Rose and Sera appear in a lively foyer, with maids and children walking through it towards the throne room. Among those present was Helen, who was talking to a few of the maids as they passed her. Once she sees them drop in, she rushes over to them.
"Take her to my bedroom and I'll meet you there momentarily."
Rose does as she's told and waits in Helen's bedroom until she arrives.
"Who was that?" Sera asks.
"Her name's Helen. She is the head of the palace as far as the building and its people go. She's also a doctor with a healing ability. She probably went to get some stuff to clean you up with."
After a few more moments, Helen returns with a bucket of water, towels and a fresh outfit for Sera.
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"We can talk while I treat you, but for now I need you to get undressed. Rose, can you give us a minute?"
"No problem, I need to go report to Hiro anyway." Rose says as she exits the room. After leaving, she finds Hiro in his study, scribbling away frantically.
"Mr. Hiro? I'm here to report back to you about my task from earlier." She says to him through the slightly opened door, with no response. She steps into the room and calls out to him again. "Mr. Hiro, are you alright?" This time Hiro looks up quickly, as if he didn't notice she'd entered the room.
"Apologies, Rose. I didn't see you there."
"Are you okay? You seem a bit stressed out."
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"Yes, it's just this upcoming meeting with the other kings is starting to get to me. Think nothing of it."
"If you say so. I just came to let you know that I delivered the letters and gave them the message, as you requested. However, on the way back I saw a girl being assaulted by some men. I rescued her, Rex captured the men, and I brought her here, as she asked."
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Hiro has a look of intrigue on his face as he asks this. "She asked you to bring her here? For what reason?"
"I have no idea. She said that she needed to talk to you, and wouldn't let me know anymore until she did."
"Did she seem suspicious in any way? I'll go talk with her, but I need to know everything you know about her first."
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Rose takes a brief pause while she gathers her thoughts. Then, she says, "The only thing I thought was weird was the urgency she placed on talking to you. That, and that she had a matching tortoise shoulder tattoo like the men who were attacking her."
Hiro takes a deep sigh.
"Sounds like she's part of a pirate crew. What's more is that Rahu hasn't had a relevant crew in decades. She likely isn't a citizen, so the more pressing questions are, where is she from, and how did she get here?"
Rose doesn't like this situation just as much as Hiro, but she, like Hiro, doesn't quite know how to handle it.
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"Where is she right now?" Hiro asks as he stands up, fixing his coat.
"She's in Ms. Helen’s room getting healed. She was beaten pretty badly."
"Go check on her. Once she's ready, escort her to the throne room. I'll talk to her there. However, before you do that, tell Elajuel and Velajul to meet me in the throne room immediately." Hiro says as he walks out of the room with an air of seriousness following him.
"Yes sir!" Rose says as she follows him out the door to begin her duties.
.
.
.
"Yes My Lord?" Elajuel and Velajul say in unison as they teleport into the throne room.
"We have a shady individual in the palace. I need you two to listen in on our conversation, as well as prevent anyone else from doing the same."
"Yes My Lord. Would you allow me to stay in the throne room as I carry out this task? Of course, I'll make sure to be unseen and silent if you so choose."
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Hiro pauses for a moment as he thinks about his proposal. "Yes, that's fine as long as it's only one of you. What will Elajuel be doing?"
"He'll be watching over the palace from the outside, teleporting periodically to cover any angles where an accomplice might be lurking."
"Sounds good. Get into position immediately. Also, make sure to set up your sound proof barrier after our guest is here."
"Yes My Lord. We will bid you ‘farewell’."
Elajuel teleports away, while Velajul hides behind the throne itself. And with that, Hiro had made his preparations. All that was left to do was sit and wait for her to come. After a few minutes, a knock on the throne room door.
"Lord Azor, we've arrived. Alongside myself, I've brought Ms. Helen and our guest, Sera." Rose says through the closed door.
"You may enter." Hiro says.
