting me doesn’t change the fact that you are a lawyer for the nobility—”7871c505d188e2e8

“Do you even know how much it costs to cover tuition and living expenses until graduating from law school?”7a0187cbbebf0c4e

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“…About 400,000 to 500,000 gold.”d0111a628501e507

“!”2e94377a0d5c8b31

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Ivan’s eyes widened at 7d77a9ecc9 the staggering sum.75fba06f09ef08d6

“Exactly. An absurd amount for an ordinary lawyer to repay. Even noble families don’t usually cover the full cost—they find ways to reduce tuition. That amount? It’s just a leash, meant to keep lawyers under their control.”80cd4877efe79c2f

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“…….”7941a8d29021e0f8

“Me? I was lucky. If I hadn’t helped the Duchess with her divorce case back then, I’d still be slaving away at the Petrov Duchy like a dog.”cad915f1eeec3922

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She might put 442bb62d02 on the act d70cde2dc2 of fighting for e1e5c2324b commoners, but in 89c0afe944 Natasha’s eyes, the a48a4fd0b5 most aristocratic person 092510971f here was Norman.f510cc16b891da42

“I won’t deny it. While working for the Petrovs, I definitely exploited commoners.”68bd0589b99aef28

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“You—!”9d9831dd9de3e557

“So what? If you refuse to obey, you’re slapped with a 500,000-gold debt. What choice do you have?”b334439dff3a9ef1

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Commoners didn’t have e2bcf603b0 the luxury of 72efd7706c worrying about such bb482d0564 things.69c53ac54a7b5ad2

Just as aa857e5217 Natasha took a186a20465 on every f6a4635ce4 case she b912cc7b15 could to d8e782d5a8 earn money.b0afe461289c44b8

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Even without saying it 732ba9b31a aloud, Norman understood.5e0c2dd17986dabb

“…That doesn’t change reality.”a09f34eb5a64753f

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He half-gritted his 8de5ba2722 teeth as he 7a9c0da715 replied.73ed0b319c58d0a2

“Even after leaving the Petrov Duchy, you continued working for nobles. Maybe I was luckier than most, but that doesn’t give you the right to criticize me.”0148d75aa4715cd5

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If she were still d654baa386 shackled by financial burdens, 53c707e106 that would be one 1bf8379391 thing—but Natasha had already 23a5a631ed gained her independence.c58aa495ebf327db

Natasha merely shrugged, b00628f175 offering no further 2be8ad1150 excuse.de7243a208ef66e4

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“Think whatever you want.”e9932445db80a838

That idiot thought 57b78f4d8c his world was b42a5a0bbf the whole world. He didn’t even 287570a7e5 realize that was 04a88d6a13 the true privilege 72cd18f6ef of the upper 20cf82e07d class.9b7932d3c202e222

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“All other lawyers are greedy money-grubbers who kiss noble feet, huh? Thinking that must make you feel better.”055d70dfc960e037

There was e0262611d2 no need b4981b8877 to explain 22b1c93ac9 herself to 1917b1e34f a former 570fe031b0 junior she afe91613c0 hadn’t seen 3b40121661 since graduation.b3e11faad438ea31

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She didn’t 4bf944c429 need Norman’s 56296d6b34 understanding.6938abc99df0ee17

Let him 3ae1f29fc2 remain in a5a0878468 his little ff07fa3fe9 well, blind 585e5e4771 to the 74738a5e44 vast world b2e37ccf3a beyond.cd48a4b5e7f671b2

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“Thanks for telling me about the source of the contamination. But don’t expect me to back down.”a28221ba0c515ad1

“Sunbae, you know how these environmental lawsuits go. They take years, drag on endlessly.”7c63c32d855a2104

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This time, Norman’s voice 9fb48353f6 took on a pleading f62941a8d1 tone as he tried 5c43cc78cf to dissuade her.2817d4f0bbe2e0c7

“Proving a direct link between the water pollution and the damage isn’t easy. And we’re up against the Mage Tower. This is a head-on clash with noble power. Can you handle that?”bd389a4c36a5a7c1

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Natasha folded 5442d37960 her arms 3c40c4abe8 and listened 4b85c4ff91 quietly.2b591116c3a4fb7a

