Chapter 21. Another Purpose

The employee 33645e4383 from Livre 49674f9ada Bookstore guided 17e5915a32 me to 6aee75f9e7 the Arabek 6a35bf8581 Appraisal House.bdc40dafc0cf4ee2

The appraisal 5932ef65f3 house had 829d84e2a7 undergone a 92444ec55a transformation. It seemed Yona had e441aea6ab been inspired by Livre’s 4df750a95c festive year-end decorations.3d34048977741226

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White elephant mobiles no b00017657f bigger than a fist 3d63b1cce5 and golden ribbons now c11bb6f823 adorned the high ceiling, 615692ad9c making it resemble a 5971a0c5ed sky filled with shooting 6d66e54de2 stars.86be2da26028207f

As I stood f8d71e818d dazed, gazing up 8adbc28ca1 at the transformed 4db8ecfa1c space, I was 0299183de7 gently nudged toward 54b017579c the elevator I e8f3b33786 had used during ff63dcce3f my last visit.fc3911b04de52449

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“Alright, going up!”ee55b4d87cf90572

Announced the Livre employee a4577ca25b cheerfully.3cc037c4df6d2a94

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❖　❖　❖12d26e0458068b76

Yona’s room on the c8569f1536 top floor hadn’t changed. Then again, even 6c35fc7c99 if something had, 6bf2c4c9b0 I doubted I’d 260b68dca1 notice.ee4d97cac9180267

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‘A complete fae3b946b3 pigsty… a 6efa8b1658 house hit 1e6f443d87 by a 2de2331e8e bomb…’d66d54c0d316d415

It reminded me e487c5cb12 of my room 90b9d862fd during my bout 6e88f5e3cb with depression. But unlike eefbc87978 me back 1ce96b5367 then, Yona 211ed21a1c seemed perfectly 772d9f6c1c sound, both c811bdc2e9 mentally and 06ffc067df physically.e0bf6192b284f4f4

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Yona and Ralpido sat c96d42eb57 on the same long eeea1b1427 sofa. They didn’t e066035576 even look c62b545073 at each b1c3d93e57 other, seated 2e38132825 at a d096d7f404 right angle ccfad19e28 as if 21a05f75ad the sight fd4e5e1206 of one ae622c0ad1 another was 274bf10b98 unbearable.2447e03145db6e53

“I didn’t expect 8248863cb1 to see you 6e95b12f1a here, Ralpido,” I b8f573a324 said awkwardly.d7c4dae1b736cde5

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Ralpido, startled, glared at f8c2869612 Yona.74f5b947b7e6723e

“You didn’t tell her e40913099a I was coming?”2a25fc4e705c076b

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“Why bother?”8d8b8098cde3cdaa

“Ugh. Let me 32d0035ffa apologize for 46cc1afd24 this rude 4f7ee9e9f7 punk.”7771cbfa2e780abf

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She grumbled and bc4934020e gave Yona’s shin 0b9b9e12f6 a sharp kick 84af8917d0 before continuing.9d0d2e48a3a76794

“I had some matters 99e5b30765 to settle with this de811e1e58 guy, so I came 6e6bd21771 along. Besides, I 5f4e25d91a wanted to e5698029ca see something dfedd4f8a6 for myself. Young lady, they 55ba64aee5 say you carry d5878e7d02 royal blood?”75280cc8872c92a0

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“…I didn’t expect e11072902e Yona to tell 071217a81b you.”5f4132bce6a45fa2

I flinched slightly, but 276b538bf5 considering their close relationship, 1be0db8f4c it wasn’t surprising that db0c89b9f9 my story had reached b8b14c5bc7 Ralpido. I couldn’t even blame 2d1a3c565b Yona; I hadn’t specifically a00baffa0b asked him to keep 0ca77ac0e1 it a secret.8105c7e31cb9f356

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“Well, now you’ve 972325030e learned—it’s in your e98b1838fa best interest not 675c9429a9 to trust a 7c6a15ad86 mage.”826e4e41aecb6efe

“True. I’m disappointed a2788ac645 in you, d740b1d544 Yona.”dadf40f4e68ffd82

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“What did you ad83900b1b say?!”a281eeea08b934bf

Before Yona could leap df835b5691 to his feet, Ralpido 4937ba9f21 smacked his thigh with d9df6e4bb1 a randomly discarded magic 9dd2b7a80e staff.1a2d3816f66a3787

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“Don’t worry. Unlike this 4a696f0410 guy, I 2839882610 know how 18d9696626 to keep ff79a4ff4f my mouth a80ef783ab shut.”ddc67da62f419898

