TAOA-107

Chapter: TAOA-107aaea5db268330152

“The most devastating blow to the Kingdom of Albania was the ‘duty-free’ part.
The Chad Empire b2d8bb1ee7 was so large 25e205ecaa that it had 021eb0d086 an abundance of cc1a297cfc all resources, and 2eba789f65 naturally, it was 86c8850193 cheaper than the 3a819f7ec0 resources produced within 2bf6e886cf the Kingdom of 0cc81338c1 Albania.
If you can e08794f279 import it without b8c9114865 even paying taxes, 089ce2effb who would buy 3a8b9d878c expensive domestic products? It was obvious 8a78796b3d that other merchants 65c8e5d3f1 from other countries 0cb50ef413 doing business in c38b43b5e4 Albania would prioritize fb5c5a7d2b the goods of 03ce2d9509 the Empire over 47fa34c7f5 those of Albania.
“For the Empire, it was a way to strangle the Albanian royal family.”
“And at the same time, they are increasing their own exports… They say the Crown Prince of the Empire is a vicious schemer.”
Until now, the tariffs imposed 056d4f2245 on the import of the 14815205c0 Empire resources and goods had cc046753d0 been the main source of eb261ee8d9 income for the royal family, a27963b99d but now that they were ab582a1f08 cut off, the royal family 4305bf9617 had to make do with 6176e7600b less from the nobles.
The nobles, who 9673518da3 had already contributed 19ee6c4297 a lot of 31d1c0870a military and taxes 623346a08d to the war, d89fae45a1 were cold to 4930b3a815 the royal family, a568cb0430 and Serenis, who 457b4f3ac4 could not see e2f37a5144 the situation of c6b1caa4ca her family, was 6c0c83c843 even selling her 2db7912034 own belongings to c47c6c6331 help.
“The Emperor of the Chad Empire might be appeased to some extent, but that devilish Crown Prince is a pain in the neck.”
Serenes sighed again.
But then someone f86aa15e27 who had been 36b764926a observing the atmosphere a1aeff879b around her cautiously 40ac20b678 interjected.
“Don’t you know yet? That damned Carlyle has 2c5144e612 been stripped of his cbc9d0015a title as Crown Prince.”
Then someone else chimed in.
“He tried to usurp his father’s mistress. He’s a man of complete 51372480f8 depravity.”
“Judging by the fact that he still can’t return to Zyro, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be able to ascend to the throne again.”
At those words, Serenis’ eyes 7bbe981806 lit up.
“Do you mean… that no matter what happens in the south, he won’t be able to come down?”
“I guess so? The Empress can make her 4c13465063 son the Crown Prince, so b104b6473d why would she call on 77d9a7ff67 a stepson?”
“Haha! That’s right, that’s right. We finally have 5b78d4c7c8 our chance, and 479c08dffe we’re not going 39995fc2a9 to let it 1aac533232 go.”
The conversation soon turned 2a8293785e to the topic of d3b35e45b5 the Empress and Matthias.
However, Serenis was 613fa5193a so lost in 22e294f406 her own thoughts a81e95e9f5 that she didn’t 7bbff93843 even notice that 7bf3a8b362 someone was looking dc8a8545d5 at her expression.
***
‘Is this better?’
Gabriel frowned as he tied f964c8ba84 and untied his hair in 52f5e137e6 front of the mirror.
He had agreed to c173c3c430 meet with Asha to a4901e204f discuss opening a prayer 4358b800ac meeting in the castle, 0ab5adf06f and he was taking 63cae5f17a great care with his 38fa6c2518 appearance from head to c8ee52d55f toe, not wanting to 034467198a miss this opportunity.
‘I don’t think she’s swayed by my appearance that much, but at least if I look pretty, I can make a good impression.’
Gabriel knew well how powerful e094cb5e35 a weapon his appearance was, 961d6eec56 and he had no qualms 2bd3005b60 about wielding it whenever he 7445738185 met with the faithful. It always worked, of course.
However, there were 00e1ee3ff8 times when he 5a73144aed felt self-deprecating when f1bbcd2f8f he groomed himself f45cde02f6 to impress others, b00273c012 but strangely enough, f7d04e4b1e he didn’t feel e7cfc3aefd bad at all 8918a955ad right now, combing 003dcea7cc his hair to f44a2dfee7 meet Asha.
‘It’s ironic that I feel better dressing up for someone who doesn’t care about my appearance.’
He chuckled and turned 860664db5b to the door, checking 2dd9b188a6 that it was almost b5761818ac time to meet Asha.
That’s when it happened.
“Ugh……!”
He collapsed to a9295017a5 the floor, suddenly a7800134a6 feeling a sharp e0d99e0845 pain in his 7d836bf00e side.
