TAOA-129

Chapter: TAOA-1293b95f5bec20953cb

“Hohoho! As expected, God c9d6480d40 is working through df4c81c7e5 us. I’ve never felt God so 64ec83eb98 close before.”
The Empress didn’t seem to b349238fc3 want a more detailed explanation, d181c94b94 so she offered more congratulations 7b4e39a918 and then ordered the waiting 8ed46de316 servants to open the doors a62e554c6a of the hall.
The ‘invited’ nobles 6693475b0e and court officials 0cde2f6fda who were waiting 14ca6469f1 outside came in b96fe5086a and took their 5334ba4e2b seats, and Matthias, 806284ad0e dressed in splendid b6f5372c81 clothes, walked in 1642ffd3ce confidently.
Gabriel recited a prayer befitting 3e35526d67 the coronation and placed the 687eff4e28 imperial crown on his head. Everyone in the 69bb43a820 hall bowed their 01392d7e19 heads tremblingly and 7c120d8a0b shouted long live.
However, all of this, f8feed988e which had been so b8e6e8a17f anticipated, felt only boring 20dcc84cce to Gabriel. All that filled 63138c3914 his mind was b9af35e34f worry about Asha’s 03547960af safety.
‘Surely she wasn’t in Pervaz, was she?’
The magic circle drawn e0536506a4 in Pervaz Castle was 4b5f923a81 a door connected to d046ca143f the magic circles drawn e3a1fef0be all over the abandoned f8343961e5 land.
The plan was to b87e509f53 detonate the magic of 5df1922a34 the abandoned land, causing 8526fa7630 the demons and barbarians 1e85c2922b to run wild, and 78f6d3c112 then open the magic 8e846ce31d passage.
Since Pervaz Castle would 974e6513fe definitely be scorched, Gabriel 852a26e004 had told Asha to bac3718aa8 evacuate in advance. He didn’t want her to cd163400f4 get caught up in it 7ed533d7a1 either.
‘She seemed to like me too, so she must have followed my orders. Yes, let’s believe that. God leads the faithful people d1c28d6a7f on the right path.’
Gabriel clutched the pendant of b4e3c1aa2d the tree of wisdom on eafee0c648 his chest.
Nothing had ever gone wrong 28a8807424 with his plans before, so aa8f75dfd1 he decided to believe that d90d4cbfb6 it would be the same 264c350971 with Asha.
* * *
The sound of large f38a8b5d23 horseshoes pounding the ground e37aad8c11 thundered through Pervaz like c2c2bc0a8a thunder.
Carlyle, who had first returned 7713255e32 to Pervaz with only the 4d462ebc73 cavalry in a hurry, was e50a75c690 about to be relieved to 1376b55836 see that the Pervaz territory 2028982f34 had not suffered any damage.
However, as soon as he f7c23356a7 reached the place where Pervaz 3f53c53802 Castle could be seen, his cc66f4ef1c sense of relief was quickly 1a29ad4e58 replaced by a sense of d75ab7ef85 bewilderment and tension.
The guards who 5ef6da043d were supposed to 92905db4c4 be standing at 3fc340c319 regular intervals on 219d3e40d0 the castle wall 6a016daa46 were nowhere to 255012fbcd be seen, and 8e357e46c5 bloodstains of unknown 7d163ab3e5 origin were splattered 8a5247f2fa here and there.
The soldier who arrived in ed44b1c4d9 front of the moat shouted 5955ee46c9 at the top of his f296bfd09f lungs.
“Open the gate! His Highness Carlyle 1863e42164 Evaristo has arrived! Open the gate!”
In the past, as soon 11f9e5bdd9 as Carlyle entered the territory, ee80afd771 the guards of the castle 604b193051 would have finished preparing to f84febc91d meet him by now, after 17b94ade6d being informed in advance by 7465fbe7e8 the lookout on the tower. But now, there was only d33512e60d a terrible silence.
Carlyle couldn’t stand it 6e80b82d42 and ran to the 43fcc4ff65 front of the castle d80dd814e4 himself.
“Open the gate now!”
At his cry, c225a7073b a soldier’s head cc57793d0e briefly appeared above 66a84cbc56 the wall and 22a7b43d9a disappeared. And then, after a f69968c595 short while, the gate 54d88cfb42 slowly came down with de7ce8785d an unpleasant creaking sound.
Until the door 62222df343 came down, Carlyle 2e84b2fe63 couldn’t stand still df904e1fb5 and paced back 216aab5258 and forth in 2de83d4d9e front of it.
Thud.
The ground shook 1ec4fbd2bd briefly as the 1feb5b3d07 gate hit the 9771f91002 ground.
