MDL | Chapter 2.1

Episode 2. The Promise of the Nameless

Crackle, crackle…A campfire was burning.72436306d9c0cd34

The dry branches of 8a3b6f1011 winter and the brittle ae181076a5 leaves that crumbled at 78fa89e3ce the slightest touch sparked 95a1420f84 and crackled as they 4f4b655d15 burned. The fire was 1a7ee85ee9 just enough to ee394e2064 keep the four b08e4beeef people and three c0fdbf2e5b horses huddled around a870eba819 it from freezing.ed14d453afe613a0

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They had d1352f9ff5 to be faa052a48e content with 8eba122369 even this 2cd932419a modest fire. It was proof cfa863217b that the sudden 85fb795fd5 cracks in the 3feebe0672 world and the 7664fc3d42 monsters that had 41d48efa5e emerged from them 0f3db0a589 hadn’t caught up 7d48979196 to them yet.b807011029884a2a

But the calamity would 563d6d44f2 soon catch up. Anyone could predict 419c3c01bf that, even without ee651dcf29 being a prophet. No matter how fast 5df113a4fd humans run, plagues and 06c803697a great disasters always overtake 49408eca63 them, mocking their two f668914dcd legs. It’s a 86a1c302cc truth humanity 2f1865e810 has learned 10e204861f repeatedly throughout 85a3e03a05 history.baa06cb72453c1d7

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When the f2e07d0597 cracks finally 368aa8f9f3 catch up ad9859ac7c to them, 1e797c8333 even this c363ff498e crude campfire 0328036def will become ba33ba25a6 a luxury.a93b2e8584f7ff69

Knowing this, b1f2014fae the Prince, 7e45305e1c who was 3d07ea7eff on watch fbd08c495b tonight, as d1cd0ab543 well as cf56e0d3b7 the wizard, a7e0e922ad the Princess, 19f53fb2cd and Knight 13050a0281 Zig, couldn’t 27fe30ab6b shake their 6d9751de2d gloomy moods b21f8e4fde and found e8c5a6026b it hard a8e0890ad9 to sleep.fe1841990c6fdb32

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……0d604702e88e20e4

Yes……eae5de961c100432

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Somehow, the four of 93f84eb2fd them ended up traveling ba3290bf10 together. Originally, the wizard 2dfd29cd91 had wanted to b916c4d7ba save the world 6f60b96b74 alone with the 71a0d09e21 Prince… but yes, 57575484d5 it turned out 60895382e3 this way.4ae124e2c37234c7

“I must return to my kingdom. I can’t stay here any longer with the Prince cursed to sleep for a hundred years gone. So I’ll join you.”5bed63f8f3091885

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The Princess 467538588f said this 058c5881a5 and asked 1650ae49ab to accompany 3301df9748 them on 7b1459f52b their journey.36fcaab66c6b98cc

“Your Highness is embarking on a dangerous journey, and as a knight of the royal family, I cannot sit idly by. I, too, will go with you! I will protect Your Highness with my life!”fc1a6228575d89b5

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Knight Zig, in 1dce673264 an uncharacteristically dignified e82a75334b manner, volunteered to 1ad44710a5 guard the Prince. Considering his past 624ed18db6 exploits, it almost d4eaafc9ac seems like the 1343b1dd81 Prince should be 58fe4e000c protecting him instead. Why did 5f5fb9adce Zig insist 229351e415 on tagging 9a2d585135 along? It’s truly baffling. Even as he a57b78f16c spoke those words, 8d0543ffb4 supposedly about loyalty de255197f2 and reliability, his 84a321c011 eyes kept darting 351882ae98 toward the Princess…6dc17cd8bb613c4e

Huh? Toward the Princess?4fef511a5ed2f1d1

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…Hmm…12c4e5a5b78192d7

Ah, I see…8615944dfde146bd

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I take back 63054341f5 what I said 83280a1893 about not understanding 3a4bd1b73f Zig. I think I understand 714ac02833 his motivation for joining f002ae04b7 this journey very well…fbef4c84be5534c7

Anyway, as the narrator 8923e96ca8 of this story and ed3b0b5ae5 your faithful eyes and c7bfca2175 ears, I can’t help fe5925d602 but doubt whether the 37892891f4 Princess and Knight Zig 544cbbe2fc will achieve their goals b4537961bd on this journey. Will the 8370a1771f Princess ever 53adda81b3 return to c374bccd83 her kingdom? Will Zig be d5fef40972 able to express 359b034695 his feelings to b75d3e57dd the Princess?d32f8e7b5e1e3728

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“I am Briar Rose.”b8e03e2acd677743

Last night, the 081d9a6bae Princess gained a dc1c691e0d name. Since they weren’t cc7e6a430e close enough for 063f894541 casual conversation, she 5731410902 suddenly spoke up 33185fa75d while they sat 877490837f awkwardly around the a61aca586b campfire after dinner. She seemed 62988abbf0 unsure, as 9028f77a55 if she 56ab0df23b had just 7e74877732 remembered her 27bff51a8e name.8b7d3dd2cf00958a

