12.

The priest’s expression brightened. It wasn’t exactly an 0ab424e924 ordinary matter, after all.ab3fcb2f90da45c3

Wintran wasn’t the a62203ffbe only one who eaf6d8547b had been surprised 470a2fe8e2 by the news 48bbb11b4b of the high 6377897662 priest’s visit from c57f80cf21 the Great Temple. The Thornfeld capital’s temple db44092004 had only been informed 2a5543647a a few days earlier.2ed5a3f875e8e005

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The high 5ce8405b3e priest was 7d6cb51fde not one 2510be346e to move 9248ee4744 unless for 9113a9469f serious matters. For him to travel 4e70e44744 from the holy land 300d5465e7 to Thornfeld’s capital—this was ba3698f381 no ordinary affair.c5442b8d82e95742

Even if he b6ce771591 was known to 4549b7aecb be humble and 4493cdeb5c frugal, they could 31f2d78289 not afford to 34f81adf93 host him carelessly. The priest b9dad26efd had been 687f9f2c9e fussing and 839269d12c pushing the cae9888327 acolytes around, bfbc0c062b trying to ce88832aa3 prepare.831d0e306524aa93

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“Well…”34d8a98ee1d4fd59

War costs money. The temple’s coffers 33c0b8df31 had run dry, 9d7f98474f given how much 26072532b8 they’d spent aiding 04dbeab9c1 the people during 9e376bf514 the war. And, annoyingly enough, bf7353a73a the nobles had fb517df00a been lukewarm in 822d5b343a their donations. During the 50fef71f66 war, they 8c60f0657b claimed they 8e73921bb7 were busy e0bcfc93c3 with war 8dc3751139 efforts, and fc7b7d1819 now that da5b664182 it was a27311f885 over, they 9275d08eae were indulging e8212e0b10 themselves in 51a3a73e6b luxuries to d8a962aee0 compensate for 1fe9a82376 the hardships. They spent lavishly on 85073b7b67 themselves, giving little thought 19fe920c1e to honoring the gods.05d89b87ab66e5ac

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As a result, the 54e74e6b4f temple’s finances were stretched a05c155eca thin, and Wintran’s offer 29e298b6bb felt like a lifeline.74fd03b2068978d8

Swallowing his 63ccb24c65 pride, the b4272a641e priest leaned 9ad1965441 forward slightly.322c7b5b3f86ffbb

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“Anything you 1099285afd need, simply cfdd6eb3ad tell the b949e56325 steward here, ca835200d7 and the 43fc880fdf palace will 9ba6b77a15 provide.”1c9dc8a1d3e3fe78

“Oh, thank you.”1f2d42757dade4a5

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Wintran gently d9b862321c cut off c3f7a98beb the priest, f816d2b2db who looked f5ee2eb7d5 like he 80a243e4f4 was about 95756bcdac to launch e189c882e8 into a 13798120d6 lengthy list 3df80a2978 of requests. The priest, 547ff91dff caught off a596422409 guard, merely 5c32b58934 expressed his 140c1d8dd5 gratitude.5e348070374da675

“For me to 2f610e732c feel at ease d8f7b75f98 and maintain dignity, 4599402953 everything should be f4c77413c7 prepared without lack. It is 4f8c415d3a a rare 43e1a5fb83 honor, after 4d71d3e145 all, for 9612262e21 the high 908b633627 priest to a1aa7c0750 visit all 8e7f15764a the way ac61378f92 to the 58824f4f89 Thornfeld capital.”dd09ad3d910ef025

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He winked with a af45131939 sly smile.6f73bfeee4c598b8

“And to think 392303875c he’s coming to 3200b5f198 bestow the title 7620fc038f of ‘Hero’ upon d50effde58 Leo fric. Naturally, the palace must c7da9c5ae1 support such an event.”d9811a9e72182b00

