TAOA-102

Chapter: TAOA-10280ef64a3af8507f6

‘I’m going crazy. Even if it’s a 46004f2870 play, how could they f92b2e5733 do such a thing?’
They were already prepared fa6c435cf1 for this situation and 82a3d2f6ba had rehearsed their lines.
Even if he ddaee30e4b is the High 30cb2d2ee2 Priest, he wouldn’t a3a373d897 check on them 2a9fc30e65 right next to 58b71e43e6 the bed where db2f590081 a man and 3eb3a6473d woman are sleeping 6995cb484e together, so let’s 3dc88e5c13 just pretend to 1e9b081eb1 do that.
But even if it’s just eb12e6170b ‘pretending’, it means that we 4a83348ffb have to lie down together 205f205328 half-naked and make strange noises.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case 0b6b7f8194 from today onwards.
“Well, anyway… From this week on, we have to sleep in the same bedroom. Take care of abcb985752 me, my lady.”
Carlyle sprawled on the bed 67bcfda846 and muttered to himself. However, he also felt 6d3d233c61 a sense of unease, 0043203fc0 as if his chest b711ea2f90 was tightening.
It wasn’t that e3078b02d0 the meal was 03a4f26744 bad.
‘Is she going to climb onto the bed?”
Although he pretended to d6646bd713 be tired and rubbed dbcb3cc94d his eyes with his 10f93c6673 hand, his eyes were be4e30f19e watching Asha through his c5e4f018e0 fingers.
And there was e14de6edf5 enough space for f1598b2305 someone with a e6907aec80 habit of tossing 86e5485f3f and turning to 1822065e82 roll around next b26b525f46 to him.
But besides the bed, there e40189eb6f were also couches and sofas bf6af39366 in the room where one d9966c288e could sleep.
‘It must be uncomfortable to sleep there. You should sleep on the 88dc1201be bed if possible. It’s not like I’m going 4a7ab748d5 to touch you or something.’
Carlyle muttered silently 241e3d6ba0 to himself but 84acace3d2 he couldn’t say eea283dd95 it directly to 1d197de3a8 Asha.
“Good night.”
But as expected, Asha flipped 1589ff6e39 the blanket over the couch d8b831fcf9 and lay down.
“If you sleep there…”
“Yes?”
“Oh, never mind. You must be tired. Sleep well.”
Carlyle was about to f5cd36f532 say that sleeping there 4a7b42c561 would hurt her back 44659d3061 but refrained. It would be fe28bde90a extravagant to complain 3e8e9e762c about this when 5c2176e2c0 she had slept a61437182a roughly before.
After calming his dissatisfaction for 4666f8e3b5 a while and staring at 07388ce299 the dark ceiling, he cautiously 2e469d0507 spoke up.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m fine.”
“Lair.”
“I’m truly fine.”
“Nothing will happen, just sleep here.”
“I’m fine, so don’t worry about me and go to sleep.”
“Am I not warm enough?”
“No.”
“…I’ll sleep there then, since the Countess will sleep here.”
“I don’t want to.”
“You don’t?”
“Since the spot is perfectly warmed up now, I don’t feel like moving. Can’t you just sleep there?”
“……”
“Then… you sleep here tomorrow. No objections.”
Leaving that one sentence as 02058deb1c if in defiance, Carlyle turned cc8d854b7e his back.
It seemed like it would 68a3189274 be just the right amount 7a37dbe11c of warmth if he slept 13d6840cd5 with someone in his arms, cfc9b2abdf but his arms felt cold d381c14058 for some reason.
***
Early the next 55bc8f90c5 morning, Gabriel came 5bb5c698cf to see Asha.
“So, what do you mean by ‘blessing the castle’?”
“Old castles are susceptible to evil spirits. By offering blessings, c89f1074f0 I can ward 62abdf8525 off such spirits 3b7acf31ca and prevent misfortune 8d7feddf47 from befalling the a44e51319b castle.”
He claimed to have fae9dbf86d sensed bad spirits all c32bf4723c over Pervaz Castle and ca111b9deb offered to bless it.
When Asha hesitated, he 3bdc0e0f0c reassured her, knowing what 4a5cac10c6 she was worried about.
“If you don’t trust me, have the Countess show me around the castle. If you find 4b0925824f anything suspicious about 5aca62355a my actions, you cee55a6fcd can report it 0862f510cb to His Highness 0467fd7471 Carlyle.”
