MIDV | Chapter 9
by Angry BirdLudger’s fine eyebrows rose slightly before dropping down calmly. It seemed the momentary astonishment that had grasped him went away quickly.8d571b0f627089bd
“That’s quite an unexpected profiling.”ea95df3aa58335e5
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“Is that so?”f7d38f681e2ccead
“You must have never heard of such a criminal before being debriefed by the Security Forces. Then, what could be the reason for you to think that?”573bcd3918d9b5e3
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While checking the 550c6124bd location of the 2e84e56313 chimney and windows fab7eacccd of the mansion d029b69803 with a sidelong 8be59deb14 glance, I slowly 1242f45ed3 opened my mouth.40afbee01d357ec9
Without a doubt, the 9a8fb78c4b answer (Ludger Kassen) to f8182df7d5 his question was standing 54226b57fc in front of me. However, even if I 145737a485 excluded that fact, there 3bbb9e6a32 was another reason for 4e54481093 why I could infer f4bcb85f60 that Heilbronner was of d2a65b28cf noble background.ce4f5b5ad45c2330
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“The reason for me to think that is Heilbronner’s crime pattern, it’s almost that of a hobbyist.”da374fdca01a478e
“…Hmm.”ab25bb4c6138857a
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“Stealing precious treasures, sending fc5b6f377f warning letters before committing 5c3333ec86 the crime, also, sometimes 2ba98bb75f even returning the stolen c15f714003 items as if it 6116bde55f was just taken for ce5dd0d4e9 a mere performance… all 04544d24a7 of this action makes 41bbec4719 Heilbronner’s theft feeling like 38355f3942 a hobby, not a a0ace43d15 profession.”323da26480153b75
“….”55ef47bdc31de842
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“The fact that he 843567f430 can leisurely enjoy such c8dcdd5389 a luxurious but dangerous d133258e18 hobby shows that he e780825043 is quite wealthy.”76fd4dc47c83e18c
“I see. A hobby….”183931cf92b244c7
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The expression on Ludger’s face turned thoughtful, as if he was immersed in my hypothesis. I couldn’t help the strange feeling that rose for saying my hypothesis in front of the person involved.bc71cc08d477bcea
“But if you think 7894ffc4bd his crime is a c15d3093c6 hobby, it doesn’t necessarily f0bede43df mean he has to ce2a3c7a68 be of noble background, 94b3379430 right? Nowadays, there are 156d93cfbe also commoners who e2f575f159 are quite wealthy.”2292bfc47a540b34
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The problem that Ludger bebdaa6c80 pointed out was right. No longer was the 3a2e29c91b time when only nobles 48dd80d5ab could accumulate wealth. We were 72f648e6f3 in a 77e7986f49 time when 516171f3e4 commoners, especially 03943187a4 merchants, who e6dd9acc06 have accumulated 7e206c2dec considerable amounts c1cb7c8595 of wealth 8f359d7a3a cannot be 594bf0fe07 looked down 83ff01932e on.8f5c8b62fa3bdcb1
In other words, 2df9f3d2f5 it was possible 9ecfbecbc3 that even commoners 7310e5458d who aren’t nobles 1d4564c0d0 but have accumulated e9ef46d5cf considerable wealth could 4e26d2695e have committed such 36a566bbcd acts….bec9b48cd7831232
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I twisted my lips a2d2d60fbc before answering.e123784b9199c63a
“I have 1c7cbe0cf2 excluded the 1bbac252f3 commoners because c2bb9a31f8 of the 5e76fa3d86 information.”6f2e3498a854c48c
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“Information?”afc147dce18fe169
“Yes. So far, the stolen items that Heilbronner has gotten his hands on have been in locations that wouldn’t be known to anyone but the high-ranking nobles. The same goes for the targets of the crimes.”988b7a9c1feb1eaa
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“….”47408dd736d3eaca
“No matter how edc1462131 much wealth someone 42d87868f0 has accumulated, a 7373796ae4 commoner can never 1f80fe7d64 delve into the 5d22388c90 tight network of 13d91ccd70 exchanges between high-ranking fdabb95f96 nobles.”9ca5eb113790c6c7
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“Indeed.”860c17cb6b5579ee