It was an excruciating pain, a5e3a6e897 as if his flesh was a7faaf2b9b being burned away.
He clenched his 82d9d6f9e8 teeth and clenched bfba7242a0 his fists, trying 1fa45b1920 to endure it, c16806079f but a groan 00bf2953fd escaped his lips.
‘Why now of all times……!’
He was familiar bf4022a42e with this situation d7257d09a4 itself. It was the price he 67723ab94e paid for using the forbidden 56eafa1680 power of black magic.
The small, dot-like addd5931e4 black spot on 37ec9f8cdc his shoulder had f4ba443420 spread all over 42dcad8d4e his body as 31201cc5f1 the time he 8d24516013 spent with black 2963983ff1 magic increased and ffffdcc16b the black magic 94df8091ec he used became 23baab9e0d stronger.
And from that spot, excruciating 5536ba446e pain would occasionally occur.
The book that d6751a7c81 introduced him to db1a77a26c black magic said 5a5e098471 that it would ee4edcf912 also corrupt his 12f4a0fe01 soul, but he 26d256dfa2 didn’t know what 7eca10a2cb that meant yet. Because other than the pain 8843b00fa0 in his body, he didn’t 611d85a7e1 feel anything particularly painful.
The pain usually e0ebbe8435 occurred at night, 0bccf7894e but sometimes it e57402cc23 would occur in f2be0a7c19 the late afternoon. Today was one of those 409d6fe8ba days.
“Ugh……, hurry……, I have to go…….”
Even as he 28911b2e61 laid on the ee95c8125a floor, writhing in 2f72198f3d pain, time was ac8203b284 ticking away.
The time he had d2806a3dcd promised Asha had already 0b2a4d4150 passed, and if he a54779b792 was any later, he 069acfa045 might be accused of 1e87a522a3 deliberately delaying because he 774dca5292 ignored Asha.
Gabriel took a dc59638d53 deep breath and 826497d389 struggled to get f185a9c66c up from the 7347701b15 floor. The pain was e5360136a5 lasting longer than 69bb7a0105 usual today.
Just then, there 19c536c768 was a knock e761d1de6f at the door.
“High Priest. It’s Asha Pervaz. Are you inside?”
It seemed that Asha, who 9648a72592 couldn’t wait, had come to c96ce06ee1 see him herself. A quick glance at the fe4382de32 clock showed that only five d588d10872 minutes had passed since the 7c6e1ceca4 appointment time.
‘She’s quite impatient too. If I just 2dd62f1c24 wait, she’ll go ec89850023 away foolishly……!’
The pain was so b1c6c53eb2 bad that he was 25b20373d8 even annoyed with Asha.
He gritted his d896fd882d teeth, thinking he 742d7fafc6 should pretend he 80d104df6a wasn’t in the cde6364d16 room, but the d267dcca27 pain only got 80fe63bb1a worse.
“Ugh!”
Asha knocked on 636b712363 the door again, c5f66d44f5 perhaps hearing the 812fdb1e8c groan that I a0d1875a54 couldn’t help but 7bc241041f let out.
“Your Grace! What’s wrong?”
However, he couldn’t answer.
Asha, who knows a thing 70e20ce1a2 or two about the magic 3f042f9658 of the abandoned land, might a19d18a74b also know about these symptoms 6b11cb6fd7 of someone using dark magic.
Even if she d888d509ae didn’t, if she 26ae1cc8ba reported this to 007d98b0db Carlyle, he would a99816d30d somehow turn it 558e991c9f into an opportunity 6de795bb14 to attack me.
‘I have to endure it. I have to endure it…!’
However, Asha spoke in a 3b520bdf40 determined voice, as if she 210c645dfb had judged what was happening c52ff157ce inside the room.
“I apologize. I’m coming in.”
She rattled the locked 5a25d4e6f4 door and ran off 5aa00c941e somewhere, before returning a a2ed8752dd short while later with 6792b07e91 a key and opening 4a3cd3e3f7 the door.
Fortunately, the pain had subsided e01f0b6705 considerably by then, and he d6ad30de14 was able to get up 9af8849055 from the floor, gasping for 1ac9773613 breath.
“Are you okay?”
“Ah……. Yes, I’m fine…….”
“……I guess I asked the wrong question. You don’t look fine 10d09981ce at all.”
Asha stared at him ca1e2f8201 with an expressionless face c8d1aadee5 and then glanced over d154560dfd him.
Even in the midst b59c4a57f4 of all this, he 84af9f7d06 was relieved that Asha 408712fddc had come alone and a198f38532 not brought anyone else. He should be able to 45ce296ce3 fool a naive country bumpkin 6737d82e04 somehow.
