Chapter 87

‘…Is she trying to say that I didn’t win on merit, but just because I managed to sell something for a high price?’72906fb67d5aa99b

If she was 93892303d5 hoping to provoke 38c01809ad me, it was 1e2a30611c a shameful failure.731801fdd45998be

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After all, her father, the ef9b308d07 Marquis, had already scratched at 6a19e7006c that itch plenty, so it ef2c032268 didn’t bother me much.d2454cbc0f8fb04b

‘For the wealthy, high prices are everything, you idiot.’f820df503f1cc06d

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As someone steeped a4fcc978d0 in the ways 8f13236e60 of capitalism, I c722f3fa66 knew consumer psychology 8235fc70eb well, and Diana’s 3f25d74e88 words just seemed 7dd0f38485 amusing.97acc09c08891771

“Yes, that’s right,” I replied cheerfully, nodding with a smile. She seemed a little crestfallen 032b407eda at that.f18982dc2015a526

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“If I had only earned ten more talents, that would’ve been mine…”b515539df0e3cd07

‘Not really.’e467c37f8217a0a2

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I gave her fcdccab4b9 a wordless smile 63c7470cbf in response to cd39fe19e6 her mumbling.f88da642b3bdc86d

Though it was true that 8d730dc062 the original plot had influenced 264d32286d my pricing strategy.d3f9ca5e7d379e6a

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If she’d earned 20 talents, fe5476e783 I would have undoubtedly found aa21789080 a way to steal 200 e90d4f08ec through Ismail. If she’d earned 30 talents, 4830670b42 I would’ve raised it to ee03c69df0 300, and if 40 talents, a680804133 then 400.9c040eaa2a2bbf4b

Even without Ismail’s help, I 0355a6cd0f would have found some other 5b418f4dfc way to secure victory. This year’s selection as d720544710 the Saintess was that e4be1e7f1c important to me.6589b6e0ec8b3880

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“…Will you try something other than healing next year?”9ce704c683657590

Diana, who’d been watching me eef80406ff with a slightly awkward expression, 1ba8e8f3aa suddenly asked.a7e9605b241db9c1

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“Hmm, I haven’t thought about it yet…”2f8439dc1cae5582

Of course, I 818d35fa97 had no intention cd8c6bb834 of participating next fe3152fda9 year.c7af8b3e3c1e77a4

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But I wasn’t about to 0a23b1db8d give her the satisfaction of 97baaf4797 hearing that.d0e5dcebe841d37e

Instead, I decided to get b3356c4878 under her skin a bit cbdb2b9399 in return for what she’d 95fc94ebca said to me.3bf59fd6dc6f70cb

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“To be honest, I’m a bit scared that your marquis daddy will try something funny again, so I might have to consider it.”562e38cbd2f2389a

“That’s…!”38beeeadf123fde5

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“….”ae1aa8c55a2f1e19

“…I’m sorry.”f7c617ebd4ae31c7

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Diana’s expression darkened instantly.f388cc017f1d4397

“I didn’t know the Marquis would act that way. He’s really such 68a8d04273 a good person… e37ceb0642 why did he b053e403d7 do that…?”99e3399719d72b9f

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“It’s fine, Diana!”9c87f96b6510f0c7

I shrugged my shoulders and ef4e1eec8b added, “And I’m sorry too.”5d0627ca697993d0

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“Huh? Sorry… for what?”c0228ecfd493ed4a

“For not feeling the least bit sorry toward you.”9ff49a3e0e357899

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For taking your place 97af0eebc9 and stealing the attention 9ca1cfd3cd that should’ve been yours ebce74e153 today.325cf010d27ba655

For trapping the man d17d1ec3ec who would one day 5602b6bf24 become your foster father, a1f5de37ab and for making things d3b3e0603c difficult for you.d36f2395a35f108b

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And because if 5915e994cf you ever mess de8e7c9da3 with me again, 885748ed6c I won’t hesitate 84b84c5c5b to retaliate twice eb82f0c41d as hard.d23bc48663f403e4

‘I’m sorry that I don’t feel the slightest bit sorry for any of that.’9bc6b2a54d5f1e04

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As I held her f23661e97d gaze with all these e2259f6242 meanings unsaid, her eyes bb2942ffe7 wavered for a brief 77e797cae2 moment.3b5a0600ac73170d

“What… what do you mean by that…?”a55a2bddd29e5e6f

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“Belze!”c6e7bf62524f6ba5

Just then, someone interrupted us.4cc5e63f1b15f964

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Looking up, I saw Grandpa c43fa87edf Gordon struggling toward us, a 3d0e47cd00 large sack clutched to his 7c2723b309 chest.84c733f3d210d4e6