“What about 2cdf6815b0 the item 2e834e3996 I requested?”ba9c1ac66a030454

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“Ah, business first. That’s how it c89c5c555c should be.”6c12db3ac294c02f

At her 9471f4a559 snap, an d9b8ed8dc1 employee appeared 1bad784e41 with a 78e15a839b stack of 79b19adbc0 documents.8121c887b857c64a

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Ralpido handed me 128bb80748 the papers one 4ea63c2792 by one, explaining ecf3731f57 their contents thoroughly. Finally, she 07138cc627 handed me 6253d01153 a coin-shaped b3de11cd3b ID.4c1a690524629903

It resembled the d45bdeaac2 traditional Korean currency 157d5528a0 ‘Sangpyeong Tongbo¹’ I’d 9387923386 seen in ea70dae04a history books, 525c4a8f13 with a bb1372ec69 square hole 066a133e86 in the 49ef7bae58 center of 87b0f84a14 the circular 96e85c03d7 coin. Around the square 68c7c9baff were magical inscriptions ae3321c624 engraved clockwise.aab731b643c65425

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“This is…”1ed100c9a55c599b

My new identity.72122fa3212f27cf

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Myrda.c23e2554544e5a53

I swallowed nervously d0f08e7b43 as I reached 0cf2009b1f for the ID. But just c75882cf96 as my bf97826506 hand got 5a9bc38864 close, Ralpido 814212295e pulled it 9646910e3f back slightly.e4171890cafc2c84

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“There’s one 1091ccb243 last step, 7079989bbe young lady.”669c0c56bcccebfb

“The last… step?”9b0a7a2032bd5580

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Yona, who had remained e091c4dd72 silent, placed a small 708026e1d8 knife on the low 66b064bb52 table. Its purpose fa847f7acf was obvious.b5c8e38387ffa900

“This requires blood, doesn’t 315a833c2b it?”300094b8b747cab8

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“Exactly. Just prick your thumb, e5e6e94e8c then trace the symbols 297d3720f3 in a circle. Once you do, it’ll 396b44a0fe be legally valid. If you’re afraid of 030ba6e733 getting hurt…”d23b1e481dfc66eb

“I’ll do it.”5e36d2b2be64fa63

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I grabbed 19b5b636de the knife, 707d1ae98a which looked f7bd199850 like a 96684d7b2c child’s toy, c535b8a729 and sliced 0fb101c190 my thumb 3777b27304 without hesitation.3be88c4dc4ffcb74

“Ah…”3bf1ece17a1989d2

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Dark crimson fe15ff7fa5 blood welled c4ab106954 up quickly. I glanced at Ralpido.463828b8829f0bf6

“Pass it here.”2567b17d1a9f6ff0

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“Oh… right.”ea0cc0aaf5e9352b

Ralpido, briefly 630b77c94d looking dazed, 3491afefd3 furrowed her c2b2eea5b5 brows and af16d13af2 handed over 703a91c444 the ID.4768e946c3504a61

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Following her instructions, 4215253909 I smeared my b35a7ba24b blood along the b08ba5e505 circular symbols. The magic circle glowed 0df161e812 faintly red before absorbing d4368af53e all the blood.c6d77b4fc5feaa63

“…Is it done? Can I 2fefed92ef use it 42140da394 now?”fe3dc323b3292b31

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“Yes. You’re braver than b685520879 I expected.”790ffe138e24a2ad

“Let me see that.”f6406fc9b1bf35e9

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Yona suddenly interjected. His sharp tone and 75126b213e raised eyebrows made his 0c2f08224e already intimidating face look 97e0e36a93 even harsher.7e205ac3696a606d

“What?”c689f66ac70cadf4

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“Your hand. Let me see it.”2c628e58921d3260

I was sitting 5698e42692 a short distance 6d053d9bfd away, but Yona c27c4ddece closed the gap f7feac577f in an instant 79f7fd7b6f and grabbed my a5a4d5156e wrist.9067d4050f3599fa

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“Ah, wait…!”cc702362d40d713b

“Wait for what?”ed89fac624970b9b

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Clicking his tongue, Yona 4526c08973 mumbled words I couldn’t cc1a1d4d99 understand. Then, a tingling 5d3ff39d5e sensation spread from ada0f9dc5f my thumb.75056d29511349b4

