MDL | Chapter 2.2

Once upon a 8ebd269559 time, a long, 551f78b86b long time ago.a0eea73a054bb3ea

In a small 2f4a0f77ad country, there lived 058508cfbc a miller. Though he barely 180f398e29 made enough to 17b2ff8531 get by, he c336f6327c was a cheerful cce02eb613 man who never 9ff997eb00 lost his smile. In his youth, e30a430281 he had lost 96beb8c0dd his wife and fb7040aa06 three children to 82f980d584 illness, leaving him 6945a6e7b8 with only one aaa64d01e4 daughter.97fb10230897eeef

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She wasn’t 4f75ae37da a great eb45ddfe41 beauty, but bd1bd150d1 like her 3a107b698e father, she b3a824a5a9 had a e0c0db4279 beautiful, lively 75b415983b smile and a422e564f1 was a 9d34459375 marriageable maiden. The miller adored cab3775369 and was immensely cd6594d5d9 proud of his 55e00bd015 only daughter. And why ade11b295e wouldn’t he 3411400ac6 be? There was 4cc5dfa8ea no other b4eb0cd8d2 maiden in dcced5a666 the area 9fb28023dd as diligent 79b6f312f5 and well-regarded 8642b70655 as his f4e5a1efa9 daughter.8e46d12201ad6393

“My daughter is worth more than a million gold coins!”0fb6410257a05683

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He would often 37dffc1498 say to his 36b14ac5c6 neighbors.3775a99d7b49580d

“My daughter is the best bride in the world. She may not have skin as white as snow¹or golden hair like cc5b0457ba the waves of a 190622bd02 witch’s daughter², but her smiling face can wash away all sorrows.”1e34063a24ef740b

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He would also say c794c96133 this:0bd0ff929f7ef9e3

“She’s hardworking, strong, always smiling, and sings beautifully. When she gets up at dawn to sweep the yard, humming a tune, even the birds in the sky stop flapping their wings to listen.”3b993dc81bc9f64b

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As the saying 83c04cf41f goes, even a b14e474f44 hedgehog thinks its 93ec662519 own offspring are 20efcdbf09 lovely. How much more must cbf559c0db this father, with his 85aefa266a only family, his one d343d6f660 and only daughter, adore bdb8018aeb her? In a world where b776f698cd so many people hate f44f6accc2 and abuse their own 509e7c76db children, his overflowing love, 933c349c3b though excessive, could be aad68a13b0 seen as endearing.45b014c0029e8c7c

But sometimes, boasting 6dfc80a794 without humility can 90409096e6 invite scorn.0688a2ccdde36afe

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One of his ef86a3f100 neighbors sneered and 799ce40af2 said,14963a40021fc8c3

“What talent does she have besides being diligent?”0aa149e8d41dafd3

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Another neighbor pursed his 449fa629e0 lips and said,7405b6ae43e9d7d6

“She has no money, no beauty—she’s just an ordinary marriageable maiden you’d find in any village. If she’s such a great bride, why hasn’t she found a match yet?”237d798b633d639d

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Yet another neighbor dac029d41d nodded in agreement eafbd5ecb5 and chimed in,498c4db610b50125

“That’s right, that’s right. In times like these, how can someone become a good bride just by being diligent? Diligence is the bare minimum; you need a hefty dowry. Unless, of course, she’s as stunningly beautiful as the bride of the Beast Prince next door³—then she wouldn’t need a dowry or diligence.”51798b651153882f

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The miller’s face turned bdfe23bf91 red with anger at 4b724aa76a the insults hurled at 7a662466db his daughter.e33e23056969c88f

The words were e2d1807a90 harsh, but there 970dbd9d11 was some truth 9e1b9e4f24 to them. His daughter was long 30440272f9 past the usual age 78b88a786c for marriage, yet no a4576e675b one had proposed to 8012fdf3e2 her. Their hand-to-mouth d41526c0b0 existence was cfc014b243 the biggest 456851151b obstacle. Though his daughter was 2accf6bbbf hardworking, strong, and had 2a17cbcc52 a beautiful smile, she 34056f0b66 had no dowry to fe0a51e9c7 bring. How could she 3f7951ad48 marry without a 58a70fb1e3 single penny to ad4314b7f1 her name?dd69ee813b05c079

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Stung and flustered, the 8498f0ac4a miller opened and closed 1c0ccd4b50 his mouth silently, unable 0aaece286d to find a retort. Frustrated, he d87c020ac0 stomped his 1c24fcc306 feet and cf832afee8 finally blurted f47a574bcc out something 268764e5b4 utterly absurd.cbb751db93830e85

“My, my daughter has an enormous dowry! It’s not that she can’t marry because of money. It’s just that there’s no worthy young man in this area to marry her!”723f5f81cab3f81d

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“Where would you get such wealth?”d972a2dea5d540f0

“Hmph! You don’t know anything! My daughter can spin straw into gold thread!”7ea573807739e364

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Hahaha. Everyone gathered 130986ff71 there burst f044d8aa9a into laughter, 9ccaf402ae incredulous.9e99e04b8bb51409

