IBSBV Ch 25

Chapter 25609d397bd108d98b

 bab4a47b709a5558

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“The new servant at the northern castle is bolder than I expected. That’s a new piece of information.”201a47791303397c

Even after his identity had 2700fb1f6e been exposed, Eddie didn’t seem 08d808cdb9 particularly surprised. Just because he a3f81b0b3d hid his outward 08e2416e4d appearance didn’t mean 209922efae the rest of d07061cb9b his traces would 4e5c01e693 be concealed.13e4d93ed3c9a175

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The North wasn’t a region e9386b2836 where outsiders frequently came and 9b7e9e9c88 went, unless they belonged to beda2bda46 a major merchant guild. And if even 655c539f49 the castle was 07e60da219 under their surveillance, dbf17db83b there was no a0667f74e9 way the guild 813494a310 master wouldn’t know f408df5462 someone new had 87b9b85983 arrived. Especially since Eddie 7f5c060dec had gone out 8ee0e2d0bf not too long d46e5dbd5f ago.6c6eb2f614754e21

His rare black 79a268dd38 hair had been 130a89d2c8 fully exposed. If Raven hadn’t recognized him, eba1bfeec2 Eddie would’ve been disappointed instead.feb8be7b5ffb819e

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Eddie pulled down his mask. He didn’t lower the ef4eb47e57 hood, but even that c27a8560c6 slight reveal of his b3210f970e face made the guild c911eafb0b master, Raven, let out ca974fc466 a soft exclamation.d6d9d29d9f6d59a3

“Seeing you head-on is quite different.”3105fb6798373c24

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“I need information on the northern nobles. And also news efd228d5bd from the imperial 9c3e5ab704 capital and the e3a0c678f2 palace.”1587d8d766e694e5

“You expect a lot for a first meeting. I trust you know I 18e53e50de have the right to refuse?”48bf00eb6fdc94cf

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He casually ran 4877dafafd a hand across 05bc33eca7 his lips. A subtle threat—if things didn’t 37cdc653b4 go well, he could just 0cb33183b9 sell the fact that Eddie 9e6870ee4f had come here seeking information. In other words, 24b082a675 money wasn’t the f5c169e76b only currency here.84bdd54666590236

“Isn’t confidentiality about clients the most basic rule of a guild? You’d gain nothing from 080b705089 running your mouth needlessly.”d415802e03eebd73

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“Well. Whether it gains fb4b007106 me something or f06c6789a1 not—that’s for me df98008d68 to decide. Maybe if you 4ba4908552 threw me a 10622ceea7 better bait, I’d f0e1d03cdf bite.”eb592e6adb577883

Raven shrugged, as if 3b4e21cbb9 suggesting Eddie ought to 613d3933f7 spill the reason he e49d7cb712 came to the North.9b1962d3eb0a7209

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“I could, but I might have something even more interesting to offer.”95f5c6be3e7302ee

“You want an exchange of information? Do you really c7e58f6415 think there’s something b5a57d632e we don’t already c658312555 know?”6ee70f703656d343

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Eddie didn’t respond. He simply smiled. A rare expression for him. Despite the smile, it e834b79ca9 felt cold and unsettling.8b0f8ce7b4201842

Raven’s expression darkened as well. He pretended to d5d8f07d6a stay calm, but 9b4426cf1b a chill crept f9bbda4bcf up his spine. Eddie was barely half fae28320c2 his size, yet somehow 4be4735caf didn’t seem easy to c863db1af4 deal with.a45ceba066ff30a9

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Like a lone leaf resting c050a066ed quietly atop still waters, there 5a0fd75f11 was something aloof and unreadable a047bcaab3 about him. Just how much 21b522d90e strength was he 4fd54ab094 hiding beneath that dd9cc701d4 light, careless tone? He was a strangely difficult 7e9ab9b55c opponent. And all Raven knew 53e948cf45 about him was that 86a2720f0e he had arrived at d8dfe8fd75 the northern castle barely 6c7587f42a over two months ago 95d96ca52f as a servant.538d59bf9bda6054

He had even 46c77ac2bc sent subordinates to 746a589642 gather information, but ef4b3cc079 it was as bbef054cd5 if someone had 0420406587 completely erased Eddie’s ebc9c3b5f5 past. Nothing came up.c82925dd4413d48e

