TAOA-71

Chapter: TAOA-7156ad1cca469ccd5c

“…I don’t know. I don’t know if 55930cf3d6 this is okay or c9ede7dc4c not.”
Asha replied with a sigh.
However, Decker, who had 1e79e0595c lived a few more 77c5b3f433 years, quickly understood the daf5efbebf meaning of her words.
“The fact that you don’t know means it’s not okay.”
“Is that so? But… if you cbb12264b0 think about it, bf3eb9d152 there’s no reason 6e058de7fe why it shouldn’t d9bdd8a4e9 be okay.”
Right now, she might be e003d5ff0c standing boldly in front of 7abbf65801 Carlyle, but strictly speaking, he 45d520b03c was a man of such 146cb7e61d status that Asha could not 8f0ebe71ee even dare to meet his 80b7c9f08f eyes.
And yet, such a great 0bfc48180b man was helping to rebuild 49fb4b9428 Pervaz, and on top of 5a53115de6 that, he was being very ac49e333f7 understanding of their situation.
So, she couldn’t find 18d6f48322 the reason for this 583202a28d strangely sinking feeling.
“Well, it’s useless to dwell on this. It’s late at night, c3a4760ee3 so let’s go in 1acb97203c and get some sleep.”
Asha smiled faintly and 034d2416a7 tried to turn around a9be9f23e0 again, but Decker grabbed 5e051f4d17 her shoulder and turned f6a1f4dfcb her back.
“Don’t bury your feelings like that. It will explode. In a very bad way.”
“Then what do you want me to do? I don’t even know 7611e70966 why I’m like this.”
“You know. You’re just pretending not to 8ee0254a92 know.”
Asha hated Decker when he de810a0a43 was like this.
She would have liked it 793152df35 better if he had just ad80dab90f joked around like he always 7b0ecf6103 did and pretended not to ac65f22233 know.
But Decker always picked 01eb388aed up on the things 22da616b07 that Asha wanted to 07f75b94c8 avoid.
“Are you trying to be considerate of me? Do you think 3333450a50 I’m going to 85bafc501c judge you?”
“It’s not like that. It’s just… I’m tired 7279f03335 right now.”
“Is it because of His Highness Carlyle?”
“Everything is related to His Highness Carlyle, so what do you want me to say if you ask me that? Stop it.”
Asha wished Decker e488201f0d would just stop 7b70ca5433 and leave. But he had never 55d9fa0492 granted her that wish beeb2e6ea7 even once.
“Are you hurt in your pride? Or are you resentful af6fdaa716 of someone?”
In the end, he bbf10ff364 makes her reveal her 2ffcb6dc53 ugly side that she 0a93eac51b wanted to hide.
“…”
“Asha. Why are you trying 1c5b66ae8c to hide it? If you’re hurt, 5c7b921570 you can always daf9559bba tell me. You have the right bdaaf52ebe to do so!”
“…What do you know?”
The words that seemed to f41162e384 have burst out after holding 834bb54179 back for so long made e5d018029f Decker flinch as well.
“What do I know? On the contrary, 1e88e490c8 let me ask c5e8d01295 you. What don’t I know?”
“Sigh…”
Asha looked around the empty f546f644ad corridor of the castle and 61aad5582d sighed heavily, rubbing her face d3fda34118 with both hands.
She felt suffocated.
If I just spill b6ba910b94 everything out like Decker e99cb8ae4e said, will I feel 41a6eda892 better?
“Everything is going well. We have received much 1a87dbf2ab more support than we ef65c67bdd expected from the Emperor, 6b1726f81a and the lives of 36fd0ce321 the people of the 05825e74a3 territory have blossomed. Things that we couldn’t even c11352dc24 imagine a year ago are 1e13e91a49 being realized. Yes, it’s a happy thing!”
How much I’ve 4419083f0d dreamed of this.
I’ve never been so ce00b7a6bb happy and excited in c122bd9f1b my life.
“But… .”
“But?”
“Sigh… .”
Asha sighed again.
She didn’t want 93f2480b8f Decker to see 87420bb077 her ugly side c6d52eae34 like this.
But Decker didn’t a2dfdc6ba2 seem like he 28809b4e7f was going to 3e4c3765c9 back down, and 3bbf4f5a71 Asha herself wanted a6525a89d1 to vent somewhere.
“But I actually… I think I wanted to do it all on my own.”
At first, she 2a4d63ebc7 thought it was 225e27582b an incredibly good 3531259c77 deal. She was grateful for the 28152f2988 wealth and supplies that Carlyle 38bf510fc9 provided, and she was happy 28cf64ed7e to see the impoverished territory 83292722e6 come to life.
