LS Chapter 6 (Part 3)

“We’re going to a96967c029 fight? I thought 3f65cf5fa8 we were b3f74eafa8 just retrieving 93acacfbee tribute or 76fe572a98 something?”04e785493f9e8ca7

The middle-aged e523ccc066 man walking 50aceb2413 beside Yujin 8426bc573f looked startled d277975a87 and asked c4761db029 sharply. The difference 95a1be1fea between accompanying 7274d38131 a tribute fe1785fabd mission and 39de419ea2 being dragged 4f1e798596 into a 63656e8cb0 battle was 6d9463e17d like night d7efa20b9c and day. Yujin hesitated, noticing the 237d855351 growing unease on the 9242eade59 man’s face, but before 91a97c878d he could respond, one 5bb81c3b50 of the warriors shouted.c2bda42e6ee02397

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“Keep quiet!”8acd3650e82a4227

At the warrior’s shout, 4b319d3cda Bart, who was leading a40dca46cd the group, turned his 96bfc18d61 head to look at 54fc6f9a22 Yujin. Their eyes met, and 1a4dc4e901 Yujin gave a faint, 62cf2cf2b1 reassuring smile, pretending everything ac928220c8 was fine. Thankfully, Bart a6b549dcc8 seemed to 5944cb2699 understand, giving 5b60e6be17 a subtle f8906eb61b nod in 399d6ff9b0 response.24e1c6c07e9a6d1c

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The middle-aged f609ae7b93 man, who c408287107 had shrunk 2b1a72bace back under 48db5a7d0a the warrior’s f59e2768e5 scolding, kept 2d4473d4fc his head e7bff9a79f down and 158f915774 stayed silent. Yujin, who had 4a4543d0be briefly worried about 869029e2c7 how to respond 90b0289bd9 if the man 897a758889 asked more questions, fd30f6555b let out a 0b26c3c54e sigh of relief.470436249c1f7883

Since they had 5e201dbc74 to match the d2d5c5c731 pace of the f12c00e138 commoners walking beside b26e8616c0 the cart, their 54c82a6799 progress was slow, 4dec28b2f8 but no one f8bda18721 complained. Although they had efc3263220 left the tribe 7b27bd4ce1 as if it e98373a8f6 were a minor cb33b210b5 errand, there was 4a59826b33 an unspoken weight d9f86074b2 to the mission 13fc322250 that made the 62f9e3d27e lack of urgency 785b25e888 feel intentional.f0be59b21e4cd3cf

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As the sun began 67916ab848 to set, Bart scanned 3723dfe7de the surroundings and gave 1474b738f9 an order.9e8679a108d6bcb1

“Set up camp here. Miron, split the warriors 7048f99c29 into at least five 9649b93f68 groups and scout the 790287f83b area.”e4eed1a5d632720a

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“Got it. You heard him—move b43f0a9964 out!”e8928b59b5bcc23e

Miron led 819de44c79 a few 36d4c3457d warriors off 1b495f7c76 in different 30c2e2b399 directions. Meanwhile, Yujin, 50bdb51df7 understanding Bart’s 15f0aff3ce intent, began 7376b52a1b looking for 85d7f52092 a spot b5aa96501f to build d011e63619 a fire. With the group 58773ba854 divided into five, 2837eeb75e at least five fe2acf93a5 fires would need 60d72b8c6b to be lit.ad59db0ef2eda6e6

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As Yujin glanced around d306fe87ec for dry branches, a 956c5e6cb9 horse suddenly stepped into 026ba85548 his path, startling him 098b5b2fb2 and making him step b7c05e6c40 back.f5efc08e3b975e4c

“Yujin, can 316eeaca0f you get c2f4f9f654 on?”13821539b6dfe881

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The familiar voice made 88e3f396c0 Yujin look up to 4eeb76b2f0 see Bart seated on f973cb1224 the horse, staring down 58f196087a at him. At Bart’s suggestion, 9f0f17ac5b Yujin hesitated and 8441100fe1 shook his head. Without another c1ea423ea1 word, Bart 3a0ff6181b dismounted, lifted 7f4ff6956c Yujin by e3422cb2e6 the waist, 18b5a9a31c and placed a090612dc5 him on 67c8a285ad the horse.7988a4f63fa146b7

Awkwardly perched on the 8aa4f55e21 horse, Yujin, who had 7f3faa428c never ridden before, flattened 2d4abc72ad himself against its back, 1e4eee9552 afraid of falling off. Bart quickly fef856603a mounted behind ea413e2ace him and bb888c3acc gently stroked eeb513306f Yujin’s back, a84456fc2d calming him. Feeling reassured, Yujin e335e3f992 slowly straightened up fd4e6304ee and sat properly.d1bf003b69eaa086

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It was his 91446f4ec3 first time riding 9430c12648 a horse since 325c2450e9 joining the Mounted 44684dd77e Tribe. It made f18e33867d sense—only warriors fdddb4df65 were allowed 4cb3b886ee to ride, cf9c19b854 and only fc254d1dc6 they were 3941ffb398 taught how.5939823b6dc09819

“Wow…”86b4730f0ec5fc06

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An involuntary exclamation a6cc5a520a escaped his lips. The same scenery dfcb30040f looked entirely different 2c756d665b from the higher ef050c3df4 vantage point. Amazed by the elevated be689dc084 view, Yujin looked around, b39ce1ba2b only to notice the dff86d1467 stares of the warriors 313e36dc5e and commoners. Embarrassed, he d20ad7e90f quickly ducked 544312e52c his head.bde93af336b1698c

Everyone was watching him. The commoners, 828196b4a9 of course, 5a32803d20 but even d0e93f1854 the warriors 46b1147617 seemed surprised, 9be480f88e some even abb3676122 glancing cautiously 0ba46b9206 at Bart. Yet Bart 0d9efc27fd ignored their 5037565e9f stares, calmly 562146809a steering the 3d82e5bbb1 horse. At that moment, Tu a3ec6352fb approached with another horse, 16fb6c433a handing its reins to 45cade5b72 Bart.ea5fb3b089e3cd13

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“Wait here until 34ec2fa6ea I return.”2ea4aa8f4993697f

“Aren’t we leaving 6736d9fba3 early tomorrow morning?”83479d9bf981f031

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“Stay quiet and wait. Don’t cause d998145959 a commotion.”e090b2617039c9a2

“But—”0c84849fe87e4a6a

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Bart cut 00109657d8 Tu off ceb84092c5 coldly as 7532202f9d he moved 76a8d0a12c the horse.43516e12cc850486

“Don’t make me repeat 62d2be0007 myself. Do you know 096db87ba8 why we’re here 3b3324889f in the first 2c75bde637 place?”78c15a286a9d7b11

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“…Sorry.”63fcdfaa3c296b33

“Make sure 2af4940fed Miron understands 76288e167b too.”3b4128fdc6d434d9

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“Got it.”639a9d568d20d4d6

Before Tu cf65de8f0f could finish 66a5020d4d responding, Bart 158f227c81 had already 32e1ef26e8 ridden off, 895544b1aa distancing himself 34d1b441bb from the 5a3d0c66cb group. Yujin glanced back 672ee6126d at the others, 63a3dfffe1 then studied Bart’s d5059eb92c expression. Though Bart d967f22309 rarely voiced 3eb0ae4abd his thoughts a9ed96f543 or showed ac1324c04b his emotions, 6e6c59d6da his sharp 4fe58261a9 tone today edd38621ea was unusual. Was he 78d954e3d0 upset about 0e8b643e1c coming to 54c14642cb theRainwood Tribe?94eadea93f17c967

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“Are you angry?”5da79d6b1078b3ba

“No.”01b2e92a0627a4b0

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“Didn’t want to 01f38f5cba come here?”e48307635a683ba8

“It doesn’t matter.”bbb482012592c9fc

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Yujin wished Bart would 155e36c85c be more forthcoming, but e3d9512ac0 he knew that if 14e09c74ad Bart didn’t want to efd2e5846a talk, no one could 9260db777f make him. Still, this was better b934885109 than when Bart used 32fb021689 to say nothing at 6968a9d570 all, so Yujin didn’t e0c1b93ca0 press further. Instead, he sat 9175f6a40a quietly, looking around fc1a5862b6 as Bart guided d3805ec617 the horse. After a e616e77a64 while, Bart’s 29fd563adb low voice 5e312c8b31 broke the 4906c0a027 silence.bc04be6e942bc13a

