TAOA-67

Chapter: TAOA-67781f45233fa77e71

“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 we’re 7b3836fdf5 making up stories out 41b92cfb79 of thin air.”
“Yes, yes! The High Priest is right! Hohoho!”
Beatrice rejoiced, clapping efac871d7c her hands in bd8b14ff4e agreement with Gabriel’s fd597d3310 words.
Even if such 4367b02e29 rumors spread, not 6006daa042 many people would 9f70c242b3 believe that Carlyle 8ef30fae65 actually summoned a 9dab5feed3 demon.
However, there is such 5f2f601b80 a thing as image.
Until now, he 7c9f80d016 had the image 52025a0718 of being the 5253195a7a ‘Sword that Protects 9f0ac80a8f the Southern Empire’, b52b137ecc but from now 4b35e5df41 on, he will 3a70207fee be seen as f9eca81795 ‘the one who fbecdcedac committed so many 59bd975676 murders that he 9f2ebae52a was able to 0bac25ae84 summon a demon’.
‘They will forget all about the peace he brought them.’
Beatrice was delighted by the c7c059691f fact that she could make 1550c6e235 Carlyle’s hardships seem like nothing.
However, there was 5666a8a8c5 a fatal flaw 1813eee7a8 in this plan.
“But High Priest. If we annul 040fc4b7ac Carlyle’s marriage and ed66d228f3 send that child 5f33b18e79 to the battlefield 47517bba0c instead of Matti b1f5e7be81 wouldn’t people revolt?”
Since Carlyle killed so many b9be6757a8 people on the battlefield, there 80c3017c58 might be some backlash that a4fe76a1e6 he was about to bring 7f78eaf758 about the real devil.
However, Gabriel laughed off Beatrice’s b2400eeb49 concerns.
“We can just come up with another pretext when the time comes. It doesn’t get any easier e544fbb189 than that.”
“pfft! Oh hohoho!”
Beatrice laughed, shaking her shoulders c3cd78636b as if she had heard a34b241094 a really funny story.
“Ah, High Priest! That’s why I like you.”
She seemed to know very 59bfa98a3d well what Gabriel meant when 4f148aaba8 he said he wasn’t blocked. He had shown exactly f8df29994b the kind of flexibility bbf5c97e3c that appealed to Beatrice.
And Gabriel didn’t feel much 3ec15d5ffb guilt about his own words.
After all, he thought that 52f0a5ff92 humans who were swayed by 0e3608305c rumors like ‘if not’ were 7eb16e98a8 stupid, and that he had dc1dc76ab8 done nothing wrong by simply 1548b2f945 conving the words of the 289ff84362 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 7cae12993c was a sin de55683f75 in the human 19f93dd2b1 world, he sincerely 087d271838 believed that his 14112ad370 destination after death 97af814efe would be right e384c1de0e next to Libato.
***
As Asha predicted, the harvest 6c11bad4b7 was finished by the end 8e70c6858e of October. Soon after, frost descended and dd1eeaa06f the air grew cold.
November flew by a77c16db95 in a flurry 0b87a539d9 of activity as 4089d679a6 everyone prepared for b1539e7cac winter. Before they knew 38f5e6d2c2 it, December had 17f564bc67 arrived.
Pervaz had been buried 3cbf661590 in snow since late bcc9c57582 November, but the people 23569dcf7a were having the most d94e3345bd enjoyable winter they could fb3faf8c58 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 up makes 22e90fad81 me feel full.”
“The ice on the Sebiche River is solid now. Let’s go ice fishing once 2cb7b71035 the snow stops and the 8b990ce094 weather clears up a bit.”
It felt strange to 75097331e6 have a winter without 0be895c3f0 the usual suffering from 808ac1b557 cold and hunger.
However, the people adapted quickly. Instead of just staying inside 2ce8e86fba and waiting for winter to dce03e5b65 pass, they ventured out to 81407b1e74 ice fish and gather more f38ec08c09 food.
Most of those who were 63030c2ffe successful in fishing offered a 54f102acf5 portion of their catch to 4757cefd8c the lord.
“The lord has suffered so much for us. It would be wrong to 3db05a923a be stingy with a few cd226b4887 fish.”
Thanks to their generosity, 8c3426df26 the castle’s underground cellar, a3b24c0d70 which was below freezing, 8a920c0a2e became filled with frozen 14a84c894e fish. This would be 996f89f54e enough to last df8dca29a4 them well into 8157ae6596 spring, even after 1995b70a27 the temperature in d04fc58065 the cellar started 162c922ff7 to rise.
