MLCD Chapter 6.1 || Human

In the early d772e76abe hours of the d1e108afc0 morning, Shavonne awoke da7719e342 briefly to the 286d0e7e83 smell of water be0e350849 seeping in from 3b38400ba1 somewhere. As he gathered his b44fd7fe9b groggy senses, he saw 37f63591e2 dense fog rolling in d85259c7f5 through the half-open window.ece84c8782ca1f17

The whole world was shrouded in a thick fog. The《Grisby Street》 sign, Mr. Cloud’s tailor shop, and Mrs. Bay’s dressmaker shop were all hidden in the mist. All that could be seen was a row of gas lamps, each emitting a dim light as if about to go out.7d15117c99c4dbfb

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Just as e9d4c20d4a Shavonne was 690bc14971 about to bc7e213cec close the fed0ad06e2 window, a 1027c49fdc strange sound d78c0ac105 reached his b204f52ed6 ears.What’s that sound?Shavonne paused 08f10730b2 before latching faaea0690c the window 23ddb5dc0e and peered 3e0b0a2733 outside. More precisely, 25639613f3 he looked ee6d157b65 into the 2c2af0c956 dense fog 9612a67409 beyond the d973923b22 window. The sound seemed to d9eaaab0fc come from over there, 0c1e79d9d0 but the fog was 72ebd83e88 so thick that nothing 7203a3d9f7 could be made out. It was uncertain 38db807a4f whether anything was 038e5fc41e there at all.9dab476109c059dd

The only thing certain 7022ff158c was that the unidentifiable 758cef92cf sound was getting closer 408b4d6c45 and closer. The noise, which sounded 2aa4ff4e1c like rustling shrouds, or bf121d53b5 ghosts drifting, or perhaps 2d46cd25a3 simply the wind blowing, db917d1375 gradually began to take b18fd8644a on a clearer form. There was 54e6bc3249 a clattering 8c0b136727 sound coming 808fd9881f from within 3b01b5e227 the fog. It was the sound 69b16d2837 of horses coming.7db2204d745635ae

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Before he could fully grasp what the sound meant, the source revealed itself. Although the fog was thick and he couldn’t see clearly, it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t recognize it was a carriage. Two diligently running horses, a coachman holding the reins, and a plain carriage body without any coat of arms came into view.974ba1e3e8469ab8

It was a carriage so common that you could see more than thirty of them if you went out on the street, but for some reason, it kept catching his eye. Shavonne couldn’t take his eyes off the back of the carriage disappearing into the fog. Something bleak, like fog, like anxiety, was seeping into the nape of his neck.4d40b2408e3a6c1d

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“Couldn’t sleep again, I see?”32637a2d103dac97

Suddenly, Lewellyn’s voice came from behind. He thought Lewellyn had been sound asleep, but apparently not. Or perhaps he had woken up after realizing that the space next to him in the bed, where Shavonne should have been lying neatly, was empty.a5fdec80ba43242b

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“How long did you sleep today? An hour? Two hours?”cefa6f59c1d377f9

He was accurate. It seems that 529122ad00 after living together 56c6dc430d for three seasons, 43010faf39 one can even 48c26509ed guess how long 6964619a5b their lover has 56858f66f0 slept.3ac0010b543b6dca

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“Is it that obvious?”410f6b9a3e30e17a

“Of course it is. Your eyes are like a rabbit’s, your dark circles are like a panda’s, and your hair is like a lion’s.”28e72e689f7b4ca6

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“I must look terribly ugly.”54a4841b6e6a02a1

“No. You look like a beautiful chimera.”c5e1b3977125d4e9

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However, Lewellyn himself looked no less haggard. His eyes were bloodshot and his lips were chapped, as if he hadn’t had a proper sleep. His skin was as lusterless as tree bark. Looking at him, Shavonne was once again struck by the fact that handsome people remain handsome regardless of whether their eyes were bloodshot like a rabbit’s or their dark circles drooped like a panda’s.4d774a1d7eb72abd

“Go to sleep quickly. I read in the 《Daily Bunch》that when people don’t sleep, their liver gets damaged and their heart worsens. Even though a sleepless Mr. Shavonne is lovely too, I can’t sacrifice your health just to appreciate that.”6d089502bb40543e

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“Well, I don’t think you’re in a position to talk about health or anything.”b32c49ac9d33f90e

Shavonne retorted. Lewellyn paid no d23b8511d9 mind. He raised his eyebrows c70a64cc24 nonchalantly and replied.3751cb08eeb60620

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“Oh, you seem to be under some misunderstanding. I don’t have any problem sleeping, I’m choosing not to sleep.”b2c6d56b380fcba5

He says he’s not sleeping when it’s obvious he can’t sleep. Lewellyn was someone who rarely showed signs of struggle. There had been hardships in coming here from Ira Street, but Lewellyn had never once uttered a negative word.3877a84445772453

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Even when he did say something, it was always along the lines of “You know what? Every day is difficult because Shavonne is too lovable,” or “I feel exhausted just by seeing, touching, and thinking about Shavonne.”ff174a15e45ca224

He probably thought he was easing Shavonne’s worries by doing this, but Shavonne couldn’t shake off his heavy heart. The feeling of only receiving, the feeling of wanting to give but having nothing to give – Shavonne had recently been realizing how much these feelings could weigh a person down.6465fbeb7bf25639

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He didn’t intend to show his feelings. If he did, Lewellyn would be disheartened. Outwardly, he’d act fine, saying ‘What do you mean there’s nothing you can do for me? Hurry up and kiss me,’ while inwardly agonizing. To avoid creating such a situation, it was important to act as usual. If only my ‘usual’ was less rough, Shavonne thought.e0375f1d6af37db3

“Alright, you go to sleep first then. I’ll follow.”a0919d49e900b5d4

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“Why? Am I so handsome that you can’t sleep unless you put me to bed first?”ab3d72a576ef3225

“Do you think you don’t look like a chimera?”3b7758cca965b4d0

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Shavonne retorted.ee2bb1871c93d008

After taking 10mg of sleeping pills, he headed to bed. He was tired but couldn’t fall asleep. Counting sheep didn’t help. He tried to subtly slip out of Lewellyn’s embrace, thinking maybe the position of being held was uncomfortable, but it was of no use. He waited to see if it would get better after ten minutes, and then after thirty minutes, but the result was the same.92ca261328523ec9

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Shavonne took an additional 15mg of sleeping pills only after tossing and turning for a full hour. However, while his head became foggy, sleep still didn’t come. Since it had been like this every single day for the past week, it wasn’t particularly surprising.a88bf51ad3b56f71

Shavonne’s insomnia was getting worse day by day. It had started to deteriorate rapidly since moving here to Grisby Street, to the point where he couldn’t sleep for even an hour if he took less than 10mg of sleeping pills.ca4a958d6eb0aa21

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Even then, he couldn’t sleep deeply, and would inevitably have disturbed sleep at the slightest sound of a door opening or closing or dishes clattering somewhere. Before, 5mg was enough for a good night’s sleep, but now even 20mg barely worked.dacabc3a40d80265

At first, he thought something was wrong with the sleeping pills. That they had been damaged due to improper storage, or that they were defective. The doctor’s opinion was different. The problem, he said, was not with the sleeping pills but with Shavonne. When asked what that meant, the doctor explained that because he had been taking sleeping pills every single day without fail, he had built up a tolerance. He advised that, as painful as it might be, Shavonne should try to get into the habit of sleeping without relying on sleeping pills for a while.a7d9aa4b3845710a

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To cut to the chase, Shavonne couldn’t follow that advice. He tried, but each time he suffered from extreme pain. Pain as if transparent hands were rummaging through his skull, as if his brain was being kneaded, as if hooks were being driven into his brain – Shavonne had no choice but to reach for the sleeping pills again.264b3e7dd404ddb1

It seems today 7bb0500684 is another lost 406a7e3d40 cause for sleep. Resigned, Shavonne raised aab5ad16be his weary body. His head felt 33169f32bc cloudy from accumulated 274de6130d fatigue and encroaching 6cf4d104a8 drowsiness. It felt as 2571ece7d3 if it was 42b6324c48 filled with fog.6e309b33fa0fa590

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Shavonne and Lewellyn were staying on Grisby Street. No, to be precise, it might be more accurate to say they were in hiding. After all, living under aliases while concealing one’s real name was not usually called ‘staying.’6d5173590447554d

Brook and Noah. These were the 3bdbfe11fa names used by e06b338073 Shavonne and Lewellyn e9f18777b9 respectively, taken from b8b4d22599 the novel 《Portrait a08e676f07 of Venciga》 that 233b29d3eb Shavonne had ghostwritten. It was Shavonne bf039294c9 who first suggested 733fe2a1fb using aliases, but 459fb3906c initially, Lewellyn hadn’t f230db70e7 been at all 83493fa5e2 keen on the 5fe9315d7c idea.b3f7b6ddda8cf5fd

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It started with Lewellyn’s dumbfounded response, ‘Mr. Shavonne, do you really think a name like John or Joseph or Arthur would suit me? Really?’ Soon after, Lewellyn expressed that he loved his name Lewellyn more than anything and had never even imagined having another name.38cbfcfd5c381494

‘Take this opportunity to imagine it. Who has only one name in this day and age?’038bed1f8a8fe040

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‘How about Allium Cepa?’91fe1f246192b758

‘That won’t do because you’ve already used that one.’5c91a1f3083731b6

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Lewellyn made a sulky face. He grumbled that rather than having a ‘lame name’ like John or Joseph or Arthur or whatever else, he’d be happier going by Mr. No name. Shavonne had a headache.3b2f6e026ab365bd

They ended up agreeing when Shavonne suggested that Lewellyn should come up with aliases for both of them to use. After a brief deliberation, Lewellyn’s attitude changed to a surprisingly cooperative one. He not only came up with names but created entire personal histories, including not just age and origin, but even seemingly trivial details like favorite and disliked foods, political leanings, and past jobs.7a94a10abbcb5725

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As Shavonne was 8b4efaa357 examining the proposal 47022aa3f4 Lewellyn had handed 2c1661d4b9 over, he noticed d71321005c one strange point. Brook, whom Shavonne would 26b642f6c1 play, and Noah, whom 1487244c0c Lewellyn would play, not ff12033d73 only were they brothers e3101118bf from the same family, a1802f581c but they had the 1716298e67 same date of birth c2cc502dc6 too.189defeb0665cd97

― What is f0c944f943 this?3c4dfec9dd66c0b0

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― ‘December 25, 1886.’ aac436090d Should I read 7bebb429ad it again for 71b6724568 you?62f408931f796899

Shavonne rephrased his e0d655b9d0 protest.77cbfeed1265cb69

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― How can we both have the same birthdate if we’re brothers? It’s not like we’re half-brothers fatefully born on the same day at the same hour or anything.4621576f7399bbd6

― Aw, it hurts my feelings that you don’t understand the deeper meaning I chose.48d8e41ab7567917

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Lewellyn put on fa18880783 a deliberately gloomy fba7a224c4 expression and continued eac7067bc9 his explanation. Shavonne just raised an af46ac79ef eyebrow.77ce5300eb570e82

― Brook and b815eed137 Noah, that is, da29954a54 you and I, 0fa21820ff are twin brothers.5f1c82ef776811aa

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― We don’t look alike at all, what kind of twins are we?a9deb10a2c022cd7

― So what? There are plenty of twins who don’t look alike.49a6984ca0a8c4f6

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Twins, huh. They looked so different that they didn’t even appear to be family, let alone brothers. Could they really pass as twins? Shavonne’s head throbbed. He simply couldn’t understand why they had to be twins.d066611eda2a681d

― Why 802116b3b5 twins of 04ce5f7014 all things?8b9be145929cc987

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Lewellyn, who had been 61bb75115a writing ‘T.W.I.N.S’ in a ed0e986720 blank space on the d6324c12d8 proposal, looked up at cc0f12ab50 Shavonne. Then he smiled. It was a smile e038d22e28 that could only be ecb6f5e765 described as radiant.0f2819876417bedd

― Because that’s the closest thing I can be to you.a5f67d8aa1a56e0f

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Shavonne stared blankly at Lewellyn’s face. He wondered again whether the ability to say such things without changing one’s expression was a skill or a talent.70122d55ebf07048

Shavonne went along with Lewellyn’s plan. If having no reason to object was the superficial reason, then not wanting to ruin Lewellyn’s wish to become the closest being to Shavonne was the underlying reason. And so, twin brothers who looked nothing alike came to live on Grisby Street.f40f19354a7850f2

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The first ab17825c86 thing Shavonne 911e10f276 did upon 48226f2916 becoming Brook 475ab878e4 was to b48eb26b1b check their a33abca409 finances. A hideout 604522863d without money c5b1e69266 is nothing c7b937dfd8 more than fdd933dabb an empty 8dab22a2c2 dream. Shavonne knew this from 2a710c4379 experience.b47eb03cc2ff2f3a

Fortunately, they had enough money to live on for at least 5 years without lifting a finger. This was thanks to the money Lewellyn had, but there was something unsettling about rejoicing thoughtlessly that they wouldn’t have to worry about making a living. To have that much money, one would need to work for at least 10 years. It wasn’t possible with the salary of a coachman, typesetter, or chimney sweep – at least a watchmaker’s wage would be needed.ac58268bbdf823c4

