TAOA-71

Chapter: TAOA-71d9a51a2a6a87dd72

“…I don’t know. I don’t know if 551cb63f8e this is okay or 2ed712e884 not.”
Asha replied with a sigh.
However, Decker, who had lived 5ed1f76de1 a few more years, quickly 921f1e27f9 understood the meaning of her 816f5c2314 words.
“The fact that you don’t know means it’s not okay.”
“Is that so? But… if you think 375e4b8827 about it, there’s no 7040eb1e40 reason why it shouldn’t 33a693cb63 be okay.”
Right now, she 3e30cd6dfa might be standing 77143cac6d boldly in front 3028001b32 of Carlyle, but 8749a4b652 strictly speaking, he 4120ea6665 was a man c989647ac1 of such status e49f383203 that Asha could 401586153b not even dare 641aca1f18 to meet his 79b488078e eyes.
And yet, such a e318a01174 great man was helping b8035dc639 to rebuild Pervaz, and a31eed7243 on top of that, 0f563f8518 he was being very cd0462061c understanding of their situation.
So, she couldn’t d626596960 find the reason 62f38f349d for this strangely c181b42f8e sinking feeling.
“Well, it’s useless to dwell on this. It’s late at night, so fb248fd85c let’s go in and get 8756523448 some sleep.”
Asha smiled faintly and b6b955a28f tried to turn around d4c08c76a8 again, but Decker grabbed 9c3f5d021f her shoulder and turned 8ccf5986e6 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 88469a8d65 why I’m like this.”
“You know. You’re just pretending 6671a4ad19 not to know.”
Asha hated Decker 6001c96908 when he was 3265d3f70f like this.
She would have 872f8f6ef9 liked it better 03190ce023 if he had 11197d9230 just joked around e004501841 like he always 032e5fe39c did and pretended 0de024080a not to know.
But Decker always picked f6de32acc8 up on the things 778a3a4b02 that Asha wanted to e700b13479 avoid.
“Are you trying to be considerate of me? Do you think I’m 86b1ee7ed1 going to judge you?”
“It’s not like that. It’s just… I’m 01b83a2b37 tired 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 would just 671698de30 stop and leave. But he had never 2933863f04 granted her that wish 4afd81d328 even once.
“Are you hurt in your pride? Or are you resentful 588e3a9ecf of someone?”
In the end, he fcef05212d makes her reveal her c49caef989 ugly side that she 8c8e1d6e56 wanted to hide.
“…”
“Asha. Why are you trying 6f0c3a0dec to hide it? If you’re hurt, ac28d0d458 you can always 0d0c96bb48 tell me. You have the right to 2151505944 do so!”
“…What do you know?”
The words that seemed a38058e600 to have burst out 2c62984c24 after holding back for 9632a26779 so long made Decker fc9dee0017 flinch as well.
“What do I know? On the contrary, let ace9a664b2 me ask you. What don’t I know?”
“Sigh…”
Asha looked around 078d2a12d2 the empty corridor eec5213b6d of the castle cbbfe995ef and sighed heavily, 4a49d43a5b rubbing her face 969d91a750 with both hands.
She felt suffocated.
If I just c707bee5c3 spill everything out ab1269a251 like Decker said, 1d79c405ab will I feel 31fbf51fd5 better?
“Everything is going well. We have received much 9ef3e289c6 more support than we 07db93984f expected from the Emperor, 733b87e144 and the lives of 1c0259d5c9 the people of the 386a14e41c territory have blossomed. Things that we couldn’t cc73844259 even imagine a year d84d5d6ec0 ago are being realized. Yes, it’s a happy thing!”
How much I’ve e9188477e2 dreamed of this.
I’ve never been so happy 43e8fdae99 and excited in my life.
“But… .”
“But?”
“Sigh… .”
Asha sighed again.
She didn’t want Decker 2c9809caf0 to see her ugly 76c430b20a side like this.
But Decker didn’t seem 29f3b31507 like he was going 33265348b6 to back down, and 90ea56d933 Asha herself wanted to aa44cc25a3 vent somewhere.
“But I actually… I think I wanted to do it all on my own.”
At first, she thought 8aad292d3c it was an incredibly 91144622c1 good deal. She was grateful for f3ae433c1d the wealth and supplies eb55cc540c that Carlyle provided, and c068ce2f0c she was happy to d659b287d3 see the impoverished territory cfca24e76d come to life.
