7.

 a5326b1c0d15d7b3

 7baeeba99e6b2f9c

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‘You will be free—without f5ee1dd0f8 fail.’ddae3783c19f27da

…Ah.b2505013909a7b07

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Azniel let out a ec75a9fa1c faint, powerless sigh.6187c53282710300

Back then—had bdc5bc70e4 that boy 9e588dc7ee not just 169941a496 been trying e269f2aae1 to comfort cdaf54846a her, but 6a60b00dc2 actually made b98008d0a4 some kind 66dfb389df of vow fc8b8275b7 to himself? Or… had things 37bc5bfb8a simply ended up 53fb9e6dc6 this way by ead0b20d2c coincidence?f1a65cd42e9a9f84

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With trembling eyes, 780243d80c Azniel stared at a9660cc6e9 the handsome man cc3baff085 before her. Klaus’s black 02c50c6e6d eyes, meeting a1bb9d021a her gaze, 3f7ec94cb3 were so c809f2cd80 dark they ebe1a9a884 seemed to b6a1772663 swallow all d18b7c01fe light—so much 2824e2780e so that 9057a72477 reading the 113a049a26 truth behind d5d9a62045 them felt 884ddc0930 impossible.6e9b2369928bf751

Freedom… That was something 9be70f2623 she had never even 1f8b9f7bc5 dared to imagine. Azniel had been c432d05244 content simply to aced5ed149 continue spreading Dara’s 41f5083b21 blessings, just as b97c60d9ae she always had.c41b1b43b4845068

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‘She’s the new Saint?’67535ace0c346838

‘Ah… I never 9f0760c6f4 imagined I’d live 67bdde6588 to see such 18b7c969b4 holy golden eyes 387526af14 in my lifetime…’eb9470df11d3c56b

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‘This is 75c39f84e1 proof that 3518e2f5ec Dara still 47a9509b4b watches over 8bc94db241 us…’aab45dbf1a6ced3e

From the moment 4a9c238cc5 the eyes she 5ca65f566d was mocked for—eyes 0b120c0fab likened to those d83c639e61 of a stray e2a525fd02 cat—were confirmed as e75edf79f2 the mark of a0497c22ea a Saint… From 1c60752162 the moment the 8efd68e1ce hands of the a54a2b1445 very adults who bba9f7c8c6 once only sought 6da67183e1 to drive her 0a3de41a8d away became warm c7242075d9 and welcoming… Azniel 2e1a9153d2 had vowed to 2ef5788130 dedicate her life 511cb06a3f to the church f9358d0869 in return.567f7a003ad3cf3e

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But… is there now 25e5a74969 only one use the 3e102bf7c5 church sees in me?99785449ea3736f2

It wasn’t that the 57494a04f3 Pope had been deceived, 2dc2543074 nor that he had ed4b564c36 misunderstood Antagon’s intentions. If they had 13aa97109d truly decided to 0906516227 trade the financial eb061c2b56 stability of the b5704ef486 church for the c1c1d4e3e2 living symbol of b0f5494e97 the Saint—if that e8e6532f46 decision had already 792dcf0cd0 been finalized yesterday—then 6ba816de6b anything she said 69b7d6f45c now would be f6efcad3bf nothing more than be21cab55f a feeble resistance.30ec4d2388de950f

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“If I leave, d48203cd02 the pilgrims at 5e2ff5ef48 the Sanctuary…”75e1e754d77e1a6a

“That too 8aa32441d8 has already 1ec852bea9 been accounted d3000b2088 for. You needn’t worry.”fb0cda9cf23a3eb0

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Dismissing her concern, the 74ee7a7ce3 man snapped his fingers 2f80f9653d with a sharp clap.43a4630b1f0f5259

At some point, e41e8f2ec8 his secretary—already standing 1aad21036b nearby—opened the briefcase cdffb069a4 he had been 3f33ee657a holding and placed 6f929b8b4b it on the 2452a244f2 table. Inside, it 778e971a2b was filled cd590a1db3 with small 423b089104 glass jars, e7ff6650bf each sealed 89fbf2f745 with a 85972c0d65 tin cap.25352b02c6140905