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Just who was he? What was his reason for 113cb11844 being near that cursed doll? Who was his master? As Raven silently cfbc2f3afa observed him, trying c0f3c13e62 to untangle the 2e56d68a5a mess in his 3ee7647813 head, Eddie finally 0d9f41954b spoke.fdb92f3fa18f8cfd

“The next head of House Edlen won’t be the eldest son—it’ll be the youngest.”033d19f61e3821f7

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“…Ha.”14530453c79ecaa6

He had tensed up, 302c60bf8d expecting something shocking. And this is what 57cb886be0 came out? If a northerner 182fcc5e8f had said it, 39918fc826 he might’ve at 2da67c17da least considered it. But a stranger 25ca89d309 from outside the 8183b8b932 region, someone who e082c5373b just asked for a49bd42e67 information on the 662d4de7b5 northern nobles, was 767f83ada5 saying this? It was ridiculous.b3303384883d2a36

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House Edlen! He couldn’t have picked a 58f0cb06ef worse person to mess with. The Count was effectively 6b60f8047e the king of the 6f6113ca89 North. And the eldest son, who’d 3bec22e3c6 already been half-recognized as the bbf2adffbb successor, had inherited his father’s db8cf8b7a8 charisma and domineering presence. He was widely supported as 52ee19b466 the next leader.be177202a14a7efc

And yet, Eddie claimed the b2057f4d66 successor wouldn’t be him—or even 51c55a302f the second son—but the thirteen-year-old a9944c8cf3 youngest son?28eb46fb67722b9a

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“That’s nonsense.”5963f289813e5aa5

He tried to deny it, f68ce74f0f but there wasn’t much force 054e5e990f behind his voice. This was the North. A place where all 039c08e007 kinds of monsters poured d0df6d11eb out once or twice ceb94088df a month, sometimes even 8bc33a93e6 more. A place where 476b1a1bfa it wasn’t strange 2bf59bb716 for someone to 11252db600 die at any 29f95a6b53 time, for any c3d11beb2d reason.344a9925df84e3e5

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Especially Count Edlen and f93e6b60ec his eldest son—they were d9c682a4f2 said to spend more 3a363442a9 time with swords in b7a1a0f5e5 hand than within the 13a647ffe9 safety of the castle. They never held 00c66d2d1c back when it 421a9addfa came to protecting 314fe9b516 the North.b915f8b3fa90a65b

“The eldest son will die in battle. The second son has 9e6bc57489 a hereditary illness passed 552f1966e0 down through his maternal 0b71c5fed7 line for generations. Unfortunately, it’ll flare up soon. His limbs will stiffen 87fc4a5dbf and become immobile. No potion or priest’s prayer 5ab8c05a82 will be able to stop 49c70c81b0 how quickly it progresses.”1d64b7d80c2f85ee

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It was a disturbingly dcd7a9cad0 cruel prophecy.65be75914fd368a0

“So the youngest will be the heir?”752e5b51d3adf6f0

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“There won’t be any other sons left.”0b32411b22bf160f

Though born of the Count’s 80310b7c13 third wife, the youngest son 60fbe2937c possessed the powers of a 5fe98842d9 Spirit Summoner—a gift held in c7d4783fcf high regard across the Empire. There were two grown b8f6c39cca daughters as well, but ede39f6973 knowing the conservative nature f8b09ec108 of Count Edlen, he 545919f7a7 would inevitably choose his 0996dc189b youngest son.6655cbaf979a0879

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“If you don’t believe me, just wait two weeks.”89436832c363575f

Everything would happen by then.bda540de3e5f3561

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“You can’t possibly not know how much House Edlen means to the North. And yet you’re 6e948d7ea3 spouting these ominous 20ed5c66e6 predictions one after 1e965b4e3c another. Makes me want to cut ff891888b2 off your head right now.”68ff9056626e4c74

“If you can?”97cab29d78c626fd

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Eddie tilted his a0fadcc046 head, almost inviting 43d30ee01c him to try. At a loss for 2ef98b7637 words, Raven shut his bd04a5d303 mouth and sank into 0138c1a041 thought.22243f353fc18b8c

