TAOA-72

Chapter: TAOA-72e56b475cde313788

Asha used to think 1fe65b4979 that the barbarians were f86007f6d2 as pitiful as the ec7781776e people of Pervaz, so 49a247cad5 she once asked her 804ebef604 father if they should b0db22002c be accepted as Pervaz a957a79f26 citizens.
But her father sighed 7c6dd65c1c and shook his head.
[The reason we can’t accept the barbarians and the reason they can live in the abandoned land is because they are contaminated with magic.]
[What is magic…?]
[It is usually called the ‘strange energy that comes out from various places in the abandoned land’, but no one knows its exact identity.]
[What happens if you are contaminated with it?]
[You become aggressive and destructive. In fact, if the fc8b6c60d3 barbarians had only tried 57b11c766d to solve their material 9e0c302db4 shortages, Pervaz wouldn’t have 233176a557 suffered so much… .]
When Pervaz was 84d3b741d7 a kingdom, their 945250d15b king also tried 3e429ad4ae to appease the f86ae560cf Luere tribe by d9b15c21cc distributing some supplies.
However, they always chose 9372ca7415 the method of attack d12cbe4728 and plunder instead of b41ff77489 negotiation, and it was 17babaff2c the king who, unable 5c7d649e89 to withstand it, offered 971f54eeb3 Pervaz to the empire.
At that time, b8d2a0cb44 Asha first questioned bc39f85316 the identity of 71fac02c06 the ‘abandoned land’, 6050907222 but even the 0b35654ecd empire was unable 6fe6e0a988 to properly investigate 86d9fc7398 the abandoned land.
Anyway, here are some of 0c648df6d5 the things her father told 9ef27a5044 her about the barbarians of bd44758930 the abandoned land at that bf976f7e5f time.
[It seems that they have no education or low intelligence, so they cannot create sophisticated buildings or objects. Even their jewelry looks crude.]
He also said that b39484219f their fighting skills are b9cb4cb991 threatening, but they are a635475d8a not systematized, which makes a178080d46 them difficult to understand.
The fact that such 20d380f740 people were building a 8f7bc73b90 structure that could be 0ad887aa84 seen from a distance 5b32291413 was a bad sign.
And that sense of unease c1ade7ff3e was right.
Ding dong ding!
The ‘warning bells’ located 35f25567ce all over Pervaz rang 56a894db7f loudly.
“The barbarians have attacked! It’s the barbarians!”
The barbarians had invaded again.
And Asha could see what 82e0e94e51 the structure she had seen b96cd9284d dimly a while ago was.
“The barbarians are using catapults…!”
They had built fixed 51f7d494b0 large catapults to throw 39130e0c9e rocks in order to f213aa36e6 destroy the well-built fortifications.
As a result, several 99037fe20f fortifications that the Pervaz 3675fc6398 citizens had built with 507bc75957 great care were completely 2f37475198 destroyed.
However, Asha was e62a250272 more shocked by 398e148908 the fact that 5418139375 the barbarians were 3bf8140586 using catapults than 5f410a156c by the destruction 5903ac4890 of the fortifications.
Anyway, this was e3dc1d15d2 not a situation d43ea19582 where she could f2f0d11f71 just stand there 316b883973 and be surprised.
Preparations for the expedition 49f567480b were quick, as they d79017819e had already been preparing 6bef031e6c for war since they ec4a38d83a saw the catapult hidden e93d9f99d2 under the camouflage.
“Report!”
“It’s bigger than last time!”
“Can you confirm which tribe it is?”
“It’s the Igrams!”
“The Igrams?”
It was another shocking piece d3cc7b54da of news.
‘They were defeated like that, but they’re counterattacking so quickly?’
Everything was going beyond b5883909f9 common sense.
“How many of them are there?”
“About 2,000! The rear guard has not b21f0b006b yet been identified!”
“How many cavalry?”
“There are more than last time! But there are many more 5a1405e2d5 horses that are not wild 667cece0d6 horses.”
