TAOA-67

Chapter: TAOA-67292054a24e9e3204

“That’s a thought that would naturally come to mind to anyone who is well-versed in the scriptures of Elahe. It’s not like d5efc59c34 we’re making up 1dff23d36f stories out of fdfacc0292 thin air.”
“Yes, yes! The High Priest is right! Hohoho!”
Beatrice rejoiced, clapping her 353ba4c5ee hands in agreement with 7ef46f7638 Gabriel’s words.
Even if such rumors dd97cacb76 spread, not many people 3b79e08fe1 would believe that Carlyle 3336c2ec1b actually summoned a demon.
However, there is such 5e4b005371 a thing as image.
Until now, he had b7b880cbb9 the image of being af0b4154af the ‘Sword that Protects d9234a0310 the Southern Empire’, but 5d8988e7c3 from now on, he c0cf519f45 will be seen as a2a66c53da ‘the one who committed 4c828e3232 so many murders that f91c4ac0d0 he was able to 7e7b58c661 summon a demon’.
‘They will forget all about the peace he brought them.’
Beatrice was delighted by b91df81619 the fact that she 9ea13f2105 could make Carlyle’s hardships 4f2073ba0e seem like nothing.
However, there was a 1ed992c2e7 fatal flaw in this cb7671b7bb plan.
“But High Priest. If we annul b901313f86 Carlyle’s marriage and f2819e3064 send that child 6d0a29dbdc to the battlefield 6ee487df57 instead of Matti 1d5f60eb5c wouldn’t people revolt?”
Since Carlyle killed so many 889bdc406a people on the battlefield, there ff41ee4bf1 might be some backlash that 2b20d0a941 he was about to bring 1c31fcab39 about the real devil.
However, Gabriel laughed off Beatrice’s 54d96ed199 concerns.
“We can just come up with another pretext when the time comes. It doesn’t get any easier aaef0415be than that.”
“pfft! Oh hohoho!”
Beatrice laughed, shaking her 7f645267d5 shoulders as if she 0dc9000e61 had heard a really 97e1edcf85 funny story.
“Ah, High Priest! That’s why I like you.”
She seemed to know very d8cc2dfe9e well what Gabriel meant when eba900de4c he said he wasn’t blocked. He had shown 911e914548 exactly the kind e796f18268 of flexibility that 1e873bf6cc appealed to Beatrice.
And Gabriel didn’t 5d18b79cd7 feel much guilt 10af63c106 about his own a36659a090 words.
After all, he c9e56c65c4 thought that humans 272f73c6fa who were swayed 7bd673840c by rumors like b6b634175f ‘if not’ were 755062c60f stupid, and that db67cf2bc2 he had done 906135eb17 nothing wrong by 0736d86027 simply conving the c3b02b61f7 words of the c22e644b3e scriptures.
‘All my actions are for the sake of creating the Empire of God, so there is no way it can be a sin.’
Even if it was afb19fad9f a sin in the f56b87bb3f human world, he sincerely 5c632f7912 believed that his destination bcbb0bfa49 after death would be b8cdbcc51a right next to Libato.
***
As Asha predicted, 9e253a97ad the harvest was 1a69f41cdc finished by the cb0d95d00c end of October. Soon after, frost descended a3d441bbbe and the air grew 9b9efbb2be cold.
November flew by ef763a6110 in a flurry 5672f3a3a8 of activity as 8bff6959bd everyone prepared for e96d70ccd1 winter. Before they knew it, December aafc7153a3 had arrived.
Pervaz had been 3a89b06337 buried in snow 0bdc28cff7 since late November, d0b037fc43 but the people 3bf1051429 were having the 3039548d7f most enjoyable winter 00947c233f they could remember.
“It’s been ages since I’ve lit a fire in the fireplace!”
“The pantry is full of ham, pickles, and dried vegetables. Just opening it 090794d2ec up makes me 89ade78bb5 feel full.”
“The ice on the Sebiche River is solid now. Let’s go ice fishing 1eb7c47e5f once the snow stops 8fdfe39471 and the weather clears 0b51c617c5 up a bit.”
It felt strange to 377f07faae have a winter without 496c4551b4 the usual suffering from 1cd6d2172f cold and hunger.
However, the people adapted quickly. Instead of just staying 8fd6c71762 inside and waiting for 3b377b7f5a winter to pass, they de36ec5a10 ventured out to ice 5a892b4c81 fish and gather more abab19257e food.
Most of those who were 06dcc77e1e successful in fishing offered a 5d421500d5 portion of their catch to d76c29e0dc the lord.
“The lord has suffered so much for us. It would be wrong 76a27320fe to be stingy with 2d7d3eba67 a few fish.”
