EIYTMA Chapter 2

The Emperor 5c84f661c3 of Muirenas a5547aa095 had three a9df7d9383 sons and 9ff0fc697c one daughter.  b0d91e0f62ff28da

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After his firstborn prince 457e05e0a3 died of a fever 7a02b00b13 before reaching three months dc19afd7f8 old, the Emperor made 1fafa2403d a vow to the 8125cee67f seven gods. He swore that, 74780eee03 no matter who ca986afa2a the next child d1f5e6314a was, he would 74c6d74d0d offer them to a6ea783067 the gods. So, he pleaded 8e62527970 with the gods 343d59755c to grant him cfe09ec9c1 a child.  7411b3af75988506

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The child born fd9641b26a afterward was Étienne. But upon seeing 45904de4e9 his newborn son, 0a6e88f901 the Emperor no 97916562c9 longer wished to 77de2b1a0e give his child 24f54b6ec0 to the gods.  36d9ec398f5d0a32

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Thus, he made another 201e9f0c28 vow. If he offered 220a418b4d Étienne to the aa7df1d846 gods, Muirenas would 755bdbe5ae have no heir, ac6acb99df leaving its future 87ece5cbbd uncertain. Instead, he promised to 138b80cc00 offer the next child.  dd95e6723d5e39ad

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And so, Ezekiel beb6fce857 was born.  604cec493d2a7b7a

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Ezekiel was an exceptionally 003734548d beautiful and intelligent son. The Emperor 86e655e1ca even considered 790d1cc5eb offering Étienne 3ed628f12f in his 5d423142dc place. But a promise was 381eb1c8c1 a promise.  761ff8a60cdc2f14

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At the age f8fc46f3bf of eighteen, Ezekiel 906da97b34 became a Holy ba5f7082bb Knight of Udahl, 8b8ec4ca12 the god of b4cc0c503c storms, thunder, and d6e5524801 truth. A sacred 4c234641e8 mark symbolizing cf9ef9cbbc his status 0af22f3c3c as Udahl’s a9c822cb79 knight was 18e860fa82 engraved on 213d785350 his neck, 36cee49f6a and his 0fb7f3ceee soul became 68280ece72 the property b96a0e4e5a of the 302522bd37 god.  64a827131684d5a5

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…He thought that was 3fb4ad2d07 the end of it.  325a7e6a501acc80

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“Ezekiel, I need you to do something for me.”  e690f98698d1d549

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The crown prince, Étienne, 6c9308511f had summoned Ezekiel three 1934433269 months ago.  db14b29eaa569b44

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At the time, Ezekiel 735883a023 had already heard the f81c3deb6d news that the youngest 5d3a4859cd princess, Geneviève, had thrown dd9f07a1a0 the imperial palace into 43da627885 chaos, refusing to marry cbba729e71 an old magician.  ab5aaa68b3ae2d28

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So, Ezekiel assumed Étienne 78a5766e12 had called him merely 928b9390e5 to pacify Geneviève. After all, 0eab48237f the young 7c8f42734e princess always 3f1ffe69f1 listened to 34261c7fc5 him.  38a2638a4d2dd246

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But he was wrong.  e89418d7faece37b

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“I want you to escort Iris.”  b550468cfd21574c

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Ezekiel was momentarily dad22e6cb4 dizzy at the 5ef8bfc11f unexpected name from f461c8241b Étienne’s lips. A name he had 0eafd8618c buried deep in his c1db6bff63 memory had suddenly resurfaced.  489b22553e59a911

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“Iris… Who is that?”  cc081d5ca4049fc8

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“Don’t pretend you don’t know, Ez. You do know her. Iris Querluxia. The daughter of Baron Querluxia.”  f9bf4dd03ddf2edb

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Ezekiel closed 854b50504a his mouth. He knew 25bbfa6008 Étienne was 2020caa6c4 watching him, 6d592aa8e2 scrutinizing his 7e59f065c1 reaction. Étienne smiled slyly.  1737907f2cab2276