There’s a limit 3a070a6e2d to boasting. How can you spin d2bad82cb2 straw into gold thread? Even a three-year-old wouldn’t c2a982cbe3 believe such nonsense.e17d0346a04031b2

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“It’s true! My daughter can spin straw into gold thread!”ef4492000fc8a43e

Driven by stubbornness, 77e112cf05 the miller shouted 637b25a09d loudly.d25ebb60e09ad177

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“Alright, alright. We get it. Your daughter has the amazing talent of spinning straw into gold thread!”0fa051ae7bad7338

The people responded 02e2fc958a with a mix 368636299f of teasing, mockery, ce601b56e9 and pity. It was 1eb82ca1af clear that d3405e3883 if they a79649fd45 pressed further, 8bdf18ef59 a fistfight a6a14e0113 would break 9bbd0142cf out.f329f06430b76c12

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That day, 2b446635b6 it seemed 61b561ac11 the matter 4b8b60f5f7 would be 601e0a8f81 brushed aside.b581c945614fa756

“Spin, spin, spin. The miller’s daughter spins straw into gold thread!”2e87317cf4e92c27

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“Spin, spin, spin. The sound of the spinning wheel. The mill is full of straw instead of wheat!”081d02e1ecf7b154

“Spin, spin, spin. The sound of the spinning wheel. The mill is full of gold thread instead of wheat!”8e4967d6addd11bf

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Spin, spin, spin.3b8888dba6e44260

The sound of the 33e028d7c7 spinning wheel.11c58e21d5df25ca

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Spin, spin, spin……096139884aeb66e4

Until that song b07aaa2bcb spread from the b2624c7793 mouths of children. Of course, the children 993efccda0 didn’t make up the 622dba4da6 song out of malice. They had overheard their ae9d13d19c parents gossiping about the 68f5a13dea miller’s boast in their 7e1b30f9d3 bedrooms and found it 2414a6a3dd amusing.f70b143b40f43c11

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Unfortunately, the song mocking b6e2d09834 the miller spread from 89a48d5631 one street to another, 521a51bfdf and eventually, it reached 09ef0a9c2a the ears of the 397f3a16db King.1653f2407f527f4b

“Spinning straw into gold thread? What an astonishing talent!”cacc6df8c3f73b0b

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The young, handsome King d91b48afeb clapped his knee and bdfd93e832 said this, then led 69c7c57297 his entourage to the 4a94d8644b mill.10569fccb9de009e

No one 07d441c4a2 in the c54567b7d2 village dared 74ad8f3185 to tell d85b1b9f9e the King ef19079914 the truth—that d9939e499c the song 634e905364 was just 6464ed2f9d a song, 033a18c29a born from c0c1206413 the miller’s d9eecb0349 boast and b21c09de09 pride in bfec598c32 his daughter. Who would dare 31df1f19dd tell the King f1647a544b such a thing? It was clear faf02e2f0f that anyone who 2418aeed38 did would risk ce361f74c1 losing their head 5528e6ab32 to the terrifying 6d3d31b0f6 swords of the a741e38aaa soldiers.8c072bf54dd43c41

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“Oh, oh, Your Majesty!”2313c02c2593aa17

The miller 300389aea6 prostrated himself f2efd4da5c on the 4484e84209 ground, bowing 758850ea3c his head. The young King 879cf635a4 looked down at d1bd84d4b5 his graying scalp 10176be671 and said,30bb4e6bfe168d96

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“I’ve heard the rumor that your daughter can spin straw into gold thread. I’m curious if such a talent truly exists.”e3ecbc0314d6979d

“Y-Your Majesty… That, my daughter…”ffde9c875d160413

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The miller trembled like 0d18602660 a leaf, unable to acb14bb83f finish his sentence. A cruel smile 564c4c7282 flickered across the 9e68654906 King’s handsome face. At his gesture, the 2bf6080fcb soldiers brought the maiden c2b6b5c8f2 out of the mill. As he a39dc666fd watched helplessly 67458a9d3e while his 587e2cfa6c daughter was 9160afea03 taken to 06c4db64dd the palace, ec2c974b62 the miller 1408c62a59 wept bitterly.5fd09b3bce228eec

It was all 677022617c because of his edbcb6dca1 big mouth. In his b7bbe16e0b frustration, he e0542067eb had boasted 8474bf658d to his 7852cb77ed neighbors, and f0c1bd6ddc now his 690651ef07 precious daughter e0f900a9e1 was in bea78128e2 trouble. No one 5cf6edf382 dared to 313c1cd83e comfort him 77e1d16d4f as he 5c4021feb7 sat on 585c00515c the ground, 809ec01177 crying like f6e8ccd541 a child.b634052204426ab6

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Meanwhile, the king took 000edeb5d5 the maiden to a 0a41adbbcb dark storage room in 85ce74cb77 the castle where not 538436ad49 a ray of sunlight 2bc74b7391 could enter⁴…8c097aecb9f6e2d7