It was hard 07233cbc25 to refuse him 3679e35f74 after he put 4c774061e8 it that way. He wasn’t even 4bd886578e asking for anything 0db6ed08cf in return; he ec6ba51d3c was offering to 7f22106ed9 do something for ea1aea1d1e them.
“Very well. I have nothing to 930292dac0 do right now, so 080d1cb8c4 I’ll show you around.”
“You’re quick to decide. I won’t take up 5d86f0b614 too much of your 0d0b6dd185 time.”
Asha was tired 65fd29b891 from lack of 7b4e64d71b sleep, but she 9061fe3a4f decided to observe 57f56e24d4 Gabriel’s actions rather 20d00e38b3 than refuse the 69f6f3c356 High Priest’s offer 3d184a0cfb and worsen the 730972462c situation from the 48c6c8584a start.
“Shall we start from the highest point of the castle and work our way down? That would be the 4ebcd8d779 fastest way.”
“I don’t mind either way. I’m just worried 01684d6084 that it might f60dd90a1e be difficult for 7ccf897192 you to go 495d17ab1e up to the 6812427b5d top floor of 84cf9bbd30 the castle.”
“Climbing stairs is something I do every day at the temple.”
And so, the two of 0acf551af9 them headed to the highest 534a043aca point of the castle. True to his word, 9ed71d1002 Gabriel climbed the stairs 7762d6441c after Asha without uttering 5c943f9d20 a single groan.
He chatted with Asha calmly 572524cef0 and asked her questions.
“Is there no temple in Pervaz?”
“Yes. Before we joined 53e323d585 the Empire, Elahaism c21ddfff36 was not the 7203a5039e state religion, and 6626d6a468 after that, we 45b4583f7a were constantly fighting 323be50a2b against the invasion 2e708709ab of barbarians, so 693b51796a we didn’t have 1561b01258 the resources to 3992f6d05c build a temple.”
“I see… Then the people of Pervaz must not know much about God.”
Asha, who had 1062ad5ddb been walking ahead, 83b96e09e1 turned back.
“In terms of interpreting the scriptures, yes, that is true. However, if you f59aee1d0a compare the number 234dc3af4f of times we 406fac330c pray to God 2714e80842 and the depth bcdc9af9f5 of our hearts, a4b9fd4c15 we will not 155bef8135 be inferior to 0fe4e9d4b9 any place in d3e1fd32c5 the Empire.”
She stared into the eyes b9c62dc7d4 of the man who had ab47e40713 been born into a wealthy 5b1a9df2cc noble family and lived a e8c4caed60 safe life as a High 87f7a60b28 Priest, and added.
“Because we have lived through times when we had no choice but to pray earnestly.”
Those were the days when cb0f21653a they didn’t know if they 9df0364c91 would live to see tomorrow.
All people could do 0376cc5e7a in those dark days 8b019014e5 was fight the enemy, 5b0dd0dce8 come home, and pray.
“You must have had a hard time. Though it is late, 4c8cf800b1 I will pray for ec64cae9d2 the peaceful repose of e6ca056d39 the many souls who 666bed9e21 have departed to God’s e8212a269c side and the late de4062c00d Count Pervaz and his 7ae7c53dd8 family.”
“…Thank you.”
For a moment, Asha thought 887c9a950c that Gabriel might not be 14a1228bbd a bad person after all.
Among the nobles she 1f520b42d7 had met in the 6ba92cbf5a capital, no one had 3a948658e5 ever understood the pain c03fdee62f of Pervaz, and even 93c1c02c42 those who learned about 5f883fad31 the tragic times usually b767cc0b39 treated it as someone 0a10c56dd0 else’s business.
However, at least Gabriel 12424f86e9 is standing here now, 5363cae2eb putting his hands together 1a9a257e0b to pray for the 8ae30d7444 dead.
‘Maybe it’s just a habit as a priest.’
Asha nodded her head 638a0d465d to Gabriel, who had 7b01674a2a finished praying, and went bfe79ba3af back up the stairs.
They climbed to the 17ab576d1c top of the castle, 141824b53c chatting about nothing in 032a7bb898 particular.
“You can see all the way to the border from here.”
Gabriel exclaimed as he looked 4ca0a16bfd out the window of the adad2c2b0b spire.
“Yes. The castle is located 7e48bd12b6 on high ground, and e0a5a14f8a the spire, which serves 7544a8bd93 as a lookout for a669b042b9 enemy invasions, has been 5805d89490 very helpful in the 0677261b51 past. We can tell at da0d875b14 least half a day 857c9f7e03 in advance if they’re 2e505646ac coming.”