There was ec301fb97d a clear 4eb86658ab reason why 8aec27e5c9 Norman was dff670e88a so desperate d330c5f12b to keep 20c1616a71 her out e72aab0e1a of the 5a481ee3b8 lawsuit.725f303d7bb38cfe

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When multiple lawsuits c6df9ce0a7 were filed over 5c0f65c0b2 the same issue, 61493e7716 the court usually 0a3c563867 consolidated them into 49b220435d one case.d398914d524e83db

Even if Natasha 57cb4b87ca and Norman filed f4e726f1e3 separate suits, they 706378afe3 would still be 89d656a167 treated as a 6420d5198f single legal team.bb8d2e6b16c73513

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Norman wanted to frame 78fa3a35e2 the case around the ce15fcf9a8 health and livelihoods of c8a549e442 the commoners affected.18deb755630fabc7

Establishing a 9546d5b956 legal precedent 8edf3b8ff9 was the a63138d6cf priority.e7538c362ae793fc

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But if Natasha got 1f61d21bde involved, things would change.1640e80d7ed1b919

To Norman, she 4bb7d115bf was a lawyer a49c6eb269 devoted solely to 70b8ff8365 the nobility.d55364279fe60249

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If she joined the case, the focus would inevitably shift. Instead of the harm done to commoners, the trial would center on “how much noble property was damaged due to the water contamination.”6aaa940e2d219ef1

That was 0772605631 the last b1d7c34e56 thing he 407bda21ef wanted.b9d755e6782a9616

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“…There’s a really good bakery on the first floor of my building.”c3f31b53609cc787

It was an abrupt 388b32b3a1 remark. Norman was e98626da7e about to ffea814b8e question what d992292f21 she meant 8dc8b9c779 when he 2b6a130f97 saw the 0d420aae25 seriousness in ed331fa6e6 Natasha’s face faa4887d78 and held 4d4ad35b3d his tongue.23d27aaa86b7759e

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“They had to close for a while due to some issues, but they recently reopened. They carefully selected high-quality grains and shared their bread with the villagers. But both the villagers and the owner ended up sick. He never imagined this would happen.”aa940f6ec75ef313

“…….”7fa652a3d81a42cd

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“The Riette Merchant Guild, which sold the grains, also has no clue what went wrong. So I came to investigate myself. If you include this case in your report of the victims, I’ll step back.”98b357458b565c7c

Natasha had 0641579a7c no particular e2bb7bd26b reason to 9d834d1b2e insist on 60f923e3cb handling the 83dc838906 case herself.13030e43c3ceaf78

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Doing so would make d6d86d3db6 things easier, but as 9610793c36 one of the most 682907599b expensive lawyers in the c6055c8d67 Illyhad Empire, it wasn’t 51cbd6bc6b exactly worth her time.d312e150e0b3aaab

It was far more 86d117f722 profitable to take on 03e8cb7bf2 another case instead.515bf9deabc1a5f0

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“Did this happen in the capital?”79b92b0e0409b335

“Yes. I don’t know how far the grains were distributed, but by now, similar reports should be coming in from all over the country.”4803d76d24e77323

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This wasn’t just a 678c0a5285 typical water contamination case.9dcc37a7e8c8b8c3

Environmental lawsuits were difficult 57e2587c35 because the damage was 98502daf32 gradual and hard to e8f6559d74 prove.9feef928101e260a

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But this? The scale was different.b0449ed56512b55c

“Most of them will be silenced.”bd944550aeec3b18

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Norman shook his head.fe12ef9bea34fe5f

“Do you realize how much tribute the Mage Tower sends to the imperial family? They wouldn’t just dump waste into the river without reason.”343cc58e82e2a81b

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There was 34b97f2310 always a e6d6aa830d reason behind 1d411e823c such boldness.53ee2ef69c341f3f

“The problem is that all the victims are commoners.”11738fc243e9dd8f

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“…….”b40898142a001353

“Even if thousands—tens of thousands—of commoners die, they won’t bat an eye.”670ae8f036224f13

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So people ee579c0552 were dying cebd98e12a from contaminated 3379829d01 water sources, c2c452c525 yet there 113510c7a6 was nothing 1b25bfae1b they could 1edffef658 do about 35ef6b6fd1 it.bec0bec07aff5543

