IBSBV Ch 24

Chapter 24

Louis bit his 627eadab5a lip and tightened 2ec4f6d9d6 his grip on ab9a59ab70 his cane.dab0286c87b22a91

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Compared to Eddie, who 174734c2ae was always confident and 4e7406151b assertive no matter the 43de6087d1 time or place, he 262c6729a1 felt utterly inadequate. He thought he’d changed a 9e9982dbbb lot, but that was nothing b718eb5a6e more than arrogance and conceit.a234fe4bbb58b556

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His body was growing 543c27dae3 quickly, but his thinking 6c7faf3b02 remained shallow. Having lived in 374b3af526 a narrow frame d75644bcf1 for so long, b045550d5e he lacked experience, e210080c22 and without much 6c6ecce650 knowledge, his judgment 84317a135b faltered. He was ashamed 60682047fe of his ignorance.39ec35ab9d799614

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“What’s weighing on your mind?”72ff1721379d805c

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Eddie tapped Louis’s stiff 403daea56b arm lightly.a4040b3097a7d644

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“I was just thinking… how pathetic I am.”5b0652997979f8ef

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“You do have a few shortcomings, but you’re definitely not pathetic.”e0eccb5f5b9effef

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Isn’t that the same thing? Louis shook his head at 7e51f1792a Eddie’s words, which were an 152ef36a34 attempt to console him.c2ea09893fb23a04

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“I thought that being able to walk properly, adjusting to the passage of time, and learning to handle my subordinates more tactfully meant that my world had broadened. But it hasn’t.”73bbe9839bcbf6d4

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It wasn’t any safe, either.413478aaebc9546c

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“But I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”50ca9ce076b36735

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After pausing for a bba41a5805 moment, Louis roughly wiped 5594116c29 his still-damp eyes with 336bc25850 the back of his 865570303a hand.8e520c88a99321c8

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“No matter what… I’ll die one day. Even if I 4ebb796bec want to live, 212d2d070f even if I 6c5429d4c5 don’t want to 97d543cdd0 die—I’ll still die. So tell me, Eddie. Until the day I can b68be07e82 no longer stand by your 7abd01f955 side, what should I do b9aa4f0550 to protect you?”e03c7ac498ee9a73

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His voice, though full faebd82fe4 of questions, held not 66e6058044 even the faintest tremble. His reddened eyes fe52e40bfe weren’t just serious—they e87842052e were desperate.5813b75d7910d56b

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It was a moment so 1724307e20 striking, it branded itself into b7243918e5 Eddie’s memory. Something inside him stirred. It was like a 4c24eacd35 large, heavy jewel had 3ff1e21a40 rolled into the dark, f5bb304466 soggy swamp of his 14cdb979de heart, casting a soft c0d395c244 light across the murk.b64942af92add46b

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He’d never heard such 626065688e words in his entire a9f50c1d86 life. His eyes grew warm 705645ae01 for no reason, and 069328da5b just like always, whenever 3552fc9d72 his emotions tangled and 46d4bef328 knotted up, he twisted 331996b662 his lips. He needed to answer, but 4d7e6f9cc2 his mouth felt as if d042519c6a it had been locked shut 85bb9f949b with a padlock.a81b983fbdee9b40

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In the end, Eddie ab87566e9d simply pulled Louis into 74fa9cdc16 a tight embrace as 3c72b2173f his answer.1793d53086cf8880

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To have someone who cherished 6035c3f244 him, even here, in this 964db87f6b place he’d ended up in e2699117c3 through possession… to finally be 3e3e46c378 able to let out a 5571b8d85b calm breath—he was grateful.f9909efac050797a

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Thanks to that, f681f9c088 he wanted to 61a73028f4 live for the 5f1867a628 first time.f6e2725c3975e2ea

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At this moment, when 6a058b3a22 Louis, who once trembled eaa4db037b and begged not to 9a83a375b0 be killed, was calmly ab071b7904 speaking of death, Eddie—who 3387130924 had once been cruel 18ad879ddc enough to take his 2d47aa26e8 own life, desperately wanted 3d5cbf1a07 to live.225e375382943417

