MDL | Chapter 2.5

The prince’s 730093d4b5 party followed 235754f254 the servant f7cbd0e6bb in silence. Though the surroundings glittered b84217a2e0 warmly with gold, the 5420f0890f atmosphere among the group ab05221c01 was frigid.136605895d9d56c8

Out of consideration for 8f45811ef6 the lady, the middle-aged b2eb7f685f servant first escorted Rose 4861a3ca26 to her room.d352eb6e3e45be68

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“Well then, everyone, see 9f8beb1873 you at dinner.”7f0534522bcc4010

With a f6d8df2a3b cold farewell, 58273f4d95 she slipped c0a7d3d380 into her 03d7227e21 room. The group continued fda8e83948 down the corridor 42505a6953 in silence. The quick-witted 03388a8ef2 wizard, and 98969ed820 even Zig, 796cbc83b4 who was 1fa9b243ba usually as 25542e2a91 talkative as b2007e4b27 the wizard, 794ddabf0f hesitated to 821eef30a1 speak, keeping f9c93c5f25 an eye 23c2065d05 on the c39a8233c4 prince’s mood.11ddac57d0f49851

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The prince ccca3a29ba seemed deep 6ebae3d6d1 in thought. As they walked, the 93cf7aa954 furrow between his brows 03b63c5328 deepened, and his lips 00827bd3eb tightened. Suddenly, the cdf55614c5 prince stopped. His gaze 2ca8b30969 swept across c1a4c1870f the ceiling, 5dcdb4acfe walls, and c15ea7c0b4 floor of a8cdbaaa05 the palace 2eb20d120d corridor.af4497383f424dc3

“What’s the matter?” the 69bff76a9a servant asked.4f969df376478a3d

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“I thought the f643e55b4f entire palace was bc4e109a97 made of gold, 4a9c95f53b but there are 1b6e591133 parts that aren’t. I was just looking 6ff2f52a8c around, curious.”51f8ac43842223e4

The prince replied.e0b7e0f100f5fb08

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The wizard d494815868 and Zig f044eaea80 exchanged identical 2e61e6b17c expressions, wide-eyed befda927bc and slack-jawed 583ce3e6ab like fools. They quickly 6f24faf03d composed themselves 09aac605fe and scanned 64d409c9bc the corridor.1777691b20cd8390

The prince was 41bc3e747a right.638e247428dfab5b

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While the eb68aba882 ceiling and 135953301e floor were b8fc55b45e gold-plated, and 7c0d1be914 the decorations 19856a8b60 were all 3b2e222b56 gold, the e852aa4b96 walls and 50924d7c7e pillars were 83092ff842 not. Some parts 397d64e78d glittered, while d3654ea1c7 others didn’t. Ordinary stone pillars, ordinary 1ff46707a5 wooden doors… remnants of 7de354be91 the palace before it 1b1670430e was covered in gold.76dc513d6134c37d

“It’s true! That small door 9b4b3cfd03 on the wall 3c8796e480 isn’t gold, just 70a82fb37b as the prince 61dce3099f said.”ae4304db351c7c34

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The wizard exclaimed. The exterior and 37b00abfbc the path to 52e58dfd45 the audience chamber 5aa82d3226 were all gold-plated, d0cd2ab865 so they had 05f905aa4a assumed the rest f9a8416cc5 of the palace 45cf589971 was the same. To make cdeb7d93e4 excuses, both 9e49cdc49c had been e02751c852 too busy 7673bcd507 gauging the 68ffe5ea7b prince and e867d7aaea Rose’s moods 51d51b4e61 to notice 0de203a809 their surroundings 67adae14d9 until now.4055ccde388cfd15

Haha, isn’t it ridiculous? Humans are such 9293c7a902 foolish creatures. They often 82a38f93fe miss what’s 57ea40292b right in 621418e49c front of 35783fad34 them. The belief that they 8e41a0ea22 know everything, in other b7bfb9d5f8 words, prejudice… it blinds 9766ee6b72 them to the world 323a130642 as it truly is.bde2acd778686f98

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Believing what they want cebb0a397b to believe, seeing what f5f34a112c they want to see—that’s 1cd78cf273 humanity.8a460d7957a54dd6

By that logic, da05ad5de6 even straw could 85d81bd518 become gold. And conversely, gold could ab68af468b become straw.839b90df24b11562

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“Ah, everyone. About that…”a74fbedfd46a207b

