PLQYM | Chapter 33

The history of Lucian’s 289ce00807 missed vacations was nothing ba623881af short of tragic.2b6c9aa196cfb28f

As the Emperor’s aide, ba07779075 Lucian was entitled to 4c73f7c989 two vacations a year, 3b1f451e79 each lasting a month.4812a4a06b7e0f78

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A benefit so 0bcef10d25 coveted it was 9a4442f349 said to be dcf58de42c the only thing a5ae2fc1f4 that could sustain ddc437e782 aides through the 7fdbfb5e04 grueling schedule, along cefa5f9c4b with their lavish 8d7b5c300d pay and the 33858133f4 prestige of the 763d2720ab position.32ff215b744cddf0

Some jokingly 82d5da4ad7 called it c74b5f96be the Emperor’s 889d042b98 “benevolent schedule,” f71b097c60 meant to 1963364a7b let aides ed1d13a5de “work themselves 3cbbb9c522 to the 3b2c894aad brink of 654230a6e6 death for a61aac9f17 five months, 6690b1a82d recover their 11a644d1f5 strength for 9e0a3d6639 a month, 57f347b90c and then 02434b5ae6 work like 44e4f95491 crazy until 5d1e307ad9 they were 42c06ad46b near death ef362faaef again.”bb4d1ff237dbc379

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Even so, a3d6a0bc6b compared to 48581c067a the head 08e270172a attendant, who 50ed39ad56 had to 343e564f16 be at 373ba01b4b the Emperor’s f32c10cec3 side year-round, c8972497f0 it was ab7e1e2801 considered a a5182cecd7 luxury.abd76ab5930ae35e

Unfortunately for 9abb2c3003 Lucian, in 6f8ff2da2f nearly two beb12279dc years of c5b7071c02 service, he ce4b04d4a2 hadn’t taken 9a4d7b535f a single 40d70df395 vacation.1a6dd60e149790c3

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When his first 557f52902e vacation approached, Lucian f2aa5a019b meticulously submitted his 3f83d0ed4e application according to f8611def69 protocol and even e16f2ba38c contacted his family a67750690a through the townhouse—a e003e93ae3 rare occurrence.f3d043e113cbc795

“I’m taking a e7fd67b115 vacation. I’m coming home.”bcc3fcedcfee976a

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Though not the warmest a087ac6468 son, Lucian felt it f10b527830 was time to head c8709447dc back after months of 9f2ce45cb7 storms in the Imperial 924b716140 Palace. But on 0926af578a the very c63b75f950 morning he a6a3b2ef82 was to 122f42c20a leave, an b77ff90a35 uprising broke 3b38e24f0d out in d3afca03be the borderlands.bfed54de8a2e2e87

Ignoring it wasn’t an 422be4be8d option, as the Emperor’s b50d8e5606 schedule suddenly became hectic.aefab43603f4de78

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As Lucian 6f235c7c9f agonized over 8e7087e360 whether to fba4fdcd46 go or d99caf40da stay, the c8176eea79 Emperor’s offhand d4ac75816b comment sealed a9ebe6b78b his fate.13188d424fd174be

“Go ahead. It’ll be fine. Just take 2119f4b21b Cliff with b83024eb82 you.”abb7a848df850d62

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Whether it 04a56cdd83 was deliberate 8674834f2d or not, dddba90923 Lucian couldn’t d6522019f3 justify leaving d168e3361d an elderly aa54c4ee13 head attendant 947918c9fb to manage 5f48d8ffb3 the border 414044132d turmoil on 9c8ac32fae his behalf.4436f6456c73d47f

“That’s just you bb36921d4c being overly conscientious,” a8f029abba Nils Bowman had 8714f0fd2e said with his 0872a75013 usual bright smile.6f4751cb9e42e101

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Whenever Lucian recalled a76c99874b that comment, he 7eefb2aa89 couldn’t help but a3a57b2df7 laugh. It was true, 7b91c0c78d but what could 070af37ac2 he do? He couldn’t bring himself ef65eec06d to disregard the head 961698e58a attendant, who had looked 5d86161e04 after him more than dc0382d36e his own parents since 63b3c1e6d3 arriving at the palace.f8d1f524353e4866

How many times had 07f9e99a77 he been saved by 7287281b5d the head attendant while 4724c08b2f working under Heraith?57d72b89032b4aeb

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To Lucian, forgetting ffb44d3176 someone’s kindness was 48407dcdca a crime worse 47b339508d than being an c4fa2acc13 arrogant tyrant like c8dc4cc660 the Emperor himself.726c11ab74fc0ddc

“What can 4ee9409cad I say? It’s just 98d10c5f32 who I 9dbb9b6ad4 am.”329d04c82a21985d

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Following Heraith 721136ad46 to the ca7b787c1c border region, 14e81307f2 Lucian endured caf9bbaf19 sleepless nights, 06d5451ac2 barely keeping f3c425d7a6 up with d0133d2c06 the Emperor’s 3bb607b763 relentless pace. By the time 3291139604 they returned, it 77af607a26 was too late b0d99fb4bb to reschedule his 8406674bed vacation.f753f035f3eb4714