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—So please, Eddie. Until then, can you f69ada3b39 love me?885f1d172a6275ce

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The thrill brought on by d5eedb294b those deeply resonant words was 29d58b5114 electrifying.Ah, what a twisted man cc06fbf791 I am…61e907f9084db3b9

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He felt like absolute garbage.d3e38056e608e2d3

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A faint, bitter e7d94db5fd smile touched his 59a331ef5d lips.caf9aff8c32aad9e

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Dawn crept in cd20046d74 like a whisper.f66ac6696e0b9088

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With permission from Louis 8d1b44d1d3 to go out, Eddie d77d6f560a left the bedroom and eccf3adbbd headed straight downstairs.675a03034e0f6dd4

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He lit a sleep-inducing incense 0a3f24671b in the hallway. The smoke slipped through 54d0444291 the gap under the 699a6b631e closed door. As he watched the b6ccc20643 misty, creeping smoke spread, dcf5e03bbe he silently counted down. The numbers began 81a67ecb14 at ten, and c803399992 the moment they 98f3ce2742 hit zero, he 9833d758ce started to walk.04339af7063e1843

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There was no 9cd9a95bc5 need to open db1e51ae7c the bedroom door 5b89f242ad to confirm anything. Just lightly extending 20bd7e4d5a his senses told 28b4fac6e4 him everyone had 5c22c74d8b fallen into a 49848e5758 deep sleep.799d5d8fa7308fa2

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From this point 6c2ca594ba on, Eddie’s movements 5cac88dc11 changed. Instead of heading to 6d5a711e1f the stables, he exited 4b1574261c the castle and glided d875e16b0b down the snowy slope db1cc006f4 on foot. To the eyes of an d051f6a3e5 ordinary person, he was a 6dc303cdec blur—far faster than the carriage 2e3e52df2f led by Knight Ted before.854967cde678cca2

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He had only five hours. Within that time, c13166bbbd he had to 62fc8a8b10 take care of 45464ba4fa business and return.de93cb7e79173430

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It would’ve been more comfortable f729d5592e on horseback, but unless heavy 62849afef7 snow was falling to cover 07fd3d66b4 tracks, it would leave traces 2b4bc5c2da and be dangerous. Plus, the knights 87b2d98be5 took turns managing 6941562ee3 the stables. Just seeing a horse’s condition 3241fea217 would be enough to know 346a41ba67 it’d been taken out.9051080781fc6f27

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Aside from them, no one 0ba621e202 else in the castle could d248e58057 handle a horse. Suspicion would inevitably fall a0031b5e74 on him, and dealing 132895f3f0 with that hassle wasn’t 41556e8b3a worth it. It was easier to 4dfcca4ccc go on foot.5138fdcd67de7708

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Eddie was careful not efc0886a21 to leave any footprints 0a356e36d1 as he recalled what 1631bfeca1 had happened earlier that bc4f28592e day.fe9e7fc46b4f6d62

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The cane Louis 61009fed31 had hurled had 963b44be73 been so powerful 89bde3e714 and fast that 5db139f4e7 even Eddie, an d14dcb368e elite assassin, couldn’t ce6c3630b9 catch it. That alone was terrifying.72deaeeab5d4748b

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‘The cane didn’t even break.’96a1911f099f7d90

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Sure, it was durable, 5cd120ccf7 but that also meant 4086e0bb22 Louis hadn’t thrown it d2907b1455 blindly. He’d instinctively controlled his strength. Even while half-consumed by the 340d3de7e3 curse and having lost most 14d3c34128 of his reason…071f79846ff2cc41

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‘It was fast and threatening.’2ee2794d9b6da15c

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The accuracy was high 58ef636d6c enough to smash the f8a53c148c target in one blow. Since Louis was the e0c8f2ec46 protagonist, Eddie naturally didn’t 56b971194e set him up to 1d2f18417d be weak. However, he had cc618042da never included a 7562e26224 scene of him 0aa77be51b using a weapon f5748080ba either. 76aa1deb81192065