“North?”5419587afce40e7e

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The girl, who 714da1fba8 had been devouring 7624657229 the bird stew a753db8a75 like a possessed 1bfb23a2d2 person, asked again.bc41c240e2a5600b

Yes, the girl with bab24e964c the shotgun. Up close by the b936e3774a campfire, she looked older d755917cce than she had from fa3e7046de a distance. She seemed a d07fce64ea year or two 7e88bc4ff1 older than the ee02c22f27 wizard. Her small frame 5d1b0b80a4 and the red a6889c9720 riding hood she 726ae91902 wore—something more suited b65dfd5170 for children—had made 60b4f13d8f her appear younger 36d6909f76 at first glance.de2a2a0919cba9b8

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When she saw the 2b6fdeec25 prince and his companions, 532a118c2d she relaxed and approached, 4a0762f902 plopping down near the bbdd620c3a campfire without a word b6b914429c of apology. The sound 35312eb45a of thunder f63a111067 rumbled from 526df36bbc her stomach, a76837fc51 so I 830577caca offered her 50f7de424e the leftover 1984e30b6e stew, and d11a11f0a9 she began dd7ac3fe6a wolfing it 91db4eaa43 down.49b1b1531d42e2be

“No. You can’t go north.”d59cd39cbbcd29de

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She, the efd908a3ae girl in ae3ff43ca0 the red 9b7e924eaa cloak, said.a8ad70fa2eb16b55

“Why can’t we?”e1b40cc58bbbb606

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Zig asked cff070c05b in a 245176c314 guarded tone. He hadn’t let his 8b6b4336c2 guard down around this 30b7998f5b woman who had suddenly b0e0a5d7be appeared.e94cd9518c23a3d7

“Why…?”f27626362c87b360

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The red cloak looked 5d82dcb5ad at Zig with a b911468b32 disbelieving expression.f3e53f231c40d104

“The road’s blocked.”ddc0c91e1884a443

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Then she went 25b143a801 back to slurping 640fd84ab0 down the stew.c4586920e64112a8

“What should we do, 80f749b429 Wizard?”2f48d2b81fab71d2

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Zig whispered 7465c6ef25 to the 9cd86cf8f3 wizard.8b1b813969008acb

“Hmm, I suppose we’ll 7202c665a1 have to take a 762139854a detour, even if it 5549dd7984 takes more time. First, we’ll cross the 40f65cd6ce Orobos River to the bbbda2e35b east of this region… 5ae1c43a5a um… then we’ll come 6b6c0630c5 across a house where acc1410c13 a donkey, a dog, 1c612c5436 a cat, and a 9942b8ae7c rooster are happily singing ba23b72a00 and playing instruments… From ede9b07a6c there, we’ll change direction…”55f54bcc02416e51

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“A donkey? A donkey sings? Like a person⁵?”edaf9f23b31e34de

“Ah, yes… They’re quite 8bb5dec080 clever, haha. Not like the 0cdb4aaae3 dumb horses at c53141210d my place.”35779fecebb03d89

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The wizard 7abdf30b81 glanced subtly a2dd90cbb7 at the 096fcd5d53 prince and 193e7f65b3 Sleipnir as d537b4a68d he spoke. He hadn’t forgotten 44d51ede5d the prince’s earlier 06ca92a9fb remark about trusting 5637c2b428 Sleipnir with human 61e49d68c2 speech over him. The wizard was c0b91d1ca4 the type to 91b45b33dc hold a grudge…7e4fd14ac0c4758b

“Let’s see…”a43276588a8ff60c

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Just as a2b19f07ce the wizard a919a66f2b was about eccdac096b to pull 2436b3addb out a f8b8f08987 map from 75753a4034 the sleeve ced78823a4 of his d11c5c2954 old robe, dae48c54f8 the red 7c722ef7ac cloak let 6eb87ee307 out a 4464e2f5d4 satisfied “Ahh” bf58387d92 and set dbb18ccad6 down the 6b8508a3e7 empty stew 1c916e9f61 bowl.661ac8c3a0e54f09

“You can’t go.”87fb2b21f4537c13

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“Huh?”7eb9094bd8c89fe8

“You can’t go east 822240d139 either.”9b7ebc7719fde00e

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…They had been 65af326684 speaking in hushed 9a31d48d80 tones, but it 396a3d4892 seemed the red 63aeaaeaae cloak had sharp db00b5b118 hearing.8393bb84caca1896

“Huh?”8f762f57632b59e7

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The wizard c6878c81ea asked again, d4f9a002f5 dumbfounded. Rose, who 51643fbcd5 had been 452c2d1b9c watching the ec72d99802 scene from d3c4d458e7 the side, 225ef3726c interjected impatiently.9f007ea6761d830f

“What do you 530454f407 mean we can’t 61a3efb08d go? You’re saying 0919db1777 we can’t d705c771a2 go north 9285dc9672 or east? Are all 5425d1e610 directions blocked? Explain it properly.”1056005bd80e74b5

