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𝐆𝐫𝐮𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞
“”””What?!””””
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The beastkin’s words caused an uproar at the feast.
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“It’s him! He’s the one who did it!”
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The beastkin threw the man he was with to the floor.
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“Oh, you’re. . . Hikushin, aren’t you!”
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Kick’s eyes widened in surprise.
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“Is he an acquaintance of yours, Kick?”
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“Yes, he’s a man from the neighboring village of Poorman. We used to hang out quite a bit in the past. . . But more importantly, what do you mean by ‘Crete is ruined’!”
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“This bastard threw ash into the barrel!”
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The beastkin who brought Hikushin glared at him with hatred.
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“What?! Hey Hikushin, is that true?!”
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“. . .So what if it is.”
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Hikushin spat defiantly.
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“You. . .”
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“I’ve always disliked you beastkin! Because of you, we’re looked down upon by the townspeople. It’s only natural for you to be treated like this!”
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“Don’t be ridiculous! We’re both poor! How can you blame us for that?! How spoiled can you humans be!”
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Kick, grabbing Hikushin by the collar, raised his fist.
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Luke stepped in to stop them.
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“Wait.”
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“Luke-san, please don’t stop me! Because of guys like him, we beastkin always have to live looking down!”
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“No, that’s not it.”
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Luke said, looking intently at Hikushin.
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“What do you want with me?”
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Hikushin fidgeted uneasily under Luke’s penetrating gaze.
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Luke quietly looked down and then stretched out his left hand.
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“It seems direct inspection would be quicker. Trace Manifestation. The target is Runker, the period is today, enable visual confirmation.”
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Along with Luke’s magic, the shoulder of Hikushin’s vest lit up, revealing a handprint.
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“Hikushin-san, you met Runker from the 《Blue Sky Hawk》 today, right? Did he ask you to do something?”
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“How do you know that?!”
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Hikushin’s eyes widened in shock.
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Luke sighed.
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“I thought so.”
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“Luke-san, what do you mean?!”
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“The handprint on Hikushin’s shoulder was left by Runker today. It suggests he might have been asked to do something, like harassing the village of Crete, for example.”
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“What?! Hey Hikushin! Is that true?!”
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“I, I don’t know.”
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Hikushin’s voice was clearly faltering as he looked away.
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Kick gritted his teeth in anger.
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“That bastard. . . But how did Luke-san figure that out?”
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“You can tell if someone is lying by their tone of voice, eye movements, breath, and body temperature. His bold declaration earlier clearly seemed to be hiding something. That made me think maybe someone asked him to do it.”
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“Is that so. . .”
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Kick lets out a heavy sigh.
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In his eyes, as he looks at Hikushin, there is no longer anger, but rather a sense of pity.
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“What the heck! Don’t look at me like that! I’m desperate too, you know! It’s impossible to live opposing them! Isn’t it the same for all the villages around here?! If we don’t flatter and appease the city folks, we can’t even live a decent life!”
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No one blamed Hikushin for his outcry.
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Because everyone understood that it was the truth.
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“What should we do? We could take him to the city and hand him over to the guards.”
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“No, it’s okay. . .”
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Kick shakes his head.
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“He’s just like what we used to be. If I hadn’t met Luke-san, I would have done the same thing. And then hated by someone, hating someone else, I’m sick of all that.”
The surrounding beastkin nod in agreement with Kick’s words.
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Namil steps forward.
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“Luke-san, can you please overlook what he did? Sure, he did something terrible, but he didn’t take a life. Besides, we can’t blame him given his circumstances.”
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“Alright. I respect everyone’s opinion.”
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Namil returns a smile to Luke.
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“Besides, it would be a pity to spoil the feast over this.”
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“That’s right! Today is the welcome party for Luke-san and his group, we can’t let this bring us down!”
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“Exactly! It’s just ash that got in! We can just remove it and drink it again!”
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Saying this, Sicily runs outside and quickly comes back with a barrel.
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“Here, see. . . Oh, sorry, I think I drank too much. I accidentally brought a barrel of water.”
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“Water? There shouldn’t be a water barrel outside. . .”
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Namil looks curiously into the barrel.
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Inside was a clear liquid.
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“Water. . . I guess.”
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“No, this still has ash in it. Look.”
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Luke points to the ash settled at the bottom of the barrel.
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“Maybe you mistook it for water?”
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Alma pokes the surface of the water curiously.
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“That can’t be! I saw him putting ash in the barrel with my own eyes!”
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The beastkin who caught Hikushin shouts in disbelief.
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“. . .Alma, excuse me for a moment.”
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Luke takes Alma’s fingertip into his mouth.
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“Lu, Luke, what are you?!”
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“. . .I thought so.”
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Luke nods as he takes Alma’s fingertip out of his mouth.
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“This is definitely Crete liquor.”