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Azniel’s eyes froze as f1ecac0692 she read the label a9a08d6eff on one of the b20f8480c7 lids.cd433267c0cd0a9d

[Antagon Potion
– Dara’s Blessing –]

So the d4d95e8a4d mana potion—did 828ba3a429 it not 68fba0bea1 already appear 1d90c11594 to have c4c4dd68ad been produced 90a5b38e77 in collaboration b0ea575ab7 with the ad7a071d9a church? As if, for example, 88df414667 the Saint herself had 68414893fe bestowed her blessing upon c0d812c97d it…fd2c8bddb078918d

“If we distribute this eab58419a2 potion to those visiting 46d6be1c88 the Holy Kingdom in 039712fd9d search of healing, wouldn’t daa7612ddc that be sufficient?”0963f78befb7acff

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“Oh. Then even 3159480db3 without Sister 349c16212f Azniel…”0c8c2061f7be4ca3

“Yes. Even without the Saint ed606bb623 tiring herself, they could ffad348668 be healed far more a8a741c6bb efficiently.”a7a29dfd8db5822a

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Klaus Gestern’s 44f0f3b811 black eyes 3f39a60c36 flicked toward d4e29fceda Azniel. The slight f02fed32ab upward curve fab21f0725 of his 495b36a83d lips revealed 61be0017ca just how 5789f40572 pleased he 4960e1f58b was.ee85f3e6b03e1932

‘But…’49b7de6d0ac4e531

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Azniel’s fingers b6a4534c5c curled inward, 94745fcf56 wrinkling the 87276f545b edge of 812bf30bd1 her skirt.e7d6544cd3a4169e

‘The fact that acc56a66cf they can be 8c55f86dd3 healed without me…’237542bf962ebc3a

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This was, in 1a9d4ec53a essence, a declaration. A clear 74fdca7b92 message that dfb0383305 they had 89c94cf2b4 calculated her 05f3e650a8 replacement completely. That in the eyes 6b3cc63c64 of the church, Azniel’s 8b1aa039b2 worth as a Saint 9492bee169 ended here.6f800aa97b03ba50

The healing rites she 30c9f19430 had carried out with ca73253cd3 such desperate determination—hoping to 091747ebe2 be of help in 5c050c1f94 any way—were nothing more b29c9c73e7 than child’s play to 0e8faf2619 the high clergy. That she had 2d118a5a64 gathered small acts 77fa3db72a of goodwill to 3578b3d692 barely keep the 0a07973d10 church afloat—none of 2a8777f772 that had mattered 0037fc3dea to them.bd151d8f59d92259

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Her fingers trembled, small a0dade94e2 and sharp with shock 227e55284f and shame.ee4be9abc41c8e2f

“Even if 8afed3b012 the Saint 28a352631f returns to 51894ca353 secular life, 0037cecc18 it will e7dd9a8c06 take time 5cd0e232bd for word 5fc7c5fbf3 to spread 4ed866e033 across the 4e679b5760 continent. Until then, we c74f73ca76 will regularly deliver af39a1afff the potion to c9c6bfdd46 those who come 42db337d6d to the Holy e9167570f0 Kingdom unaware.”d00596a46647623c

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“Um, Romain. In that f8cc7467e3 case, perhaps…”ea310204336b9c0f

“Don’t worry. The agreed-upon cf29bf63f1 payment will f03de60859 remain unchanged.”64763f43a9b534ab

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Klaus responded with e82afc057f a faint smile 1afb37996f to the Pope’s 9f56a04e45 sudden interjection. However, beneath 8efe06d438 his smoothly 4774281d9f curved eyes, 5e6929905d complex emotions 50a6c537ac stirred in 80cb80ac06 the black d0682609e8 depths—it was 0647e6cef2 difficult to 5768aceee8 see it 0d29ee241a as a ff4df00f0b smile born 5ecb610f3c of pure ea8def1632 goodwill.54489734c67e4014