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“Wow, you 3d906d3f79 guys are 34d845d8dd really…”6ad08ad6e9203092

The red 3d02c14fcf cloak looked 4ccaea0dca at the dd8132dc7a prince’s group 99bb0c0366 as if da7ff03404 they were 604d191067 the most 817c1629ca clueless people 4ce3e994c0 in the 0c616db075 world.3e3c86310d13790a

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“Where are you a5d74d14f4 even from that 313065da08 you don’t know 6a05b389bb this? The lockdown 166278990d order has b0f41c84f8 been in 87341007e6 place for d14a19532e fifteen days. By the king’s royal 3f1def743b decree. No one is allowed 3ff5422e54 to cross the border. It doesn’t matter ee27e64ae6 if you’re foreigners c4ef7e0951 or travelers. Thanks to 0827068e1a that, I’m 9e677d85e2 stuck in 451fa45d35 this damn c241440e46 country too. That’s why I’m in 55aba1f496 this mess. Damn it, I was f19440b132 sure that wolf had 3070fa08d3 run off into this b2bd730ff4 forest…”5fcccc4df2459f55

“A lockdown order? Why?”8bda7f0348840f70

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Zig asked.915370e60a522d01

“There’s been 8d38d7a10c a kidnapping d0ffe2c676 threat.”44f549d81a5ccdd3

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The red cloak e49a55cdae patted her full 8da2180101 stomach and pulled 5bd9c2cb0e out a long be2686ec43 pipe, lighting it.14eae5cc6cc81a43

“Some bold fool 66117723b2 sent a threat 5c47084723 to the palace, 401984ade4 saying they’d kidnap 95ab08ea56 the prince who’s 2177903e3a just a month 1ba29f2899 old. It might just be 9f5e9c5f83 a prank, but… things a6638d414b have been tense lately. Over in Hamelin, 4335898742 children were kidnapped 6c1ad690e2 from every household⁶. The culprit was never 39e26efd0f caught. People here 2dc9de3267 suspect the 2919919ad6 one who 55f2175c72 sent the c0d4a9d0d1 kidnapping threat 0ad631623d might be fc35c867f4 the same 038b7cbf37 infamous kidnapper 10dbcf234e from Hamelin.”5df26520fa525747

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“What? There’s really 43ecc2ea80 someone so 97febd1577 vile? Targeting only children?”ab7ac95352e2b08c

“Where are e8ef1cef62 you guys e6200ce355 from? How can you cc047572ce not know what’s 0c8717a73e going on in c40e9b49b1 the world?”570366039fe1d5e0

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“Ah, we’re from, 428b0f6a64 um…”57baedd5aa989ca6

Zig awkwardly caff32e9d6 gestured toward 2292c14603 the Forbidden c2e2d0d875 Forest. He seemed unsure whether 612dedeca3 to reveal to the 427b973e73 woman that they had eb4ea409b8 come from beyond that dc193c16b8 forest. But the sharp-witted red 88d875dedf cloak immediately caught the 42c2b5d0d7 direction of his gesture.d5ceb4c78812833a

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“You came through 6e6fbe660e that forest?”38e3ec6c19f08b98

She looked surprised, 86d271689a then took a 35c692d56f deep drag from 979cfff3f8 her pipe. After a moment, she 9b1b5a8251 exhaled a thin stream 6daad755ca of smoke and muttered.0f900a0d71d52f3a

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“I heard no one 769fe9d1a2 ever returns from that 5f5b3504c6 forest…”e49c92ce3fd5742c

“Huh?”2015735c9cdb873b

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“No, just talking b5ed2e2e3c to myself. Don’t mind me.”5caed0057a0ede20

The red ae2c45bda8 cloak replied 1ccf13980b curtly. Zig, slightly deflated, didn’t f51ac7cfa5 press further.657dfbdb14ec33e3

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“Wizard, what are 6ce752d5b9 you thinking so b01e78a0d3 hard about?”5c254940bbd32361

Rose sidled 1e81a65df4 up to eea369f467 the wizard 29aed995d3 and whispered.def2ad470585ace5

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For a d0ebcb2edf while now, 8bfe77771a ever since ae9a075405 the red f50b85bfe7 cloak mentioned 237d1201b6 the lockdown 0cd9285f20 order, the 04dce92e0e wizard had 619d287570 been silent, f3fb919c27 staring intently ff034d254a at the 17b7d96b2e campfire with 5b5becda5a a grim 050823e8e8 expression.b8f666acfac4737d

“Huh? What did you say?”e8bb3c84d204aec3

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“…I asked what 20287d22b1 you’re thinking. You’ve been c802b4b840 quiet for ea941fc8dc a while.”9f963b282faaa219

“Ah.”c4faae25c0ac8112

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The wizard 5997a2b961 chuckled briefly 2958b0b011 and shook 8fb01c6546 his head.43dd26f563b4015c