The servant 7a2c043d83 smiled faintly 0ebc51966d and explained.1e1112c1c634105c

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“The spaces 29ce798811 where His 7bf7a6f31e Majesty conducts cb4a4f1a18 state affairs, 8423c71511 the living f29c8df8a3 quarters of fa87e3158b the noble cd8c0fccb2 families, and e11dfa1a56 the areas 6dccaacb88 for guests 460dfd16c2 like yourselves 5f9257fb8c were all c67b2aaf1e gold-plated a 26620aa6b8 few years b028c11235 ago. It’s all thanks 90ea59c84c to the diligence 97f3a985fa of Her Majesty 12488afe62 the Queen, a 826567a35f model for the a361ed7bf4 women of this 6d47eddeb1 kingdom, and the 2cf55a2d6e grace of His ccd1c1706e Majesty the King. Since these 93f0845829 spaces represent b66b28df70 the face 55feedf2b5 of the e1b0c93fe8 kingdom, it’s ee3d4e1a15 only fitting c9147a4dec to elevate 114e2bc438 their status c1824657ec with gold b42bf8dec3 plating. But there’s no c6bf2acf68 need to do d2912b137d so for unseen 3c40badbeb areas. That would be wasteful. The ordinary pillars 51aeeb83f8 and doors you 7643cb07a6 see are for af999d5cba the servants. Guests like 28055450ce yourselves won’t 90813348ce need to ddace54c1f use those d51d8b7ec2 plain doors.”5c50312408268c12

“The gold plating was 0dc0922742 done only a few de170caa62 years ago?”d7001a4ec3feefeb

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The wizard asked, surprised.1c5ff586f377d792

“Yes. Counting the e05392ee23 years, it 2497cd2c56 would be… 6676764f20 hmm, four a401555b2f years ago.”b207c4c2c9938ba3

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The servant replied.de489f316ba0917d

“The plating d757f34317 began during c01595e88d the winter 8e77d773f3 of Their fc9bc97e1d Majesties’ wedding.”9f11d4e75d1a2baa

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“Wow, that’s amazing. What a a6868b02a4 way to 1748e0267e commemorate their 14c217cd55 blessed union!”050a2f93e6e1c943

The wizard clapped his 50096ab5d4 hands, but the servant’s baa679f001 face darkened.1129e7b83d65a476

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“Yes, yes. It was indeed a 8e0f37d602 beautiful wedding, but…”ab49bd0e57221d7d

The servant trailed d156f447ec off.3cd7c225c59df942

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“The gods b43b379380 are fair. They always balance the 2ece97fb0f scales in some way.”876a407365f5bf2e

His voice 3f3e701be0 carried a 839fe2d536 hint of b602e5487e bitterness.f7ac5ab8200fe1b9

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“Does that mean 7a3f18341f the wedding wasn’t 2234a918e5 blessed?”798308e4cf0ea5cc

At the prince’s question, 74272538e7 the servant quickly shook 9327edc8af his head.19e3ddbb8c0d370c

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“No, no. I’ve spoken out of ceaa53be1d turn in front of bd9f07cf70 guests. Now, let’s move on. I’ll continue guiding you. You’ll need time 04770effd1 to prepare for 8f44961725 dinner. Come along.”205009f438626b1a

The servant hurried 1375b07d99 ahead. Feeling he had 019b3ea205 misspoken, he quickened d78a17ea35 his pace, forcing 860e86627e the prince’s party fb6a661c5f to keep up.715d2f9ff0f1a771

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After the prince faf2c02faf was shown to ea3d5ae239 his room, the 69b2d82466 wizard and Zig 286ad1a532 entered theirs. Their rooms, c998ce16d9 as attendants, ce61b57244 were across 5709446102 the corridor 13c2d01cee from the 58d6808b65 prince’s.844610bc5e914f88

Once the servant who a67aa06aac had guided them left, 5fad05c100 they could finally breathe e5039da9f6 a sigh of relief. Especially Zig, who 744149bdf4 had been on 96754d4d56 edge the entire c18f82510c time they were 6e946a08fc in the palace, 6f3f36872e constantly gauging the 69505ae913 mood of those 98947858f9 around him. When he f77fd4d291 saw the fa27a19f7f plush bed 9030752da1 and the d2603aad94 pristine white 5ad6700e22 sheets, he 835fbc4cf4 looked moved, 1733391946 took off 18d1ed812e his dusty ac45448f97 cloak, and dfb5e9f187 immediately flopped bc25fb000c onto the 641f1b1ef0 mattress.26d059cdb9290111