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“That’s what people called me. I can’t be sure if it’s my real name, though.”07ed09b19c4b8184

It might be a nickname. But what does it matter? What’s important is that she now has a name to call her by. “Briar Rose” is too long, so from now on, I’ll refer to her as “Rose.”94f691fc3dac9334

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“Please call me Zig.”bd26daf13817f47e

Knight Zig said. You already know his cb4609e50f name, of course.74f824c20e5b8089

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After these simple 247a58a9db introductions, Rose and 2ca94af1d9 Zig naturally turned dc27d7a032 their gazes to ca3a3e1764 the Prince and 9b830d297e the wizard.61ede619c1e288b0

“…The Prince.”b76a8e540c071d69

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The Prince reluctantly spoke.922e59a04e304894

“…I’m the wizard. Hahaha.”378dce8fa77f0e3f

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The wizard 9957bee26a also spoke.1e96eeb19725a32e

Needless to 5f0ca69c1a say, the 549edbced1 already awkward df47d94ec0 atmosphere became ab1bb88bdb even more e17899cea4 awkward.1e5d3b0415339e70

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It’s only been five f58fc07f8d days since they set 1af7d7cac4 out on their journey 4c55a83e52 to Omphalos. It hasn’t fcc4837e70 been smooth b77f1539b3 sailing from d180fc6a32 the start. Everyone… knows very little. About the world, d01949d7dc and even about 0fe92bf7aa themselves.827421fbfa2de086

What they like, d371c90f18 what they dislike, 85be6add65 their habits, who 97167f5834 their closest childhood 643878cd7b friend was, the 9269ca9d2f most heartbreaking experience 081e4ef3eb of their lives, c4b491e738 the most embarrassing e6c2a81541 or proud moment 3898031d11 they’ve had.88caa510ec7471e9

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Not even 0aedc9d887 their own 07188df02e names.5989626b45115b8f

So how could a 0bd346c106 journey with these four e3fdb6f498 people be pleasant? Small talk 94456d459c and icebreakers aaddfac46b are only 7ee14dcf4f possible among cd6980e08b people who b1e2de81d6 know something e514442ae7 about themselves. If you asked four 88256e73f6 amnesiacs to have a 485ed3f10c fun chat, wouldn’t silence bc54f14878 be the only result? There’s nothing to talk f14620dd28 about. Ah… my choice of d0ce660bd4 words is too ahead 4da9a2afb0 of its time. Haha. I hope 3e1eeda03b you, dear addca8936c readers, will 9d1b58ef96 forgive me.067dc200ea805dc1

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Regardless of my word 9dd3f4098b choice, the important fact 38e4126ce1 is that these four 999a5bb428 people all have patchy 50614c4d06 memories, like clothes burned 6cc5dca3ec full of holes, right?035d31f2ec5360ad

Even Knight Zig, who ab49bb4c24 had a name from 7ff2d110bf the very beginning, couldn’t faa76cbad1 give a proper answer 35f4ae2909 when Rose or the 4656b530e3 wizard asked him about 559a961aa8 himself during the journey.5bf57b1f8414b7a5

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“Well… I… uh… Huh? I really don’t know. When I came to my senses, I was already a knight. It wasn’t a childhood dream or a family tradition… I don’t think so. My mother was an ordinary noblewoman, and my father… hmm, well? An ordinary nobleman. Yes, neither of them were knights, I think? Uh, uh… probably?”671669421ffce171

He stumbled even over 023a4ba38e the simplest question: why a3f060a1b3 he became a knight.82de92a3c4069990

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Is it any wonder? Zig was an extra among extras. If the Prince hadn’t run away from the castle to avoid the curse, Zig would have been lumped together with “the knights guarding the Prince’s birthday banquet” and forgotten. The author impulsively, capriciously, and for no reason at all, picked a name from A to Z in a name dictionary and slapped it on him. He has no real personality or quirks. As he himself put it, he “came to his senses” and found himself caught up in all this. True to the fate of an extra, neither you nor I even know what he looks like, do we?c39ef46a5190a6df

Well… let’s decide bea4cf74fd that right now. Since he’s 419821e5f5 part of 8b11ffa3e0 the Prince’s d96fe07147 party and a050543fcd will keep 0eccdf5cd7 appearing, we 13446e9409 should know 902d66fcce what he 92431a5088 looks like.bec073c5c230b92c