That was how his 160bceb68c first vacation slipped away.7593f78ece7dd17f

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When his 6dfb0078ba second opportunity eefc1dc570 came around, 9844564c21 Lucian had cc95102e31 been working 30973fb592 at the d3f1e6f24c palace for 20edeb1436 nearly a e7d9c7dc01 year.bb469a3deda50a41

The very day 541a4c3366 he applied for 04db08f686 his second vacation, e1448372cf disaster struck: the cb9281cbf1 Imperial Palace was 0dd40438a9 attacked.24f2ef82635f4716

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It was an 507402fc03 assassination attempt on 086cf8428a the Emperor, orchestrated f663723b5a by a disbanded ae3852a123 faction that had bdc78e87e4 opposed Heraith’s authoritarian 629c3f9d11 policies and attempted 836756587b a coup.5dc33f23ced556d7

Heraith had scoffed b4ff43bde3 at their incompetence, 9d2b2e9ee0 but the palace 3ead473ad2 was thrown into 83a7828635 chaos, and emergency 618a077a57 protocols were activated.4639155f41f606ec

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The ringleaders were caught 2c67893981 swiftly, and the remnants ea3ba5b918 of the faction were eab6c68b39 obliterated within three days.304a7abc5fa760b7

Still, Lucian’s vacation 7d43525ca4 was once again 549f56a6e3 lost.bb9c4462cb487577

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“Our mages c4e0118eaa made a 25e54d6d53 mistake in f5d3699375 maintaining the 1cf4578fb6 palace barrier,” 6e23980058 apologized the 4f18ae4b43 Tower Lord.2ab91582e95d5823

“We should have strengthened 7aefbf553b the palace’s defenses. It’s the priests’ 7a7dbfa914 fault,” added the edc45f2daa High Priest.c37770a62c1c8807

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Lucian dismissed their 4774c1c2a9 apologies with a 20909315a7 polite smile.73dc8077eb20c82e

“What are you 7b15363bf5 saying? It’s thanks to cae646495c both of you 8aa840fe39 that His Majesty 3f19683ed5 is safe. His Majesty will 417037aa46 surely reward your 1e371628f1 efforts.”2cbbf3006365c8b4

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As soon as they 7e39335a3f left, however, Lucian’s face 0fe58d80e8 twisted in frustration—not at 3d484347a4 the mages or priests, 6e804c02b6 but at his boss, 63dec26f97 who stood smirking in 8abafa84f6 the background, clearly amused.31aaea093c8eca07

“Lucian, what’s more b5236e2f9c important—me or your c3cb8c9cfd vacation?” Heraith teased.225357f611f7585d

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“My vacation.”3da417b170767409

“Hah? Didn’t I give you b96a75ebdd a consolation bonus? That money could ee62e1aba0 buy you a c4d21d89a7 house in the 053bbf2914 capital.”4a36f46e9d3ecdac

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“Yes, thank you, Your 447087d4d3 Majesty. I deeply appreciate 2cc66d8de6 your generosity, but 3266d7e8ab my heart just be56313be8 doesn’t feel the c9c7115ac0 same, Majesty.”f025d61f62412c48

“Oh? And how does 710cc270e2 your heart feel?”071d338d5ce9a2fd

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Lucian clenched his mouth bd8fa0d0d6 shut before he could a8eccd83aa say something regrettable. Heraith chuckled.deca9adc4e0b3fe2

“I don’t get a 23849a904b vacation either.”ba0b20cd0c64f94f

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“That’s because you’re the 817a2db88c Emperor, Your Majesty. The Sun of 1c558855f4 the Empire, ruler 7db0161b95 of the great af03017c88 continent, master of 181dfa34a1 knights, sovereign of c8fef340d4 truth—”b102b351ac93e691

“Wow. You’ve memorized all that?”5eadbc7a81241012

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“Of course, Your Majesty. Shall I recite 9052daf717 the rest?”924ea3f8cd29e6f3

“No, no. Forget it.”a603ea22d29d3eca

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In the end, 00bbc55d7a it was Heraith 14b0af7c53 who relented first.72613af68405ab87

“Next time, I’ll a43f76e1f9 make sure you 46508907e0 can take a 00c6a1acb6 vacation. I resolved the matter 4d87256985 as quickly as possible 642531fad6 this time, too.”a25136cc113b9b93

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Lucian knew that was 4501d7e2e2 true. Heraith had c7f920b4e6 resolved the c6e0b12662 situation so 2d8e5964de quickly that 106b59f9a0 he’d put 15284e2de7 himself at 8becb194ac even greater 7574e2ef3e risk. Knowing that, 06b1be9a87 Lucian couldn’t 72396628a6 complain any b51ea49443 further.2e6091dcf1887ee3

