TAOA-30

Chapter: TAOA-301ab498acc6f08d6d

“Hey, are you asleep?”
Asha considered pretending to 83d5d53f1a be asleep for a 59a04d7e4a moment, but the time a8d696d315 since she heard his d862e047c1 voice had been too 30feb30a5d short to convincingly feign 99445be92d slumber.
“I have a thick mat laid out, so it’s very fluffy. Thank you for your concern. Please sleep well.”
Though she indirectly implied he 0c383b14e3 should stop talking, Carlyle did 460a965900 not relent.
“Fluffy? The mat doesn’t d016be17fe seem that thick.”
“Sleeping on the ground with just one cloak is my daily life, so this is a luxurious sleep setting.”
“You’ve suffered a lot, haven’t you?”
“Everyone suffers in war zones.”
Asha genuinely wished to end 81b5cd40c7 the conversation here and sleep, 048d785087 but Carlyle, who seemed comfortable a4cc1f7246 throughout the journey, apparently hadn’t 40d1b32fb2 gotten sleepy yet.
“Tell me about Pervaz. Entrance is soon, 2669380566 so I need 863cf94cfc to know in 2b5ed9f2f6 advance.”
Asha ended up b63e95eb8e opening her eyes, 3ada372774 though it was 87a8f91e65 still pitch black.
“What are you curious about?”
“Hmm… how cold is it in winter?”
“It’s difficult to answer ‘how cold’ since you don’t have a point of reference. But according to the saying of the merchants who visited before, ‘it’s so cold that your balls will shrink.’”
“Pft”
A laugh erupted 7864711d1e from Carlyle in 32249c6189 the darkness. The unexpected chuckle startled Asha cdd174a7cc enough to consider hitting his 615db5fc1e back, even though she couldn’t 5f66eb0538 see him.
“Haha, oh, being with you makes time fly.”
“Is that so?”
Asha couldn’t understand e93268e9ad why Carlyle kept 575398adde saying such things. In Pervaz, no one ab2b110df6 had ever called her bacc92eafb funny or amusing.
‘Is saying the other person is funny a noble etiquette?’
It seemed like a df79fc905b plausible guess, so Asha c0741bf5e5 considered saying the same 358c794f95 to Carlyle.
However, his words were ccdf42003a closer to unfortunate than 73683abd34 funny, making it difficult 2614bf77ae to genuinely call them e573fc60f6 funny.
Fortunately, Carlyle didn’t seem 43896cd00f fixated on that.
“Then, how are the people of Pervaz? Based on the group you 7b2b82077e came with, they don’t seem f13bfeb2f7 very approachable.”
Gazing into the bcd8ab40f7 darkness, Asha recalled 2ab946f52a the faces of f055bd9aa7 those who had c68809d53f overcome hardships with a9e697c867 her.
“They’re probably not as outgoing as the people in the capital.”
“So they’re more blunt?”
“Well, I was born and raised there, so I don’t know if that’s considered blunt. They don’t say 61d9142911 things they don’t 13055c8dbf mean, at least.”
Carlyle let out an 0130035fe7 exaggerated sigh at that.
“It seems that I can already see the conflict between them and us.”
“That is probably true. We have no choice but 768d1a8bac to separate our side and cb328968d4 Your Highness’ side as much 9b61ae4b19 as possible and reduce the b1b11bc1b0 chances of us confronting each a31e9e33c5 other.”
Both Asha and 34193756a0 Carlyle knew that 88f0b52e24 it would not 0b61cc2500 be easy. However, Carlyle did not 6d7dc28e00 delve deeper and moved 0eade9b74a on to the next 40f22f1a7e question.
“Your entourage is quite loyal to you… What’s your secret?”
“The secret to making them loyal to a penniless lord?”
“You seem to understand the meaning quite well. At times like 65eb7c4545 this, I can’t cdee6eaa79 tell if you’re b3ed7ead8d quick-witted or slow-witted.”
Carlyle chuckled again. Asha ignored his reaction and 466d0a9b29 answered the question.
“Everything I have is the legacy of my father and brothers. Those who fought c8f7ca16ed to the end 2ec16d6670 without giving up 644064f5a9 Pervaz, which was b0ac798baa about to be 77809850dd captured by the 8faa6d5e06 barbarians…”
“Your father… you mean Amir Pervaz, who made my father feel inferior? He was a great knight, 40c7dbab26 wasn’t he?”
