At first glance, it seemed like a considerably lenient punishment.
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After all, sentences to work for the imperial family for a few years were occasionally handed down.
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As a way of showing some mercy, that is.
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‘But why send him to our house?’
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Trevor Warren was already a burdensome existence.
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He was someone who drew everyone’s attention, wasn’t he?
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But just let him idle around and eat for free?
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‘Of course not.’
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Duke Carius’s territory and the Midias region were different from ordinary domains.
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Because it was set up so that anyone not participating in the family business couldn’t survive. This was the will of the first Duke Carius to ensure it didn’t become a threat to the imperial family.
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It wasn’t something that absolutely had to be followed, but there was no reason to break it.
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‘It’s a pretty good excuse.’
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If someone tried to take root in Duke Carius’s territory, I could chase them out citing the ancestor’s command.
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But that only applied in ordinary cases.
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Object to a verdict handed down by the emperor?
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Sure, if you wanted to hold hands with your family and die in the most miserable way possible.
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“This is a headache.”
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I frowned as I looked at Trevor Warren.
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The guy was holding his head high, glaring with his eyes wide.
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This bastard really was a lunatic beyond imagination.
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To see him not the least bit cowed after all that ordeal.
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Come to think of it, in the courtroom, he was all apologies, bowing and scraping.
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‘He probably couldn’t act up in front of the emperor. But why with me?’
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As I stared at him incredulously, he snorted and shot me an insolent look.
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“It’s only been a few days since I beat you, and you’re back at it. Maybe I need to hammer you every day to knock some sense into you?”
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“……”
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“Look down, punk.”
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When I brandished the Communication Rod, Trevor finally averted his gaze.
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Crazy dogs really do need the stick, huh?
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I sank into deep thought.
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Could I reform this rotten bastard while putting him to proper use?
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If it were up to me, I’d assign him to border duty.
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The imperial guard knights would return to the palace soon anyway.
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Now that I’m back, they won’t keep lending troops.
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‘The problem is whether this guy will do the work properly.’
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Even in the strict imperial army, he did whatever he pleased.
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Here, with relatively loose supervision, he’d probably hole up somewhere and sleep all day.
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It might be better to keep him with me and monitor him constantly.
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‘No, that’d be a hassle.’
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It’d probably just torment us both.
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If he were at least cute, maybe.
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Spending every hour with a guy like that would be bad for my mental health.
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So I decided.
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“Butler Xavier?”
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“Yes, Your Grace.”
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“Send that guy to the worker dormitory.”
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“But there are no confinement facilities there at all.”
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“No need to lock him up. He’s on community service, right? Just make him work like the other laborers.”
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“Pardon?”
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Butler Miller Xavier’s eyes widened.
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Even if he’d received a community service order, he was the heir to a count’s house.
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And a tremendous talent close to Grand Master level.
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“There’ll be quite a discord.”
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“If he doesn’t listen, call me. I’ll beat the hell out of him.”
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When I shot him a chilling glare, Trevor’s expression twisted.
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He seemed thoroughly offended by the order to treat him like ordinary laborers.
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Well, born a high noble, he’d have a strong sense of privilege.
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Making someone like that do menial work?
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‘He’ll feel immense self-loathing.’
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That was precisely the punishment for this guy.
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Not going to prison was a mercy in itself.
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That place was no exaggeration to call hell on earth.
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‘If I leave him just to Butler Xavier, he won’t be controlled.’
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He might pull some nonsense when I’m not looking.
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It was time for a new monitoring system.
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But then, a man loitering nearby caught my eye.
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‘Oh? He’s here?’
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I immediately prodded Trevor and said.
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“You see that guy?”
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“The knight who was with you. Pretty skilled, but far below me.”
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“What’s important is his affiliation.”
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“What’s that got to do with me?”
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“Imperial Guard Knights, Black Agent.”
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“……”
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Trevor Warren, who’d been sneering, clamped his mouth shut.
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Black Agents were knights trained in advanced espionage.
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The emperor’s eyes and ears operating in the shadows.
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There could be no more terrifying existence for this guy.
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“He’s aware of everything. Better be careful. Unless you want to see your whole family wiped out.”
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Trevor couldn’t speak for a while.
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Then, following Butler Xavier’s lead, he trudged away.
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His slumped shoulders seemed to reflect his mood.
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“Go in.”
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“Damn, this is a dormitory…….”
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Trevor Warren scrunched his brow deeply.
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The place Butler Xavier guided him to was just a single room waiting barrenly.
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Of course, it wasn’t that shabby.
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A bed, desk and bookshelf, a large wardrobe, and even a wooden window with shutters.
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The toilet and shower were shared, which was a bit inconvenient, but it had most necessities.
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“Ha!”
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But to Trevor, it looked utterly worthless.
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The more he saw, the more absurd it felt, and empty laughs kept bursting out.
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It felt worse than an imperial army barracks.
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And no wonderโhe was the vice legion commander of the Western 1st Legion.
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Now reduced to community service, but originally a figure who’d risen to a position as high as a border count.
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Knock knock!
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As he sat on the bed sighing heavily, someone suddenly knocked.