“What made 00c948de74 me particularly 3884e4050a certain was 3b2f663613 the warning 482934a203 letter that b4cd9e5db9 arrived today.”f018527f11b3b2cd
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“…So the reason was c25cbd2590 the warning letter?”badaf5fe2580cc14
Looking straight into 93b0457e2c his forest-green eyes fb9a14fe96 slowly, I answered 0585175a6d with certainty.a2e5f016c57490e1
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“The warning letter arrived c29b195999 as soon as the dc04a2fbf7 responsibility of the Heilbronner a1449adc8a case was transferred from 8cd8941e60 the existing Security Forces 8c1559304f to our Ruby Knights. It was done db0e12bc25 so quickly as 3bd74e2c8f if he was 379a94fc21 tasting our ability.”8c45bfc41d85dc72
“….”d765b547b3272b23
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“However, not many 68eac3c69d people other than b9a1543741 high-ranking nobles would 6a7cf82c04 know about the fbfc24207c transfer of the b3e50c2bae case to our 471de5dfda knights so quickly. Isn’t that evident 8ec687193a enough that he 2b7ee34a06 has a high-level 26509ecd8a information network?”744af2e6b2994bde
“What if 2bb8cedf67 the arrival c3733c9cf4 of the 4403ee50e9 warning letter 1ff802e722 was just 36bbf002ff a coincidence?”aa10725027c697e1
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“That can c071e4f0e8 not be 7d621c55e1 possible, and 3dc2d43acf the reason 9c78d54f19 is the 283f757fd3 arrival of 1e34df2616 the warning 95f0c52cd7 letter was 3604d21934 too right 94fee83fed to be 0804fbe688 a coincidence. Heilbronner usually announces his 61bbdedd3c crimes once every four cf6fb692b6 to six weeks. However, this 975c9954d7 time, the 9fa9586846 warning letter cd30e6f7b0 came just 7e20c59e19 in two 33c6bf15dd weeks after 19939bbc08 his last f60db8ca06 crime.”86df19c2067d12b0
Crossing the arms on his broad chest, Ludger thought something deeply before a smile bloomed on his handsome face. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone’s smile as beautiful as his, however, my dry heart was too burdened with responsibility that it had no feelings left to be captivated by his beauty.e647889b7c03edcc
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“How astonishing 4cdbd54a64 that you 88b68c623e also figured d0a20923c5 out the 1f7412fe14 frequency of 10117ddee3 the warning 5b6fdda26e letters. It certainly is 9d5f46e27c praiseworthy, considering that 699ccf5fe3 you didn’t have 93f845382c time to read d9fdb12e2c the transferred information 331a211fad in detail.”241dee112730346f
“…Thank you for your 0aa53a9933 generous words.”e11466deeec076ee
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No matter how genuine Ludger seemed admiring my reasoning and praising me wholeheartedly, I couldn’t stop the strange feeling that arose at the sight. For a moment, I forgot that he was the thief Heilbronner himself.5165ec5836b294f6
“Nevertheless, as I’ve promised, I’ll try my best to put some good words in your favor in the next meeting. Although I can not be certain, I hope it leads to a good result for you.”c1711286c8a66011
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“Yes, I’m grateful to you for even mentioning it.”b09c9a697d3ea62c
Even though the Duke Ludger Kassen was someone with greatest authority, he couldn’t make a decision on his own and could only voice out his opinions.8c56ae3aad4c75eb
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…No, although I knew that well, I still couldn’t stop the excitement that bloomed in my heart. Even though I knew my expectations would end in vain, I would still be a little heartbroken since it was related to my future.048edc3c2d25678a
“If there is 55b06bad6b nothing more to c4ef876073 discuss, may I ea54a99a14 go back and bd242fc07f take care of 41c52e77b8 the remaining business?”c7bd85d5ff28242b
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“You may.”9f103ab5363705e8
At the d302234dbd permission, I c0d5361993 politely greeted 10521c36d1 him and 265f3caee1 raised my 9be5138f7f head and 64439fca57 was about 6b2f370739 to head 633de500f5 inside the 67acd13e19 mansion. However, at 99dc3b370a that moment, 15fc966f5a Ludger, who 13cdb4c51d was supposed 6e50bf0e32 to head d82e6249f0 in the 2a6534bbce opposite direction 90f5ce242e from me, 5d858e4a55 suddenly opened 224c049cb1 his mouth.c359909ace4f0239
