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~~((The 7th Anniversary Special -- page 7 of 24?!))~~
'On the contrary,' the reaper said, 'I think you know it very well, and it scares you.'

"I did not ask for your opinion."

'Ah. Well, if I am bothering you so much, then you should be glad, because I suspect that Harper and I won't be able to stick around for much longer.'

There was notable silence.

Pauline was confused. Harper? Her father had mentioned that name to her. A member of the Vanguard who was currently protecting the Queen. So did that mean this reaper wasn't the Queen's partner, but Harper's?

"...Have you received orders from your superiors?" the Queen asked.

'Not yet, but if this war continues to escalate, then it's a virtual certainty that we will get the call quite soon.'

"I see..."

Oh.

Hmm.

Pauline had little love for the Vanguard, but that was still unsettling news to hear. According to her father, this Harper fellow seemed like quite the valuable warrior--and possibly even trustworthy, as well.

Extremely high praise from Hanton Gaolanet.

The idea that the kingdom might soon be losing one of its most valuable protectors...

Pauline was glad that she'd thought to come here today. This was exactly the kind of thing she wanted to know about as soon as possible.

'If you have any lingering questions for me,' said Harper's reaper, 'you should ask them soon. This may very well be the last time we speak for quite a long while.'

There was more silence, and Pauline could see the Queen staring at an assortment of papers on her desk. What did they say? The woman's eyes weren't really focusing on them, so they were difficult to read. Was that Prince David's signature?

"What do you make of Intar's role in all of this?" the Queen asked.

'Ah, yeah, that is the big question mark. Intar isn't technically at war with anyone right now, but it maintains quite good political and economic relations with several of the involved nations.'