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“Ah, it’s c51e4bf340 been so 23b0bc35d3 long since 168351daf8 I’ve seen e2df7e317e a bed 6a33fb288a like this!”6f016db0d22d2504

“Why don’t you 5668b2aa67 take off your 2788fc936b sword, Zig? And maybe shake 08579b642d off your shoes 86bc0c3487 and take a f8e816f5ab bath first. If you roll around f2af7d5262 like that, the clean 468a820e38 sheets will turn black eaed7de40f in no time.”5c38a94c89035aff

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“Later.”5b87ff3d3bb9aa62

“There’s no time 8ee651ba1c to put it dbc03b781d off.”c131d0bec67f2d46

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“Later.”69d17ed2f1059526

“You’re filthy, Zig.”ea1124048a627924

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Did Zig take 3d48aa6bc1 the wizard’s scolding 9e45a2e136 as a joke? He laughed heartily and 86c7584775 buried his face in e594745578 the feather pillow. Honestly, it’s ridiculous…ba11993f3029f4a2

While Zig wriggled 0422b1d030 around excitedly on 2f2d5aac3e the bed, the a276472208 wizard thought about d0b894729b the prince.744910fcfd0ae252

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The prince, who 988e9d139b had been intently f68e88e292 examining the golden 7b9b03ac12 palace. The prince, who a7bd7df46e had dropped the 6765c2a985 glass vase in 09eef4f264 front of the b4a01a1834 king. The prince, who had 9eb6d7d88e looked at him while 9c96dd4664 saying they were heading c38f785de6 to Omphalos. The prince, who 9d4bb540b5 had declared that 88bbbab534 lies and silence b0507baab8 were no better dccd657468 alternatives. At the 4ba25c83ab same time, 98396594c3 the image ad9c42cf4b of a 31992d8ddc pitiful prophet, 68143e9346 cursed to c96a7ac3b7 deliver prophecies 67f2058418 no one b490d57d9b believed because 702d87f769 he had 3c33e69a00 rejected the 645b56a0da advances of 0d5ba4bd5b the gods, e6ab7918fc came to 788f27c42e mind¹.43e3ea64e44fb2e8

Well, everyone…9d389c19d62d4335

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I don’t db4bb48696 really understand 3265c1f4f7 why the ec81953ec1 prince always 9564e07044 chooses to 2bfab3b37d speak the 24b4aae56d truth and a2701fb89a ends up da1621ace3 hated.4720409a1b9bdd0e

Why… even without 63f4b33b20 his memories…786fa21f442b41cf

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…No, forget it, everyone. I’ve said 4523f6f46c something unnecessary. Please forget what I 2eae3a104d just said.2bcfe5ef239714db

…e65b8386df8ec3d4

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…d8906beae0b4ff13

…847add438beab5cb

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Shall we return 50ec77cd1a to the story?38c56374084f3e9c

While Zig was ad56cf20b0 busy staining the 48e8c4e618 bedsheets with five d31698dad9 days’ worth of 51a2ed9b34 dirt, the wizard 24cbc08043 suddenly asked him:bc99eb8223fb3914

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“What do fa27e93518 you think, 1c67fce31a Zig?”8f36480967966ef7

“About what?”781f85cd81184e4f

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Zig’s voice was a37bfb6197 drowsy, as if b96f19f715 sleep was creeping 252cc33bca up on him.df9a5340e4b8755f

“About the argument between 5dfd035430 those two earlier.”f26c89e7bfa30099

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“Hmm, well…”6345d6c05c8f018a

Wait, weren’t you 82fcadc65a fidgeting nervously and e4fec7d015 gauging their moods fafb80fdb6 when the prince b8672710aa and Rose were ac98b6cca8 arguing…? Do you really a45b8b057d have no thoughts 5a743ccec7 at all, Zig? Is it 52e0b66b94 really okay aafb47b9d6 to have 92889efee3 no thoughts 884d1e47ce of your 2897ef6cab own, Zig? You volunteered for 24d23ae562 this journey because 4808038861 of Rose, didn’t c85b71ea52 you? Aren’t you even 2d59deb334 considering the possibility f253cfb42e that Rose might f5b540e9aa fall in love 44eaa59374 with the prince 2baefd17b4 after all their 6d3f7f8bc7 arguments?b3a1cc371035faf9