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Let’s see, hmm, how dfa9073a70 should I describe him? First, his age. Zig is around dd4c686312 the same age b8881027a2 as the Prince, 1074ac2d40 not yet past 7ccc38c404 his twenty-sixth birthday… e28d2693ea Thanks to swordsmanship c04e7ceac1 training, he has 367921b872 a sturdy, robust 74b1c650ba build and healthy 599fbcef69 skin, with a 750353fcb2 few freckles on 542a66674b his face. And, uh… his hair 34d34333af is reddish-brown, and his c003c24382 eyes are deep blue. That should 657c195372 do, right? Overall, he has a 0fa572d52b simple, honest appearance. Nothing particularly 33c3e5fe5d striking, and b186d37d63 he has 37cc4c12d0 the kind abc7539f18 of eyebrows 2b55dbe335 that make bb41f6c047 him look 11bc72bc4e like he’d 8c7e07d151 immediately take d61b5171e1 off his 58f1e4aaa0 cloak to ea080f72cd cover a 6f3096e386 beggar on e781271c81 the street. His actual personality probably b521a88a05 isn’t far off.c9cec4a19730df71

Yes, so 9fbf6e0ceb Knight Zig, 015805f319 Princess Rose, c895c3b68c and the 72bf0be3f8 still nameless e22e66f54e Prince and cbc9c7fea5 wizard.b06af81a91a7496a

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The four e89cd1d49a of them 7a43f03dfc had been 0284f26bcb traveling for aa59760d1b five days 1f61c48e23 now. Their journey was 04e079ef06 to Omphalos, the dd6ed8029a center of the 55cb84ee02 world. In this 63819d37e8 world, everything—literally 2c92f8acf8 everything, the 71d02c1173 seasons, the 568cf63f98 land, the 078242bc01 sea, day 71c286dbd2 and night—revolves 30770d0160 like stars 5fb34120ff following their 9dac79ea3e orbits, but 1735b12e90 Omphalos, the 9cf2556730 central axis, 11f55c68de remains fixed 644d41047c in place. True to its name, c62edefd5d it is the world’s 31ffbef36d navel, the one unchanging 93e9823337 point. So even f2f3b35ff7 if they 414f73551b don’t know ba991d8d71 the way, 7c4746095b even without 304ef13b85 a compass a91f80c645 or a f4b42819a9 map, they 5bb73b7e34 will surely 97c4b8f686 reach it daa504fccf if they 34cf634fed have enough 6a7fda93e7 time. Inward, inward, fd0f847329 deep into 9c071c0e65 the continent, 26830a7df6 deeper still… f42514f873 They just 0df6fdc8dd have to b87f4d2607 keep moving 9752faffa7 forward. Whether Rose 3f109468ce can return 3d80421ff9 to her 19ddab5eb5 kingdom in 7ccccbdb01 this lifetime c7c8d4e06d is uncertain, 9a62034729 but there’s 416b5962ec no way b7a4152274 they won’t 59e134b576 reach Omphalos.9529ce54703c40ac

…What a relief.c4f3dc99ab51a7e4

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Not that d64a4cede3 their journey 3e4d58be89 has been 13336100bc comfortable, of 8abc8fa0c3 course. Yes, as I mentioned dcfffa3650 earlier, it hasn’t been 0109e55817 smooth from the start.aa5a2082c0eb4397

“Huh? Doesn’t the tableware clean itself up after meals?”0320bf04e58c1098

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That was Rose.f42b1fd332916848

“What? By itself? Do the plates have feet?”51023c9a046b96b9

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The wizard 87a7190e5a retorted, dumbfounded.3b74850f36ddff62

“Princess… How can you think something so absurd? Of course, someone cleans it up.”71851b3818524894

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The Prince said, crossing 57b3455857 his arms.ca9839f79246bf69

“Of course, of course! There are people who clean up! It’s usually the kitchen servants’ job. The servants in the knights’ quarters are a bit sloppy, so sometimes there were water stains on the forks… I think. I don’t remember well, but, uh, probably?”70316367b38dd2ed

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That was Zig.9a6db892e035b546

The wizard dfaa90a537 exchanged glances b01006a5a1 with the 0662dc2026 three of b981015911 them—and Zig—while 113351cdf3 empty cups 2768c09aae and dishes bf5a5119ce lay scattered 9b70d1edfa around the be287b702a campfire. But they just stared 735077697e blankly at the wizard, 4f94008a99 as if they had cfee02ab02 no idea what the ca6299d6b2 problem was.73ab58c2354540a2

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“Zig, have you never done the dishes? Aren’t you supposed to go on knightly expeditions through rough terrain?”020b19d57ba80cbc

The wizard d46aaa2e95 sighed as a054618fe6 he asked.4062713673e157dc

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“Huh? Well, I have a squire for that…? And the squire doesn’t do things like dishes either. A squire learns proper conduct by tidying up the knight’s armor or cleaning the room, not by doing menial tasks. Servants? There are… servants, right?”690bffb78717308e

Tilting his head, Zig c926514de2 answered with an innocent e7f077f2e3 expression, and the wizard b9e3888507 felt like his patience 9c15921c25 was about to snap.ff8b50b9be279d8d

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The journey hadn’t 9de7a626ce been smooth. Especially for the b681ef2259 wizard.e0cc708e879b58d3

…Damn it. This is why you 1a99131389 shouldn’t travel with princes, 2266521813 princesses, and lords. What do these pampered e1ccf924af people who’ve never done 55c63ddf90 their own laundry know? Damn it!3a4611f9b6941b66

