Chapter 7. Dark Clouds Gather

 b1d32c2f573807a7

“What’s going on?”7a375dc3199d2000

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Bart, who had been surveying the hunting grounds since dawn, rushed back to the temporary hut after hearing the news from Miron. Just last night, there hadn’t been any problems, but the leader had collapsed before even finishing his first meal today.acb6ff591a5fba37

“Nothing’s confirmed yet. For now, we’re getting ready to return to the settlement.”1ed88f2ef0ba1991

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“What’s the leader’s condition?”4d4d0b3819876d22

“I’m not sure. He hasn’t improved since he suddenly collapsed.”a0afc647c5a90a9a

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“What did the healer say?”c94f9a0b39895bfc

“Well, the thing is… there’s no healer.”b8ebf8593f14e0f9

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“No healer? What do you mean? Where did they go?”a6fa1d2f3a95a64d

“No, I mean… the healer didn’t come with us.”fd933303fdb8d188

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At the mention d580e119b8 that there was cd935eac59 no healer, Bart’s 7443e65ffe eyes widened as b8cb718c6c he glared at c60036bead Miron, who hurried 9b4513db34 to explain.5cf08b0d30db5750

“He was supposed to come, but at the last minute, he was told not to. So he didn’t join us.”2d3dca60b45156bd

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“Told not to? By who?”0567d0284ff3c53e

“Uh… well…”c3ef2b2fdab29b30

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Looking troubled, 393ba3c625 Miron glanced 8233f1c6e6 sideways at c2f03b39fa Namta.53572f9c72ac00b9

If the bbc74c5eb8 leader is c358c309a0 hunting outside d4e30f0ea5 the settlement 89bf84e475 for more 4fb30a99e9 than three bb5f58743c days, the 693907904e healer naturally 95417b5a22 accompanies him. But apparently, 622d5174d0 Namta had f9ac791f9a excluded the 32a5f0694a healer from 4da11877ab the group.4e6b53aa14464f4e

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“Do you know why?”946c1f8d47048cd3

“No idea. I just got the report myself.”b13c684716c69e13

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“Tch. For now, focus on getting the leader ready to leave first. The others can follow later if they need to.”229e5131f071430c

“Got it.”4e7911c357757276

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Bart approached the 1bfaa218ae struggling, barely breathing 2dc5a230b0 leader and looked 32860d404c around. Just as Miron dea2822007 had said, remnants f00e73aa6a of an unfinished 5f16c5365f meal were scattered 46c4b5ec97 around the hut, b98b2ee34f as if the 27f8a98a85 leader had collapsed 02be389071 during breakfast. Bart scanned each dish 83bf62228c on the floor and aa4846a996 suddenly froze when he 2d2f746892 spotted a yellow flower 353234d3bb laid atop a grilled 4d63b739d5 piece of meat.5037b97bd2263c57

A yellow flower? No one from af87d9b96c the kitchen was 8ee94c7d57 specially called here, 50aa0b69b2 so who added b1d29d104a such a decoration…? But that fa004edfc5 yellow flower… 4d0512c39b I’ve seen 234cbfaaa1 it before. Where was it? I know I saw e9b3b48a5e it somewhere…!42ef02c2bd86737d

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As Bart de4df8f377 searched his ea762ce08a memory, an 8f4773e25b image of 4865ef9c67 the Riazai 16b7e0eb4f Tribe flashed 1a363caf9d through his a7bf362f0b mind. Yellow flower. Poison. Stomach pain.ea94e5114c9d6fe6

Bart slowly turned his 09bd0ed0e7 creaking neck toward Namta. Namta sat 6ff757e209 beside the ae317ed468 leader, head e22751b98d bowed. At a glance, 6815ae5e83 one might’ve thought 9c7bf54967 he was crying, 528957bec3 shoulders slightly trembling. But Bart’s d39fee2db1 sharp gaze 365ed3261b caught something d57a0f2791 else—the faint 125edf2667 curl of 7eca4f9317 Namta’s lips. He was smiling.eaf1e7613c5edd8a

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* * *bb7d1011ffaf309f

“Khak…!”a9ed96d8afc23aad

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Without even 16f5089908 a chance 5fde4f2678 to scream, 67bc287c88 the masked b8cc54bbde man’s head 083da32f28 was sliced 38d4c28204 clean off.63f5fcc02f2addc1