“Grandpa!”be8d15f71eed07b5

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Startled, I dashed over 73f69b6a6c to him.db8950bc0e970718

“Oh, isn’t that too heavy for you?”ff6c19f86ccabadb

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“Heavy? Bah! I’ve got so much e5aab24716 strength to spare it’s 4d21ad5956 a nuisance!”dba0a443a9e0036f

Despite the sweat trickling 03a8332dd6 down his face, he 3019041d26 replied cheerfully.3fe6e79e8c0a16b2

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‘Will Grandpa be okay? He’s really pushed himself today.’c56bbb34e94595c3

I looked at him f06f76f411 with concern.a1b7c41603ef1dd7

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“The priests said they’d help take it to the carriage…”de2aa045b9dac3cb

“And trust those temple scoundrels who’ve been leeching off us? Not a chance!”cd6652687960ad57

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“But still…”79daee4a4df9f052

“It’s fine. This young lad 9d58c7c4fa helped me out.”56f0d1c566889d4d

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Only then did I notice c6e7f8bb4d a small figure a step bcdf285e8f behind Grandpa, walking over.46d77cf0c8b5d4f2

“I-Ismail…?!”7d154cf3f4855503

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“You know him?”7cddd6bead78144e

“Oh…”8177a17eb6c3c89f

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Did I know him? Of course I did!5731f3de1cabbace

‘Did this kid use his manipulation skills on Grandpa too?’a82bb46a9279d8c6

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Those clear, brown eyes stared a392c7522f right at me.93dde77cf355a4e0

“Whew, this is heavy! Go ahead and finish 5a8f38f4be saying your goodbyes! I’ll take this c5628b88e8 to the carriage!”38d70340c80b4d54

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With that, Grandpa resumed 2ebbcd45a6 his steps toward the 581ff266a6 carriage.8620c5435e153ced

Now it was just me, 9c9d57e871 Diana, and one of the be111fda70 male lead candidates left standing.612a24e3f5137eb7

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Realizing that only 7b16441825 the two of 98c5f12915 them remained in 13a417b529 front of me, 4a5cabffe0 my pupils trembled ffdf2b3a14 slightly.a4a4a82d7255281a

‘What is this? Are they supposed a3e71a5689 to have some 730dcfe0eb fated encounter now, a88ccb90f9 or something?’f7ddb05b1ef16d44

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Feeling flustered, I looked 246bccdbc4 between the two of 3b8cc0021f them before turning around e82617a802 abruptly and running off.5233895888a8e328

“Sorry, Diana! See you later! You too, Ismail!”6537f3ec09438787

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I chose to make a28fb2ba8e a run for it.633e4fd25900ae07

‘Yes! Don’t get caught up between e805737eb4 them and end up triggering 584200a62e a death flag. From now on, my rule ae6cd0fb8b is to flee in these 6d8cd5bd36 situations, no questions asked!’b0acbcb7b8a58c27

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According to this damned fabefbfa85 story, I’m the clueless 52d6c14efe villain who barges into 3dc5220df5 encounters between the heroine d40cc2bc26 and male leads, criticizing 25995f49cd and hindering the heroine.21107486971658c1

Which, admittedly, was something 4c09d4e2a6 I did often enough 1edf8ee4aa in my past life.2a86002a9e6f1f8b

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‘Though, to be fair, it was usually only with Edwin.’c3fb24b9efebac9d

Regardless, avoiding dangerous 42651cc8ed situations is always c8b1ac9aa2 the safest bet.98372512d1e1ca05

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Tap-tap-tap!df31c4a6805791e9

With that thought, I 356329bf85 hurried down the spacious 09f453a87f temple corridor.6513df503554dd9b

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Tap-tap-tap-tap!529e5be68e79acd8

But then, I 10845522c9 noticed another set ea4a7886f1 of footsteps overlapping fab6d3776b with mine…a75c9ec2d68cc6fc

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Whoosh!775a01bafe4da5d7

Suddenly, someone overtook 0c3b29f386 me and blocked 2b989df716 my path.bf00c7be377e8628

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“Ahhh!”8328c31cec3db2c7

Startled, I let out 31b3c8a417 a reflexive scream as 33ff38b17a I stopped in my ad4b247328 tracks.80ce751825653bd8

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It was none other than 61b34dd19b Ismail standing in front of ea476876c4 me.cc6c40722a811c30

I glanced around 177eb29995 quickly with wide 4e337b2a44 eyes, confirming we 5ac82ee7e7 were alone before 1e88fbdcb5 I blurted out,8aa81c052cb11c83