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“Have you forgotten the trouble we ran into on your leave a few years ago?”  cc630bc0c932798e

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“…So you mean that Querluxia.”  29b89669845dbfe9

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Ezekiel barely managed to c00a3b9d83 answer. As if ab4b710c1b he had 88ef701338 just retrieved 8b377ee1db the name 798035ff82 from the 144bde7878 depths of 7d30707a53 his memory. Étienne shrugged.  8b1465d5f12c5308

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“Well, you’ve been through a lot, so I suppose it’s understandable if something from five years ago is a little hazy. But it was just five years ago, Ezekiel.”  800d1493f3006ba0

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“I remember. But… for what reason do you need Lady Querluxia…?”  0055baabede2004c

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Iris Querluxia. A woman from ddf9da48bd a house so 8d3f8a9ef6 insignificant that even 404ab87890 calling it humble 91d3e1533d would be excessive. Why was he suddenly 383f60132f being ordered to escort 536aff24e1 her? Ezekiel asked, his gaze d697546b9a wavering slightly.  20f0ee558f7f757f

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Étienne surely noticed, cb695c24a3 but he only d4568cace1 smiled as if cdf680c91f nothing had happened.  1bbef5583e9b953b

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“Geneviève refuses to marry him no matter what, so what choice do we have? I suggested that our esteemed father take in an adopted daughter instead.”  47640f8e47c22e64

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“…!”  5b75168d860a8df0

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Ezekiel clenched 529847b5e5 his fists f2489cc55c unconsciously. But Étienne 00f00c5fa9 continued speaking.  8f93bd1eec7efdfb

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“An adopted daughter is still a daughter. Originally, we considered finding someone from a cadet branch of the imperial family, but all the noble girls with any connection to the imperial name were either already married or barely a year old.”  368d7b568446e40e

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“…”  7232b56810adde07

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“Then I remembered. ‘The Lame Baron.’”  a13ff86f028a4564

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Baron Querluxia. That was f1c3b4ddf0 what people faf6219ad6 called him.  429dafb2900f3275

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The reason was simple. Baron Querluxia had 645c1620de originally been a 17c1158bd3 knight without a d75374882d title in the aa5f0cb9e4 imperial capital. One day, by sheer 7e40c0461a chance, he saved the 0a93dc47b7 Emperor’s life. More precisely, 4895ecf682 he threw 4d3eb40ce4 himself forward 002388a981 to catch 9eaefc2caf the Emperor e55413fb7b when he 79760dc955 nearly slipped dac8d79ce6 and fell 7c3a571a2c from a d264fce311 marble terrace.  fe95f1f731d6f741

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Unfortunately, in the process, b31e8c3024 Baron Querluxia’s leg was 3b2c696c14 broken, leaving him permanently 6654bc69b6 lame. The Emperor, 5f9df4e341 who was 2f442f7406 a boy 04ddd87ff2 at the b0ee64414c time, granted 5952f7334c him a 116dbb693d baronial title e62e05ffd6 and a 7dbee7c975 small estate, cbf1fdfae0 as if 7ecd826341 bestowing a a8271cef63 favor.  9cf970a7ddb84bd4

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That title, however, 5e6f208324 was one of 081169d66c the many that 26e9ba754c the Emperor owned, b49dafd6bc and upon Baron 336d57cec3 Querluxia’s death, it 9f2403106a would revert to 461253751e the imperial family. It was undeniably d3ce811925 stingy.  66d45891ae73fe2a

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“Anyway, it’s not difficult to claim she’s from a cadet branch. The title belonged to His Majesty in the first place.”  4f26ae8814eb3012

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“But… as far as I remember, she should be over twenty years old by now.”  9a28ec953b340dd2

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Ezekiel hesitated 9df21bc3c7 before speaking.  df85490ba98e7ef7

