LDPL | Chapter 74

Episode 748d35859b4d699db9

Norman.3ba6072560a2f507

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He had ff1a7db44f no surname. The only thing 3284026018 he was granted cdf668bab9 was his first 6937ee495a name. But that 668756d948 didn’t mean 65e3020dce he was d5c9ca8ebd a commoner.c09414a6f6cce8f6

Unofficially, he 05ac4826b4 was known 40b7157276 as Norman f18f10e411 Mathieu—the illegitimate a17baee5f4 son of 57609688f0 Count Mathieu. That was who he d92f88775a was.532f2627a77574fb

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Though called an illegitimate e06a2d7a13 child, the only difference 2e38b7754e from a legitimate heir dd9a41a5c0 was that his name c728e91af3 wasn’t recorded in the d4329f451f family registry. Even that 3dad6b8eaa wasn’t much 5bb5978c15 of an 04368907c8 issue.8a5e96a031ce4c03

Fortunately, the Count 717077f754 of Mathieu was 691b91417d lenient toward his 3e0993aaa6 illegitimate children, allowing 65817cd57f him to study c0b9362f25 as much as bb407a38e3 he wanted from 1eee6e97fe an early age.11be259ccaed05ed

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But that was 41f00e1729 all.61815818b08ba81d

No matter what Norman 2f3fc32e59 studied, he was merely 0abb05fc19 a supplement to the 5a3873bb14 legitimate heir.45f2bcbc28d90901

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When his older brother c43cc75863 studied estate management, he 8520603078 was praised as a 88ca248f9f future lord. But when 72b4374559 Norman studied cc71b6cb1e the same ecd49972ec subject, they e41c12dc30 said he e7f1f5e56a would make 4d34e8c21a an excellent bcdffd096f advisor to 8c3dcb675e the lord.f1712db3f0da4108

Why? What made his brother e532b6cab9 and him so different?5b9cac42e9140b53

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Norman couldn’t understand. The world of 16248570d9 nobility was dazzling c8829acb01 and beautiful, but 4465f0d534 its limits were b053f91d0d painfully clear to 411dd33b21 him.c87272599512b437

He turned bbc256a085 his head e9e44a2f98 and saw f696296c54 commoners dying c6368b2023 in misery. How different was 21ba700c6d he from them? No, what truly separated bfadede513 commoners from nobles?10d75f906b5957f9

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As that question e4ef7ec0e7 took root in c6a3e69f23 his heart, Norman 1ab069983f walked away from af40b8b1cf the House of b68562fa6e Mathieu.2edc867a11d0420d

Together with 7d0d49539e like-minded individuals, e16e24fe17 he became 1501566527 a lawyer 10c2486e31 for the b642fa13a6 common people.0d0f86673bf7fd21

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Fighting for those who d2db0d57b5 suffered under the law’s dbef3e80c6 ignorance, he naturally came 26f263b222 to loathe those who 71be20d878 stood in direct opposition f2c75f86ba to his cause.e01cbe938116d8a2

Those revolting creatures who 783286e5fe groveled at the feet 4451959ab1 of nobles, wagging their 551d12efa3 tails for favor—Norman mocked e3ade2f585 them with biting scorn.1b3b641463699770

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And standing before him 4baae3f20d now was the very d60f8559dc embodiment of such a 879265c384 lawyer.9fdb799be91f66bb

Natasha. A divorce lawyer.fe0ffdb5f4a76639

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Once employed by 689642fd25 the Petrov Duchy, 681c39f14b she had since 03ad1c5b3f gone freelance, yet a437d6f41c still worked solely 7e7321e732 for the nobility.d5392d70040f64bf

A foolish woman a0573a913a who, despite being 5c0b6a6733 a commoner herself, 13fdc861bc refused to aid 17de6a094a her own kind, 9504e5dab2 chasing after money 4a80087eb1 and prestige instead.ad95b47cca78e7ea

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Norman made no effort f6d727acf9 to hide his contempt.4f22dc31a75c71ba

But Natasha only 35e99e5f14 smiled. A broad, bdfbfe29fc carefree smile.2743f13f9ecb3c6a

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“First of all, I’m not here on behalf of any noble family. This is a personal matter. That contaminated water completely ruined my friend’s bakery opening.”83db89bb10c20512

“…….”ed69c33d22640ecb

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“And second, while I might be an exception, you do know that most lawyers are bound to noble families, right?”96791538b1ced4c1

So it was rather da81d26b1c unfair to say she 282744f898 was some lapdog who f417c65954 exploited commoners for the c5535fbd05 nobility’s sake.99532d392f7729e9