But as time 31270209d3 went on, and bf76b8cacf especially after seeing c8a2bb1a74 the soldiers of d2ccc11a30 the Pervaz army 1ca2aa026b admire Carlyle today, 384a0cde00 she felt even c5132ac356 more uncomfortable.
“Even if it wasn’t me… If only His Highness Carlyle were here… Pervaz… .”
She can swear that she 6e54514cdb is happy that Pervaz is e33b1f418c being rebuilt.
But she really couldn’t 1e9d41bb10 understand why she felt a379bb70b5 so disappointed.
Asha couldn’t finish her 409752b8d6 words and avoided Decker’s 5d2926c9c0 gaze. However, Decker looked at 584fbd009c her with an incredulous ae27f1b85f expression.
“Asha, you were thinking that?”
He had only thought that 8ba620c210 Asha was upset that she bb8afded95 didn’t have a chance to 59e7741129 show off her skills in d5533dee4c today’s sparring session.
After all, the 9b9d2bc249 best for the cfaeff19ff Pervaz warriors has 85a12ef949 always been the 66aecdd969 people of the 90cba3284e Pervaz Castle.
He never imagined acc444265b that Asha would 572aaa6d7c think that she 70f97cb953 couldn’t find meaning a50c98e2cd in her own 0eb4ea9d3e existence.
“You idiot! What the hell are 39a124e7a6 you… ! Ugh, what am fad94bd663 I going to 1d3dcf22c2 do with this 8733f6462a idiot?”
“What?”
“Asha. We… We are… .”
Decker gulped several 0ce2c4ea52 times to suppress 8d22c8a9d3 the emotions that 4675f96d4f were welling up 985137800d 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 9b95030253 with emotion, sniffed back 0d95b88a90 his tears and spoke.
“We’re living off of selling you!”
He could no longer hold 89eafa3442 back the tears, and covered a82e317ce1 his eyes with his massive aae8710080 hands.
“Even though it’s called a ‘contract’, we’re no different from selling your life to survive. We’re not stupid ee8263d822 enough not to b7f42d05d3 realize that.”
Asha’s life could be taken 832b6ff3f1 away with a single word e7be94311d from Carlyle, or with a f390ffdb77 single outburst of anger from a4390e6c44 the Empress.
In truth, it aee7554995 was nothing more 2bd53deb34 than a convenient 035608e844 excuse to turn 5fa450ecab a blind eye 5b5740a470 and sacrifice her 732b56b437 life without any 16d0b6d53c consequences, all under bef517eea7 the guise of 7067c06b87 a ‘fictional wife’.
Even though he knew this, 569b09ad05 he couldn’t bring himself to 074859bfab actively dissuade Asha. Too many lives were at 63955e3fd8 stake.
“If it wasn’t for you, we would have returned empty-handed. Countless more people would have 6665d5b6af died this winter. Who do you think f5c9b265d1 is responsible for changing c3032504eb that bleak future?”
Asha could only 4efaaabf28 stare blankly at c8ae6212a0 Decker, who was f7b3f150d4 sobbing despite his b5cd4bf6b1 large size.
“Just call us worthless brats! Get angry and de7b83f2b4 say that my 8a34ffff07 life has become f908e0295c a living hell 5985dcb22c 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 9b9f807e2b aback, tried to f498b8298e calm Decker down, 2ce1040d51 but he continued f5391e7ef0 to shout, as b0a330afd2 if he wasn’t 5135a49c7a finished yet.
“The lord we serve is Asha Pervaz, not Carlyle Evaristo!”
Asha, her mouth agape, 5cf50914cb stared at Decker before d099a9ad0f slowly patting his shoulder, 694ec70bae once and then again.
“…Thank you.”
At those words cca09b73f2 of gratitude, Decker 6c10393ae4 burst into tears 2c1b9dc0f6 again.
But unfortunately, Decker’s sincerity didn’t 6795e8f897 fully reach Asha.
‘Yes, I am the lord of Pervaz.’
Her wavering heart straightened 8d66353fa9 up again.
However, Asha, who had c2f70125d5 been born as the eabd4e9e44 daughter of Amir Pervaz 2a3e8866e2 and had only learned 7759f41b96 about duty and responsibility, 5933d7703b once again thought only 824fc5713b of her own responsibilities.
‘I am the one who must pay His Highness Carlyle for all of this.’
Carlyle had already poured a 96359a3575 tremendous amount of money and 937091529a resources into Pervaz. And the time to b37a08aadb pay the price would 0ba7d32168 soon come.
