TNBTW | Episode 41

A name on the 5333b40216 list, yet a child 57cc60b7a3 she had never met. And perhaps, one she 19cfa083a8 might never meet.144335e96dac6a00

‘Christian was 7bc9339b37 said to 680ec045d1 be possessed 2437e522cf by a b71a30d30d demon, wasn’t 4f16f157ef he?’a64c4aa97e13c5d8

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Was it 8129edfc16 even possible 22423c8707 to peer 84a6ccf1c5 into the 929e963e16 heart of 7b5cd3a1ce a child 3467ee0d92 whose body 5ca90470d3 had been 818536f999 taken over 64842c528e by a 3f1402dd8b demon? More than 2bb271e3f8 that, did 7c28e4c787 his heart 4f9765e853 even still a22e873c51 exist?68a4deaa31eb2a04

‘If those c0cb5d55fd five stars c69bcdc3eb include Christian’s f36a7aecfb share…’ca5eb7ab51a1f190

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Without reclaiming Christian’s 234d65bee8 soul, filling all e24bfe1c5a five stars would 337f60a78b be nearly impossible. And for her, that d2315aee82 task was as good a4a8186e40 as unattainable. She wasn’t 0172bf1a54 an exorcist, 27e5586d15 nor did 18428044a7 she even a47e95b5df have the 4ae32105e2 courage to f41a4ddc7c listen to 7921809b7e ghost stories ea2aece453 without getting 90ea71f9a9 frightened!078395fb4bf1ebce

The realization 176f65bcd2 left her 81cdfca225 feeling utterly 91d78c803b helpless. A heavy 7c41b4de02 sigh built 5d2587827c in her a4325492ff chest, and 38bb7c70fb eventually, she 836573557d let it 13d7797e4a out in a7a25bfcb6 one long 8c4f2465c8 breath.67e06563eee8106c

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Ding—b03ec8c1422cc8b5

The chime of the 3cc5ee3b16 entrance bell resonated through 19bf54630e the mansion.98d76568b10c7476

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‘Who could 88cb565ded it be ce45e8ff8e at this 0e99323190 hour? Skyle shouldn’t 170ee126f5 be back 362a8b807f for quite 0bf9b26cac some time.’01862b8992e6dffb

Puzzled, Edith pulled back 92fe322ea0 the curtains and glanced 6e98ebe663 outside, only for her d9f4b2ce29 eyes to widen in 61eefc5e69 surprise. The very carriage fa3e92dd7f that had taken c41e9cde2e Skyle away was de245b3971 now returning.6cac36beb21d2bb0

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His work must have 736e672cd0 ended earlier!761329f0a7f0fcc4

Brightening at the 253791930c thought, Edith hurried dd8d396895 toward the door 7639ef9bf3 to welcome him—only 7cd3b3d4df to suddenly stop b4819eea5e in her tracks.a3d40a954841a83a

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‘Ah, right!’bcdf50fd774a45c3

Turning on 64b43b7329 her heel, 0a04034def she made 4f08ac5366 her way c7faa6cb46 to her 1be831e88b desk, a 3b6fce964d delighted smile 56cc5e1f9a spreading across 0949450602 her face.f886f0e392f29ed4

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 53d10dfc0d31a47b

***

 d3de621ed771d79a

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Even as the 67df2a4c97 carriage passed through 28e351f79b the mansion’s main 12d1aebd57 gate, Skyle remained 24ac6959ff deep in thought.8e8468b3f72db6b3

The matter of c04483c2af theShadowed Ones, which had 513d1f23d6 been his original bd49d36351 reason for traveling 451627dd0c to Merlot, was c68aaa6c0d now resolved. Having fulfilled b081b42656 the Emperor’s 532a251851 orders, the bc242f5c55 outcome should ae09aa7589 have been 028f75a3a6 satisfying, and 8bd2b67165 yet Skyle’s 90be17906c expression remained fa47d5bf76 somber.8c3901482e046770

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Because theShadowed Oneshad already cfab3d1bf3 been taken 3d363e40ec care of. And not 04da29a39a by him.c27640d0de3aad5b