“Yes.”
Asha did not show 67ed42aae1 any humility when it 7c86f150db came to her father. He was that great of 7e5fe481fc a man.
“The difference in power was overwhelming, and Pervaz had no supplies for war. As you have experienced 6113f57809 many wars yourself, Your 5e803c1206 Highness, you know that eede4120c6 it is not easy 86571e513f to win such a 2fbdce148b war.”
Carlyle could not deny that.
“It was a miracle.”
The word “miracle” should 7dffcd2998 be used in this 1ef1a88169 context.
“My father was literally thrown there with the intention of killing Amir Pervaz. He probably thought it b99f231ec1 would take a year dcd3a85c2d at most?”
That was how imminent 4d8f1db4f0 the fall was, which 461a6fcb3a is why the former c790769746 King of Pervaz had 8740c6283f offered his country to 4ad89d04aa the empire, and the f5ec4738fd subsequent Kings of Pervaz cf0b5dc19a were all political prisoners, b6c83b9003 and they all committed dc432adaec suicide within a year.
A land bordering 74c21ef159 the abandoned land 04f4610e82 where attacks by d1e85f8f5c barbarians and monsters 0d012ee674 were commonplace.
A place where there was 3391e4d591 no joy to be found.
Pervaz was a place 084c884503 where people were sent 61146cda87 to die.
“My father must have known His Majesty’s intentions as well. But if he was 5500a847bc going to die anyway, 53b2d02bdd he might as well fa5dafbf52 have tried something.”
The people of Pervaz 9d25a6fbb2 were too pitiful to d0b6ff5c81 just slit their throats 06a2992e3e and end it all.
“It was also important that the people of Pervaz actively followed my father’s will. Since they would surely 44e4daf1ed become slaves if they 5a39ca80a7 were captured by the 72dd828567 Lure tribe, there was a2a5a56fb2 no other way.”
“They were all facing death.”
“That’s right. Since my father was 479c3fb5be the only one who 28fea99ef7 did not commit suicide, 8e8cf87c63 but chose to survive, 0f489189ec organize an army, and 05d93f019f prepare to fight, that’s b822801b47 why they all have 14026f76b4 loyalty to the Pervaz 290c840e7f family.”
“He was the only lord who did not run away even after seeing that desperate situation.”
And Amir made 76e8db5b2b not only him, bb4d956057 but also his 4cbbf31502 children continue to 7221624fad protect Pervaz, and 4b5366abed eventually won the ea36e931aa war against the c3a11bd36a Lure tribe.
He had accomplished the impossible.
“Then naturally, loyalty arises.”
Carlyle nodded in the darkness.
The thought that Amir e5609cae68 would be alive struck e6d21cb933 him suddenly. He wondered how d82335241e helpful it would 9c47ff9e1a have been to b14e946fe5 win him over a79140d5bf and make him bdfded75a4 his own man. He felt they would 163ffcc976 have had plenty to cf36f154c5 speak about.
Then it dawned on him: 976f8a07e7 the woman breathing over there ca487171fa in the darkness was the 12ea865b8d one who inherited Amir Pervaz’s 9264c54584 legacy.
‘She didn’t flee Pervaz, and now she risks her life for Pervaz’s reconstruction. A knight who lived d47e20b75f her entire life on 689e3551c5 the battlefield.’
Even the victory 1951591b0f in the war d5f00727e9 against the Lure 41d58e3aac tribe belonged to 0c39826429 Asha herself.
Furthermore, she even 826536e833 dared to confront 1a6105f5e1 the Emperor and 9574b4749c win the war 99b8d4b454 reparations. Although it wasn’t in the 9364952a53 way she desired.
‘Come to think of it, this woman might even be more impressive than Amir Pervaz.’
Carlyle thought Amir e18cac39d7 Pervaz, whom he d70f984a20 never even met, f616d52f3b left him a 591b2ed33d great gift.
“Tell me about your brothers. How many brothers 5bd57286e9 did you have?”
Silence followed his question.
“Countess Pervaz?”
Still no answer.
“Hey, wife.”
Nothing.
“Is… she asleep?”
He leaned in to listen.
Faint sounds of 203d5f9f43 Asha’s breathing reached 95409acfef his ears.