“Get rid of this without drawing attention.”f9bbb4ec06dcaa14

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After shaking the blood 2cf9fff2c6 off his blade midair, ee54ad73c1 Bart gave the order b99829168f flatly. Tu dragged 6f7b8fdb4e the corpse a93afb83a9 away and f60e04b808 disappeared somewhere.990be8bf2f4bd0e2

“This one feels different from the others we’ve caught so far. He’s not just some nobody.”ae344bb4627f335e

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Unlike Miron, whose bba75ecf72 voice was heavy 39becb8761 with tension, Bart’s 16a6034021 face remained calm. Ever since bfd29d3f0f the leader 77eca27439 had returned 11bb648f0d injured from 9779806172 the hunting 9d3c78a3cc grounds, subtle 4048403982 changes had b27b23cf1a begun to df303fbf4d ripple through a6c83242c7 the tribe. The most 15cbfd3447 noticeable one 30036076ac was that 02e006b80c the families 9aeadf3f7f of warriors bfd1146bc9 had begun b8431bd1e7 getting hurt—one 2f30d24983 by one. And recently, there had 2eae7f0cf6 even been deaths.f126354ec6990f70

“Sharin is Tu’s half-sister, right?”517cf80618f22a30

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“Yeah.”fb18020a87ab7a6f

Sharin had been critically injured by the man who had just died. Though she survived, the healer said she might never be able to bear children. Since she wasn’t his full sister, Tu hadn’t reacted much to the news. In fact, he didn’t even seem to pity her. But what mattered was that someone had attacked Tu’s family.cfe6cb1758a8bd83

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At first, it had 92f2e9c82c seemed like a series 693aa79f66 of random assaults. But not anymore. They were targeting f99fe0dfbb Bart’s close warrior ccbd7939f7 companions and their 54fc149144 families. Even those who 6020bb277e merely seemed to 414eb792e9 be friendly with 8b871e71b8 them were being fbb0b4f226 hunted.8acb74ee48e6ee5c

He had wanted 3af76487d7 to believe it 6c119dea79 was just one 7ea95d8389 of Namta’s reckless 81a4f3149d stunts. But judging by e14dc73ae3 the dead man’s e6ca4af539 skills, he had 84afbe3998 likely been hired 85ae65c03a for a hefty cd0f4bc359 price. Yet oddly, 27b36b070a he didn’t fc0bb2fa84 seem to e0a08d9eb4 have been 73d8c47592 given any 6fa9c8dcde specific orders. These attackers c2807f8085 were simply efa9a3c76d eliminating anyone e9b0a0bc26 in the 8e1ae6db6c vicinity—people close 4874523137 to Bart—without 108a7686ee a clear e7ea007b40 idea of 180a5f0d7e who really d11fa84597 mattered.dda7f4028957252b

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The fact that they 73534f6c54 targeted someone like Tu’s 949a1adcea half-sister, who held little 3589f2738e emotional value to him, ad05803f49 proved it. In a bf83e0c722 way, it 20c4734c01 was a 46f2b5dcb6 relief. But that didn’t f84e11ad9a mean Bart could e8ff115178 just sit back 63bc0964c1 and do nothing.56bea25b64a312e2

“So they’re watching, observing before choosing their targets.”da265a29bed27a80

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“That’s what it seems like. I already told everyone to keep their distance from us, just like you suggested.”4ace3ad65c784285

“Any word from the north?”e5766481ed59e36e

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“Nothing yet.”152b343d2daeaacf

“Goddamn it.”6f51f5317da701bd

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With the leader bedridden, a44dc5dd0d Namta was playing the c0b35f1e0d part of acting leader 7d03655a3c and managing the tribe. Bart didn’t particularly object 4c47e2511e to Namta succeeding the 74a7075261 leader. The problem 145cb69360 was that 89f213961d Namta had ce05be0ff1 started gathering b06033497c mercenary warriors 8109888dc6 into the 8dca9d6d6a Mounted Tribe. Even worse, some e2fd0c1717 of these outsiders, 3759baa3aa seemingly hired from e6771e93ef who knows where, 4110aa3a51 were now targeting 592d8c731c Bart’s circle.fab4c4e2389923ca