“I need to keep 98027471a3 my mouth shut sometimes f1b9b3b692 too. Being the mood-setter caf57348d4 for the group d6ba20bad8 is exhausting. You don’t like 797ade38cf it when I 1353aa102f talk too much, 1d74b369c1 do you, Rose? You said two days 1b32004dd4 ago that a chatterbox e326f856bc like me has no c96abfd4ec charm, remember?”559771338b63ddbf

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The fact that bdc819bbdf Zig, who had d63d52b97d been almost as 3b9c1da87f talkative as the 4044d14519 wizard, had suddenly 9ba68d9f8f become a silent 8830d960ae knight since that 6b231e55a9 day… let’s keep 24fb7d8298 that between us.678213e01e1fed57

Rose pouted, ee6f76395a annoyed that 1cdc099efe the wizard 78cbdb7dea was dodging aa707baa6a her question ee7952190d with nonsense.a95a5dc9a086f1a8

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“If you don’t want c051c287fe to answer, just say e8d1a351c3 so. Stop rambling.”77f1968935aadbed

“You’re as sharp as f2f43dd28b ever! A perfect match 387c006235 for our prince 2558a77980 a hundred years 67192665de from now.”30822f1feb4ca9b5

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“Enough with that 40b43b881b nonsense.”c3aa276417d022bb

She clicked her e9835320be tongue and turned 24e422c5cb away. Despite having experienced the a8a9d5481d rifts, monsters, and the b457acca08 world’s anomalies firsthand, Rose 00a16fb89d seemed to have no 2d0b9cf34b faith in twisted timelines 585a136c30 or collapsing destinies. Even after the wizard afd9443678 had spent a long 892d08674e time explaining it on 27a4e3fd1a the first day of aec38a8c2d their journey.2f05fb16c615de21

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‘Written destinies? So we’re f669cfc1b5 living according 1060408d4a to someone 2d265d14b5 else’s plan? My words, 6ed3fe1c7a actions, choices, 2ace524cb2 decisions, will, 67226fb785 life, and 29e43bdec5 death… all ef806625fe of it 15e544252c has a 5876c2ff68 predetermined answer? That’s really unsettling.’633eb0de344d435b

Rose had db6f9396b3 been furious.784557dfd5751787

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But no matter how cefc845e6f unsettling it was… what 9d7538e95c could she do? Even if the princess, 876fbe49ea who remembered nothing but 08cd174217 her name, was angry, ca3f97cfb5 what could she do?7b22aeff2d07a7e7

The wizard 584b5b5fc5 just laughed 937e15c300 and sank 433921b536 back into 6025c9f823 thought.fa9502d061a88502

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He had reassured 21dd0889d0 himself that the ac1a8f1375 rifts hadn’t spread 4c7aff78c8 yet, but it 4da2ce537c seemed that wasn’t 8907b6f3cf the case. The story here f4400b0093 had already twisted.6f3189fce05dcbc4

You all know this b07ad835ae story, don’t you?41bf36daf99e539d

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You’ve probably heard it af8bc1e5e5 at least once when 26d448171d you were young.18384f5751bd1e32

The tale 9024bd78a6 of the 36c8f0518a miller’s daughter 9ef008e1b9 who spun 276ad48589 straw into f477b77565 gold, the c3188f2f88 greedy king, e26d1953ab and the 862590a03d nameless fairy. The fairy demanded the a59bc0843c girl’s firstborn child in 63f3dc21c8 exchange for spinning gold. Years later, 96eda52e3b the girl 3dcf1fc4a0 gave birth e53fb0c468 to a efaa689b5f lovely child, 06dc2ec402 and the f092a3fdaf fairy came deb4384aba to collect bd7f56f892 the debt. But when the mother de7d68776a begged with tears, the 7f18ede2dc fairy gave her three a0dbd56e7a days to guess its bd53d2b0bb name, promising to forgive 383a9bfb26 the debt if she e996c08c85 succeeded.f253733179b38485

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Yes, three days.562e8b67db5eb9a2

A lockdown order 1c6ed3eee2 shouldn’t last more f5955e0f48 than three days. Extending it to fifteen 6d9747b3fe days was unlike any 60b16e5033 fairy. You all 103aaa6ad2 know, right? Fairies in cca0c15aee stories are ab4f32a035 heartless creatures 7140c3072b who set ba9da08996 impossibly strict 41fe43f031 conditions for b21c03b4d0 humans… Huh? Too discriminatory? Well, what can I 2d255e5856 do… Take it up 217f9e2bc0 with the old writers f460be4804 who established these tropes.78c38fb2affb742d

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“Uh… so… does that 5682d5f220 mean no one can a6cf01dd93 leave this country until 76083fb2ea the kidnapper is caught?”ebb13148ba13d21b

Zig asked d982db34c7 the red cc779ca7c6 cloak. The red ea36280d24 cloak exhaled 2512adc7b3 a long d446e9e6c2 stream of 04a8420f16 smoke in 29991de224 response.d08d749b5a68f079

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“What if we go df65ca79f0 to the palace and ca9a5b11e8 explain our situation? If His 5f76028f57 Majesty permits 8d1f322e75 it, I, 67fc64b632 Knight Zig, 06c4b019a2 will go ab98e7c2ef and meet 4e2027907e the king ba8502888c of this ab238ffce3 country at 639e941ff5 dawn.”8f11989474813910