While the people of Pervaz 6f72dcc4d2 were enjoying a warm and 5c38edac84 well-fed winter, those who came 4188d7361a from Zyro were experiencing something b12c10b454 entirely different.
“This is… truly… incredible,”
Carlyle muttered, feeling overwhelmed. He was staring out af225d6b47 at the blizzard raging 0b49ed6ae6 outside.
He had never 7696c41552 witnessed such a 7abbbd35a7 violent display of 0326576530 nature’s power.
Asha, who was 7740365011 also looking out aeb3586152 at the snowfall, 00f05fa81c sighed and said,
“There were times during the war when I was grateful for this snow. It snowed so 894a36be2c much that there e20aad2d97 was no choice 15430d6908 but to have aebad180e7 a truce during b24720defe the winter.”
“That’s true, but there must have been many who froze to death.”
“There were.”
Asha could still vividly picture 25d9b9c0b6 the scenes from past winters.
After heavy snowfall, a91cd3cb21 the Lures would b5afdec94c disappear for a e1e95b2c4f while. At the same time, the ca9011a6e1 people of Pervaz would suffer 380b0c56bd from the cold and hunger.
“Many elderly and young people died. In one instance, a whole b41437de29 family was found frozen to 5517bf227a death in an isolated house. There were also quite a 3241f6cc7b few who lost their hands 6c70e566cb or feet to frostbite.”
It was horrific.
Everywhere she looked, there were 21a6c4f7cf scenes of desolation and misery. Everyone was struggling to survive, 9d76e759e4 but there must have been c7966bd3e8 just as many who perished.
The air was filled 0fc47bd595 with the cries of d5c1e5af6d the suffering.
Parents desperately pleading to save 6287c763fb their dying children, patients terrified 143fb9d08a of having their frostbitten limbs 4696bfec20 amputated, people who fell ill 078ff55e02 after eating snow to fill 73bb3b7873 their empty stomachs…
Asha still felt 6eb2096ab0 like she was c017134ffc going to suffocate f02aeed662 and faint whenever 6b862f5287 she thought about d5247426e5 those times.
The despair, fear, and sorrow b9d10d4aab of that time were beyond a9fd28c636 words.
“Hey.”
Asha came back to her a3721e1393 senses thanks to Carlyle patting 163dedba0c her shoulder.
“Breathe.”
“Ah…”
It seemed like 85e7437b5a she really hadn’t 81fa77f599 been breathing, as 1345dc38d4 her breath escaped ff2c41bb74 only after Carlyle 62b553da43 spoke.
“Your already pale face has gotten even paler.”
“I’m okay now.”
“Not really.”
“No, I’m really okay. Because we ultimately survived 7925ed92ab that hell, after all.”
This was the first 6c88757db9 ‘peaceful winter’ Asha, who 07ff7ee394 was born and raised 98ff7ca9e7 in Pervaz, had ever f017a90aa1 experienced.
Whenever winter approached, 824036054c she would become 73c56e69fb anxious and restless fc205721b8 without knowing why. Even now, that 090ba48873 feeling would sometimes 56ff454a58 rise up reflexively, 97bce51bab but the same 9fff719d2a situation as before 585c9a5960 would not occur.
“The castle’s warehouse is filled with stored food. The infirmary has all 983e4a0ba7 the necessary medicine and f70e92d011 medical equipment. Every household has been given 88ad178f3b plenty of firewood, and though 1f666b19be it’s just a part, the a198cebf9b border defenses have been solidly ef12241387 established.”
The past six months, spent 723739f396 busily handling all that work 16771c8bca without a moment to breathe, a3304f13dc had been tough on her b9b2adace2 body, but her heart was 6e0d7a6643 filled with endless joy.
She had never imagined such 2294fcb37f a plentiful winter…
“This is all thanks to Your Highness. No matter what price 0ca028774e you ask me to 4dc37c9404 pay, I will gladly ffc52bb7be follow.”
At her solemn words, Carlyle fc2704a2c0 let out a small laugh.
“It’s not Pervaz paying the price, but you, isn’t it?”
“Of course. Even if it’s e85683a727 a disadvantageous contract, b83a282ba5 it’s no use 36f4a4f8e7 regretting it now.”