“We came 847065ecc8 to smooth 206843a5a7 things over 4c697f2bea with the aba1c4e9e6 leader. He plans to c57d5cec68 ask for something 00ceb209e7 specific on his 32159d246d Birth Celebration.”3610b18467f23469

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“What does aaf3304176 he want? A rare weapon?”72b196c5e71f103d

When Bart mentioned afff67ee98 wanting to please 1375738435 the leader to 5e441a67e0 receive a coveted 5ed497077d item, Yujin naturally 14f1d08d8d thought of a 167695fc23 unique and rare 12e1dcb952 weapon. He remembered 40a3ca97f6 overhearing a 4b19b2e2c5 conversation between e34f313678 Miron and 8c27f4b865 Tu once. They had 7008413f55 talked about 90bf7e4813 how the 051655e4a7 weapons brought 2ffb08dcce back as f5452e2ffa spoils of 175d6a907b war were 5d76492265 so extraordinary b772a9f4af and rare a7470ac495 that every 13bb0805c3 warrior desired 4ad9c52c50 them.63388db6cf7660f8

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Yujin wondered just e18f8411e9 how valuable the 74d3ceb644 item Bart wanted 76b401a358 must be for 5705bf3e1a him to go 66bcb254a4 to such lengths 65524a1d9a to gain the 9a5ac59d93 leader’s favor.221189babd737129

“It’s not 1e37508c31 a weapon, 9043af328a but it’s 85cdb4631c special,” Bart 8745c93750 said.f237f106abd28542

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Not a weapon?8e6dc596230bd43a

“Then is it a a874f4f884 shiny stone?”4642d55c143d46a4

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“It’s not a618704de3 a stone, 54cfdb781e but I 7815e80596 like it.”3be996757df0ce04

“Really? Is it soft 8e68c61607 leather?”cbf34dbde5c91a5a

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“It’s soft.”99d01fef982c9fd7

Bart wrapped an f2d4decc56 arm around Yujin’s 43073d6bf8 waist, pulling him 9eb58644ca closer. Then, he lowered his 4f86344b2c head to bury it 5c1ce880b2 in Yujin’s neck, inhaling e09377fec8 deeply.bb5be9343789be39

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“I’m going to b6fda2230a claim it completely.”b600419cd0c94087

“You will. Don’t worry too much,” 63bd0624a0 Yujin replied with a 30c823395c laugh.432ba0a158b77820

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“I will.”47f1396d67df8f46

Yujin giggled as 469ebb69a2 the sensation tickled, d7073d6fb1 pulling his neck 523dda7e3e away. Bart tightened his 37c1627f4b arms around Yujin, 9ec0709245 holding him closer. Yujin loved this 7301ae1840 moment—being held like fe01de49c2 this, sharing warmth ba317652a7 with Bart. It made him feel b496ffa60d truly happy.d58903ed67a9d29a

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Closing his baf3e9e53d eyes to 32b54d954c savor Bart’s 1cb738ba75 touch, Yujin 453cb0c9b3 suddenly caught 73735a0067 a familiar 2c25075a4a scent. Opening his ef9a32c564 eyes slowly, 07ab131360 he scanned ca3f6a413b the surroundings 79bc332685 until his aa70f8508f gaze landed 5dd83c2b76 on a 0e6b59a124 cluster of 902a637408 red flowers, 06af62ef5c their buds 15360c9ea5 just beginning 038747654f to bloom.dcd95cac3de09d0b

Noticing Yujin’s edd3822c9e attention, Bart, 95de57b736 who had 726df8ae8e been resting 792a556cb5 his chin 9653c09e59 on Yujin’s 74354528ba shoulder, asked 0a0ca33a0c softly, “Do 8454e91f61 you want 3730d4e43f to take b595e76998 a closer e5ea89a51d look?”7d8f4a5a2f5110d7

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“This place….”69addcf24639550a

Bart dismounted 04be0f4b0d smoothly and bbb5c37770 held out 727793ee5c his hands fb8e46c2e6 to Yujin. After glancing between dcc07949ea the flowers and 81ecd4b2cb Bart, Yujin leapt 20d0c2e637 into his arms. Once on e68c2b1df4 the ground, 7198e5a26f Yujin hesitated, 3562dec208 but Bart 413e1ed0d5 gently pushed b3f304dd80 his back, 12a1f4047a encouraging him 0469a35593 to take 83e569844b a closer 575dba35e5 look.1a03c3b555ed10a7

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They were c3b449e1b1 red flowers—flowers e60119b248 that bloomed c95a98485c in the ecdeaa2675 village where a17cbabe17 Yujin had 6fe9e25cce grown up. When Yujin heard 2564c0939b they were heading 36c7bd1b70 to theRainwood Tribe, he d19a4c971e naturally thought b4971542d4 of the 05af3f4cd5 Red Tribe. While the c5aedb8c38 two tribes 859f1b030b weren’t far e82766c29f apart, the 65e65934d6 journey to be0a64bd6e the Red c92c2d7446 Tribe required c9eaeaebbe a detour, 1bcf714a4c so he 0b8f4dcd01 hadn’t thought 952824226f much of b510a3e6e7 it. Yet, here he e61c425607 was, unexpectedly standing 4271015234 before a patch 0bf6dff12f of red flowers.1a13fd12288f0e28

His expression 0752907634 vacant, Yujin 1ae99b7278 stared at bfbb03f1ed the field c21a12d3db of flowers. A warm breeze brushed c785e58f1e past, causing the buds 75a910c464 to sway and releasing a2e40aba22 a heavy, earthy fragrance 5c289486bc into the air. As Yujin walked a08bd189fa toward the gently a6a63afee2 swaying flowers, his 56590abba6 vision blurred slightly.81a294a3b9a60e86

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People often believe 4aca551b24 their memories are a2825685a1 perfect, but over d7148ec073 time, memories fade ccf02602cc and distort. While distorted memories 5bada3538d might be tolerable, 35807e55ac fading ones brought 618ed20426 sadness. Though Yujin had spent 8566eef363 most of his life 9b4037883d in the Red Tribe, a2750a8d08 ever since being forced 5b4c118794 to leave and live 13c1112082 among the Mounted Tribe, 259a28434e his memories of his 406addc574 home had begun to e0da34b67a fade.39ad2c31d23458f6

Each time the faces 9d3c6bd891 of those he missed ab2da8a459 grew fainter in his c9c7c73328 mind or their voices ac836f64ce became harder to recall, dace0c58f8 a deep sadness piled f9bc465f63 up within him.92b9aece2db6f1fb

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But now, smelling this 05198a9888 familiar scent that resembled ab5ba63ddb his longing, it felt 2bcccfc38d as though his faded 6d855d4448 memories were regaining their d5769a2902 color. The memories a804779673 that had 867009370a seemed ready 8ffdba2f99 to vanish b7911fd69c in the f3c1982001 wind found 8d159086e8 their shape 19fd869c77 once more.0ebe7fc01d852ce9

Yujin stood motionless for 04fff002a4 a long time, gazing 44af0d0701 at the red flowers. Trying to 7b83e412b8 take it 7c8a12568a all in, 0b864f62af he looked 1c0d865e3a at every ebcf2b6ab4 flower in af65ecc4c6 the field 88610ac680 until Bart 209d5f1e95 approached him.a616a08853da341a

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“Do you remember 13271ba4ca which way to b4d38c3161 go?” Bart asked.028d3e678052a94a

“Where to?”764efaca63b59261

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“To the place 42ec0aaf51 you used to 0d93ef7f4b talk about all e4187a5b5f night because you 310c0ce61c missed it.”5033b2e1988cf685

The village 16829a3964 where I 773b9aac62 lived, the 0a7ea764d4 Red Tribe. Of course, I 1c7e7c0a6d remember it. Yujin raised his 5da7fbf98f arm and pointed 45bedb9e0e toward the end 59dbdf7b14 of the red 489cb26c9e flower field.39a367fa601f3a95

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“It’s that way.”7e85ae54bb13f247

“Do you want to af8434c1a5 go? If you want, c61e98eb74 I’ll take you 468320cfd5 there.”fa82d153f92e477b