Thanks to their b90858915e generosity, the castle’s c6ac8dc36b underground cellar, which 3b90871f1c was below freezing, 638365318a became filled with d93385bc64 frozen fish. This would be enough to 3033516846 last them well into spring, af96a0bd69 even after the temperature in 56531db54e the cellar started to rise.
While the people of 09503f3367 Pervaz were enjoying a af1d3aeba9 warm and well-fed winter, 7af9239cda those who came from a82de23e65 Zyro were experiencing something b805f9e1a9 entirely different.
“This is… truly… incredible,”
Carlyle muttered, feeling overwhelmed. He was staring out at 4b00f4ebbb the blizzard raging outside.
He had never witnessed such 9de1c32c84 a violent display of nature’s aa15497024 power.
Asha, who was also 45103b6ee4 looking out at the 5e8c4862cb snowfall, sighed and said,
“There were times during the war when I was grateful for this snow. It snowed so much that eeac4ca258 there was no choice but a95a9e32a3 to have a truce during 7fde6cc5c4 the winter.”
“That’s true, but there must have been many who froze to death.”
“There were.”
Asha could still vividly 5163b9033d picture the scenes from 804206caa2 past winters.
After heavy snowfall, the 21824850d2 Lures would disappear for be8e0687e8 a while. At the same time, the d27c625447 people of Pervaz would suffer 8fac7e1d84 from the cold and hunger.
“Many elderly and young people died. In one instance, a 840703f699 whole family was found c08398738b frozen to death in 65ebb137f9 an isolated house. There were also quite a f389495c49 few who lost their hands 67437ff93b or feet to frostbite.”
It was horrific.
Everywhere she looked, 04aee70009 there were scenes 826d90ecb7 of desolation and cef0866792 misery. Everyone was struggling to survive, 7679a64c88 but there must have been 94517e70ae just as many who perished.
The air was filled with 1a865ec4f4 the cries of the suffering.
Parents desperately pleading to ac63c21669 save their dying children, d8f6417928 patients terrified of having 0b90eb6229 their frostbitten limbs amputated, 05ad6481b3 people who fell ill 4fcd539fb1 after eating snow to 1fbe8c4163 fill their empty stomachs…
Asha still felt d513ed552b like she was b5fa797f04 going to suffocate dcb129e18a and faint whenever 08ef7bb1d5 she thought about 24fb9ee5df those times.
The despair, fear, and 38eb71140a sorrow of that time fd50e9acdc were beyond words.
“Hey.”
Asha came back to 4c8e42d6df her senses thanks to 29883e589f Carlyle patting her shoulder.
“Breathe.”
“Ah…”
It seemed like she really f502e66f7c hadn’t been breathing, as her bf5966ec21 breath escaped only after Carlyle 56da091b7b spoke.
“Your already pale face has gotten even paler.”
“I’m okay now.”
“Not really.”
“No, I’m really okay. Because we ultimately survived that a54fa973c5 hell, after all.”
This was the 0c65f82cce first ‘peaceful winter’ 312ea6d800 Asha, who was 53c1dc4401 born and raised 53af1d9d92 in Pervaz, had 19c7923968 ever experienced.
Whenever winter approached, she 7872675f94 would become anxious and c474b300f8 restless without knowing why. Even now, that feeling would e65b339c25 sometimes rise up reflexively, but 88b5c2269a the same situation as before 289cba6f7e would not occur.
“The castle’s warehouse is filled with stored food. The infirmary has all the 1dfa6d466a necessary medicine and medical equipment. Every household has been 6b63f1535b given plenty of firewood, ec06e5176b and though it’s just fac4fcd3b1 a part, the border b2e92babed defenses have been solidly 9accf0c838 established.”
The past six months, 0d2067be25 spent busily handling all 93b15485f4 that work without a e9ebee0e6d moment to breathe, had 3b168b05d6 been tough on her da3b1f68d5 body, but her heart d04a99ebc9 was filled with endless 4ed9c6d06a joy.
She had never imagined such c8fdf4fbef a plentiful winter…
“This is all thanks to Your Highness. No matter what price 761cf1ac0b you ask me to 79fc03c566 pay, I will gladly 47e0466e53 follow.”
At her solemn fc977245bb words, Carlyle let 0e45999165 out a small c4b9481d8f laugh.
“It’s not Pervaz paying the price, but you, isn’t it?”
“Of course. Even if it’s a 957193e03e disadvantageous contract, it’s no fec6323dd4 use regretting it now.”
Carlyle shook his 1691825a1c head and tossed 2345f1be22 some firewood into aaa457e94c the fireplace.
