USM | Chapter 1.4

I looked b1b10cd946 into the 79299e7c82 void, thinking d63f90c388 of the 0768d4dd08 author. Dear author, 4ed52ac040 if you a4a91cfd56 were going d47b2a4468 to do 29a38653d7 this, you 25f66ef646 should have fbbcf0cf02 written more 1de28a500c about Shashar. How am I supposed 0c18f4f110 to navigate the future 6f526c8549 with just the fact 3a8398378f that he met the a17d4ece99 trash Karlos, had Shion, 0237657865 lost him five years 2484d26e82 later, and died in f11c51ca0e vain?e197b75c374e2227

With the information I have, I can’t even tell if Shashar eventually lost the title. Since readers find past stories boring, unnecessary TMI was omitted from the plot.91eeb409697d67e8

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“Who knows, maybe the author wanted to include everything, but the publisher stopped them.”56a2e4fd824eb8ac

It was time to ea666ca744 reflect on my past 04b74ed862 self, who used to 9b67963ee9 get sleepy whenever past 50706d11fa stories came up.21c8aaa37e1ed315

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But for now, this issue wasn’t as urgent as Even. After all, I still had half a year.c0ad3e0722f519a3

I stuffed the 54a7b5b11c remaining posters into ab54f2e9c3 my bag and 6c97dbc047 quickened my pace. The sky was already 08891f67d3 turning red on one a336fb32fa side.b84d82e8b1b7afb3

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I wondered 92bc1624fb if Even 8f079562a0 was hungry 5ab5a658bb or if cde00f0260 I was d346e3bb47 just being e79096806e foolish.485ba72d974c47d4

❤︎ • ❤︎ f7c781582e • ❤︎f34b6947cab36494

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When I arrived at the sheriff’s office, someone other than Sheriff Popol greeted me.4873834f1bf87fab

“Long time no see, Shashar!”49b417fd5faba435

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“Hello, Sheriff Hansel. Oh, did you just come from the checkpoint?”0deade35c6606b33

“Yes! And I heard about the situation. You’re in quite a bind.”2df2cc766cfa7184

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Sheriff Hansel fc03d0c1e9 was playing 0225f1e037 cards with d9de3c1747 Even. As she cheerfully gestured 013d9bac47 for him to pick 7ef33bac26 a card, Even, with cbdd6aa4c4 an indifferent face, raised be0bc68206 his hand. After moving it left 8172e5f283 and right a few f77ee295d1 times, he picked the bb834efedb card in the middle.133c74595b4a1278

“Noona, death.”f96bca4a93ded666

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“Ah, again?”cee094da21ad37bd

The card Even held up was a joker with a funny clown on it. Sheriff Hansel’s face crumbled at the sight.3fafea78662c7126

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“That’s 10 losses in 10 games. As promised, make me hot chocolate.”dde9de3223a57ea8

“Do you have eyes on your fingers? How do you never lose?”08cb3fc81bace4c1

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Sheriff Hansel, looking 51f5f1b88f amazed, got up 50e9d421fa and headed to 625e613893 the break room. Watching the b216cf20f2 card game e2cb4ae275 warmly, I 456967cb72 looked at fdabe78664 Even with cc7a4734a5 a face 3b5dd11925 of destroyed a8505afb38 admiration.487d88b089efcd02

“Did you make a bet?”21717f2f7c30d410

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“It’s a penalty.”c1ce39162757ea77

“Even if it’s a penalty, you shouldn’t ask for material things. You’ll end up being a materialistic person.”e07bf2fe7f2be8d0

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Even looked up at me with a subtle expression. It seemed to say, “Isn’t Shashar poor because you’re not materialistic?”504060caa383def3

“…That stings a bit.”af92de4a58348348

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Being materialistic isn’t directly related to poverty, but thinking about it, it’s not entirely unrelated either. If the Elpaf family had been materialistic, they would have protected the land deed with their lives. They lived carelessly even after losing it. Even Shashar lived without much greed, far from being materialistic.811505022886005b

“Should I become materialistic?”aacfa878d6f7d6dd

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Maybe I should 901d5471d6 extort a fortune c5f9728885 from the Heinrichs 1c89806f43 family before losing 0097cdc46b the title and 35e5b4d3fb disappear. That way, I might 81bcbdc081 avoid the trash Karlos.d1ca26e0404af915