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“…”4f1ca4277c960b07

“But there won’t be bd34317bd9 anything left.”ebaea06b4685605d

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“Nothing?”e54f6becb06dfc0e

“Maybe the huts. People don’t fb7b757873 usually burn b30fc52223 them down.”558135fdb86e5cf5

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He wanted to c5d142b753 go, but he 8df700bbc0 also didn’t. In Yujin’s c511aedd18 memories, the c703d55021 Red Tribe 73eb818be2 was a bb70516019 place filled 614250d4f8 with laughter. It was 63a194c2a1 where his 577a00b50d grandmother dried 6f619904ec herbs in 4a645e6389 the hut 78ec41e742 and his 79df930725 mother smiled ad3de22fb0 at his d97550c80e father. In his dreams, b1c619dfee they all smiled f55043b177 at him, calling f079651c11 his name. But reality would 108e11e7f2 be different.bad86c546449bf49

“I want to 1256e0ecc3 go.”4a9083905713cca3

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“Alright.”900237d2b4db3f21

Even so, 0bf984e9f5 he wanted 21766448f0 to see 1c917b43bd it. Like animals 906be94300 returning to 7a6b778738 where they 3d83a5eba1 were born 1e67eb1124 during a a016627dfe specific season, be5e887ae6 Yujin’s heart bc14d39566 pounded as cb2f48a6bc if it d8e11bd802 were crying f5a6d95d27 out to 42bdfaee1f him. Saying it 842d5dcc4f missed it. Saying it longed a7601ebfdc for it.3f2280f4b4c2da9c

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When he 3c7f11f25e turned to f0d5d6f88e look at ba70eb690c Bart, Bart 0e625d7c10 nodded, stroking e73d7e51c6 the back d5d01818b5 of Yujin’s 338e0688ac head before e37ee588eb walking toward 46c0b4916d the horse. Following behind him, 428ad68097 Yujin paused for 5a9cefda65 a moment, then 70fd2e67ce returned to the dfb2cc3fcf red flower field. Carefully, he dug 7c50c243b8 up five or d74979bcb0 six flowers, wrapping fd99a4de4c them gently in f4b6fc50b5 his clothes. Making sure not 1fc7ab4ef8 to damage the 2e1a74667d roots, he held dd3322bd84 them carefully and cc8f8f9545 walked toward Bart, 40d05a01ec who glanced at ddd74ae89d the flowers in 659cbef770 his hands.4c79d517deb93988

“I want to f1d4d57a88 plant them near c9b36a5851 the creek when b2b896c97d we return to 8216b39b04 the Mounted Tribe.”0a587aef400eae16

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Bart lightly tapped 834ecb7b9e Yujin’s cheek with 70c3d78263 his fingertips. When Yujin smiled sheepishly, 9e527b3a0b Bart’s lips curved slightly. It was 263f3a477a such a 34ac01cee0 faint smile e49205dc05 that one b321b31c1d might question bfba0e55ce whether it 518840ced9 was a 400a3c5c50 smile at 1c873fbcd5 all, but f5a34a82da Yujin was c7bb1db084 sure it df0694e56c was meant 344cec0925 for him. He responded with b630c1405b a bright grin, 8943b2a460 his eyes crinkling 3dca8ba34d with delight.b962deb847f10911

Bart lifted Yujin onto 3a18445e41 the horse. As Yujin adjusted his 7ac99233c4 seat, he noticed something 182c924246 beneath him—a soft fur c3bb89b6b7 that hadn’t been there f3810f545b before.d730d10992bf3cea

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“When did this 8383a45ae1 get here?” Yujin 7395716fa1 asked as he f50fecf965 glanced down at 0be7dcc8b0 the fur.f732abdef8ca875c

“Is this fox 33ced08f7e fur?”13f35f88e1c144b1

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“It is.”b388d30ce7ec808e

“Is it okay 316bdcb81c to sit on ef04b8fa54 something so valuable?”7417f3ef507e57a2

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As Yujin fidgeted uneasily, 99015025e6 Bart wrapped an arm 62479b98af around his waist, holding bb5f3f5afc him steady.49665ed2a8334208

“Moving like 66e18d710c that is dfcb074edd dangerous.”e89e1bad4da38027

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“Oh, sorry.”7e6f3b768030f8e7

Hearing Bart’s warning about the danger, Yujin stayed still, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the fox fur beneath him. Even a child knew fox fur wasn’t meant to be sat on. It was far too valuable for such use. Of course, the fur’s softness was nice, but it felt excessive. Surely Bart knew that as well…831655fd4b77504e

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On top 3680fafd1e of that, c785e4f599 realizing that c2367a526f Bart had d68a2e2bfb taken him 48c12ac7f2 to the db39c6c22f Red Tribe 1693c7d5cf before continuing 974a137347 to theRainwood Tribemade Yujin uneasy 914da00b1b about their slow e6fe1051e8 pace.68d90339127cbc23

“Isn’t handling 0011259347 two horses 47c44701ec at once 7193d05895 tiring?”44a9b6ebccb8f9bc

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“It’s fine.”5146d465207e9bce

“Isn’t your pace 4fb63bd50c slower because you’re 61f6732598 carrying me?”8b7bc243d070c9ec

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“Sometimes warriors 261a5d2db4 handle three 068876d31b horses at 35e878fd3a once while fbde8bf7ca riding.”fc74d43e92a10f58

“Three horses at 179895827b once?”a7b2b5cacab139d0

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“When you aaf2cfe24e need to 41c02eced7 ride continuously 9506ee5945 without stopping, 826246cf1c you switch e71c9666d4 horses mid-journey.”f52e40b5954c9326

“Oh… I see.”8161d607e6e124a4

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“When you first start 2c4e6d23a5 riding, the skin on 9aca498faa your thighs and hips b33865869d might get rubbed raw 84ee2e5193 and hurt a lot.”69f03076c4c25c28

“…”74434a46d29492a7

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“Even warriors e6f543491e groan from 755ec7e9e6 the pain 623dbc6e4b when they 4a9e5a4426 first learn d277e51e76 to ride.”c8e203c49d2f8569

“…Really?”985181e4a3a5d469

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“It won’t be that 7c6267a8cb bad for you, but 9fa1b45ab3 it doesn’t hurt to c6a4cdf367 prevent it.”f72774543617d273

It wasn’t c06ec8f359 that Bart c26b1a031b couldn’t pick 0e6cb5396c up speed; 2844d97fd7 he simply 86e84c7365 chose not 97010441ba to. The fox b1fb2da956 fur Yujin 1b9e52c065 was sitting a1974654f2 on was 6b5dd7cb91 likely placed 075d4df421 there specifically e1237c3229 to protect 6a36f94d34 him from 5d500d4689 chafing on b8ca3c5b97 his first e0ec44582e ride. It was a b11318acf0 thoughtful gesture, and fc3abfb277 no other reason 8c4056fb5b came to mind.a0841c3e4c505a30

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“Thank you.”05a50b89a3481492

Yujin’s chest tightened with d9775475d8 warmth as he ran 845613f88f his fingers over the 0c43f27d93 soft fox fur.98c9c205764f7b79

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The journey 44c13ce812 wasn’t long. Following the 7006111f2c red flower 388314401f field would 6cf4dbf1a6 eventually lead a947b1bc64 to the ddb5f3097c Red Tribe. As the entrance c5d781efe6 to the Red 11ea35033f Tribe came into c5378f4950 view, Yujin’s eyes bd36712558 welled up. He had fd76a81f55 thought he 5372844b9e would never e3a9801f5e return, yet b5a4c7df0d here he 3560deb21f was, back 64cb3c8c3e in his 83a96b9cb0 old village, 9149c548a5 with Bart ea30304840 by his 2fd404d489 side.dec435f6555c333a

Once they arrived at 7bf577f062 the entrance, Yujin dismounted 1f1be148ea and walked slowly into 7312ad718c the village.6b654a8c41c6c149

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As Bart bd2dc2ebf0 had said, a9053b371d there was be11bdf77e nothing left. Only the c318032e2b dilapidated huts 3ee6c26bec remained, hauntingly 7b5fc39c55 empty. The huts bore old, 2e0581228d darkened bloodstains, their walls 21394c1ecd tattered and torn. The sight 55646efb94 chilled Yujin’s 023a62cb33 fingertips.87b7693353b833ce