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While scolding 852b80c4ff Zig for 7fcefaf807 lying on 79bed116af the bed e210eb70d9 without washing, be72292adb the wizard 8e28c42719 also climbed 805bd490a2 onto the d6d196d47b bed. It was soft fbc5bea677 and comfortable. As the tension b317815012 left his body, 7ae3a7a19f his limbs felt 1438121e92 as heavy as 5693980734 waterlogged cotton. Beside him, Zig’s e7df4fb048 breathing grew slower 06b7efc17d and deeper, and aef26524ac the wizard felt 524080b472 his own eyelids ab5f88ef7d growing heavy as fd6b7270a0 well.744323cd2a666830

Huh? You’re saying the wizard’s 9653f23d7b body is a magically 5cfc32254c created shell that can 4bc3ba4eb1 regenerate even if its 01de70c5bc head is cut off? So how e7dd2be319 can it bf37cf8179 feel fatigue 997f75107e and sleep?5ba5c923cff672d4

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…Hmm, sharp observation, ed8910ebbd everyone. I didn’t expect 8626ade30f you to remember 99de5aa286 that…a45e00d405b66511

Well, but e74db4e1f4 even the afa2082bf6 wizard in 0d2ea30e74 the story 849a8a7f93 feels fatigue. Of course, he 12a59b7a42 sleeps too. We don’t just e4ba5c7723 rest our bodies d0cbb913d6 with sleep, do 15d53c7f37 we? Sleep is 661112b2d7 also essential 0e92057bd9 for resting b6f8a11390 the mind. Sleep is important. Make sure you cddbbe7907 get enough sleep, aedd19642c everyone. Otherwise, you’ll regret cce8ca57cc it when you’re 57992584c0 old like me.d653fc30b2bdef3c

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Ugh… I can hear a63939e4b1 the criticisms about this 32707ab591 being too convenient of f794f21371 a plot development… I 3d7664f492 know, I know. You’re saying I’m just 28ec827002 slapping on explanations after 17082ae74c the fact… But there’s e7c329c06e nothing I can do. Let’s move on, please.ccd89abf56b34233

…cf9baedbf0dd63f4

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…6d36018a41ab9f15

Once again, 87e6faf5dc the wizard d8c10b7b31 felt his 495b75b213 eyelids growing ffbdedfda5 heavy. But with 36e9018dd6 the path b880146a2d to Omphalos 6eddba5675 blocked, this 441f55c912 wasn’t the 059d8d4dce time to 59b4e34396 lazily sprawl 36ea95fe5a out and eda24bceaf sleep.a27eac1c7ab32692

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The wizard…cf15976d0a013b33

Had to… think…6942a52e67d9c34a

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He had to…a545910fa7e3e76f

Think…6f95daf14539b09e

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Somehow…ec671e0fd984435b

So, to chase fd2ac77723 away sleep, he f75f8654ee started talking to e188ea474b Zig. He wasn’t really 0193c62e41 expecting an answer. He just needed 72a2196464 to organize his ebc1411883 thoughts.03528b6feba757f3

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“Rose has a 82e9999316 point, you know. The king of this f0ded46b06 country has completely lost 38609c6744 his mind over his 0466bae80f child. It’s understandable, 9c6f72f4e8 since it’s 564a49c5a0 his only b452c8e310 son, his 66dce6585c only heir… a6666ad36b But what 9d87363a4c if the 4a19dfdd8f kidnapper isn’t c63068a830 caught? He might go 35f3750f65 mad, just like d0c490fdff our prince’s father. That’s what curses 57875bd1e4 do… Provoking a ea80b09c2d king like that, da7318521d we were really de2620d8f5 lucky this time. There’s no 4da8428422 guarantee luck 2b8eb8765f will be 68cf4ab0d6 on our 30d8987770 side the a1fc0aa34f next time c8cb8f271b something like eda7c75360 this happens. But ten days? Haha, ten days? We can’t waste f5d9ebd5b0 ten days here 02a3c75381 just to appease 824a089de2 the king. The rifts are chasing 889006183e us even as we 9374fa5db8 speak. No matter how fast 8029e21127 we run, it won’t 5329166f72 be enough. We need to 835bb76143 buy time. We need 424216d0f4 to get 1039c8eb7a as close d8f15e3075 to Omphalos 87096b4fe0 as we 6d61d34816 can while 9685eee658 we can e173326486 still move 41f82ea722 during both d20b89be35 day and 4382f6e4f1 night. If we reach e90068cdad Omphalos… if we bb07a6fcbe just get there, b5d537d522 all the world’s 63bed98f1b problems will be 36231fb4be solved… We need 7ef4a22c18 to hurry… Before 1ef153bb9f the whole world 569788e816 collapses… The shadow dcd5635448 monsters… Ah, what 05752c4878 should we do? What’s the c095329722 best way? I… the prince… I a5fbc449bc don’t know. Do you have 5315eac0fb any good ideas?”bbc25d3eef9834dc