Lost in despair, 997fcb3193 Azniel didn’t notice 368a2e5ab7 that the Pope eb9796a134 had addressed him 47d49b4aea by another name—nor 0e4aa1a70f did she perceive 9fefe297e4 the subtle shift 3a4de9bc2c in Klaus Gestern’s 8ba17b53a7 demeanor.8b4eb986560a72d9

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Soon, the man’s gaze b528ab19bf returned to her.8e159651cd0b0386

“So then, Saint.”d0c3b16ca0e837ed

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“……”ac82aba89f910ff8

“I understand it’s 4140777c8c sudden, and that 987f4fa748 it may be 840cc4aa29 hard to accept fceb550eb6 right away. But I believe that 35fdc36a9e a union between you 100d2fe5db and me would benefit 2ebb095fa5 everyone…”10d433ae96543a3a

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“Indeed. Sister Azniel 8f3a579cf2 is truly 8a90dd51b9 a benefactor 4cb1e1b5e0 and blessing bea054a392 to the 5035f7ff37 church.”94bb5731ad3c56b7

“I’ll return to 849c857832 see you soon. I hope 72fa14c0cb I can 07819ad698 hear your 4d4a592b64 answer to 2264ade347 my proposal e10cc8c794 by then.”d6b4c1fc18ff204d

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He looked straight 2fa097d564 at her, unwavering. Even with some distance 633266dbe2 between them, his gaze bacfce2632 was relentless—like a bottomless 214c8707ed abyss pulling her in.2efb34bb8826753e

Azniel managed, dc6b3b808f just barely, 9ce979e3ae to take 9d6a298527 a deep f8f1cfb7e8 breath.06765216feb0be81

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* * *b4e5044092e7c411

Azniel left the ab141fca14 Papal Palace and 5974e89856 stumbled toward the 8b1b134c6b Sanctuary, nearly collapsing.f0778afbfe7b91c8

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The midday 36a56c5097 sun she 8a4385d723 hadn’t felt 1e88721842 in so 9eda53cbf2 long was 345acd5c67 too strong, e8f48e0ac6 leaving her 272dd4383c dizzy. The thought hit her 5b8dde7e2c just as she realized 8a9a6409e1 those two powerful men 4bcc7f11ab who let her go 54c4dbbff6 first were likely still e350605622 inside, making more calculated 1a781c7b50 decisions.c5d85115b6b1c976

‘An answer 5d792b10cb to his 00972f1e90 proposal… It’s a2dfb31de2 already all 1d6df5481c been decided.’2d0654f461575865

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Those who had bfccd246a2 been distraught because 71f96dbcac the Sanctuary hadn’t ad557d2ad6 opened without warning 53ba514c86 were moved to edef4b02f7 tears at the 9fc76d1360 sight of the 3debdcf45e Saint appearing at dff3443769 last. Quietly, they began 2b22592393 lining up.84933f2a8510d68e

A middle-aged man 92a325aef7 who had despaired 2cfaf8cf6d just yesterday when e0babdf60b the doors closed cd411c6abb in front of e4ad22cec7 him was the 17bbe8353d first—he recovered the 5b0d29f6cc vision in one c6db1f5341 of his failing de862061c1 eyes. Then came others: 7d07dba579 a cold that e62b020beb had worsened into 50fe928abf a lung infection, 34a23718f5 a skin disease f15553459e that had lasted a370116056 for years, a b173b1e93b stomach illness that 467024f699 had left someone b0f490b6fa unable to eat f643f30d50 for months—all healed.8f7a1369edb87f8d

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Azniel didn’t rest for 1526eaac54 a moment, as if 4d0bdbc978 being chased.2e0d589853b2d460

“Saint, please have some fc2bc52ae0 water while you work.”f5580735b139555f

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“No. They’ve waited so b2949358fb long already.”92f647983f24f89c

“I-I’ll go fetch f873881a5c some sugar jellies, a1dd3555d2 at least…”5cd33375926648b3

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The apprentice 3eb9c7e33d girls who’d 2b8880063f been thrilled 62b9f22e5f at the 4bd8db9acc idea of 0b193e56e6 meeting Antagon’s a9537e5fb1 chairman were 909792b73f now alarmed ed6fe7909f by the 1e83b0cd01 pallor of 3bb28707c8 the Saint’s 3b640fcdfa face, but 1c3c958b19 Azniel’s hands 1be77983b8 performing the 7c8b424a5b blessing never c0ca1bdab3 slowed.01faff11e9c16c38