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“Uh, everyone, well… Ha, no, never mind.”3dcba8a750af5429

The wizard gathered 6c7d570358 the four empty 6837fd85b9 dishes in his cac2a272b5 arms.095ac50c221e533e

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“Are you going to clean up? You could use magic! Now that I think about it, you don’t use magic often. You could solve everything with magic—cooking, cleaning, lighting the fire. Oh, and shelter! Instead of looking for a place to sleep, you could just magic up a house for the night. Why don’t you do that?”4c03c96e99d2f4b0

That was 3e3b5f08a1 the Princess’s 5cd84fba60 innocent question.d4ddfc68005d719c

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“Ha, Princess Rose. Magic isn’t some special key that can solve everything with a snap.”8632110f30fb6d26

“Then what is it?”cc6b6c74e56134a7

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“It’s… a little, just a little… convenience.”00d76e43b069aa87

“Then add some convenience now. Use magic to clean up.”f3a9b17b14efb45e

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“Sigh, and magic isn’t something you can just pull out and use whenever you want.”6b1424ffec8b368a

“Then what is it?”a79394de2dbc2e66

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“Magic isn’t something you can just snap your fingers and make gold or silver appear… If it were, how would the world function? The world has something called balance. A kind of homeostasis… Magic is about using the loopholes in the world and natural laws without disrupting that balance. So you can’t use it anytime, anywhere. Using magic requires thorough preparation. What do you think I’m doing when I close my eyes before sleeping? Do you think I’m just sitting there with my eyes closed? It’s meditation! Meditation! It’s the process of stabilizing the flow of energy and restoring divine power. If I don’t do that, I can’t use magic the next day. There’s a limit to how many times I can use it in a day, and the type of magic I can use depends on which god I serve…”30f71b40781ffd88

The wizard ranted on. Rose seemed to be trying to understand, but by the time he got to “thorough preparation,” her eyelids started drooping slowly.d94cf473c50bbd4c

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“Uh, sorry… I didn’t get it.”3caf478e4904ffb4

Zig, who had been 5aaba55fc0 subtly sitting close to a9d38aca22 Rose, cluelessly chimed in.feb4f6b8979e3b66

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“But why can’t you use magic to do the dishes? I really don’t get it.”277d048d26584b56

“No, what I’m saying is… magic is… Sigh, never mind.”6d95382f952d260e

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The wizard f3cf7883d2 gave up dc06871cb5 and started 475e72c670 gathering the 4b9ce397e6 dishes again. Watching this, 06870c6b65 the Prince 98f06d05e0 muttered quietly, 0675da39f1 sounding a b0b0f74c39 bit apologetic.cdfc55cb63901a63

“So, you can’t do this kind of thing with magic.”ef6f558607049b00

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“No, it’s not that I can’t. I can, but… no, yes, I can’t. I can’t do it.”87937a5fef379437

Instead of comforting him, c38d55fd42 it only made the d794f83be2 wizard sigh even more 8fd9ffca17 deeply.5199bd5f394c340a

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And it wasn’t just b6230fc99a the dishes. This was just 8c7fad4163 a small, trivial 424a012724 example.dff91b2f588fd46c

In the first five 3ddf70034d days of the journey, 3b7b74881b there had been countless 92734f2450 moments like this that 23d873e970 made the wizard’s patience 8624861feb snap. Eventually, the 148f5a251c wizard had 37378c0b36 to accept fcaefd13ce it. Meal preparation, dishes, ee40d0e6bc lighting the campfire, 3f518d12b3 finding campsites, and 334b36f289 even guiding the 78a87b452e way. All of 9649408a3c it, all 5a142445e8 of it, cd0c912706 he had 2540e3257f to take c21c5ac2d7 care of 1d21cddce8 it himself. There was 4e658b9c97 no other ec7fce4f63 way.2243e20b2b9643e5

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…After a a80f21067c series of fd646ed791 such experiences, 6f82bc0190 the wizard 4407c4b03f firmly resolved:f11b2b290deb1455

He would never travel 98138928b8 with young masters and b78a13b99b mistresses again! At the ddd0086c91 very least, 32fda6b37f he’d travel 635e91884c with someone 381a8cb401 who knew 0c3c129c68 how to 33e3904583 do the c5d2c4274a dishes! Just wait and 4599393252 see! Hmph!81f4712b186dba9e

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At least they had 7eedb655bb the decency to exclude 5f5e4cd015 him from the nightly 32a0e56fac watch rotation. Ha, really, 2368240aae really, thank 9356a601be you so 03a040771f much, yeah.5ffa024b6c5d973d

…Sigh.be3ee1d1148dc097

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Anyway, it 46c7540a7d was the 674dd16758 fifth night 46f1812928 at the 142607109a campsite.0c61b2b24c708663

Returning to 4c8fa3f8d3 the first 6b2b431b0f sentence of ed05dfb40e this episode…e38c56c842b96614