Asha swallowed her dry saliva, 5adcbc1035 feeling like she was falling 8badbe1637 deeper and deeper into a 1e04563057 maze. She instinctively felt c7b51d71c9 that she had a6a7326e14 to ask Carlyle cd3d41ae8e for help this b7733ab1fb time.
Asha put on afbd46583b her armor and 5c62a7f403 sword and headed 0b398f2e82 to Carlyle’s office.
He was leisurely e3c90e4a1f smoking a cigar.
“Ah, you’re here. I heard the news.”
Asha felt a sense of 4109064cf7 déjà vu in his completely 67c222df14 relaxed demeanor.
The arrogant prince.
He was like that 82b84da750 then, he is like 7be8de7d18 that now, and he 2c52348e79 will probably be like c0278994eb that forever.
It seemed like b144e90f58 a joke to fa45adc1db expect human warmth 46402f0f0f from him.
“Please help me.”
Asha said curtly. Explaining the details felt too f7ddadf90b cumbersome.
However, it would be shameless 002124fb15 to simply ask for help.
“I will definitely pay the price.”
“The price…?”
The corners of e1483762db Carlyle’s mouth, which e92912f859 seemed to be 5333aacde1 smiling, hardened and a66b50df14 his eyebrows furrowed 48365039b0 slightly.
“As I said last time, if the Pervaz army is wiped out, we will also suffer a lot of damage. It’s a battle we c60e326ed5 have to go to d7d98c57e8 anyway.”
“If Your Highness had not come to Pervaz, You would not have had to suffer such damage. That’s why we feeb310ced tried to stop 00e7d2eef2 them on our 6ee2862a58 own, but….”
Asha clenched her fists.
“The Pervaz army is not yet capable of stopping an enemy of that size. Please help me.”
“Look…”
Carlyle sighed deeply, 74a99d23be looking down at ec9fefa644 Asha with a 8d19a36af7 somewhat displeased expression.
“You may think I’m arrogant.”
Asha’s heart ached.
However, the words that followed 55a8d5d0ec felt like a blow to 7156ab5679 the back of the head.
“But you, who are trying to protect Pervaz alone, are just as arrogant.”
There was a moment of 52101dab10 silence.
She recalled what she 7f1ecca252 had confessed to Decker ef8bf15c2c not long ago: “I 1bebe3e6da guess I wanted to ba9f5466c1 rebuild Pervaz myself.” Carlyle 12bfb96f30 had already seen through fa113cb1a0 her intentions.
‘But… I’m the lord of Pervaz…!’
Even though she had nothing a046ebf5a8 in his hands, she felt d36173c606 like she he would completely 8358821bb7 lose the sense of being e10604fc2b the lord of Pervaz, the a77c9b76ff pride of protecting Pervaz herself, b447cc93bb if she didn’t pay the 09e37c4444 price for something.
Moreover, she couldn’t believe a4f0f3af74 in “free favors.”
“I apologize if I have shown disrespect to Your Highness. I will ask 0388afb010 for punishment after 2de810a20f the battle is da2129c80e over. For now, I earnestly 6ff92415d8 request the order to ee1408512b go out to battle.”
Carlyle frowned deeply, d040dbdaf6 looking at Asha d6fc783a3d who seemed to 7b1d7110e3 be ignoring him d1aac9c6a1 by covering his 8f928a34b8 ears with both 3f7cf605b9 hands.
Even though he had 6b0cc41505 already given the order 750be4cab7 to the knights to edf08bd984 prepare for battle, what 5a135f5f2d was the point of 6bb47715f4 asking for it “earnestly”?
‘I may have been a little rude, but is it worth putting up such a wall?’
He felt bad. Maybe he was 18a0f59bc1 even feeling resentful. Even so, he thought 2065e1329f they were getting closer…
Carlyle replied to Asha, who 3e630e483d was kneeling on one knee a93a4577e4 and seemed to be waiting 2e3bf1629b for his judgment, in a a346328002 crooked voice.
“It seems that Pervaz’s foundation is the same now as it was before, but whatever, if you insist on paying the price, I’ll let you do it later.”