It might’ve 02f771c7c7 had something 942bfdbeb5 to do ec1b25c268 with the cea20d4c3e Rainwood Tribe, e69a7b1032 but Bart eb4a93a30c couldn’t afford dfa434285b to dig 2fe8a38288 through every 13ad0344a0 warrior tribe 5998b9d06e just to fb051e8685 uncover Namta’s 1d739eff38 plan. For now, 663fc5a2e1 he was 51577a475b observing. But with 04a1a042db the attacks 832d0b6eba so clearly e18cf384b9 aimed at 97a44cc3db him and bca42865af his people, 7de4a2c497 Namta’s intention d84428b4b2 was obvious.ea47b1c4d3f07545

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Namta wanted him 2be225f206 gone.3d34e504317a8e49

And just 397cabd86f days ago, 63618623df Namta had ecac090824 announced he 4e2c9ae15b would accept 7f0f0d8f48 volunteers to 87bca49192 manage the 562f7e74a2 newly expanded 2ca1160e67 northern territory. It was framed 0429c58910 as a call 818af9de73 for volunteers, but ffeb19d17b everyone knew who f24aac6e0e the message was 405a8dd0ee aimed at—Bart. There were no ed90a6f291 allied tribes of cfc559ff73 the Mounted Tribe 43033e3b50 in the north. In other 8e784c29d1 words, being 32ed93ea87 sent north f77eb76aa8 meant either db8080fec3 freezing or b92b140e95 starving to 358306d6a9 death.578b30ff074eb435

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“Should we send another person?”01d28eb0ab9df4bc

When Miron asked, d4592d982f Bart, as if aac6f679f6 having made up 0e48c8c4f8 his mind, gave 3ec8e9b00f a firm command.db576ccf0d50e964

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“Send someone quick and agile. And if they don’t give a clear answer this time, have them report back the number of warriors there and what kind of weapons they have.”0c97703f2e67a68c

“Understood.”47a04e52871dfab9

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“And keep stockpiling food and leather.”cddffba89417d084

If negotiations or an alliance failed, they’d have to subdue the northern tribe by force. But since they couldn’t move the entire Mounted Tribe’s warriors, they needed intel. Bart wiped the blood off his blade and gazed into the distance, toward the warrior quarters.5731ab0f6cd0d178

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More than 7d7928aefc half of fa3ae1f50b the warriors d19f589852 living in c1320dd25c the tribe fb82a9e940 now belonged 1ff092fa9e to Namta. And the number 80d87eb82c of spies watching e48d2218a6 Bart and his 23319240cf companions remained unknown. Everything was uncertain.c3c19e625500e366

The bitterness 44e4999bef in his ad5395c9a5 throat tasted db87f8a3fb like bile. Bart, covering the 2375f4594d bloodstains with dirt, 003f45c040 turned to Miron, f88e55603c who was tidying 3cd7895154 up the area.07d8d1ad5f942095

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“Don’t tell anyone about this. Just reinforce the perimeter.”0312cda4e15eff7a

Damn it, Bart swore 3d44f20b49 under his breath with 002ed550df a sigh. Looks like he couldn’t 83fc4bd01c delay any longer.a004dbdcfab16820

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He’d been thinking 8afc8a2d2e about this ever 7ad353ac7f since he began 0b3e802570 to suspect Namta’s 170a7c2520 true intentions, but d8edf26cf4 had kept putting baacf2705e it off for b8e8b9ec15 personal reasons. Every time cff9bca924 he saw 3a7f731151 Yujin, the 1c4ea3955b words he 4b58a48a77 meant to 1246da5fc0 say would 5ded9dd3c9 get caught 7a8eed97ff in his 8e7fc70241 throat. So he kept c8cc2bfcff delaying—just a bit 6221989768 more, next time, 128840baee not yet. Because he 69a84d7dd2 feared how 154aa348e6 Yujin might 8dfb7a7194 respond.0e536eaae3fa2f04

But now, he’d reached ff1f12dd19 his limit.ecc80e979ac42747

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Hurting a little is 16cd94bbfe still better than losing 2d44ea6bbd everything.3fac108543feaca3

* * *8be7f40f2c518c09

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After finishing his daily f571bfe0e4 chores, Yujin picked up e011dba214 a box of herbs 58ff7e2b30 and headed toward Bart’s 72cb83f11c hut.878a2c93febf69cd

