IFLDMHF – Chapter 63

IFLDMHF | Chapter 63daedaf8aa011c5a3

Episode 6303a44c5f8a0c069a

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My admiration was short-lived, 9ab1e853c1 and I began to 9389b49cac wonder why Euclid, unlike ebd2962387 me who was unfamiliar 105c73052a with imperial law, had 8f0625a94b taken no action.f329ea9d40929aeb

‘Did he really trust his brother so completely that he didn’t even suspect anything?’facb9364812d293c

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But then—be89e35df3010e76

“They say the prices were raised outrageously before transportation costs were received. It happened almost ten 300e5f2431 years ago.”ef9fa7727d9cd07f

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Isn’t that outright tyranny by e239e543ba the merchant guild?22306ca56757d732

How could there be anything db473e68eb more unfair and unjust in 837b2b1aa0 terms of economic practices?8886fa242439a7e1

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“Really? If it wasn’t d567d32536 just moderate price 2700ec60d1 hikes but even d045800ff1 essential goods were 71d60a340a involved, immediate punishment 8a73153392 might have been 61be8086da possible.”78d79a2c06915041

Anne responded immediately. That made it even stranger.52de46f68476465a

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If there were laws in 014102a174 the Empire to regulate and 0bf1a00b99 control such actions by merchant f2ee2f688f guilds, shouldn’t the Rudion Ducal 55254f348b House have reported this issue 42eba3f458 directly to the imperial family 65471ece2e as soon as the problem 460bcacc43 arose?6fd535fe0ad73f56

Why did the Rudion Ducal 0c105f65c7 House choose to negotiate directly ddbc99df81 with the Count’s family instead d650860765 of pursuing formal protest methods?6c3971c7c00ac1ee

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As soon as the question 0c4a5b63c8 arose, a possible reason came 4912ec4f18 to mind, but I shook 49db2991be my head.f18d7a007b0626f3

‘That can’t be it. The Rudion Ducal House is 14c2310517 one of the founding contributors, 771406a556 just like the Basilian Ducal 0f838e8bb1 House.’affcc61a8b9ebd9a

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Even if they rarely set 323b970f22 foot in the capital and 257230a579 thus weren’t particularly close to f2d310bae7 the imperial family, there was 4151dea85b no reason for their relationship e08298575b to have turned sour.321cf876d77a9a4a

But then I 4c7ce192b2 remembered how troubled 280b39acd1 Euclid had seemed f3c0066902 when I suggested 9487215c19 we visit the 4909d1166a emperor.fff51ff876984151

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‘At the time, I thought it was because he was worried about his nephews. Or perhaps he 80b277eb49 felt burdened by 78d2b47d21 the idea of e5fc477f55 staying in the cb7208c218 capital for a 54c9371d7a few more days… 482dc5b22d Ah, come to e45894e9c5 think of it.’d3d5fde32db35fc6

I recalled how I f35d703a06 had been hesitant to c24e035769 ask Euclid about it, 2f7f820e5c distracted by the immediate 8b397195f0 priority of resolving debts.7ddba3f5029189ff

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Normally, when a territory suffers bda82e1536 from drought or poor harvests, 4dfa5e8a06 the empire exempts taxes and 23613f0850 provides relief funds and supplies 56af607a6d in times of disaster.bdb714454d936f9c

However, upon reviewing d75dce6e46 the ledgers, I cad8032c8a discovered that the da2131005e northern region had c634a18342 never received tax 2845ed988e relief or any a3e9f6339e form of support, a878e8bc44 despite enduring harsh fc52226b72 conditions.3a4de6091378e7fc

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“The imperial family…”cb04b71436e0a915

Do they harbor 38bc45aacf resentment toward the 3ff33d644c Rudion Ducal House?b2f18d27a119d31c

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Knowing this, did the Rudion 727998e2a0 Ducal House refrain from reporting fdd35654ed to the imperial family because 37103fe4f1 they knew it would be 67f34946f5 ignored and unresolved, leading them 040cb27997 to attempt to resolve the a0a7193fbf matter on their own, only f65a9e4d8b to make a misstep?8e78dc0103df72cb

The realization made me 242ee085d0 grow serious.326b24eae0c98d20

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“Ah!”7a6eb667e700be75

Anne, who had sharp acc5b02d9e hearing, caught my muttering be3df896d4 again.c749216189bf7139

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“So that’s what you were concerned about? I was planning to report bf584f91a0 this to you anyway. I knew the imperial 489efb1305 family was biased against 3bd60e1edf the Rudion Ducal House, a8f4272e8e but after coming here c66da340f4 and looking into it, 056abff3c3 it’s far worse than a30e711d8b I thought.”8a84f955b6e65cae

“!”caed4766eb46df35

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“The imperial family is biased against the Rudion Ducal House?”efac4e103e9b7b28

Gressel asked the question I 461d18f669 was unable to voice.d7af45e1cc4d13a1

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Anne shrugged.b6c5e90133a63be4