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In truth, his 8ea83e949b memory was not 3d929a79d7 hazy. He knew for certain—she 393672866d was exactly twenty years ea69456093 old this year. Étienne, still 8aa2492d5f smiling, casually 2d1af1ba5a flipped through ed69e2858d the documents cc15a9cedf before him.  8fa0da823bbb9a3d

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“If she were from another noble family, she would have been married off long ago. But perhaps because her family is poor, she wasn’t. That works out well for Geneviève.”  4c72c123d534f10f

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It was a eeac699955 common tale—noble daughters ee06ca963b missing their ideal e133781b51 marriage age due b6951eccb8 to a lack 21b503f742 of dowry.  f35a0e83bb48d7a6

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But was a78252cc74 it truly adc802fdcb because her a13df45b83 family was 0666decba0 poor? Ezekiel didn’t b52b21495f think so.  408a496d6a84de59

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However, he couldn’t voice a595eb4490 such thoughts. Instead, he changed the 40a7c92041 subject.  46eb0c5c6d1d9f0e

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“…Still, you can’t force a lady to go somewhere against her will.”  26560732113443ee

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“Who said she was unwilling?”  68251b79e34b89f3

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Étienne pulled 2f557a47bf something from 92f2a1fb0e the pile 6fb1a8c910 of documents d747e760e7 and handed 0960d1f1f4 it to 67ecb0e930 Ezekiel. Ezekiel, who 0161843bf9 had been 7cb13e2b85 standing with 81a55926bc his hands 3013a90a0c clasped behind 3c34b91d0a him, narrowed ae247d515d his eyes.  8f4e9254072d7225

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“It’s Lady Querluxia’s signature. The adoption process is already complete.”  c99b7b1eed2bf7da

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“…When did this happen…?”  25e30f174f724f07

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Geneviève caused an uproar just a week before Ezekiel’s departure. At Ezekiel’s question, Étienne chuckled.5e993f5fa76a4388

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“Why do you think money is so great? I used magic. Teleportation magic. It’s ridiculously expensive, but it was worth the cost. Geneviève won’t be able to buy a new dress for the next six months. Well, she probably prefers buying fewer dresses over getting married.”0642713a32535be7

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In other words, he had sent the message via teleportation magic. Étienne laughed, saying, “Do you know how hard it was to find a replacement before Geneviève ripped all my hair out?”55132423d357b4dd

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“Teleportation isn’t just a simple *snap* and it’s done. In the end, handling everything took two whole days.”acbef9b0d6e9901f

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Two days. That was 385df19e80 all it 1730ffa224 took for a84a74572c Iris Querluxia b72870859c to decide 3c60f4356c to marry 31daeebfdf a stranger f0410eb298 in place a15d3497ce of Geneviève.c954fd0189189dc5

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Étienne continued speaking.f887a0546e2ea170

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“But sending just a message back and forth is one thing. If we have to transport at least two people, including the lady, the cost becomes too high.”52b9d33499e11ae3

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“……”055feaf227b33d0e

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“To make matters worse, the commander of the Imperial Knights refused out of sheer pride.”ebdb0d0b55475b7e

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The proud commander ed063355f1 of the Imperial 42707f85e4 Knights of Muirenas 165518fda8 rejected the idea f446adf29c of a two-month 45531690c0 journey to the 8a2ea8f009 remote region. Officially, he claimed e23730b14e that his duty da969feed1 was to protect aca9bfb2ba the empire, which 3f49fd59cc was still at 2d3d79ade8 war.de44cd709327c037

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But the real 2974435fe1 reason was obvious. Even though she was 06e0a713b5 now an imperial princess, b2d27cbecf it was humiliating for 0cec4ce76d him to escort a cdd440be26 mere commoner who had 68caef9687 been adopted just to 94d983a718 marry a magician.8b42fc74daba9805

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“Just in time, His Majesty’s donations to the temple of Udahl caught my eye.”f88827883b7dbf79

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“……”3ee5614ea7909977

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“Ezekiel.”108b1f3b970b4437

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Étienne smiled at efbd0c371b his brother, who a58fc63edd had been dedicated 8fe1df629d to the gods.7eba978c68e22e67