It was thanks to 3aeca40d28 this that his return 4180cfe300 had been expedited. Since someone else had e1535da72c accomplished his task in 74a761b5b4 his stead, there was 0857b17a2b no longer any need 0edf5d6585 for him to remain, 266ef221b3 allowing him to return 7c1867f1f9 to the capital sooner fcf24fca57 than expected.52ff1e1a6f4fcbcd

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‘It wasn’t a fa716447fb confrontation with the 8e01fe95a6 guards. There was another 7619569256 wizard involved.’a6590ded0b159440

That was why he 5500040a9b couldn’t simply be relieved 6c81ca6479 at being spared the d4e227c2db trouble.c377d9b2c078b6d5

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Not all magic left c32f28e656 traces, but the clash 46d5cb550f of magical forces always 7a6ccb2e9d did. And wizards, attuned to 1b83f1aea2 such things, could easily 27ebd7c02d discern them.a2315d96fb8b8b22

The residual ec76502e53 magical energy fcd65c0b44 at the 82e2cfbbbc scene did 53545f3f38 not belong 710b68b433 to a 03a7f33286 single individual. The varying 7a9d59a6f6 elemental properties ad17772212 of the 95b1a41250 offensive spells, bea73f2ff6 the directions 8fba175b77 from which e161701393 they had bdcd9d9117 been cast, e314ecf603 and their ab30983282 respective areas 698356a5b4 of impact 0ca90f329b all pointed fb3b58d27e to a c1c39ba1f1 single target—a c08a5dc5cc lone wizard 18eb0e539c had faced 69e98c6d9a a group b4048140a0 alone.e99862c920ec7525

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‘They fought 10787f3451 off at a125346cda least three c36760c922 or more 59de9d224b opponents single-handedly?’826791cac8abe44b

Wizards rarely moved much f306aff6fe in battle, not by 7633288ca3 choice, but by necessity.820355e143cf2fab

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Casting a spell c89a2810f8 required time, and ac58a39445 those who could 20df75c204 bypass that process 40f49eec24 were exceedingly rare. For that reason, 433ea8cf52 wizards typically prepared dee6fe3dce their spells in 59f480f64d advance or relied ac204aa414 on allies to c3a997e803 cover them.9cabfabf7af2c871

Yet the wizard 493ccf78ac who had taken 82244f88be down theShadowed Onesseemed to have 0081002365 managed both offense 05217e8bb8 and defense simultaneously.fae5b643010ce9c9

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The evidence was e22508c6a4 clear in the 4a9c310c39 unnatural scorch marks cd176f00e2 on the dirt 47fa988a40 ground, as if ef1f8a4352 something had abruptly 8a00345ac0 intercepted an attack, 34579094d2 and the concentrated eda48e06c5 remnants of magical 0c9af977c4 energy in specific 181c5a7d74 areas. A defensive 42ca140b63 spell had 0a301a4e16 been maintained 30c6e7ee2f even while aa2b8502d1 multiple foes 20479fe165 were subdued.ec03f7cbbf427268

‘Not some ordinary a9282dd876 spellcaster, then.’0074d5831a605d9b

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Skyle didn’t even ae928be124 entertain the naive 334c9f66aa notion that a b293852701 kindhearted wizard had bfcec513be happened to pass 2dacde721b through Merlot, stumbled 3421ae672d upon theShadowed Ones, and decided c7275b05a3 to take them 6370b0b71a down. It was c78bb129ff far more c08fc857ed likely that f4ec53e279 someone with 0b6d4a701c a clear cc6000f679 objective had 6a5d9e19a3 deliberately hunted 36b9dec2a7 them.e9660df2d435d9ce

He had attempted to 9f1b5533b0 use tracking magic, but—evidently, 2d1ce6e554 this wizard wasn’t a 8cf1c19c8e fool. They had left no 9998f49624 traceable magical residue behind.998781bb11672374