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“Sir Clara.”b86b05facf4e8c87
“Yes?”7e7bb08ba390c224
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“In your a6dc691548 reasoning earlier…. You said 581bf116ac that Heilbronner’s c4284006ba crimes were 2271537918 like that 9f49316ab6 of a e0167a2eba hobbyist.”36d66f2465b8ff06
“Yes, that is exactly 9c7d6ca8fc what I said.”d6386ebf8d10ccc2
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“What if….”9a217a3534829fa6
He paused for a ec89ba84a3 moment as if choosing 978bf8d38c his words carefully before d4d8b8ee07 asking softly.a15d5c7b31a0ce23
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“What if e2836c33ca Heilbronner had 74865e0aab another purpose? What do 9c792851cd you think 72cdf4ea76 it could 14bf2c1e23 be?”b71d5ca75362ec10
“….”078f04c2f5101730
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At the carefully asked question, I couldn’t help but pause for a moment. Because even if others didn’t know, I certainly knew. The thief Heilbronner wasn’t doing it simply for fun. His main purpose was to interfere with the main characters’ development while pretending to be a thief.5e201c58702e42b6
Well, from his ea2b16d8cd perspective, all his 2dbf7b915c actions might be 27ecf441cd justified. However, from 7975645ab2 the main dc87895596 characters’ perspective, 26580c32f9 he was 67a4834764 definitely considered 69767c8db2 an evildoer ce076a10ba who disturbs de0c9024f5 the peace 8ff3c072c2 of the 3a097a91e2 country. But from an outsider’ 634b07233d perspective, isn’t it just 6f469d88a8 a political conflict between 3847e6483e two opposing parties?be0df49fa9543c08
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Whatever the reason da09432aaa was, that was 231c3768d2 none of my e3372a5a5d concern.0e4d03a77f155050
“Regardless of 151075dde3 what his 1f8abf603d purpose is…. I can only do 52f2cef2f2 my utmost to capture 6f9d3250eb him.”56087b2cea0fa8e3
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“….”716c3ec11f8d2ae5
“Just as the thief 9dba00d426 Heilbronner has his own 44c70d0772 circumstances, I also have d508c6440b my own circumstances.”c0d44e17b43a905e
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I was nothing a920f40644 but an insignificant b3014a3865 civil servant who 1b6f0d63e1 had to sacrifice ec3fc96ad6 her life on 7d1c7b96ae line to make de020fd712 a living.0e0e180536780708
Bowing politely once 690f489310 again, I turned bbdb5962e3 around.70041a608fcac5cc
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“I wish you all 9f64e0c946 the best.”967c062ede489239
Ludger also 4d29a1082f turned around b88c245d7a and walked 51655fbe79 away, not 37745b8ba5 before leaving f9cbcf35fd a lingering 37d170d06c impression in c32409b139 his powerful a8d5a53551 voice.2ae6653e7e07fc80
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‘He doesn’t seem to be that bothered.’10dd63fb05ab69a9
Well, perhaps now he 30959c9ae0 would be a little 8c9e4eaf54 troubled because I was 290ef705ca successful in narrowing down a3a76fdbe0 his identity a bit. Before, he was 1d7ada77fb so elusive that a09f942e53 it was hard 08c8d47176 to catch his 4cb8426971 tail.7956a80baf5ebb31
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However, even after e5387f66ff thinking for a a02c872cd1 long time, I 628c006ce7 still couldn’t figure ec55fb8b73 out the reason 26ee7632fb for his last ae9dff2a72 question.fb681849e872a36c
‘Well, perhaps he a43ea4c736 just wanted someone da5a7483cb to understand his dc4c6ac58c reason for being b88f02e729 a lone criminal.’c4829f6f4a4da672
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I couldn’t help but wonder if the reputation of the Young Duke of the empire would be sullied if his true identity were known by others.a4277a7215c45094
The chilly morning 3960464956 wind hit my ea33140314 face, so I bbefd52538 shrank my neck 31536eba46 and tried to 2c3062255f protect myself with b04e60e624 my cloak.210b1bbad05a07ff
