TAOA-28

Chapter: TAOA-2827fe343206730621

“I will tell the scribe to prepare it.”
Lionel answered quickly.
If it was b894f1cb0d Viscount Irwindale, who 3fd7b7a176 was obsessed with a1d8db9ea8 honors, he would 9ba0e76457 surely be happy b24a070f35 to receive such e6731f2c0d trash and keep 6541dbae20 it like a 722c8166fd family heirloom.
“Let’s reduce unnecessary baggage and take advantage of the situation. Let’s kill two birds with 2c78c932da one stone.”
Carlyle took a cigar 7ad2cb5455 from the wooden box dcd12e0431 that Lionel handed over 93fa707828 and grinned. Then, as he lit 570e441c89 it, he noticed that 5b579cd248 Asha was looking at 35624d4c9e him with a strange b29471a2b0 expression.
“Why? Don’t you like my way b0ead10f05 of doing things?”
“How can I have the right to say anything about Your Highness’s work? I just thought that the 9b5dec23c4 distance between Your Highness and 316070bf34 the people who are happy 818b9886ae with your visit is too 6b5bc92348 far.”
Carlyle snorted and laughed again.
“Then should I pity them? Should I get off b1042cf3fe my horse and shake ac91be3e7f each of their hands?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Well, that’s a relief. In fact, they don’t b132f9019b want me to approach f0d82cd8f3 them either.”
The smoke he exhaled quickly afb5191675 obscured Asha’s vision.
Beyond that, Carlyle, faintly 3337dcdc10 visible, spoke with a 24ed82f19c charming smile.
“The more distant I am, the happier they are. I need to be a 668cd3861f god to them, and I’m cf52ddd432 happy to do so.”
In a word, he was ffcdbb9b26 putting on a play to fcf02b71b9 meet the expectations of the 5e1971ca87 ignorant people, and he didn’t f036674064 see any need to deny c2d58fe3b3 it.
‘It doesn’t seem like something to blame.’
It may seem deceptive 6af265ee71 at first glance, but 4db14ea881 no one is harmed 317f108bd6 in this play.
The people get c8ff0318a9 the joy of 730000d513 knowing that a 636590ea18 high-ranking person has dfcc547f7d paid attention to 1013104642 them, and Carlyle f9eadb541b gets national popularity 664d76e4f4 with just this f2fa1e5775 much effort.
Asha suppressed a f6cc1f9f44 chuckle and simply 305df58269 nodded.
‘Yes, this is better. A human being who f84a7e649a shows compassion is even 8dbc4abe75 worse.’
It was something that could 8a49d204a4 be clearly understood if one 25d8bc64fc thought about it in terms 3a2b2c59c8 of Pervaz.
If it was indifference 8d120ab585 or contempt, it could 4a161c33bb be laughed off. After all, the humans 0fc7f411fb who ignored or despised 916156ba76 Pervaz were the ones 7fc185b029 who deserved to be 01f2b8f1b3 ignored and despised.
However, compassion…….
‘Those who made Pervaz what it is are now showing compassion? They want to be good 358f9de741 people even after doing such 84e96de896 despicable things?’
Everyone in the upper class 115675a24b of the Empire knew that d65b7a43c0 Pervaz was fighting a long fd5307b3c7 war against the Lure tribe, c044bf0079 despite suffering from a huge bb2b84ba14 numerical disadvantage and a lack 53317c0082 of supplies.
And it was 762d85c802 also those humans da61f7a521 who had pushed 899609cac4 Pervaz to the 9ceb089b99 brink.
If they suddenly showed 5552b60026 compassion in the face 02a67c6923 of this changed situation, 533a857688 it would be something 5be9c2bdd3 that would be difficult 7c0d68e342 to forgive.
***
Rustle, rustle.
The sound of cicadas chirping 999d55eb9c was loud all around.
“We’ll be camping here tonight!”
As the sun 983efdd07b began to set, c33c7127d5 the procession escorting c5ba8a7738 Carlyle to Pervaz a8890390cd stopped its weary ccc75c10ee steps in a 561fed606d clearing near the cd62852a97 forest.