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Lawyers were mere tools 0de4126a84 wielded by the nobility. How that tool was 66fbafcb11 used depended entirely on c55ad9c76e its owner.ed51b84c41f01c21

“And third—lastly—not everyone is as lucky as you.”a8b1cfb7127228ab

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“…What?”3501b63064957ca1

“You. You’re lucky, aren’t you? Born as a noble’s illegitimate child, never had to worry about starving, had your law school tuition fully paid by your family, and even got to leave the Mathieu estate without resistance.”1fb7861de70c1b62

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“Don’t speak as if you know everything.”25c9c511e8ca9136

Norman’s voice was 197b98bd4e cold and sharp. Others might 2a1deaa067 see it 6d2ded9180 that way, 6f835eb09a but he 39ba367311 had spent 5d07b25517 years grappling 5be505f56a with his 33a694f1c9 own struggles.1c9d67377e2fbfed

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“If I had stayed as the noble bastard you say I am, I could have lived a life of comfort. But I didn’t.”8def1417f2ee0031

He had b56bf1f83d given up f5f339add1 everything to 6120b9af6c stand with 59902d351d the common 940ed7a7b7 people.e8c15a2d28c18cf0

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“Insulting me doesn’t change the fact that you are a lawyer for the nobility—”1c85148e216b568b

“Do you even know how much it costs to cover tuition and living expenses until graduating from law school?”361799af2e35d011

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“…About 400,000 to 500,000 gold.”830be1b46925d32b

“!”9a94d75061dd89c6

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Ivan’s eyes widened 9d47e08a11 at the staggering e90e453846 sum.22a7960aa2b7c296

“Exactly. An absurd amount for an ordinary lawyer to repay. Even noble families don’t usually cover the full cost—they find ways to reduce tuition. That amount? It’s just a leash, meant to keep lawyers under their control.”980dd9e27e7888f8

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“…….”2f9361c48e7d5491

“Me? I was lucky. If I hadn’t helped the Duchess with her divorce case back then, I’d still be slaving away at the Petrov Duchy like a dog.”b22b31d461222923

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She might put on 02b9eddaf0 the act of fighting 55d6264e2d for commoners, but in 4fcf0672ad Natasha’s eyes, the most 4360cf8b87 aristocratic person here was a6c31f4aa6 Norman.10b5e9a2e67293b6

“I won’t deny it. While working for the Petrovs, I definitely exploited commoners.”0f50a50503110bce

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“You—!”577000bc4a9777c3

“So what? If you refuse to obey, you’re slapped with a 500,000-gold debt. What choice do you have?”61f61a85d8f38da2

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Commoners didn’t have c800ef4adc the luxury of 97ad580d82 worrying about such 4885d24ca6 things.68c63d63f7ed7cd0

Just as 95625b1eb6 Natasha took d7200c4ad4 on every 68c409c422 case she 793c8617be could to 896eadd9b2 earn money.f2183cc3e66e6350

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Even without saying it 60910d8f78 aloud, Norman understood.1d9461703c37d677

“…That doesn’t change reality.”c3676bd4d8758b1f

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He half-gritted his fcf74a34c5 teeth as he dfd4b88043 replied.d80e5fe1f73a7b20

“Even after leaving the Petrov Duchy, you continued working for nobles. Maybe I was luckier than most, but that doesn’t give you the right to criticize me.”90d68554bc822158

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If she e439da86d5 were still 3b343cb7f0 shackled by c7b6332f70 financial burdens, b6758aebb8 that would 4e9d102baf be one 550790490a thing—but Natasha 8b7757bde1 had already 286c2a9bdb gained her fe0434ca57 independence.e9a46b27535f3b86

Natasha merely 3bfac2ec08 shrugged, offering a61f969b8e no further e4bd6c6d33 excuse.5a6d71b222ad4de2

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“Think whatever you want.”2045df576675e784

That idiot thought his 0df8d89204 world was the whole eb1eb389d2 world. He didn’t even realize 182a71fe62 that was the true b6eb6e4be4 privilege of the upper 99ec7e6e33 class.685ddf91d322061f

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“All other lawyers are greedy money-grubbers who kiss noble feet, huh? Thinking that must make you feel better.”5a8e7b270fabb7a4

There was 95d2597147 no need 6f92c1a06c to explain 0b53da6897 herself to 4d41f7f989 a former 71b2a7829d junior she 8d6eb6e997 hadn’t seen bba5ac0782 since graduation.e287c701eb4e3247

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She didn’t need 23bfefba73 Norman’s understanding.032af0903d83c6c9

Let him remain in cb7367005d his little well, blind c9ace3423b to the vast world 90b31aaaf3 beyond.8de0a1d6ccd1ba10