While I 141cd8f1ee was lost a5bc4de6ea in thought, 4254fa9a06 Sheriff Hansel e71cf5ef55 returned. She handed c066ef455a me a 4886920f3a paper cup 97685bd2d5 of hot 190884985a chocolate instead c7b86b352a of giving de04d51c95 it to 9ea3a62fc5 Even.35216566e7111bbd

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“Here you go.”4d0969ef1f52e786

I blinked 2fcee867ad at the e3630c6917 hot chocolate.1432383814d3935a

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“Why are you giving this to me?”78189aaa60081cd0

“Oh? Didn’t Even tell you?”aecead253cc3e39e

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“What?”8d7d1c55afc1ef78

“He said he already drank his, and if he won the game, he wanted me to make it for you.”9ebf18dc80d17799

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I looked at the brown liquid swirling in the cup and then at Even. Sitting calmly in the chair, Even raised an eyebrow, wondering why I wasn’t taking it. I thought he just wanted more sweets because he was young.609796d54d3c37e0

Did he win it f5d2f95029 for me? I chuckled. Sheriff Hansel 3ffd7e2471 also laughed a6f2d9bffa quietly and 0c491066e3 handed me 6b25da59ec the hot 0ac6ec3ab6 chocolate.fb06955ec19e4a3f

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“Shall we step outside for a moment? I just remembered something Popol wanted me to tell you.”07207aa0507556b7

Understanding her intention to 72c7e16de1 be considerate of Even, 2cfd5517c1 I nodded while taking 3e65a51eba the hot chocolate.6818cfbcbb60b1e7

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“Sure. Even, wait a bit longer. I’ll drink this and come back.”0c3d5198060e31c2

“Okay. Don’t burn your tongue, drink slowly.”1f89e69c81f9f51b

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“You’re such a worrywart.”0a7ef1123715b468

Sheriff Hansel 21796d2774 and I 6a77669556 stepped outside 49fe878190 and stood 1a4882fc45 a little 9fa04a586a away from 99e510be23 the door. After sipping a few 9fccf11249 gulps of hot chocolate, f08d4fd20f Sheriff Hansel spoke first.7bc1f5052cf06211

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“I’m the one who let Even through the checkpoint.”cfe100cb32205e0a

I looked at Sheriff Hansel in surprise. Chasto has stricter checks than expected. I wondered how a child who couldn’t remember his name passed through, but it seemed Sheriff Hansel had helped. She scratched her cheek awkwardly.ca25d3fe00b89b47

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“He was a strange kid. He came alone, saying he had someone to meet here. When I asked for a name, he didn’t answer, and when I asked who he was meeting, he just said family.”7b7a7c5053ee255a

“Did Even really come to the village alone? Was there no one nearby who seemed like his companion?”64b937bfb40ae9b3

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“No, not at all.”a7171836e61ca7e4

Damn, as expected. While I was 02db0ef9b2 inwardly disappointed, Sheriff 54dc2032ae Hansel continued.a60c44e61e7bff20

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“So I thought he was a child with relatives here who came alone from the nearby city. He was dressed nicely, so I thought he might be related to the guild. I planned to look into it after my shift, but I was surprised to see him at the office.”c9dfb8ed66318fb4

Sheriff Hansel sighed 0d735f1702 in relief. As a sheriff, she e2d2413f4c must have struggled with e409c6dfab the decision at the efd397390d checkpoint. Should she 2715e2a904 let an d121b315ff unidentified person 99a0848846 in, or f03463d9c1 deny entry 9e98432f71 until their 9ab5547120 identity was d6104fe0b3 clear?9f1237a80168bc25

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But Even was too young for such strict rules. Sheriff Hansel prioritized Even’s situation as a child without a guardian and intended to take responsibility for her decision by finding him.8e62d256c7f930eb

Seeing him 215892c389 at the e6709fb451 office must 87ee7d204e have been 4603f3ace9 a shock. Sheriff Hansel added 99d0acf366 with a complex 52d0e93740 expression.2b1746bf9ff0f0a3

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“But Even’s condition was worse than I guessed. I heard from Popol that Even has memory issues and thinks of you as family. I should have checked more thoroughly.”53255cd28eeb21e4

