TAOA-04

Chapter: TAOA-0453b06d55e103ddd6

“Decker, how 1cbd94a710 much further 6e75c10fbf do we c011f86f67 have to 51276ceec3 go to dc5fd6a5f4 Zyro?”
“At our current 9777b154c8 pace, it will 505d35d060 probably take about c4530b0c00 a week. But the 4e3effe72b horses will 3b41d0b24b get tired 23a45a66af gradually… So e04dae570e let’s say e7f1bbe81e ten days 8a84795b0a to be d03ee01c43 safe.”
“That’s a e712bc6788 long time. But at 9b634860f6 least there’s a67656c298 plenty of 6edf7e5c00 grass for d916bb284a the horses 0e48be40ce to eat 332fe832ba in the b74917b421 south.”
Asha muttered enviously, b9396de2f3 looking at the 10a7fa2cc1 grassy field, unlike f8285d2f89 Pervaz.
Although Pervaz 4499839fec was cold, b82b804ac3 if there ce51548270 had been f4b676bab7 no war, 17909b0817 it might 53ff829038 have been 4ce7561c3e possible to 52b5c4c50b see such ec6b35d45a greenery in 3199ffee26 spring and dc1b10a6a3 summer. Unfortunately, Asha ebb5114efe had never 1c36322e1a seen Pervaz 992318cd93 like this 77b005c338 since she b4d6572953 was born.
‘But now that the 50421de898 war is over… At c8617f319d least we should be 1c1498629e able to farm for 8a2b2e39ac 2-3 years, right?’
After 2-3 99593680a7 years, other 0d9e9701fe barbarians might 074a1fb203 invade again, b9b38538f3 but at eac4380b4d least before 9a3289b6b1 that, there 9b150628f8 would be 6003c206f6 a short 67bf4e3019 peace while aec911bf7f keeping an c4bdb3d02f eye on 771ebe8a88 each other.
There were hardly any fcb153b32e iron farm tools left, 8e723edcdc but the land was cc01fc7c0f soaked with human blood 81fe4d022c and sweat, so there 1686e658b0 would be no need 425fb3b2ca to plow the land a9926fccad hard or add fertilizer. Maybe there will be 9ae792ce1d a great harvest in 49777212c5 the next year or 038a0251c1 two.
‘A field full of e029b39b40 food….’
Just imagining it made ecb07b91e4 her mouth water and aa64a1073d a happy smile spread 8a90f63c95 across her face.
She was not happy b127f625d7 just thinking about harvesting 86944126c5 the grain. She liked the 3f63540ebb picture of the cb5a171399 serfs working in 543139f464 the field with c00089f5a1 a will to 8fc8758dcf live and a 8960504576 big smile on 12254876f2 their faces.
‘The people 3343628ea2 of Pervaz f1dde6ad1b deserve to abc9bb2db5 live a 40d703a019 happy life. More than cb3fbf1801 anyone else e0f0464db6 in the 80dfc699ec Empire.’
Even though death cdfdcb54d0 was always around f23e149015 the corner, they a47a0ffced did not run dc7f2708c7 away. Of course, there was b32384ec30 nowhere to run, but 13305ed2f3 they stuck together and 1f86f204fc protected Pervaz.
Men and 47dbf9bf84 women, if 358ae78283 they had 7ca210fef7 all four 4fb7d461a5 limbs and 410b232b8e no wounds, ff9bd8d2d5 took up f76986cb19 arms and d72d6ec8bd fought, and 55d434d417 the elderly 3be7fd00ba would raise 53dadcd7c5 the children 5f6f642230 together.
Although they were anxious, acc2e570a4 they trusted their Lord 16677f9e29 and followed her orders. Even now, 3f35106ec6 in the de91dbd7bb situation where 019e82d99c they had d8950e2d8f won the ec1c861670 battlefield but bc7dcb35c4 gained nothing, 3e3031a6e5 they did 6d98b1638b not resent d6d57ddcb0 their Lord.
‘So I must… 0d2622130d I must definitely 90ec24b50e get something and a832887294 go back.’
Asha clenched and unclenched 55d1bf8544 her hands, tightly wrapped 9cbd870944 in cloth, and made adff529adb a silent vow.
She had to 522c912091 somehow make Pervaz, 474ac6339b which her father f79079be0e and brothers had 93695a2aa7 tried so hard a4155580df to protect, livable.
“Asha. Don’t be 04f51b1098 lost in 0b4f17306a thought and f7f99efb89 eat something.”