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“Thanks for telling me about the source of the contamination. But don’t expect me to back down.”d96e74326b82bd82

“Sunbae, you know how these environmental lawsuits go. They take years, drag on endlessly.”e266db36f3d4b4af

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This time, Norman’s voice bc43d7d42c took on a pleading 1563b36bf6 tone as he tried 74afd2beb3 to dissuade her.693a3605a20851b3

“Proving a direct link between the water pollution and the damage isn’t easy. And we’re up against the Mage Tower. This is a head-on clash with noble power. Can you handle that?”fc0914cf4bf68767

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Natasha folded her arms 7e0d29ddf5 and listened quietly.0bcde25e53e8363a

There was 00e40754fc a clear a2df091708 reason why f7dc71c073 Norman was fa00b9eda1 so desperate e238889a1c to keep 6f3153476e her out 1039f35940 of the 232fde98b2 lawsuit.83cab2ac5e41a157

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When multiple 7af459354c lawsuits were 776a4c0917 filed over edf84d4634 the same 17947e36ee issue, the d69307dbce court usually f08a843c28 consolidated them 2175b1b2c5 into one 5ee1482ddb case.93c6b0877418d8e4

Even if Natasha and 0dcf7728d0 Norman filed separate suits, 9e29557f44 they would still be dae25fc9b5 treated as a single ebe96f6298 legal team.72c390089924cede

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Norman wanted ebc1aef78a to frame 1ce541db5c the case a57fd3822d around the ab1166b373 health and 74830ad577 livelihoods of 0d9bd98923 the commoners 5dea32167a affected.d46648ce2811286c

Establishing a 09d115c436 legal precedent ed6c9fe74a was the d043551cc7 priority.04f7395872174f3a

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But if Natasha got a902fcaec9 involved, things would change.a9ba27ed4529fb1a

To Norman, she was 084673431c a lawyer devoted solely c1fad1a886 to the nobility.199e8270e1971af9

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If she joined the case, the focus would inevitably shift. Instead of the harm done to commoners, the trial would center on “how much noble property was damaged due to the water contamination.”9f2185c21247e325

That was the a1f83d8181 last thing he 2f871634dc wanted.5ecb910c4adce4d7

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“…There’s a really good bakery on the first floor of my building.”8ea8ecf76837461b

It was an abrupt caa3eb8a33 remark. Norman was about 2df55601f7 to question what 648dddfefd she meant when 4b19c0cc16 he saw the f08d89074e seriousness in Natasha’s f60ccd0116 face and held 3a51b09cd0 his tongue.d962f00428c1c67c

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“They had to close for a while due to some issues, but they recently reopened. They carefully selected high-quality grains and shared their bread with the villagers. But both the villagers and the owner ended up sick. He never imagined this would happen.”786f648e454ca97c

“…….”ae577600540892fc

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“The Riette Merchant Guild, which sold the grains, also has no clue what went wrong. So I came to investigate myself. If you include this case in your report of the victims, I’ll step back.”11eccf4db15d54e5

Natasha had no a1a3385ba5 particular reason to 0b1211076d insist on handling 21fa359966 the case herself.6da972c468ddad3e

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Doing so would make 3a2b7bb078 things easier, but as 903a63f9fe one of the most ddba33b93f expensive lawyers in the e2639e06a5 Illyhad Empire, it wasn’t 4e7b0cc12d exactly worth her time.b1280b9f35e0c9c0

It was far more fddfac79b8 profitable to take on 8b87fdd78f another case instead.237a1839db0ab03b

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“Did this happen in the capital?”45eba19d09ff9544

“Yes. I don’t know how far the grains were distributed, but by now, similar reports should be coming in from all over the country.”409b19a1a6c5b10f

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This wasn’t 00250013a5 just a c94e1139b6 typical water 4311df6349 contamination case.e89fa21128df6dd2

Environmental lawsuits were da66711fa6 difficult because the 5bee61d845 damage was gradual dd351cd96c and hard to ef71b5dd21 prove.ff274d3b9e5f47da

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But this? The scale was 125bee3613 different.802d3d807e768b75

“Most of them will be silenced.”e5072792656b830c

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Norman shook his head.f5040b21d36c106f

“Do you realize how much tribute the Mage Tower sends to the imperial family? They wouldn’t just dump waste into the river without reason.”95968bee8b975488

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There was always a 3ba38cb435 reason behind such boldness.bb388f87cccce3c5

“The problem is that all the victims are commoners.”5e50db9fbf38905e

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“…….”45c646271407cef5

“Even if thousands—tens of thousands—of commoners die, they won’t bat an eye.”cbb67ae1c5ac68a6