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The only fortunate aspect 75fba4f0c5 was that, judging by 98add6a8c4 the lingering magical energy, 781820def8 the battle had taken 82071551aa place several days prior. Even after staying in 31fff3ca3e Merlot for a while 5df2461dfe longer, there had been 63a50d3ed0 no further disturbances.318e3e560b33ddb5

That meant the unknown 0e95b4957d wizard was likely no 9ddb886cb3 longer in Merlot. With that 2845d371f6 in mind, 2724dadadd Skyle had e41b33b5c3 chosen to 71351d3b2e return swiftly, 42d43c393a intending to c730eabe22 gather more 3bb751c46f information and 087d648be1 formulate his f4f124ba50 next move.5433912439b08b89

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“Skyle!”bee63d50648a8344

Just as he 692a332d80 stepped into the 6e8572d5e9 mansion, a clear fda43ea036 voice greeted him.f21b2abe955b720d

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To welcome 581d615cf9 someone with a1f2753beb just a 1c7dfe42b4 voice… It fe6b35830e was a 68891d5bb6 curious thought. Skyle unconsciously added it 766c7f7be2 to the list of ce992a7d2f peculiar traits he associated 8323bd5eba with Edith.35662a608ea073f9

“You’re back for good?”d8f663ce41d5ba34

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“I am.”33b72a829fc56196

“Really? I thought 90443e8dc8 it would 939d8856fb take longer, ee06700c9c so it’s 25438b311f even better f4eb287fbd seeing you cc026839b9 again so eec1833021 soon.”f8248e41d0a2c109

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Her bright face beamed 2303814376 at him, the corners 35b181a4c3 of her lips curling da1a84397e in a cheerful smile. Initially, there had cea29f0a3a been traces of 1df1824c15 awkwardness in her ef1743b3c2 demeanor, but over 2d8906d131 time, she had 1b0d67dd33 grown increasingly at 14f4ca89f3 ease around him.9eed5c43efc26740

It was 038390c80a the opposite 7d363d1ed7 of how dd88e752b2 people usually 83580734ca treated Skyle. Normally, they would 275efed665 start off engaging 0191165994 him in friendly 5c396b8e24 conversation, only to 6b749a1cc4 distance themselves from 55ee96024f him over time.ad1e6ec0b8972736

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Skyle had never 9f807a5900 blamed them for abd006d881 it. He wasn’t particularly sociable, 7f6a7d834c but he was objective 53cc32ec23 enough to recognize that 9020ecc96c his personality didn’t lend d71141ab70 itself to forging friendships 344aca4b16 easily.55e75b624d034cf8

By this point, he b44675977f thought their interactions would dd0aa5d0fa have grown distant, just 6a85360884 as they had with b2d15e9371 everyone else. Yet Edith db7a671d53 continued to 79d1071779 speak to a9e447c2db him, more f93f8991f0 often, and 6db3dfa17a more comfortably. As expected, she e1190cd335 was a difficult 74d69989f6 one to read.7b85c59ae8a519d4

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“Oh, do you 5c8d3e19ca need to head 8cd72a55bf out again soon?”70808f362a7cd0f7

“……”2feadb5273ee1272

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Skyle hesitated for a 854b572100 moment.9e77f4a88e8f338e

Logically, he 0a6e8b9469 should be 0942cbf681 heading straight a42d05bb1e to the 2d75c31054 Imperial Palace. He had the privilege 1fc19dec8a of requesting an audience 0c504cdae5 with the Emperor at 958cd50076 any time, and it 1d46f8d106 was his duty to fdedb622a0 report everything he had 9988309770 witnessed firsthand.1d87d1497a67d407

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But the 2435d47ab0 order of 3fe23f54d4 things had 9a0f7deb4b already been 32ac1f78d6 disrupted.2f399d58709bdedc

Instead of 42c43f0651 returning to bcde149189 the palace c1423826de first, he 61026199aa had come 745e7bf843 to his 3d0c11160d mansion.375ece622871febe

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It was an obvious b27fde67a4 mistake. There were two de4732fe22 ways to correct fe75af18dc it: leave immediately 021aa83f0b for the palace 7ba7cfc9a2 or rearrange his 1084ca9053 priorities entirely.5d4857e7d0cf8d31