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“What is it?”
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When he asked sharply, a baffled reply came.
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“Isn’t this Trevor guy’s room? 307, right?”
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“Yes.”
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“What? Yes? Is that how you answer? It’s way past time.”
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“What’s he on about.”
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Ignoring the voice outside, Trevor flopped back on the bed.
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Community service or whatever, he planned to just train personally and waste away the 10 years.
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But the visitor seemed unwilling to leave him be.
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Thud thud thud thud!
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“Come out already!”
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The door pounded persistently.
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Enough to worry it might break.
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Trevor had no choice but to get up.
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Even a highly trained knight couldn’t withstand noise pollution.
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Slam!
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“Ah, seriously!”
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He yanked the door open irritably, and suddenly something flew at his face.
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What he reflexively caught was a rather thick set of clothes.
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“Change quickly and come out. Dawdle, and I’ll knock again.”
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“……”
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The man who’d tossed the work clothes looked about Trevor’s age.
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Burly and tanned, he gave off a healthy vibe.
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“Huh!”
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The absurdity grew as the guy left without waiting for a reply.
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But he couldn’t disobey.
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He’d said he’d knock again if he didn’t come down soon.
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Trevor grumbled to himself as he slowly changed into the work clothes.
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“Not too bad, actually.”
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Just plain, thick clothes, but the texture was quite nice.
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The lining must be good material.
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As he trudged out of the dorm, the man from before was waiting.
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“Let’s go.”
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“Go where?”
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“No time, so hurry. Ah, call me Bernard.”
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Soon, Trevor held a large axe in his hand.
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Plus, a helmet-like hat on his head.
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Bernard had swiftly handed them over one by one.
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“Tie the chin strap tight.”
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“What?”
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“It’s got a buckle. Geez, this is why newbies are tough.”
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Unhesitating hands brushed under his chin.
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Soon, the iron hat with holes punched in it fit perfectly.
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Oddly, it felt more comfortable than a regular helmet.
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“Today we’re chopping walt wood. The different-colored ones are moldex wood. We only work on this side.”
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“You’re telling me to be a lumberjack?”
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“No work, no food. No pay, obviously.”
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“I don’t need that crap?”
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“From what I hear, you came penniless. How you gonna live without money?”
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“Well, I’m…….”
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The words that he was a count’s heir and didn’t need to worry about that rose to the tip of his tongue.
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But he couldn’t spit them out.
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What was his current situation?
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Here in Duke Carius’s territory with nothing, no connections.
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Essentially no different from the burly guy in front of him, Bernard.
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And indeed it was.
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The two had to chop walt wood together today.
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“Need strength?”
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“A fair bit.”
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“Then let’s start from there. Better to focus on big trees.”
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“Isn’t small easier?”
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“Quality differs. Needs at least 10 years to be soft and white inside.”
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“Mix in small ones, no one would know.”
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“Sure, the factory folks might not. But I know.”
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“……”
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Trevor looked at Bernard oddly.
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A mere lumberjack talking like a craftsman.
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But the other shrugged as if it were obvious.
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“It’s a precious opportunity from His Grace the Duke, so gotta give my best. Come on, let’s work.”
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“Opportunity my ass…….”
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Bernard started chopping trees, spacing out appropriately.
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Trevor stood with an uncomfortable expression, then slowly raised his axe.
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This soft wood should go down in one swing.
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Woooong!
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As he roused his aura, a low vibration hummed.
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But the result was completely unexpected.
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Swooshโ! Thud!
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“Hm?”
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Far from slicing clean through, the blade just embedded deeply.
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It should have cleaved in one go, but this was strange.
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Yet Trevor was close to Grand Master.
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He quickly spotted the issue.
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“The handle’s too long for proper aura transmission.”
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Swords had the hand close to the blade.
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So it was no different from gripping a metal lump and rousing aura.
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But axes had handles ten times longer than the blade.
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Of course, adaptation didn’t take long.
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Thud! Thwack! Crashhhโ!
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House-sized walt trees toppled one after another.
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It was like the god of logging had descended.
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The surrounding laborers looked surprised but soon ignored him and focused on their work.
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Seemed like competitive spirits had ignited.
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“This is pretty good.”
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Axes weren’t suited for rousing aura.
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So it unintentionally became training.
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If he didn’t handle power delicately, the aura manifestation would break.
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He excitedly chopped trees for a while, when someone suddenly called him.
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“Hold up.”
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“Too bad. I was on a roll.”
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“Just stop for now.”
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“Why?”
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“It’s break time. For logging sites, 30 minutes rest after an hour of work.”
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“……?!”
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Trevor wore an uncomprehending expression.
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Rest half the working time?
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Today he chopped a lot using aura, but normally?
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Probably a dozen or so trees at most.
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Hire people with good money for just that?
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“Must be out of his mind.”
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The last words were aimed at Duke Carius, of course.
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But it didn’t take long for Trevor to gain a new realization.
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This guy is arrogant, but I feel like he can become a rival instead of enemy. You know, like Sonic and Shadow ๐คฃ
Sorry for using them as a reference. I just listened to crush40 songs and they immediately popped up in my mind lol