Chapter 101

“High Priest.”bcc6232f74f43452

As the man hurried into 310645c86a the orphanage director’s office, Ismail 8d48fe70c7 tensed up.4016be60cbe2513d

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“Ah, Logan.”a022fa04c1a7bbb2

For forty minutes, Magnus had f7ab0530b2 simply sat staring blankly after 9ca0d7c102 sending the urgent letter.b6d6bd2014e85555

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Now, he suddenly cbe7c74907 lifted his head 7ea0c9ad45 to greet his ef90260c59 guest.80cc21962f67c942

“You’re finally here.”d94f4f9c87e86013

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“Why did you call me? You’ve never contacted me like this before—”bf2936e798525866

Logan spoke quickly, but his 43903e8943 voice halted when he noticed 747a81925f Ismail.91899b21c24cb08f

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His eyebrows twitched as 2492962b0f he asked,7fbba8faf81dc7e9

“And who’s this?”961f9d22d5eb7dd4

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“Just a child I was privately counseling. Introduce yourself, Ismail. This is my long-time friend, Logan—”b3153efe73d1da89

“This isn’t the time for polite introductions. You’re acting strange today, High Priest.”c60cbab7d300bba9

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Logan sharply cut him off.3b04d4b3ad656caa

“…!”dee3c2d4f60bb37b

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At those words, 22c663d12f Magnus’ eyes flickered 7ceba85366 with uncertainty.ac0e50f07ad53f7b

Ismail quickly reached under 47ecd34da8 the table and grasped 41763ce326 Magnus’ sleeve.527714c8d69bfe82

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The moment their eyes met—567b08c2ec5c9e5a

Fwoosh—!5753c24b3bdd227f

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The wavering uncertainty 63bd31100b in Magnus’ gaze 9157bf9ef1 disappeared, replaced by 927750cb97 an eerily artificial 494761f37e smile.de3ab75ad383b3f3

“It’s been a while, and yet you seem so rushed, my friend. Sit down first.”9186494bba93b8a4

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“High Priest.”37e58535a33f4343

“Have some tea and take a moment to relax.”4bc8afd7ab0a5cc1

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“That’s unnecessary. We don’t have time for—High Priest!”e9067f81afa5ef22

Logan tried to 6fc107f92f stop him, but 59a3cd1efa Magnus acted as ab7e6a1525 though he hadn’t 8840b21ee6 heard a word.2fd101d49ff97bb4

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He stood up and walked 562737a357 over to the tea set, bd2525eed1 beginning to brew the tea 4fcf18e3ba himself.a04df9b2d77327a2

Logan, clearly confused, scowled 255162f5cc as he watched him.18eb0447714b51c2

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But after a moment, he 8660dbab6d let out a deep sigh fa24c5ec2f and collapsed onto the sofa.0822d7307030c46c

Sitting across from dafd86395a him, Ismail secretly 276d38c081 exhaled in relief, 027dca0409 pressing a hand d1ec57d829 to his racing 9f1ff480a1 heart.6a1667db4c02a381

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‘That was close. The hypnosis almost broke.’83b53efaab3215ec

Commanding someone to 7f71246a40 stall another person eb8f7524c8 required far more 11952d06d0 precision than he 1326200eb6 had expected.010faaa914b6ff6f

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When controlling someone for an f8ecc04b52 extended period, he had to 8c0ffe9bce leave part of their consciousness fca1ebeceb intact to prevent their interactions 461d742b88 from feeling unnatural.00512ed02dc94c65

His blessing, the power 3c3d541246 to command, was a 5e8be3c477 form of suggestion-based hypnosis.df65633ca6fcc33e

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By channeling divine power 294e9cee3a into his words, the 916e161015 target would follow his 0ef0830622 instructions without question.66de13406332ed4f

Orders like “wet 2f0f3f849a your pants” or ee5fc3ee53 “steal something” were 4d80f56b67 relatively easy—e3ca0effa8d9ed41