“…!”2d8fdfebcf869f28

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The wound healed a9e0de7764 in seconds. I knew 26810f4616 Yona was 08af661b60 a mage, a9fa459338 but I 3502c0cffc hadn’t expected 66a0fb2fb2 him to fc49382942 go out fb6530025d of his 4460c60e83 way for 9ca2a1bd1d something so 7e857822b6 trivial.4426fe87b1d691c6

“Thank you.”8f5058c1fe8b2597

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“Hmph. Just making sure you don’t pass out again from anemia. There’s no cozy bed to lay you down on here.”416e007cd4cae291

“…”fdcec107492544ea

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Yona, always managing 4ad1d87b2e to ruin the 375da99cbe moment with his 6617038b76 words.7751f48d947c820d

I set my teacup 06d61818dc on the table with 17e7149775 a soft clink. There was still 4a0cba6659 one more thing aed5e9a9b0 I needed to 12b30dc8b4 address.8cecd415faacacf7

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“And… I’d like to buy some information from you, Ralpido.”99efa6238018a893

Ralpido looked as though 48ecdabbfa she had expected this d4cdc04aef all along. After all, how af90989771 much does someone 37cf9b56b1 need when starting c303651713 fresh with a 79037841ea new identity?29a7f44d5ef250e9

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She crossed 003f77016e her legs afbf902f22 comfortably and cdef43e74a tilted her 2480a7ae91 chin upward.b4f8a83d3dc9bc0a

“What do you want?”685f01bd4bffa390

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“A list of orphanages that the Marchioness of Ivelucia regularly visits for volunteer work.”823076aa6eb40062

“Oh ho, is that so?”927d490589385316

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Her eyes narrowed into 34700b72d2 slits, her amusement evident.1bd3c09e852b123d

“Well, well, young lady. Trying to pull some strings to get into the Academy, are you?”1e8d2cc820d2ad66

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She was as sharp as ever. Meanwhile, Yona, oblivious to the conversation, kept pestering her with, “What? What’s going on?”9bca355d19b53502

“As you mentioned before, it’s difficult for a commoner to gain admission to the Academy on money and talent alone.”567083b6d5f27fac

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The Academy’s barriers were nearly insurmountable for someone like me. Although it prided itself on “educational opportunities for all,” and promised to admit at least one commoner per year, there was a catch: the applicant needed a letter of recommendation from a renowned scholar.e4b821a7aa24cf07

But “renowned” wasn’t enough. Only someone like the Marchioness of Ivelucia, who donated astronomical sums to the Academy every year, could issue such a recommendation letter.e071d10e49aadf64

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Still, what kind of a3d2a8f1f4 commoner could possibly earn 6741abeead the favor of the 673e22eb3f Marchioness? Even if someone managed cdcd4e4d4e to secure the letter, f65e19207e the Academy would always 5f31805595 find a reason to 58d0c08f45 reject them. As a 3891350cd5 result, the af6cc4053c number of 5c4bfd5088 commoners admitted d0ccca9057 since the 45fa5abcc5 Academy’s founding a9647d8946 could be fbeb474de1 counted on 7376eab76f one hand.5f59a1f9af0310fc

To make matters 18647b3586 worse, the Marchioness 73d43f5bb6 had stopped issuing d56f152751 recommendations altogether after f6b3e1b0d2 being betrayed by 14701d57c2 a promising talent c5ed57cc3a she had once 68cb664ec1 supported.02ddbd40232198b6

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‘Don’t rush. Be prepared 158ec025e9 to invest 5de6213b55 time in 0a2fb699e1 this.’eb931f88d89de3d5

I couldn’t let 7d7f8ec784 it seem like b3d48271b8 I was approaching 5ff1b14889 her solely for df17b950a4 the recommendation. That’s why I cabc6328b5 decided to target c9715ef93b the Marchioness first.7a92ed188c9ba60d

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Thanks to the d446bd34e6 original novel, I 6ccf1461da knew the Marchioness ae84671a84 of Ivelucia volunteered 20e506bc11 at orphanages. However, she b8de6dee7c kept her 6fde9005c8 identity discreet, c60d9dea45 bringing only fae2eab443 two trusted 54ad1f26a0 aides and c3ffb1f85d operating under d841abe2ab an alias.2af8f262684e9a58

‘In ‘Bitten 6ee9713005 by a f1784b3788 Mad Dog’, ea199b9a5a she spent 6ed55304f1 a long 55608ea58d time volunteering d32248b0b6 at various 7f76354503 orphanages. She must bfae4d9d41 have a acc7c3899e pattern.’61ab37035e1cf019