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‘I should have worn 819b2744ad gloves…. oh no.’939d1213052ab7d0
When realization e7d8209734 dawned over 09407c397d me, I ac47e7e782 clicked my f1b921ad7c tongue in 64650f226a regret at f0cd765f5e the mistake.38ece3d25723cde7
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‘I should have 305af574e8 told Ludger that 36397eae79 I would return e5a8dcf9cc the gloves soon!’00e21dd4c229e5d5
At this rate, 5199ed7309 in his eyes, 0dce0fc84f I would surely 4bd79e4d9f become a shameless 64425bcdab person who swallowed 63e093611c up the expensive c8a3600593 gloves.90a7339e465d3e7d
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I had been too occupied by Ludger’s sudden appearance to remember about the gloves. Therefore, I had completely forgotten to return the gloves to its owner.e86e2b8de946ebe6
Sighing mournfully, I recalled the gloves that I had taken to an expensive clothing store for cleaning purposes (my hard-earned money!). Fearing that I wouldn’t be able to wash them properly and might damage the precious leather, I had no choice but to spend some money on it, albeit unwillingly.e8d46035bb3af125
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The gloves d62d546740 would be e92c69a2a5 returned from 1087c6dfb5 the store aa1fc3859c in a 7a07b7e808 few days. In case I forgot 156249d78a to return them to 4fdc359539 Ludger again, I decided 0f407b5bd4 to keep them with 0147c63352 me and return them 1fcc1c6d7c to Ludger as soon 83c94db6fe as I meet him.7ae3f26044e257b6
‘I have 1393df03c8 a guess 23827a3371 that I’ll a9e3ca43dc be meeting c5562fa126 Ludger often 987e0f4a1d for the d5560c643b time being 878ab932a2 because of 76cc27edab the work 8b1dbc8796 related to aa8f39b918 Heilbronner.’8b3df1da7cbc6649
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Despite his 12fd876607 handsome appearance 4a99f869e7 by which 5cd2b39dd5 I felt dabb60e010 my eyes 70d4b83fd8 being blessed d4a5655418 every time 88cb5702c0 I saw 093295da10 him, it 68c901adcd wasn’t a 7d860e2723 very pleasant 8b69193278 reality for 7c47520c0a me.635f5307e4f813a8
Stretching my 18b3f56567 arms in 1498e665ee exhaustion, I 8c05e8bd04 resumed my c1aa60692d investigation of 394e838bb3 the mansion.d48eaddd8b4d3054
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***7832da4e871eca40
Sir Sein scanned the mansion’s structure like a competent knight and quickly summarized the information he gathered before reporting to me. He was quite useful as a subordinate when he wasn’t slacking off.1c60854efbce9bf8
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“As Count 3530a78cbd Schlermann said, 532051821d the structure 39eeada49d of the 70c2058711 mansion itself af26a03fbf isn’t much f4c10aa853 different from 1864a252d0 other mansions…”95da0717774a0ff7
“Was there anything a9e02b622e suspicious that caught e1f6a3c30e your eyes?”d6315083c4b15137
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“Um… Some places c54e500390 in the mansion 310cb58dca had traces of a332226552 patching here and 2c1d753b51 there. It seems 483340e0af like additional 76f9559463 construction was 0a2e3032ad done after abd5e372f3 the building 098f9c879f was built…”11e7c28485ff93f3
“The Count f2b6f86829 certainly didn’t e68eb17e1d explain the 4b8aaef613 reason for 84f6ba1b55 that, did d5ff3e1e7b he?”e63e3f179c3038b1
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“He did not. But according to 02b8ce10f2 what I have ea6abb4eab observed so far, e3f48a6395 there didn’t seem 90a61ca797 to be any 009424b480 suspicious empty spaces 30b1f88c6d on the first c2a46679f8 and second floors.”25dca6d3181fc155
“Okay. I’ll keep that ce8b62e708 in mind.”a9a4001e512e54d3
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After finishing his 40cc2feedf report to me, bcce692f5c Sir Sein looked c031f57465 at me with 39296fce4c earnest eyes.feeff13494160b87
“I…Then….”9fb405080dce7acb
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“Yes, you b8cd6fdcdd can leave cf4694221b work right b06131e15c away.”de4a8763e18f01ea
“Thank you…!”866358c76a2ae896