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Because they were d6c35ec377 clear, direct commands.14bad2be0327592a

But keeping someone engaged 9c14b80086 in a conversation, adapting 0d6aa467ef commands in real-time while 06c717616a making sure they sounded 0479eee976 natural,13e9d2938f3ba0b1

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And on top 75cdff2660 of that—maintaining his f0601dc4de cover as a 22a28eb2c9 mute…64f48b2db2ca44b4

It was absolutely exhausting.aca12452e38eb5e8

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‘Why did I agree to this in the first place…?’5431c26b374bc9cd

As cold sweat dripped down 28ef5a2bdf his back, Ismail deeply regretted a586f529e9 ever telling Belze,5ec0f3c6857ac174

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“Got it.”ed5bd6fe465bf838

“You’ll have to control the headmaster again—make him send an urgent letter to Logan for a meeting. And after that…”ae6f4e0dc22ba66c

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“Can you stall him for as long as possible? So he can’t leave right away?”fa6954f1b5fb8826

Making the headmaster write the 0810ebb977 letter was one thing—but now, 1e828f59d9 he also had to control 3f7cd2161c him to keep a visitor 4454ec7b76 from leaving?4a96bd41e6d0a87e

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That was a level 487c7f838f of command he had c4b37fde9d never attempted before.04eeaa4ee7ab5b0a

To be honest, it was 741525a8bc nearly impossible.aa973c77effeef84

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And regardless of 4a86e53230 whether he could 3dd8e01d46 or couldn’t do 7f0df8f7ac it, controlling the 1c087d6070 orphanage director was 65255ab9bb a huge risk.904107ea6ab4442b

A few days ago, the b929dd2028 director had personally taken two 5918ad3cd7 children with abilities to the 1b14f8b1ab temple.463ea0ee305c20e8

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The official reason was that 111901d621 a patron had come forward 48793be83f to sponsor them—62ccf7ae3917ec25

But Ismail didn’t believe 753d60b7b7 that for a second.60fb55061cf27d3f

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If the children really e5da9b202f had received noble sponsorship, e5942ff7dd the orphanage would have 24826efc73 been informed.434845ed40582304

And if the sponsorship d056668037 fell through, they should 7fd470d42b have returned to the 414f677113 orphanage.5d60082fa17dd3df

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But instead, their whereabouts remained d61b84ad6e unknown.b32d01acc09d4272

Living every day 017df49a03 anxiously, pretending to 5b61862214 be mute, Ismail 2e7887edd0 knew that the 245784448a smartest choice was 9a86ee5bd7 to refuse Belze’s acee3b710a request.365c5d18d3a127ef

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And yet—38bb80b53e807bfe

“Teddy-teddy bear! BEATDOWN MODE—!”6acabe1927706301

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At that moment, the memory 51fc6f1f05 of Belze throwing herself into 20494bce9b danger without hesitation for his 97776fe1f7 sake flashed through his mind.7cc0478b1b745aa9

And he just couldn’t 88d90bf1b1 bring himself to say 4e9d8cf1cd no.15e9dfbf0f001afe

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“Logan just went to see the Duke. You heard Magnus, right? He called him his ‘friend’!”d140df7af8ad3707

“Logan seems like a bad guy! Help me out a little, 38fb08ef34 okay?”9140f40d504909d9

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Even a five-year-old was struggling to do something, trying desperately to make a difference. I couldn’t just keep hiding, waiting for Belze to figure out an escape plan.3b9b726a4965c9c8

Unlike Belze, Ismail’s divine power was released through his eyes. Fortunately, aside from the initial command, all he had to do was occasionally make eye contact and reinforce the suggestion with minimal divine power.255010fe6444de6f

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However, he wasn’t sure if he could truly meet Belze’s request to “stall Logan for as long as possible.”2c1f96ef40fb8c46

Only twenty minutes remained.0c9b5bc467c241a5

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The hypnosis lasted one hour.bd5632452c9188c6