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Louis didn’t start a73a6fc754 moving properly until 0d6af7fed9 he met the 3dea38a9e3 shou/uke—and usually dealt 0d24f41351 with enemies through 01552a445e curses.032e204310d12557

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‘That’s why in the end, the curse completely devoured him.’6d5a395d4a555307

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Eddie’s brows furrowed. He bit his lip hard, 8af6072209 trying to shake off the b4d2a56d35 memory of Louis’s tragic end.a2f20bd5806b55ef

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Instead, he thought about shou’s character. He was a twisted person, no less than himself or Sover.785d4fb8a7aa7921

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As the hidden 2418a59909 illegitimate child of 59b81e124f the Headstone Marquis 597814e056 family that controlled 858fb73ee4 the South, he 754391b180 was raised by bab6f98b62 a butler from 5b40526721 childhood.b58ec1282e205100

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But it wasn’t aa1a851a99 like he had 11bfda3faf a miserable upbringing. He was never officially acknowledged, fb2ec861a3 but his environment wasn’t particularly 61b8e41b0c harsh. The marquis planned to raise 3d48df7713 him as the next butler, 1455a2cdd6 and the marquis’s wife treated 23bc5a9387 him no differently than her 8e7b770b79 own children. His siblings, too, never d6e9e33589 treated him unfairly.fdbcb6174543eb8c

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However, with his great ambition, he wasn’t satisfied with his ambiguous position. He was aggressive enough to openly reveal his desire to somehow drive out his siblings and take over the Marquis family.8ad6a534c4fe0dea

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And so, he dabbled in 4421f43b5d forbidden black magic. He made a pact 7634e15bd5 with a demon, fell 021079241e into disgrace as a fd25748595 family shame, and barely d758a6c395 escaped death before fleeing f43decd3ea to the North.c02bdebc114bcade

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Afterward, by borrowing a8d67a9916 the demon’s power, 3b26c170d8 he restored Louis’s abfced4404 vision in exchange ed06f924bf for partially sharing bc8fbd522e Louis’s curse. For Louis, it 736e51c967 was a moment e5effba99d of salvation. For the shou, it was ea8b836e46 the day he gained a cd7550e0d8 tool he could use to 303e31e624 fulfill his ambition.9eed5597226a8e12

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He didn’t love Louis.c2137c0d224ac9ef

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‘A demon…’cb85f5b61781247b

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If—really, if—8f633b26b25fd5ae

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‘What if I made a pact with a demon…?’e7f741415ec9fb3a

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Tch. A sound of irritation slipped through Eddie’s Twisted lips.f2fd71bb812a5f67

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In some ways, demons 46572b86ac were even more sinister 5eac00bd7b than curses. Restoring Louis’s vision could’ve 561c9ca357 just as easily led 7c69b258f6 to the destruction of 87b15a4d7f both their lives. Even as the author, there d30f34ab00 was no guarantee he wouldn’t 1485ce2fd7 be manipulated by the demon. And Eddie had a115d66803 no desire to 1bc71083ee take such a 438500ed35 gamble.fa4b21a424b587ef

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Eddie shook off his 53ae8ab6db thoughts once more and 639729222d lifted his head. As the village grew eb2187cf09 nearer, faint lights began d1d328d027 to appear in the ea70d807bd distance.b0650fe71dcbdf95

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‘Status window. Map.’57ca40494402e3cd

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A map of the northern 491f9e4d0f region unfolded before his eyes. Eddie’s gaze locked 736508dd24 onto the guild d1a0120200 he was aiming 1a86d04cad for. Launching himself one last time 0194d38010 from a snow-covered hill, he 53ce47712f landed on the roof of 42db687f67 a building.33005b19d5af7e63

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Hidden in the shadows 27f39219be of the night, he 708a034f88 peered down below. The streets bustled with a 47e6119f63 fair number of people. From the various street stalls 589b60dbe6 came the pungent smells of b36e3cadbd roasted meat and strong alcohol.36b408247a5c9f06