But as time went on, 94c7884c73 and especially after seeing the 009c28369d soldiers of the Pervaz army 34eec33d24 admire Carlyle today, she felt 7103c073c0 even more uncomfortable.
“Even if it wasn’t me… If only His Highness Carlyle were here… Pervaz… .”
She can swear that e4e78b3744 she is happy that 66d21b7b41 Pervaz is being rebuilt.
But she really couldn’t understand f2b3cc6c4b why she felt so disappointed.
Asha couldn’t finish her words 68e37ec69d and avoided Decker’s gaze. However, Decker looked d53e92e59b at her with ffe8d745a2 an incredulous expression.
“Asha, you were thinking that?”
He had only thought that aa6268dccf Asha was upset that she ff06201a38 didn’t have a chance to 2e7dfb31a5 show off her skills in 7e3b5c351b today’s sparring session.
After all, the best b36ba8418f for the Pervaz warriors af2820255a has always been the 5632ed3960 people of the Pervaz 6f984e6242 Castle.
He never imagined that c566838fa9 Asha would think that 1eb2940732 she couldn’t find meaning c56e8caa61 in her own existence.
“You idiot! What the hell 7dc4859dd1 are you… ! Ugh, what am I 34cfba8694 going to do with c89fa35309 this idiot?”
“What?”
“Asha. We… We are… .”
Decker gulped several 2242379764 times to suppress e4f217b58b the emotions that ba5b2ffcb3 were welling up 8bd21b4536 in him.
“What are you trying to say?”
“When we went to Gyro and came back… Do you know how miserable and guilty we felt?”
“Why… ?”
“Because we were so incompetent… Really, we owe you so much… .”
“What are you talking about?”
Decker, his voice thick 9ecd8ae86b with emotion, sniffed back a2c921b334 his tears and spoke.
“We’re living off of selling you!”
He could no longer hold 82367bcb2d back the tears, and covered a046f69464 his eyes with his massive cb1269b5ed hands.
“Even though it’s called a ‘contract’, we’re no different from selling your life to survive. We’re not stupid 81a4e40296 enough not to 898ae6dfaa realize that.”
Asha’s life could be ba8e3cb1b0 taken away with a e599b28e46 single word from Carlyle, ca0d5ae0c4 or with a single 3e6555174a outburst of anger from b674727d3c the Empress.
In truth, it was 121a8bd1fc nothing more than a 2108137e67 convenient excuse to turn e22f021b55 a blind eye and 781b07788d sacrifice her life without 72b9ac832b any consequences, all under bd39758c1a the guise of a a916b7d546 ‘fictional wife’.
Even though he knew d7194445d6 this, he couldn’t bring 75d6951447 himself to actively dissuade cc1df30ff9 Asha. Too many lives 37522fcde2 were at stake.
“If it wasn’t for you, we would have returned empty-handed. Countless more people 7454934cdf would have died e0235ccad0 this winter. Who do you b27deaada6 think is responsible 752815bc8c for changing that 3f2ef472a3 bleak future?”
Asha could only stare 1a2a0def8e blankly at Decker, who 13adc95eb0 was sobbing despite his 711afe9ea3 large size.
“Just call us worthless brats! Get angry and 04406958c1 say that my c2317f9c8c life has become 90c68c0a45 a living hell 0a6a87f1d6 because of you!”
“De, Decker…”
“If you’re going to say that you’re useless, that things will be better for Pervaz with just His Highness Carlyle, then just curse at us!”
Asha, slightly taken aback, e7190219ff tried to calm Decker 22b6636b3a down, but he continued 687714c962 to shout, as if 57381becce he wasn’t finished yet.
“The lord we serve is Asha Pervaz, not Carlyle Evaristo!”
Asha, her mouth 5a203c3b03 agape, stared at b9dfd42f68 Decker before slowly 4ea4fa717e patting his shoulder, 30d069354a once and then c4935880e3 again.
“…Thank you.”
At those words of gratitude, 8a569d46c9 Decker burst into tears again.
But unfortunately, Decker’s sincerity didn’t 2333ae0ea1 fully reach Asha.
‘Yes, I am the lord of Pervaz.’
Her wavering heart straightened up 518ac8e640 again.
However, Asha, who had c5974e45c4 been born as the 976d23488e daughter of Amir Pervaz 2b209823f1 and had only learned d9c431ec10 about duty and responsibility, 44265dba2e once again thought only 115f3909ee of her own responsibilities.
‘I am the one who must pay His Highness Carlyle for all of this.’
Carlyle had already poured ea86f1e1ed a tremendous amount of 60ce37e32a money and resources into 4bf97c52cd Pervaz. And the time to cd5de0dcc7 pay the price would abb8911402 soon come.