Too much time 510964872d had been wasted 350477c4cb between sending the fe8cd0f8c3 urgent letter and 6346c8fd5a Logan’s arrival.f0b1dd0d36a3f96a

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As Ismail bit his lip 4a6478a45f anxiously, he heard a soft 41160d2c44 click.bae5b332d880b566

Magnus, having finished 3f8392b497 brewing the tea, a7cce6ec42 placed two steaming cc6817c1d2 cups on the 6ea7af1290 table.6d3a347a16a733f9

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“Please, drink.”518a8a58a659bac5

“Wouldn’t it be better to send the child away first?”f0e81399fd3c4d70

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Logan didn’t even glance at the tea, his impatience clear.426eb47d987bbaf9

“Oh, there’s no need to worry about that.”5b5bd8f7b4302541

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Returning to his seat, Magnus f53e51776d gestured toward Ismail with a df5a7f67ca calm expression.33d4eb49fc62b43c

“This child is mute. He won’t be able to repeat anything he hears.”9f21b088024cb051

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“…What the hell is wrong with you today?”69bc3b053f858a20

Logan, finally unable 834e172d59 to hold back, 7abc5df22a dropped his formal c90def3ae2 tone and shouted.9a7b21f328b1533b

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“That’s not the issue here!”35b846fb60f9c9cc

“…”3a592cd8ccf55b86

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“Sigh… So what was so urgent? I don’t have time for this—just say it.”375118ad326bbb57

“Well…”54a3eeef528cd2dd

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Despite Logan’s pressing demands, Magnus only smiled vaguely, avoiding the question.643e71c39d993d25

Of course.02f99af80f53ab7c

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Ismail was controlling him, and he hadn’t come up with an excuse yet.64a1c3f69d1aa307

If he were a few 79bc320589 years older, he might have 1e10926a14 been able to steer the d979e8ee52 conversation with small talk.1e4edd384d987365

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Unfortunately, Ismail was 273ee3e712 only eight years ed2a674065 old.e0a0ec9bc6ca69f8

“You…”833b4c3c2abdf730

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Logan’s expression grew darker as Magnus, who had summoned him, remained silent.599240e800c2aa1b

Staring suspiciously at Magnus, 216bf95854 Logan suddenly let out dbbe533d7d a low hum.0601fe84d93fd7e8

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“Is this about the material supply?”8b44d9926d1eeef8

“Material supply?”9621cf50456d7409

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“Yeah. The stuff you sent last time wasn’t very effective. Lord Ursis was furious.”ebadb2bd57ac213f

Deciding that Ismail wasn’t a d505bb567c concern, Logan spoke freely.0edafe8552cfe621

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“So, you’ve finally decided to use that brat, Belze?”fe11df46713edd6d

The familiar name made Ismail d76cf66e1b freeze.9a87776ee084e4fc

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“…And what if I have?”a3b08b11d6ab61a0

“Tch.”2c2a8ccd33922e08

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Magnus replied exactly 9b8e764f18 as Ismail wanted, 76abf19fbf but Logan just c28a128c90 scoffed.2aeacbde516b53b5

“It’s too late. I don’t know what she did, but that girl made the Duke’s second son walk again. Damn it, how does a kid on the brink of death suddenly become perfectly fine?”f4fd23574355db36

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“…”997b6751866980df

“And recently, she even sweet-talked the Duke into giving her a blank check. That damned brat.”6901ca926d689d25

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Logan cursed under his breath, b66ff514dc glaring at Magnus.f2785510645de7d1

“This is why I told you from the start to use that girl. If you and that idiot Dunkeski hadn’t opposed me, by now—!”d3c95022008b3796

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Then, suddenly—738cda91cdcd11d6

His eyes widened, and b461614304 he stopped speaking.ac5fec18fcab1007

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“What’s wrong?”ab81372e4ca8a855