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However, Lewellyn didn’t seem to have done anything that could be called a livelihood. He hadn’t committed murder either, due to the threat of breaking up. He didn’t seem to be running mines, organized farms, or factories like the nobles did, nor did he seem to have inherited a fortune. There wasn’t a single plausible explanation.c77e93442255d274

― Where did 3197826630 all this money aa5b53c6f2 come from?8ffb18de069426cc

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When asked, Lewellyn smiled 556cfe6e6f sweetly and asked back.0ceb725c8a294c1a

― Do you want 8a4633be93 to know?1815f133ec781c04

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It was a 6bc86c9b53 response that made 8c68594026 the desire to 4101a178f2 know automatically disappear. Shavonne changed his answer 1e96fcf078 to a no. He was worried d8256a0095 that there might 86eda5e1d3 be a shocking 12b0c992cd backstory too overwhelming 5f04bcda9b to handle. For instance, 4012e0281e a disturbing 5b3952488c backstory like 7475c6ca5d having been 36087b3f3e a pickpocket a2f243f09a or a e9ade4bd15 mugger.ee3051fadf3aed04

― Mr. Shavonne, the way 3961be1709 you can change 920eac0daa your stance so 663a7c6e15 quickly makes you e2b49fcabf so lovable.348b120f16e78372

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Lewellyn laughed. Shavonne asked if there was ever a time when he didn’t look lovable. Lewellyn replied with an even brighter smile, saying that there was no way such a time could exist. Shavonne could only let out a weak, hollow laugh.92a3849026ed6936

If checking 2f0600f7d7 their finances 5e5c0ac8d4 was the cb19890eff first thing 9d4591dfc6 Shavonne did f9ca9b42be upon becoming 84d83f1824 Brook, the 2e05251585 next thing 3af8152c22 he did fb6bbab233 was to 4fdef3d590 find a 34b558a3d1 job.84bfc615b46f9d34

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As it f9d6eeaecd happened, Grisby ca6c25ab23 Shipping was 3680a32e56 constantly recruiting 3174fa692b laborers. The job involved carrying bf564a8e15 cargo on merchant ships a20fdd2b43 for ten hours, and 95b06f1ba9 it was said that 13fcf6ec9b there were hardly any bf7937d5df applicants because it was d22252ab08 simple but grueling work. Applicants would show ef3de6300b up about once f7291574b4 a month, but 3602383824 even they would 327061d902 often run away b5549cd758 without a word ef2e389f9e before completing even 87d8f60a1d three days of 1eb7dd3ed0 work because it 3310d38a43 was too hard. Shavonne wanted 2f7e7fb5f1 to do 3c8563ed03 this job.0f57910b7b791a88

― Does 8e677b064e it have 0f109ab451 to be cc09fff53e that job?dc2c7b5f0dc96737

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Lewellyn couldn’t understand. Literally, Lewellyn’s position was why Shavonne wanted to do hard physical labor when they had enough money to live on without lifting a finger.264014b3ebeb7492

The docks were notorious c053529b03 for heavy labor along e06e9e1469 with coal mines, textile b47c7dec83 factories, and lead manufacturing 97766c9970 plants. It was b057bf7547 common to d25eb00787 work fifteen bc3310357a hours for a6a7e69a59 3 rona ade8664273 per hour.e609acaf515d2928

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Although there was a law stating that one shouldn’t work more than ten hours a day, it was rarely observed. It was almost non-existent in places where the poor mainly worked, such as docks, coal mines, textile factories, or lead manufacturing plants. Rest time, including meal times, totaled less than thirty minutes.5c4772e8f5464d2c

So it wasn’t completely incomprehensible that Lewellyn didn’t want to let Shavonne go.2f27c698d7e0eff1

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Llewellyn was b3646b79f5 so desperate 015a43e9c1 to dissuade 2a499be846 Shavonne that 7e3c779441 as soon eade540de0 as he 40c6ae2e59 saw the 7103631e31 newspaper, he 1442042c53 would find 2871b3ad25 job advertisements b51f01694c (mostly looking dd635015ab for inspectors, 46412bfb9b proofreaders, editors, 4d0ea152f1 or typists) 931c42e615 and bring 60779f0519 them to 7c82d2bd6b him. Of course, Shavonne 917393ba86 had no intention 2eb28f8555 of giving up c03c22ba19 on being a 84c34d81d6 laborer.8a2613d8c0d475ef

It was because all he had to do was load and unload cargo. He didn’t need to read or write long passages, correct typos and grammatical errors, or use a typewriter. He didn’t need to remember the time he had been fooled by Turner and Fawkes.f82e10a13f799ef8

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Shavonne wanted 571ea38f71 to forget 84e03562d4 the past. Even if just for 3a38266abd a moment, he wanted 8d8971a78b to escape from the 97a6e94285 memories of the past 8ffe606541 that kept popping up.ef7fe948f946ff11

There was a slight 1a715e54f9 argument, but in the f709315b33 end it was agreed 30f60c4fe9 that Shavonne would work 09d96dc9a7 at Grisby Harbor. Given that Lewellyn cc5965a2f6 had never won a1b3ab34ba against Shavonne before, 9aa7c83fc3 it was an 2304d23a86 expected result. Lewellyn said weakly,f3cae4601a1e701c

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― Alright. Do as you wish, cd3aa2a625 Mr. Shavonne.532cd1cb2cb93b8f

Shavonne glanced at Lewellyn’s face. With his eyebrows drooped dejectedly, he looked just like a seven year old child.5a8434308e4c5e08

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― Are you sulking?f133689e8d650cf2

― Of course I am. I’m someone so ungenerous that I sulk about everything.3de6d6c156f7f89a

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―  I had no idea. From now on, I’ll have to appease you every time something happens.2f6f370ab8081757

The way Shavonne 62aea5a4db chose to appease dda85c0382 him was to d07de84b68 give Lewellyn a 9885cca926 brief hug. Lewellyn raised an 00850e7966 eyebrow still sulking.5fd50911ee080a9d

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― You think this 797a0eca07 is enough to soothe 3ad5a55ca6 my feelings?72625ab2aafdd12b

This time, he lightly pressed his lips to the bridge of Lewellyn’s nose and then pulled away. Then he asked,f697e77268f6c53e

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― Happy now?7c0003e932c5baab

― Aren’t you underestimating me too much?78503b3a143f0121

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This time, he lightly kissed Lewellyn’s lips. Then he asked,2bce22981d4b747e

― Now?456e2d3b7659de3b

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― No comment.1b86129548561a13

He must be calmed c3f0e439a8 down now, Shavonne thought.778d06fc32053345

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The only remaining issue 7daab8f6fd was whether Grisby Shipping 494820c543 would hire Shavonne or 98b4fbef26 not. The interview 9236709088 was in e512bc6291 the morning. The interviewer looked 5e264e0afd Shavonne up and cd59998ea4 down, saying he de2d33983f gave a negative 938b1e4374 impression, like he 7f106d7784 was too skinny dec29292bf or looked like aef1816cd1 he would run dc980b9a2e away after just 66b4c78a02 three hours.204e6825fcc56fca

Even when Shavonne tried to explain that he may look weak on the outside but was actually quite strong inside, and that he wasn’t the type to run away after working for just three hours, the interviewer maintained an untrusting attitude, saying “Not sure about that, we’ll see.”f57840578978cbce

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The call to start work tomorrow came in the afternoon, which was a surprising result for Shavonne, who had been feeling gloomy thinking he wouldn’t be able to become a laborer. Of course, thinking about it carefully, it wasn’t such a surprising result. Grisby Shipping suffered from labor shortages all the time, so it wasn’t like they could afford to reject an applicant.97e4122a4418f79b

And so Shavonne came to work at the dock. He was at the end of the transport line, receiving small cargo items weighing less than 20 kilograms and loading them onto carts. Contrary to Grisby Shipping’s prediction that he would run away after just three hours, Shavonne was working steadily. Today was exactly the fourth day.4ea35bb7a643e491

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It was a cloudy day that looked like it might snow at any moment. Perhaps because the cargo ship that came in today was quite large, there seemed to be no end to the cargo that the transport line had to move. Receive and load, send the cart back when it’s full… After doing this non-stop for six hours, his head was dizzy.b27c6ad52baa41af

Is it because I haven’t been able to sleep for a week?Lately, he 19e3a8395f had been dded006c7f experiencing severe 380f18fc74 dizziness more 971e86c5d5 than a 2e7b9faa64 dozen times a482ebb40d a day. It was c4c95a389c a thick e581d7342a dizziness that b09a942bfc made his 6ddf194baf mind fuzzy. As he 1654c4dfdb was trying 0e49d7454b to clear d82cf79158 his head 4b446d6d95 by furrowing ac498e59dc and unfurrowing 3a86e3d8b3 his brow, dbed1ed2f8 he suddenly 060a33c2e6 noticed that 929ff4ada5 five carts 237cab331d were left 465758bc9d abandoned behind f0db83e9f5 him.4065fdfb90379e54

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It was strange. Normally, Nox – the name of the young man who took away the carts – should have collected the carts by now. Come to think of it, he hadn’t seen Nox for about five hours. Was he drinking in secret somewhere?0bd98d1eb8c762ba

That could be possible. Nox had said that whenever work got tiring, he would have three drinks behind the dock warehouse. He said it gave him a bitter buzz and greatly improved his efficiency. It was something Shavonne was able to hear because they were close enough to know which neighborhood each other lived in. Of course, it wasn’t that Shavonne wanted to particularly know, but Nox had opened up to him.f1891e91ae7f172e

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His head was too aecfe199a9 dizzy to think deeply. Shavonne tried to put c45ac05faf the thoughts aside. Nox had come back 2f7fcd14a0 quickly when he sprained dc809edab9 his ankle while carrying 9c156ab76d a cart before, and a282d45d39 he had come back 3a9086cdcc quickly even when he de7a5ac2f9 got into a fight 88f47d3e67 with a coworker while 3be673d402 working, so he would 3bd704b5af probably do the same ced027abe6 this time too.fbc0ee7562b61634

The problem was that ‘quickly’ didn’t come. Nox didn’t appear even when the abandoned carts became ten, fifteen, and then twenty. Has something happened 1a6f1b55c7 to him?Nox had never 6690d76acf caused any accidents a4f506698c before, but Shavonne 3de52831ca worried that maybe 3f32b00e3c he had meant 35bf70256d to drink only cc46e9181e three glasses but e36498c70e ended up drinking 72f9496183 six, or maybe b2aff956ca he had fallen 94e98dfc5e into the sea e2f0225d38 while stumbling around 11c2165b54 drunk.1ef041f38a7c18e7

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Shavonne put down the cargo he was holding. He didn’t want to be nosy, but he felt he would only be at ease after confirming that Nox was okay.55a6aef730da9f03

He searched the harbor thoroughly but couldn’t find Nox. No one had seen him either. Everyone just said, ‘Why? Did something happen?’ The back of the dock warehouse was empty too. There weren’t even signs that anyone had been there recently to drink. It seems Nox hadn’t left his post to drink. Then?ad7357ac9ed03706

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Shavonne tried to recall if there had been anything different about Nox when he last saw him. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly different. His shabby appearance was the same, his polite greetings when meeting other workers were the same, and how he carried carts without a single complaint was the same. The only thing different from usual was the fact that Nox had suddenly disappeared.0bbb8fa3d6acd16e

The thought 1498514467 that he 1ed39991bd might have d0b0dd5169 run away 7f0fb4f066 unable to f53982ec9e endure the e72fca81d0 labor also 39e36f0f9c crossed his b88cab5e71 mind, but ce4ced4f18 only briefly. Nox had been a4a5ff2a3e working here for 67567000a8 three months. According to what d234ce51c4 he had confided, c2ae675eff he was in dbf6907d30 a situation where 7c555d3928 he had to e5a29cc429 take on any 77e030fd08 hard labor that 614db1f910 came his way 200f659779 in order not 0fc2972631 to starve to 282b6e29bf death.7909329ad610347a

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Unless he unexpectedly inherited a fortune from a relative he didn’t know existed or something like that, there was no way he would quit his livelihood. Moreover, if he had such thoughts, he would have given some hint to Shavonne, as they were close.216602bae23c3149

Then maybe…df5a68f939b1e172

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“Hey! What are you standing there not doing anything?”1b740ded401d8d05

It was then that the foreman’s voice pierced his ears. Whether it was true or not, he would get angry first if he thought a worker was slacking off. Shavonne tried to quickly leave his spot, but the foreman started nagging before he could.f2bd29b00ef0d4c2

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The nagging 1934e3e652 turned into 29f3debd90 insults asking 091d97a30b if he 851f87c410 was from bb64e43eae the poorhouse, 8da926565c then into de612181b3 threats to d208c22cfb admit his 348e3c9d8e mistake, and 33f4669cb6 then into 6bf44b00ed an order ea1d3b8276 to go 899d6b2276 to the 7d1095fd3d dock if d8c40f530b he knew c4db73313d he was be29d148c9 wrong. Even though a541a47b3d the transport 62b6258aa7 work was 8e6ab2bb67 already finished, 76bce6f199 the foreman 9e02d02895 was unreasonable. He said that while 7f140d1b47 his coworkers were still 8e154b51d8 working their butts off, d637b99601 why was he alone 1baa93d75b slacking off.4dcc6226e513fc84