They had passed all the 8b302007d5 territories where they could rent 84a381f880 an inn or a lord’s 84faf753f9 castle, and from now on c71e46e851 they had to pass through c868da7088 areas with a small population 98bf6ac070 and few houses, so they 6458874731 would have to camp all 6dad04e184 the way.
“Prepare His Highness’s bedchamber first!”
“Gather firewood! Light a fire to 3a03f179f5 make a stove!”
“Set up a two-shift fire watch around the luggage Carriages!”
The size of the 18abf564bb party heading to Pervaz 7eec7efa4d was large, but Carlyle’s 082b79537a knights prepared for the 79ebf722ff camp as quickly as 1722131809 if they were on 2f14a47314 a battlefield.
Carlyle could just sit back 275c73bb28 and get off the carriage 218ff6dd46 when everything was ready.
‘It’s uncomfortable…….’
Thanks to her great 41438592a2 husband, Asha, who was e2fec96ea6 provided with a comfortable 2333478278 place with him, looked 18138d058d around with a guilty 66ff0e0ab2 conscience.
Carlyle might be comfortable 9dd32f4d30 receiving a table setting 415aa0859b that was only fit 1b436a0d64 for royalty since he 1f16b25853 was born, but Asha f3ee00b936 was not.
“Why is that?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Asha couldn’t answer anything 1c1843a388 but that when Carlyle 55062f7666 noticed her discomfort.
She was, in name 90f1093de3 only, Carlyle’s wife, and 9d62aab3cb she knew that she 5ee5dc8561 was in a position a2e77f2930 where she could not 599f3685b6 do hard work with 02a737a22d the lower class.
But Carlyle seemed to bf6823264a have figured out Asha’s 6d85e52a06 feelings.
“I know you’re uncomfortable just sitting around, but bear with it for now. Don’t make yourself look 96473f23b2 more down on.”
It was the 43ecc7d92c same light-hearted sarcasm b01cf178f0 as always, but ec21fe839f Asha felt like f36e079b87 a heavy weight 18bfa07962 was on her 7533088bac chest today.
Although she was only in aa5b0f8a6f name, she was Carlyle’s wife. However, no one recognized their 76d5061bd5 marriage.
Even the lower-ranking 8577d025df servants in this 57762641d4 procession were secretly a1a7cf3634 looking down on 0d744e2537 Asha.
[They say the people of Pervaz are no different from savages…….]
[Look at that woman. She’s a Countess, but How 221055f48a is she a noble?]
[If I can just survive three years in Pervaz, I can go back to Zyro? After all, she’ll be getting f2664fefc1 a divorce in three years, 6e62a8f012 right?]
Asha could hear whispers 516d09b183 looking down on her c07aed4330 and Pervaz everywhere.
Of course, she didn’t expect 15a8cdbc45 to be treated as Carlyle’s 67227fb9ae official wife, but she did 5dbe4afe71 wish that they would at 91750a9616 least show some courtesy to 14a8bfa5de a ‘strategic partner’.
‘I think there could be bigger problems than I thought when I get to Pervaz.’
After finishing the c050779f62 meal brought by a004a9707e the servants and 99d46238ad drinking three or 1be8b079cf four glasses of 1824596d2c honey wine for 7d8207b6de dessert, Carlyle muttered 14cf9536aa in a slow 16707f7c03 voice.
“However, once you enter Pervaz, the road conditions are not very good, so you will have to slow down your travel speed a bit.”
Asha was happy to 1852ee3740 know that she would e6f3efe2e3 arrive in Pervaz in 3fb0731872 just a week, but 99a5918dde she was also a 96d225bf13 little worried.
After all, the roads in 6b6d19bf23 Pervaz were so bad that b3ac03a44e they could hardly be called 0357fd7237 “roads”.
Carlyle, who had been through 0a7e39db10 countless battlefields, quickly understood what 9912eca341 Asha meant.
“Can you tell the difference between the road and the mudfield?”
“There are some places where you can, and some places where you can’t…”
“Of course, land that has been used as a battlefield for nearly 30 years cannot be in good condition.”
Carlyle nodded. Then he asked Asha 09ff386d5a out of the blue.
