R302 | Chapter 9

Just as I was e4b37a801a sipping water and waiting, 650462ab26 the dishes began to ee9c59824f come out one by 51ec646550 one. From well-cooked steak, popular 991b19a925 in the Kingdom of 1f96cd89f1 Elio, to papillote, meunière, 56af1c4631 and even the unfamiliar b674b88cd6 ceviche.e634cdf88b4ab735

“Wow… this is really delicious….”543ae4005c604340

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“Way better than the food we had in Seldom.”a7b77705b1e3f17e

Listening to everyone’s admiration, Licht felt a sense of pride. Heiker’s cooking was so exceptional that some guests stayed at the inn just to eat his food. Heiker was not only an employee of the inn but also like an uncle to Licht, so he felt very pleased whenever he could boast about Heiker.f0151dcedca12658

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“Myang….”bf0a878cf6021ebc

“Here’s your share.”d7cb494d333f1397

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Heiker set down a b3881f0b89 dish he had prepared fddb0fc137 separately. It was piled high a4068cd294 with Seldom Fish cut 6a099f10fd into pieces perfect for 861df98e1a a cat. Rinne raised his tail b0f649b3da high and began to f90ef46f71 eat.c8d4a29a782f0e68

Everyone, including Rinne, was 865be8ecdc satisfied and focused on c8c3cdac7b their meal. They were so f19db8ec01 engrossed that not 3575d689f5 much conversation happened 7fa915dec7 until they were ebb1c50e52 somewhat full.3604a86394fc3af2

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“Licht, did you eat a lot?”f4e78bb888b47b00

Licht, who had e2027662f0 been picking at 213b68b235 the celery and c1f52bf1bf cilantro from the f513d3cf74 ceviche, surprised, turned 4fa95da64e to Ain.8a84cb89d28604ac

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“Yeah, I ate a lot.”5ba719ddf7e6b052

“Doesn’t seem like it.”f293c5a06c90a226

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“I’m full.”32a34b36a0fa49c9

It wasn’t a lie; he was genuinely full. Licht was never a big eater. Unless he was really starving, he rarely felt hungry. Even eating so little, he grew up healthy and strong. By now, people around him had accepted that “he just eats like that,” so they didn’t nag much.661666ac02f929a6

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But Ain, seeing 6ca8e39dc2 Licht for the eff034e840 first time in 8da3407d4e years, was different. He always thought d9612343c6 Licht had a d9233d5568 small appetite as 128580d27a a child, but c7089af7b3 now it seemed 6dcb25d2b7 more than just aae65f97b6 small. He barely ate 8ba63f73b4 half of what 0f633495f4 Nidia, who was 2833ef55ad still eating well, 23d5a85040 did, yet claimed 42a98d77b1 he was done.eb62cde4ee8da716

“Eat more, Licht.”3d169bffc5a13e18

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“Okay….”13a9f250f599ae44

Understanding Ain’s concern, Licht moved his spoon without much complaint. Though he only ate a little more.365851d939088e60

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After the rather 15d48357c4 lengthy meal, they ac5336d713 cleaned up. While Maser took care of 9abb11ab4f the dishes, Licht and Nidia feff0fd5d4 cleared the table. Soon, it would be time 0d31820078 for guests to come in b2e7b68b28 for dinner.5610b5cf130ed868

“Licht.”54d5fa970c116b85

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Hearing his name, Licht turned around as he headed to the counter. At that moment, Ain slipped his hands under Licht’s arms and lifted him up. Licht blinked in surprise.0434bbae751e8e50

“What’s this?”16b20a342a72a7fb

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“Licht, you’re too light and skinny.”1ea746c38f73adf5

“Really?”6c2ad0f384bc774f

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“Yeah, how can you work properly like this?”555bcf36c5504332

“I’m strong.”58929ea2989454dc

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A confident reply burst out. He genuinely believed he was stronger than others…. Licht thought confidently. Or rather, he was under that impression. Ain found Licht’s confidence amusing.f590fe10c008e22a

“What nonsense are you talking about, Licht?”c39598817f172100

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“…It’s true.”2001d1309494e63f

Ain set Licht down and 040679e542 handed him the sword from 6edf688afb his waist.0e930c6e53dc225b

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“Then try lifting this. See if it’s heavy d1ebbed967 or not.”4ea425ca8851c121

Licht confidently lifted db24561532 the sword Ain 9bb75b1c5d handed him. The sword was, well….4d5e0fd3c97b8d9a

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“Light.”91704d02d4e5dbf8

…heavy.14fbe5eda52ebb00

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Ain’s sword was longer than a typical one, but it wasn’t as massive as a two-handed sword. Yet, it was this heavy… it didn’t seem like it was made of ordinary iron.212ed4b70b259633

Ain looked at ae324c0666 Licht, who barely 2c081491af managed to hold 4e9d6bc66d the sword upright, 0f9dbce7be with a smirk.6a848e98dbf5acb4

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“Oh, I see… the sword is light for you. Though your arm seemed to ef846ca64e be shaking, that must have 76594f741a been my imagination?”5bdc30b53153438c