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As they walk in, Rose feels herself growing more and more nervous. It's a known rule that, despite the palace's relaxed nature, the palace workers and Royal Family are supposed to treat Hiro formally while in the throne room and in the presence of guests. Rose had never actually seen Hiro in such a regal way until now. Aside from herself, she could see Sera starting to tremble as well while they walked up the red carpet stretching to the throne. Once they reach a reasonable distance away from Hiro, they stop and kneel in front him.
"Raise your heads." Hiro says.
"Yes, My Lord." The three women say in unison.
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"Who are you, and why have you requested an audience with me?" Hiro says while staring directly at Sera. The tension in the air went from noticeable to palpable in an instant.
"You have my gratitude for seeing me on such short notice. My name is Seraph I. Nite, or Sera for short, and I am, or rather was, a member of the Leatherback Pirates. I requested this meeting to ask you to take me in."
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"Take you in? Elaborate."
"I have heard many tales of you as I journeyed across the seas and between nations. The most relevant one is of your personal group of assassins. They submitted themselves to you, turning their lives around and freeing themselves from their situations. I… wanted to see if your kindness would be extended to me as well." Sera says, averting her eyes from Hiro’s gaze.
"Why are you seeking this from me? Why not simply return to your crew?" Hiro says in response.
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"Well Your Majesty… I initially joined them because they were like family to me. Before I was a member, they took me in after my family was killed in a mass execution. The Leatherback Pirates were fleeing from the same fate and took me along with them. They saved me, but more importantly they became my new family. They were more or less good pirates at first, but over the years, they became less righteous and started to become something that… I simply couldn't call my family. Pillaging towns indiscriminately, exploiting women and children, harming innocents, and so on. As their corruption grew worse, I just couldn't stay there any longer, and began searching for a way out until I heard about you. They even turned on me when I tried to escape, leading to my rescue and my eventual audience with Your Majesty."
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"I am sorry to hear that. As far as that rumor is concerned, yes, I did indeed take in assassins, and I wouldn't be opposed to doing something similar for you. This may sound harsh, but what do you have to offer in exchange?" Hiro says while leaning forward.
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"I don't have much, but I'll serve you and you alone with absolute fealty, and on top of that, I'll do anything you ask."
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"Really? Anything? There are a lot of things that constitute 'anything'."
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"You could make me your attendant or your personal sex slave. Whatever you see fit for me if it means I can leave my old life behind." Sera says with a steeled look in her eyes.
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"Fine. This is what's going to happen. You will work directly under me, as do the assassins you mentioned previously. You will follow my orders to the letter, and disobedience will be punished harshly. Am I understood? Hiro says.
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Sera's face lights up as he finishes speaking. "Y-yes Your Majesty." She says trying to hold back a smile to no avail.
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“Before I go, I must say: You have a beautiful smile. It suits you better than that nervous expression you had earlier.” Hiro says as he stands up, preparing to walk out of the throne room.
Now that Hiro mentioned her appearance, Rose could see Sera's beauty for the first time. She was a short curvy woman, with well defined 'assets' that showed through her maid outfit. That, along with her jovial, innocent smile could make most men feel a certain way about her.
"Rose, would you show her to a guest room? Helen, make sure she has what she needs as far as clothes, bedding, and the like. If there is nothing else to be discussed, I will leave you all to your duties.
“Yes My Lord.”
.
.
.
“So, what did you think?” Hiro asks Velajul as they sit in his study.
“Nothing she said sounded suspicious at all. Her information is consistent with what I know of the Leatherback Pirates, so strictly from this meeting, she seems clean.”
“Agreed. Did Elajuel find anything while he was outside?”
“Nope. Nothing of interest there either. I can’t tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing.”
“Let us hope that it's the former. You are dismissed.”
"I heard that last comment of yours. A pretty face doesn't negate the fact that she is under investigation. Please be careful."
"Thank you for your concern, but it'll take more than a 'pretty face' to take me down."
.
.
.
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After their audience with Hiro, Helen leaves first to get Sera's room together, while Rose shows her around the palace in the meantime. They spend most of the day introducing Sera to the rest of the palace staff until night. In Rose's eyes, Sera seems like the quiet type, only speaking when spoken to.
After passing through most of the palace, Rose asks, "So how are you feeling about all this?"