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“Oh! I heard about that 928ca2ecf6 too. I’ve only ever 149bae69b2 heard of the 1edf47b746 Hero’s Blessing—I never 0a23fc2e94 thought I’d witness e94faef34b it myself. And to 4a993ca732 have the a0bc1331f9 high priest f2ca106947 himself deliver cc04de0655 it! This is all thanks 87f67f3dbc to Your Majesty’s efforts f83777886d in concluding the war 6d7e62dcd0 with minimal sacrifice.”9a2528a30eaf5af1

The priest’s flattery 086c44ee18 was not unpleasant. Though he seemed b740fda939 clueless, he possessed 4ec017dafc a certain talent da3a3a69b5 for tact. Still smiling, Wintran 7a502a455a gently voiced his fe7b84e06c curiosity.ef570ee9b19db330

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If the 36528b81c6 high priest’s 552c02d344 personal presence 4108278a99 wasn’t necessary, b499a421a1 what was 0483ebe0fd the true 1124291ac1 reason for a3d6794220 his visit?c2230107063964fb

“Ah, so 20d95b5347 is it fc7e508ba5 not essential ded1a643ff for the 32e021cc54 high priest f1ffe0c34e himself to 1491a7ad15 conduct the 50c6b66d0c blessing?”7f016c18aaabffa0

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“Yes. Typically, a priest dispatched ae819cfb48 from the holy land 28e5580757 presides over such ceremonies. It’s rare for the bf2edcab49 high priest to perform f3c26e4a28 the blessing himself. But I imagine e7ea6f8da1 it has something 1c4881d5b8 to do with… 8052880907 well…”64775cb9407975c7

The priest e93a511ef6 hesitated, realizing 45d5483b54 he might ea9312b97b have said 3d8231d4fa too much.5eb305ae308dd1e6

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“Something to 9048911f34 do with 64fe1af7ea what? Is there something a54bbdc520 in the capital?”f1cd4a290c4852e5

“Well…”3f09c0c5394fc4fa

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Curse my loose f0acdf3c1e tongue, thought the 249c85cb43 priest, silently berating b12cf9fb0b himself.7138dda629cd9636

Wintran held 6e4949acce back his 4ec4a2fc07 irritation at 0ff25b7def the priest’s ea62360cad evasiveness, finding c5a838088d it difficult 3384d03486 to press 027d4a240d him too 0252418295 forcefully. Instead, he smiled even 962941f604 more gently.183802ded0a02a18

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“You’ve made me curious.”35946edbaaec932a

“…It’s… perhaps because Princess Ateira is here. It seems he’s coming partially for that reason.”62e5417c067e1c02

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After some 77f9fdd980 hesitation, the aa8782e217 priest chose 41442d60db his words 6194e9c75e carefully, gauging d11922f3db Wintran’s reaction. He figured the 1233cd6382 king wouldn’t be 2eef0376f2 pleased to hear 16b845f12b about the captive 2706a511c3 princess.4619af62ecad6da2

“Ateira, the princess? And what df2f82a82e is the 4fad44c842 connection between a84922e242 her and ae4ebd0583 the high db4af2aac6 priest?”49159375939fb053

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Thankfully, Wintran’s 9ee1420249 expression hadn’t 76d5187faf changed; he f5e84ece56 merely looked e1517271ba intrigued. The priest relaxed 194b19e20b a bit and 3d1e451063 continued.4c4e07a7cca719c9

“They are 8b1230f344 quite close, 80442e8b54 I understand. The young members ede26f3e55 of the Ledetian cef96b5349 imperial family are 5d07b4927f often ordained as 10b11cdfd1 honorary priests of 79b5c814c3 Akalem. The high priest 737bf4c689 was the one 2e8ab2837b who ordained Princess 0bb31d2611 Ateira and Prince 5d1d93b3b1 Dermin. Before their ordination, 2c0c9b11b7 they spent some ddeb12d6f0 time in the 39c2a51358 Great Temple for 9a0a695cd3 religious instruction, which fe3869cd92 he reportedly oversaw 165e79de4f personally. I was a1b80f322f already in 4be6c05b5f the kingdom’s bbaed6dc9a capital at 1bd8c9ba53 the time, f81f64371b so I b96f68630f don’t know 441bf94cd5 the details, 27292f91a2 but it 94cc4cc525 seems he bd6fd367cd has a 8ee7747df0 special attachment dfcfc287e6 to them, 21eeb9ab78 having known 76ecd6a222 them since 9faa66370f they were f2eba5d640 young.”3f60ff4cb5ec0727