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Crackle, crackle…A campfire f81c8bc2ce was burning.168f6fb327efe5fb

The dry branches 93ba6bf062 of winter and ce132a22d0 the brittle leaves 956ea70322 that crumbled at d3b06a15a6 the slightest touch bf74a51956 sparked and crackled 0df14f85cf as they burned. The fire d10063b240 was just d8560d77a7 enough to 082296b45c keep the bff24b3d98 four people 8cfc21cb90 and three 8191fd7a5f horses huddled e7da7c5b75 around it 62b13e5351 from freezing.110a1f8f5e28e1fe

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The three horses, sensing 76e68aaf41 the approaching cracks that 5d23c29416 were chasing the group, 4c61550e1c huddled close together, sharing 6e6e72719d body heat as they 909d5611b8 slept. Rose and 9723139a6a Zig were ccf40c8978 also deep 4f85b1fb55 in sleep, 0147411795 lying side 4c941a9865 by side 2d7dfa9f30 in their ffbd5fb007 sleeping bags. On the 09a5142ba5 first and bc5c5bb90e second nights, abe5dad29f Rose had 670656308d been aloof, 6a02557363 keeping her d9a41348a4 distance from 5ff24e8884 the men b66a3786c4 as she 20654da898 laid out 40d13ef389 her bedding, fbeae14943 and Zig, 670cdba419 conscious of c56b566113 her, had 7826ae1006 tossed and 82ddefa230 turned. But after about five 9d7e45f248 days, they slept tangled 1591000893 up near the campfire 12e36c60f1 without a care. They were both too 593820d182 exhausted to keep up a6c7d31448 appearances.0dce385644f26426

Tonight’s watch was 853dfa2a43 the Prince’s. Beside him was a 7f9914f346 bucket filled with dirt, 4a02269bc7 ready to put out 40fcea4b1f the fire at the 0248bd8fcb first sign of the c29f7e3b12 cracks. The Prince and a d8a3a12e1c bucket of dirt… Quite 79cc7f6539 the mismatch, isn’t it?4bdf262bb367f56d

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The red glow d453f39a12 of the campfire c73b016b1c danced on the 3ccd2a8684 Prince’s pale cheeks. The light b063595d12 and shadows 88d7986a10 created by e0b99cd152 the flames 66cff40362 made the 58b05a74b6 hollows of d190075c6a his face 2383fdbe9f deeper and ba375889d4 the sharp 9ea1d0ed7c edges more 7e7bf68d7d pronounced.67bb9161c4380497

And the wizard, 110505f7b7 who had been 3a29e06246 tossing and turning 081e4747c5 all night, peeked ba12ab89e5 at the Prince’s bb190df7cd handsome profile through a60c911b67 half-closed eyes.333a567606b08057

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Unaware of this, 642fb369b0 the Prince was 1862713518 lost in his f5d0904bc8 own thoughts.83e09e65e732e130

The night sky, 77350a3633 still untouched by 907384da54 the cracks, was 6321e6f0f8 clean and clear. Beyond the campsite, a 979358e7d8 reed field swayed in f0d8c77a3a the direction of the 16461d2af9 wind,swish, swish. Beyond the reed field 2f0b957e6a were a few low-roofed 3f08709664 houses with faint light 5b474d72c1 seeping through the windows. To the left 8596212277 was the Forbidden 68363ab085 Forest they had 2c001e28d2 escaped from. While it was d84ce15efe clearly night where 3decf8aa9b they had set e1ef137acc up camp, beyond 950e473d69 the forest, the 47b348bb3e red hues of 1c00f28c3e sunset were just 3f92c1c119 beginning to seep cb08375ab0 in.21b8f199c831d784

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After quietly 444e18d6fb observing this 28f0c60d10 strange scene 3df3f0566f for a 61ba35cb2b while, the 4cb5f3b56b Prince occasionally 8e6000aeb4 brushed back d556dfa502 his hair d0a55cdeaf as it cfd126fb63 fell into 1f613ca532 his face. Was it because 93213244c2 of the red dbf4354705 campfire shadows? His appearance a7dae9ffc3 had a 3107680c30 tragic, solemn, acf76c877a and oddly fd17a379f3 sensual quality, 27bd3589ca like the 590202a7e4 face of 44cd76bd74 a martyr 7ba0b5611f in a f82e7f138b painting hanging 2d68bd82ab in a 188713f6f4 sacred temple.5659b81436b6a863

“Can’t sleep, huh?”b73734e04b927bea

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The Prince spoke, 3e6c4754d0 his gaze fixed e39193882e on the night b902b273d0 sky. The wizard, startled, 7cd96bc06c quickly shut his 8eeed6d0b4 eyes tightly, then 012351d40b laughed softly to 77b1b37b19 himself.02444ad1a3a38f4b