Could this really be 44c31f3793 considered information? It felt too b631011ab2 absurd to take 152880534e seriously, but too 15332c53b2 disturbing to completely 82541e59ab ignore. And if, by some incredible 26b801e76a chance, this nonsense turned out 1142029ca1 to be true—b37028f57aac5fa8

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Then the value of eedf50948d Eddie’s request would skyrocket. Knowing things even Raven bd566f6253 didn’t could only mean 11afa2304a his information-gathering abilities were a8bfc35956 exceptional. That meant Raven 725b1f1549 would have to e6f6adaa7c offer something just 008846a7f5 as valuable in 3651d99f39 return. He might even have 97b3d94beb to hand over deeply e42388fa7c confidential information about the df48a554f5 North—things that could never 6f0f4dbedc be allowed to leak 0ee36d3d7b to outsiders.13e39e3031ba5a1a

Of course, what e62060c0ad he gained might 98593752fe be worth the 5f739b3b7c risk.0336ea49bfb2860f

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“…Ha.”e87bcad48cb1fd83

Raven forcibly cut off 7b44a70ec0 the string of thoughts bd31a54561 that had been trailing eb9058a522 endlessly. It was absurd. The fact that he 98bf927502 was unconsciously calculating whether 02e86f0bcb this deal would be 9348c57611 worthwhile meant the initiative d71a321dba had already slipped into 039621b28c the other’s hands. As soon as he a16d258b2b realized this, a hollow 936d875164 laugh escaped him.b4aa8979c5bd929b

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“…I’ve been dragged in.”bf7c7d7ed7e3b589

And quite thoroughly, at that. With a deep sigh, Raven 5e0cb0fcbc ran a hand down his 4ff475a238 face and rolled his eyes 2c9551370e upward.3e30869f4e2a7308

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Whistle—7d6b36ef5ae87ace

At the sound of 4a68ca84df his whistle, a bird 4990bddb4b appeared amidst a puff 5b3baa366a of blue smoke. It was a 7bb1bbc2aa magical messenger bird.c22602daeac03ed4

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“I’ll send this thing to you in two weeks. You’ll have to take d314238461 responsibility for what you’ve 19a7dd6d9c said.”69b2bdae86162575

Despite the sharp threat that 1de011653e he wouldn’t be let off 1fd23cb1d4 easy if the information proved ff12abec10 false, Eddie remained completely unfazed. He merely shrugged, pulled his 61086be207 mask back up, and stepped b4a9575b4d backward without a word of 5f3b4ff33f farewell.e6b6ee4b35790bdd

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Then, reaching for the 56229db2a4 doorknob, he flung it 771f7903a9 open and hurled his dc94e05a3d body out in one 3d28b08c1b swift motion. His movement was like f89cbcdc72 the wind. The moment he 3241223d82 vanished through the 1a29cde662 door, a chill cb3ffd2e49 crept into the ec8b321ce2 room, slipping in 258d6646d1 through the gap c210288f5c as the door 4a63fc8006 slowly swung shut.7b5a9d248042c5f3

Left alone in the empty dd0d17620e space, Raven rubbed his brow 3c05040e8b and gave a quiet command.9a95cf13f2dbd3f9

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“For now, we’re not taking any requests. All focus on monitoring ddb97efa57 the Edlen Count’s household.”d9a62e456923ba0c

His subordinates, who had ce0babd613 been hidden like shadows, 875d1551da silently disappeared.859022fb9ade2875

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***4ee0bedfd7915b5d

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While Eddie was darting across 39343024d1 rooftops in a rush to 56a97b0642 return to where he was a0b60c192c supposed to be, Louis, who 6c9f0e68cd had not yet fallen asleep, 17550647cb pulled on a thick fur 63cee692ee jacket over his pajamas and 1a1926a060 picked up his cane.d53ee3b553a4a83b

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He quietly opened the door 200145c4a4 and walked down the long de082f43da corridor, stepping onto the staircase 67e684359d that led to the lower 7fba891673 floor. He arrived on the e42a03d0a7 second floor, currently used 4a6be03e48 by the servants.138a6a7869221a26