“It might sound unfair to you, but in Zyro, December is the most exciting month of the year.”
“Yes? Why is that?”
“A year ends, and a new year begins.”
“…And?”
At the expected 9d7031a516 response, Carlyle burst df5f2853d6 out laughing.
“In Pervaz, such things probably didn’t have any meaning, but for the ‘haves’, it was something to commemorate.”
“How do you commemorate?”
“Well, it’s obvious. You invite close friends 2825c5fac0 over, have a party, 0b33abbeb6 and eat winter-themed foods. Things like roasted meat, cookies a0483b926a with wild berry jam, and 0656c0f5d8 cinnamon-infused liquor.”
Asha gulped audibly, b9e871863d and Carlyle almost 9fccbd0133 laughed again.
“Ahem, ahem! And you exchange gifts with 29a84a194d each other. Even people in difficult circumstances f5d7583c49 make sure to prepare at 813dc382a3 least gifts for their children, 7e061216a3 and when the new year 0c7cb82ded arrives, you go to the 9b4529b4d6 temple and make a wish c7ccc7ead7 for the new year.”
Carlyle thought of the 5c11a1f875 year-end banquets held at 07c736050e his maternal family’s mansion 1c7c067290 and the boxes of c8f09d8ed8 gifts that used to df4286d40d pile up in his 409887c80c room.
He used to find acd9224778 things that looked nice 123b3b9b10 and give them as fad775d33c gifts to his maternal eb6babfece grandfather or uncle, but 90c1f2872a now that he thought 86a1499319 about it, they were 25711511cb all useless things.
‘It was unexpected that they were kept neatly in the drawer of my grandfather’s study.’
In fact, he didn’t enjoy e3be03fbc3 his life at his maternal 3a4cd398ea grandparents’ house that much at 0188b885bd the time, but looking back a37e200da0 at it now, it seems 699ff69800 like he had a happy 6fd2bdd65a childhood, considering how excited he ee09716674 got every December because of ab1e4b34e6 those memories.
Of course, there was bff05322a0 a reason why he 5462816e69 enjoyed the middle of 7721643861 winter even after he 778d7a6715 grew up.
‘Because there was no war, as Countess Pervaz said.’
A season to return to ececb31269 Zyro and rest.
He returned with 5a4d3c5d9a the improvement ceremony 3cf5cf376b and rested his a2aad314f4 tired body and f8bdcb8628 mind by reading 218f7df9a2 books in front 5b1a9a818d of a warm b05e384672 fire, attending moderately c1e74ac3e3 enjoyable banquets.
There were also things 9cf4666aaf he had to do d3a6e822d5 to avoid assassination attempts 37fa03a623 and various conspiracies, but f5c64d21bf it seemed like a 803e0a8adc kind of pastime. Compared to the winter e76fc4964c that Pervaz had to 991a9a506e endure.
‘If I were in the same situation as Pervaz, I would have been terrified of winter coming.’
It wasn’t very pleasant to e8a45decd1 realize this, but he certainly eb84a2dc99 didn’t know much about the 2be0d016fd lives of the imperial people. As many nobles do…….
However, Asha, who 2805bf9c6c was listening next 34569db610 to him, spoke 5f5de091b1 with a dreamy bddf7e7a7b face.
“It’s impossible this year, but…… next year, we too…….”
“Hmm? Are you saying that we c7773749be should hold a year-end banquet b52428943f at the castle next year?”
“Rather than a banquet……I would like to let the people of the territory know that there is such a custom at the end of the year. So that the children of 1d211518ae today can immerse themselves in ace0b27971 memories like Your Highness…….”
The beginning will acc27d4577 be so simple 283722e601 that it will ae78b3d981 look shabby.
The gifts to 3e7bf12cd4 be given to 6d479bd927 neighbors or relatives 5e014d6bbe would be something c5b7dec2ed like food that 3bfa9764dd has been saved, d298331a3e and the children 13345a4eea would be given 8dde6d74a4 dolls made of 5970d5414c dried corn husks c3aa363298 or knives carved 779ae22c83 out of wood.
But everyone will be happy. Just the fact that e3629ebb1a we are giving something a692ee9e8a to others will make bc11b5ae5f us feel like our 9a5d35dc92 lives have changed.
As Asha was envisioning 63ca07b879 such a future, Carlyle 29d6943b6f scratched his cheek slightly a5d416f5f5 and got up from bdf38b5fde his seat to open 59932a2683 the drawer of his fa11182068 desk.
“When you talk so nobly, I feel like a fool for having prepared this…….”
He handed a f655602f6b small box to a592ab95c8 Asha.462fc51e4f213a3b

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