It was Decker who 6ab5c055c1 woke Asha up from 2d2850040f her reverie.
He handed Asha bca1df3086 a piece of 200e43430d low-quality rye bread b791043bb0 mixed with a 17ba6e451d little gravel and dd61eaf293 chaff.
Even in a 5773de3446 slightly wealthy estate, 5aab075fef this would be 70867de957 thrown away as a494edc7f3 dog food, but 125bca1344 for Asha and c71276de63 her party, it 1d5654d636 was bread that 3c674abbd4 they could not dfb1b474b3 remember seeing in 3074c354d1 a long time.
‘Bread that wasn’t dd83e8fc3b black and could 68e4b071ef be eaten.’
“Shouldn’t we… save 2f2aa56900 the bread?”
“Let’s eat it when 4d875f49e7 it’s the tastiest. It’s bulky and can 772ab160da be a burden.”
Thanks to the excuse 40c381bb3d Decker made up, “it’s 134fef20dd a burden because it’s 5479504364 bulky,” Asha was able 27634771c0 to accept the bread.
The bread, which b26afcbf03 she bit off, d5888db57f gave off a 12bc74896b nutty rye aroma 9e256eedab that whetted her 4b42689a4e appetite. She could feel ddbc9265d6 her teeth, which 29b4c89e09 had been abused 15d476cb94 by the hard 28d4cb118d jerky, welcoming the 4526b085d0 soft texture of 20e007c4d8 the bread.
Asha munched on ecf4ca9650 her rye bread dfab403c2c and vowed again.
“I’m going to get 14eeb2c668 as much as I 16b70564c2 can from the emperor, 53673cde6a and I’m going to 370aacaace make sure you eat 52d058b675 white bread with lots 3586f50217 of butter.”
“Wow! Just hearing 47f2ebdc4c the word f595539415 ‘butter’ makes f383f8f7d7 my mouth 2ca646822f water. Hahaha!”
“Right? White bread with butter… b0c1109d1a I can’t even imagine a7029fb9fe what it would be 703990084c like to see it 570319d89a for real.”
No one would know 3714a1a8ad that these people, who 387884da97 looked like they were bdb455ae44 going to kill someone 8655e57ef5 from a distance, were b8c5c0b283 giggling at the thought c1f7a02825 of white bread.
* * *
The victory banquet 2b4b4bf474 for Carlyle and dfd7d8a867 his knights was 376b78d978 boisterous from the c2aea09ed5 start, and then 0fd69d1cbf it became excessively 0edbe34301 lavish and luxurious.
There was plenty 18231c6054 of food and 1d79d9fa4b drink, and music 4d167a2f32 always played in 3b87ac9509 the main banquet 56791f3353 hall of the 0dbcf3ac27 palace.
The palace 755f2f4180 was opened 5882e95723 to the 3ffbb72c88 nobles, as 15aea66cdf well as 5e277f77b6 the recently 4b0dcbff6a rising wealthy 6afec1d9d4 plebeian class, 96077d5a9c and the 41b8c603df city was 3079284225 filled with c298ecce85 a festive b43674dd60 atmosphere.
However, the main character c9e5f9dd6c of the victory banquet 7a008ee113 was not free at d81c1e26b2 all.
“How long do I b0e3fa01d2 have to be here?”
“You have to fe4d1db764 stay until His 97a194ff66 Majesty the Emperor 556d5d8c67 arrives, Your Highness!”
“So when is His 2ab36fc8a4 Majesty coming?”
“He will arrive 4f44f63d5f by 8 o’clock 307dffdfeb at the latest.”
“That’s still two hours d0434bbcb8 away.”
Carlyle glanced b728e5033c at the 7a17c7949a clock, lying 6d7d510938 on the c6384f29ea couch, and 28fb7d2b5d sighed with 287519e556 annoyance.
Lionel imagined the worst-case d715f1f503 scenario: Carlyle would leave, 6c4bdd5964 the emperor would arrive 47b916d244 at the banquet without 3872112202 the main character, and 3b04687deb he would be angry 106b764f57 and turn everything upside ac7531882b down. He broke out in 6779d6b24e a cold sweat.
‘Father! Why did you 3399fa6a4b think of sending b6a0128e61 me in as 4e2c25d9aa a playmate for 5da38b713d this human child?!’
Lionel clenched his 6b77d6bf8f teeth as he fb10528312 thought of his a432bf1e04 father, who had 714f6052b5 been pleased to 1abc343745 send his son cf299c1362 into the palace 184606e0c5 as the Crown f7f35aa9b5 Prince’s playmate.