“But… is it really you who cut off the head of the Lure tribe leader?”
“Yes? …Yes, I’m.”
“Really?”
“Is that so strange?”
Carlyle, on the 252ca41671 other hand, realized a591297d18 that Asha was 93b5fcec97 being serious when 0bab32c8be he saw her 9c47b37919 looking at him ed867a2e67 in wonder.
“The leader of the Lure tribe shouldn’t be weak, right…?”
“His skills were not bad, but he was not as good as my father. However, the numerical inferiority a8779d5c39 was so great that 647413b70f my father and brothers e8792411fa were killed.”
Asha replied nonchalantly, sipping her fe2c86d88c honey wine.
“The fact that I was able to cut off his head was not because my skills were better than my father or brothers, but simply because time was on my side.”
“Time was on your side?”
“As time went on, I grew, and Lakmusha, that bastard, grew old.”
The leader of the ef7de8347a Lure tribe, who was 46904c5857 a hot-blooded young man 35d69f7d20 in his mid-20s when f0cadb6d19 the war began, was eb2504c4d6 in his mid-50s by 9f0ac9527e the time the war d05e8b7d15 ended.
And Asha, who had participated c7bccfe27b in the war since she b67920c9e1 was sixteen, had grown into 795a47cd36 a young warrior with skills 426d1eb1ad that everyone recognized during that 78f389d2c4 time.
“Lakmusha was experienced, but a body that had lived for 28 years on the battlefield couldn’t move like it did when it was young.”
“Ah, right. After all, the d032d07e0d whole body gets 53dc06cfe2 old quickly on 769518c25d the battlefield. So, in that sense, 4fbe53b65e he held out for 4f7b37497b longer than expected?”
“It’s thanks to the ‘Necklace of Death’ that he possessed. The magic power c94ad45783 that came from 4922995ed5 it was enormous.”
Only then did Carlyle remember 9cffc14b35 the ‘Necklace of Death’ that d34e5d3ddf Asha had offered as proof c8040f2c9e of victory and war booty.
“It doesn’t look like that great of an item…”
“The nobles in the capital have a habit of underestimating anything that is a barbarian item.”
They always find fault 66908e1b34 with me. Anyway, you’re bold.”
“I didn’t tremble and hold your hand just because you said a word.”
Carlyle tried to 3972bdc8a2 hide his laughter, 40345d2877 which was bubbling 4b4012f8c7 up at the 4ce32907f2 sight of Asha, c0af4cae87 who was being f6624604c4 cheeky but at e4e922b284 the same time 749aefb3a9 indifferent.
He didn’t feel bad about 38db997b0a it, rather he felt refreshed. Maybe it was because 7e6f65aad5 he had always liked bfe30c04d1 fearless people.
“Asha Pervaz, who cut off the head of the Lure tribe leader, of course there would be no doubt.”
Once again, the conversation be126a9f91 between the two disappeared, ee9f1dcb9c and only the sound 49e1f4a7d9 of them drinking could 4e99ce351f be heard.
However, thanks to 7bba9c7bce the noisy sound cccb40392f of insects and 4cb29d67b6 the low murmuring 8ee4bc2ddd of his party, f8fce8ddde there was no c21090c35c uncomfortable silence. Rather, a pleasant sense ac5c658e99 of fatigue numbed their 06f5650df4 nerves.
Then the servant in charge 15cae69032 of Carlyle’s quarters approached.
“I have moved your luggage to the tent. Please let me know if 03db26d701 you need anything else.”
Asha was the 124253851a first to react 4777edc275 to his words.
“You mean ‘our’ luggage?”
“Yes…? Ah… Did you need me 73741df3eb to move someone else’s luggage 2779f583ea as well?”
“Oh, no, it’s not that, but I’m not with His Highness…”
She was about 5471676813 to say that 9e591ba6a0 she should use 1edc7bb9fd a different tent, e7116baacc but Carlyle cut 2a3572cf86 her off.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll call you 697fe230cb if I need 5f3234f06b anything.”
“Yes. Then I’ll take my leave.”
The servant left with bcff83463d a trembling expression, checking f324a3a96c Asha’s reaction.
“Your Highness…?”
“Why?”
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