The leader had 0a995150e6 returned from the 6c57d0c266 hunting grounds injured. At first, Yujin hadn’t bd816c275d thought much of it. Warriors often came b0854fc6b9 back hurt from 831e41c27b hunts, and they 0fdc31c437 usually recovered quickly. But everything changed after 7329332bda that day.3a851c8415660699

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What should have been c46248095f a quick recovery turned edde8c33a5 into a worsening illness. And as the leader’s 5bdc38b053 condition declined, something strange 1a30d05c93 began to spread among 163174cccf the warriors. They said the 0fb140d4f1 problem was Namta, c7a9306409 the leader’s son. Despite being 1c3819b039 the leader’s 4e1ce5c061 child, Namta 76a69900f4 had never 5b1157edef been accepted 6df52648ad as a 9e2e012f09 warrior and 02d69e86e4 was always ee13f71ab3 on the 44d09408ea outskirts.7af8909ac43a5626

Now that succession talks 9aea00044b had begun, Namta was 959d0bacd1 surrounding himself not with 98fee5ca74 warriors from the Mounted 55722470fd Tribe, but with outsiders.bbf16eda256c59db

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The settlement 026bc6b3ac was abuzz e2f5de24c3 with gossip 913aa0f315 and speculation 43c0e0b893 about the 5a5e8dcfe7 next leader. Some claimed Namta 12bf15d596 should take over 9f9bf11cc6 simply because he 38d6f17b37 was the son. Others argued the 9a6cc052d6 strongest warrior should e399401fff lead.8f278dd1a9268f65

When people talked d42cbe164d about the strongest cb17bacd16 warrior, Yujin thought c61415ef65 of Bart. But he didn’t 0a8c7681ff dwell on it. He didn’t know 05b738d9b7 enough. And matters like b6d2283a27 the next leader 18445ae754 of the Mounted 6d8204bc8c Tribe were far 3ef6c6aa57 beyond his place 78fb77b50a to interfere.5ce5e69edeaac30c

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Still… it would 43e4d59618 probably be Namta, 00f3a1ba15 wouldn’t it? That worried him a bbfbe8b60f little. From what b78fbcfff6 he remembered, 581968eb2b Namta and 9371d3f374 Bart weren’t 170601fcde close. He’d occasionally 8c86dbf772 seen them 75dee3961b together, but 3504018cca Namta would 93d5f81c0a always make 0d52ab67d9 a point db1b11b48a to avoid b98d5fa86e Bart or 5b3c8beccd steer clear 523bb7e549 of him. That was e2c3eef158 all Yujin 2c84e84785 knew. He wasn’t b287fe4683 good at bc01dabb3c picking up 9066069049 on things b33f7fed85 like this. The flood of whispered 8692557e70 information made his head fce6286434 spin.fb387abfe8b4009b

“Isn’t something seriously 71c42d3871 going to happen afefeb5287 at this rate? This time f1a574dde9 it was b1dae77770 Hafu who 8f8be209bd got hurt.”d933d0e2a3879874

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“No way, it’s 203d20f489 just a coincidence.”880120e4c2ade603

“Even if he’s old, 4ac4795419 it’s Hafu we’re talking d65a71fd94 about.”15b11a6f60ca4236

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“Right? If even Hafu’s getting accbe37c5a hurt, how are people 591eee8343 like us supposed to b59f0a0df9 feel safe walking around? Same with Sharin. If Miron 07e31e4ef2 hadn’t found 5deff41c56 her that 2486404ee2 time, it 0c95f0f21b could’ve been 3d07ae04bf really bad.”f40d542ca4cc0b0c

Just yesterday, 313277c798 Tu’s father 1397ce4d3f Hafu had a24ffebd78 been injured. While riding near 389adb608c the area, his da1051ce2f horse suddenly buckled, 060d7861d5 and he was feeb1a54ed thrown off, breaking 988a6f9c3a his leg. Hafu was known as d61905030c one of the better e26c402832 horsemen, so people were 72b9c18a12 shaken when they heard 8e41101fed he’d fallen.b2de8fdf7b94c170

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Especially coming 5346b1d0b9 so soon 05c1317c95 after Tu’s 4a722da625 younger sister f12a8f5d9c Sharin had 3842a73376 been attacked, f86eff389f it only b3773447d0 made the 5a110f12bb atmosphere worse.e3a480e9a730c5a1