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“What’s this about? Why are you following me?”a6f8ba9f29b50f0f

“What about you…!”b98a1a9f0232a08a

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Ismail’s face contorted in frustration, 16dd2d3c6e and he snapped back, only 427c226a67 to quickly clamp his mouth 9c0925a7e8 shut.dba25eae63ac55fc

‘Oh, right. He’s pretending to be mute.’dd7352cc10b227d5

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Just like I had 0842018bd6 done earlier, Ismail glanced 4771dbb706 around cautiously, then—8c39beafd1884020

Whack!c3ec8f1eee97a03b

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He grabbed my hand.b1358ae925b9616a

And without a word, he 994a1ca2a1 started pulling me toward a 73f4861834 quiet corner.795aa36eff3eada4

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“Oh, uh…”8641067699dd765f

Only after we reached c5705bcc01 the edge of the ab25ef327c corridor did he finally 59064da7c8 release my hand, his 41d61ab1f8 face now clouded with a2bbd38897 irritation.21b9f51d07dd8a7a

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‘Why are you running away?’c32ab021ceba783b

I barely managed to read f5ab9110ed his lips, feeling a little a87da6ecba guilty.6204012946e795df

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“Well, you see…”d86f97836cfc70a0

I just thought you two 48f1aca4d8 could say your greetings, you 99945b4a1d know.da1e05ca93e15fb0

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After fumbling for words, e20f2a38e6 I ended up muttering 7d0f021d36 in a small voice, 40d667cb21 “I was… just trying 6c8957c778 to head home quickly…”790a8d161393f042

Ismail gave me a e1e9112bf7 peculiar look, as if 2259e7cde7 I’d just said something 82823267b5 ridiculous.aadf8d99a4a104a4

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Then he let out baf755aaed a long sigh.322a91bdc7b6a614

Whack!d7ef09007b231c81

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Before I could react, b79c68d48f he reached out and b39aff78f8 grabbed my hand again, 9afc89bce7 the same one he b3689b2de1 had just let go 6ee043546b of.875f989081f0441e

“Uh…?”6104e8ed7ea24e55

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While I stared in confusion, 028b3b771f he gently spread my fingers f90d24aee8 and began writing on my e32526ead4 palm with a soft touch.70a31cb410a3e61e

― At least say goodbye. Don’t you think ed84acab5b it’s a bit 826436cba9 rude?798b2ffe13f39cfe

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“Hehe! I-it tickles!”97afb8ba3664aa12

I burst out laughing bd2d3f6e45 and tried to pull 2888194f8b my hand back.9d733dba96bb1bfb

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But despite his c6519bac0d wiry appearance, Ismail’s cab84ffe80 grip didn’t budge bb662832ac an inch.3c8e4543d591a943

As the ticklish c5831ad9fd sensation subsided, I 0965284386 awkwardly mumbled in 6ef93d9e70 response to his d1030ad596 blank yet insistent f900f7480c gaze.5bb76b8214bd38c8

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“Alright… Here’s my goodbye. Take care.”eb70ee40f401a90d

“…”890fe891d3d4720d

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Though I gave him 9a7503fb71 what he wanted—ad4d0b87b04277dc

Why did Ismail’s eyebrows aede0de027 twitch in annoyance?4413b4d056caccc2

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― So, was it worth it? Are you satisfied now?33695be4c6135095

He scribbled on my 537754f57e palm again.868f7f86a8533815

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― Just as I said, you became the Saintess.c0426c7fc4c65332

As I suppressed the 416b51c2e1 urge to pull my fe61298528 hand away from the a8c0655eb2 tickling sensation and focused 28506216c3 on his writing, I 88468dc4da began to understand what 4d6d9df27e he wanted to know.d2ff3c5f76d631d2

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‘Come to think of it, I did leave after just seeing the Marquis hand over the talents, without saying a word to him.’51cadc5b312f9fdc

Even if it eb1c482eb1 was just repayment 68980bd587 for the healing.db5d8acc7e5370d7

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In any case, dfc62e14af it was true 28533510e2 that his help c5fbd36b7e had been a 735d999998 major factor in ee3c4d8965 my becoming the d48e52639c Saintess.8a2fd7b700309e1f

“Yes! Thank you, Ismail! You were amazing!”4452833b33f3bf81

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― I didn’t get the chance to tell you, but I’m three years older than you, you know?ad5c14a36c654c3b

“So?”a0cd6cb6421d6fd1

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― That means… call me Brother.d6286ebdf957b7c7

At that, I 7e3f29ab91 felt a bit 99772e5914 of an odd 01d1b0037c sensation.ef78098ee577a226