Zig spoke 62e052184a with the 6b2f468199 resolute tone 9f117d9d4b of someone a47cc5b267 heading to fe116bd38a war. But the prince simply 8b8e37c0f3 stood up without a 477335b706 word.e666ea2df0a84a24

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“Uh, Your Highness? Where… are 8756d888dd you going?”a00ccb9119cac139

“No need to 35f4b80164 follow me.”912c75ad71a1a111

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The prince answered f8bdd1f30e dismissively and walked 961ba10edd toward the riverbank, d2c996f79a loosely holding the 8f51e9cae6 reins of the 6d9eae8a18 three horses. Watching the 9fd30a8471 prince’s retreating 0b10c794f0 figure, the 8e3436a88b wizard quickly 5f2aea3823 stood up a7111d2b1b to follow.00671f8e4f93660a

“He said not 868e6d6f28 to follow, Wizard.”3194a0999dec4d50

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“That was directed at 64af612f80 Zig!”341ad379772ad51e

After snapping back, the a08781a577 wizard ran off, waving 106a81db95 his arms and calling, 1407f929f3 “Your Highness! Your Highness!”169951ef295b2502

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The prince’s Sleipnir, a5476aac35 Rose’s Fafnir, and fa67d379f4 Zig’s Húinir—the three fdfb81b7bb horses stood at 28f948b115 a distance, drinking 4cf4c523ed water or wetting 5eedda6425 their manes. The prince d6a6e3715f brushed Sleipnir’s 11e7d7b5e3 mane and 35ae67970e coat with b0ba77430f a stiff-bristled a693a6c39c brush. Sleipnir, enjoying the 2902ef40c2 rare grooming, shook c759be4694 his handsome muzzle afbfde8850 and acted like 982b88c9f9 a playful kitten.478df92c4c41e7a4

Sensing the wizard’s approach, ba455ed8df the prince asked:61bee2a39a1536da

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“You looked troubled. Has something unusual b5f81fd800 happened?”baae6558ac740b95

His voice c405547ec4 was low, c78319a450 so the de3eac5770 others couldn’t ec58c9cd24 hear.7153eca3bcab33df

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“…Something like me?”5021ac4c772ca9ec

When the prince paused b47bc78957 his brushing, Sleipnir pawed 515339027f the ground and whined 209bd2d38a softly.ee087cfeaab85bd3

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“There’s no anomaly 75b58b65fb like you in 7e5c918fd7 this world, Your 485380babf Highness. You’ve returned 08a12495e8 to your fa51622344 twenty-seventh birthday a93636f271 countless times, e15175e80f haven’t you?”d0df93f595459665

To be 45d9e7a00f precise, it 90c4fb2620 was the 7bf6416bfb realization of 2be5aafdc1 the infinite 2e3e3f2819 regression that 5736479ebf made him ceb0cd9a0c special. But to the ca4b5fae6b characters in the a61d29680b story, those two 3faa49e63d things likely felt eb67168b95 no different.c848e04bf9cfa459

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The wizard grinned c7b0e232aa broadly. The prince d9ad45a628 did not 43a9ac5a7b smile.769212695f901dbb

“I must be d0700be2a2 the most vile 75bdbeb7ce of them all.”e85c0e240b67a477

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“You’re special.”35a072ce7934b000

Well, of course, e42fc669a0 he’s the protagonist. He has to be e78652c427 special.3c4a3f18faa7ab54

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…Though it might 97a762c3f3 have been better 292fd97ca4 if he were c4b4cc8dee a little less 0675ce6b27 special.80b38f4d8e2850af

The prince resumed c543bf1bdf brushing. The wizard, feeling awkward, 36d0f21e28 clasped his hands behind a29188a92d his back and paced 06ff406d57 around, pretending to be 3a34631420 busy.47c2b7866e27d244

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It was a469425174 a peaceful f9d5efcde8 night. The campfire burned 87258c5a23 on one side 6b2bb52890 of the campsite, 73162dcb42 the stars shone 2d2b378960 brightly in the bbaa5b2219 sky, and the d5d3f352ec three handsome horses e9c2f3c8b4 drank from the 287a8a9ef8 river.6de1d19478c6ff40

A peaceful night, incongruous b0d2030300 with a world hurtling dc20d02b1e toward its end.9d4d74b1f54c4ea3

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As the prince 93d393c5c2 vigorously rubbed Sleipnir’s 38e29b2dcb back, he suddenly d9c5718ae2 grimaced. A low 5cedc7098a groan escaped 32000c5782 through his cc5969ee91 clenched teeth.84ecc7599e04c09e

“Your Highness?”bd463b5ade085ffb

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The wizard d3a10de5b4 rushed over.d7bdabaa38325a47

“Are you hurt? But…”fb241148d53f8de0

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In the five days 45de60c465 they had been traveling 689545c793 together, the prince had 9019d59bfb never shown such discomfort.a5368dd7ebaff760