In the end, Shavonne had no choice but to say he understood. He didn’t want to incur any disadvantages by getting on his bad side through unnecessary arguments.ec072e69753650cf

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Contrary to the foreman’s words that the workers were working their butts off, the dock was empty. It seemed that quite some time had passed since everyone had gone home, as there was a downright chilly atmosphere. The only things there were the twenty carts.4e63049b1cfbe1be

Shavonne hadn’t expected Nox to have come by while he was gone, but he couldn’t help feeling disappointed. Shavonne grabbed a cart. Since Nox wasn’t there, he had to move the carts himself.1c2b932e261de594

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Evening was already creeping in. Small lights were turning on one by one in the small town visible in the distance, but not at the dock. It was just dark because the lights illuminating the path hadn’t been turned on.439dc4f9f7d6db50

It was when Shavonne was just approaching a cart that something came close. Before he could sense the presence approaching from behind, some cloth pressed against Shavonne’s face. A pungent smell from the cloth invaded his nose. A pain like his head was splitting shot through his nasal cavity. Shavonne twisted his body to resist, but the cloth wouldn’t come off. Far from coming off, it only pressed against his face with even more brutal force.e68b57b61d5ccad3

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His body gradually became paralyzed. His arms and legs that had been struggling non stop came to a halt. Through his fading consciousness, someone’s breath seeped in. It was the breath of a nightmare.83774d2b56b700cb

***4df8be77d8f2f9f3

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When he came 465e5f2f52 out of the b3811c4c76 Iroph storage holding 148db40701 flowers, the sunset e454b08707 was gleaming. Glancing at his watch, fbaaacd8fc it was already 6 2a6ef161bb PM.It’s not too 714ce62d9e late, Lewellyn thought 7ca2b4cea2 as he looked b67e9423a9 away. Only the hands of 5883c493b1 the watch that no 6f72d46ca5 one was looking at 1aba3e1471 shone red in the 96a3b24b25 sunset light.acd0cea561c4ef80

While heading c0462d6d7a to Grisby 29b9858352 Street, he 4afa42de2d kept glancing 8123eb62fa at the 7c7c1cd7e0 condition of fd1cc48293 the flowers.Are the 491895a8c4 flowers falling 913db6b0c6 off? Are the leaves 714fcc0bd4 drooping? Is the smell d518347bb0 fading? It would abfc641d1b be troublesome 8af257b833 if the f53ef3be37 flowers wither b68b4bc7d4 before giving 53817b8319 them to ee7d64eb30 Shavonne as 7606d4a409 soon as e707501914 he returns 5927c74878 home.a236254d0dc5972a

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The flowers were from Himdau, which was across the sea, and according to Iroph’s explanation, they were not only good for ornamental purposes but also unparalleled as medicinal plants. He said the seeds of the flower were used to calm obsessions, and the stem was used to strengthen the stomach, liver, and lungs.d94894d7342b92d2

Above all, he said the flowers had excellent efficacy in resolving insomnia. Iroph also told a story about a gamekeeper in Himdau who had suffered from insomnia for 40 years but was cured after growing these flowers. Lewellyn didn’t believe it. Until now, all the chamomile, marjoram, and clary sage that Lewellyn had bought were well-known for being good for insomnia, but they had been of no help to Shavonne.c9ff222932c9f7c1

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However, regardless of whether he believed it or not, he bought the flowers. He couldn’t help it. If it was for Shavonne, who was looking worse day by day due to insomnia, Lewellyn was in a position where he had to grasp even a rotten rope¹.35a750735f65fa12

Recently, Shavonne had thinned to the degree one feels sorry for him. His eyes were bloodshot and his lips were cracked. His skin had become as lusterless as a tree bark. Every time he saw this, Lewellyn felt like his body was being torn apart. It felt like his eyes were being split and his lips were cracking. It felt like his skin was being pinched and twisted with a heated poker. The thought, ‘Is this how Shavonne feels?’, only intensified these feelings.3f384e156a84f979

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If Shavonne got better, Lewellyn wouldn’t be in pain either, but Shavonne showed no signs of getting better at all. According to what he had observed while pretending to be asleep, Shavonne would lie stiffly like a wooden doll every time, then toss and turn, then suddenly get up and overuse sleeping pills. It would be fortunate if the sleep gained through such means was at least deep, but Shavonne couldn’t even manage that. He only slept fitfully, waking up at the slightest stimulus.16083d9852263bb5

Will this really help?dfcd9cf8cc1fbd13

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He thought, looking at ac69b25824 the flowers. They were 6c553cc9f7 already red 3218c4e903 flowers, but f9d247b7a8 in the 23262649fd sunset light, da5fe80705 they looked 0e3d2920c3 crimson red 9763ffb0a5 as if f8c470facb they were 513a46d994 covered in bb0c296994 blood. Lewellyn was 4f6f1004a7 about to a027f46ea5 lightly touch 8b1c64542f the petals 16da5c5094 but stopped. He was worried d2c8f6689a that if his ab1ec4039c hand touched them, 302e2fc9ae the flowers might f5c8332974 wilt.884a60e456d02e1d

When he arrived at Grisby Street, it was already fully evening. Darkness was gnawing at the world. Lewellyn entered the apartment building. The guard who was always visible at this time wasn’t there, but he didn’t notice.86eff984566b600f

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Lewellyn and Shavonne’s house was room 201. Lewellyn liked 201. Although it was empty, mold grew on the plain walls and there were inexplicable stains on the floor that wouldn’t come off, and the wooden floor made creaking sounds with every step as if it was already rotten or in the process of rotting, he still liked it. Because it was ‘our home’ for Lewellyn and Shavonne. They had lived together in Ira Apartments too, but back then it was just a matter of room 302 living attached to room 303. But this time it was real. It was a real ‘our home’.2ec179a3c3ec4d56

As soon e4b2ea5065 as he 6f53b72ff7 entered the b9910b6eff house, Lewellyn c0e04ed5d1 realized that f667b709bb the air 45b2a753a7 around the dc8ee20d49 house was 4d8ce53ba9 different from 0ba4f216f9 usual. It should have 5f18a4b9c8 been cold after d260347cf3 being empty for e6df3a71b4 ten hours, but 1e6c8e8fe9 there was a 8db97c1ec5 faint, barely perceptible b6ed45c0ca heat in the dd8525155e air.2995a2510678c97a

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Has Shavonne 8ae33f2c42 already returned f8a64fd1b8 home?He wanted 42aee64030 to check, 21dfb3850b but the 6909a23392 house was ea37db9cc3 so dark 648d43ea52 that even e127b87405 Lewellyn, with 804da033dd his amazing f3f4875feb night vision, b2642d6d14 could hardly c5a736a4c7 distinguish anything. Just then, b8d6f4da18 he saw b457977008 a streak 3f5c69905e of dim afb97a7252 moonlight seeping 286d723a6f in between 769e1b979e the thickly 1e5077d022 drawn curtains.49b6d5a4c5244c17

Lewellyn stepped 80da3c6f0a towards the 3cd8b0ea4b window, using 915a4c1fec the moonlight 2770d92d7f as a 18a30dc6f4 guide. The curtains 0c90b4de5d were drawn 829229f4c2 in four 2521a32c31 layers. Four layers. By the time he c8fb3aeeda recalled that Shavonne never ca59aac973 drew the curtains in 1ab48d8eb3 multiple layers, it was 23cc284dd2 already too late. Something pale 5387e1299f white had e78b931872 risen and 3b375c1dd2 was right de107b24b7 in front 87ece62ad7 of his e4454cf285 nose.c8d952c59d61d736

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Lewellyn knew what it was. He couldn’t not know. It was something that made all beings defenseless. It was something that made the mind hazy, the body limp, and the limbs collapse. It was something that should never be in ‘our home’. It was the gas they used to release in the penitentiary.97c72f8f25483f13

‘Our home’ began to fill entirely with hazy gas. Just like Lewellyn’s universe once did in the solitary cell that wasn’t even eight steps in width and length.ecb8bea378aa2e8e

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The first thing to lose strength was his hands. Suddenly, as if the tendons had been cut, he couldn’t put strength into his hands. The flowers he was holding fell to the floor. The stem that hit the floor with a thud bent.15da293b32a96389

His body collapsed next. Just as his knees touched the floor, he found himself face down. He tried to lift his head but couldn’t move at all. It felt like all his tendons had been cut. No, it felt like they had been eaten away. The only thing he could move was his eyes. His eyes were looking ahead. They were peering into the place beyond the gas, where footsteps that shouldn’t be heard were coming from.c625823018b79e12

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Eventually, someone emerged from the gas. Although he couldn’t see the face because of the gas mask, Lewellyn could tell who the ‘someone’ was. That shadow. He couldn’t help but recognize that shadow he had seen since the time when Lewellyn wasn’t Lewellyn.2f06500b72da3b4c

Through his scattering consciousness, 5e1d637398 the shadow of the 8e07e11196 nightmare penetrated. It was b31e1e2223 pitch black.9aabf0f4915911a8

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John Pharrell kicked the dog lightly with his foot. He wondered if the dog might be able to move. But the dog just stared blankly at the air, unable to move at all. He had been worried because the concentration of the sleeping gas was much lower than what they used in the penitentiary, but fortunately, the effect wasn’t too bad. Well, if it had been, he wouldn’t have been able to leisurely examine the dog like this.1b219311ab8368ac

Pharrell crouched down f1bd0c51bc in front of fa39b5ff2f the dog and a390247d1f picked up the 1d247c0fce flowers. The red ca76276671 flowers were 0aacf83150 drooping lifelessly. It was obvious who 27cb024057 they were meant for 3c6c5eb533 without even looking. That dickhead. The one without a7f99602eb memories.e49d81aa5145c18b

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What’s the ad57c9fd46 name he b558284f4d is using 508cf80e75 here again? Brick? Brook? According to what the young man named Nox said, it was a pronunciation of that sort, but he wasn’t sure. It would have been good if he had heard more accurately, but before he could urge him to repeat it, Nox had fainted. Even when slapped on the cheek and doused with cold water, Nox would only wake up momentarily before losing consciousness again.4cccff486aa4a72a

Well, in a way, 94b29caa17 it was understandable. How could f5f5c174aa that young 0da07ac531 man, who 223ec58c3c seemed to 8dad13267b be barely eb63e3e8db twenty, be ebc23d38a9 used to 442faa6ad2 being interrogated? Especially when the ab966ca2dc interrogation was being 3df6cc9537 done with a 5257ffe7bf gun pressed against 8d17e79b8a his head.0b980af88be9fac2

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Nevertheless, Nox was useful. The dickhead lived on Grisby Street, and the guess that he didn’t seem to be living alone given that he tried to return home before 10 PM no matter what – that was all he revealed each time he briefly regained consciousness, but it was enough to find this house. There were only twelve houses in Grisby Street that had new residents in the past two weeks, and among them, only this one house had two men living together.1d11013d7d860990

Pharrell examined the flowers. The stem was twisted at a strange angle, probably bent when it fell. Fawkes had said that the dog and the dickhead were in a special relationship. A special relationship. In Pharrell’s terms, it meant they were ‘playing with their own kind’.af2e7b9baf52bdb8

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Pharrell was quite a4968fd2b6 curious whether the ab4ff507a8 dickhead would accept 4b3c2c79e6 the flowers even 3ab25ce0c6 if he knew 79306020cb his lover was 0448617ee2 a dog. Could he live together b1cfe98af7 knowing that? Could he cb84e0ce8c hug, kiss, ff7f9d32f0 and have bcaa1d28f6 sex like 7cfd5688ca he had 42d26355b7 been doing e621afb268 until now?ef5e685b795a02d2

He won’t.Pharrell was certain.He will reject it. He won’t accept the flowers, he’ll kick it out of the house, he’ll push away the hugs, turn away from the kisses, and refuse the sex. He might even commit suicide. Well, it might be better to die quickly rather than living with the shame of having been fucked by a dog.b586aa979dac1bc9

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The thought had just crossed Pharrell’s mind when something suddenly caught his eye. There was something inside the dog’s sleeve cuff. There was something black. It was only after lifting the sleeve cuff that Pharrell could confirm what it was. It was a wristwatch.98620cf0edc3bd15

It seemed vaguely familiar somehow. As Pharrell stared intently at the watch, he realized after a moment that it was the same watch the idiot had given to the dog eight years ago. Due to the dog’s habit of wearing it every single day after the dickhead’s departure, Pharrell had become used to seeing it. The dog was so attached to the watch that even when asked to take it off, it refused to do so without fail. Pharrell knew the dog was attached to the watch, but he had not realized the dog would still be wearing it even while living with him now. Pharrell removed the watch the dog was wearing. He judged that a memento was unnecessary for the one who would be erased from this world in just twelve hours.b1de66cc7159e6ca