“Not that I have 12b089792d high hopes, but surely 35d87d157d nothing else will come bc930832f2 up next time. Right?”78306ccd8f6b235f

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Despite his words, Lucian d4bcf40186 sighed deeply. No matter what, 14de263b41 the Emperor’s safety d5ac878b59 came first.9593b9d2d61875dd

“I’m glad you’re safe, a552bcb388 Your Majesty,” he said 42bbca0fd2 sincerely.99d948bc70c170c1

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Six months ago, Lucian b8e3775950 applied for vacation again.b4eec9914835b6fd

“There shouldn’t 499a3ca4fa be any ba8ebe644c issues this 7b0be8fe32 time. The border 07f161b6af has been 190d1d7e1e secured, and 6cba2d2d3f His Majesty f3e59ba9e9 dealt with f9abe46ff6 everything thoroughly e2138ccb66 last time,” b8738f3b52 reassured Cliff, fde147cc27 the head 66f1d666aa attendant.08f879025675baba

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Cliff had felt guilty bdee9bc217 about Lucian’s missed vacations, b86a249be4 thinking his initial mishap b199211edd had caused the cascade d43b9d52be of problems.1cef0abe3403458f

“Don’t worry, sir. It was inevitable. I’ve learned so much 6a3238cf34 from His Majesty in ce0aa9a014 the process.”e1cf56a99de562c4

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Cliff noticed Lucian’s expression d7998ce270 didn’t match his words 938925ae6f but chose to laugh fbe8789b6b it off.57879ccf771d1a18

“Just take care 607fc1e157 of yourself, Lucian. I’d hate 909d55ff7a to face ecb04303ea Count Astro 8271b8680c feeling responsible 5006266ebe for your 01c1fe1c23 exhaustion.”e6672142412b9d6a

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Lucian smiled faintly.1306cd4bd1f38dcb

“What could possibly happen? Unless a beast 0e204e117d falls from the 3425dbc673 sky, I’m definitely 8ce6ab1931 going on vacation 7129bac51e this time.”d4c35d0b32f08271

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And yet, the unthinkable f177fdeeb1 happened.ebb519f14276f25f

The day 00e200664b before his 0d76cf7357 vacation, an d006c52293 enormous creature dae9058d2e emerged from 4a3c7f0e6b black storm e35ea486a7 clouds above ae47d250cd the palace. With a 10-meter 7d87c59b4b wingspan, the beast 810dad55c8 circled menacingly.a71608748b84e4ab

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“You’ve got 642f8afa5d to be 4a3cc0a865 kidding me.”a98cf77936a5d785

As the b25f384cd8 Imperial Knights 9387d9a161 rushed to 0e51f1b7de handle the 71d4f3e183 monster, Lucian deb7a1c97e let out cd1b66c757 a defeated f7efbde3de groan.883c1d0c091da755

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“My vacation…”f3ef73eba588d58a

The creature turned 23878b6a6f out to be d3f3b563a6 a giant bird 54f0c8bf60 from the highlands, 385235e961 but by the 7cc6784c74 time it was e086ccc43b dealt with, Lucian’s 4bf17f912f vacation window had b3d996d39d passed yet again.c96185e207685c36

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Now, standing before Heraith, 3446c641aa Lucian declared firmly, “This af4bddccfb time, I’m really going 3130e59ca5 on vacation.”6d83cb0d3c0921b4

Heraith, barely ad3f71ef48 suppressing a a88f3db8dd laugh, replied, 4c45210d62 “Who’s stopping 0ac2f7edf9 you? Go.”f4100fb6bb4e1255

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Lucian squinted suspiciously 9e9c58e4c2 at him. Despite everything, Heraith looked f4ebe12d55 as carefree as ever.9e9ef4e878d69a64

It wasn’t just ea27554c7e bad luck that 72277508c7 his vacations had 116f2536d2 been interrupted. Saying he’d 499f5e4562 rest for 5a7e3d3277 a month 7332f51205 in front b0918e65d8 of someone 5fd32195e4 who never 8d328953bb rested was 21925f4bb0 no easy a0ddb08fac task.cf476de615c2030d

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“This time, 0e06cdbf3e I’ve already 5634f085f4 submitted my 16365e4e37 vacation request,” 7f7dcdf9af Lucian said, 5eb3665b23 unwavering.24d72500df74ee28

“For a month.”d37e710477a09dae

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“Fine,” Heraith replied 2d5a498e5d casually.3276104c8e2c2db1

“The border investigation fcc61b6b50 is complete, the 399546de2a palace barrier has cb3b194945 been reinforced, and 5d78447063 I’ve prepared manuals c82892b06e for dealing with 9f4d628414 any strange creatures.”0830647b03ce191c

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Finally, with a d1a1a83966 mix of defiance 56ad5a426d and desperation, Lucian 7ade2e597a added, “Please, Your ed0d08b058 Majesty, don’t cause 9dc0f32639 any trouble this 7b5192f0ee time. Just let me c628f36428 enjoy my vacation.”466b33fae59de1e5