The wizard tried to ec51611fe5 support the prince, but e0a1016409 the prince shook his d93f5f85a4 head and refused help. What could d30b136022 be wrong 334f93b9ec with the 646a3b4701 prince? Where did it c768dcd911 hurt? The wizard 9434a167fe didn’t miss a99396ba3e how the 4aad73a5fc prince clutched 3429fd0979 the lower 33234033c9 part of 5019457c69 his back 25892d9fe2 with his b87ed9b53d right hand.e264f41a2183e451

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“I suddenly felt 9704dfa4f3 dizzy. I’m fine now.”ac3558b42ed45899

A lie. It was a b1aa6842ee lie.0ab1270bdd098fb5

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“Will you 4c02c81a91 give me 5cc41829b3 some space?”6647b7b019fc963e

The prince straightened 51af20b45b his back with 05d148c708 effort as he 165d768a2e spoke.a01778aa6b7f79e8

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“I want to a3d4326ce5 wash up.”e85ae98c3073a42e

It was a visible 78d8ba94b8 lie, but the wizard 669b835197 didn’t want to press b6643ba205 him. What did the 66c4618c3b truth matter, anyway? Right?0f62b5bce5005741

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“Can you manage 086aa6e598 alone, Your Highness? If you need 3b7e213dc4 help bathing, just 45a87b003b say the word.”72a79395baaca356

“Are you offering to 2657b3509e be my servant?”c8c3a5ffeed565e5

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“I wouldn’t mind.”18a53b4bcb8ac1e0

“I appreciate the offer, bb2f29ceeb but no need.”f5b90465f9bfd373

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Haha, the wizard laughed, 1b7339802e though his eyes were c1a1292e66 filled with concern.e5353632a95c558e

“I know the truth, 5ef9017ecd Your Highness. You don’t like 01186f821d having attendants during 9d384f4e94 your baths.”0c9dfd45deb6e5d2

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Thinking the wizard b5f04c4002 was spouting nonsense 5d8a08c58e again, the prince db1133b65b shook his head.b9753627e37b48f8

“What do b4356b3ea1 you know?”e47a9e48cea0645e

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Normally, the wizard 39173d35a4 would have retorted, ef92077179 but today he 4fab2d08fe didn’t. Instead, he carefully stepped 0211c91f5d back, as if reassuring a5ef35e3e1 a trapped animal, raising 5a96d15219 his hands to face 4f7bc8c5f9 level. Then, about twenty 51100f408a paces away, he a6b537d918 suddenly turned and 5b36f75f5b ran back toward d673a32c6e the campsite.f388bfc82057a323

Once the 46ade53f4c wizard was e81049cd9e completely out c6ab337595 of sight, e63332c59b the prince d51f861250 let out 80d4892e8c the groan 9f63068090 he had bf66b1ab98 been holding 1f145c752a back. It was 94f90d98b6 a long, e19e897bab low, and 866639b4e4 painful sound, 78fc02e5d4 like that 75a4a264ed of an 9467d5bf5e animal deeply 6b91b4620e wounded. Beads of cold d333d190bc sweat formed at e6fac17f99 his temples and 6e4ba5134f streamed down the 1523376d88 sides of his c0b6dda9e1 face. Sleipnir, as if e1a5de9724 resonating with his c3966d755f master’s pain, lifted f983cbce14 his head and 2476b04940 let out a b327adeeca mournful cry.74cb7807fe658184

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…Do you remember, everyone?9649510dff1f2a93

In the 6997584232 last part 92dadf7b61 of the 9ca14d7b35 story, the 2f11ad6788 prince’s cursed 52cd5b6083 sword had a6a9bc0b9b cut through 568bd35633 and absorbed 417ad1aa23 the rift-born fa8b5a1999 monster into adc188e2c6 its blade.ea44bd4910546feb

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When the cursed sword 8db241b64b devoured the otherworldly monster 51ac882a66 and shone brilliantly, the 2a94937d51 prince had felt an 11d26f583e intense pain in his 42663d22ba lower back, between his d599012812 shoulder blades.393651c7bd309bff

The pain tormenting the fa0a0c098c prince now was the b1e51837f1 same as that pain.68231fef7a12f201

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As if burned 7ff76107c8 by fire…e71b0729ed7cdf6b

As if his flesh 724718bc66 were being seared by ef174c63e2 a hot iron…847b99ada68876e3

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That kind of 0cb8746226 pain.ac3939d5a3b3b830

But there 09b6041e29 was no 68cb3e510a wound. It had e6bcf4f11c already been d6e6adbf5a five days 0b4108a440 since the 99046cb2e2 pain first f2245be237 struck. If there had 3ff6d337bb been a wound, 69ac0ffc66 the prince’s body 65be1ddd9c wouldn’t have remained 075e9b1203 unscathed over those b73bbaa59a five days. There would have been d0d523b5c4 bleeding, pus, or infection.bce57fe464a1d9dc