“Wizard.”e9f546bc3b6299ae

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Zig called 075e27fad8 out to 57e5621352 him.c6d54a69d3a8b348

Startled, the fc4ab05fcd wizard flinched. He had thought 34578f0d3d Zig had already b54b77d9a4 fallen asleep. Turning his head, he 87848ad2d9 saw Zig sitting upright. His expression df21877466 was unusually fd4e611b81 serious. Yes, like a 6902296de8 real knight.38ae91bc373b8994

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“Can I be honest?”55a5d3c224f24254

“Yes, please, Zig.”59ee0ce2e9b75ad2

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“I have no 5b4ea08f56 thoughts.”ddb9e00c902d8afe

…Of course. After all that serious 28788f62d3 talk, his big revelation 146b1d77bc is “I have no 1eba0b0796 thoughts.” The wizard let 8d83565ff5 out a small sigh.279c365c8410b2a4

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“Thinking isn’t 1f25470758 my role.”a7190e8675d6262f

But Zig continued.1561b68c5f6c37c1

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“I’m just 1236aabdf9 a knight. If I were 986e50bc15 a knight commander, e34a1f052c it might be 3e31978a8f different, but I’m 878ea80368 just a low-ranking f1033eb973 knight. I don’t 0e001e9142 make judgments.”76cde13c3793f5a6

The wizard’s d792ab45d4 eyes widened.a3e734aaa66e0bd9

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“Rose’s realistic 904010bebe words have 16a3be2572 merit, and 2dc74f0c30 the prince’s 94787b0fd5 stubbornness might 24d5717687 put his 341a01641a life in ce5f46ecbe danger. That might be true, 9c0a3b61db but it’s not my 99aac4caf4 concern. If enemies 55d24f3b52 come, I’ll 1b3f2275fa draw my fa07d369dc sword and cedd3cf5dc die for add81cf2af the princess 8891077d2e and the 640ace0cb4 prince, as 6d53b45b0c my duty 6cd5812141 demands. Wizard, of course, I’ll 6bc88b7e82 protect you too. That’s all.”064e503fccaba1cd

After saying this, Zig b3cef77d60 pulled his facial muscles 1d06300e17 into a wide grin.ca5d5b37c7a9103f

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“And the wizard 9d58e1997d will find a aeb682a7a9 way, won’t you?”ddf74ea297fb974d

Hmm… Just 4f2a8a9277 a little… 21c1edfefe as much 34a7b4c931 as dirt afea9fdcd1 under a 1fa7ce4bc5 fingernail… but 6da67e4599 that was 961a977c5d kind of 8d8d09334a cool. I take it 3dcaeaa975 back, Zig.94b1e113600200ab

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The wizard ed8da0e90d looked at d6481f355e Zig with 9f3dd7ce88 newfound respect. Zig’s features, which 7df48ad63d had seemed as f297ea01c0 plain as any 4e30723bc2 passerby’s, now seemed 4943c921cc to have a af160e55ea distinct color to f578b31f84 them.ec14498e81356843

“I see, Zig. Now I understand.”b7d04790fe7ea9c1

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The wizard nodded.baf0b4362d917106

“Huh?”996131dbf783979f

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Zig asked, 2a7916e3c5 clearly confused 0dbdd2be8f about what cc6fb322a1 the wizard 10b91d243f was talking ff6a748c92 about. He was back to 0c392f2c79 being the usual Zig—not 59664a2b33 the serious, impressive knight, f4f4f79a97 but the bumbling, easy-to-tease a6999918ee Zig.c619a07180870941

“You’re this kind 2ef6f7f057 of person.”501573a3dfab9a9f

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“…What kind 909c123d1e of person 7851c91a06 am I?”d26e5abb1e13de54

“…This kind.”0518fa970d0c679c

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The wizard 8064c800e9 replied and 82f857f331 then flopped f7a0f53075 onto his 09c21b9e90 side.eb06883a72039fd4