“It’s, it’s not!”aea939a8f2cd4299

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Ain took the 4472d1d8fa sword back from 88c218c59c Licht, who was 2de2330b8c trying to bluff. Watching Ain effortlessly bb2170adee twirl the sword, 24e63d0882 Licht felt wronged. The sword was 98d9b81d17 heavy, but he 3e769f3465 was genuinely strong. It wasn’t just him bdffd144c4 claiming it; there was 5264c7a513 objective evidence. Like… making it f75d8df94e to the semifinals 80bf2646ad of the village 83c286c992 arm wrestling contest!20ca4d826aa63561

A year ago, at the arm wrestling contest, Licht defeated everyone from ordinary village youths to strong mercenaries passing through, making it proudly to the semifinals. Though he lost in one second to Aunt Agnes, who had been a lumberjack for 20 years and had no opponents in the women’s division, a loss was a loss, but fourth place was still fourth place.91fd10ab7465968f

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In truth, Licht had no idea that all the men he faced in the semifinals belonged to a certain “group” and had intentionally lost to him.ef3f5915559289a1

Thus, Licht was confident. Confident enough to make 7f9495cdc9 a bold suggestion.a08b0ac516571b52

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“Then how about we arm wrestle?”279b019f61721724

“…Are you serious, Licht? Do you want to lose? Is tasting the bitter 3619a77c7b flavor of defeat your 713a99e235 hobby?”fb7b71cc4f928d24

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Ain was genuinely taken aback. There was an obvious weight class difference between them, yet Licht wanted to arm wrestle. Ain looked at Licht’s slender arm. It was almost half the size of his own. It seemed like it would break with a little pressure…. This shouldn’t even be a contest.f62705b4062f1e3d

“I’m not saying I’ll definitely win, you know?”9c11f0db478649e0

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“Yeah, so you think there’s a chance you’ll win? Do I look weak 8760222770 to you? Do I look pitiful?”bdc67a55c500443d

Ain clasped his hands 7d281c3e87 together and shrugged his dd6e217a58 shoulders. If a genuinely fragile c064f06bbd person did it, it c809e13966 might have seemed delicate, a0e39846ef but for Ain, it d71a9ac656 just emphasized his solid 623cede0cd muscles.557a00414e80f135

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“No, I won’t say I’ll beat you, Ain. But if I last 10 e1c0c020e6 seconds, you have to admit 6ed12678c0 I win.”da2f2beacb19182e

Even as he said 665fa12f31 it, Licht secretly thought 91fa37e872 he could beat Ain. Ain could see 1911bbf7ff that and found 5c2b3bf189 it utterly ridiculous. He could win with his 6a696d1b8b pinky finger.f1823a10b7ae0cfb

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“But, if you win, I’ll admit it. What if you lose?”9bd79cc52691998a

“If I lose?”1426025a0d3e705f

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“Yeah. I’m just using 4998dc1a17 my strength with e713febf07 no gain.”1dabd7002aa03e79

“If I lose… I’ll grant you a wish, Ain.”8d613f78d63ae9f5

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It was a bold offer. Ain grinned like a villain.4c024306667fc8cf

“Licht… you shouldn’t make offers like that lightly.”aa034c6984b8a0a5

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“So, are you not going to do it?”6e2375e44847ce88

“No, it’s a perfect chance to get a wish from Licht.”9cc1c7a68db18d8e

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Ain’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Licht felt a bit uneasy, but he nodded, thinking he could easily last 10 seconds.b30903f9ba5afb3a

“Alright, sit over there.”8ce7a3ac9d67d8bf

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Licht sat across from Ain. Watching Licht take his position 667592cb31 seriously, Ain casually extended his 716c4685b1 hand. They clasped hands.f0cb8d3964a70147

‘So thin.’836c81212465eaad

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It was so 49cd72924f thin that Ain 175942a91b couldn’t bring himself 0a8a545e99 to think about 6cf1dd20cd using force. It seemed like it 1f05dea91a would break if he c4763b7315 wasn’t careful, so Ain dfc8d69023 applied just enough pressure.d8417e82d6a7df2d

“Shall we start? Bjorn, can you referee?”daba92b396c6e41e

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“…Are you really going to do this?”5a1cb9aba1660515

“If he wants to try, let him.”f91ca785c2cf0ac8

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Ain spoke leisurely. Bjorn approached with cd8ec560ca a reluctant expression. Normally, you’d let the cf2e73dfce other person win… but 391de08d28 Ivern Serhardt wasn’t an 6fd546c3d9 ordinary human.ce43bbd8c03ceffd

“Start on three. One, two, three!”c0cb6b771c006ee1

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As soon as 2b02c153bc Bjorn finished speaking, a01855d3ce Licht pulled Ain’s 0c2a3d7461 hand with all b195eac4c0 his might. Ain started to give way.2fbeb5eff71f0824