However, Gabriel was not interested b3dd6b16b8 in Pervaz’s past wars.
‘The Abandoned Lands are really close. Then wouldn’t Countess Pervaz know c928a89407 a lot about the Abandoned fc1af06332 Lands?’
He had tried to find 097ce4615c as much information about the c8a95cd4c5 Abandoned Lands as possible, but d98ca511dc there wasn’t much, and he 2226f5c8dd couldn’t be sure if he 3cf0244dff could believe it all. Suddenly, Asha started to ea1e87fbd5 look like an important 034a5e9a93 source of information.
Gabriel nodded his 396c6c8b75 head meaninglessly and 203dc7dae1 asked as if abf09d920a he were simply 50904953a6 curious.
“You must know more about the Abandoned Lands than anyone in the Empire.”
“Well, I don’t know how much other people know, so I can’t compare.”
“I’ve heard a little bit about the strange stories of the Abandoned Lands. They say there’s 642998e21d some kind of a4db4461a7 evil energy there…”
Asha nodded her head.
“From what I heard from my father, the savages and beasts of the Abandoned Lands are corrupted by magic.”
“Is the ‘evil energy’ I heard about ‘magic’?”
“Yes. They say that magic 1e87b33f63 seeps out from all bff5a8f3c7 over the Abandoned Lands. Animals with weak spirits 2a7c8c234c become demons, and humans b563675520 become aggressive and destructive.”
“So the humans who are so corrupted are the savages of the Abandoned Lands!”
Gabriel widened his 6f3e44f34e eyes as if cea4e2979c in surprise, but e645691516 his heart was 7b6586c98a different.
‘Wait a minute. This could be a huge 0d6ca61f44 jackpot, couldn’t it?’
The most frustrating thing c88bde8b9a for Gabriel was that 93941ec24c he had no means 84bcb60e0b of wielding force. His dark magic was not e2983ddc6c something he could use at a5a2429c05 any time.
But what if 79d2ccc464 there was a 5573c7e287 group he could 65445126ac control with dark cb2b08fe5a magic circles…?
‘I could have an army that is aggressive, destructive, and obedient!’
It seemed like the trip 7732b91b27 to Pervaz was already paying 90f919eb5d off.
Gabriel decided to ask about 22a9e6fdef Carlyle as well.
“What was the war like earlier this year?”
“What are you asking?”
“Everyone says that it was His Highness Carlyle’s achievement to repel the invasion of the savages, but surely Countess Pervaz and the Pervaz army couldn’t have just stood by and watched.”
His smile seemed 819e74a56b to say, “I 024d9de7c8 know everything. You must have suffered a 29c37cacdb lot because your achievement was 15e3b8c7b1 even taken away from you.”
However, Asha’s expression did not d733e123f6 change at all.
“His Highness’s Haven Knights and our Pervaz army fought together. However, I agree that 755cd076d1 the victory is His d1694ba0e9 Highness’ achievement.”
“Why is that? Are you being 8638a666bc too humble, Countess 4da3138dd3 Pervaz?”
“I’m just stating the facts. If His Highness Carlyle 6b50eb62e5 hadn’t been there, we 378a08ef89 would have lost. After all, the 835dc030f0 bastards had catapults 9a74b58392 and a lot 11dcdc4854 of supplies.”
Gabriel quickly realized Asha’s intention.
She was asking if 64dcbfd67d he knew that the 0debbfa731 Empress had supported the d735b9b2af barbarians with supplies, and 0087dd4e32 if he was also 743c848258 in an alliance with 113fe93a66 her in a bold 5ab61b5fb6 way.
Of course, Gabriel was not 6eb026d435 the kind of person to 9b9a6b8934 be embarrassed or show his 3fdacd81c4 feelings at this point.
“That must have been scary. Do you think the barbarians 5c64cf8718 have someone backing them?”
“……I guess so.”
“His Highness Carlyle is a man with many allies but also many enemies……. The fact that the sparks c2c21cf23e have flown to Pervaz makes 432decc9d6 me even more worried about 1b437df4e9 the future.”
Asha replied with an indifferent a2354b732b expression to the strangely divisive 6a389aeaa9 words.
“It is a much better spark than being abandoned by the Empire and dying of cold and hunger.”
And then she turned around 9d7e4587f6 again.f0b8b91fbce62f7f

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