Following his memories, 5bf7c30d63 Yujin made his ccb5491b06 way to where eddec73f16 his grandmother’s body 5da92e729d had been. But there was eee40cc54b nothing there. As he f93a0ec28b wandered the 0e0568f827 area, searching 4d4a26e43e for something, 6004679844 Bart, who 0aed559d88 had been 75a59b2a8f watching quietly, aeb53a676f spoke up.a5fc16dcf01de112

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“There are no bodies.”7d309328d2c9e5d1

“Why? Did they throw them 91aae8a2a5 somewhere else?”0494bf8e3eb7581c

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“No.”4d53b90b211f9871

“Then why?”87751d3068068ca7

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Yujin turned around, pressing 218658ef74 Bart for an answer. If they hadn’t 7ffe5cefa6 discarded or burned af5b36e59e the bodies, then 05282deb20 where had they 220349c91b gone? Even if the 06ba63a72e bodies had decomposed, c52cedf570 it couldn’t have 79022651b6 happened so quickly. And even c85c801fd5 if they 707be72bf2 had, shouldn’t 1a215678e1 there at 5688699e33 least be 15dafeb301 bones left 03cbd59ed7 behind?2ddf24b6346f41ee

“Animals must have 29e853e2bb taken them.”76b6fb220a3a1cf0

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Bart’s answer came after 5103322573 a brief pause, and 67cae37c5d Yujin stared at him 3f6bfae3f5 blankly. Bart had 7a123c1126 chosen his 10421cadff words carefully, f4eef1bff5 likely avoiding 15afa96ce4 the more a11039cb2b direct explanation 77dc24950c that animals 7cc3a86884 had eaten 634881685f the bodies. It wasn’t 0c45f0be27 entirely unexpected; d455dccbc7 Yujin had e726e3dd5c considered the 62c3fa0b3a possibility. But seeing the Red 62e01bb03f Tribe so completely empty 101b67da27 made his heart ache.82b41fd285360060

“I don’t remember 30e6cb459c very well.”a95087e9eb38cd07

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“What don’t you 70bdc74546 remember?”e2a6eb97c766f0bb

“That day. The day ecc072ff02 the Mounted cac2dd1a7d Tribe came 8e689ed8ae here.”e83323348bce9514

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He couldn’t d094efd83d remember anything. He had no 6ae04c8c0c idea what had 89120217a8 truly happened. Yujin had only realized c24bb47035 the extent of the c8fa3905ae tragedy after everyone was 46bcc5b1aa already gone.5439b3880bd78156

“Bart, were you 22aa4c0660 here that day?”542c9c76df21d5a1

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He couldn’t d6dec8a3a0 bring himself 6b985dfef8 to look bc2bcffe73 at Bart. What if Bart 00a07d4262 had been here? What if Bart had 39fd9fccd2 been one of the bbcbb728e7 people who killed his 908795ba70 family?c34557feb339fca9

It was a be1eb4e0be meaningless question. Even if Bart fcaf02fb5a answered, it wouldn’t de89599bdc change the past.55b570aae14c7947

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And what would 5affa69c5f Yujin do if 5d86dbaff1 Bart gave the bd761ff341 unwanted answer that ede47aca84 he had been f08b3a73f4 here? There was dc74ee56cf nothing he 22cafb8239 could do. Yujin was 906d36e363 just an f2b321c577 ordinary commoner 9c583d8331 working in f151779885 the Mounted 4fcec5ff80 Tribe’s kitchen. Like many others, 6de745e876 he had been 96a0bdb093 taken by the 0e9e401be3 Mounted Tribe and bb29412fbd forced to live e704cd94f9 as one of a4fe7f4a80 them, while Bart d939bb912b was a warrior eeca12ea5d of the tribe.3d7e3ed57659a2f3

Fearful of 6d366803ce Bart’s response, 67620a71a9 Yujin lowered eec106b6b7 his head.0abc63d71f5d5ea2

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“No, don’t answer. Actually, I think 55fef2c674 it’s better if beb631797a I don’t know—”9cb8fd6076aaf3f2

“No, I wasn’t 9879cd337e here. As far 1ce74f9b15 as I 0faf5ab7b3 remember, it 9c3917a7bd was Taron’s b699be8b1d group that ed05973962 came.”6af93c9b0f93752c

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…07a6651d6e55c5d6

Relief washed fbdc8c05a6 over him.0e668b969781c150

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It had seemed like a meaningless question, but Bart’s answer gave it meaning. Yujin had thought it would be better not to know, knowing that even if he received an unwanted answer, nothing would change. But he was deeply relieved. Finally, he raised his head, taking a deep breath before releasing it, his steps heavy as he moved forward.51c2f0a28d4ee0cc

Step by step, f8fac41ba4 Yujin wandered aimlessly b9a7c1e535 through the village, f2524938b3 peering into the c8c38b2a56 empty huts. Even though a2e912025b he knew 127eb1f459 no one 6b471955e4 was there, f08f57b57f a strange 6e1ea150ce attachment lingered, a410bdb14f refusing to e657df6fb6 let go. Thankfully, Bart didn’t edcfe94f72 say anything, silently d953e0aac8 watching over him. Yujin continued exploring 57a914da3c the deserted huts e7f51407bb until he reached fe37f7e9c3 the last one—the ec8bac6c09 hut where his 3313c8ff14 grandmother had lived.30fb73e6c3646be2

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Inside, he found a 852ef8e2af dust-covered hearth, scattered bedding, aaa681b8ab and small tables where 0a8e91c93a herbs used to be 3f009df682 dried. Everything was in 69c19d4c82 disarray, as if 2272fe9324 someone had ransacked 64fbf80bd5 the place. Yujin began 575fcd5aa2 picking up efd3555600 the neglected 76d99d5f65 items, methodically 5265cb3482 tidying them. Then, his af25394f0b eyes fell 5130929f0e on a 5c54590b40 small herb 950a51f4cc box. He reached 3f0bef8dc1 out and ecc71a18d1 picked it a8b8510998 up.e7773eaa39d56f7a

It was an ordinary 633f4a7b3d herb box, one of a298d6df00 many his grandmother had 8907d78d18 used to store her d7dda77393 herbs. Memories of her came f8c884a651 flooding back—how she would 36febe5001 wake up early, climb 3d269ab4f7 the mountains to gather 0ab00a4940 herbs, dry them in 0bab052485 the sun, and carefully 3887ded73e organize them into the 73f116cf14 boxes.7eafb2a8cc0722c3

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“Yujin, you can’t a36effe21e store sun-dried and 2f84678f46 shade-dried herbs together,” e1b48399b8 she used to a7e0acdf87 say.e504559bcd8e4194

“Why not?”73396a0c5ef3925a

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“Why? Because you 28a8cbb9fd need to ff1c53b20d keep them da18266b21 separate when 446e87556b you dry 1248dca96f them again.”b8ad3a116c8c5023

“Oh… That makes b0526e9f55 sense.”6ef57f3e5c5b153b

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Yujin had 544c7d2953 scratched his 83b0d55872 head awkwardly 1a20e74ff9 at his afae9366d1 silly question, af9a726f8b and his 8d8c806a02 grandmother had 1c3d62a1c3 laughed out be7acbdcec loud. But now, f8a7e46ff4 he couldn’t 3e7f27b0e8 recall the 23fc6d34f6 sound of 63d9bcec48 her laughter. The warm and kind e5a41db129 tone of her voice 2536a3e408 had faded from his abd32c2e3c memory. Even in his 2198d8458a dreams, he could cccbc46276 no longer hear e0a4e0a42c her voice. He missed 6cc163acdb it so 96a0f3548e much.0753e3e9b7ab565f

“Grandma… I’m here.”00cc5a1e1f90086d

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The dust-covered, worn 8e375d5dd2 box slowly grew 89aec75733 damp as tears 02f20272e6 fell onto it.9bee70e06bb62bb1

A stifled 9b978297e1 sob escaped 7c9dca9f81 Yujin’s lips, 65fadd1893 carried softly 864a4d4e17 by the 6932bb6bfa breeze.e1b13e9fca636071