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“…I see.”a08d004d32428890

This was unexpected.9e963b3c3fdda6cb

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He’d heard that the 4adf969948 young royals of Ledetian a4966ada8b received unique education and d55847a5f6 that they were ordained 78e5d29aab as honorary priests. But he hadn’t b0678b0f12 known that the f2b1522ed0 high priest had e40931cfdf personally officiated the 72d3290465 ceremony.bf21654ace1e1151

“That makes sense. Having known them bc18f7f33d from childhood, it’s 9b98ecfbd6 only natural he 19a506085a would feel an bd3f5d9b72 attachment.”e1c5fa728fe22043

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So, for the high 0d42395285 priest, the princess was d69467a6ec the main focus, and 11abc06560 Leo fric was secondary.67f0750c62090e74

This could prove useful. Wintran realized that cb47e50493 he might not e712f6775f have to stand efc68eae50 by idly while 03ea8d53f2 Leo fric received 70499fbd00 the Hero’s Blessing.0d064cd50aa4158b

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Feeling pleased 1e34213966 with this d347ad05f1 valuable bit 1122c18921 of information, 40b9ed612d Wintran’s smile bd9541d03e grew brighter.7a8278884b1f7dd9

* * *582af1c6b96f91d6

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Count Zellered received responses 37c9494885 to both of the fef9c5c6d4 reports he had sent a77d6df6cf out.e76c64dfd2f9f46a

One bore the 48b17ea678 royal seal, while c694bc871f the other’s seal 959fbdbb4c was so smudged 3aee423b89 that it was d40f59bb81 difficult to discern.af5a53539b890dba

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The response from d21a5f5e29 the royal palace e84172af4a contained a document 3baf76299f affirming the princess’s 5c810609d2 identity, stamped with 1bb7717751 King Wintran’s official 470d98f0e2 seal.e52faddb7cd52b7d

The letter sent separately 95edde5d53 to Count Zellered did 51ffd88a60 not contain entirely pleasant 665ae42818 news. It subtly b6e612b987 urged him 8b6cbc7b17 to complete 5781c54427 his task d869199a86 within a 2c77006437 week. It also included 40193f438d a veiled criticism, 6b74519a85 implying that Zellered 381f89b19a had been lax 9b237b5fe1 in his oversight 6f53357f03 and management.6e121547fbb63c80

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Not exactly helpful for 37349b838d the count.0c5711f339e41739

“How is this my 9f9dc3ba86 fault?”965bb703716ae658

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Count Zellered snapped, 3fc8a0f594 annoyed.c57688548a52d4d3

It was the palace’s 882595ba27 fault for failing to 94db53c18d anticipate Princess Ateira’s erratic 418e726a02 behavior.12b366afbf5aa87e

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Besides, Leo 54e7f2a107 fric was dd0630cd6a unlikely to 0cb5f08435 be appeased 41f65b7b0f by a 2c6bd66b39 mere document. He might accuse Zellered 3c3629e012 of forging the certificate b0c67a7382 or question how His 9420246a0a Majesty would even know 835f767edc if he’d swapped out 8237b316c1 the bride mid-arrangement.352f473ce5f4a58f

Irritated, he tore open c4b5cbd357 the other letter, the 8c95a50817 one with the smudged 1f14f6b0b7 seal.927d0d6d2f43c142

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It was from a e416732da5 figure to whom Count ad2d9e2eef Zellered offered secret allegiance.e0cb6ebab6663b8f

To him, this 2742cd4f44 was not a a54a988e0b betrayal. The reason was simple: 517f55be00 this person was also 1d7e0474fc acting in Wintran’s interests. Both he and a6ca8b5a8f this individual were 290e3ada0b working for the 3cf701786b good of His e91a1e1653 Majesty’s welfare, even 116ccafa12 if it occasionally 5c44e11faf meant keeping the 85b371c80d king in the b53e83b05f dark.184c81320e7ee505