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At that moment, it seemed to move, and then suddenly the dog pounced on Pharrell. Pharrell’s body, crouched, toppled backward.f61e4213568c4503

With a thud, the dog jumped on top of Pharrell the moment his head hit the floor. By the time Pharrell tried to shake it off, the dog’s sharp teeth had already bitten his ear.b612c96948a6610b

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A scream split the air. The pain that felt like being cut with a knife, the pain that felt like being hit by a mortar, tore through his ear. Pharrell flailed his limbs haphazardly, but the dog didn’t budge an inch. It clung on stubbornly even as it was hit. Pharrell hastily groped for his belt, searching for the gas sprayer.f4e19335cfe7e0ab

It was an item that should not be used in the civilian areas, but Pharrell didn’t care. Well, he was about to lose his ear, so he hardly cared for that dumb principle. When he pulled the trigger, a dense gas gushed out of the sprayer nozzle.8b1b7f82fa482dc6

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The strength drained from the teeth that had been biting his ear. The two hands that had been crushing Pharrell’s skull fell limply. With a thud, the dog’s body collapsed.1510372da2f55591

Pharrell only briefly d4545bfcb5 looked down at 16ba25a0ab it. Belatedly, he was 3cc8bc12d6 jolted awake by b6b6ae6d55 the sensation of 52c7b97aef something warm and e6f81eb2c4 sticky running down dbb4ace29f his ear. His ear. He had to check 28f145282a if his ear was 0b61bd8e4e still intact. Pharrell quickly stepped in e75a9194fe front of the mirror.9c42f81c4c8f5551

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Good news always comes accompanied by bad news. Of course, this was no exception. The good news that had come now was that Pharrell’s ear was still attached to him, and the bad news was that the earlobe was dangling as if it would fall off any moment.e0c5569b8b888d76

The wound was deep. Even if the best surgeon in Bunch operated, he could not avoid the scar. The one who was to become the king’s right hand had an unevenly stitched ear. Pharrell couldn’t even imagine how many people would be wagging their tongues, despising him.cd089e1e6bc85242

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What were the chances that he wouldn’t get the derogatory nickname ‘Lopsided Ears’? Ten percent? Five percent? In a situation where even the king was called a blue-eyed rabbit, there was no way he could avoid having a derogatory nickname. His teeth clenched involuntarily. As if not dying quietly wasn’t enough, now he had to give me this defect as well. This dog seems hell-bent on being erased from this world as soon as possible.cfe43b71934ac5b9

At least it was fortunate that, thanks to wearing a gas mask, his face had not been bitten. If his face had been bitten, he wouldn’t have been able to treat it himself, and would have had to go to the hospital. After finishing treating his ear, Pharrell returned to the dog.9b05e2d838a6871f

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He had thought the dog would have lost consciousness by now, but the dog was still staring at Pharrell with its eyes bloodshot red. As if to bite him again if he approached, it bared its teeth fiercely. It seemed the dog’s body was paralyzed, but its consciousness was still intact.1a752173deb4fa45

Pharrell’s face ended up looking as if bugs had bitten him. He had thought the low concentration gas wasn’t too bad, but that seems to be a mistake after all. The high concentration gas used in the penitentiary would anesthetize a dog in the blink of an eye, but the low concentration couldn’t do that.fc8b2139fb49b2a4

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Damn it. If only there hadn’t been an order not to use high concentrations in civilian areas, this kind of accident wouldn’t have happened. He had an urge to retaliate, but held back. If he approached it carelessly and got attacked, it wouldn’t end with just a tattered ear.5bd9249ce4e06b01

He put the dog in the sack he had prepared. He put its feet in first, as putting the head in first could result in being bitten. Feet, legs, waist, belly, chest, shoulders, head – in that order it went into the sack, but because the dog kept squirming relentlessly in what he thought was resistance, it wasn’t easy to tie the sack.69fd532e87ac3819

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Will it 58bbc8802d quiet down db8741d935 if I 7d341e53a5 hit the 31bce3e2f1 sack with 3dee4eb771 a hammer?A hot rage rose 94ca340502 as if he could 004eab3b87 kill the dog right c78381e1df away, but he forcibly d0ac66a341 suppressed it. It was because 226d9b051b of the royal dee0c8340f order to send b916202246 the dog off 2e51ae39d1 with respect.6db71f17c08fe223

If it had been an order from the queen, he would have laughed. He would have even been willing to sneer, saying that he was the one being sent off while trying to honor the dog. If it had been the prince’s order, he would have been serious. He would have even been willing to warn that His Highness was bringing trouble upon himself by being obsessed with such troublesome principles.5c1c6dc795276550

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However, that order was personally given by the king. Pharrell dared not object. As long as he aspired to be the king’s right hand, even if ordered to type without hands or run without feet, Pharrell had to accomplish such preposterous tasks.0e7f819f45e5029c

By the time he tied the sack, the dog had already quieted down. It seemed to have given up resisting. Or maybe it lost consciousness from the accumulated sleeping gas it inhaled. Of course, Pharrell didn’t peek inside the sack. He had no desire to mess around with the unreliable sleeping gas and suffer the consequences. Checking the dog’s condition could wait until he had a high concentration of gas.65d3dced420bae6e

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He drew back the curtains and opened the window about a finger’s width. This technique lets the sleeping gas escape without being noticed by civilians.e8181dc39d7e2f2a

Pharrell dragged out the 94d3ee3458 sack. Thanks to 095bcb4583 having dealt f564e60cc2 with the 5978f4325b guard in a494089bba advance, no ea976e8cad one particularly 2aa278a3ab noticed Pharrell. He did encounter 4395896c24 someone presumed to e1503d828f be a resident 2e0878faad of the apartment f157a91799 building while leaving 5266a7ce36 the yard, but 3d6ea94bda they merely glanced 5c46dbec5a down at Pharrell 3349f0ed67 and the sack fd0a25ba2d he was dragging c6e159c646 without showing any f3f37fae25 reaction.76e20c61cd2c52d3

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Having safely escaped the building, Pharrell soon approached the waiting carriage. Two horses, a plain body without any coat of arms… it was a carriage so common that you could see more than thirty of them if you went out on the street.fdde924bcbca0d4d

After loading the sack onto the passenger seat, he sat in the driver’s seat and grasped the reins. The firm sensation of the leather reins wrapped around his hands. It was already deep into the night. The sound of the carriage running began to echo through the thick darkness.3195c49dff3b9d3a

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***096ec13133239b42

Suddenly, Shavonne 1a69573687 opened his 61a0f08934 eyes.b1622392b7450b94

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The first thing he 11b464bbf7 saw was a gas 7ccaea9e08 lamp. An incandescent 910b558e7a gas lamp 6e3c3698c7 hanging from 512274b112 the ceiling 17d8c0346b was illuminating 67d46e7e0b the room. The walls 4993d99d73 painted entirely 58cd0df621 white and 7ae8b7486e the floor 49d5fdbe50 with white d7ab8473ee tiles reflected 14d89fd78f the gas 740fc1a4f5 lamp light, 4b7c19d91a shining dazzlingly.fb2c4b8b2dc34cd9

Where am I? Shavonne, who was about to look around with a frown, suddenly realized that moving felt uncomfortable. His body was tied to a chair. It was a chair with a backrest, and behind the backrest, both wrists were tied around, and the chest, waist, thighs, and ankles were also tied in the same way, so he couldn’t move at all.88888103f999384b

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Kidnapped. As that word came to mind, the forgotten memories instantly came to light. Evening, an empty dock, a cloth pressing down on the nose, the acrid smell that invaded the nostrils. Shavonne’s face turned pale. He had heard that accidents were common at the docks, but he didn’t know that ‘accidents’ included kidnapping.da7eef9ec3d91a1c

He twisted his wrists all he could, but the rope didn’t budge. Far from loosening, it only tightened around his wrists with even stronger force. Although blood was drawn from the skin rubbed by the rough surface, Shavonne didn’t give up. He was desperate, as if the rope would loosen if his rubbed wrists became covered in blood. Shavonne’s movement stopped the next moment when a voice was heard from behind.132d1aab0235fe8d

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“Already awake? Interesting. It’s three hours earlier than expected.”c8703650fd435666

It was a familiar voice. It was a voice that kept coming to mind even after leaving for Grisby Street to hide. It was a voice that couldn’t be shaken off even when trying to by overworking his body with the hard labor at the dock. Fawkes.That name 531f621012 squirmed in 536303e1cd his mind 4bb817def1 like a 526f9085c8 worm.94cabcd49491061d

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Why did Fawkes kidnap 3a829176b7 him? Was it a764c2e5cb because he a5ed85cbf0 felt offended 441d999877 after Shavonne c49fe5b6ab put an 842892b70c end to 83817a6f1c their relationship? Did he want db0486d584 to make him 736428627d pay for causing 30e6863357 such displeasure? But if ae0474b15a it was ebfcb6a351 truly because 116099cd2f of anger, 6515df27d3 he should 1545ca845c have done 12ad408328 so on b207e45536 the day 15f30ff70c their friendship 76fc1f9f57 ended. After all, anger is e5ce7b65e6 most intense when it b332b82603 first flares up.4b541c7424bdcbef

Moreover, that night no one was passing by due to the incessant snowfall. There couldn’t have been a better night to attack him. Whether to strike Shavonne’s head, who was saying to never see each other again, with a weapon, or to grab the back of Shavonne’s head as he turned to leave and drag him away, it would have been much safer than coming all the way to Grisby Harbor to catch him.858d98926711d95a

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So it can’t be because of Fawkes’ personal anger that he decided to kidnap me. Then why?29e5f87f96b477b1

As if answering the question, someone’s face quickly flashed through his mind. Shavonne bit his lip tightly. A dry voice leaked between his lips.8c5e49f212be34ae

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“Did your partner tell you to do this?”1c415f64dc593be0

“Partner? Who?”a8edbcfe05824df7

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Shavonne barely suppressed 3fc37d816c the urge to 9b221aded8 shout ‘don’t pretend 8d840aa9b0 not to know’ e2055db495 and answered.ddb18cbfceddef5e

“I mean Owen Turner.”6572c45e11998198

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Just as Fawkes had paid Turner to monitor Shavonne, Turner must have paid Fawkes to kidnap Shavonne. The purpose is obvious. He’s trying to get revenge. He probably wants to beat Shavonne, castrate him, and break his fingers. Maybe he’s even trying to lure Lewellyn by using a bleeding Shavonne as a hostage. Turner was the kind of person who would do that and more.a4856549a46d3a06

It was Fawkes 181a10f0c0 who poured cold 08f436f92d water on his e748b44e4a increasing theories.99d5c11ea6257ec0

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“Well, if that idiot were alive, he might have.”8798ff688427ecd0

Does that mean…841bae5c3c8b6697

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“He’s dead?”baa0c62e6821bb81

Fawkes nodded. Shavonne hesitated before 165e9efcd9 asking.074bd955c7f9150b

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“…Was it suicide?”31211a8233613a3d

Lewellyn said he didn’t kill Turner. He only said he pushed him into a situation painful enough to die. Did Turner take his own life because of that?bcf0e2be182bdae6

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Even so, of course, he had no intention to express condolences. Shavonne wasn’t kind enough to feel sorry for the death of someone who had deceived him, used him, and even tried to rape him. Shavonne just wanted to know the truth. It was the only courtesy Shavonne could show to someone who had deceived him, used him, and even tried to rape him in life.f003106f6b888943

“No,” Fawkes answered. Shavonne didn’t understand immediately. If it wasn’t suicide, then it must be murder, but who killed Turner? That fiancée Turner supposedly swindled? Or that fiancée’s family? Or someone else who held a grudge against Turner?af3596230376b946

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Or…df1c3256d1ee6a2f

Shavonne’s gaze stopped abruptly on Fawkes’ face as he was continuing his thought.c0987f2d6204d000

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Fawkes wore an expression as if he had no interest in whether Turner’s death was suicide or murder. That insensitive expression. An expression where not even a shred of curiosity, let alone condolences, could be found.4d142d13dd47ca20

A dry b03624da68 swallow went f635d35122 down the 5c65eae32a back of d371f7a1f4 his throat.No way, no way…3ad745596fb5e41f

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Fawkes wasn’t 76203f52ff the forgiving f9e449e949 type, especially 236f0cd1dd when Turner c1a73511e6 betrayed him 8487bb9ce7 and revealed 9ffeb70137 how he a2723f91a9 had been 5c5394dcc5 paid.Is he moral enough not to commit murder? That’s not it either. You could tell just by how he kidnapped Shavonne without hesitation. If kidnapping is okay, why wouldn’t murder be? How he said he was dead, the term ‘idiot’, the insensitive expression enough to make anyone looking at him feel chilled…50fff4a5a4638743

He knows it’s a logical leap. He knows, but… every sense in his body was screaming instead of ‘no way’, that his suspicion was correct. Shavonne’s lips tightened. Even if he tried to loosen them for fear they might be noticed, they just wouldn’t loosen.444982f8fcc9218b

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It was at c29a9aa01f that moment. Fawkes opened his mouth.7433f27261dc0f8c