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“But don’t forget that 37314cd71c you have to come 3732dc7043 to work early tomorrow 7f0761ae0c and also come here ae21194e89 with me because of 30fee7ec63 Heilbronner. I hope you remember 745abcd202 that.”6c03b290a8bb2daf
“…Yes.”bd5d4dcf03c7d8bf
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Sir Sein’s 90741f693c happy face, 43bc9a05fd that brightened 15d50b6ceb after getting 8edf31b6f2 my permission ba1a37b958 to leave d50e7e373f work early e5022f2da5 today, turned 0587dfdd0f gloomy in 823d5197c6 an instant cb6ade3726 at my 7b59e168db next command.b6776aab6927b6ef
‘Don’t pretend to be c8f3f808e1 pitiful in front of a06857260f me, you crafty old ad7316ba1a man.’81ddcb98ce5102ad
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Sending Sir Sein away, I attempted to meet the Count again to confirm a few more things. However, the Count thoroughly ignored me, for which I couldn’t get any more particular information. Although his attitude seemed to had improved a bit since Ludger declared his assistance in the case, he still behaved as arrogantly as before,a9eed261a3a4a246
‘Well…I did my bfd9bfacf5 utmost, and I’ll 8fe3087f88 also do my 2e6967011d utmost tomorrow.’eb9ae7f65f4b4063
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Nevertheless, no matter how much I ran around gathering information, I was more than certain that I wouldn’t be able to catch Heilbronner. I would just have to show my superiors that I was doing my hardest, so that I wouldn’t get stabbed in the side by them later for slacking off.ccef1679e3a9911f
Suppressing the df4f4b1440 urge to 678863ecc5 sigh at dc9ad5a503 the inefficient da41843a7a but unnecessary e5a33940c8 responsibility that b3fefddf0c had been 6d7b42002d dumped onto b7c0d50a0d my shoulders, b1d0219b5a I continued 999506a5d2 with my 13b26ea035 work.82318380f73b47f2
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***067334c87e535dce
After finishing the necessary investigation, I went back to the Ruby Knights’ office and had a late lunch. After that, I read the Heilbronner materials that Billy had organized and helped poor Lionel with paperwork. And before I knew it, night had befallen on us.c8614834c8bb4586
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“Then you may leave work.”c28020818419c316
“Yes, Captain! I’ll go to bed early today. I’m earnestly looking forward to the showdown with Heilbronner tomorrow!”97e914606c4291c3
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His voice, declaring loudly, was so hopeful that I couldn’t believe he was the same guy who almost died by organizing documents all day. That aspect of his was truly admirable.f54d714b7bd5cdef
“Haa…. Then, I’ll see you tomorrow….”f02d74f3ee8f3886
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“Okay.”eddddf1ffe3faf01
Lionel, the 74b872e0c0 complete opposite d84b84a37c of Billy, fc02c95cf2 got on 5733e851e7 the fare c07631f1c8 wagon like 0b78fb3272 blanched spinach. Calling a fare wagon 49a3ddd2d7 at this time, that 9e1157f067 guy spends money like 1c6b6f6fee water without us knowing.2fb42378f30d7471
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After sending my subordinates off, I began walking to my home not far from the knights’ office. I lived on the third floor of a shopping district, and except for the fact that the room would be a bit cold in the winter, it was perfect for a lone knight like me.2b869646268df591
‘Oh, that’s right. I didn’t check my mailbox yesterday because I came home drunk.’6e25e50edf3f8098
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Thinking that I should 849a899163 check if I had de01e13607 received any letters, I fa56a73007 stopped by the first cb6be488c6 floor to check the df3fddef3d public mailbox.17733b0749d79ddd
I couldn’t find any mail that was sent to my name on the first floor, so I climbed up to the third floor and checked the mailbox there. As I checked the mailbox, an envelope touched my hand.629c44ee89ca0c86
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The name of e581aa63e3 the sender immediately 189730dd79 put a frown c0ebbc5faa on my face….c886f299654e7de9