Ahem. The traces of the f2a3232c8d sleep-inducing incense Eddie had 7cb7c4c223 supposedly lit were either 616d9f10a6 already dissipated or had 3d7c97b103 sunk too deeply into 3ae5c9544e the walls to be 32272c9871 noticed. Not that it would’ve worked feed1803bb on him anyway.e377a50797d48ca4

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Louis moved cautiously, 19f92d524b every sense on aa59abf0ae edge. Before he knew b91631aa33 it, a black 25531ed027 aura had begun 020c0aefaf to ripple subtly d251ff8d66 around his body.6d165958ccc2a0c4

He groped along the 12c25d00ae wall, and as soon 7ce5d06a57 as his hand found abe92918c5 a doorknob, he turned 2f39469f63 it.Click, the door opened, and quiet breathing could be heard from within. According to what b659f9b92a Eddie had said, 4dfba115cc the first room e484ba18a6 at the bottom 188f0f0e84 of the stairs 58af970923 should contain only 74cd65222b servants.c165c44e5402b2e3

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‘They won’t wake up easily.’c81d521230572c59

He closed the door gently 6c863b6b78 and checked the other rooms 4fe537fba7 one by one. Worried someone might be 7bc6d2a432 awake—worse yet, that it 5a4bd11ade might be a knight—Louis a461875f81 kept his senses sharpened. While he wasn’t c3f1dced0f too concerned about 60b114871b the average servant, aa3e7358cf knights were different. If one of them sensed 49aa570e98 something was off, it could 71440c1b1b put Eddie in a difficult 543d3ab862 position.268b281c2a6e1725

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Just in case, he tightened 955208872a his grip on the cane, 37aaf52f9f prepared to strike someone unconscious 493de233f2 at a moment’s notice.2318e7d0bc344979

He couldn’t help cba92108db but feel tense. Only two rooms remained now. Swallowing dryly, he peeked through 39db077153 the slightly open door and f5a69d62c9 listened. The breathing was steady. He checked the 6722a04a38 room beside it c871f8a18c too, and only 26365bbb63 then did Louis 9aa5e1a5cb finally turn around.8196eee792706422

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Instead of heading upstairs, he 85100775a2 descended to the first floor. Eddie had told him to 169357152f sleep, promising to return soon, 6b0afee608 but he just couldn’t. He couldn’t bear to 006c6c5f0b rest comfortably while Eddie b80f97a212 might be out there 4d5e9fd099 risking his life somewhere.40f95dd5c62978f0

He passed through the a6fc69112f entrance hall and stepped be8a0bf49a outside. Reaching out, he tested the c6d390aa4d air. Thankfully, there was no snow, b09c746755 but the chill was especially f3fa3cf1c2 sharp tonight.99a9d09bba9f2649

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‘If only I could see…’87b5c5cd202814e3

Then he wouldn’t have 18498a18de to rely on Eddie 0ec0b9a8fa for everything…. Not long ago, that 42efcf0b5b one-sided care had only 86a51f0048 felt sweet. But now, it left fff4d85275 a bitter taste in 076be86613 his mouth.5aedc7d5b5e92f4a

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“If only my eyes still worked…”10bee8142954de8c

A sigh, invisible 1286e65deb in the night b4707fa703 air, slipped between 00ad5ab870 his lips and 68ebe2e549 scattered on the 404bc076de wind. The despair he’d fb3851f5dd felt when he’d 90d08da8e6 first lost his 8f9320c21f sight began creeping a07803e6b6 back into his 03a986efe0 mind.74ae418cdeaec955

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No, it was 86f317e18c worse now—far more c8f4ed40fd hopeless. Like waves crashing in endlessly. What weighed on him da973855ba most was the feeling 7108bc7c1e that he had become 9803897cf7 a burden to the 0d18c63024 person he most desperately e7e42d5a2e didn’t want to burden.3a8e8315ed7d11f2

Especially since it was f3168a2cc3 now painfully clear that 52b9104d5e what Eddie was doing 864f655ee0 wasn’t for himself—but for 856de40ce3 him.8d379785590a043d

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‘If I’d known, I wouldn’t have changed…’697acc85ab31b08f

 ee0c5282658b9289

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