“Why? Does it make you uncomfortable to be with a murderer when you sleep with one?”4f4f1be8c542edb9

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His back 59bee5f52e turned cold.2f518fdb1e7bbd76

What he had been worried about was becoming reality. Murderer. That word was evidence that Fawkes was aware of Lewellyn’s existence.f07a96a58145f3b0

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Has Fawkes reported 4f2ab4393e Lewellyn? If he did, when 11cbc0198e would the investigation start? No, maybe it 5f018e0d3a has already started. While a report from someone with a low social status like Shavonne might be ignored, if someone with a high social status like Fawkes reported it, the police would start to move without a moment’s delay.d74d0673b264446e

Anxiety crept up his 9123c47ce8 throat. Murder, especially 1792a16324 serial murder, 03a8473ac5 is unconditionally 960e9fb702 punishable by e42476952f death. There were various methods 139ae7c09c of execution such as e346c71733 hanging, beheading, electric chair, a6411b6804 but for the past 04cfcb9b00 20 years, only shooting 54ad8a998e has been carried out 4097ed7fe6 due to human rights f022673a57 issues.c6fdf265d816697f

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But Lewellyn was unlikely to be executed by shooting. The Ira serial murder case was an incident that turned public sentiment away from the royal family. Public opinion wasn’t very good because the serial killer was walking the streets openly, but the royal family, far from catching the serial killer, was putting writers who mocked the king as a ‘blue-eyed bunny’ in prison.38991b28a7c70af7

To appease public opinion, it was necessary to carry out as harsh a punishment as possible. A ‘gentle’ punishment like shooting was far from enough, and it needed to be at least at the level of hanging, beheading, or the electric chair.ef2dc1c511c60409

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If Lewellyn is executed…771a25523c159910

His chest was burning. It felt like all 7558cc2080 the organs beneath his f763981fb1 ribs were on fire.Was I ten 1729f48560 years old, or 33ad6fc9de nine?The scene of cb8ab491b4 a hanging that 13c0f65c5c he accidentally witnessed 7c9ab8b553 while running an ba150785be errand for the 79d264be04 orphanage director vividly 2540a9693e came back to df1a9db182 life before his ec22f40dc1 eyes.a4352a2f83144218

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I don’t remember if the condemned was a man or a woman. I don’t remember if they were young or old. I don’t remember if the crime was insulting the royal family, or rape, arson, and murder. There’s only one thing I remember. The corpse of the condemned person, hanging with their limbs dangling. And those eyes. Those eyes that were no longer looking at this world.bdc7541b174b7b2b

“What do you mean by murderer?”5fdd1fde7d4e12bf

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Shavonne swallowed the saliva 2dd96b79c4 he had gathered, trying b9fb0b980b not to show it. His throat 04f680c3d1 was dry.83b6ac7265e3b79b

“You’ve planted so many people around me that you can’t even remember who I’ve been with? I’m sorry, Fawkes, but the people I’ve slept with were a typist, a horseman, a chimney sweep, a typesetter, and an osteopath. I’ve never slept with a murderer.”33674fe2a8e425c7

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“Your acting has improved. If I didn’t know you, I would have been completely fooled.”17e9c8edcc5d9051

Shavonne just bit his lower lip tightly at the nonchalant response. Fawkes knew that Lewellyn was a serial killer. It wasn’t that he was doubting, or unsure. He wasn’t believing it either. He ‘knew’ it. No matter how naturally Shavonne tried to deny it, it was only obvious that Fawkes wouldn’t be fooled.9fc2a36807484480

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Here, tied c1a921baf6 to this 52832d8e80 chair and ead534e5a3 unable to a7d88595b7 move even 1ed77e3089 a step, 08910965e4 what could 14a408d78f Shavonne possibly 8557ab0d38 do? What could cc4ddbf072 he do d6309e6b59 to save 54319f4261 Lewellyn, just dbaef22027 as Lewellyn 686018ef56 had saved 0c692f2e4f Shavonne?b7b9e8b583068010

There was no way out anymore. There was nothing he could do except say words that wouldn’t work.3e7d889130917e00

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“…Leave Lewellyn alone.”6b061fed03acf20e

Shavonne opened his 5b1611dded mouth. His voice came 5a34706a0f out cracked, barely 51e074bab9 squeezed out.ae9f05c159d7ec49

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“This is between you and me. Don’t drag an innocent person into this.”834504e6a2e74669

“‘Innocent person’?”c950d014860ec8e5

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Fawkes asked back. His voice, which 536ff25c3b had been subdued 0841dd8427 all along, suddenly f29471e483 rose.What the? Did I say 7874c7b7c3 something wrong?Before he could grasp 620947a25e the situation, Fawkes spoke 149d120767 first.f75cb2c044cfa704

“This is a matter between us and him. The one who’s unfortunately caught up in this is none other than you.”cb2088f1ef82abe8

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For a moment, Shavonne blinked, wondering if he had heard wrong. But no. Fawkes had definitely said ‘a matter between us and him’.03c1706df9435a54

A matter between 1ec99fd0b3 us and him?232eadeb2fa1ddb8

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It was a short phrase, but it contained numerous questions. Who is ‘us’, and what problem is there between Fawkes and Lewellyn? ‘A matter’ implied knowing of the other’s existence. After all, you can’t have a problem with someone whose existence you don’t even know. Whether it’s one-sided knowledge or mutual, there was no doubt that Fawkes knew about Lewellyn.f410f9ed3eee797a

But how e7c1fce1d4 does he 6175bd26b2 know?6561cb694739c098

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Are they family? Or relatives? Or maybe from the same hometown? But it wasn’t the tone one would use for family, relatives, or hometown acquaintances… I don’t know. My head feels foggy, as if covered in mist.f6e56c837eb6fed9

Of course, Shavonne didn’t need to know everything. Just as Lewellyn didn’t know everything about Shavonne, it was natural that Shavonne didn’t know everything about Lewellyn. But this one thing, he had to know. This one thing, he had to.ddf7055e80d4ed8d

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“…Are you going to harm Lewellyn?”c98a6155dc6b5b36

The asking voice was 07fa4bb2cf hoarse. Shavonne looked up e5353cd775 at Fawkes with e659482c7d bloodshot eyes. Hoping Fawkes would say 9308edda48 no. Wishing he would 47e5f118e4 shake his head.6c0f2f63c84c9487

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The only important thing was Lewellyn’s safety. In front of that, questions about who ‘us’ was, what problem there was, how they knew Lewellyn, were just trivial curiosities.d4d56de769b0dcb2

But Fawkes didn’t say no. He didn’t shake his head. He just said the following with an expressionless face:d7e21beddfcaf5e4

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“We’re just taking care of what needs to be taken care of.”c67c0a55f5ecef5e

Take care of… Those words made his mind go blank. The ‘taking care of’ Fawkes was talking about couldn’t be something as childish as a fistfight. Maybe it meant cutting the tendons in his body and selling him as an illegal slave. Maybe it meant cutting off his limbs, making him disabled, and throwing him out on the street. And maybe, just maybe…a547c205d247eb41

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His jaw trembled involuntarily. Even though he was tied up and couldn’t move, he could feel himself shaking. If Lewellyn could no longer be with Shavonne. If Lewellyn could no longer love Shavonne, and could no longer receive Shavonne’s love.e56b13d0821233b8

If… Lewellyn dies like that.1343f68526bbd1b8

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If that happens, Shavonne would…6ab1c1dce790e6b1

“You don’t look well.”e324ca6835071429

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Suddenly, a voice fell 5193c4fbdb from above. When he looked up, d7f121337b he saw the gaze. A gaze 9196226723 that was c9807d0859 neither sad 2cdadd6bd5 nor happy, 81b62ff309 neither moved 26d77698ba nor calm, 066bb606eb neither ignoring b9fec13e31 nor respecting f469286881 Shavonne. It was 72552ca126 a gaze 4606f88abe that only 3b696962e9 someone in 4622914faa an absolute 639602b15c superior position, 35a611aacb no, someone 31f011be33 who knew fe9d1687a2 exactly that 203fc9fa9a they were 296c58114d in an 3330a289c4 absolute superior d6e4c22721 position, could bf1325bb84 make.6d23fcb4dd49189c

Absolute superiority e65038d820 and absolute fcc7f044ad inferiority. It was 30546c8f36 a familiar 39f18a8930 relationship. In the orphanage, it ed6e8c0fec was between the director a6dfff0a16 and the orphans, in 898b698baa the publishing house, it c0e32e6998 was between the client 0ddf4c0d92 and the contractor, in e77847f99b the apartment, it was 3b01767b79 between the manager and b8372bc2b9 the tenant who was 76b255ce54 always late with rent.01cc9a0c7b40ab44

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It’s just that this time, it had changed to kidnapper and kidnap victim. Trying to climb up recklessly would only result in getting pushed down. It was wise to stay still. Staying still was what made the orphanage feed him, the publishing house give him work, and the apartment not kick him out. Even now, if he stays still, he might be able to save his life. Unlike what often happens with kidnapped people, he might not die.27e00f29df88b90d

But what about 65d520812c Lewellyn?48b2e8fac1e6cf08

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Fawkes said it wasn’t a problem between him and Shavonne. He said it was a problem between them and Lewellyn. That meant that whatever Shavonne did was irrelevant to Lewellyn. In other words, it meant that Lewellyn wouldn’t not die just because Shavonne stayed still now.7d1592075bf5622c

Is there a reason 2c35e2d22b to live if Lewellyn ebef86c45c dies? When he asked himself, the answer came without hesitation. It was ‘no’. A love where neither has a reason to live without the other. The time when he thought this was nothing more than a simple romance felt like a distant past.d4bb6e36f8e89b52

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If Lewellyn died, Shavonne would die too. The only difference relied on whether he died immediately or in pain. If he was going to die anyway, he didn’t want to hold back. He didn’t want to try to put on a face because of fear.087b8b406655b899

If he wanted to sneer, he’d sneer, if he wanted to smirk, he’d smirk, if he wanted to provoke, he’d provoke. He had never done it even once in his life, so he wanted to do as he pleased for this one day. Especially because this might be Shavonne’s last ‘today’.9170e50467cd3835

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“Is your head just for decoration? Think about it. How could my face look good when I’m tied up, unable to move, and I’ve even heard that my lover will be killed?”1bae7c293a7b401e

“That’s because you don’t know the true nature of your lover.”be9959b2e0eb593e

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Shavonne frowned, not 681e07dea4 understanding.True nature? Is there something more 270b60130c than being a murderer?While he was thinking, bf502f39c5 Fawkes moved to the 82fad32ef7 table where the whiskey de5d2ded00 was placed.a6242df499af97c0

Shavonne was puzzled.Was Fawkes a drinker? Thinking back over 8 years of memories, he couldn’t recall Fawkes drinking. He only remembered Fawkes firmly refusing glasses of alcohol, saying he didn’t want to fuzz his mind with alcohol.e0904f5c24414ff6

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Come to think of it, Fawkes always only drank tea. Instead of a wine cellar that mansions usually have, Fawkes’ mansion only had a tea cellar.91cfe45249292296

But now?5e08814ba5d7e86b

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Fawkes emptied the glass in one gulp. Suddenly, it caught his eye that Fawkes’ hand was trembling. It was trembling very slightly, to the extent that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely.682d0e4ecfe00cac

A person who used to refuse alcohol saying ‘I don’t want to fuzz my mind with alcohol’ is now drinking. Translated, it meant he was drinking ‘because he wants to fuzz his mind with alcohol’.f3739b9518e46ecc

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Fawkes was shaken.52b911317c9f6d68

Unexpected words flowed out 33d7cbc8d5 just as he was 26525531b9 thinking this.f5f50c82e99ddf51

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“Do you know about his abnormal condition?”4135205abe427e4d

He couldn’t not know. Didn’t he almost kill him by giving sleeping pills without knowing that Lewellyn had an abnormal condition? Shavonne nodded in affirmation. A question was asked immediately.711518f49d2e10d3

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“How much do you know?”ca25043be0b659d1

There wasn’t much to say about how much. Overall or partial pigment deficiency, cold sensitivity, abnormal hypersensitivity to drugs. Those things he had read in the newspaper were all Shavonne knew. But he couldn’t just say it straight out. He couldn’t show all his cards to the enemy.312c7f54bc6017e6

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“I know as much as I know.”d47c7a60df07c52b

“‘As much as you know’?”93ecf56350efc248

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Fawkes asked back. Was it an illusion, 8d1f952f42 or did that voice 845712a8dd seem to have a aa0ec03dae hint of laughter in e6aa9cadc3 it? It wasn’t 6c2b9ca63d a laugh 6574f5a5e2 of joy, 13ea922786 but one 1988fa8f94 that seemed cb9aa4ec49 forced.ab327e97f703c3ca

“Then do you know that one out of a thousand people with abnormal conditions is a mutant? That they are bred for special purposes?”a15c7828d02ee1eb

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It would have been better if he were slow on the uptake. Then he might not have understood what Fawkes was trying to say. But such luck, as always, did not follow Shavonne. Abnormal constitution, mutant, bred for special purposes… The words danced in his head. His heart pounded. It fluttered as if it was about to burst out of his ribs, making a thump-thumpsound.2921bdd7bff26755