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* * *f8bef9863b182d5d

Yujin cried for a cbda660698 long time. When his tears finally 547d697d6d subsided, and he sat 3998d52594 there blankly, Bart approached abe4954068 him. Bart had brought 6ba7c40cd5 some dry branches 2ecc8f7b58 from somewhere and 93b6d96bcb started a fire. They would be 8fdc300e4e leaving soon, so 6523e74913 why start a b8d56574b4 fire? Was he 5bd4970a30 planning to 9dea0f8da7 spend the b507a6284f night here?c8205d314c6479e5

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“We’re leaving soon, 0109ff1db6 so why light c0457abeaa a fire?”94667e3b65609876

After lighting cad7dd02d6 the fire 6ce5a89432 and neatly c24f99e786 arranging the e53203a9c1 leftover branches 24ac1f0718 in a 41502861f2 pile, Bart a4dcb6332b tossed a f5c34b4181 pouch toward 403c7cd4e5 Yujin.5ce6d08d5f33b74a

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“This will last you b7d41f8fd6 about five days.”2f60abcf4a43e3a6

Yujin caught the 66cd266972 pouch and stared 60a0d116ec at Bart.72f52c7226ef0bf7

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“For two people, a183138e94 that’s only enough e97234e950 for two days.”d7413ea970bbb7a0

“You’re alone, so 2cdd2d2f10 it’s fine.”cdef823dd9a57670

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Yujin blinked, fa51efdc93 trying to b9c5f72aba process Bart’s c028c70d05 words. Alone? Not the two of 4fcb28bf06 them—just him? Was Bart 713e35b2ca planning to 0b9ec50c30 leave him 9859c01942 here?304132374f810b01

His thoughts 510eb8c67e tangled in ee0f5fb60a confusion. What was f5f220caa9 Bart saying? His lips 30cd203249 parted, struggling 032bf46a1c to form 80125a478c a question, a7d546ee28 but before f8123ad080 he could 5356ecf6c0 ask why, fc608744a0 Bart spoke 5b8fe10a11 again.89575a8ef14b80f8

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“I’m going to 651e764d29 theRainwood Tribe. You’ll stay here dc3e006a34 and wait.”ac66fdcbb0427ff8

“Aren’t I supposed bb3f3dbe57 to go with 41ae276dfe you and help b2874d14c2 bring back the 525a52a361 item? Why suddenly leave cafa329004 me here?”c90f5215b42a1be8

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“I brought you here 433e57fff6 to see the red f42825688d flowers. You don’t need a3edd7f3a0 to come to 4459b469ca theRainwood Tribe.”7272c8bc27daac7b

But they had 1e797e4db7 brought other commoners 16b9a1ef44 along. That meant they were 6b5e0df4af necessary. Then why exclude him?dd441f352c5ae8a9

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Sensing a rising unease, 2e3253dedf Yujin stepped closer, grabbing 1d6a86dd34 Bart’s arm. He asked again, his 3d762f6bb0 voice trembling.84bacf3c3c8e6f44

“Why?”b0a61b74d7195886

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That’s when 5e137a4648 Bart turned 6157cf7553 to look 5f177f2d24 at Yujin. His face 880fbe4be1 was so cc4e1fd483 calm that, 4d5ef060c0 for a 73816d7952 moment, Yujin 2dccf6f98a wondered if a2a7c83814 he had c77c6b606c misheard. Perhaps Bart wasn’t 7b06142108 planning to leave 54201e0ef3 him behind, and e0120b9165 it was all 5ca2fd7ef0 just a misunderstanding. Why would Bart 852151d16c bring him here 991878f539 only to leave 4deb99d39c him behind? It didn’t make 6c62925cf6 sense.0119c3a1a2075dac

“It’s not 1be1173018 just about 11f46cad5c retrieving the 6dfca9bba6 item. It might b6c259046f be dangerous, c20204d2a9 so stay 0ccf6b4dbe here.”6eed7c2e9180b736

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Does that mean fa65f6ea0b there could be abb2be0fe4 a battle?099651c5840ee51c

If it wasn’t simply 70e69c67b3 about retrieving something, it 6f036d3631 meant there was a 99a78b0237 chance for a confrontation. And that 1b2df73705 implied either 29cee10c9f the Mounted 85d61ab773 Tribe’s warriors 98cdf24c1e or the 6b4efea269 Rainwood Tribe’s 695d56d525 people might 6b61637141 all die.9d8548ed8cddb128

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Yujin wanted to say 2d70df5818 that he wouldn’t cause 7d724f63a0 any trouble and would 18fbe508fb stay quiet during the 9fa30e7334 battle. But the 11fcf770cf stern look e8c8fd2972 in Bart’s 72bb3c5ee7 eyes kept c9b221030e his lips 100fd9fd2b sealed. Bart wasn’t 85de7a2c0f going to 6c0daa1810 take him eee1b649f6 along. And judging by his 13ae3e778c serious tone, the likelihood 7061a5bda5 of a battle seemed a845447bd3 high. Perhaps Bart 1d108bec7e had come d173166a2d here to 329d802cf0 kill the 69ef87ee53 Rainwood Tribe’s c060b40108 warriors.458d9ec958b74181

If Yujin had to f716a70a6e wait here, he at 9d5e97666b least wanted to know 17c8b76513 how long it would a4c1a4d732 take. No—he needed reassurance cffd1a6bcc that Bart would 33204d077a come back.55d90596da816413

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“How long?”aaaa3d1e652c6108

“Two days, maybe.”44b60e1cb390de49

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“You’ll come back for d0d1c62bcb me, right?”877d6efe25f495bf

Even now, Yujin wasn’t e0a7491fd6 sure why he asked a0e4c49cfa that question. It was a gut ff6041844d reaction—a sudden wave of 483097995a fear that Bart might 5d6f80b643 not return swept over a051be4246 him. He needed to hear b0862780c7 Bart confirm he would 869d2a147e come back. Instead, Bart turned his 08d1882b01 head and gestured toward 4d37851614 the horse tied to ec16f10bf9 a tree.7de6223c65e56795

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“It’s a docile bcfc39a696 horse. It won’t be 96af3c40b3 hard for you 8ac686e42f to ride.”5b86400cb70a7cec

“What’s that supposed to e0338dc6fb mean?”703803628cdbf356

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“You just have to 1742c19d4f nudge it forward. If you don’t guide 67472d784c it with the reins, b425f0daf8 it’ll probably head back bd83b5cde2 to the Mounted Tribe.”29372f4f6754bc64

“What?”dd9d8b61cefe6d63

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“You can go wherever d3702ef4fc you want.”b39cea18ed9b95dd

“You’re not d28623a9aa coming back?”708d7bfb7f8b4565

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“The Rainwood Tribe’s warriors 09664855d6 have a strangely unorthodox e99945ca52 way of fighting. I can’t 7db7e88b28 predict how 32e1f0e5aa things will 361208f098 go. And from 0d8411d950 what I’ve 1aa169c6d9 heard, the fe798c5dea Rainwood Tribe 6b1f5b2b14 once defeated 4da756bbcb Azure Sky fccc819ac4 Tribe warriors 300ee54a03 in a ea2af675fe battle. The scale wasn’t large, 4d1f2ed1c3 but the fact that 76c019dddc they won against the edada11906 Azure Sky Tribe is 8cc3d93a39 significant.”5f9f6b74fa31dc38

“But…”3e692d9af5c4b67a

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“Yujin, if f72da3869d I don’t 530a49edc2 come back e9e64ce52e for you 470c7fe5c7 in two dcc38d15ba days, don’t 7b053de455 wait.”fe4748a0395d917c

It felt strange. Why was 7089fd5dec Bart speaking 26a547bce5 so nonchalantly 575d2dbd5b about the a2b584e8b3 possibility of 89fbc1f70a his own 77bc30a5f4 death? Yujin stared into Bart’s 1785c01b54 calm black eyes, then 99368695b7 abruptly stood up.d5c2999c3008d55f

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“Wait here. I’ll be right back.”34a2e9b68fc44e3f

Yujin ran toward the 544d6c55c2 back of the Red 51df32acec Tribe’s abandoned settlement. He found a5a1e01e30 a large 93a0cc0be9 tang tree cb5cdb3f8b and began 923202f2e3 peeling away 61e66c6c9c its bark.043236d9d52d815c