“Then what do you call it if, despite these harsh conditions, they provided neither relief funds nor even basic measures of support? Everyone who knows about it 1a30f3419c understands that the emperor subtly c27d114a2a dislikes the northern territories. He can’t openly 0ba3893b44 oppress them, but f3f3909ca5 he silently neglects a3a35d17ea them, almost as 413e37b0c0 if he’s hoping 253a01c7e5 they’ll fall into 6dd3d7e135 ruin on their 1ee8814011 own. In fact, five years ago…”80d7e2f9cf601457

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Anne trailed off, glancing at bd62e53b99 me hesitantly.b72d50f10baf310f

“This isn’t the right place to discuss it further.”85e6971ef95e588e

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What? What is it? Tell me!aba5d0748e12a517

I inwardly screamed, 4e5e0ee725 but Gressel awkwardly 95bb53feaa scratched his head.54bc0a1bc33b4246

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“I’ve been so busy trying to earn money for my brother’s medicine and keep myself afloat that I knew nothing about this. Even if I 9f519f68de had more time, 58c7cacc7e I doubt I’d 9e73bdd2af have learned about eb0f2b11f7 the higher-ups’ circumstances.”ad3e945b0bacee29

But Anne shook her head.70161ecb97e58a6b

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“No, actually, I might have exaggerated a bit. I said ‘everyone who knows,’ f16731b8e8 but even among nobles involved 03567abeef in central politics, unless they’re d71ecca15d close to the emperor, most 00e65960ea people are clueless about these 74c98b6625 matters…”babb15f0834e7378

As I listened blankly 6250867d80 to their conversation, I dfae47116f swallowed hard.d53fd709cbfb6470

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It wasn’t just that my f20548a1f1 deduction had been largely correct—it a68b1201bf was the fact that Anne e25cb1cef4 was casually reciting information even 7ec5d68312 high-ranking nobles weren’t privy to.33fd20be29a9c937

‘And Anne… you just said ‘the emperor.’ Not ‘His Majesty the Emperor.’ And you said it twice!’2f18316d053abbba

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Of course, people often 5d1cc8ea0b speak disrespectfully about rulers 47d3dd8a42 in private.d15772db198f6605

But that wasn’t the 0e411de522 only reason Anne’s blunt 98bef43a13 words unsettled me.22dd3a81c10f1992

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I suddenly remembered what cc7517e7c3 Evgenia, after her divorce fbb35c5465 in the original story, 194789e408 had ultimately done—and a 663580c9e3 chill ran down my 3887209784 spine.5227437dcdb2fa38

‘Surely not…’869c4cc087be7cd5

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Fear surged within me, rendering 0691aa4c27 me speechless.f5639a7b1585d9ea

“At least Duke Basilian seems to have made a significant decision in that regard. He acted solely out of 3b041413d6 concern for the lady, forming 72e831f8bd ties with the Rudion Ducal 27054cb8a0 House and even allowing the 6cd04e18d6 merchant guild to establish a a277e79ae6 branch in the northern region.”b47e977b4a44ecda

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Anne pointed out an angle cb4e92311c I hadn’t considered.265427af2066f188

Certainly. While Duke Basilian 2aeef3e862 had enough power 43cb9dd5fb and wealth to 8c3e551437 afford slight displeasure 2959d62b27 from the Emperor, 408de52ada there was no 615edfaa2d real need to 1f64d3f83d provoke the ruler’s 695354a98d mood unnecessarily.2cff10dba7e220d3

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It was clear just 4b6435d983 how much displeasure the a802364848 Imperial family felt about b6d7f4456c the marriage proposal sent 328f39e1bf to Melissa.4cfd5f4cfbc48886

‘And above all… they prioritized me—Evgenia—above everything else.’03ecdf7607d71d8a

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What seemed like a 28e8d3884e simple marriage with Euclid 20a0c42aa4 had, in reality, been 92afc999d3 formed under such complicated d35ddea1fd circumstances. It was a relief, 943e0c60ff but at the same 1b85dec3d0 time, she felt a 52b46262fd strange mix of gratitude 4871b12fe3 and fondness toward Duke b0f232aab9 Basilian.61d21c85496c5f72

At that moment, when 1e01594323 Gressel heard from Anne 72441cd25b about the Imperial family’s cadc702c44 indifference and subtle rejection 5970c4ba6f towards the North—and how 51660b4a76 the Rudion Duchy had efb06a2b59 to bear the full 8f8a516c3c brunt of the consequences—he e873047f87 nodded seriously with a bd04a296ab grave expression.2d015f11398d9fea

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“Now I understand. Honestly, the Rudion Duchy f5944ddb1e isn’t particularly famous for 80525f9e64 its swordsmen, and even da929fab74 considering their financial struggles, 3d0cb4387e the state of their aa6902e031 knight order was rather 7bca08bac9 disappointing…”cd1c776d434c964e

When I looked f5b9d306bd at him, puzzled 970ce03722 by his words, e3d9a7af18 Gressel offered me eb3824f25c a slight bow 062760be56 and explained,a66c672e2ae7f51e