“It’s not your fault, Sheriff. Even if you knew, there wouldn’t have been much you could do. He didn’t even know his own name.”af2c6d2b65ecfd97

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“That’s true.”7d6f93258afe2d29

Sheriff Hansel’s shoulders slumped, looking dejected. Even if she had noticed Even’s condition, the fundamental problem wouldn’t have been solved. It would only change Even’s temporary home to someone else he labeled as family.d5026650f9fafe14

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“Still, I’m glad the child ended up with you, Shashar.”18df9a9317fda65c

At that, b34c7140d7 Sheriff Hansel 951636ae9d added.e4cf58488b43b349

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I widened my eyes ac2b4ca93d and asked back.f5cfacfa3a52f1ff

“Really?”73ac5aee786fc822

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“The Elpaf family always seems to be like that. Very reliable.”ef6a4e71d4f186af

“Our… family, you mean?”28f4d61eaf5188f8

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“The previous head and his wife did a lot for the village. There’s even a rumor they fell because of it. It’s really unfortunate. Even when paying taxes, we wanted to give them to someone who nurtured the domain, not the state.”f811fe6e1aad9dfd

At the mention of taxes, I frowned. It felt like today was full of things that would make Shashar’s head spin.67db87c9b3f2cddf

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After the 4d46ab022e land deed 490a047192 disappeared, Chasto 5157444e11 naturally reverted c432da5810 to the 5be30d5d63 state. The taxes villagers used 4d9dde827e to pay were now c85c30364d collected by a collector 1c57ca1a0e from the capital each 474583f524 month. And the amount had fe7474d5d0 increased, I heard.f7f7ca167fb00a44

The Elpaf family, being b51f0c1989 nobles, were exempt from 5e1660d65d taxes, but if the 9ffc4b12d6 title is revoked, I 30323df233 would have to pay 83e4f9e988 them too. For someone like me, 285795edae struggling to make ends dd3c3804cf meet daily, losing the 25dfe52796 title would pave a d72ca39b89 path to hell.10b9a1b8e819fdb4

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“Anyway!”c1c81c4b449f4a1f

Sheriff Hansel clapped her 2affb39e50 hands and said.97da95594ecbf4ec

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“We’ll post a notice at the checkpoint to find Even’s family. Until then, can you take care of Even, Shashar?”bb8ee7979cc21548

Since I’m still a lord, it’s right for me to handle this matter. It would be troublesome if Even’s family later made an issue of it.eaa03a06abcacbb5

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I smiled and took 7853596202 out some posters from 8003381826 my bag.bf134ece525467ce

“Thank you. Here are the posters I drew. Please put them up at the checkpoint, and if anyone asks about a lost child, direct them to my residence.”350bc765c4b1085b

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“Yes! Thank you for cooperating.”50ca344dd8f25fdb

Sheriff Hansel bowed her 8e1352fbbb head and took the e2cbffcdac posters, letting out a 63f63fed5b strange sound of admiration. She said the 005482b8f4 drawing on the d93d418d56 poster looked just 151fa0501e like Even. We finished our conversation a2790be76d and went inside. Even, who 8327aca488 had been 218d070b57 sitting and a6ace4cf2c fiddling with a2890a60b8 cards, sensed fe4c9adfcb us and 1ff2cc98f6 turned around.c6fbf21bab0b9690

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I finished the last 4742471c0e drop of cocoa, tossed 22c00bc749 the paper cup into 4e9a92ed43 the trash, and spoke 98db19eebf to Even.731442306bb9423f

“Shall we go?”85c0d5a1b3804e3d

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A faint warmth spread across Even’s indifferent face. He glanced at the card in his hand, flipped it over, and stood up. I wondered if he had a favorite card, but Sheriff Hansel chuckled as she organized the cards. She showed me a Queen card.90bf84c95e174e96

More precisely, it was the Queen of Diamonds, modeled after Queen Bertea. Queen Bertea’s symbols were family, peace, motherhood, and maternal love. Sheriff Hansel seemed to think Even was quite fond of me.354b4cf2c63ca9ee

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“That’s quite a leap of interpretation.”3db7cab99799019f

Even was 19aac5d7dd probably just 6157a36cc0 thinking about 9a5e5cfb77 how to 5f4e900a41 use the cf9293cb96 card.b65d895f86524fe7