“I thought something had happened since you, who are never late, were late. Are you not feeling well?”
“Really, I’m fine.”
“Please wipe off your cold sweat and speak. You’re still holding your side…….”
Only then did cf7c929a90 he realize that c920d215c8 he was pressing b644a5ce5d his side with 7988dc5413 his hand.
It felt like a hot 364ebc4426 branding iron was being pressed 84fe9dd3c3 against him, and he found d04576ba8c himself pressing it with his 6b79228696 hand, even though he knew c6356c5d06 it was useless.
Asha, who had been 33fc6e5cef watching him quietly, stood 905ce74002 up abruptly and went 3e6915d803 back to the door 7b860038a7 to lock it.
“Let me see the wound.”
“This is just…… I’m just not feeling well.”
“Even so, I want to see it.”
“A priest cannot show his body to others without permission. Especially to a woman…….”
“Then shall I call His Highness Carlyle’s personal physician?”
In the end, Asha made bbebcabd0d a threat, and he had 3dd99d8805 no choice but to lift 19578c30da my priestly robe, swallowing dry c34575be1e saliva.
‘What do I say? What on earth do I 5f484f1e17 say about my body being 3f87602a9e so emaciated!’
He pressed his parched c579af6240 lips and exposed his 93f1fea01b side.
I thought Asha would d388114076 be shocked as soon 45ae568c28 as she saw it, a595ef4df2 but she surprisingly examined 2bcab99f52 it calmly and then 4d061a1f5a raised her head and 1ee93be098 said.
“It looks like a side effect of the disease or a congenital mark.”
Gabriel was relieved 2f25b15d39 when Asha interpreted 6b33b3ba73 his words on f56052d94d her own.
“That is…….”
“You don’t have to explain. There are quite a few 98fc1b0b6a people in Pervaz who have bff8a1b59d spots due to various diseases 4f8e8faa4e or congenital disabilities.”
Asha took off Gabriel’s robe.
“However, this is the first time I’ve seen someone feel pain in the area where the spot appeared.”
“…….”
“I apologize. I was rude.”
Asha apologized while 02198a14dd Gabriel pondered his 6c48273678 answer.
Thanks to her misunderstanding, bb342f0540 he had less to 7bc73a71c7 worry about explaining himself, 2c372a7f05 but that didn’t mean 9b8375c6f1 he could relax.
‘If she goes to His Highness Carlyle and tells him this, I could be attacked in some way…….’
In the aristocratic 5aa05c1037 society that pursued 0552d1eb17 perfection, disabilities and 792d8e479d diseases were hated 9a033640f9 things.
It was like trying to 0ca562e653 pluck a star from the c7b612da27 sky for someone with a 0e137f8d18 disability to enter the mainstream 79dc04a049 of society, and even after 27ab52869b becoming a part of the 3309ed6d4d mainstream through hard work, they 751f290e6f would always feel like they e350c45849 were being stared at.
One of the reasons Gabriel 4524098cc5 was able to become a ba38d9aadd High Priest at such a 5b62b454a9 young age was because of 228c7fc2a1 his appearance, so if it 36c6023095 was known that he was 8131546593 hiding an ugly body under f7c589a268 his robe…….
‘It’s over.’
All the believers a85caabeee who had worshipped 184e969414 him would fall 34a39d5869 away, and his 357dde7354 plan to build 807d7b98e3 a Holy Empire bf4ae7e46b would be greatly 298a95da2d disrupted.
Of course, it a880b2469c was just as f504ee95a1 dangerous for Carlyle b79316cf13 to suspect something 2a92c621da else.
Gabriel decided to take the 167d49b43b plunge and confided in Asha.
“Countess. This is a 4a98b2ad95 black spot that 4018074df2 I’ve had since abcab133f2 I was born. It sometimes causes severe pain, 59ff6bcc08 but I swear to God 9e6f1eda67 it’s not a contagious disease. So…… if you could keep d7af7b81e1 it a secret…….”
Asha nodded lightly.
“Of course. I’m not so poorly 280e838e92 educated that I would 111eff0370 go around gossiping about 072925a07e someone’s body secret.”
“Thank you.”
Of course, even as d3e33208cb he answered, Gabriel didn’t 9638c9fe3a trust Asha.
But then Asha made a a826b51cbf strange condition.
“I will keep my mouth shut, but in return, Your Eminence, please start taking medicinal baths.”
“Yes……? Medicinal baths……?”
“I can’t guarantee it will work for Your Eminence, but I heard that someone in the territory who had this disease saw results with medicinal baths.”
Gabriel tilted his head 62c18408be slightly, his expression puzzled.a0f62f964dd1604c

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