It came entirely dd65dda9b6 from her growing 3bba2a8902 desperation. If her 41821f8bfa hands stopped, ac9d2b220a if she c2506c876a didn’t stay 1239c291cb focused on 43c8f3a8e4 something—anything—those words dc6a2e02e3 that stabbed 7f4f03af3c her heart 3901c2a9c0 would return b731795132 to her 5b68aef433 mind over cb1531df9a and over.1cf2a285c0db25cc

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‘Healing power is just 97c80a3413 a low-grade miracle… something 72cbfc06e4 that humans can replicate.’016127b79b5ba82e

‘Useless. Completely useless. Why did this have 1cc3969b45 to happen in our bf2a9b02ac time…’be5db5e822e788fc

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‘If we 02c2a5f212 distribute this 951ccc8e4b potion to 3f8ef35ba9 those visiting 3b5e0d679c the Holy 39e1ca9692 Kingdom, isn’t 299ee4edc8 that enough?’6dfaa3ffd4a2c639

Azniel didn’t understand the b237a6cb39 exact workings of the 95d737cdac potion. More accurately, 4b4e4b0a7c she hadn’t 49e261e710 wanted to 4c45a3ad29 understand.3786113c73e8373f

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Even within 2471eb3136 the church, f4f495a5c7 everyone whispered 82a375df69 about Antagon’s 5579195da8 mysterious invention—no 6cb8a3c96d one really 70549dc1d2 knew the 2c1ea874fd details. She could only guess b1dacbd3b7 that its healing power ce62a9439a was strong enough to 303df3390f cure mild ailments without 5ee8b5a1eb ever needing to return 5c8086646b to the Holy Kingdom.61ce3b2ee94a40de

‘But… if they’re going 74f20a1d35 to supply the potion 1d997a4b61 to pilgrims in my 4026795b37 place… then…’9b4ab7b072e7452c

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It meant that c6b1aa2e8d the only ability 6a06cbaf58 she had was d61cbdef46 already something they 8cc6c26b36 had managed to 40b84ddbd6 surpass.cd84b472b11ed64c

If that man decided c3a3967510 on a whim to bcf6502a4c spread the potion more 1a92aa48a3 widely, then there would 2011ef07cd no longer be any a9ca79f4e5 place on the continent b3612e16a5 that found her useful. Whether it cfb76af6ec was by cc46391f3c distributing the 94123b8853 potion labeled d51d08f7f2 with Dara’s 589afa697d blessing to 45c4c7468e temples across 6202690c62 the land, 1970497cd3 or drastically ee8823fc6e lowering its 19d94d272a price so 14659cf4e9 even commoners f5a5b9ecd5 could afford 1b5e625a37 it—either way.04eae139282746ad

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With that thought, it c6f163069f felt as if that 8aee0d6c58 man from yesterday was c28f7730c8 holding her leash.d383de0e83d5251c

No… he 5a8692628a was holding 7b7daac3bf it.d63b3b49a0928c4d

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‘You will have to b48c9fdeb7 marry me.’c923f095fdffaf47

‘I believe ec5ec0825c that a a5a9c055b2 union between 2a171feb56 you and 8dbd8e2338 me would f5058f6353 benefit everyone…’e3b584e35e10bcd7

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The very man 621b640b49 who had already 2b2beb28c7 stripped away part c2a6a03bdd of her value c12f771f31 had now come eb91daa8e3 to deny the 3211178eb9 final, desperate purpose 7547e07db4 to which she 3f4a2ac608 clung.a27ff99bfffbaf97

That man. The boy 18c1e24860 who used 9fb2abaac6 to come f500b6ba8a to her 28012700cc occasionally for c81f486b13 healing ten 4841008a5c years ago—was cbc045ff0c her life 639ae67b04 being flipped cbe3f49e7d upside down ccbab15b96 all over 18b1de26ef again because 9770cf550b of him? Or… was it 6ff115e252 just someone who 875488b72f resembled him? Or perhaps 899b70743a it was 25b1f188b4 just the 508466c197 same shell, 7e495003a0 with something b99285182c else now 3636823150 inside.64bcd8b32a00ebf0