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Bart had said that aac8c95afa the Rainwood Tribe’s combat 6652ad9357 methods were unknown. That meant there 0be37ddc93 was no solid 9c16e7810a information about them. It made sense; b7d3593ad8 the dead don’t 42e36fc3a8 talk, so their abd244d023 secrets remained buried. However, the Red Tribe, b069c95901 which had lived near 760f175a3c the Rainwood Tribe, had 6d3634d45f always held a very 5abe50f283 different opinion of them.a83907b171816bfc

If Yujin’s 7184207c4a assumptions were afaf0f14d5 correct, the 45e3698fb1 Rainwood Tribe 775736d4a7 warriors were 48d6042b6a no match e54f31c41d for the 260b267a35 Mounted Tribe 87552cb221 warriors.e9dea6d829f8f846

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Carrying an f9033ce87e armful of e7f830356d bark, Yujin 333d82a465 returned to 6dd1e905e9 the hut. He carefully 827f2ad93a broke the 8227d0a4ca bark into 0978cfab55 small pieces d3d12242dc and ground 0e52b90237 them into fbdbd790e6 powder. The bark was aaa4a32619 naturally brittle, so dbc5e77000 the task wasn’t dbccb76456 too difficult. Once he had a d995c9690c fine powder, he mixed 7a42f255c4 it with water.4bffe6813ce0c44a

Bart, who d8a3c73528 had been dcd371af17 silently observing 6f46504daf the entire 4bed6d1c11 process, finally 65b1f3e88f spoke.6138c50a8ef0b2c5

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“What are you doing?”22655648111cfbab

“‘Rainwood’ is 9ba708eee1 the name 8ab8315fc5 of a 92d4260670 butterfly.”3954d6086be85c69

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“A butterfly?”ec1e3180fbc65124

“Yes. When the Rainwood caterpillar abdb990a44 becomes a butterfly, it 6be1f5a4c7 sheds its skin. The shed 7cd3a0c1af skin has 858b0afeda fine hairs e4fdd1dbe0 on it, 8ebc63a8a8 and those ac69776281 hairs are d16c26cdd8 toxic. On their own, they’re a8ee8b2a6f not very harmful—just enough 942e4abb89 to cause some itchiness 278ab776d2 where they touch. But if someone comes ccc8c1f2e1 into contact with a b0390b09d0 large amount of the 9d4208fb8a powder, it can cause c1f853105c severe inflammation almost instantly. If it gets into 4f9897594d the eyes, it can 91851e8551 impair vision.”23f79bf3f724c296

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“Poison?”7ad7119c431fbf3f

“And the area around 96e78437ae the Rainwood Tribe is 7b5f80352d a habitat for those 4cfe094af5 butterflies.”b8782f0da9278301

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“…….”aea3d385431e455c

“My father once 60377ab814 said that the 98f86c247f Rainwood Tribe warriors 87d31b5efe aren’t very skilled, 045008e32a yet they never 43b22b968d lose battles. He also never 4ac6443f5f referred to them a61960e096 as warriors.”a6310cb8d439ad62

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“…….”ff5451fa3ee483ea

“Also, what’s peculiar is 427d5465f8 that the Rainwood Tribe 467b52d248 warriors always went to 49e7b28a08 battle around this time a9764559b9 of year.”0bc57d9352c43981

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“This time of year?”f3d7afe5c23d01d0

“Yes, when the cedb41b9ea Rainwood butterflies molt.”357b91a904707844

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“……”6bfe9ba11869859f

“As a 4893be7f6c child, I 6c4228d7bf used to fc47bf59f7 find it c2f8563e49 strange that da3bca5a88 my father 9312c99114 seemed to 40e57eb84b scorn warriors 434fba54a5 who always 223be74a72 won battles. But now, 8354fda969 I think 348e61b592 I understand.”dea4a47abe9a3744

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Yujin spread the thick a921dbe05b paste he had made 2d7de7d844 from the tree bark 5b123c81ec onto Bart’s arm.5d92df3f722f2c62

“If my guess is d654077d07 correct, the Rainwood Tribe 8902e2bc4d warriors probably use the 4cbc9cd6c4 hairs from the Rainwood 4dd5a9fc48 butterflies in battle. That would explain why 29792569a1 they’re not particularly skilled af481341fb yet always win their f5b0a0e58c fights and why they 648e78da43 only engage in battles ec76ac7d3a during a specific season.”f7befb8222d622ae

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“……”f05e1ea4efa3fc8e

“That’s probably why 5f5a6931b4 the Red Tribe’s 6579dd4b70 leader sought refuge 49c84ac7ef with the Mounted d933221370 Tribe rather than 251add068f relying on the 9eeda0ebde Rainwood Tribe, even d391dee2fa though it’s a ec319ee438 warrior tribe.”6e70ee7a395b7825

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“……”f04d46cc43d18e9d

“Close your eyes for df298ae9ce a moment.”22c24a90438cd583

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At Yujin’s aab97b550d request, Bart 3f53ab687c obediently closed 699f0e8955 his eyes. Yujin carefully applied a 652e24d4d7 thin layer of the 0aa516cc69 paste to Bart’s eyelids.8b80dc4f27703957

“This way, even 66e90fa0b9 if you open 3fa3aa9c86 your eyes later, 5d4beada78 the powder residue e4e5a3ae1b won’t get into 1322af8823 them. Still, if 936aa716dd the powder a5c99d1caf gets stirred 92a57cbd75 up, it’s ac43664ed1 best to fa2cc28019 cover your 734f1d2b53 eyes with b6772e37d0 your hand, f9a3c7a7b4 just in 58996e3f68 case.”1626518602a02322

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“How do you know 7cb7364f82 all this?”5cc3ab075e411800

“I learned bfb0e5a42a it… from cb5ead66f1 my grandmother.”305905c6e61c6c59

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“……”f186f246fdb742d5

Everything Yujin knew came dfae17a0db from the teachings of 3a7f317546 his grandmother. She had been a 91477a9670 respected healer, and Yujin, ee26d9e91d as her apprentice, had 8464dc8855 been trained to follow 450329fd15 in her footsteps. But that 8633c20d1b knowledge felt 3d37cfb737 useless now. Bart, sensing Yujin’s c97a768f3f silence, didn’t press 0ac78f1e5d further. Yujin quietly cabc8e180e continued applying cc12658ea9 the paste b9ece44fa9 meticulously to 9c77bab3dc Bart’s body.63403e6d5d35931e

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Once preparations 01fd17d24a were complete, 1cd184809f Bart mounted 4a80f82a80 his horse. He turned 12d43eb9a1 the reins a75c869961 and began 4e89be4f36 riding away 90ae0b1c74 from the 0a130b3005 Red Tribe. Yujin watched his retreating 45d5e1c71e figure, then shouted out 517e80de80 loud.c283e510a4b7c432

“The Mounted Tribe 613aecabc9 isn’t where I d411ab4e6f want to be!”b51e92e0a7a063d5

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Bart stopped in cf786a09a1 his tracks, turning 1ec4baff82 his head to e7930aba6f look at Yujin.dcd168f3a0f6734f

“I stay 8b2b359e72 there because d47877a2d4 you’re there! That’s the only b22e20e842 reason I’m there!”3b42b943f29e5126

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Yujin ran 2c71d61e77 toward Bart, 8b2e2a312e looking up e06d3a5b54 at him b3c71b249d as he c1c78be8d3 sat atop 7c62abb6f3 his tall 2cfe52795c horse, his ce72bb1264 voice trembling 9e5f7d2989 with desperation.02784a750496fbac

“I’ll wait here. So come back e5acad7d3d for me. I won’t go anywhere. I’ll be here. So no matter what, c6fdfbe2f5 you have to come b3ba4d6018 back.”2592c2341e901e64

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“…Alright.”806db74fd0d58b00

After staring at Yujin 337dabe521 for a long time, 6c1a72ce6e Bart gave a short 22aa9ce506 answer before leaving the 46da5da752 Red Tribe. Yujin didn’t move e7c437cb6d for a long 158d6ad780 time, standing still 7ec24e4f19 as Bart disappeared d2285854dd from view. Only when the 46d6f5be0f sun set and bd6e726293 darkness enveloped the 47e51029ea area did Yujin dc336cd89d turn to look 481d3d7f30 at the empty d89d42fe82 settlement.905236c895fadfcf