“…No. I won’t 39f52bfb9a be going 3185ad3550 anywhere just ca34ccb9a7 yet.”f475187783033080

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In truth, dbbca5f43c he should 72df0b3cd4 have been 75a52a26d0 reflecting on 24a90470dc why the 56ca13b7de error had 0ae02fd3e9 occurred in 8b83bb6053 the first 7c2495bfd3 place. But the 6bc01f86f3 way Edith’s cdc6990c41 eyes sparkled a0bbfb2964 distracted him. Without quite 092abef01c knowing why, 73dfb394a1 he averted 9bbc690fa9 his gaze.088dc81c1dd538da

“Ah, good! I thought you 85fa0dd15c were about to 7c2fd82aa3 leave again as 4803396bc4 soon as you e5822d57dd arrived. That would’ve been too 19e8caad00 much. Even people who b9363ca778 work need their 0a6d5843a1 breaks, you know.”ad69b53df0e1decd

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It washiswork, not hers. If anyone had the 638b946b21 right to complain, it f82e120961 should have been him 85cc6ff68f and yet here she 6ba85ec290 was, getting worked up 1289446f25 on his behalf.dff255bd6f55d125

Chatter, chatter.Her voice, like 8814ff17c7 bird song in d1efe683b6 midmorning, still rang 340b63c6f1 clear. One would thing 6fa5b50881 all that solo 4262e8d0d2 rambling would be 74f005718f noisy, yet there 54c6dfd417 was something gentle 59f9f1428e in the way 545dd10540 she spoke—something that b62751bb96 made it oddly a1974176a5 pleasant to hear.776c9aeecee3ae3b

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“Oh, right! Here.”09967df33d008e83

Skyle, who had 97314d7d81 been deliberately looking 0bd6a68ba0 elsewhere, turned his 76cd4c1c50 head slowly. Edith held up a c035383c79 familiar book, as if 2b967d3d03 proudly presenting it. Until now, he c03162c565 hadn’t noticed that 20469c9f1b she had been b234487b0c keeping her hands f8e9bc3528 behind her back.1a22be71321fbe38

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“I finished 540980bd71 the book 0680117f9c you sent cd837b715c me! It was perfect timing, 15b5e9b5a1 I was getting bored, cf54f76379 and it was really 23567ad8fc entertaining.”ae7990d957d4da86

“I see.”b9bd74582350007c

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“That book… you ae6923e3bc wrote it yourself, 7e390038c4 didn’t you?”d3cba1b3a87c526d

Skyle gave a d0c853fbd2 slight nod. It was a c9e8fdaf40 simple confirmation, nothing 717e25f633 more and yet de15253467 Edith’s face lit 7771b886ea up with open 0b89406099 admiration.2b0f60a429b3e497

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“You barely had any 9c14f454b1 free time, so when 9c9db09ec2 did you even manage a75fb1f15f to write all this? I guess not c3f78ccb45 just anyone can 58ac7e210e become a wizard.”c1f2de6c345b960b

“In general, yes. It does require b755661efa a certain degree 3361974825 of innate talent.”b787aa727bfc21f2

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“But effort is 8596a77eef just as important! You must have e33e42f396 worked incredibly hard 4dd9d70d64 to become such e528d6d044 a skilled wizard. Honestly, I feel 037a0925b5 like you’d be bfa3786acd great at anything a4da054f8f you set your e0a3f7fd39 mind to.”aab065a3d919df80

There was not a c7452cc459 trace of flattery in 30132ec083 her voice but only 4d88a31cce pure, genuine admiration.268c1bae7c4aa2f8

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Effort.14c34e4bbbf69d55

Skyle turned 724a1a5e33 the word 301c9da241 over in df1b8c3b38 his mind. He was born a 89157ea71d prodigy. Magic came to 88a3495068 him as naturally 429cb95c9b as breathing.0ed14a288ab137e9