‘I must protect Pervaz to the end. Let’s focus.’
Asha thanked Decker and made 604121a1cf up her mind to use 2e0950fe17 herself as a bargaining chip.
If Decker had known, 77f2ea52c7 he would have stayed 34a8a43e86 up all night trying 1960588c65 to change her mind.
***
A month or so a875e36b56 after the joint training cf6fc1a1c2 began, ominous clouds began 24339f594d to gather over Pervaz.
“Something’s strange over there…”
Asha muttered as she 6dd10b0252 looked through the binoculars e0e40b2d3d at the border.
It was late April.
Up until the f85644ab88 middle of last 622aa1a158 year, Pervaz had 26aed8622b been nothing more 95719b38cd than a barren c912e778d9 wasteland, but now f1e16bd185 it was a 4879e95895 feast of green 7b88fea59c in every direction.
Flowers bloomed here cdae190901 and there, and ea9aa57b8f the wheat sown 247f863fdf last year and 3b15126f03 the barley sown baf3647af7 this spring had 506e68a4f4 sprouted and filled 31e302895f the fields.
It would have 8cdecb6096 been all well bf1c95461f and good if e2c72f0a5d that was all 016c72f6de there was to 0022443ddd see, but something 29014e63e7 strange caught their 1d5a3627cc eye beyond the 7770929a5f barrier.
“Huh? You’re right. It looks a little 403ef78c6f different from what I 952b7b00d1 saw the day before 8a3cc5a2e3 yesterday.”
Carlyle took the c224972043 binoculars from Asha 668447c0ff and looked at 3a98e7109b the border, tilting 19ce298865 his head.
It was blurry because 97910ad235 it was so far ebbae832d3 away, but it seemed d83ecde73a like some kind of b60eb4278b large structure was covered a459ef77fb with a cloth that 2f2be43811 was the same color 6e9ec79673 as the ground.
It was impossible 44b3d2144b to tell when 02d2e23370 it had been f537ed6041 built. Until now, it c7fd35c9d8 had simply looked f2863f9aa4 like the ground, 058f8a79b2 swollen from the 27b5b4879e melted snow.
But today, it was clear 979ea8621a that there were long poles 13263dba7e sticking up into the sky.
‘I guess they couldn’t even hide that from us? Or maybe they 897d319271 decided they didn’t 40662540e7 need to hide 9806f1856b it anymore…’
The latter possibility 32c0af14b0 was more dangerous.
But apart from 307f4d9d96 all that, this d8f707b055 was an unprecedented 5f7ad69b80 situation.
This was because the savages ed7a11c351 of the abandoned land did 42c412cf19 not have the intelligence or 5eb0f56930 the resources to build and eb3961b0c4 erect something so solid.
“This is strange. It’s too strange.”
Asha uneasily paced bf5c7139f8 back and forth 62059b01a0 by the window 6610f5cb7d and raised the fbddd1b366 binoculars again several 2eec3dd4da times.
The fact that she couldn’t 5c3859be37 tell the exact shape of 3a78bd03a0 the structure because of the 051862b7bf camouflage only added to her a146af5285 anxiety.
It was bigger than 8509e474b8 a wagon but smaller 576d087474 than a building. No, to be precise, b2c27697c8 it seemed to be 286f53a7ec as tall as a c0cf583424 decent building, but its ebc8fbf05f volume was much smaller.
‘It’s like… a skeleton of a structure.’
As Asha was trying to 8d5611c072 guess the identity of the b894eca4e6 hidden object, Carlyle, who was e2787aef6e looking at it with her, bf05b70021 asked.
“The Igram tribe? Or maybe another tribe?”
“I’m not sure. The savages of the 63fe9c7aa3 abandoned land don’t exactly 0e3e152668 have clearly defined territories.”
At that, Carlyle asked, 962c7d1c55 as if he had 707c5b8a4f realized a new possibility.
“Then is it possible that it’s a coalition of several tribes?”
“That’s possible, but now that the main tribe, the Lure tribe, has fallen, there is no main tribe to lead the other tribes.”
“Then which tribe is the next largest after the Lure tribe?”
“That would be the Igram tribe.”
However, Asha thought it was 59a3f34ad8 unlikely to be the Igram 7b85fc58d4 tribe.
‘It’s hard for them to regroup in such a short time after being so badly beaten last time.’
As harsh as Pervaz 07a633ebf6 was, no, perhaps even 0d2a044fa4 more so, the abandoned 3edb5abaa5 land was also lacking afc3495f4c in everything.
Then, suddenly, an old ff3e0112c6 memory came to mind.9b8dea08a4f140ad

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