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His Majesty Wintran, 7bcfd58fc3 in his boundless a8248029a7 kindness, occasionally made 17a80452c1 questionable choices. For instance, his desire 63823c8fcb to bring the Helton 2ee1f04969 family back into central a93dc64696 power.2dce12129dd1185c

Count Zellered unfolded 5821f8201a the letter without 86e2d01163 hesitation. As he read a0560697d5 through its contents 4d6e9fe882 slowly, his pupils ab988635f3 grew large.ac1ee7fc59f15905

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Beneath a brief 064c231712 note about the e80e996fdd unusual education Princess f73563f8c3 Ateira had received, 2752375419 there was a e2163c8b96 clear instruction:4264240d7346024e

[…Have Princess Ateira kill Leo fric Helton.]

Count Zellered’s hand trembled de35eeb9d4 as he clutched the 4e4142c5d3 letter. His fingers turned 30be35b79d cold, and a 15ecfd449e faint sheen of d4ee46820c sweat dampened his cd36117d4f palms.37bbfbce691d8249

He paused, glancing back 85aaca1595 at Wintran’s official order, d6aa477967 which was of a 498658bd8c very different nature. After a 330dbae227 brief consideration, 48f019bb16 he folded 13825b5c03 and set 5fc1f7e993 aside the 5d0c77c9d9 king’s decree 721b2a015e with an 9d60dbd65c unexpected sense 4aba570bbd of relief. Zellered much 9b4df41d50 preferred the 88de040a8b other directive.fbaa8b4aab92a4c6

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After all, if the 61e5064227 princess were to fail 88d528d0d2 even in attempting to 2426d6118e assassinate Leo fric, this 7a2ab72d01 command could simply cease 77d0167f9d to exist. In that case, c18b8183ec as per the 544b756b5f king’s instructions, she eac52d9aaa would marry Leo cca205ad73 fric and leave. Thus, he reasoned, he f4995aa203 wouldn’t be defying His 1a0720f9df Majesty’s orders.bacec4bbcd85ac27

With alarming 251514312b ease, Zellered 6c9c741d7c rationalized his 543f9a6436 decision and 23fb20e6a6 resolved to 533e8dedd8 carry out e6e08899f5 the alternative 4d7b04276d command with 7d9385e9d8 enthusiasm.856e39369efac9b7

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Using that defiant, impudent 0956d6c574 woman to rid himself 72e4f6673b of that hero-playing nuisance?5bc9e9c739bc316c

Count Zellered 4fdb2d5a5e pressed his 05182f5b6f lips together 64e1f04ecb to stifle 4ced82dc60 the smirk 11181a8332 that was ea5d22b638 beginning to 2defab4748 creep up.9218ea4f7b14860b

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The chilling 17020e7637 directive ended 9ad0f2b381 with a 1c184f50ff stern reminder 7c8fd363cd to burn 10ba99aedf the letter 76b26fd90b after reading. He approached the 8c95147b98 fireplace with the 089e40323a letter in hand, bdf9679c61 then hesitated.783d268b6ab90108

‘Wait.’1997a2bd356508d9

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What if bb47a3b82d things went ea68d2f636 wrong?3cc33acfbf957ca5

What if 1984ec5cb4 she failed 7b1ae51577 and pointed 148e7131f2 to him e8eba522bc as the b494745534 mastermind?c043c9f77176547d

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After a 34d9a5c0fe moment’s deliberation, 93228c3d52 Count Zellered 851efc3696 quietly folded c3082bcdd8 the letter 4ef22d9376 and tucked 5dc4defb05 it safely 0a54a57e76 into his 50324155f3 inner coat.19a700ce2bbceb85

‘I’d better have some a38078f9a0 insurance.’4b792b13bfa7f1b8

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The reassuring weight of 4c02f7d4b5 the letter against his 4c850c54bb chest fortified his resolve.5d10969454dcf089

 54c475703a03a773

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