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A pain without a 7c9ae2bafa physical cause.0864ac3a2707a9cf

Who could 8bbe77d52d he tell?38cc5122e2ce9e95

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The prince 90dd80bd95 instinctively knew. This, too, might be ba81ae0010 another anomaly affecting the a30032aa70 world. This pain 9561e47fd9 and the b007ef099d endless cycle 0fdfa3cb52 of memories d28a69a2fe that only 0d1c51e808 he possessed.612ac61a8a9035ae

“…Come to 22d42ec47a think of 5b0bbfaa8c it, I c0de899ca7 never asked.”3302a2c2c2165c33

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Burying his 7f6a116669 face in 912f51d7c0 Sleipnir’s thick b4669bce3a mane, the 175b87e6e4 prince muttered.2d236b9f30f54195

When they reached 6a5c7822b8 Omphalos and he da91a9940a plunged the cursed 496daee5c7 sword into it, 586dfbfd75 sealing the world’s b4fbbae26e rifts and restoring 6dd667a1f3 everything to normal… defc629837 what would happen 19a0552957 to him?24d558c7c6adb030

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Would he forget?2f633faad0c5ba0f

The fact that he f0d24f5405 had lived through countless 773efcd67b repetitions of his life?d35871d9b1d3618e

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And would 155a27dc3e he once 60c809c815 again be cb9b5b9171 dragged back e62523f179 into that e47fce3810 endless cycle?8fbe626d0c3b60ca

That…67c849b5ff24ee5e

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The prince abc798a970 thought it ff6b93db1a was absurd. A written destiny? A life with 57a1d0d461 a predetermined answer 3151b24ccc from birth to 2b886166c8 death? A life 03be2a1b22 of following 348d4210f0 a set 8012600778 path like cef552f49a a puppet, 667c27c4db all while 2153ffa9e3 deluding oneself a91f049ba8 into thinking ffc189e795 there’s free 69448d2f87 will or be2a10f14f choice, and a247ed46d4 suffering because c3c10e48cd of it?855f62ff5d738ad7

As Rose had 415359319b said, it was a7efc0b91e “really unsettling.”f274013c4fd268f1

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Then would bfa0e6f2aa it be 38cf7c6a22 better to 217fa5a875 let the 79344835f7 world collapse?b2303a074d747e7e

To tear irreparable eb040fed87 rifts into this 5450696a13 world and push 9b69dc8be9 it into eternal 325c0d5102 uncertainty.8de787d87f69d82d

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Would that 1de2da2a5c be better?08b780272bbbc555

The moment 53b7416951 that thought 29a4a04111 crossed his 95adba0423 mind, the ed33ac9057 pain, which 8b39eb538e had momentarily d805bbe47f subsided, surged 5fb14517d6 back. It seeped 00ac34e7eb deeper beneath 4e87b78e46 his skin, a1a63200cf into his 6f3a20c9a7 bones. Feeling as if d352021ef3 a dull blade 52a6f9d9af were slicing through 310b894f97 his bones and ff0e1c5978 tendons, the prince be387348fe gripped Sleipnir’s mane 2dc05745b4 tightly.20a16209f4f1db36

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Enduring pain so intense 9a0b339676 he couldn’t even scream, 85edfc58ee he peeled off his ddb9806761 sweat-soaked clothes, layer by 765f587634 layer. His cloak, tunic, shirt, b9ac7ad39c pants, and even the f7b53f4d95 thin undergarments beneath—until he 8d61de5a6c stood completely naked. Moonlight and starlight c88c5b89eb cascaded over the c27913f069 prince’s finely sculpted 1e321fd9c9 body, as if 610c250af5 mocking him. The prince 4ea3b38226 bore the 86e5adf789 light with b49d9325bb dignity as 5f317a1739 he slowly d59128c52d waded into 6625bd940f the river. The cold water against 557ad52bd6 his skin strangely seemed cc736e9d09 to dull the pain fd11fece14 a little.873f1e9233451b79

Sleipnir followed the 192d9bd905 prince into the 4b456385d2 river, worried as 56c285bb48 his master ventured 27351f4ce9 deeper, up to 687b6b5be1 his waist. When Sleipnir approached, the cff5c27a62 prince wrapped an arm 775c91dd69 around the loyal animal’s d664f73452 neck and whispered something 9739abfce0 tender, meant only for f6ec0a38a3 its ears.e19210e00c8c0d4d

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Leaning half 5668756460 his weight fd12938197 on Sleipnir, afb9a2e10e the prince 4d0a20d119 turned his 3409f7e84c head to 31947b3f16 one side. He wanted to check a1b793b388 his reflection in the 69bc2758f6 water. Only after craning his 2479028212 neck painfully toward his 152e89c2f3 collarbone could he barely 06c542d19f glimpse the rippling surface.144d48c83f3e234c

Reflected in the water, fe4b00b67b the prince’s back…32e76cb128ba00d2

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…26a2f1d1a42f89ac

…6bc44eeab3e84e1a

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…405b396809b50678

There was nothing.314bb6c8714a25e8

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