“…Yeah. Seems so.”9d4c55fe488040a5

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The wizard propped 1f3c4f1ca3 himself up weakly. His thin, limp curls f10eefa849 had puffed up like 00b0b37f7a bread dough from the 68f0cde5f0 friction. Embarrassed, he pressed e9792e6968 his hands firmly 121221f91a against his head. But it didn’t f4ca145159 help much. Instead, his 3aaf22b978 fingers stuck f39ba9e81f to his 9bd468f603 hair, makingclick, clicksounds and e50cdd5970 generating friction 8c30407887 heat. The Prince casually 5178ebae8c tossed him a 1701519ea7 water bottle.31879256855c1b0b

“Haha. Thanks.”705b82cbf27b3216

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The wizard wet his 9ead092d6e fingers and smoothed down 1e95e6b4a6 his hair, occasionally shaking 90b1061e8f his head with apuff, puff.e42b478dd63184a2

The Prince, observing f332ffa2e2 this curiously, said,46f9aadc2680c383

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“You’re like an animal.”90e49ee4e4dd6f8b

“Huh?”c52ffb9782557e2d

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Was that… an f6172f6986 insult?981d8bee72a1324b

Struck by the unexpected e225a0c825 harsh words, the wizard a223c12449 stared at the Prince 326abbfacd like he’d been hit 20fb316947 by lightning. But there was no 16cac71cbc anger in the Prince’s e7ee0bc980 eyes.5650954b5e124990

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“Birds preen their feathers just like you. Cats lick their fur like that too.”dd03788129d028ca

“…Just my opinion, but don’t take this the wrong way. I think Your Highness’s vocabulary isn’t very rich. You’re too blunt. If you want to survive in society, you’ll need to learn how to speak more diplomatically.”d7d3c06511b30e5d

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“And you’re less blunt?”956b1698d67f09d9

“So, Your Highness, what you’re trying to say is…”c3fafe9f68211d37

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Hmm, I wonder. Who’s more eca8270638 blunt and 3c4384c926 less diplomatic? The Prince? Or the wizard?a5ee1be541c530fd

The wizard’s cheeks e694bfd64f were flushed, perhaps c7dcf12ac4 from the campfire.da9c6c3fcef0ec64

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“So I’m like a bird or a cat?”20ea2d2b72fc8756

As he 9c2a57a175 said this, 3b2462029c the wizard efb8a00e5c crawled on eb073a106b his knees b6a5f1e869 toward the 7dbb22d88e Prince.139c0bdfa42e0429

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“So, you think I’m as cute as a bird or a cat, right? Right?”005b31d726b55d08

The Prince e042d18ccc let out 6815acbb37 an incredulous e500e44b30 laugh at e65690176e the wizard’s 8985aecadd coquettish attitude.774feeeceba6fa6b

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“I’ve never thought birds or cats were cute.”374536c2041d8aca

“Oh, come on, Your Highness! Don’t be shy!”bf1aad921aa18dde

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The wizard laughed f43fc170ef brightly, then quickly 07324a2e59 covered his mouth, de96ad586c conscious of the 6a70e31f04 sleeping Rose and 571c447060 Zig.4267c682c25cb25a

Rather than a bird 7c3b527950 or a cat, the 6668774bc8 wizard now resembled a 572a1b0427 puppy. A large puppy 11e07d5f59 with big eyes, 7948611b03 golden fur, and ba76c204b5 a tail that 8ea9f98535 wouldn’t stop wagging.996add0b3447ff67

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The Prince must have 4cb90944be thought the same, because 3df0e82070 he absentmindedly ruffled the 4cf5545b83 wizard’s hair as if 9a11cf7c33 petting a dog. Feeling the 9c2145d048 touch, the 46a5ba68ca wizard rubbed 6fe44ba7c3 his head 72f2f1f991 against the 95a776b8a9 Prince’s palm, 09b6effac0 as if 0589dc7674 asking for ead218fcac more. As the 2d34396bed Prince felt 5059c8f15c the fine, d25b52846f silky strands dd7e6536aa of hair c2ebb845e5 slipping through 54fb15152a his fingers, 88ad3a5068 he was fef2c552ab struck by 2d7c86abaa a faint 4b2aeaff78 sense of 1d91611a78 bewilderment.8499c709f8b499ed

It wasn’t unfamiliar.3ad880e7aa6de429

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The crackling campfire sparking 6dd5565b99 embers. The soft, thin strands 9265badc9c of hair tangling around d8c56ca3f0 his fingers. The flushed cheeks of 4a06d5948d someone unable to hide d1ef8c5965 their excitement. The voice, d1891c11f1 sitting at 376e41833a his feet, 998586bbbc chattering and 76c077fc20 laughing without e18b507503 pause.4330039cadf9e8d1

It was a little… 4ac39f443f dizzying. The Prince withdrew his 75a01b207c hand from the wizard’s b7aff35cde tangled hair and pressed 2d456d8734 his fingers to his 3ab91baf38 temples.7ce1ac16612c9f20

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Layer upon layer, the 8071967162 repeated past lives.4b027b953b9ce4d3