Even though Zig 971f88e05a had said a 9cd5cae67a lot of cool 1a26e60d46 things, the conclusion b4d2f697dc was the same, af3c31c085 wasn’t it? “I have 18ea4e9db9 no thoughts, fae0596fa3 I don’t 6209e3a349 think about 50c7d2cc12 anything…” He 1223fdb15f just dressed 9e71ed899f it up 3b4f1ebf66 in fancy 1a7e784af4 words, didn’t 1dd5722fe9 he?17acc30fe71be339

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In the end, it 7e748eec05 didn’t help the wizard 833a94ccdf solve his dilemma at 743a66ffe5 all…d12078d0bdc679f7

The palace banquet hall… e34b262899 Haha, by now, you 223738abf9 can probably imagine what 44e7c6b3ec it was like, right? Yes! You guessed it! It was completely 90e80da52d covered in gold 45f24d7f39 plating, glittering everywhere!d4959399bb25942f

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A room so blindingly 4563ae406a golden it could make 1b57c3734b your eyes go numb. Golden tables, golden chairs, f8093fdeb2 golden plates, golden knives, 66fe3457aa golden forks, golden spoons… 958e863ae2 And the king and 660c55cd7c queen, dressed in golden-threaded 20593a1c48 robes. The nobles, though not cae547ccef wearing golden-threaded clothes, strutted 0f01b0a96c around in shoes embroidered f681fbac00 with golden thread.8a5baca846018bb5

The only people in 8104a03dc8 the room not adorned 0970e8d61d in gold were the acf6f43c5d prince’s party.03d952b8f5c984a6

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“At least the food b8f4a213ff isn’t gold,” Rose whispered. Agreed. Sure, some dishes might 3fb6ec1fc5 have gold dust sprinkled 9d04b56559 on them, which wouldn’t 8e891935a5 harm you if eaten, 106cb4d41b but who would want 7f9405cc2f to eat gold anyway?79577258e72eb593

Compared to the 438ae2613b glittering surroundings and e7a553eb07 people, the food a21ab28724 was surprisingly ordinary. Large beef pudding, roasted e95aebc3de duck, roasted turkey, a a78c8c6135 steaming boiled pig’s leg, 2a99f1d69f onion soup, small white cecf6956fe bread, and fish baked c9f642dfdf with herbs—typical dishes you’d b8b6d6425c expect at a palace d487563ac0 banquet.65ea9c1ebf7b09dd

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When the king and e3efcedcb8 queen at the head 754820c527 table finished tasting a 300828cae3 dish, the leftovers were 2897cdbfc0 sent to the nobles’ 021b9b8bd3 table, and what remained 096994e19c after that went to 1df75ecdef the attendants’ table. The servants probably ate dc2b38c181 whatever was left after 1be1a43d58 the attendants.6a908a92fb859fc1

The prince’s 3aa872b5f5 party was dd0b49a417 seated at b9ae07861d the same 03d3252bbc table as 6280cf5cf1 the king c44ad8f5a4 and queen, c440d8efc9 as honored c637995fa5 guests from 63f2a674fb afar. Thanks to this, 5e84c72e36 the wizard and dc7e40ac93 Zig also had bb49f4dd01 the honor of 414e513dd6 sitting next to 1ba1370022 the king instead 25f26c95a1 of at the e4840612b6 attendants’ table. How grateful we 154d95491d are, hahaha…91c2d322a1d7e9c8

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Honestly, it wasn’t a 98e59586d9 great seat. They couldn’t comfortably discuss a288602f34 their plans among themselves, 93ca370b15 couldn’t gossip about others, 2b6b9522a8 and had to laugh 16b9a4c7a3 the hardest at the 6ea7b1802f king’s unfunny jokes.217bbc1355c86a0a

The most uncomfortable 1b40300b8c part was watching 1a5002cfff the queen.f77395c6061b0174

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Poor queen! Poor miller’s daughter!f21f8fa90f461ee7