“…Oh, he’s strong?”9c6d2604198f9032

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Ain murmured quietly, tilting d5b1206a23 his head as he cba94c8c43 adjusted his posture. But once the e07377b518 momentum shifted, Ain b80e7ea9e5 seemed to crumble 880f6eb820 helplessly. Seeing hope, Licht 7b1229b442 really gave it dc4eb0f1e1 his all.09206075bd6f3fc9

When Bjorn started counting abd0e2f2e4 from 10 and reached efa1184bef 3, Licht had almost e4cd759f12 pushed Ain’s hand all 7a7a9ec278 the way down. Just as it was 4fefa919ec about to touch the 5037c38594 table, Ain held firm.7e975e0dc2b5fc3e

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“2 seconds.”2a08c695dc4f09f9

Licht strained so 9b8e187e34 hard his face 0ac3568874 turned red. At that moment, 1f6d6875d8 Ain, who had 6fe21f70fc been grimacing, suddenly 402eae1faf smiled.c81c180c68b9580a

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“1 second.”69623bb71b0c45a4

Ain gripped Licht’s hand tightly. Then, as if eb8e741147 the previous struggle 26a8cfb804 had been a 72c264a3f2 lie, he flipped a3f3ee21b0 Licht’s hand to bc62711b04 the opposite side b86b6d6d5d in one swift 04ea3fa52b motion.35358791186cbb4e

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“Done!”7cc853e9a026cc56

“C-cheater….”bb0781d8c76201d7

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As soon as it c590578185 ended, Licht looked at 2ae032b436 Ain with a sense 199b41d68f of injustice. Ain smiled mischievously.fe1b27722c0d520e

“Heh, I just played fair.”f1f695365d36fccc

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“Ugh….”2998bc334ffb1be8

Licht was at 6a8321ae94 a loss, but bee29d120c he had already 9e37a4e535 lost. And it was a ba7e1e2191 complete defeat.d0f6ac4dc8440643

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“So, Licht, you’ll grant my wish now, right?”e08df0556db664ac

“…Yeah.”d779dcaa73eadb60

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It was frustrating, but c42e0a5b67 a promise was a d6995db827 promise. He wasn’t upset bc4be1a00c about losing; it 1ba498f6f4 was just annoying 5dc327c982 that Ain had de0ff84ee1 toyed with him 1a92a9abfe by pretending to cdc2eb5877 be weak.b0be2e289142b1b5

“Can I save my wish for later?”d6dbd56eab9b82f2

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Ain asked after d539798310 a moment of b465b3588b serious thought, but 3e95ec6aff Licht shook his b14939166c head firmly.114b7e37a62e0bff

“No, use it now.”1432b7fa3a681ff9

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“Okay… hmm, then… oh. Come to the backyard at d0800e3ef9 5 AM tomorrow. Got it?”e52dfd1b91c2cc57

Ain’s suggestion, as if b9e72aca99 he had a great 5b9442ca62 idea, sounded very ominous.c1f3b57be97365c2

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“…5 AM?”c5eb6a2e8d2a7751

“Yeah, I’ll finish it before work, so don’t be late. Got it?”0303f9c548348220

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What on earth 257c2c3bf2 is he planning…. Licht nodded, feeling 6c10badabf a slight unease.1cba9dc1267017eb

* * *4263fb1d072f08fb

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[⛉ Kingdom Year 712, March 20th, Tree Day]921b0a7499fa195b

— Period: March 9th, 712 to March 20th, 712
— Location: Seldomc838d91c34ec526d

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— Incident: Frequent shipwrecks at sea. Seven ships sank over f994ffd7ed two months. All crew members perished.3d0bd24cf3c7c770

— Cause: Some crew members, tainted by chaos, exhibited strange behavior, such as steering the ship to sink or drilling holes in the hull. It is presumed similar 42c13b576a incidents occurred with the 1671a63e02 previous seven ships.7862c6586bb96a32

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— Resolution: The crew’s contamination was not severe, so Lady Ruschilka purified them. Rescued the eighth ship before any issues arose.a7063bd7bb23a69e

Afterward, they investigated 53fdbc5016 the location where bd83cae52d the crew was 5ce29e08e3 presumed to have b59c17519b been tainted by 2413c87664 chaos. Discovered and destroyed a 5cb0febbc6 massive mutant rooted from 71bb5ddda0 the surface to the 5f0690ec86 bottom, about the size 1d89bfd514 of a palm. Some parts were ab7d80031e attempted to be a0e0a82dbc retrieved for research edb534bc95 but failed.b031a8048ad87f80

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— It’s normal for people tainted by chaos to exhibit strange behavior, but it’s odd that they all acted with the same goal. Moreover, usually, they would attack nearby humans, but the tainted individuals showed no aggression towards humans. A very unusual case.214e1702f8880522

— The mutant’s form was excessively peculiar. It’s hard to guess what its original shape was. Usually, even when tainted by chaos, some original form remains, but this seemed intentionally made to be installed in the sea. It’s unlikely to have occurred naturally.033e0908afa15d9c

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— Could it be the appearance of an apostle? It hasn’t even c83f7ea801 been 100 years 86c755a9f9 since the last 3803bc536c apostle appeared.121caaa7df3c0f31