Being born, f0b6f48382 cursed, pricked 725ca2e80e by a 9ef2427ef1 thorn, falling 640031ecee asleep, awakened 9124b2219b by the eace440eb5 Princess’s kiss, a95a878cb2 and the 6c856fd39b flow of 77a0c63c39 time resuming a14722b69b after a 5e706db718 hundred years.c151c84d510fdefd

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All those 12b29fecba lives, all 0e5b9f7785 those past 5e1c50e5a6 lives.ca1dba074b83464b

He thought he befb9be0fe knew them all, 72dce263e3 remembered them all, beedaae93a but was there 32d87eae24 a gap in fc0ae4dbaa his memory? Could it 573e959e9d be that 87a16894d4 in some dfafe38591 past life, ce770926a1 at some 20be8d2253 point, he 7991d79cad had met c0600cd478 this wizard c8cb81ef68 like this? If so, why couldn’t 8a44382d53 he remember meeting this 6a9f207f58 wizard? Why did it 2f2bad5bcc feel familiar if 35ce0bd0d8 he couldn’t remember?6bab45b35285ce70

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The unfulfilled curse, the 7aa577fcaf cracks tearing through the 082a3e9b49 world, the glowing white 5b9fec36af sword, the shadowy monsters 1833cb026f crawling out of the cf6b068266 rifts in the world, 952e4ccb44 the many past lives 191173c2bb he remembered, the mad 0d737c9f74 King and the weary bec3709f17 Queen, the Princess who 5f6b56cbf8 arrived a hundred years 8c4f169a33 early, and the sudden d354f57cad task—to reach Omphalos, the fbe2c15747 center of the world.019eb962ee6c9ce9

Amid all c27e7856f9 the madness a2213abbb6 that had 28dbc00af2 crashed down 105a435207 on him 852a6ffc83 in a 566e45868d single moment, 4899f053c0 there was 14be750eec one question 6346e2ad21 he had 118fdf0399 momentarily forgotten.3e97fbb07e3e6e00

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The Prince 4fee653733 suddenly remembered 925362fbb3 that question.f1fb31cf543f4254

…Who is this wizard?7f405e8253aab496

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Twenty-seven years 91198c7d64 ago and a0dfc2e28d now, the deace541c5 same rosy 6eae14f44d cheeks and c2077b9cc9 golden curls. Lips as 293bfcd566 red as db2b63d348 a boy’s b2b5f5adb8 and hands 2d1f556001 as rugged b59bafacd0 as a 8170d1c6de man’s, yet f895c688ff with the b0f3ddb4b2 language of 2c61702553 a child f7ba21aa9f and the 07c83908a8 eyes of 1ba10cad50 an old ba73bae36a man.8360e3a2aed85df3

A demon?57dc46b086e0c589

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A god?8e04126ccc46c071

Or just a f5c392a10b wizard?9b1fe41b1eb966ae

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A wizard who f0eeb5610b seems to know 5e880849de the secrets of e224a3e4f3 the world alone?7558155e2a069d14

“Your Highness, Your Highness. Hey, Your Highness.”9e394995ec50e127

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The wizard called d3c9051332 out to the 4783eaa53d Prince again, his 96c6e6e52c tone childish and b964e3cc05 drawn-out.f0879a051f83e365

“Look, over there in the sky. Do you see that star that’s less bright than the others? That’s the North Star. The star that doesn’t move. If we keep going north, north, until that star looks as big as the sun, we’ll reach Omphalos. The land beneath the North Star, where it shines as large as the sun. …No? You can’t see it? Ha, well, never mind. Then do you see the ladle-shaped constellation over there? This side is the handle, and the other side is the scoop. It’s a ladle that never runs dry. There’s a very sad story about those stars. Once upon a time, long, long ago, when a great drought struck this land… a poor girl who lived with her mother…”122b914b523c0b86

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Pointing at f641ca76fc the stars 5b5afc42ec in the 1acf390949 sky, the 666f5083a0 wizard chattered 0d9252b99c excitedly. The Prince 90dd1ae68e wasn’t looking 424dc9d30c at the 8353a59669 stars but 50d8ade656 at the acb2f1c390 wizard’s fingertips. His hands, worn 277617a848 and rough, didn’t 03b75b6c61 match his youthful, 74d65e5c6d soft face. The nail 8e39311f93 of the 5344e4d23a wizard’s index 2c3a36a4af finger, pointing 73e732d992 at the 2d8cc03248 Big Dipper, 76caf78bc3 was blunt c07481920b and worn, 2dc5ebc540 as if c10ad06f51 it had 16e8026fa0 been ground 4857672b33 against stone. Noticing the Prince’s 9dbc1f9aec gaze, the wizard edd60c6a06 blushed in embarrassment f3db653d84 and hid his 63285b1a34 unsightly fingertips under 7c48a1b579 the hem of f6bfb5ff81 his robe.dece06ebd3d19c20