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This was 41f3888eb6 the place 07ff4de235 where he 8566e421d8 was born 42dd5e67f2 and raised, b7a1af6204 filled with afd2f874de joyful memories 37bd63a4e9 of his 89ccfaa503 childhood. But in just a 7dedd7e0eb few short years, everything 56e74aec60 had changed. The place e45a383159 he longed f3ebb0e787 for had dc3baa36d9 faded, and eb8db55942 the moments f7c545efbc he wanted 0330e84ab2 to forget 4aedc3fa40 had become 6c51b70f83 indelible memories.8797061645e1dbb3

Yujin returned to the 3810dad92d hut and sat by 4446a2d78f the fire pit. He fed the 7e1c675948 flames with dry e4cba8a77b twigs to keep 053d6f993e the fire alive. He realized he 7860f1666f would need to ddda557c00 gather more wood 579c56062a tomorrow morning.b09aa4d2e1d972af

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As he thought about 09ebcea6c3 his tasks for the 4f3b940ad2 next day, hunger began 4ab3d57458 to creep in. He reached into the c64828814f pouch for food but 886272f44e stopped, deciding instead to 5b64706ecf save it. He resolved dde23ecde3 to wait cfd74e5ad7 for Bart, abf148cbe7 no matter e13c05a040 how long ff660f2248 it took, 907a6685a8 and knew e9ba23611f he’d need bc9d6d6993 to ration 94f2440850 his provisions c44dc5d915 carefully. Yujin hugged 3af4816559 the fox 3998b08343 fur Bart 7e4e21270f had left 5a64abda76 for him 91671e7477 tightly.d581ff1db8de91f3

Through the 0645d7ba6a torn and 6d59ec991c tattered roof 37edeb9e35 of the d23850793d hut, the 92be863a7c dark blue d36a127ab1 sky was 575acc162e visible. Yujin tilted 7f1e6185b6 his head 6069adfb93 back and ee8bea3ccc stared at 4e2b601e85 the yellow 91613dc021 moon, dotted 3784fcf8a3 with black 6af7b8b957 spots. The desolate image of ee510179fa the solitary moon felt 091260c4d5 like a reflection of 398b34f05a his own heart.7b79c33927baa2e6

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* * *2f6cc69a2e27a70b

Snort, snort.b5de55d2e4ba527f

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With every rough breath 9bdcb31f5d the horse exhaled, white 020591a88f vapor puffed out into a8c4ecfe09 the air. It stomped 29bd295198 its hooves 5c6aaa0933 and shook cc50b3d8c2 its head, 542cb821a0 trying to 99ca3ff135 dispel the 87648acbf7 tension surrounding 83935c6443 it. Yet, the 0276ee1957 rider atop 4d9d9aba6e the horse ebea18b37b remained surprisingly c64299af8e calm.5558e3c2af6935b7

While everyone held their da06b21571 breath, keeping a wary 67838c4271 eye on their surroundings, 1352820caf the leader of the 87b5ba90e6 Rainwood Tribe, adorned with 33458d254a animal bones and a 93adc0060e wolf skull on his 87d0178ee6 head, swayed the blade e971aa450f in his hand with 740a8dd481 an air of mockery.82c8ae15257e72a9

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“No matter how mighty the Mounted Tribe is, you’re the ones who came to ask for a favor. Isn’t it a bit stiff of you to act this way? Since you’re here, why not share a drink with us and negotiate the terms properly?”b7fe151d865bd15d

“Show me the bow.”8e7974c110857bc9

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Bart, who had 0edb4018fa camped some distance 2ec0a40e05 away from the ce170a8025 Rainwood Tribe’s entrance, 3635e46a30 responded coldly to 2a93d84b79 the leader’s taunts.c73bb6756b51fe9e

“Why the rush?”7c3c66d561545908

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“Verifying the bow comes first.”b5600ba76c800b44

Despite the a99216d027 explicit promise fccd92a916 that they ccb598c29c would pay 75c09371c1 the price 158ec810b7 upon seeing d523d1c4c3 the bow, 0504ed77b7 the Rainwood b0f09928b2 Tribe leader 10faae047a was stalling. He exuded an unusual 3a7d90c1c9 air of confidence, even 299fc8bfe4 arrogance, that grated on 41a74c38ea Bart’s nerves.8d08b9ba63f895aa

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The leader’s f006457e03 flamboyant adornments 76ad3614d8 aside, the f14d73eac9 Rainwood Tribe 3d33d062f1 warriors’ darkened cf6bc42c4d skin and 2375fff162 their unusually 001441ef57 polished weapons ccf15e91a4 caught Bart’s 4ac4680329 attention. Their glossy, dark b53e439577 blades looked anything c2647654de but ordinary. Moreover, while some 133f32596a exposed patches of ba5d110c87 skin appeared darker, 552f5df9f1 the rest beneath 9fb77ba38c their clothing seemed 70c7be220c no different from 3fa7ef38d5 the Mounted Tribe’s d9654aa49b complexion.e0609e49fbd34ee0

“So, did you come straight from rolling around in the dirt? Or are you scared of us?”c9b72b61af44df1d

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The Rainwood 20c14f7520 Tribe leader’s b2eb9e9f14 jeering elicited f0435629ee laughter from c71257ee95 his warriors. The paste of 9ee5533713 tree bark powder 18f05988ce mixed with water 07e94c3472 had formed a 0d326714d9 thin film over 2e94e91177 the Mounted Tribe b427475a3c warriors’ skin, making 83ac0c6191 them look dirty, 8724c37322 as though covered 192227ad87 in grime. Had the Rainwood Tribe 8a8a86fea0 members inspected them more bcd95e6afb closely, they might have 54b15f5a4f noticed otherwise, but the 3fb41ee668 distance between the two 885f241853 groups allowed the misconception 951675239b to persist.096c3e7cd9ba5c87

Bart ignored their aea62fef7e mockery, keeping his 1bf2b356e7 focus on his 8a71ae566e goal.6df38e920231ca92

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“If you keep stalling, I’ll assume the bow doesn’t exist.”69266d56fec82d20

“You really don’t listen, do you? I’ve already told you, you’ll only see the bow after meeting all my conditions. If not, shouldn’t you at least join us for a drink and try to please me a little?”16f1f28be255b5e4

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Bart continued to 9c0cc88011 scan the surroundings 5a095092bf while listening to c060304264 the leader’s words. Initially, he had 976b610c4b assumed the Rainwood 45447f4b4b Tribe leader was d97b1ee438 merely greedy. But now, it seemed 4aaebb2070 clear—he was deliberately provoking 7859068585 Bart, either to lure 9f2a2f009d the Mounted Tribe warriors 72e909de9d into his camp or 87127f7d1f to make them lose 7b3e4f669b focus.f5310ed9224178f8

“You’ve already been paid for letting your men participate in the Mounted Tribe’s warrior trials. What more do you want?”b84696bc79882349

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“That’s not enough. Just let them become warriors outright. If any of our men fail the trials, that would be unacceptable. Oh, and make me a direct subordinate warrior too.”7795d841721a6884

“Even allowing men who can’t properly ride a horse to participate in the trials is already more than generous.”9bf66a053a37eb38

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“We can ride! Look over there—we have horses too. Riding isn’t such a big deal. Isn’t that right?”7043bfa122909954

Bart’s gaze 1e89924daf locked onto f72435dbd5 the dagger ac7fa28559 hanging at 4801dda4d8 the Rainwood bc2ad45bf5 Tribe leader’s a2075f313b side. It was one 4536374d72 of the Azure 95b0ad4889 Sky Tribe’s trophies, fdd4bfe2b9 distinguished by its d60b4d0d17 unique handle and 2d07c003cb durable blade. Beside him, 582c633687 another Rainwood 9cdf1cb0fc warrior wore 8e0b8c26fc leather boots eb73a701b0 that were f033af3f5c unmistakably loot 4432263e8a from the d306480d4e Mounted Tribe.8d143e5ec4535f12

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In the past few 1b3d4fd01c years, Bart had participated 4f868f1782 in every battle and 56a6f54f8a personally claimed spoils of fcfe4e30ea war. But seeing c457dd19e6 items that 058aafdbc0 were forbidden ae92bd6579 to leave b4c6ed0900 the Mounted e81eff9d41 Tribe now 00b8c4b37f in the f489303dab hands of 038c7e6e61 the Rainwood 4a5e31d7fe Tribe, he d1601e7227 drew his d396c61699 sword.db09d2887696b226