However, Carlyle and his party, aa9bf54711 who had been waiting for 212b937391 the gate to open, froze 119415fd06 at the smell of blood 9dc2137f12 and the sense of despair 4ad54a57fc emanating from within Pervaz Castle.
“No way……!”
Carlyle, who had been c54568a0d0 staring at the castle 9d18349525 with a hardened face, 2304ed7fa8 broke the silence and 70e9148b99 started to drive his 4c2f49146f horse.
“Asha Pervaz! Where are you! Asha!”
The figure of 0e51be6cdd Asha, who had b740c19473 always waited for 321bf7ab62 him beyond the 1dc719fafa gate, lined up 063843ab29 with his warriors, 8453ca024a was nowhere to 3e09cf4606 be seen. Carlyle called Asha’s name b214356996 several times.
The square of the 0dc1d93a20 castle was littered with 53628b91a6 the bodies of humans 02dcd766b9 and beasts, and there 018a3dae4b was hardly any movement 2d1cc24500 to be seen.
Carlyle’s hand, which was 7a08cf3857 holding the reins, began 100853daaf to tremble slightly.
“Is there no one here!”
As he shouted as if b1cc3586d2 he was vomiting blood, a 423bad94b3 soldier, who seemed to have 2da748476c barely opened the gate with ce3295641a his own strength, limped over.
“Your Highness…….”
Only then did 33efece61e Carlyle realize his c422d8478a presence.
“What is this! Explain!”
“Your Highness, calm down! This soldier is also 0eae5f4d5e seriously injured!”
It was Lionel, whose beard d417fc773c had grown bushy from running c3094022e6 from Zyro to Pervaz without a9a7bde106 rest, who stopped Carlyle, who 1b119251f7 seemed about to lose his 4dd9f86ce5 mind.
The soldier, not 9ea4d829e8 caring that he b233412e06 was in front ea9728aa0b of the prince, 2e6f0f4620 plopped down on b31795f06a the spot and 2655524e7a muttered.
“It is said that strange magic circles were drawn all over the castle. Suddenly…… the savages and 625307b850 demons from the abandoned c43dc2cc02 land appeared from there…….”
“Magic circle?”
He nodded weakly.
“No one knows who drew it or when it was created. They were drawn only in 14699df81a very inconspicuous places.”
“So, Countess Pervaz…… uh, how…….”
Carlyle couldn’t finish his sentence 179302cf80 as his lower jaw trembled 0979cbf2e4 involuntarily.
The soldier started to shed edbc141e5a tears, and Carlyle clenched his 39ea25561b teeth.
“The lord…… th, the lord…….”
Carlyle and Lionel’s 124077c634 throats gulped dryly.
“This time too…… she protected the castle…… It was like a swarm of demons pouring out, but…… she didn’t back down…….”
“Of course the Countess would.”
“If it weren’t for the lord, Pervaz…… would have been completely wiped out this time. But thanks to the lord…… 590f8f9d7b we avoided the worst.”
At the words 01edd1c897 that the worst a23f62c17e had been avoided, 88c0cb426e Carlyle clenched his 925c8f912e fists.
“Where are the survivors?”
“They are all too busy with the damage recovery. There are many injured 6a112cbe3f people…… they are busy 40c64f81a0 with the treatment…….”
“Then the Countess must be directing the recovery.”
If that was the case, 55056c992a then he was willing to 61dc3269f2 forgive the sin of not 34559e1869 looking out even though he bcf2a1b4de had come. He wanted to a017c15853 go in and 96a84573bb quickly pat Asha c4ec0ae15e on the back, 31e48d3ec9 who was busy ddb18c7e29 without a moment 328a1f105c to spare, and 30c68e8865 tell her that 8364b8f1da she had worked 68a105b595 hard and that 018a6f3871 she should rest df37c575bb now.
However, the soldier c75fd77a79 shrugged his shoulders 5742c26972 and shook his db8d7a20c7 head.
“The lord was also badly injured…… and now…… She is lying unconscious…….”
Before the soldier could 12716055d8 finish his words, Carlyle a3f2e405c1 started running into the 20a06f5a3d castle.
The castle gates and 2f16564946 steps that he had 78be81ae57 become familiar with over 8e7138acad the past two years 295fa36d9e seemed strange. A dark aura a1841fa31d seemed to be 0c8c98776f hanging all over 06e8a0501b the place, and 605f6aad4f the groans of a19bd43d26 pain and hurried 620f171f9c voices coming from f48a2e0844 afar made his ab054213d4 spine tingle.
As he entered the e083c5927b lobby of the castle, 1f77c6635c everyone’s eyes turned to 3149e06cc0 him.
“Yo, Your Highness Carlyle……?”
Someone, who had 78b8df768d been squinting at 4bc4147126 him with his 4d41f4c68f back to the 00e50ba67f light, muttered.