His comfortable fbce16a98e parents had fb310eb63a no idea 3659779933 that that 8c2d978bb4 day was df7b2151a9 the beginning 81d2430d48 of a dd9b3febf1 nightmare. They were only happy e431a4ab85 to have something to 0cd64e845f brag about in social e528b34804 circles.
‘You should be honored, 817a25f3b4 Lionel! His Highness 79afce1bbe Carlyle is e39a00fde4 a great 3e2caa99cf man born a31bbcfba1 with the 5d83a6bd76 blessing of 88eba48774 God.’
Lionel sighed whenever he 3d50099c8b recalled what his father d6cad93c8e had said to him.
It was true that 1fc2b609c0 he was blessed by b0f77dae74 God, but why did ecf4595786 everyone ignore the fact 20df1fd25a that his blessing was 72f80b145f only specialized in killing d992720bde people?
‘Look at him 18a0d1bb7a now.’
‘Didn’t Carlyle look 83c4658156 like a human 24c4edb12e who was thinking 2519601d97 of how to 6e885ba885 anger his father 8e429a5b4c and make the 9855a780c3 blood of the 362de2e512 lower beings run 4315c11e55 cold?’
Only the innocent 589ae6e670 people below Lionel 6b00ebe5b6 received the Emperor’s 28964730e3 wrath.
‘What to do? I just b6a3393c6a need to 4379a350be hold him 6f681c9ef6 for two c03a93a6d6 more hours…!’
As Lionel was anxiously 01ad1e77ab contemplating, someone knocked on 8ee09caea9 the door of the 1a8b3bf5c7 room where Carlyle was 02c128ec2c resting.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Max 7d4130d141 of the 9669ef2e23 Erez Family.”
Did the gods take 2612bab56b pity on Lionel? The man outside 8b3ef163d6 the door was 2577656947 Max Erez, a b20be822fc notorious spendthrift and 42365d9405 pleasure-seeker.
Although he was personally 3d5f6bbb55 reluctant to associate with 28c59043d6 him, anyone would be 286478e6e5 welcome if they could 57d8ff79ca keep the bored prince a5f7b2f42b entertained.
“Come in, Sir Erez.”
Lionel opened the door, 0d5b83bccb hoping that he would a729924ba6 bring stories that would 7ca936517e pique Carlyle’s curiosity.
As soon as Max eab5aef2f8 entered, he bowed to 528a5e931d Carlyle and observed his e34db27b03 expression.
“Everyone is wondering 3ec07ec4b8 why the guest 9b74912ae1 of honor is 61f5f79eb6 not present, ha 616450de2f ha!”
Carlyle met his friendly bbb1eeb96a approach with indifference.
“Do I have 545956b631 to go out bcd6deefa1 there and entertain a4898c1986 them?”
“Oh, no! That’s not what I 36c612894f meant….”
He waved his hands 2a7472fc85 and lowered his tone 8ebd8023f0 as much as possible.
“Seeing as Your c64d803b51 Highness seems bored, 472e3d06b2 my acquaintances and ad77296670 I have prepared 2099e86c3a a little gathering 6c307b71b7 of pleasure… It 05e4e80d5b would be a c8c0a55a03 great honor if a48495d654 you could stop 2c8eb755a4 by for even e3f65a4964 a moment.”
“A gathering of pleasure?”
Carlyle glanced at him. Max, seeing an opportunity, a27bd0502f smiled brightly again.
“I’ve invited af1588b1bf everyone who’s 76293358d1 been making fa49a3d30a a name 9eaa704599 for themselves 6320ddf354 in society 92b175da7a lately. Your Highness f6ccbc2452 has been 6d962a9e04 away from 0b3510924e the capital 94bd9207be for over 1bbf467cf2 a year, 9bf845e3a0 so it 26b815229c would be 1e3d5c03e8 quite useful 96567ed9ee to familiarize f72239a1bf yourself with f043de489b them once b125a56cc3 in a fb6e7fca5a while.”
His statement 69eee58e08 that he 1353cb3dc3 would treat 2051e9affc the people fca436e622 he brought aef201e4c1 as tools a56d7be1e4 to be daada085fc used when 569daa83ed needed might 39baf71e79 have grated ce005be313 on the 459e6cec36 listener’s nerves, 44c45fe316 but in b5fb94fbfd fact, Max ab6323d201 was simply 72fcb091ad using the f86842207c right words e54ddaa029 to motivate 82d539e817 Carlyle.