"It may not seem like it, but I couldn't have hoped for a better outcome. I halfway expected to get executed based on how serious His Majesty seemed. Is he always like that?"
"Even if you'd have said something suspicious, I doubt that he would've killed you on the spot. He's a lot nicer than he seems, at least compared to how he was in the throne room."
"That's good to hear. That means all of the rumors about him being a kind king were true. If you don’t mind, could I ask you a question?" Sera asks with a noticeable blush on her face.
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“Sure, ask away.”
“Does Hiro have… a partner?” She asks with a nervous smile.
“That’s not exactly what I was expecting you’d ask but fine. If you mean lover, then I don’t think he does. Don’t tell me he’s managed to make you fall for him after one conversation.”
“Well… yeah he has. His voice, his face, the way he carries himself, but more specifically the look in his eye when he talked about my smile. Just that was enough to make me melt.” She says, fawning over the thought of him.
"You certainly seem… Taken away by him."
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"I normally never get like this over a guy, but Hiro seems a bit different from the guys where I'm from."
"If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"
"I'd rather not say, as it brings back some bad memories. It wouldn't be a stretch to say I hate where I was born." Sera says with a saddened expression.
"Oh… I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry. Forget I asked." Rose says apologetically.
"Hey, is it alright if you take me to my room now? I think I wanna turn in for the night."
"That's fine. Again, I'm sorry for asking such an insensitive question."
The pair walk in silence as they make their way to Sera's room. After they arrive, Rose pats her on the back and says, "Make yourself at home and let me know if you need anything. I'm a few doors down the hall.", and walks off to her own room.
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Once she returns to her room, Rose feels the need to sort through her thoughts yet again. Specifically, how did she feel about Sera? Her initial suspicions had started to fade, in favor of Sera being someone who was forced into a life she never asked for and was just looking for a way out. Maybe Rose was wrong for thinking the way she did at first.
"Welp… I guess I shouldn't have judged her too harshly. I just hope I'm not wrong…" she whispers to herself as she starts to doze off.
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The next week was slow and peaceful, at least for Rose. She was starting to have less than her usual workload around the palace due to Sera's presence. Hiro would have her fill in for certain palace workers to help lighten the load for them as his meeting with the other kings approached. She delivered messages, bought supplies, cleaned and more. She performed every one of her tasks efficiently and went above and beyond to ensure it was done well. While the royal family was skeptical at first, she worked diligently to show them otherwise, and had begun to pay off. As they grew more friendly towards her, she also opened up more to them, or more specifically, towards Hiro. Whenever she wasn't working she spent almost all of her free time with Hiro. Since she started seeing him, she's been getting brighter and more expressive with each meeting. Rose couldn't quite make the connection, but rather than drop it, her curiosity made it that much harder to forget about it.
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One day, while walking towards Hiro's study, she sees Sera leaving the study with a smile on her face.
"Hey Ms. Sera, can I ask you something?" Rose asks.
"Sure you can. What's up?"
"Why have you been seeing Mr. Hiro so often lately? Sorry if I'm overstepping, I don't mean to be rude."
"No, no, It's fine that you're curious, but I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you." She says, giving a nervous smile with an embarrassed look on her face.
"How about you just ask Hiro yourself? He could probably give you a better answer than I could."
"Hmm… If that's what you want, I'll ask him instead." Rose says as she walks off to satiate her curiosity.
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"Mr. Hiro, I have a question." Rose says while knocking on the door to the study.
"Ah, Rose. Come in."
She walks in to see Hiro yet again scribbling away, but this time he seems more relaxed than he was previously. She sits down and gets straight to the point.
"Mr. Hiro, why have you been seeing Ms. Sera so often?" She says, almost glaring at him as she speaks.
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"You seem oddly concerned about it. What's got you so worked up?"
"I'm not worked up about it, but I just can't stop thinking about you two together all the time."
"Interesting. However, why did you ask me, especially if you just saw her leave here?"
"I did ask her, but she told me to come ask you instead. And, respectfully, can you stop dodging the question!"