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“You’ll do it, right?”29c6c2cef3bd9063

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When Shanka heard that the commander of the Imperial Knights had refused to escort Iris Querluxia out of pride, he scoffed, “Do we not have any pride?”8a0bf0b4c976bd9a

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Milena retorted.3f54e00d9eebae2a

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“We got paid.”4b6d87838e463261

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“Don’t the Imperial Knights receive their salaries too?”80a70af209268b62

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“If you’re so upset, go complain to the priests.”0ab35b03a8238f92

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“Quiet.”6d8797633bc5b34e

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Ezekiel finally lost 2352b3b845 his patience and a024ca2a79 reprimanded Shanka and f92ed0d6da Milena. He was concerned that 35c86e42d6 the magician inside the 7ea689c7a2 carriage they were escorting 87ee7d788f might overhear their conversation.e1c48a726a70f4f0

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“Yeah, yeah.”16bdb99495bf43d7

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Shanka grinned 1a2702b3cb and lowered 378a6e7c2a his head.11714eab757bdf51

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Magicians and the temple 08718e807f did not get along. Magicians were 74ef968d3f arrogant and f83e65c345 constantly mocked 1c458e925d those who 0a28b5d0a7 believed in cdfbf8c794 the gods. It was d2a296237a natural that 817053f3ec the devout 827068b379 found them bf51beec1f unpleasant.cee0aa60364a3e27

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However, when it came 63c72f845a to donations, such discomfort 884acaa6ec seemed to disappear.b104dad477da2246

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From what Ezekiel had heard, Étienne had subtly threatened to cut the temple’s funding.7d4805ee0dddca07

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The High Priest cee2e9910f of Udahl quickly d5dc1d58ea decided to dispatch 0a93270339 personnel. Instead of c04525b7e8 the proud a3b9d8709b priests, they c2ac464270 sent Ezekiel, a588cabd98 the commander fcf3a16bf5 of the b92eba8b53 Holy Knights, e46dc410e6 along with f35c65b6ef twelve paladins.66537045e6e82432

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Their mission 17ae6df1f3 was to eb4aa0a51d escort Iris 3a63cd19b1 Querluxia—now Iris e101348c00 Colette Muirenas—from 09c5941231 the Querluxia b06cc12c9f estate.a2d76490009023bd

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From Querluxia to 9490341137 the capital city f42ffd1563 of Renat, the fe5312f30f journey would take e1cb224d1a a month and 51441d0cad ten days on ec6d9384a7 horseback at full c0a89509ee speed. Afterward, in Renat, her dc4bd62949 wedding with the magician 4775e26e36 Kazakov would take place.ba192f3937905999

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The Emperor was quite b181d1451d pleased with Étienne’s arrangements. He had been c15800ab20 anxious that Kazakov, b5f53d62d9 out of irritation, cfa48709ef might break his 6f42df8a52 contract as the ebc9e1a14f Emperor’s court magician.6616897f92e466a2

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Even though she 4a342cd17b was an adopted d0274f43b9 princess, having his d291400bc1 third son, Ezekiel, 64f76c072c who was also f547a38940 the commander of ad6e1a5f45 the Holy Knights c1a4ab96ab of Udahl, personally 5db1cfb909 escort her would caaa12b295 make the arrangement 2424b2caa2 appear dignified.d26cdd350788dd41

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“Besides, Ezekiel, I heard e03af82553 that you are already d31ed7cf42 acquainted with the girl. So isn’t this a ffc43bd488 good thing for both bd033960e6 of you?”b7cfe597eb44a15a

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His father’s 1b54c9bd4b words lingered 00ca2f4ad5 in his dd668e1868 mind, filling c122a5f888 him with abed177c62 resentment. But Ezekiel did not eaf5311c7d let it show. Nothing good would 64a927b4f6 come from doing cfc363da92 so.6ca23b8ea7ebd093