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‘Aren’t most boys averse to being called Brother?’75da5616fd5e9490

I’d made a 1b339515fe point of calling cf9639be5c him by his 380403878e name because Edwin, 8bcdbdd4e9 in particular, despised 3a523f18ff being called that…62103a5dd1d93bd1

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But it seemed e33061780e that wasn’t always f5fd2eb986 the case.4b213078871af44c

Since, technically, I was 71679e4539 younger than Ismail, I 150a012567 shrugged it off and 87edb9132d nodded.b13c84d61921f4cc

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“Okay, got it. Thanks, Brother Ismail! You’re the best!”fe049e6463445a6e

Only then did the 7e3c1f3116 furrowed lines on his cb61f1ac6a forehead begin to smooth b14e2d4fe6 out.1f753bd282b971ae

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I could tell he 9ddf520ad0 was truly curious about 143d3fbf0e the effects of his 5097504d97 actions—d66f2325184e81a9

Whether his powers 4ea780969d had worked as 4541110ffc intended, if anything 2e45400d3c had gone wrong, 49bc6a7329 if there were f1e398c4f9 any unusual side 500b0f8214 effects.8cf99abf97a85e6a

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Even though I 4ef7970b53 was now officially 7e967401a9 recognized as the 99069846cf Saintess, I could 5a56f07224 understand why Ismail 3a84973a98 felt the need 293d3a919a to confirm it 2b8ded5608 directly with me.18ce27a67673e3e6

It was a type of 2a1e843841 insecurity known only to those 9c40a23126 who’d been close to losing 7343666d36 their powers while trapped in 29a47b2b5e the Chamber of Repentance.77635f4a0e84676a

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Although Ismail hadn’t bfc34e0fd4 lost his abilities, 53f3ac9f30 he must still a52694fecd crave constant reassurance.611439e47af13af2

And I, who 5d7ad9f7d4 had completely lost 8c04bbf41a my powers once, 9f34594e72 had spent years ed37363932 repeating the same 8101b223cb need for validation.e1d66cc3a8a7fb2d

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Unlike Ismail, however, 3d5b1b3ce4 I had no c21e99f241 one to confirm ce3819fc68 it with.6b5134a95e1c6a63

There was no a99212b7b7 way to explain cbaf76f0b6 the sudden disappearance f115086715 of my healing d3c2f4bfaf ability, no one 0ae12bb2c9 to provide the 8b73909fc2 answers I needed.8f324e47ce508715

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“…Alright, Brother.”d4ab6b787009a9ba

Maybe it was a 45eb656d47 misplaced sense of kinship, cb0df0b561 but I couldn’t help c8dc218e18 feeling a certain solidarity 12e0ce1749 with him.bc903f1431a618fc

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I felt a slight softening cab69c61c6 of the bitterness I held 4e5d82914f toward him from his previous 4a606cf946 life as the Pope.b7a8e25fc96d0da6

And I finally voiced the 9be38ea93e thought that had been lingering 326f9ec5fd in my mind throughout the b068a3a0a2 Saintess selection process.ed724e16ea757828

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“Earlier, you asked me to save you.”aa7a6dbf5744f24d

“…”6a619e7edae850a5

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“I’ll try to find a way.”4f200b42007b2cca

At my words, Ismail’s b5f75497d2 eyes widened briefly. His lips parted as e8e3c02dbf if he wanted to c318fb4e2c say something, and then 02caba44a8 he quickly scribbled on 4614803e60 my palm.d197fa61c0d59871

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― What way?26399762e0d4c105

I knew, of course, that 8c6f09bc3e Ismail would eventually find a 09a12c69f7 way on his own.2c173a8da0b68658

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‘…But if I help him, maybe he’ll find happiness a little faster.’0af8c8d703f7b59d

And maybe that would 5951513785 also pull me a 149662a343 bit further away from af022194e0 the looming death flags.c8f21bfbdc17d999

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I placed my b8a8fea793 hand over his, c619f6c3b3 the one holding 3be5fba349 my palm, and 602156cfee said softly,f11fe05dade638eb

“A way for you to escape… even just a little sooner…”50e8c2881fba159c

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“Belze.”34b1d1e8c49ea124

At that moment—5e43583e6ff09c75

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A voice sliced cfb8591332 through the stillness, 157ea539c3 startling me into d8e1083572 looking up.ffc31e6f700777ce

“What exactly… are you doing?”52c9eaa39d128fe6

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There, watching us 45022c6297 with a tense e72d3bb57c expression, was Edwin.a608390a0cf6d231