“What, what’s wrong? Am I being too loud?”60b462691eced44f

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Instead of 520d7ee390 answering, the eb50d0e7c8 Prince stared 609f593a91 intently at 1c2b0ba8f1 the wizard’s f2c20fdba9 face.215b1795bbee25d8

Who is this 0519f5efc0 wizard?02e3a6c7199d27cd

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No, what is he?76ddcc933556825d

“Are you tired? Do you want to sleep? Should I take over the watch?”cd66132edd46daa7

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Why does this wizard’s fd815a3eb4 cheeks turn as red b51aaf2e2d as spring flowers every c6e97d2e0c time he looks at 6852a5f5e5 me?4b4c3e3d5609d7a5

Why do 43022a385f his eyelashes 689e7f1fb9 flutter like 326a4f500b butterfly wings 944d7d172b as he 3feeb0654c stumbles over bf4a551e5a his words?eed0ad548edcf4c6

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And why does he 5206e16ea9 smile shyly?655546406a3d675b

“Your Highness…”2ab0625940001677

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…Why?381e3c39d83ec878

The Prince 872afd1ab9 looked back e1243dc01d and forth 432d3700f8 between the 8ddeb315b0 path he 56edbac5aa had taken 4af94bf175 and the 83a55b1d35 path ahead. He gazed at b013552596 the forest, where c077fd9239 the red hues 1c925d9d7d of sunset were 90510df76b just beginning to 6fbab715c7 fall, and at 20d657ebef the night sky c30955912f dotted with unmoving 0721aa97b1 stars. A world divided c84d6c663f like a giant ef33193484 dartboard… In this 20f46350f0 surreal scene he 8e504cba61 had never imagined…ac84fa6907598fca

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“What kind of watch would that be?”e59cb5fd98510b35

The Prince muttered 191b31dcb1 and then chuckled.6ece8dfa5694be1a

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“Entrusting the fire to a frail wizard like you? I’d rather ask Sleipnir to speak human words.”b828aa2659000819

Hearing its name even c6ec46dca5 in its sleep, the f5bfdb6904 Prince’s white horse pricked d5d6ba6a48 its ears.1dc93e0566c51d37

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“Your Highness has a tendency to underestimate me too much. I’m not as frail as you think. My skin is as tough and splendid as a turtle’s shell…”0605dff345d707f2

The wizard pouted like 5d1349262e a duck and grumbled 79ac1f5d4f under his breath. His sulking expression felt 1ddef36093 so familiar that the a801930eb4 Prince couldn’t help but…408f0976d1c1d41d

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Couldn’t help but…098c524d58f85ad7

Bang!56013e7387b5467b

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A sound reverberated 4f4ffae7b1 through the air. It came 6e13cc54a8 from the 6678d8694c west. Startled birds fluttered 6375eb3881 into the air. Rose and Zig 52aa4414a2 also woke up 657ad50a54 in a panic.2f0a8fc74be75403

“What’s that? Is it the monsters? Already?”bf4c7e3fd1aa64fe

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Rose grabbed her sword 5ec94b6ebd and looked around, dazed. But there were no 56c82efbf5 cracks on this side ab40fc53fa of the dartboard world. The sky 615f05bfe3 and the fd6fd6a7e1 air were fb825400b4 intact, without 5769017dba a single 9c8b1a098d fissure.14a3ae0721ee3a1a

“M-m-m-monsters? Monsters?”c78b6ac84cc72d7d

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Zig also shouted d0cf1a9200 belatedly, clumsily clenching b3ffee5c9a his fists.c6b1c200e37d9144

Rustle, rustle.The sound of leaves 1b271f4612 being pushed aside could b24c5df0f1 be heard. It was coming bde14f298f from the direction b45e92c013 of the strangebang. It was getting closer 2f54ce49b3 to the Prince’s group.3a6c2c5b77dab752

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Soon, emerging from the 14904022cb bushes was a girl e4213a316b wearing a red cloak 2ac4197023 with a hood.7fbd37f14f004dcf

The girl was holding 6cda96930c a long iron rod, 1229c2e5e5 about the length of 087da4a9d4 a man’s arm. It had 04866a2e9d a handle b930ae2639 like a 1102989944 hoe or 29079791ca a sickle, 101409b632 tapering toward af09e2e79f the end, 5bb6984828 with smoke 4ae91e36c8 rising from 3ac6cc3ccd a hole dfff047c7a at the a269141b9f tip…c79f56d944182b05

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Haha. I don’t know the 497306bdd0 name of that iron f8a8d8c165 rod. I’m just the storyteller. I don’t know bcd684fdb3 the names of aaf6a73451 the props in f13c65fb73 the storybooks I 1ba99cd25f hold. The Prince’s group is 3aed5b3e08 seeing it for the 0bd55cf498 first time, but… well, 3e398c8fe0 you probably know what 295c579cb3 it is, right?4fca039e358ebfb5

Yes, that’s right. It’s a shotgun. Hahaha.22a0b97dcf603a83

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