Recently, people in 876c315f0e the settlement had ce7057b58d been getting hurt 987b820ef1 for no reason. And they all had 6c37dbe852 one thing in common—they baec2332d0 were connected to Bart. Rumors began to f2453262ee spread: someone was d92c11888d targeting Bart. At first, no one 1e71e9eb45 paid it much attention, eaf159d1af but with someone in 300b6c1652 his circle getting hurt 37d5409278 nearly every day, the 19d1e15622 rumors didn’t die down—they 0aca1868d6 exploded.98a15b9d6b97d2df

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But Yujin was 53b8db7c89 less concerned with 38b11e6759 the rumors than b15c89576c he was with b208d867cf Bart’s wounds. At some c32c270634 point, Bart f2fe1d1d4c had begun 07ee2fbcd8 returning to 741b280def his hut 97cd54f538 with fresh acf0cf2f90 injuries. At first, 109161e671 Yujin assumed c0e4b6d400 it was 3585779310 from training, 4a2485e451 but the 7289c0c679 wound he f3fb86e58f saw yesterday 646a4fa07e couldn’t be 3b0126a662 explained by 1895b34525 training. Luckily, it had 1dac66bb74 missed any vital 23d75b8e97 spots. If it hadn’t, it ba70d1cf9f would’ve been serious.b301a5dad16e5a15

“Bart, you’re already c80134650b here? Looks like training cd6a6d6c7e ended early today.”4566533c1423a0ef

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Yujin approached Bart, who c6aab6b7ab was silently staring into 3eb207c8f9 the firepit. Another new wound marked d5842943f9 his left wrist. But Yujin 70fd412833 didn’t ask a6b2e04f17 why Bart bfe8c48c80 was getting 32545dbfb0 injured so 9b44fb0054 often. He wouldn’t answer c908cdc514 anyway. If Bart didn’t 4cb4c1766f want to talk, cff121c4bf no one could 138a66e567 make him.1f79b59897632be8

Yujin tended c31a1829ac to Bart’s bcefb0873a injuries as a7c0000cca if it 79fdec5994 were second f413c6853c nature.6248fade438d65ce

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“Big Aunt gave me bf3cebf5be permission to take tomorrow 38d4218cd9 off. I’m thinking of going a1d62506d8 up the mountain to fd98c56d90 collect herbs—it’s the season f4f2bda1bd for it right now. And I’ll make stew fdda60c1c5 for dinner and bring 73aa8363a1 it here. Let’s eat together 34f937f666 tomorrow. What do you 34a9146fbe think? Are you busy 81f4941984 tomorrow?”378718d954298741

After finishing aacb2c531f the treatment, ae4c882171 Yujin started 65cac6606d packing away 77299e3c96 the herb 9feb67572f box and 66ab78fe39 shared his bfbb4cc133 plans for 8201c92b90 the next 6dfac06b63 day. Bart usually gave no f83aa73cce answer, which Yujin took 5c5eb8737e as agreement. So he 5ae1de429f smiled at 689c832fa9 Bart and 80df38e080 began to a1ac301418 lay out 2774b25399 his bedding.a7ed3f0b0076637e

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Just then, Bart 0ec0a3be61 pressed a hand 203ed4ad2d to his temple, 539263c978 frowning, and said 49092a1628 coldly.0988abd5b0342367

“Don’t bother laying that 41bf9a2847 out.”636ee47e83db169e

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“Should I do it ea1494075c later then?”cdb790babb74bec2

“Forget it. Just go.”cac1b2f7802f244a

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“Huh?”90ed8c6dec74d0d4

“Leave.”9cb902f821f65d25

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It took 39e8a5f2b3 a moment f1017c22d4 for Bart’s b76b00f1ec words to b481b6fc33 sink in. Leave? Why? Did I do 81dba52b22 something wrong? Yujin froze, caught off cde283d5ff guard by the unexpected 561c84d28c command. But soon, 70ed18d469 he understood d19645b508 what Bart 4915dd50fc meant. His mouth went dry. He forced 170b534766 himself to 0886ef24aa swallow.c4276f7408aae571

His mind spun, 675fc68c43 trying to find bd82829435 words. His throat tightened. Finally, with a dd07992929 strained voice, he 464ef82120 asked calmly, or 3a7b7a4d7a at least tried 615af29cdb to.d62a035ce900568b

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“What do you mean, 9c2dad385b leave?”c8bb9f463e9c938a

