"...Arthur?"
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Iver hesitated for a moment before finally asking.
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It wasn't that he hadn't recognized the other person's silhouette. Rather, the title "Crown Lord" had lodged in Iver's throat for a long while before he finally forced himself to swallow it.
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"Have you thought it through?"
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Arthur casually spoke while focusing on feeding the pegasus. "The answer to that question."
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--Before Arthur and Iver parted ways, Arthur had asked Iver that very question.
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"What can you offer for my great undertaking? And what are you willing to give up?"
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"...That was too fast."
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Iver shook his head. "I haven't had time to think."
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Although he had returned to the past and then come back again, less than ten minutes had passed in total. Most of that time had been spent on the battle between Oligan, the warrior wielding the Thunder Strike Halberd, and the cursed Wildfire Giant Utgarda-Loki.
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The pace had been far too tight, leaving Iver no time to let his thoughts run wild.
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To Iver, those moments had been no different from being skipped entirely.
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Arthur turned back in surprise. "Too fast?"
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"It's been less than ten minutes." Iver complained.
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"Is that so..."
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Arthur murmured.
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He stopped pretending altogether. Instead of continuing to feed the horse, he clapped his hands and then stroked the pegasus's head.
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He narrowed his eyes and gave his blunt assessment. "Then this is undoubtedly the Dream Realm Weaver's problem. A battle that continues until both sides are completely exhausted has no practical meaning beyond tempering one's will.
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"It's like posing a problem to a gunslinger that requires him to kill a powerful enemy with his bare hands. Whether he can ultimately defeat the enemy or