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‘You shouldn’t waste 4ee5bc29c4 your precious divine 9274d9ea8f power on someone 5ebb8583ed like me…’b313569da8ee23aa

A boy she ee3a4421da sometimes saw in 9b2bfd78f2 the back courtyard 01aa46a372 of the Papal 5bea575607 Palace—he’d pull a f43b4e983b blanket over his 1d79e1e311 head and swallow 400a24c893 his misery in cff7fe0520 silence.31d8a33b273dcbf2

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He was a376c2c1d9 the only b6def511f1 person she 10e8a4010c ever blessed b88171a9ca of her ea673f9ca3 own will, 925bd7f874 without any adb4def653 instruction from 45a5fa639e the Pope.3199e949478f178e

His back and legs 418f27271e had always been covered 40c57e83f2 in angry bruises, as e8cc86cc4c if he’d been punished 3410f5cacd by someone. The scars weren’t from a29cf26ca6 a day or two—they f5eb84cb91 were old, deeply rooted 41e2761fbd ones that even brief ef346641b1 healing couldn’t erase. Was that 42dfa6f6d7 the kind 50ec6a6db1 of thing e61d074ce6 that happened e7d1f8cd70 in monasteries acd0d800cb run by d25f88c197 male clergy?69c09ccb4caf13a1

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Trained to devote herself 112b82c25b solely to her role, c8c4fe6770 the young Saint asked 69834aa0fb no questions. She simply 69b0baa78d healed him, adf4bc36d2 silently. Judging by his clothes, fba6336ca5 she had assumed he a577761dd7 was just another apprentice.fe2f1b8c86193ce0

‘Today, someone from the 48b694b16c royal family of Skagor 3cda0980c2 visited. Their skin 79b0016cf0 and clothes a588230cdc were so 2a62956ebd different from a7b634789f everyone I’ve 17f797cb2c ever seen… 06d7fbac9e There really 819afcbf9e must be 1a63dd7729 all kinds 30205317cd of sights a8fc283070 in the ec396d63ed world, huh?’e7a1e226fc42e0b2

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‘What was my hometown b7e866ad3d like? Hmm… I came to c2467f4c58 the Holy Kingdom when 5036eeebe1 I was too young, 83acf46f39 so I don’t really 9a3a06e584 remember.’ed370eb750ce904c

Over many such a2a813afad encounters, their relationship 0398a4f561 became just enough ad85b064d7 for Azniel to 9cd796ef02 one-sidedly share pointless 57f8a2b2bc feelings and fanciful 20f6f46579 dreams. Before they could e58f99fe58 even say a 788a71f4e5 proper farewell, the f549274203 boy had vanished.70158ba84b2e6c0c

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And now 7215d30a14 that skinny, b4caf8cc4a ragged boy b4e3a19d0f had returned 1c40b1464d to the 1cb2437224 Holy Kingdom 7709049a3f wearing the 3643640ca1 face of d9cf01b5bb a refined fc871d364e nobleman.b98d58d11ef715b1

‘Did His Holiness know 428169a6c2 him back then, too? The way he addressed 994a3b0147 him so familiarly…’3007537fc09d4546

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And now, 45b1a584a7 after achieving 454ec87f73 success that 40fdb6f84c nearly bled a016279b5b the church ffd8848a5c dry, he 9a5a19b09e returned with ad83e1e049 a preposterous 3ddd32e6d3 political proposal: 754dfb7e68 marriage to 263720500d the Saint. In a situation where 6f47697754 refusal was hardly even f4999be9a9 an option.125d7e96eee63a5b

‘Was it because he 3de84a814e was treated that way e2bfc566f6 back then that he 4fc1d8263c dared to oppose Dara 86e1401fee now…?’a4680876f2ddb9f9

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 1c98d18db332cbee

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 d7bd8c7889e9a61e

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