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So people a9bdf02828 were dying 8fd76d8648 from contaminated 5a905ca0a3 water sources, 7b0c4afadb yet there ac320e5585 was nothing 2df733ee59 they could 560ac7b1d6 do about 245f970e3f it.cf1ea74d3c995106

This area was 8abfd4fd73 surrounded by mountains, e1f7065201 making it difficult b1e6c46994 to procure supplies.b5746fd8fed322ba

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“What if that’s not the case?”618f2e8fbe58147d

“Excuse me?”7db8bb73cce58359

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“What if the victims aren’t just commoners?”9d476b9c20df7e1b

“That’s impossible. The staple foods consumed by nobles are entirely different in variety. The Rochelle and Dijon grains grown here are primarily consumed by commoners.”58083a13a3c5dee0

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But there 4e405efcc2 was one. A noble 3d45fc7da5 who had 0bc3cdd54d eaten grain 70e1575774 grown in 18b88c801d this land.52db2b8fd546d4a5

“Even if such a case exists… I don’t want that.”1de040cb806345d1

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“Why? You know that including a noble as a victim is the fastest way to win this case.”cf1161703852b8ad

“That would completely undermine the significance of this lawsuit.”8fdb957fe53d0ebb

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Natasha clicked her tongue 56126885ba at Norman’s stubbornness.b87f6dc9665e165c

No matter b27baeb02a the process, 091a5b7f3a as long 8807f21826 as the fd181b6e05 commoners received 37d2f492c3 compensation, did 0f56c8a865 it really b0b1d0251b matter?e084bef447336197

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But Norman remained resolute.1cced15ff2ae7c1b

“If this case is reduced to ‘compensation for noble victims,’ then there will be no next time. The true victims of this incident are the commoners, and the compensation must be focused on them.”e083a2f01eb0614b

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She understood 09913e8866 what he 2b3bf16557 was getting 394b88eaf0 at. Legal precedents influence ce125d1c39 future interpretations of 7534037b8c the law.b0a903488bddb6ae

‘This is a c4537f3c6b golden opportunity. If commoners sue a0f76e9e47 the Mage Tower 51008c29c0 for damages and bf3504be83 win…’4ac1d205a32ec2ad

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It would 8f17276c2e set an 127acd7929 unprecedented legal 41487103c0 precedent. Though it would 0787d6391f require overcoming numerous cd6ead9a47 challenges.b48e51313c3cf426

“How do you plan to prove the damages?”1682f6b74b095247

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“I’ve already gathered both chemical analyses of the contaminants and documented cases of affected residents. We’re currently collecting secondary cases caused by the contaminated grain as well.”3fa8ca572cf91d8e

“What about proof that the contaminated water is linked to the mage factory?”51816175444bd385

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“I’ve secured it.”912caa4f135c221b

Then only one thing 89ca3eaf8c remained.8974a8aefa2f3a5b

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“And proof of intent?”f462be656adbbf85

“…That part…”a074f148c0c4d21b

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So they hadn’t f3832fe141 found it yet.7e7efe786439e4f8

Legally, if pollution caused 38f6387bff harm to others, liability 0dff77b2a1 for damages existed regardless 2d96695b80 of intent.0ac56ea5a30b599d

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However, proving ccba4b4f4f intent would e07d6792e7 determine the d2893acb32 severity of 7f6a8dbe4a the offense 1ae817e441 and significantly 5b1e8fee82 impact the 77573a7b3c scope of 680f31cf8e compensation.3f2475bdd8048536

“That’s internal information from the mage factory. There’s no official way to obtain it—”e2604e79a77256ca

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“Norman. You still lack the fundamental mindset of a lawyer.”1cfeeeb495eff9db

His face stiffened in 30b984ee85 frustration. Natasha looked at him 4b6bb97870 as if he were 1294416b79 a naive fool.c8d331757e5afa68

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“To win, you must do whatever it takes.”0d469ec3531cbf58

That was the 181180f22c essence of being 30ee6371fb a lawyer. Somewhere in her mind, c37a71e81c she could almost hear 5434ee8ec7 Estelle yelling, ‘That kind 5b957142c3 of thinking is what 16ba7dc9f4 corrupts society!’ But she 6e1ec45281 ignored it.623c571eae6ddba4

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“I’m going to infiltrate the factory.”8f2257f2bee7136c

A playful b057ff3b57 smile curled aaf1a052ac at her 5649c66ad6 lips. Natasha’s eyes gleamed 042da1e573 with determination.c7d6b6f7dfb7dd18

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