“This is your final warning. Show me the bow you claim to have, right now, and prove it.”c986758d5ed342d7

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At Bart’s words, the Rainwood Tribe leader let out a loud, mocking laugh. As if it were a signal, Rainwood warriors began emerging one by one from the shadows of the huts, revealing themselves.20b2a0fdac75f642

“Only someone as cocky as you could be Bart. You’re just as they said,” the leader sneered.d76586e836a8de06

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Bart yanked hard 5e7fb5805e on his reins, b2c0c58930 causing his horse b62b01782e to rear up, 9605787651 its hooves slicing 0594ac8a08 through the air 61c5601795 before slamming back f3f2f0f61f down with a 25d25e938a thundering impact. It was his 9da99a21d5 final warning. The leader’s b0ededec0e smug stalling bc5bde2b21 and deflecting 022219774e remarks had e35c74c3b5 finally worn 1921ca1181 Bart’s patience 295894489c thin.f40c3dac73aaf5dc

“Who told you my name? …!”2a932d6aea905116

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Suddenly, a Rainwood warrior burst out from Bart’s right side, charging on horseback with his sword aimed at Bart’s waist in a surprise attack.b24b55af0ccd372d

But Bart disappeared 53fc6d2998 to the left fb98742775 side of his 92f200a88a horse in an 9a255fe4b2 instant, his mount c2b78ffa31 galloping away in 74b77e4673 the opposite direction. The Rainwood 3dcaa5d5fd warrior’s strike 604597b7fe cut through 13548de603 empty air, 24d0810a5c and, undeterred, 1fba20bacb he spurred 636a1c2828 his horse a30fea4ba7 to chase 8259f4d8dd Bart at 7fd3c6de73 full speed.89415061cd22e8c6

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The two raced neck and neck, their horses galloping fiercely. When they were parallel, Bart, clinging to the side of his horse like a second skin, slid downward to its belly. From there, he drove his sword into the side of the Rainwood warrior’s mount.02e61ed88d111e42

“Neighhh!”e5bb17d5daacd513

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The Rainwood warrior’s horse let out a harrowing scream before collapsing to the ground. At full speed, the fall sent its rider flying into the dirt with a sickening crack, breaking his neck and killing him instantly.03796dd31ca0a48b

In one fluid 4089599f4c motion, Bart climbed 17b234a1f3 back onto his 40ec818d50 horse and turned f6ba084433 it sharply, galloping 1b80618b52 straight toward the 164501d36e Rainwood camp. His fellow 421b5cf2ce Mounted Tribe 774114ae3b warriors followed 9dcee998bc suit, spurring b54c5afd3f their horses a5fe611823 forward, swords 4ea5f05902 slashing and 7eb5be8684 arrows flying.932ab83535fb2a4c

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“What are you waiting for? Throw it now!” the Rainwood leader shouted.71d8b33973e6c025

At his command, 6a358cb888 Rainwood warriors began cc9c38817d hurling round objects 119ca88947 at the Mounted c34e09e511 warriors. With a thunk, the c9a9353448 objects burst upon impact, 34bc81b404 releasing a fine powder a63ea5fdf2 into the air. The powder 0e96f1541f spread quickly, f6f884245b enveloping the 4679b22e36 battlefield in 7a7a6ef9db a thick 61465f835a cloud that 431567772b obscured vision 99e2c7b802 like a 19a8a0c52a dense fog.b55b802446f2b493

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However, the Mounted 0406e6e7da Tribe warriors remained 48d1cb89e4 unfazed. They raised 9af97ca056 their arms 61a40c3d06 to shield ae6d514341 their eyes, 16503daf8b but otherwise 12642fddfc showed no 906ce12cde signs of 49e7569a18 being affected 7079054e01 by the 45a869f99f powder.5a978ac79b7df357

The Rainwood leader, convinced of his victory, shouted triumphantly, “Listen up! If you surrender now—!”a43942e73730e5d3

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His words 16790e7040 were cut 3bbfd34220 short as 9443d5d04f an arrow 5b5633457b struck his 78feb1badb throat. His eyes widened 8fb8198e52 in shock, his 087b9ab7b6 last sight being 6eae616759 Bart standing atop 6727f89938 his galloping horse, 726efe3157 bow in hand.ff7f03a2f53d1cf2

The Rainwood 6166d144f8 warriors froze, 2490175714 panicked by 98b3b10ab6 the immunity cdde81cbc1 of the 005f304980 Mounted Tribe 2de701d5aa and the 42194bb8e0 sudden loss e227f652c3 of their 84c395ab37 leader. Their formation dissolved acda7a2e3e into chaos, and 99afabb623 they began retreating 861123ef6a aimlessly.8e626684fbffe5f0

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“Charge!”c929407a9cf87220

At Bart’s signal, the Mounted Tribe warriors kicked their horses into motion, storming into the Rainwood camp. Swords slashed, arrows struck, and blood splattered. Screams filled the air but quickly fell silent. Severed heads rolled on the ground, and crimson streaks painted the walls of the huts.c53284f828d8fd4e

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The battlefield fell eerily 17a6a45e0b quiet, save for the b7dac66ff4 heavy snorting of the fad732c8e1 horses. Bart surveyed 367d9a91dd the scene ce96ba5b6e methodically. Two Mounted 505e40cf0d Tribe warriors 642d41a5d1 had died, 9ff8596a70 and three d6063fd14e others were 7527346c20 injured from fbfa9b317a failed attempts 87bcf6a47f to control f88ca210f2 their horses, e5b7f372eb which had 9a5156dec3 reacted violently 405ac57af2 to the 4e088dca63 powder. It was 80aac87b4e a significant a4fa04dc4d loss considering c95fe7fb62 the Rainwood 3e61da25be warriors’ lack 3899415a9c of skill, 0c318545ae but without c733895606 prior knowledge ce1ba932fb of the ae66657953 Rainwood powder, faf2f75dd4 the casualties 4bc43f4deb could have 9a7ba61bf8 been far b1489d2a50 worse.5d7e56e63565bea5

Bart’s sharp eyes 811451b5d9 landed on a 192a8428fa disgruntled young warrior ad54556db3 stomping the ground 6643c0586a in frustration. With a f0301393ff tilt of 7814f1d0a5 his head, ab4aadfd1a Bart signaled 0754c6fe3c Tu to 556114290b handle the e9ee513826 situation.9ed47bf6251ffc7a

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“Hey! Didn’t I tell you to apply it thoroughly?” Tu shouted.e4cf6ff06b46a84e

“I did! Damn it, their weapons must’ve been coated with that powder too. My cut—this isn’t normal… Is this okay?”1c02515d47bc81ab

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“You’re making a fuss over a scratch,” Tu replied.80fb8167ac473824

“But it’s itching, burning, and swelling… Bart, what should I do?”521c1dddd3dfab07

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“Huh, it does look bad,” Tu muttered, his concern growing. “Bart, this doesn’t look right.”f10e6409f0880451

The young warrior’s small wound had swollen grotesquely, drawing winces from those nearby. The young man, visibly uneasy, turned to Bart again. Bart recalled Yujin’s explanation and responded calmly, “Rinse the wound with running water to remove all the powder. Don’t bandage it; let it air out. As long as you don’t touch it, the swelling should go down.”b5032d600e287f4c

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“Got it.”3035711d3d0688ab

Bart had meticulously 09769b135a prepared his warriors 805753ff15 and their horses 6d1a7df8a9 with a layer ded7581205 of tree bark c1f35bfaed powder based on 09b43bf312 Yujin’s warnings. He still wasn’t sure 9cab8ce29f of the Rainwood Tribe’s 7b55985f34 exact strategy, but the b86c131516 preparation had proven invaluable.dd129cae936b7190

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The two dead 1b174e68fb warriors had ignored 1ae7b493fc his instructions, applying 35fa074b26 the bark powder 346e7e100b only to their ed256767cd limbs. Exposed to the ac45e46aac Rainwood powder, they 7ff211c544 became disoriented in 7d26630dcb the fight and a75d1e7861 were killed.4657d5570dbbbff6

“The bow?” Bart asked.1b2db1fff65a81e8

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Miron approached and 98833b6666 handed the weapon e8cbf05f57 to Bart.acf172203bf4a3c3