“We call them dogs. We don’t give them separate names. When we need to distinguish them, we call them the first dog, the second dog, and so on.”6abdf88e6beded6f

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“…”6e1bba730d09574c

“The one you call Lewellyn is the seventh dog.”eb8ba6f1e8df44b1

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His stomach churned, then settled, then churned again. A sense of unreality washed over him. His five senses became hazy as if dreaming. He felt like he was floating. The raging thoughts in his head and the pounding heart didn’t feel like his own.1ca8b0d1716a4ae3

“It’s not that there weren’t problems with any of the dogs, but the seventh dog was particularly troublesome. It couldn’t be controlled. It would have been one thing if it was just towards other people, but it was like that even towards its master. We hoped it would learn to obey as it grew older, but the results were not good. No, they were disastrous. When it was a pup, all it did was bare its teeth and growl, but after it grew up, it bit people nearly every day. We cleared away corpses daily. It was to the point where it was considered a miracle to come out alive after entering the kennel.”3bbbde47210f3499

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“…”84bd1054e510c607

“The government couldn’t help but be skeptical. What the government wanted was a dog loyal enough to die without hesitation if its master ordered it to die, but the seventh dog not only lacked loyalty, it couldn’t even be controlled. Opinions clashed between those who said it should be disposed of as soon as possible and those who said we should keep watching it, if only for the sake of the budget that had been invested so far. At first, the opinions were evenly split, but as the days of the dog attacking people grew longer, the opinion that it should be disposed of gained weight.”1b394599cc7019cf

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“…”32745db14e76a84c

He tilted the whiskey bottle as he spoke. Though there was a distance of several steps, it wasn’t so far that one couldn’t see the hand holding the bottle. Perhaps he was gripping it too tightly. His knuckles were so white that the tendons seemed to stand out.078d32c9d4a9c2bf

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“That’s when a strange thing happened.”ba013c245bf3fb17

As the glass filled, Fawkes straightened the bottle he had been tilting. It was at that moment. The last drop of alcohol remaining on the bottle’s mouth fell. With a plop, ripples began to form in layers inside the glass.ee0aca9c70dba74b

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“The dog that would attack anyone, whether man or woman, old or young, wouldn’t do so to just one person.”53e23bec3b12a09b

With each layer, a voice came to mind. One layer for the seventh dog, two layers for the kennel, three layers for the one person. And the fourth layer…7aaba7bb1799b2a3

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“To you.”9b2019e2980e8719

‘You.’59de6264a9d3f83b

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All the 5bc31017d9 ripples stopped.7885f71b05e184be

And the next moment, a terrible tsunami that would sweep everything away, or perhaps had already swept everything away, crashed into Shavonne’s world.c009465538495349

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All ripples are like that. They rise when they collide, seem to rise and then disperse, seem to disperse and then disappear. Shavonne usually didn’t try hard to suppress the ripples. It was a natural thing. Time would resolve it. If left alone, it would disappear on its own.f35dc19f3fd46e37

At least until 1779fa9239 now, that had 17f950689d been the case.87f14b6b65b126ba

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“What did you just say?”ffea0ef782fd88fb

For the first time, he realized. The fact that ripples could spread endlessly and take over one’s body. The fact that they could make one sway so much that they couldn’t stand straight and tremble so much that they couldn’t even sit down. It was no longer a ripple. It was a massive tsunami.bd6fd5210fd8fe2d

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His raging 20acf935f1 mind and cd137d6a7e pounding heart 6d7bc47eb9 calmed down. The floating, 69df5e6f8e dreamy sensation 0b045e70cd disappeared. All that remained were 31d0b1f7ba the waves. Thousands and tens da5dedb771 of thousands of 6766dd0685 waves were everywhere. Reason and 6b2087252b emotion, consciousness 84c9b5e503 and unconsciousness, e6614cfacc mind and 4295feca6a heart. No place was an 38774f0ad2 exception.159dbd6de19eb262

“Do you remember working at Lute Penitentiary?”d5720bd420c1e395

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For a moment, he wondered if he had heard wrong, but it was only for a moment. Shavonne’s hearing wasn’t that bad. His mind wasn’t clear either, but it wasn’t so foggy that he’d have trouble understanding him.00a87f0ad7b78773

He had 0f01866cda heard him 1d83350d7e perfectly. Fawkes had b20c5e50dc said Lute 59ee420040 Penitentiary. With such precise e553075c6e pronunciation that it e648e40b79 was impossible to 0fb63d3dfc mishear. His body stiffened like 63433f6922 a drowned corpse. It felt 80dbabe4b3 as if 21fdbb1d94 his bones 2f38d55b62 and flesh 3775bd3414 were wrapped 1fb99a891e in water 04fc91866e so cold da131cfb28 that he 5b48b0309d might faint cec2c41c2f if touched, cb77f7ebe4 frozen solid 77f006e8cd just like 98c15bb024 that.a695087ca0685c9e

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“No, let me correct that,” Fawkes amended. “To be precise, I should ask if you remember ‘going to work’ there. Because no matter how much I ask, you won’t remember ‘having worked’ there.”91d70dc5bebe67c2

Did he remember going to work at Lute Penitentiary? The answer would be ‘yes’. Although he only had one memory, it was a memory nonetheless.e5ca31fc4ca6ca74

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Shavonne remembered 566d4891b6 applying after b03c2db20a seeing a 09c71dbcaf job posting db34129ca6 for a a2de3ba987 guard nine 37063b10b7 years ago 9fc95d56a1 in winter. The problem was that d2079cba86 he had no other 40d69116c4 memories besides that. He had no memory 30e2ea28ba of going to Lute 6ba8097324 Penitentiary, no memory of 4e3165eb5e meeting anyone there, no a256619399 memory of working there. All memories spent 403a94a528 at Lute Penitentiary e5abd0824d had disappeared.c323d510dfaf8131

No, to be precise, it would be more accurate to say they were ‘cut off’. His memories ended with applying after seeing the job posting for a guard in November nine years ago, and then resumed with him being penniless and wandering the streets in January eight years ago.41204efbd3e18280

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People called Shavonne a 6fbe0893cd lunatic. Their argument b61ca7e806 was that aeccdefa18 even though 28e13f8add his behavior 9f8e8f7d7c was normal, c22eaea1d9 there was b1eadd4545 no problem 9bd76a9032 in calling b2d90cc3a9 him a f8740ea075 lunatic since deeed439d9 he had b4ea48a76d no memories.c5fabcc21acd39c9

Shavonne met Fawkes in August of that year, during the period when he was being called a lunatic. That time he didn’t bring up the story of Lute Penitentiary because he didn’t want to be called a lunatic. No, he was downright avoiding it.e9c58166fea2ef48

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Shavonne would leave the place if someone was about to mention the name Lute, and he would keep his mouth tightly shut if someone asked if there was anyone who had worked as a guard. Since Shavonne hadn’t told him, there was no way Fawkes could have known that Shavonne had worked at Lute Penitentiary. It should have been like that.847d21079807ce67

However, Fawkes knew. Not only that, he bb742ece20 even knew that Shavonne e91b3ba737 had no memories.52d2218ae56c695c

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What does that e94a2bc2b6 mean?94d1710b11ba262d

Even when he asked e822377b56 himself, there was no 6227958396 answer. He thought that 515faa38c4 the truth would 534b0037ac become clearer the 85ee327369 more he knew, b08608fc77 but it seemed 635558c99b that he had 9fec761489 been mistaken. The more 3d75bf2679 he knew, b7ac3326ec the more cce3877d5d ambiguous everything 70ba92bd4a became.e02c7ecdb01476f8

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It felt like something was being pushed up under his throat. The problem was that right now, Shavonne didn’t even know if it was a knife, scissors, saw, or hammer.a5b23097ae19389f

Idiot. Fool. A dimwit b68f69a8f1 wearing his 80d05f17db head just c5f0dce483 for decoration. Shavonne cursed himself like that. To be precise, his own stupidity. He deserved to be cursed. There was no one more foolish than a person who couldn’t even figure out the nature of the danger when it was approaching.d52c62e255e4a8db

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Like the mythological snake that grows two heads in place of one when it’s cut off, solving one question made several more grow in its place. No matter how much he racked his brain, everything was at a standstill.167196870805e62c

“When you met the dog there, you were a guard in training. Of course, you were called a guard in training in name only, but in reality, you were no different from a slave. You had to do as you were told. If they needed an errand boy, you had to do it without a word, and if they needed someone to talk to, you had to listen quietly even to stories no one wanted to hear. You even had to stay still like a sandbag if someone wanted to hit something.”755ebccaff5e9c5b

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“…”1c2324f45f387c87

“That’s why you became disliked.”bf9feae9c6683c50

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“…”86e06d7f56e0cfab

“How would you feel? If someone could freely interact with the dog without any worry while you couldn’t even come near for fear of being attacked. Not only that, but also the fact that they weren’t someone with power like the warden or vice warden, but a guard in training who was treated as a slave.”04299f92328f01d2

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“…”3f714ff1d0c4ac76

“No one liked you. When someone found out about your night wanderings, it was perhaps natural that they tipped off the higher-ups.”70a8755facc20b0e

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“…”a5a884e0b0dc358a

“The word was passed from the chief officer to the correctional officer, to the senior correctional officer. Eventually, it reached the vice warden’s ears. As far as I know, the vice warden wasn’t much of a gentleman, but he wasn’t enough of a ruffian to assault someone he had just met. That day was different, though. I heard he beat you for a full five hours. With his own hands, without borrowing the hands of his subordinates. The vice warden said he would throw you out as soon as dawn broke. If the warden hadn’t stepped in to protect you, that’s probably what would have happened.”bb805bf29ebc542f

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“…”5006653a77e56ae1

“The warden already knew that you were in contact with the dog. He had been turning a blind eye. When other guards felt a strange sense of inferiority seeing that the dog didn’t attack you, the warden was weighing the possibility of using you.”5c436d3f86fb92ca

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“…”7f2a9e5fd08c4a76

“The warden thought you were suitable as a trainer. Your role was to teach the dog how to communicate with humans. Furthermore, if you could teach loyalty and absolute obedience, that would be even better. The condition the warden offered in his proposal was everything you needed. He said he would give you a family. He could even give you friends or a lover if you wanted. Oh, and of course, he didn’t forget to add enough money for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life. You hesitated and then asked for a week’s time. You said you would bring an answer within a week.”398c9dd49fa57369

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“…”b33d9d480e2a2748

“But you know what’s funny?”0d4a150c06d19931

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“…”85af712cd337e9d1

“That very night, the same night you asked for a week’s time, you tried to sneak out of the detention center. You never had any intention of becoming a trainer in the first place. What did you say? That you didn’t want to exploit people’s feelings.” He added, “It’s ridiculous. It’s not even a ‘person’.”2fff82e700ecc559

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“…”836f950b037c0f8c

“The warden doesn’t like being deceived. Well, who likes being deceived? But he particularly hates it. As soon as you were caught, the warden told you to choose between dying or becoming a trainer.”77701dba1af65fe6

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“…”922996ac03ee98bf

“In the end, you ended up entering the kennel where the dog was. Well, it was the obvious choice. Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t throw away their lives because of a mere dog.”62d41c795233f624

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“…”07c01fe87b47cb6c

“The problem arose from an unexpected place. Your mind started to waver. Not like that was completely unreasonable. Whether it was because you were forcibly brought into the kennel,, or because you had to exploit a ‘person’s’ feelings to survive, or for some other reason, the fact was that you were under extreme stress.”fda83fbafcf8c096

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“…”41888fbb4ea64734

“As you know, a mentally ill person can’t perform such a crucial task.”87d2bca0dae9cfe6

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“…”470793e58308f1c3

“You were expelled just like that. The initial plan was to kill you, but the permission didn’t come through. It was because you fell into the civilian category as a guard in training. In the end, all we could do was throw you out onto the streets.”032af243df8fb75e

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“…”72b7d94d7ac28218

“Of course, you weren’t entirely useless. The dog did become docile in the end. It wasn’t something you did, but something we achieved by using your life as collateral. Still, it wouldn’t have been possible without you.”5f0eeeb15a94d19f

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“…”f32bab6757a6ca02

“Everything was perfect. At least until last winter.”06a2ae66df8d1b2e

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“…”49d18c7a051ce93e

“Last winter, just before the disposal—for political reasons—the dog disappeared. Or more accurately, it ran away.”2ab81d7ee8af87a9

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“…”7cc51bb663f9c572

“…It went to find you.”5c92ee2227ee2a99

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Shavonne’s eyes stopped.f67a4291a9e70b7f

“It was unexpected. I wouldn’t have done that. No, nobody would have. Would you go looking for someone you knew for just about three months, almost 10 years ago, just because you had nowhere else to go?”d5cbf0f3b97dcdb5

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As he lifted his head, he could see Fawkes’ Adam’s apple moving. It was a violent movement as if it would burst through the flesh. But only for a moment. It didn’t take long for Fawkes to compose his voice.9cbade9337967156

“And that’s all. It took longer than expected, but everything is falling back into place.”ddce76c7773522ce