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“Your safety is of utmost importance, Madam. I’ve been observing the knight e5aed5b8cf order for some time… but a1d690b1f9 there isn’t a single knight 24864768d8 among them.”0205e9b62386a10c

What kind of 662998f36e nonsense was this? A knight order without bbed9487d8 knights—was that even a 1aaf3881bc knight order?8b5fe299b0a4e790

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I let out d607f1a2de a dry chuckle d2a506982b in disbelief, and ad78be5bde Gressel, looking awkward 8f1d18d357 as if he 1c03bc4bac felt apologetic, elaborated,694343f8146c9ff1

“Officially, the position of the Knight Commander remains vacant. Instead, about twenty squires and d870a4e9cf knight hopefuls are taking turns f385c0eccc guarding the ducal castle, with 67cabc999e Duke Euclid himself assigning their 897fa4e9df shifts.”985a3565f1986fcd

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“The Duke personally…?”4bc5c3703353c826

“Yes. They also seem ab3bbdd675 to conduct their bf1a4beb07 training on their 8c1f0a6c91 own.”6d4cad3a48fd978b

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Though all of 8557f7c586 them were loyal 81cf68ebb1 and diligent, with 0d36678b90 a deep sense b229eef83f of responsibility toward 39286e3ecb the North and 8b22ff388b the Rudion Duchy, 5e19beb997 Gressel added that b535f4c17e the lack of a351c3cc62 proper funding and, e83ca1178d most importantly, the 9c2ed96d0a absence of a dffc8299c1 formal leader had c2f9b62350 resulted in significantly 192c6063c5 lower overall skill 8201eac0a9 and training standards 291f150ee9 within the knight 613703b512 order.a597744b9da71f12

First Anne, and now Gressel.dfbf1ff0600edd3a

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The information both 038b6c2a3b had shared was 13c12dcfea heavy, adding more 27d821a238 weight to my 554dc55cc4 already exhausted mind.da085b6725ab36f9

More than anything, c711a71061 my heart ached d5ff24abaa as I thought 86ab0f374b about how much 53a27fea13 burden Euclid must bf05577c2b have shouldered alone 2602fe8b00 all this time.a9db41976d034e71

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‘It was heartbreaking enough to know about the Duchy’s debts…’9ad186e55a55ccc5

I forcibly soothed my 46a14c01ed troubled emotions.97e233ccf4a3634a

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It would be fine because 2761e6d4fb I would now take on 2b4067e2a9 every single burden Euclid carried.4bcf88c09985a600

However, there was an ad0012ef93 issue that needed to 1cd5db044b be addressed immediately.155ddf222f59fd1b

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“So, is the security of the castle stable?”b2d14e1acbc11059

While the original story 577290cc07 never mentioned Euclid facing 7cd0c34881 any immediate danger, I 21297a081f felt slightly uneasy, wondering ce68e3ee04 if it was simply 9bf982544f omitted due to his e44fcadaab minor role.bb6c8769b195d709

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After all, the 2571e5a135 duchy was located 98d8a97884 just across the 819c412652 mountain range from 06ab015bf9 a foreign country f60fa08504 and was facing c705144520 rejection from the 644b6ffff5 Emperor…647325e3e2a0f1a2

It was crucial 6e2b1e46c4 to have a 39e68d2156 plan in place 8883e15c5d in case anything 1f7a0a3f9f went wrong.ed39f8a26e7f84ac

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Euclid, Marianne, Dior, and 01d78ed3fc the overly kind and a1880e2e19 innocent people of the 94dde72e43 ducal castle—the people Euclid 07118fa509 cherished in his territory—they 64e33e6ab5 were all now my f7e4683e7b responsibility to protect.17e8181a32c78f4e

I was even considering 54325a3057 whether I should hire 3af36c3ded a skilled mercenary group c212275642 when Gressel’s next words 8533a27cab brought me some relief.030598c846f8a9ad

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“I was concerned as well, so I looked into it thoroughly. It turns out 13d7605e3e this castle itself e6664e51f4 is a fortress 5c40c3fedf meticulously crafted by 1361c96f72 the first Lord 1364f74fdf of Rudion. It is said that various f16dd05329 magical attacks and defense mechanisms 20e3ed38b7 are inscribed throughout the castle, 3ba1355d69 but even longtime staff members 75c9337e46 don’t know how to activate fddda37621 them.”9edcf94b0e1f5618

“Really?”10c3ffdfcf8b171d

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A castle imbued with magic—it de34f78233 was like something straight out bc2b69a573 of a fantasy tale.3ef85f523fda73f9

‘They say the first Lord of Rudion was such an exceptional mage that he aided the Emperor in slaying an evil dragon. Truly remarkable.’24f84af2f1f3ba2e

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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •f8e08292b72764c3

If you want to support d7c3457b07 the translation and the translator, a532b9a104 you can buy a coffee~7c36899db7086db9

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