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The nights in the 77b2418b9f North were different from 248aa72f63 the days—more lively, vibrant. There was a sense of 68335ea993 freedom, even a bit of e4c27af949 savagery. Leaving them behind, 6585fce8c1 Eddie swiftly moved f380c2a717 across the rooftops 6095efbd31 and slipped into 059c06d930 a narrow alley 87482a5e4f where not a dbbfd6f190 single light reached.979cffd71c3db0fc

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He pulled his hood tight 3366ac0c17 and lifted the mask hanging e16957cd99 around his neck to cover aa75e23a24 the lower half of his d91990b085 face. After walking a while, e934692a7e though there wasn’t a 206b0fa829 soul in sight, he 2de20687df could feel eyes watching da25def7c0 him from all directions. Just as he was getting 433b609bad used to that, he arrived 357a49e185 at his destination—Shadow Guild.25c4f73752f95ec1

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The screen of 8191d6f185 the status window ac08809775 changed.5ced1c2d0e8a204e

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[∙Shadow Guildf71fc36d7956c4df

General Info: A 9a19f5b176 guild that deals d305cf9dfd with deeper and 85df1242f8 darker intelligence than 867c0980cb standard guilds. Each member is as a436759658 skilled as an assassin.f31128ff2b74dc96

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In particular, the Guild 965366fdaa Master Raven is known d0c46248b5 to be quite powerful.]dc6f6619d9ab1735

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As he opened the 5d929ec1ea worn wooden door and 10b817baac stepped inside, he was f436a486ef instantly enveloped by a d3d671941d blinding light. At the same time, e0d413d67f dozens of blades flew 028765c313 toward him. Eddie didn’t dodge them—he 5528048a78 simply caught them with 0570d8ceb5 his fingers.8c4461a87445a1be

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‘Not like there’s anywhere to dodge anyway.’4da6a9a1194f4609

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The door, which had never 58936093b3 been closed, was now shut. Beyond it, dozens of presences eaca35bd86 could be felt outside.dd01f744c6689991

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A perfect encirclement.7a008091749ba57c

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“You seem like one of us, but what brings you to our guild at such a late hour?”11f906d158c5c65a

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At the deep, resonant voice 45857cdeb9 from across the room, Eddie 08cf39cec6 raised his head.5f0450e49bfbd424

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The first thing 3390236d78 that caught his 149171cf81 eye was stark dafb5d32d9 white hair, as f088f1763a if all color 1bcc85b828 had been drained ed650fbb6c by the world a9df4b98a5 itself. His gaze slowly moved 40eefbf5cf from the top of 6368811d5f the man’s head downward.45d9c51b8e7af011

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He was a 21c57f08c6 man with intense a6d258490c forest-colored green eyes 6a9b431fb2 that revealed little 9ff2de560e emotion. True to a c7207b51b8 Northerner, he was d40113d299 tall, and though 31f31733e9 he wore a 58cb0f463c fur vest, he 5eadf175ac had a lean dab11920f8 frame.dadcbc176c978d51

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‘This must be Guild Master Raven.’9d32548427963272

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He recognized him instantly. Just standing still, the dd83e47a44 man radiated a formidable f36a8e92f3 presence. There was a d8f92c35f6 unique arrogance and 898448166e dignity that came cb2a98be8d from someone with 8314bc7afd power. A long scar across c2346b0f56 his handsome face added 397ff28c02 to his rough aura.e45f3a10ff15f6cf

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“What other business would one have at a guild? I came to 78494bc7a3 make a request.”e7c4b3abe8ece5b1

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Hmm. The man crossed da5aaab0c1 his arms and 306eb8b84e stroked his chin, 367a92fd03 scanning Eddie. Then, with a 0481230427 snap of his 5fe8f28bab fingers, the overwhelming e9f812d529 presence of those 072eac5ac3 lurking nearby vanished 3b07d56e6a in an instant fbb071d3af like the tide a9b362e325 receding. The same happened outside. It meant they had decided 4f759e41a7 he wasn’t someone to be 63f5430854 wary of, or—b326268a43c75ffe

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“Interesting.”0aaef0123969d606

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—he had piqued the man’s personal interest enough to warrant the risk.2354748cf7a2a615

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