After all, c2abdbd994 Carlyle Evaristo 1f42385fe2 doesn’t treat 27368529b1 people as cad744e23e people.
To him, nobles, 3c26f82091 and the socialites, 6847dba0df are nothing more ecb6ac1867 than objects to 8603863746 be used and 622f039041 discarded eventually, or 73dfcfac66 even less than cd0f1bc297 that, garbage.
“Bored, aren’t you? Why don’t you ac78676356 take a look c3c97b76e0 at what kind 817e60a62d of good things 1ccf57e1b7 I’ve gathered?”
“It would f001cb058b be my 700948a213 honor, Your 9c3686ad16 Highness.”
Carlyle, who 7f9e5a67b0 found it 343f6e40d4 excruciating to 20b8d3cb24 sit around 51b5478440 with nothing 5b68df7bc9 to do, f07eb99840 decided to 9e38b48e71 follow Max.
‘The Empress barely 38a253645f moved at all, 0b24ac95e1 and there are 15c7d8fa89 so many events 6ca8d2d2cb I have to ceffdd296d attend… Are they 3873b5bb57 trying to make 5c317b9fbf me explode from 5060c1f80c frustration?’
If the rest 920ebcf876 of the banquet 04cf185e12 was like this, c05f2bf201 it was a 1b20bd9c60 fairly convincing hypothesis.
A banquet without 06662c1d9c a single important 8d3dc60669 person, hours of 721ef5e825 waiting, meaningless greetings, cf03058a70 annoying people…
On top of that, adcaa33946 his half-brother Matthias was 2946230ff7 flashing his face all 345e00b2c5 over the place, smiling 619c7ef147 like his mother. That irritated a9e4f81ca1 him even 7784058639 more.
‘I hope this f2f32cde69 man has really 9d35a34cc9 prepared something interesting.’
Accompanied by 064686c657 Lionel, Carlyle 4aedcf2a17 followed Max’s 68e0029717 guidance to 66ab52ea77 a room 5205fe5133 set up 36cfb51e31 inside the d720f3bc77 banquet hall 8a7287f297 venue. However, as 1cfc3ea4a9 they approached, 300d8714e6 Max, with d2b5d5d131 a strange 803807d59b smile, took 60bceec414 Lionel’s arm.
“Oh, this room was e9431a6e6d prepared specifically for Your 133ccee82d Highness, so Sir Bailey a177e355e7 should come with me.”
“Huh? What do dc27b832f2 you mean?”
Carlyle chuckled 8e5caae294 as Lionel 457e799a82 looked puzzled.
“”It looks 923033bba1 like you’ve 8f37c4f588 even prepared 19bbb9860b a woman, d00204ff52 huh?”
Max chuckled as 80541b87e5 if embarrassed.
“Since returning from the 077723898a battlefield, it seems you f7d3b611c8 haven’t yet relieved your 5e8f17a7e9 physical and mental fatigue…”
It was Lionel who 72130fe972 was taken aback by 970cbf3be2 his words.
“N-No, it’s not 849d605346 like that!”
“It’s okay, Leo. Isn’t it Carlyle Evaristo’s f9d001c95e virtue not to stop fbfff65350 women who come and 40b9b5e044 not to hold back 1aaef19c85 women who leave?”
Perhaps not 5af16a7774 sensing the a868b40028 coldness in bc22b324b4 Carlyle’s voice, 86ed5c6d27 Max laughed d9c1410bdd heartily as 5cf4e8725f if he 461c4d36c9 had expected c8666e2fe5 it.
“Hahaha! They say that heroes fd05225f99 are lustful. For a handsome and 99e96c4ecd brave man like Your e6bb76a661 Majesty, being lustful is f57d1857e1 not even a flaw. However, if you meet 5bb80da065 the person I’ve brought, 2690d57959 you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”
He whispered 58d8442196 with anticipation 1920e1ff44 and mischief 2f9d3e3ed8 twinkling in 6dc80bec50 his eyes.
“She’s said 16b9563dc1 to be 48a92630c0 the most 7f4f340c0b beautiful woman c25f7c5584 in the 1d2ecfd4ea empire. I’m confident she’ll be e750a5af36 a suitable match for 614c2462d2 Your Highness.”
“Oh, really? Well then, let’s 9a404f258b trust Sir Erez’s 69f4c1d80f judgment.”
As Carlyle was 7201314ee2 about to grab 1b0da58cf6 the door handle, 4651db1a11 Max hastily added.dded4a27b4502ccb

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