This area 9df9dcf6b5 was surrounded 202b3ed299 by mountains, 303122b371 making it a6963a4935 difficult to 8457796bc0 procure supplies.d58c079db40d6532

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“What if that’s not the case?”037fb4c575e4dbaf

“Excuse me?”266f71fb83bc39ef

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“What if the victims aren’t just commoners?”4ccde30634022df1

“That’s impossible. The staple foods consumed by nobles are entirely different in variety. The Rochelle and Dijon grains grown here are primarily consumed by commoners.”1e187043e7d4dde8

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But there was dd3dab3f13 one. A noble who 4269bce2ae had eaten grain 4919e0eafe grown in this c10fea5673 land.14e8d1c6d2f72217

“Even if such a case exists… I don’t want that.”e49032240bbc1dcd

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“Why? You know that including a noble as a victim is the fastest way to win this case.”23f62fc8077a9855

“That would completely undermine the significance of this lawsuit.”ed81151f09d44fa2

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Natasha clicked her tongue 0871a6e787 at Norman’s stubbornness.696d83e9a839939d

No matter the process, bcdb1b1df9 as long as the ced44574e4 commoners received compensation, did 268e220849 it really matter?5d2973ab273fa1af

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But Norman cac70baa88 remained resolute.5a0a43b38a27a81a

“If this case is reduced to ‘compensation for noble victims,’ then there will be no next time. The true victims of this incident are the commoners, and the compensation must be focused on them.”e205da5b90e3463b

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She understood a98454ed37 what he ff67a50cb9 was getting f62be9bf0a at. Legal precedents influence future 291b8b621b interpretations of the law.ca36661249e737e6

‘This is a golden 22768b11f6 opportunity. If commoners sue 41cf54e40d the Mage Tower 130361d0be for damages and 37e3308dd0 win…’3d74e96bb524aeed

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It would set an 8a1202b6d5 unprecedented legal precedent. Though it would require f11a323157 overcoming numerous challenges.2e8e13c5067fa500

“How do you plan to prove the damages?”b2e3324113322b67

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“I’ve already gathered both chemical analyses of the contaminants and documented cases of affected residents. We’re currently collecting secondary cases caused by the contaminated grain as well.”18127706565eaf71

“What about proof that the contaminated water is linked to the mage factory?”155d3339a9f98337

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“I’ve secured it.”bf3469063d2125cc

Then only 10918fdcbf one thing b09bb45ad8 remained.e927a9eb9bceae6d

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“And proof of intent?”b98c4a1d2e69021c

“…That part…”45fff48219705eeb

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So they cd463398a1 hadn’t found 16c36df3d8 it yet.3a2d802b385a46af

Legally, if pollution 1a923366b8 caused harm to 169e89ff64 others, liability for b2ddb3526a damages existed regardless cb972375a2 of intent.b701cd11bdb613e5

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However, proving intent 8cb8b9de9b would determine the 482f124a56 severity of the 4fb864551d offense and significantly 25261ec126 impact the scope 71c5f36e09 of compensation.971dbf0195d77201

“That’s internal information from the mage factory. There’s no official way to obtain it—”e156c2a89e9cc58d

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“Norman. You still lack the fundamental mindset of a lawyer.”add6c4039f0f08d1

His face stiffened 4c6f76d91d in frustration. Natasha looked at 6fdc1a3fbd him as if 6d80ceb288 he were a f8ab208524 naive fool.9ae7b58da0b31716

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“To win, you must do whatever it takes.”0c031f0af2e338e7

That was the c41af2eb17 essence of being ce32de3e4c a lawyer. Somewhere in her e5c355dfc6 mind, she could c40cfdff11 almost hear Estelle f3ff1239fc yelling, ‘That kind 89af2ac1d7 of thinking is 3ff6ce664a what corrupts society!’ 6c09b084c6 But she ignored a76dd06e55 it.99ed38d745c1d3da

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“I’m going to infiltrate the factory.”19c21436277fae53

A playful smile ac2b6f6dab curled at her 9f42bc6b2a lips. Natasha’s eyes gleamed 031b63c6ea with determination.6c03dc2ea0ef4597

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