"Fine, I'll tell you. We've just been talking about her life as a pirate, along with some things regarding a few rumors she heard while she was still out at sea. The details, however, I cannot disclose."
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Rose pauses for a moment. She doesn’t think he would outright lie to her, but she feels like he’s hiding something from her.
“If that’s all it is, I’ll take your word for it.”
“Good. Now that that’s out of the way, I needed to tell you about some things regarding the meeting in a few days. Lord Tyrol should be here in a day or two, but the rest of the kings won't be here for another three days.”
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Pushing aside the topic of Sera, she speaks through a noticeable pout, "Yes sir. Is there anything I need to know about him before I meet him?".
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"Nothing in particular. He's highly intelligent, and a good friend of mine, so be sure to treat him with the utmost respect."
"Will do. I'll leave you to your work now."
As she leaves, her thoughts are divided between Hiro's secret relationship with Sera and the arrival of Lord Tyrol.
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"Can you direct me to Hiro? We have urgent matters to discuss with him."
Rose hears a man's voice on the other side of the front door.
"Who are you, and what business do you have with him? I can go check with him to see if he's available."
This time, Sera responds.
"Yes of course. My name is Faust, and I need to speak to him about… his death."
His words sent a shiver down both of their spines.
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Rose turns to open the door, before she can touch it, the door is blasted off of its hinges as Sera gets thrown along with it. An intense light radiates through the now dismantled doorway, shining behind a tall, slender blonde haired man in a long white coat.
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"You there, with the short hair. Go find Hiro and bring him here, otherwise, your friend dies along with everyone else in the building. Go, quickly now." He says as he waves her off and looks back towards Sera as she quickly hops to her feet.
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"You seem like you're not half bad. Why don't you keep me some company while I wait for Hiro's arrival?" Faust says he hurls two fireballs at Sera and dashes towards her. She dodges the two fireballs and throws two heavy punches of her own at him while they both advance forward. They both are blocked and for a brief moment they exchange blows with neither side getting a clean hit in. She continues to swing, but he deflects a few of them and generates a fireball directly in front of Sera's face, but before he can release it, Rose teleports in and pushes his hand away from her face.
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"So I see you've chosen death for yourselves as well. It's truly a shame." The man says as he shrugs his shoulders and seemingly disappears. Using his sheer speed alone, he appears behind the two girls faster than they could react, creating and detonating a fireball directly behind both of them, sending them both flying towards where the front door used to be. He dashes at them yet again, however Rose manages to tap Sera's shoulder and teleport them out of the way. They recover and both attempt to rush him with a flurry of blows, as Rose tries to figure out why this fight even started.
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"Why is he looking for Hiro? What did he mean by talking to him about his 'death'?" She thinks to herself as she continues to swing at Faust, yet missing every attempt.
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"Forget all that stuff, who even is he? He said his name was Faust… Where have I heard that name?" Still missing attacks, she notices that his coat has the same markings on the corners that Hiro's does: The crest of Kennis.
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"Hey, are you Faust, as in Faust Von Tyrol, the king of Kennis?" She says as he knocks them away with a strike of his own.
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"Very astute of you. Yes, I am who you say." He says as he pulls a cylindrical object with a handle resembling a handheld cannon off of his hip and points it at them.
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"Then why are you doing this? Hiro trusts you greatly and speaks highly of you. Why would you attack his people?"
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"What if I told you it was to exterminate a rat? Someone who wasn't truly loyal to their king. Then what?" He says as the weapon starts to glow red.
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"Well then… Who do-"
"You."
He fires his weapon directly at her, hurling a massive fireball towards her. As it approaches her, she teleports to Faust, touches him, and then teleports back to her original position with Faust now between her and the fireball. Just before it makes contact with him, Rose sees a deep blue water dragon's mouth appear and chomp down on the fireball, extinguishing it.
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"Greetings and apologies, Lord Tyrol."
Rex says as he approaches through the nonexistent doorway.
"Ah, you must be Rex Azor. It's good to meet you in person. I do apologize for the m-"
Rex punches Faust in the face and sends him flying off towards the throne room doors.