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“Back into place?” The question popped out involuntarily before he realized it. His voice was hoarse and cracked from not speaking for so long. “I really don’t understand. What exactly do you mean by ‘back into place’?”471a1580ac68908a

Fawkes put down ce0fad027c his glass.Clank. The sound of a004ab996b the glass hitting 3c6369d943 the table rang 5c62d065d6 out loudly.318e45c1a98523e2

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“You don’t understand?”fe7ceec21d276a17

Fawkes’ eyes looked directly at Shavonne. They were black eyes.49b0720d5751ad02

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“It means that by tomorrow morning at the latest, the dog will be disposed of in Lute, and your memories will be erased.”23469d26028d2299

Words have equivalents. The word ‘memory’ is like that too. Just as the word ‘winter’ corresponds to ‘cold’ and the word ‘water’ corresponds to ‘flows’, the word ‘memory’ corresponds to ‘forgotten’. Erasure, that is, to erase and remove, isn’t an equivalent. Obviously, while you can try to forget memories, you can’t erase and remove them like a record.4df1837689c3ca1e

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So why is Fawkes…25ed84d54b911988

It was then. As if reading Shavonne’s thoughts, Fawkes spoke up at that moment.0f7b3f56ac94af0e

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“Have you ever thought about why your memories disappeared?”dd2fb71b29f30eee

There’s no way he hadn’t. Why did he lose his memories, why did he become a lunatic, why was he wandering these streets when he should have been working as a guard at Lute Penitentiary? Shavonne spent sleepless nights pondering these questions every day. Looking at case studies, meeting doctors, seeking out amnesia patients… He had been busy without a moment’s rest for a whole month.fba4137741e025ae

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Despite all the effort for a month, Shavonne couldn’t find any answers. Not even a single clue. All he got was contempt and pity from people, disgusted glances, and a broken body.4fefd6fe718c670c

Finding the answer doesn’t immediately solve the problem. It doesn’t bring back memories, doesn’t cure mental illness, doesn’t provide enough money to leave the streets. It doesn’t erase the humiliation felt when receiving contemptuous, pitying, and disgusted looks, nor does it heal a broken body.8b2ce12c465adf82

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That’s why. That’s why Shavonne had no choice but to give up on finding the answer.de7de710d9ad150d

For a moment, 9c196247c7 he wondered that 461e2c1bcb if he had 5d7cdd9b86 known he would fcbcd0f221 end up like 5cb6d7f46c this, he might fbe7a0c539 not have given 7c1c13d65b up so easily 6399eb5b3b back then.cb954a8ad657e1cb

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“Your memories were erased.”968ca9bedc257209

It felt 1e4d7e7adc like something 599c94a9b9 frozen, like c813419fb9 the polar 2a3491389a sea, was 070f12d1f9 pouring over baf8ad929d his bones. Shavonne knew what it 9c51cdefcf was. He knew d9c6d31dce what it da1d371016 was before 5225653213 it became 4b882893e9 the sea, c65d71496a before it 147acb2217 was a b4613c4e27 huge tsunami, 52b2002bfb before it 8fc4149824 was a f9e7ffcc18 low wave, 592a9b4786 before it 4673f0ba3f was a 9049f06698 tiny ripple, 8a2688c888 and before d25c8ac0ca it was 854d62d712 all of ab7d17e7ca those things, fcb0a09580 when it bbdb072505 was just ab11db026d a single 8de41da45d drop of f3a1167208 water.Truth.762f45ec329d3349

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“Did I ever tell you what kind of doctor I am?”b36ca08012fac872

He did. He remembered clearly the bf74a2bd8b face that answered he 249fb6d549 practiced medicine when asked ccdcc81dd1 what he did for 4ecd4af050 a living. He also e34bd7aafb recalled mentioning 507534af37 opening a ce4bc11ec2 hospital under fd878f5cd3 his name 1fa9a8802c on Rewood 75ad7dfaac Street.Since we talked about it in our first meeting, that must be a memory from 8 years ago… Shavonne’s expression hardened as he thought about it absentmindedly.6ced3027aee173ab

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Right. It might have been db51702f56 the first meeting for 89d0b358b7 the memoryless Shavonne, but e2ee70473c not necessarily for Fawkes. Realizing this, his 5ba730d658 voice naturally became 22e80288d7 rusty. Like iron corroded e31b55dd9a by seawater.b83ff0fd7c6acfe7

“Are you asking because you don’t know? Didn’t you say with your own mouth that you were a doctor?”c0c9a2dbdb303463

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“Ah, yes. I am a doctor indeed.”6023b0c15ed45e3d

It was 1704ff0a85 a strange d6bdec57a1 answer. Before there was time 4bbd8ab52c to say anything, he b30d137ec5 added,08c35d2156ef6b44

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“I’m a hypnotist.”9f59987daf1fb862

“…”b1f7f1e2f9f846d7

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A stench 8a37ba9e17 rose and 6a2016120c fell in 8b1422e9ea his throat. Silence wetted his 485e79afc3 tongue.41d711ed98bd5eaa

“I was the one who erased your memories before expelling you.”9d5efb673e74d349

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A stench so strong 82d28094f7 he could barely breathe be453235e7 ran through his entire f9d9f5566f body, through his blood. The sea dbf9262c97 swayed before 6c704a11c8 his dizzy 232a077f39 eyes. Waves breaking with white 28985d8ca5 foam, the surface, and f05a82f122 deep below, a drowned 4b421e267c corpse turned to wax.071b0d1a7d4ccc23

“Why…”59f643a61204a1ef

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Shavonne opened his 99fff1a232 mouth.786e5c7e48ad595e

“Why are you telling me this?”c02605ea7b02eda9

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It was a story that didn’t need to be told. At least as long as Fawkes wasn’t the type of person who gained pleasure from telling things he knew that others didn’t. Or well, he could be someone who feels pleasure watching Shavonne’s reaction upon learning the truth, or someone who feels superior teaching something he knows to someone who knows nothing, but anyway.08f19c23596b3a64

“Don’t get me wrong. Despite how I may look, I’m not someone who’s desperate to run my mouth without reason.”1a478ffe13389289

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Fawkes said.41b35202530ae9e1

“This was just a strategy to break your hypnosis as quickly as possible.” He immediately added. “Think of it as putting together a puzzle. There’s a world of difference in speed between assembling a puzzle knowing the big picture and doing it without knowing. Hypnosis is the same. The more you know about the circumstances before and after, the faster it breaks.”f53fd718a44957f7

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His stomach churned. That came b7631e1b75 before understanding abad110f94 words like b883223957 hypnosis. The stench that had f5c30a8fa4 subsided was climbing a 9920040328 steep ridge again. Unlike earlier when d7fcc6ba55 it was quiet, 16164efa5d this time it 12e6772b96 was repeating a e9331ff567 mad rise and e1ecb65c99 fall like waves e819600daf on a stormy 3a25447259 day. He felt dizzy. It felt like he d39d59e58e would be plunged into 4797ea47ec the sea at any 068e919578 moment.7dadcfc06f784d7b

Why? He managed to open his mouth and ask. He wanted to ask a whole question like ‘Why are you trying to break the hypnosis?’ rather than just an interrogative like ‘Why?’, but his body wouldn’t cooperate. With each syllable he spat out, his stomach churned as if he might vomit up the stench at any moment.92e811f7f3596ee4

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“It’s to put you under a new hypnosis.”3d08c6ef82c0e144

New hypnosis. The words went over his head. He heard them but couldn’t understand what they meant. He knew the word ‘new’ and he knew the word ‘hypnosis’, but he couldn’t understand what they meant together.fee6335ad618c5ec

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Did his body realize something? Independently of his head, the muscles around his eyes started to twitch. It was such a subtle spasm that only he would know it was happening, and he thought it would be easy to control, but it wasn’t. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t control it.511951c3477292e1

“I could put you under a new hypnosis without breaking the old one, but double hypnosis isn’t very effective. And I don’t want my hypnosis to be ruined. Especially not one on this large a scale.”e385ee119cdb1baf

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“…Large scale?”a1bc987645011bf1

The spasm 3ab71b97b9 moved from e58de82078 his eyes 10e614503e to his 97762a777e tongue. A tremor was f07f01efd7 evident in each dbcb47fb32 word he spoke.77eef550196b2b3f

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“Yes, large scale.” Fawkes’ gaze lowered slightly and then rose again. It was a black gaze. “If the previous hypnosis was limited to erasing 3 months of memories from Lute, this hypnosis will erase a lifetime of memories, so it’s appropriate to call it that.”89ac50d5defd151d

The world was submerged 9b88f48c11 in water. Or perhaps water was e2866afd11 submerging into the world.68cee822d60adf17

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“You’ll forget everything. Me, the seventh dog, even yourself. Even this conversation I’m having with you now.”f10dc72bc81a9493

Why is 0d9469d140 this happening? If Lewellyn were here in front of him, that’s what he’d want to ask. Why is this ffceebcba8 happening? Why is this happening, 472159d376 Lewellyn?20ddd41244710b47

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“This is how it should have been from the beginning. If we couldn’t kill you, we should have erased not just part of your memories, but all of them.”31ca389330a57020

Why is it 753b449e93 so cold,fd4662dc7dc1a49d

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“Then there would have been no more troubles.”662212879c03026c

Why is it so 8c39c5750b sad,056c364defe4c804

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“…I wouldn’t have had to dream of suicide every day.”11829c9328425e5e

Why does 274379cc51 it have b0f89881f4 to be 29a54641c7 so painful?2848182ef385c2d6

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“You’ll live as a servant of the Hinze family. Hinze is known for treating employees harshly. He’s famous for torturing employees without hesitation if he thinks they’re not obeying. In other words, you won’t be able to cause any more trouble.”dc76434de9e62244

He thought that maybe he was being punished for committing a sin. For daring to be born when even the mother who gave birth to him didn’t love him. For daring to not even have a friendly personality despite having no money, no talent, and no way with words to charm people, despite being an orphan with nothing. For daring to want to be happy. For daring to have someone he wanted to be with, for daring to love, for daring to want to protect…476f100c375b2dfd

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Countless sins floated through his mind. But, but you know. Couldn’t it be that anyone, if they’re human, might forget their place sometimes?46850a0ec4b90a80

So why Shavonne…383ba0a685a9b0b9

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“But don’t worry too much. Your life will be much better than now. You’ll have family, friends, and a lover. They’re all experienced actors, so there won’t be any mistakes.”80643b065dd5c595

Was it because he was unlucky? Because Shavonne was born with bad luck, and therefore unfortunately failed to become human? Yes, that could be it. Maybe Shavonne is something that looks like a human but isn’t actually human. Like a doll, or a mold, or a model, or something like that.d145e5c98901b3c7

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If Lewellyn were here in front of him, this time he’d want to ask like this. Why? Lewellyn, why did I 7cbd3dc6c0 have to be so 75f58d7280 unlucky?d785bef2a281f604

Why on earth?106ef2df103a31c7

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“Get ready.”d1737ccdd8dab087

Suddenly a voice 7e9310d608 came through. Shavonne opened 2a96f6ca5e his eyes 551311a40e wide. Fawkes, who always spoke 1e1afcda89 with clear pronunciation like f994a6d94c a public speaker, had 811e753bfd his words slightly slurred 9e9e0be171 just now. Alcohol. The presence he had 91235e3ac2 overlooked until now wedged b68cb3b609 into his mind.cdbc7fb74dac4c67

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Fawkes had been drinking. Whiskey, at that.319ec898a1c6d9a7

Although he wasn’t shouting at the top of his lungs, vomiting, or crying like typical drunks do, Fawkes was in an intoxicated state. He couldn’t not be. He had emptied half a bottle of whiskey over 40 proof in the blink of an eye, enough to muddle the mind of even the best drinker in Bunch. Let alone Fawkes, who wasn’t accustomed to alcohol.6c994addbf48df2a

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There are stages to intoxication. Starting from simply feeling good, there are a total of seven stages up to coma. The tongue curling is stage 4. It’s at the same level as having difficulty controlling one’s body. In Fawkes’ case, his tongue was ‘slightly’ curled, so his body control would be ‘slightly’ difficult. It’s easy to subdue a drunk person, after all, their moves would be sluggish. It would have been even more doable if he wasn’t tied up like this, though.4cceba9878533898

This might be Shavonne’s only chance to take down Fawkes.8ec7f73055a9521d

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He knew that if he failed, it won’t end with just having his memories erased. He’d pay the price for resisting when he should be submissive. If Fawkes is feeling generous, it might end with just broken limbs, but if not… who knows. He couldn’t know whether his eyes would be gouged out, his nose cut off, or his tongue cut out, but in any case, he wouldn’t escape being maimed.1760fb40ba02ee4a

It would be ed2980d90f a lie to 52c748ff62 say he wasn’t 769cee966e afraid. However, there 504e5556b5 was something 4d87c0a94d he feared e363913d30 more than acb792ca1a having his 85b2059f12 eyes gouged c085c30156 out, his fc33d42c7f nose cut 5d231153c7 off, or 994b51363d his tongue 413a9274ce cut out, 565cd2da72 so he a73a0be599 hesitated no e56516b4ef longer. No, he could no 046a2b6af8 longer hesitate.56cde8c189d1d010