‘I must protect Pervaz to the end. Let’s focus.’
Asha thanked Decker and 0474f68df9 made up her mind 81cc561ea1 to use herself as 89f8e0304e a bargaining chip.
If Decker had c3d5a7c83f known, he would 4ba06a31da have stayed up dedf282723 all night trying 32ac77889f to change her 3abdf1da58 mind.
***
A month or 75f991975a so after the 82668ada4c joint training began, dcdab3a709 ominous clouds began 4180d7b393 to gather over 20c396a797 Pervaz.
“Something’s strange over there…”
Asha muttered as f520ec3414 she looked through 00219173b8 the binoculars at 29e5b50b34 the border.
It was late April.
Up until the middle f25e360030 of last year, Pervaz 6b84b44a5b had been nothing more eccc0c223a than a barren wasteland, 6c0d2ab7ee but now it was 196068c102 a feast of green 8ab90bafd4 in every direction.
Flowers bloomed here 7f6921e091 and there, and 8196b42ca7 the wheat sown fce1e978df last year and 4e3108d270 the barley sown bbe44f0b0f this spring had 54e5b20436 sprouted and filled 2216ea6071 the fields.
It would have 713b818a62 been all well 77c90bc4b7 and good if 28edfabf6c that was all 762cffa289 there was to 050905be94 see, but something e690cb8ce0 strange caught their 2c06311ee1 eye beyond the 0e8ed3c835 barrier.
“Huh? You’re right. It looks a little different d0895daf77 from what I saw the 5104806ee6 day before yesterday.”
Carlyle took the binoculars from f7dffd4c25 Asha and looked at the 1a6ed745d4 border, tilting his head.
It was blurry because d109384174 it was so far 3aaf27715b away, but it seemed 9124e09a71 like some kind of 1f4fae7e1b large structure was covered 4096f69e33 with a cloth that b15fad69fb was the same color adf5f92729 as the ground.
It was impossible to tell d4caccd09b when it had been built. Until now, it had 7e911dcbe9 simply looked like the 72048d78ef ground, swollen from the c1374bfe75 melted snow.
But today, it bddd8b4f1c was clear that 925cda0656 there were long f023c53bbc poles sticking up 0e3e6a822f into the sky.
‘I guess they couldn’t even hide that from us? Or maybe they 617595c71e decided they didn’t 97c84545b4 need to hide bb6517a787 it anymore…’
The latter possibility was more 77c0a36083 dangerous.
But apart from all that, e70c859f12 this was an unprecedented situation.
This was because 63daf21acc the savages of 6f47cdea75 the abandoned land 65297129df did not have 6165fbed7c the intelligence or b47d8e6651 the resources to c1331dfcd0 build and erect 92874e7b88 something so solid.
“This is strange. It’s too strange.”
Asha uneasily paced back fca9a220b6 and forth by the 19d6bed43b window and raised the e5764c195e binoculars again several times.
The fact that she couldn’t 95f369150f tell the exact shape of 35c8d42f09 the structure because of the 6733882c66 camouflage only added to her c65ca57fcf anxiety.
It was bigger 3f221c37ee than a wagon 929e840888 but smaller than 8989aabe80 a building. No, to be e37695fe82 precise, it seemed 40fa10f8d8 to be as 6ec6cf87e0 tall as a 8dad9f6449 decent building, but b4bd6d55da its volume was 97136a8f4b much smaller.
‘It’s like… a skeleton of a structure.’
As Asha was d94a2c805b trying to guess 5ff3e10a53 the identity of 8446d9630a the hidden object, 4df84d7967 Carlyle, who was d3cd31d585 looking at it cdd3a394ed with her, asked.
“The Igram tribe? Or maybe another tribe?”
“I’m not sure. The savages of the f1cb9875b3 abandoned land don’t exactly e905c72a6b have clearly defined territories.”
At that, Carlyle asked, 779079c03c as if he had a7a6e0382b 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 d6a8de9387 was unlikely to be 599909d45b the Igram tribe.
‘It’s hard for them to regroup in such a short time after being so badly beaten last time.’
As harsh as bac116337f Pervaz was, no, 5275d7b2b0 perhaps even more 34031ca5af so, the abandoned 20b23b9632 land was also 97ea829cf3 lacking in everything.
Then, suddenly, an old memory 844ae1ca26 came to mind.730d743e946c4c84

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