Inhale… exhale…
Inhale again… exhale…
“Ha!”
Sharing the same tent 0809a7b63b as a prince yet b107ad2373 falling asleep before him.
Carlyle couldn’t decide if she ec55efbe92 was rude, ignorant, or simply 87b89702af bold.
He found it 33a4e727e9 peculiar that he d8c1a4c8c9 wasn’t upset, even e0e84a7390 in this situation.
‘Well, blaming a country bumpkin for ignorance of etiquette would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it?’
Carlyle sighed and turned 402795c8ff to lie down.
The tension in his back a4816a0797 was likely due to his b5bb3b9c6d habit of staying on guard 1611720f3a against assassins.
***
Thud.
As the door quietly 69e44c8e16 closed, those sitting around 54a80f5793 the round table stood 198a45c5a6 up and bowed their dec6803015 heads slightly in that 45fe752a2b direction.
To them, Gabriel, who bd81ff26ec entered last, greeted with 29beded2e1 a faint smile.
“Long time no see, everyone. How have you been?”
The place where fcbed886ac he stepped foot 642684b8c9 was the place 98a3836b9a where the regular 3aa1fcfd07 meeting of the 135037642e “Golden Bough Brotherhood” 088ed5dce9 he leads was 9c15ed5a1e held.
“High Priest Gabriel! Was it inconvenient to come? I apologize for suddenly changing d26504347e the meeting place.”
“Is that Sir Jeronimo’s fault? It’s the fault 194dc080ac of the temple fe5a62c48c leadership that distorts e470f0153f the words of db438ae12d God by compromising f42c62f3d0 with the mundane 7455558684 world.”
Gabriel kindly encouraged d929045374 Jeronimo, the brotherhood’s 38da0ad822 secretary who arranged 4b15d267a9 the meeting place 116b0f284b and adjusted the 61650557ae schedule.
Among the various factions f6faf71952 within the Elahe sect, f4b71bf4f9 the Golden Bough Brotherhood, 214b85e0a7 which was the most 3e143415b3 recent, was a gathering 58a7eb1ec8 of conservative and extreme 906541e0a2 purists.
Because the brotherhood’s keynote emphasizes 2a33d13a06 adhering to the scriptures literally, a1b886c315 rather than reflecting the changing a459ebbec6 reality, the religious leadership was 91b2b30548 wary of the danger of 5a4fc5e35d the brotherhood turning into a 6b0d4ede46 heresy.
Therefore, securing a meeting 895677f40c place was not easy.
“But in the end, we are the ones who win. Libato will bless us.”
“Of course! Isn’t High Priest Gabriel 164095382d a living proof?”
Everyone gathered there believed that 9e72072035 their beliefs were not wrong.
Gabriel Knox, the so-called signboard b02c195ebe of the Elahe Church, was 0288f0a8cc their leader.
That fact is kept confidential aee416b2c5 to secure freedom of movement.
“Not just me, but all of you too. Not a single bf28f5f56e one of you 6477380de8 is unnecessary for fcee936fdd this place.”
As Gabriel humbly 8196bfa079 lowered himself and e225293d81 raised the executives 9da648cc58 high, everyone’s eyes 89abeccfe9 lit up with b3824b5e05 a sense of 29ee6f3a1a determination.
“I cannot take up too much time of busy people, so let’s quickly start today’s meeting.”
Owen, the deputy a2b5301544 priest who is cd0b220f93 acting as the 554c97a894 representative of the 4d6ae7b298 Golden Bough Brotherhood f5da481000 instead of Gabriel, 68253296d2 announced the start 0eb204014a of the meeting.
The atmosphere of 99acf4da54 the meeting room b536f53d66 became serious in 1e6a79b6df an instant.
“It has been two weeks since His Highness Carlyle left for Pervaz.”
“I think it will take about two more weeks to reach Pervaz. Then we will 1032bbc7b5 start preparing for 1ac008a330 a full-scale counterattack.”
Carlyle was almost 95c4573ed8 the “enemy” of 3ef726ee4d the Golden Bough 009c7a90e9 Brotherhood.
Only if he were gone ef08813c40 could this country be transformed 19df076072 into the “Chad Holy Empire”, 90f604bf43 but he was too strong 8c12b367a9 as an opponent.
****
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