Carlyle shook his 0e54dd9795 head and tossed 5c41f83399 some firewood into f1886af9f3 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 response, Carlyle 5ffab22183 burst 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 over, 76fb95ed2b have a party, and eat 6b4c9064dc winter-themed foods. Things like roasted meat, cookies 2c1a81d8bf with wild berry jam, and 23361c89b5 cinnamon-infused liquor.”
Asha gulped audibly, and 5a50d4b428 Carlyle almost laughed again.
“Ahem, ahem! And you exchange gifts cb926018e9 with each other. Even people in 3a610491e2 difficult circumstances make 1d52b55b58 sure to prepare 5f75774ac0 at least gifts 854967d487 for their children, d92083bbe2 and when the 02bb82611e new year arrives, d4f3fa3522 you go to f3a878ddef the temple and 8db5758ac1 make a wish bf7ba90d0b for the new 6c16f4d5c8 year.”
Carlyle thought of 29475a3722 the year-end banquets ec3e88c751 held at his a4bf84918b maternal family’s mansion 5a3eb38db4 and the boxes f4b6f93f74 of gifts that a40f267db1 used to pile 5c5e639b8c up in his f26d26210c room.
He used to dd39e2e5b0 find things that 05634a1ab9 looked nice and bccac2dab8 give them as bf09b3ed32 gifts to his af17c75fb1 maternal grandfather or e2d3350e2a uncle, but now f8ecf02e2f that he thought 56102c7f9d about it, they a2aaf24fe1 were all useless 32eaffd43a things.
‘It was unexpected that they were kept neatly in the drawer of my grandfather’s study.’
In fact, he didn’t c3480bd8e8 enjoy his life at f89b06cd67 his maternal grandparents’ house 124607a6ac that much at the 0bcfc18a0b time, but looking back 5250567548 at it now, it 939d5c4ed8 seems like he had f36fa914c5 a happy childhood, considering ded73cdae9 how excited he got 7f614dd7f8 every December because of cd6d1fda7b those memories.
Of course, there c3948983eb was a reason 3cfb5188e6 why he enjoyed 99485f0c25 the middle of 6ce2278859 winter even after 78106a5477 he grew up.
‘Because there was no war, as Countess Pervaz said.’
A season to 6780bbd175 return to Zyro d72a115fe4 and rest.
He returned with the 26258fcd8a improvement ceremony and rested ee2d4b49a3 his tired body and a7a68fc8aa mind by reading books d2dbeffad3 in front of a b851c891e0 warm fire, attending moderately c175f06fa1 enjoyable banquets.
There were also 96993d5e1e things he had 5bb0d4277f to do to 4823482be9 avoid assassination attempts dceed50a76 and various conspiracies, ba96dd9461 but it seemed cc7975de7a like a kind 4c8130c08f of pastime. Compared to the winter that 94eb5121cd Pervaz had to endure.
‘If I were in the same situation as Pervaz, I would have been terrified of winter coming.’
It wasn’t very pleasant to 05f90d8784 realize this, but he certainly c0f6ed7415 didn’t know much about the 57d9f74639 lives of the imperial people. As many nobles do…….
However, Asha, who was e75d4c9a67 listening next to him, 2ce96cc86f spoke with a dreamy 95c662400e face.
“It’s impossible this year, but…… next year, we too…….”
“Hmm? Are you saying that we c8d7339fda should hold a year-end banquet cfe21ceec3 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 9db1c7727b children of today 024fe22c23 can immerse themselves d7ec6cd814 in memories like 98791fec87 Your Highness…….”
The beginning will be 8cfc7bdc24 so simple that it 5031f496ad will look shabby.
The gifts to be e4c30f51e4 given to neighbors or cdcc44bcb8 relatives would be something 73edd58f0e like food that has beb57488de been saved, and the 60a9b22734 children would be given c7a7a1140d dolls made of dried 6db2252a59 corn husks or knives 9decd43c60 carved out of wood.
But everyone will be happy. Just the fact that we 8349466f70 are giving something to others 1f855dc1b8 will make us feel like e9cb0b2e29 our lives have changed.
As Asha was 045f8e9ee3 envisioning such a 85b22e6815 future, Carlyle scratched 270688eead his cheek slightly 3f42b5131d and got up 5769919292 from his seat 5e601907e4 to open the 694e9f0122 drawer of his 7eb38e918c desk.
“When you talk so nobly, I feel like a fool for having prepared this…….”
He handed a 0101266ce3 small box to f00fb6574f Asha.dba4448d297cc22e

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