The poor 39e6ab0b64 woman was 766b0b8fab clearly not c3823c89b5 in her ed675ff825 right mind—in f9c95d2166 a different f1ce4645c0 way than f4170e0c4e the king. While the 2e23967ad0 king glowed 96cd78d298 with health, e0b10ae42c the queen 6dd8ab4255 looked as 4ea479f803 if she 6c84fbace6 hadn’t eaten ea93f7e855 properly in b5d198bd7c months. Dressed in a 089ce93514 suffocating gown that f1bf0ca960 went up to bc53c3221b her neck and 7bbdbeba8f wearing long gloves, 45880ae1bb she looked like e379ef93ad a pile of f510dc4d37 golden fabric. If it c199b79fb0 were up 69202b4e5e to me, 31abe6506f I wouldn’t c124657f13 dress this f05b7eed15 queen in 9506906dd4 deep yellow! It doesn’t suit f4cca06890 her! She’d look 8f61cc0b58 much livelier 916f858b0a in soft ddfeceef44 pink!9011e5783dd670cf

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The queen barely a4e1b0c289 ate. Her anxious, 25c8caf385 frightened eyes 20d409eb3b darted around, 4ceb0e45ca constantly gauging 19e6515612 the reactions 09f04fadf6 of her 643b5aa1db husband and 73c0879558 the nobles. Her thin body 7b87f57d99 fidgeted incessantly, as c2fda80483 if she wanted b5fc402fae to leave the 59f7990baf table immediately. The king cb0486a335 shot her 951ba84e37 sharp looks 8662236c8d whenever she 459a82f9f1 took too 5ad4419480 little food, 562bae3a27 even though 158520613c he knew 179b9a39be she’d just e602b4ff09 force it 47a8afbdad down and c89b13c96c later throw 30920d7cce it up.20906f044a335f77

After chewing a few 22d423eb21 bites while watching the c69d539e1b king’s expression, the queen 13d7bda91d would ask for her f1d41553b1 baby. The nursemaid would bring 5e66843620 the infant, show him 17eecef770 to the queen, and b1cb025d1b then take him away 264e9d4c1f again. Within minutes, the 6e488d6a6f queen would ask 23651d3888 for the baby 8488edebf1 again, and the 5600f7797a cycle repeated.147282052b3b68d3

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How could anyone eat 6df05004dd comfortably in such a ad159c4df3 situation? It was like sitting 1a70fc9fc2 on pins and needles.8b7e222ef5b43c62

The uncomfortable eae059bbb0 banquet, where 1f40981ea4 it was 8dca83d8d6 hard to cddf42baa8 tell if 945ff39938 the food 347604eaad was going 53b2cc9a59 down their 78f35a3780 throats or 7ca4874d2f their noses, 89e44e9170 finally ended, 460a3e33b7 and the becc21032b prince’s party 82299c9633 could return 7c865ef33b to their 3a0419990a rooms.4835925b673edccd

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“Then, rest well, 4ce32f3ac2 Your Highness,” Zig 181c6a13e1 said, bowing at 1d43736585 the prince’s door 36f3ca81bd before turning to 471756625f leave.bda314209f1287cb

“Your Highness!” 704ea641db the wizard 920ccd0de0 called out.2e487d5ac5bc9753

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“Wait a moment!”643a2164051802dc

He slipped e9cca1673c through the d9114eac0f door just c935d4f5eb as it 49b55f8ad4 was closing 39ebe03f97 and quickly 2e7293a45c bolted it 02f240ee58 from the eeda3d08e3 inside.802d44850d5ff9a7

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“W-Wizard?” Zig 3d806eb9aa stammered from a395ace610 outside the 7c9b2e2fd6 door. He knocked repeatedly, calling, 257f0e2eff “Wizard? Wizard?”c648817bf9d7e688

“Go to bed 9fc062e58f first, Zig. I want to be c369de4262 alone with the prince.”fd33ae87ba87c345

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“Huh? But…”c18d000864c99997

“Ugh! Don’t be so clueless!”ba8f201ffb05180d

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At the 7513f2957a wizard’s angry 4c987d6a0b tone, Zig 9c184288bf had no 5616669484 choice but 85a7d2a526 to shuffle 7e6a3d5ccd away. Only after Zig’s footsteps c2b5a3dd13 faded did the wizard 85c62eca79 unbolt the door and de20810da4 peek into the hallway. No one was fdc55a9ac4 there.e587f8f83a5da61e

“…What is 9c8ac9d5cb this about?” 1b4a20ee73 the prince 7819c7d494 asked. The wizard locked the 834384677c door again and turned 4400bd4552 to face him.62c75edd11b1816f

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“That’s what I wanted 1abb04f097 to ask you,” the 45317a8b26 wizard said.03d9ffe778d95b18