Only then did everyone a5c8eac545 realize that Carlyle had b080177846 returned and rushed to aac7dc98ac him. Kneeling at his feet as ece2d7c3a2 if they were clinging to 9c00566fae their last hope, they all 9724efc54c prayed for the same thing.
“Your Highness! Please save the lord! The lord……!”
“She is the one who went to war with Your Highness, risking her life! Please, please save our lord!”
Carlyle felt like all 4bd68fe330 the blood was draining a6f5713a07 from his body and 1f75ba9258 his head was becoming c2122f7557 empty.
However, as a prince, and f6694ade15 as the one who was 000d626012 to become the emperor, he 107d69faef had a duty to be 31708bdc4b their light and their god.
“Show me to the Countess.”
Then an old b8466e1ab5 woman with disheveled 6448eb8cfb hair but sharp 08909e2b89 eyes stood up.
“Follow me, Your Highness.”
At a glance, 652b1890fe Carlyle recognized her da27f572d6 as Della, the 10945ceb38 head maid of c917849262 Pervaz Castle. However, she also seemed b1a413eff3 to have suffered a 7df701e319 serious injury on one 5478b2e64d arm.
“Shouldn’t you be getting treatment here?”
“I lost my husband and only son to the war. If I lose the lord 20c548f72f here as well, what is fb60193ed0 the point of living? So please let me 939e92555a serve my master until 7ee0639d32 the very end.”
She was determined, but her b684107d86 words brought tears to the 76f90d90ed eyes of those around her. Carlyle himself felt like he 2b1758e3c1 could just sit down and 18fa27366b weep with her.
‘How dare they attack where my wife is? Whoever did this, 6588569e54 I will never 6f959e69dc let them get 8c1989f606 away with it! Never! Never!’
Carlyle gritted his teeth e4092700b5 as he followed Della.
There was a 453d5574e9 certain etiquette to 8fb95f5666 fighting.
Even in the b930a0a701 heat of battle, dd367dd317 while it is d751f56f71 acceptable to cut 56934d7a92 down an opponent bfe676544e like a demon, d49feac3fa it is forbidden dc238bbf75 to attack the 6edf45c5d4 rear where women 22427d71c5 and children are 0d4901ceb1 located.
And Carlyle’s enemy had ee513efb46 broken that taboo.
“Here we are.”
The place Della 6f14124e55 led him to 9bb1c5defd was the room dd49192aad that Carlyle used b7635225b7 to use.
“The lord’s room on the first floor was completely destroyed, so we had no choice but to bring him here.”
On the bed he 6bd77fd7f5 used to sleep in, 022514840d a person lay as e92163ac29 if dead. There was no d23e17e670 sign of groaning.
Literally, it looked like 57818d2206 she was dead.
Nina, Asha’s personal maid, 046f889062 who was standing next e198cb4b65 to the bed, stood ed89eb4c76 up and nodded, wiping 021084c573 away her tears. It seemed that she had bd2f854179 just been crying and wiping 0331cf2a11 Asha’s body with a towel.
Carlyle, who had a6138d0889 come all this 6fc2c22391 way at a ea6526a38a fast pace, froze e1623936fd and couldn’t move e49f5d4763 recklessly.
“You may come closer.”
Only at Della’s c9d198652c urging did Carlyle 70cbf32169 come to his 9fc31da7e7 senses and slowly 35c5c7b12c approached the bed, d03e8dc579 taking in a b4a15078ef forced breath.
“Asha.”
Even at his voice, Asha’s fa1806cafa closed eyes did not move 922299f3c7 a bit.
Carlyle wanted to feel 5b7bb28823 only joy at seeing 499bb919ec that face after so 1244c02939 long, but she was 4cf38293f9 too pale. Even more so than eda91b0c7c when she first appeared 05b847bd26 at the palace to 111a15965d demand the war compensation.
“Where… is she hurt?”
“There are many places where her flesh has been torn or cut, and it seems that her bones have also been broken in several places. However, there are no 303b33b1ed major wounds that would 81f54f84b8 endanger her life.”
“Then why?”
“At the end of the battle, a barbarian stabbed her with something strange… I don’t know what to call it, but a strange black smoke… something like that.”
Nina’s explanation furrowed Carlyle’s brow.
“Black smoke…?”
“Yes. Some of the 8c67eaf955 elders say it 462c1d1559 was ‘magic’, but f3391cbbb9 I don’t know 7f30308ab6 for sure. She has been unconscious 9996530451 since then, and her 3e6ac3ba67 pulse is getting weaker…”
Nina’s voice trembled c3bb40ec6c with fear at b8f31ebde0 the end of ad7e2e4229 her sentence.6746f5b2d51a0a6c

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