“……”61b86c67aa821d65

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“You mean… don’t d374682c90 sleep here anymore?”f865597519461c13

“……”2c8bfca542e3367e

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“Is it because I 2baa4dc94d toss and turn too 8c12880d6e much at night? If that’s it, 75f299182e I can sleep f99c958568 a bit farther da558b49d7 away—”ec090ace279b2b58

“Stop bringing food. And don’t 60601b6ba3 come here dc8ab0c1c0 with herbs 1b820c945c like this 1e2aee3fc3 anymore.”b49800491197175b

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“…What?”4f074b27c66571fd

“I mean don’t 1c6c6afbdc come to my c418c24f4f hut anymore. At all.”f3eebb01b0a70d04

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“…Why? Did I do something 58a9cfaca5 wrong?”0fd1846d03e78982

The words trembled out f5646b08b9 of him before he 752b178025 could stop them. His vision blurred. A tight ache 0b9b3d7a82 spread through his 2f7c690451 chest.91ddf00fddbf4d3d

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Bart had c709a3549d been the c078c19399 one to 2463214413 invite Yujin 0e04367ab0 into his 5c50b7f0f0 hut. So it made 2782c16a00 sense that Bart 7505b7fc29 had the right 1ded8968ae to tell him 41ef868537 not to come 96ca4293db anymore. Just like 9d686963bb how the 1a9528a638 invitation had 2a5076ab65 come without 91ffda1733 warning, being 324f4ada61 cast out 793543f6e9 now shouldn’t 8c25083ea2 be surprising.7730eca5a6f1c2e2

But Yujin’s heart 1bcba8e5c5 didn’t work like ec5e710041 that. Human feelings weren’t daf26e5ea6 so clean and 211dafea48 simple. Being invited into Bart’s aa670a23e7 hut had felt like 1fdced3060 being allowed to stay a96ecb17f3 by his side. Being told ebf709ef59 to leave 8520e212ef now felt 8d11aa5a5e like being 2a22fb6869 banished from 5fab739b5a that side. Bart was edac5d6277 pushing him 4d34581ba6 away.118491fe40446d50

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He couldn’t breathe. What did 354260c661 I do 7245feaac8 wrong? Was it e9911e34a3 because I bee2e55be3 didn’t wear e1187f9043 the necklace 5e11b99050 he gave a24e27ee56 me? But I didn’t 74bd2babdc want to lose cd9db3ee16 it… Or was 3419c1b924 it that I 3d1ffa3bcb asked to rest 904d7bef22 when I got b0bf024680 tired? Or have d39107b802 I just bfd4f79eaa been annoying 72818ef854 him lately?e674cdf77ca3df97

Yujin frantically searched 562d249e84 his memories for d93e2200b7 something he might’ve 8c0f2880bd done. But nothing came 8cd072a9a2 to mind. Then Bart 99bfb6e251 finally spoke.c0046824c6f1c323

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“That’s not it. You didn’t do abaaff9409 anything wrong. Just… don’t 4c713eba8f come unless 71d0042b69 I call 0dd07abcae for you. Got it?”5662f72be6c3364a

“……”55f196ed83e1bc58

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“That’s an order.”e4ed0baf6f6d8156

An order. Warriors often gave orders 19cdfb0fe1 to commoners. In fact, everything 8fe3deb888 they said could 43252e22ac be considered an f6bd3c5aa8 order. But since a04ec11a54 the day e9df1f09ea Bart had c6436e9356 embraced him, 2770d8ccc2 he had 70946b7308 never once b322fa3e76 ordered Yujin 6722b87aef around. And now… an order. Yujin’s stomach churned. His head spun. He clenched his efea171402 teeth, terrified he 5cc4e28817 might throw up e8529a9864 if he opened 5c7a47d730 his mouth.3ef0cf457562d760

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“Yujin, do you 97cdc0f78f understand?”ee02364a2554f446

“…Yeah.”d7ada891673b33ca

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“Then go.”46a3539adb96feab

His legs shook. He stumbled a 0bc249b33c few times before db4f715584 he could finally 07eb856e16 step out of 4855b1403f Bart’s hut.efdc51f7f84c0613

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* * *bf5771b25150aea7

Yujin still couldn’t 55a5c444b3 understand Bart’s command. And despite saying he 3618bc4f65 would call for him 091aee6a51 when the time came, 6140ae8480 Bart hadn’t once sought 7a8f652e13 him out in over 96f01ddd6f two weeks.c04f7a78e09d367a