"The apology was for that. If all you wanted to do was fight, then you should've said that. All this talk of traitors you're on about is nonsense." Rex says as he enters his normal stance.
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"How rude."
Faust says as dashes towards Rex. He throws a few punches at him, but Rex deflects each one. After, he steps back and conjures seven orb shaped tongues of fire behind him. Rex rushes him with a punch, but before his attack can connect, one of the orbs of fire shoots what appears to be a beam of light at him. He barely dodges in time, leading to him getting grazed by it, burning him in the process. He recovers nigh instantly and dashes back in towards him. Now knowing what the orbs can do, he approaches lower to the ground. This time, Faust shoots three light beams at him and dodges all three, and returns with a large uppercut. Faust sees it coming and steps out of range of it, but he notices a pool of water forming on the ground directly under Rex's arm.
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"Drago! Rise!" Rex shouts as a water dragon springs out of the pool, hitting Faust and knocking him on the floor. Once it gets to the ceiling, the dragon curls itself into a spiral shape.
"Waterfall!" Rex says as the dragon shoots a heavy blast of water downwards directly at Faust.
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"That's enough, you two."
A small bottle of fog flew in between them from down the hall, exploding on contact with Rex’s still outstretched arm. For a split second, the thick, nearly opaque, fog appears before them, then manifests Hiro's body. He appears with two swords made of water, pointing both of them at Rex and Faust's necks respectively, while creating a water shield directly above his head to block the oncoming torrent.
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Everyone in the room stopped to marvel at Hiro's appearance. It was such an abrupt end to the fight. They all sat in silence for a brief moment before Faust lets out a relieved chuckle as Rex dismisses Drago.
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"Seems like you've had your fun. Did they pass?" Hiro says to Faust.
"With flying colors. You are in safe hands, my friend."
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"What do you mean we 'passed'?" Rose asks in her confusion.
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"It was a test to see how loyal you were to me. The main question here was whether you valued your own life more than mine. You are aware that he is someone who has bested me in combat before, and now he's come back to claim my life. He probably said something along the lines of 'Bring Hiro here or I'll kill all of you.' To force the dilemma on you. Even going as far as roughing you up to show he was serious. Did I get it about right, Faust?" Hiro explains.
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"Correct. I'd expect no less of you. I am sorry to have harmed and deceived you all."
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Rose was just… Confused. The logic made sense to her, but why do it in the first place? It seemed like the most bizarre way to test a person's loyalty. At least it was to Rose.
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"Makes sense to me, but I wish you would've gone a bit easier on us. Those attacks hurt more than I would've liked." Sera says as she dusts herself off, trying to hide her blushing face from Hiro.
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"Yet again, my apologies. I suppose I went a little overboard."
"Now that that's taken care of, I need you all to call everyone into the throne room immediately. Kids, assassins, maids, and everyone in between."
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As she went about her task, she pondered about Faust.
"Thinking about it now, I didn't really feel any lethality from his attacks. It almost felt like a surprise training session. I don't hate the guy but I wouldn't say he's my favorite king. Mr. Hiro said he's a trustworthy ally to us, so I'll take his word for it."
She finishes gathering the children and a few of the maids and heads towards the throne room.
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Inside, Hiro sat on his throne with Faust at his side. They all sit in silence as they walk in, awaiting Hiro's speech. Once everyone arrives, Hiro says, "I'll try to make this brief. Firstly, the man you see beside me is the current King of Kennis, Faust Von Tyrol. He will be staying with us for a few days, so I expect you all to treat him as you would treat me. Understood?"
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In unison, all of the children say "Yes sir.", and everyone else says "Yes My Lord."
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"Good. Two days from now, we will be hosting a meeting for the kings of each nation. For my younger ones, that means there will be four more people here that you will need to be extra respectful to. Do you all understand?"
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The same answers are given again, and Hiro stands and says, "If there are no questions, you all are dismissed. Velajul, I need you to come with Faust and I to my study."
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Authors Note:
Question to my consistent readers: How do you guys feel about these longer chapters? Do you guys like them, or would you rather chapters this length being split into two or potentially three seperate chapters?
ns 15.158.61.21da2