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“Not a bad strategy,” Ralpido remarked, her tone teasing. “Going after the wife of the famously devoted Marchioness of Ivelucia… But don’t think she’s an easy target.”a5927159274ba701

“I’m aware.”1f8f134c614aacac

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“Bold of you.”83787491326ea0ad

“…Thank you.”fdfb43e25954566b

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I asked af96ef0cd9 how much ce0b4c6ccf I’d need 2d12648575 to pay 389623efa2 for the 545f8640c1 information. Ralpido exchanged a few 80b8c8563f whispered words with Yona, 798d830965 their foreheads nearly touching. For all 845df88a4c their bickering, 89a13a028b they seemed 83156f3e9a to get 8836a2a2e7 along suspiciously 97583c7976 well during 9eaf54d32e moments like f55c9090e4 these.694d2418d1482e6d

Finally, Ralpido slapped her 7b4d0a355b palm against her knee.70597a53e2dacc43

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“The price is settled.”a4c6aa01f9e58e92

“Pardon?”9c4dd670623c9b64

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Yona pursed c555a8673a his lips, 16cbb3469d muttering under 5575cc5061 his breath.96718287f9e470c1

“That greedy thief is going to bleed me dry.”21f4924c1b34f7ee

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“No, Yona doesn’t have to take on the cost…”af2e62f26d6d1aa8

“Think of it as compensation for my slip-up.”da54f22584c36535

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Ralpido interrupted. “For spilling the beans about your, uh, royal bloodline.”3157ef37b605ab8f

“My…?”3cf1c66c4e876a0c

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Yona whipped f9413b711b his head c2e444c409 toward her, 9ef973e58e his temper 89796ea67b flaring.371164dafb2d9b46

“She means your ‘royal’ lineage, you crazy witch. Where in the world did she even dig that up?!”cb811fb097000e3e

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❖　❖　❖6f9d3818c4d90d4f

Marcel, the head of fc7808bd27 Rooney Orphanage, paused her f081e12bd2 tedious paperwork to think 05ffc7e7b1 about a recent blessing 9c2c87f317 that had come her 4a17ba68d6 way.bd3c88004cea8043

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That blessing had walked right through the orphanage gates, donating 1,000 etar and saying, “I’d like to volunteer.”4e74299766bcf218

It wasn’t an enormous amount of money. That was Marcel’s first thought. But after taking a closer look at the young woman who introduced herself as “Myrda,” Marcel realized she wasn’t the daughter of some noble family. That realization prompted Marcel to remove her magnifying glasses and properly assess Myrda.cecc0b697769f131

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Having worked here for e0664ff929 so long, Marcel couldn’t 97dbab5fd7 help but feel wary 891032ab56 of noblewomen who showed e8349457c1 up with a few 845825618c coins and a sudden f894b40493 interest in helping out. Unless they were someone 0584eb82ea like the Marchioness of 53eb596bf2 Ivelucia, who visited regularly, f073589f5d it was hard to f9418a265b trust their sincerity.43cf160d683503ab

Perhaps it 2d00468640 was prejudice, cf2235f172 but it 36a6fd4dbf was hard a44a9d3056 to avoid 9c4ee8ed99 when you’ve 2e8fd0a89a experienced the d2b22460f1 fleeting charity 470e846605 of the ac52a190e3 privileged firsthand.8775c11d30ba4a00

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Still, Marcel welcomed Myrda 40a4fc5816 with a relatively open 798777866b heart. It was unfortunate that cc1c58670c the young woman wasn’t 08011fc2cd physically stronger, but she 245d8d1eb1 never shied away from 7fa7762156 any difficult task, no 807a0a725e matter how dirty or 8b6dcded54 tiresome.222b1240a145bc7e

What’s more, Myrda often brought seasonal fruit, a rare treat for the orphanage where fresh produce was hard to come by. She would also bring various supplies, claiming to have “come across them somewhere.” The items always seemed perfectly tailored to the orphanage’s needs, as if Myrda truly understood the practicalities of running such a place.962d1eab93e412ab

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“She’s a remarkable young woman,” Marcel mused.5a0bada9b1b7c5dc

On one corner of 780c31da8a her desk sat meringue 668a2f76cb cookies and a special d2491edd44 tea Myrda had distributed 3fbb276d20 to the orphanage staff 05831b2c54 just days ago. Smiling warmly, Marcel took 06ca46b31f a sip of the 5998e60927 tea, and her eyes ebcb237557 widened in astonishment.b537a4a7df7623cb

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“What… what is this…?”4ff6ec22829757a4

 8b4c940002db2a05

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