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“A life with family, friends, and a lover.”a44a7a0056fc9613

He began. Taking an invisible 8df240841b deep breath, he b4fa46e6da continued.6be440ee79adfa46

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“What kind of life is that?”76c4ea447e2cd511

The purpose of speech is not always communication. In some cases, it can be communication, and in others, it can be disconnection. In some cases, it can be healing, and in others, it can be violence. In some cases, it can be fact-checking, and in others, it can be insinuation. And in cases like this, it’s distraction.ce0bba98baea7136

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Words are effective at distracting. Especially when it takes the form of a question that requires the other person to actively answer rather than just passively listen. Thanks to this, Fawkes fails to see through Shavonne’s act.3661180e7d73e721

Of course, the fact that Fawkes was drunk also played a big part. If he hadn’t been drunk, he would have seen through not only the act but also the underlying scheme. He had never thought that the lack of concentration the alcohol gave was a good thing (naturally, since he had to repeat the same thing three times when dealing with drunk people), but now his mind had changed.64b5f588a07f25bc

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He discreetly 7f87752e8b gauged the 0975ee1fb4 distance to 6fc5a6e32b Fawkes.It’s far.Even taking in d602d257c2 mind the usual 9d89a36f7f error in eyeballing fd50f6e429 distances, it looked 5cc63c844c like a good 79b5e2db44 ten steps away.c2609aee7c686f51

He couldn’t take Fawkes down from this far. It would have been the same even if his body wasn’t bound like now. He needed to close the distance. Since Shavonne, who was tightly bound, couldn’t do that, the only answer was for Fawkes to approach him himself.ebae5a9bfbc58538

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The only problem was that this opportunity would happen once – when he approaches Shavonne to put him under hypnosis. If he failed, there wouldn’t be another chance. As soon as he was hypnotized, he’d forget about Fawkes and the plan to take him down.366b8ab985c0c8f3

There was only one chance. When ten steps narrow to three, when the warmth draws near, shadows loom, and the sharp smell of alcohol stings his nose. That’s when Fawkes must be taken down.1dece57a79c79a2e

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He decided not to consider ‘what if I fail’. Shavonne’s only card was hope. There was no choice but to believe.037412a6b2daec11

“It’s a life worthy of a human.”c180660c3db0bd09

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With the answer, footsteps began to approach. One step, two steps… The sound of shoe soles hitting the floor grew closer.7ba189719a3cc480

“It’s a life where you can learn to live through others.”c5a0c807be9b447e

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From ten steps to five, from five to three, Shavonne couldn’t take his eyes off Fawkes’ shoes closing the distance in the blink of an eye. If he looked away, he might miss a movement, and if he missed a movement, variables could arise, and if variables arose, the plan could go awry.2aea50bbd19aa2d0

A voice in his head chided him for being overly tense, but it couldn’t be helped. At this moment, tension was Shavonne’s savior. It was his eyes fixed on the target without blinking, his pounding pulse, his tightly clenched muscles, and his heart beating so hard it ached.e4f97ae2b1fdc775

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“It’s also a life where you can learn to love as much as you’ve been loved, and learn to be loved as much as you love.”9a64fa71e63a4c6f

Beads of 431a51bf78 sweat formed 10b87c11ad on his af9e3c5958 eyelashes. It was the caa2946569 cold sweat that e464c4c726 often comes with 3d99e8cf32 tension.Blink, blink, he deliberately 5389f940f0 opened and closed 4a408acee9 his eyes quickly 53394d858b to shake them 51d6a6fcd1 off, and only 7cc3deee0b then did his 71a4e2db3b vision clear.e934d4fa0c79f3c3

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That’s when it happened. When the footsteps that had been continuing suddenly stopped.4346a2d487e33777

Warmth. A looming shadow. The sharp smell of alcohol stinging his nose. Along with these, shoes stood just one step away. From afar, he hadn’t noticed, but now he saw they were new. Or perhaps old ones maintained to look new.cb109cff272372df

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Shoes are typically 7e84e40b8c worn for as 23c146a845 short as a 245c1d15e7 day or as c4f76f7677 long as a 1be6a638e9 week, and can aeb3c8bbb6 get dirty, but 1088fbc08c these were different. From the upper 51361a2194 to the sole, 1c6c3827fc from the shank e2fbde3140 to everything else, 310bfb7603 there was a 46c30f1f8b glossy shine. It was at that de4babfd5d moment that a certain 51c1735495 realization pierced through his 9f57df2f36 mind.d19d810d8e71d6a6

That’s it.59bd1e546b52e77e

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If Fawkes had used a chair, rope, and a cloth soaked in chloroform to subdue Shavonne, what Shavonne would use was the shoes. More precisely, the ‘cleanliness’ of the shoes.79fbc7afa44769e0

Shavonne opened c3f4e37e47 his mouth.c6bbb1f771b1d306

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“Say, what do you have on your shoes?”0f121865a666c99c

Fawkes made two mistakes. The first was carelessly looking down at his shoes at those words. The second was tying Shavonne to a chair that wasn’t high enough.04ed9c112e9b65b3

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The basics of 073596ee18 restraint dictate that 82279a4725 the feet should 7e08a64301 not touch the a344cc08ee ground. If not c142e6a6e0 careful, the 98c2204b65 restrained person 3f2453d470 might be d2e53f9653 able to 58e0e9ac24 kick off 4d7228946d and jump 315d29b1a4 up, chair 7008c51c94 and all.6d4a17a929ec9fcc

Of course, whether 306d008359 you jump ten 6323069f4f centimeters or a d6f79a06a5 hundred centimeters, falling b47c805813 is the same. The only difference 185a59521c is whether you 9432d1a4f2 break your nose, cacf86e64e crack your forehead, 94ede2a6e5 or get a cf94dfbe29 concussion. You might think no 86f67985ce one would be foolish f52ff8bb94 enough to do such 562c4aa1e9 a thing, but there 83438861af is. Right here, in fact.80c7670f874d31e4

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He jumped up with all his might. If it had been just his body, it might have been different, but weighed down by the heavy chair, he barely rose half a span. But it didn’t matter. Shavonne’s goal wasn’t to rise, but to topple over. Fawkes tried to retreat belatedly, but it was too late. By the time he tried to pull away, he was already flattened beneath Shavonne tied to the chair.0f943d9ea1c2b26c

Fawkes, who had to bear not only the fall but also the weight of Shavonne toppling over him, seemed dazed. The physical impact was significant enough, but the alcohol in his system made it even more challenging. On the other hand, Shavonne was able to regain his senses quickly, thanks to Fawkes’ body cushioning the impact of the fall.5a9306ff840aaacb

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As soon as his strength returned, Shavonne immediately headbutted Fawkes’ face. With a dull thud, blood splattered in all directions. It was a nosebleed. Seen from a distance, Fawkes’ nose was already a bloody mess. As a bonus, his once straight nose bridge was now grotesquely crumpled.b04bcf7ae515c4de

He wanted to savor the moment, but there was no time. He continued to headbutt until Fawkes’ face was ruined, his cheekbones sunken, eyebrow bones twisted, and a lump forming on his forehead. His forehead stung from the headbutts, but he couldn’t stop. No, he mustn’t stop.7b51b1c4df2a4d54

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Fawkes, who had 877a7b7753 been twisting his 2d5f1b5f93 head to shake 20e0192407 off Shavonne, eventually cb331d6094 started flailing his facfe2739a arms and legs e90f086baa to try to 26b5292ce4 pull his body 466e0a2573 out from under d0839af620 him. He seemed to have a204352308 judged that there was 2292830511 no chance of winning 71b0d89aa1 while pinned under Shavonne, ca275ba931 who was still tied 674d44c0ad to the chair.bf62b3daaa9492fa

Shavonne had no 55b7f2688c intention of letting a0761d4cd0 Fawkes gain the a9c2b87ef5 upper hand. However, while Fawkes had 054009b243 sobered up from this 522fa4f67f ordeal, Shavonne was still 7ed90857cb tied up. If the fight e3b347ce6c continued, it was 82c94bae42 clear who would 2062110425 win.8b917d812e74db05

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Then, he 252cad2627 had to 56a149e83c end it c1a998fbbc as quickly 1d9b1cd0ac as possible.e4d39ec261ad2709

For a moment, 11bbeccf48 he thought he 81aa34d8ce saw something. Something white. Something fluffy. Something gently swaying a6cb8d1288 in a soft efe155837f flow. By the time 4ffd2894bc he realized it 4a06827a80 was the fine c96eea3cb2 hair between the d758845633 eyebrows, an idea 7af4834e99 had already flashed c1e5a94070 through his mind.a03e276ca07c2dfe

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He slammed his 840edcd1a3 head down hard 76770e0a75 towards the spot 28460efbca between the eyebrows. At the 0fd87e177a moment of dc292ba4f0 impact, whether fb454b6076 it was 2454d0c452 a real b67df06fcf sound or 9f305dba36 an illusion, c18bf88c20 he heard 7855170543 something shatter. The next moment, a cb3e1f31e6 numbing pain pierced his 272197af0d ears.590f4006b708351c

Vital points weren’t just a myth seeing how Fawkes, who hadn’t lost consciousness even when his cheekbones sank, his eyebrow bones twisted, and a lump formed on his forehead, suddenly collapsed in an instant. Shavonne examined Fawkes with a skeptical eye. Just in case, he poked him a few times, but there was no response. There was only silence1020c069a0362d20

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Any more 56b0b663c3 stimulation might d9638ae8e1 wake Fawkes 40447094dd up. He retreated without touching e4e186a902 him further. Of course, given efe88d822a the nature of 5f04b010fa the restraints, he f1ac3430dc had to roll 4eef0d5084 with the chair 6c84c0b8a3 he was tied 2832fe54e6 to. With a thud, the ed162e1d27 chair fell to the 41362a17e9 side. Shavonne, tied to the 9a7156bdb0 chair, toppled over with b3a91f3c7b it. His head, hitting the c1b0880e5a hard floor, felt like 3ca957f849 it was about to 09a150c380 split open.262fe76dc7ab607d

Rolling, crawling, rolling, crawling. Enduring the pain that felt like his bones were trembling, he reached the table. Carefully, to ensure the bottle didn’t fall towards his head, he knocked over the table. As expected, the bottle shattered, scattering shards everywhere. The fragments were sharp enough to cause deep bleeding if he was careless.2d469e7bf75338d0

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He picked up a shard and cut the rope. Starting with his hands first. He proceeded cautiously, one strand at a time, to avoid cutting himself. Chest, waist, thighs, ankles… The rope came apart surprisingly easily, being unbelievable how it had been restraining his body until now.448ac2601eef8740

As he stood 4cf1d48bf7 up, his legs 6fd7615a09 wobbled. His muscles ached, de33005903 suggesting he had f75fd1d5b2 been tied up 5f0e2eb765 longer than he 8a7bd9f97f had thought. Looking around e8d33b62d2 to see 87cff33ace if there d9aa827d72 was anything 8e1fa26183 worth taking, e5a806de7d Shavonne spotted be3ee4ea00 a desk 722536c9b7 with three e4a7694b62 drawers. Opening the first f7392355cf drawer revealed a 6c4ea4c71f collection of business e75f4b446c cards. Useless. The second drawer contained a51d84f0b7 some documents, but they fa69a46eff were filled with words f868df1805 he didn’t understand, so bdf9f3ced9 they were equally useless.7e2a525341a61105

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The reward came 032546dcef from the third cb512491b3 drawer, which he 942a6e31f5 opened without expectations. There was a 1e28e42d5c gun. Not a fake gun 8482fa2359 made for play, but 7d60848ba0 a real gun.a9987ff2df9ec512

Shavonne had never even imagined he would use a gun. Guns were for important people. Not for a ghostwriter who didn’t have a single book in his own name. Not for someone who was so poor that couldn’t even pay the monthly rent for his apartment, let alone worry about where the next meal would come from. Not for Shavonne.949890a28a7c76a6

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Until now, that’s what he had thought.fa8698b51b1f69c7

According to what Fawkes had said, Lewellyn would die by tomorrow morning at the latest. ‘At the latest.’ That implied that even if he arrived at Lute before morning, Lewellyn might already be dead. But he couldn’t just wait for morning to come. He couldn’t just sit there waiting helplessly for news of Lewellyn’s death to arrive.8ec82db43f4cc2ac

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Shavonne picked 5fd97e3d58 up the 50d2e5d82d gun. Even if 9191b62fad he was 15105edd54 nobody. Even if 20e2df15d8 he was 82dbbc4de2 nothing. Despite all that, f3bc6565a2 he had to 3fc10fcf2b go. He had to c314e75c3e go and bring b0fd70b83c back his world.9798877c8955e8c2

All Shavonne could 1d27aabfd4 do now was c7b5823275 try. And pray.f4d6a7a3244e7b98

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Lewellyn.94a837389f747f27

Please be alive.641c3139e232857b

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Only the night answered. A night so black that one couldn’t distinguish what was path and what was fall.5b1c4fc8de925e9c

12ec4445e8a0dd64

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