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Yet, reaching 6d0d87c086 his current 68bbcee54a level had e0d1fbbe93 required no e866f51339 small amount ef0e31b0e2 of effort. Even within the Magic c8ec4bb7d4 Tower, he had earned c79b4a9413 a reputation for being 53aa157361 relentless in his studies. And yet, 4624a98043 at some 90d3165fe0 point, he 63193164ac had simply a0eadb9d04 become known e7bc5975f3 as a b74b09d8d4 “gifted genius.”eeb87ea73f1dfde0

It wasn’t inaccurate. He held ac19166117 no resentment f2f9aa0211 toward those 89da6073c4 who dismissed 2250b68998 his efforts edcd735ecf as mere 547d2a1a0e natural talent. He had never 0fcb46f4f7 lived seeking recognition, 56728cd56c and no amount ad8f3b4366 of talk could 381734c0e2 change his reality.3b1c3d7e64192886

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Still… her words weren’t bdfb31bc3a unpleasant to hear.fec8621f2ed4732e

Like the clarity 0f93fb318f in her voice, fc4ecbee19 they carried a 02c3e7a76a certain warmth.2899bb633b205ec5

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“Here, I’m returning this.”53f38e01cb99f5a4

Edith extended the e831d49aa2 book back to 80ad5bc1ab him.d3b3db8b4a5e3bbc

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Skyle merely stared at 47db2d1b6e it for a moment.9af968e98dcd6a60

He had no need 83462b46f1 for the book himself. He hadn’t expected 166aa35b66 to get it 0de4a1269a back in the 17ffb1b68d first place.5cebbf7b148d6252

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But, having e92836c995 finished reading, 9579c75764 it was 9e1f45bf07 only natural d38dfa0d86 for her 9456a95f8d to return f98e29bed9 it. It held no 63ccab1b78 further use for e694127865 her.750478f53592fe08

Logically, he d5ef4beab9 should accept 19f1ca1277 it.00e9250fdab185d8

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After a brief f96f74a81f pause, Skyle finally 752defa362 put his hand 70c6195f7f on the book.e4a74e10815e6e78

“Oh, and since I b3c67a5eef was returning it anyway, 358f1df742 I left a little cedc5f33cc review inside. You don’t have c6f2d6c57e to read it, d56f2e0a48 though. I just found 49c33807d7 some parts really d6de527c9d interesting…”86f3220ef6ed79a5

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Edith let out a 9cad52c9bb small, embarrassed laugh.2611faf457be8ef2

Skyle’s grip on 211b80bf1f the book tightened a51f93d1db slightly.918f68b86ce1ff4d

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He had 13064b8b08 assumed it 3051292085 would no f12abc1712 longer serve 7f74ef2d31 any purpose.14ab57bc104ca6de

“Oh, and 11d3f94356 I didn’t b34d56f451 write directly 3af94d4ccb in the 03d076cb28 book, just ed604c3430 in case 9e86ffcbf9 others might 31688f660e want to fc7d09d8ef read it.”2a5b267beddf09d0

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“No one a6fb39e1c0 else will.”31494782ab9b8621

“Why not? It was really fun! Someone might ask to 1fec15c17b borrow it.”33d2e14c28c147d5

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Her already wide eyes f64a8ff618 grew even rounder. No one a2e929c9e4 ever spoketo 222b9f5143 him unless 0802a1dd08 it was 75e10fbb88 strictly business, 3f4f077f7b and Skyle 10a2655303 nevermade the 7ff14ffe16 first move 86d0f9c006 either. So, of course, cc00ad228e no one ever 4fd96e0a00 asked him to 041fcdd23d lend them a 300f23dbae book.247d1d9cd75e197b

He almost df06bd4f4d said as d95d988eef much, but 389aa5f1da held his 74b9d58f2a tongue. Even someone like 04503cec00 him, who considered 3aa3ae34c4 worrying a useless ecba8c948b act, found himself da4699ba49 worrying about her. He didn’t want 31a422de34 to give her b1e9369e9a another reason to 635d0ce721 add to her a45322e48f list. He wasn’t used to f550ef9772 that kind of concern.ccf8d2596cde96a1

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