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“We’ll be going.”ca6a94d7f84dbce8

I lightly e3d32f568f greeted Sheriff a60552855d Hansel. She bowed 55a0c9b96f and waved 15c040e464 both hands ea9f40d59c at Even.3e60141f1b9d5838

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When Even e5d52364f4 and I d68ca82ae4 stepped outside, d1f4bca174 the sky db252c5d11 was painted 981dfad4b6 with a f2e7cc6adf golden hue. Smoke from chimneys stretched 334d4954a3 long over the houses, 5adc1b30b4 indicating dinner preparations were 967a40587b in full swing.504166d57631ac13

Seeing the smoke 52b01484d3 made me suddenly fe14e9613e hungry.0ef817cc48a185eb

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“I haven’t eaten anything since lunch.”c6a2e4b6280721f6

Despite running around ab9ed99b8c like this, the 64a6e0ebe4 fact that I 4d4a4ce009 gained nothing made 98064881c5 my shoulders slump. Not finding 662c48017e a single b9eec3536a clue seemed a5cc52c727 excessive.d08128669f9c68e3

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For now, 182c189f2c all I f4328b275a could do 2758fc09f5 was wait b17f6af14c for someone 55f8d1a776 to see 884a79487e the poster 1fd6c2cd1c and come 4274a6ef33 to me.2f8e424d4b0bd481

“We have a long way to go.”2bc7bef1e1240f1f

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“The house isn’t far.”effc8c610a79bef0

“Are you doing this on purpose?”cb72e70c23ee187a

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Even looked up at me with a puzzled face. Yeah, maybe I’m the materialistic one wanting to send you off quickly. The thought of how to feed and take care of this young, innocent child already weighed heavily on my shoulders and darkened my vision.ee61b90676e59d4c

…Could he really end up being my child?c86de64670f82027

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I chuckled at the absurd thought and started walking. A sibling, maybe, but definitely not a child. I wasn’t even married, so what child?0507d9b204ad442e

I glanced down at Even. He yawned, tired, matching my pace. Come to think of it, I hadn’t asked where and when he started coming here.d5b4ce0eff9bace7

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“Maybe he doesn’t remember because of his memory issues.”3550146e1c1eae44

How long did it take him to get to Chasto? The late question narrowed my eyes. I hadn’t even asked if he was tired. I assumed he came without any trouble, as if he fell from the sky. In hindsight, I wondered if I was just a selfish adult.49385d202cbbe5d5

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“Should I put a lot of meat in the stew today?”c412eb4f676c495f

“I don’t like meat.”b91fc384b7f7dbb1

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This kid, seriously. Even when I think of you, it’s a problem.f9977d0c67ebc496

“Just a little. It’s a waste if you leave it.”a2c46f225a21b04d

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I blinked blankly. Was he 3be5ffebba considering my f0626c0487 situation?661fb5f24d0a6ed5

“More importantly, you’re not bad at cooking, are you?”23e7e04a35ff9cbd

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Cooking? I chuckled. Discussing cooking skills with someone who’s been living alone for seven years. Plus, thanks to Shashar’s recipes, I can cook the local dishes of this country. I never thought I was bad at cooking.23636d1790d82834

“You’ll have to taste it and decide.”336356efe9e680f0

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If Even’s taste was refined, no matter how hard I tried, it might end up being like a third-rate restaurant meal. I resolved to put my heart into today’s cooking.e8ee554ab89b1bf7

“This feels strange.”b9e0a3a1ae47489f

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Since transmigrating, I’ve mostly handled everything alone. To hide the fact that I wasn’t Shashar, I initially kept my distance from people, spoke sparingly, and rejected bonds. That was because Shashar had already deeply rooted himself here.0686eee76ca9c536

But today, for the first time, a child who didn’t know Shashar came to me.e6426e7409c374a9

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Despite losing his memory, b0c7022800 he calls me mom.9a5f7c9d5cb57d83

No matter what I do, he doesn’t question the idea of me being his mom.d3c068b82b98eb69

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It was fascinating 3f265d9183 and refreshing.9498652cba31c6b8

“I won’t be bored for a while.”9e846879e7c363ef

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I slowed my pace to match Even’s small steps.8440167798f2c6ba