Magnus asked, his voice neutral.bd91307eac09c97d

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It was because of Ismail’s b256f4e8c9 control.c0a3b054aa7add5a

“…Someone broke into my room.”c5247f0e7121e2ee

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Logan’s face twisted viciously.1012aa019068a157

“They triggered the sealing magic by touching the prayer scroll. Damn it, who dared to enter my room…?”15f0649df9eac6f6

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As he hastily stood 54be42f9e8 to leave, his gaze 2145d90137 suddenly snapped back to 1916d8c047 Magnus, his eyes narrowing 09a04f37b2 in suspicion.b636039c8231d168

“Magnus.”a7c7a4ef0e24757c

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“Yes?”288510392eed7b64

“You reek of something disgusting.”9aad9c2258375de8

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Taking slow, deliberate steps, Logan db419ba434 moved toward Magnus.75b8c660dce641bb

“I noticed it when I first walked in, but I assumed it was just because we were near the temple.”39701541d700af38

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“…”143df043dbf470bc

“But now…”33ac58b4fbdfa316

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Thud.546d27f556824f68

Logan finally reached Magnus—and 57c6c308a6 suddenly, his hand shot e39d2e8a20 out.4419f0fb4c8a32a3

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“Guh—!”e605cd8765f6b3f5

But instead of grabbing Magnus—1b2be172cf5fa1d4

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He grabbed Ismail by the 0afadcba3f collar.ce377d802b992dd2

The sudden force lifted Ismail 2d85f41129 off the ground, and a 7c74467344 small gasp of pain escaped 53f5bab804 his lips.9f7e600622319374

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Fwoosh—!4f3fafd4694825eb

At that moment, the d4f35fe2e9 eerie glow in his d9c45a6af9 eyes vanished.10d53c129456e71b

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As the divine energy b70a97284f dissipated, the subtle hypnosis 4e49589f59 controlling Magnus shattered.ae687e4d795fe07a

Magnus, who had seemed 518c8d49ff hazy and unfocused, suddenly ed55a99740 blinked as his eyes 846ad1fa09 regained sharpness.843645f81232c524

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“Logan?”439a914196492458

“…”b9f38479e7c5bb1a

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“What are you doing here…? Ismail?”dcf33aa99fa94223

His confusion was evident as 7a947456a6 he looked between Logan and f9c570be47 the young boy.4984eeb7b7e15f8a

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“This little rat… It’s him, isn’t it?”bd1f8217f8636c2b

Logan’s sharp gaze flickered between Ismail and Magnus.17f931633d16afe9

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Realizing he had been caught, Ismail’s face turned pale.e52e4847b89878ed

“No wonder you were acting weird today.”33d559718ff169e7

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Logan let out a dry fe11a70d56 chuckle.9d994655c3a2c935

“You were being controlled by this brat.”a5fd2c32b01dd8f1

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“What…?”9ad031f7a383e0f1

“Pathetic. Letting a kid manipulate you.”61f53c83faf6b621

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Logan tossed Ismail onto 233e0f143a the sofa like a 8ec43f119a rag doll.c42c6eddb694d9df

The impact sent another wave f4c04c1307 of pain through him.81782088d41895fd

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“…”78cbc630e6887378

This time, he barely managed 2c9ac80864 to suppress a cry, but—7a0f86eb3fd64aaa

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That moment was c821898eee enough for Magnus 393fc7ece1 to fully regain 04af4a32b1 his senses.3dfe1b0293616e47

“Ismail, what the… what is going on?!”893d4e0f85e6967a

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Logan, his voice dangerously aa006e1cdf low, muttered,83a19e0737bc5005

“Well, at least we were running low on material. And this one’s ability seems to be intact.”0de41398124bbd60

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A dark shadow a20cc8e277 fell over Ismail’s 3d3b020211 fear-stricken brown eyes.83c120f2cca2a16f

“Sorry, kid.”9b2c50070450e85f

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“You’re coming back to the temple with me.”49947d2c98c866cf