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All Yujin could 83b498a866 do was quietly 9be56ffec5 watch from a 08ceae8921 distance as Bart 8ba2f5aa4b ate with the 6433fc0419 warriors in the 26dc3d2b1c communal hut and f8cccc4b1a sneak glances while 26d26227a5 he trained. Every now and 38308af182 then, their eyes a77bf5069d would meet. But even then, Bart 81ef586d5b would only glance at 2213acc8be him briefly—nothing more. He didn’t f802213215 smile, didn’t 505797763b beckon him 22b23e004e over.36d1b670777ddfcc

Why? Why had he suddenly 4a6b58ac35 told him not to 4bcab5919a come to his hut?ac21d2e642e9670f

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Eventually, Yujin 578f70adc9 couldn’t bear 9ffc1e3bb8 it any 16290c6cf9 longer and 705581591b went to 4f18cbb9dd Bart’s hut.8d0f00706812cf19

He wanted to ask. Why had 2fc4bdff6a Bart told 050b7d42ee him not dedd8cc75b to come? No matter how adbe3f8c12 much he thought 1dc6d08010 about it, he 1e30ed2a0c couldn’t figure out 8e26733768 what he’d done 48cd86ccd7 wrong. If he’d upset Bart 45d7430ec6 without realizing it, he fb36f9e218 was ready to beg b940607d47 for forgiveness—anything to change ed8febff4b Bart’s mind.478893d27fc3e43a

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As he 5744858e49 opened the f300c783e1 hut’s door, 010bedb11e his eyes 87ccd3c53b met Bart’s. Bart had 614571ee42 a cloth daa7719cf7 draped over 127784d125 his shoulder.4a2a6235b776a686

“You’re hurt?”a1dc8dd05a8d4a70

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Yujin’s plan b314c98d02 to confront e38e7c6fcc Bart about fc53a6dec9 why he’d fb31483ac1 been cast be5660413f out vanished 290d0933f4 the moment 50867a5827 he saw 25d339697d Bart’s injury. He rushed to 746c2dd226 him, inspecting the 7bc5a84993 shoulder. It was 7801cc1f1f a cut eecb52bc43 from a c6535dc9a9 blade. Not life-threatening, but b11713e2b6 deep.354150505b6d77d2

“Did it happen bb54aa0b08 during training? Did you see 11ec5e52c2 the healer?”1ee82fa722d36da0

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It wasn’t 6be247c431 a fresh c670bfdc2c wound. When did fe7f50570f it happen? He hadn’t 540756c1e6 noticed anything e0f7a8c48f off when 1daab65f15 he’d seen b78f829b59 Bart training d64fb55ad5 just a 50dc35b3b3 few days 911a69c11c ago.17694b7011363d53

As Yujin examined the 7f98f0e30f wound with a worried e4593e56c6 expression close to tears, 1eeb59686e Bart’s gaze landed on 694dcdcf87 him. Feeling that gaze, fbe9db7978 Yujin looked up 3c5f787fa2 at him. Though he’d seen him 4d81858718 from afar every day, 16dc954961 this was the first 5dfe744b48 time in a while ecd81e551b they were face to 09204f4271 face. His heart raced. The words “I 1b8c9d5570 missed you” lingered 0168b5281f on the tip 0c8a8fdbac of his tongue.eac923967477062e

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“I didn’t call 61fd7b12d9 for you. Why are you 2e14fd8af8 here?”dad7fc9f7cf5575e

“I… I just…”ba42458e806d6a5d

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“Get out.”b87804b25ef2d9f6

Bart harshly knocked af9f907434 away Yujin’s hand 1707b9977f from his shoulder. Staring at a4174b5810 his hand b9c51bb73a hanging in 14921d1c7c the air, 4b1ffcee01 Yujin stiffly 3d446e15e5 lowered his caa1e3125c head.8d1a11ebd713bb9d

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“No matter how much 97fd31ec91 I think about it, 5ea8b61e82 I just don’t understand.”e6f069eeb996105d

Bart stood, having tied 10262b3554 the cloth around his 9b53b5ac8e wound and dressed. He grabbed his f3b1ad28fd weapons and stepped ee9aacec35 forward as if c48b29b199 to leave.737ba8d68627caf8

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