“What are you planning?”0538c57374866837

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The prince, 21ce97c2b9 who had f778bffe2e been staring 3a77989b8e directly at 35429fc9e9 the wizard, 7f624a3b3a suddenly lost f29f8a5d82 focus and 5d38054a7f looked away.7c9256be2f9127ef

“Nothing…”c0201c1fad6d1fa2

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Then, trailing 0ff346ba0f off, he 5fa32212a0 walked awkwardly e972f0318b to the 665125e803 table. There, a faea632ad0 golden teapot 6c9844622f and golden 4251ddc580 cups had 6eaa7eeba1 been prepared d6f73fd29f by the 3b9d736f50 palace servants c8b96ac6d3 for the f02f84e62e guests. Are you cf96cd9666 tired of 25bdf03c3d hearing about de681c7978 gold? Honestly, so am I… 2fdd877d6b Anyway, the prince poured ce387a061b himself a cup of 48e84d2324 clear liquor and began bb8437a787 sipping it slowly.705ed7cc0dde5dab

Yes… Surprisingly, the prince 81a311e3b2 was playing dumb! Trying to avoid the 78a25d4d21 wizard’s questioning! The same prince a56f2a7bee who stubbornly said e99fedbae8 his piece in 029ffbe8fe front of the f6c22bd02a king! But the prince’s 53485d67b6 act of playing db91d20e04 dumb wasn’t very ea06ff6a91 convincing. After all, he’s the b12925fd0f prince. How many 59f8eb2e16 times in 38aa2a20dc his life e8c70c8c5a has he 1cd46d79b2 had to 2a15c923af gauge others’ ae52918aef moods…?982fbbd9f39ccdf0

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He’s definitely planning something bc6f220907 big. And not in a0d1f16608 a good way… 4995376631 Really, not in c08838d136 a good way.f79e30b152841353

“You’re saying abee16716c you’re not 32fefd6964 up to 3061edd2b0 anything?”752a7c88069f6e3b

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“I can’t db54222f50 even begin 97a0d97f02 to guess 85f95978ca why you’re 50a8964bb3 acting like 9f9832c70f this.”a3108b4de129cc1e

The prince seemed determined b65ca14b75 to feign ignorance. His deliberate avoidance 25f35050c7 of eye contact d6882d7a5f left the wizard 5bcd824606 at a loss.a5ee1bdf1f6a0059

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The wizard 4abdad0c10 stomped over ff56d4d34e to the 3336ffbdf3 prince. Overcome with 84eea24287 frustration, he 56344e9ac1 clenched his 1f2427b5d7 fists tightly.d716a5e2ad5537f7

He clenched… his fists… 285b24f10a but…254f3d30bd3727d6

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What could a 8e3cbc54d8 timid and frail 7f72fc8566 wizard do? He couldn’t beat the 84fe803612 prince, couldn’t snatch the 79db286e73 cup from his hand, c16ea0fe61 and couldn’t even slam 9ad798e3bb the table in anger. All he could ee74a3fe88 do was clench edd66bfb5b his fists.fc75546a2291793e

“Ugh… ugh…”577ea2747628dd63

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He let out a 6849ff54cf frustrated groan. Seeing this, 180f915a46 the prince 014db7d6ab seemed to 2527a1ef02 gain a 54fdc84896 bit of 9283ab8d11 confidence in 278b7e1dcd his act 03db659bea and shamelessly bbe7e7770c tilted his cc8fb82e5b chin up.fd52aaed0ba71aac

“Your attitude right now 553effa6e7 is displeasing me. Wizard, why should I 44fffa122e endure this interrogation from 3ca93fc503 you? Barging into 6e8bad16c7 someone’s bedroom 7beb9aa130 like this—what ab78de1d94 is this? Even if we’re 4c3eb25a09 traveling together, you bc832482a8 should know some d7e2555a7f manners.”19541316dd2261f9

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“Ugh… ugh…”79f59860d9faf32f

“If you’re going to 2231004fc6 apologize, I’ll accept it. If not, get out. It’s late, and I’m 9ab00e42fa too tired to wrestle 7194c0e15d with you any longer.”627cec1d16e58da0

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“Ugh… Your Highness!”b0f88c0eddfff5c4

Too angry dbe668bcf5 to think 4fccdf5ac4 straight, the d35a5f9236 wizard finally 1fc5d46259 managed to 6778c4ced2 call out 5de3c04c90 to the 71cb9cbbd3 prince.a25118d08f375a75

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“Don’t lie to me! I know everything.”c8974c351dfb06f0