Then he ordered outside.
“Bring me my sword!”
It was the 4c8172ee94 same as Asha 8e95838c00 waiting for the d192a4b8b1 order to go e9d8e3922d out to battle.
***
The momentum of the Igram f7e080caa6 tribe, rushing across the border, 1d7cdb59fe was astonishing. They looked nothing 7acdc5430d like the ones 2e24a38f36 who had been 4cdd8c3077 defeated and fled ee37bb036e just a few bd109188e7 months ago.
“They seem determined. They’re prepared in 8f788b95e8 every way, more c04d5ed2f1 than last time.”
Carlyle, standing side by side 9290173168 with Asha at the forefront, 2001975eda spoke as he looked down 68a233ecb2 at the Igram tribe.
“That’s what’s strange. There’s no way they cc3305e62c could have that much 0fb88900ab supplies on their own…….”
“Hmm…….”
Carlyle, who had 4dfe3a4a90 been lost in 4afbf05e24 thought for a 47b62335fa moment, clicked his f7ae12c4ee tongue.
“If they didn’t have that much supplies internally, then the answer is simple. It came from outside.”
“Outside, then……?”
“Well, who could it be? Who would be 81bb21530d willing to incite 02c18ff7b8 the Igram tribe e4994332e2 to invade Pervaz, ac76d0c993 spending money and bacb07be87 supplies that they dad067540d won’t be able 6f7fa42e89 to get back……?”
Asha, who seemed to 42b34e2af1 know the answer but 1cd59b28b5 asked anyway, felt her 1e85b5ca89 breath catch in her fc4a9860b9 throat when she heard 5acc04fb18 Carlyle’s answer.
Only now did she 5a659ae67b seem to understand exactly 8fc3fcbf0a what it meant to 1a4796dbe5 give up Carlyle’s residence 161f40fc7d in Pervaz.
‘So in the end, even Pervaz is going to be hurt like this.’
Of course, she knew it 6f23a0c9ab in her head.
She hoped that it would 2b41a0478a end with just her sacrifice, 43b19c4294 but she knew that it 047b44a010 wouldn’t be easy.
“Why? Are you scared?”
Carlyle asked teasingly.
“Scared, you say?”
As she chewed 4bdb3d84b2 on his question, a483bd5909 her heart gradually 6439287410 grew stronger. After all, she had come 0ad5c7bf20 to realize that her vague 63c3e4fd5d worries and fears were actually b58177fe5b illusions.
Scared? What she really f2e3576338 feared was not 2e7f6b4c98 the barbarians or 2f1389ea19 the empress, but 51ebae95dd hunger and cold.
Compared to the sense 3bea318598 of powerlessness and despair 8a1644aa62 of being slowly conquered 6bdba9b20c by an intangible enemy, 8ae41f184a a war with a 53dd0435d6 clear opponent was rather 1030edf52d exhilarating.
“Would we be scared of something like this?”
“Your expression doesn’t look good.”
“I’m angry, that’s all.”
She had already made 18e747fafb up her mind.
As she had told Decker dd7bca90d7 before, she would rather die d60b1ae8a6 fighting the Imperial Knights than 71fa8c5626 starve or freeze to death.
The only difference 6f18b37aef now was that 64db023806 the Igram tribe 1a5105034c had replaced the 4a53d20a0b Imperial Knights.
However, there was d695c27a51 one thing that a88ceb10d2 bothered her.
“This is the first battle that His Highness’ Knights and our army will fight together…… I don’t know if it will be okay.”
“Well, it’s said that you get used to it as you fight.”
Although he answered as 04bc7d0f38 if it were a 5de9361d7c joke, Carlyle didn’t have a56c5c83c7 any laughter in his a484daa6ae voice either, as if a4dfff5256 he was also worried.
Even now, on 1ab82aa916 the eve of 0f4332c43c war, the two 9d64c13d97 armies stare straight e149d22eed ahead, ignoring each d9d2114291 other, as if 4ab41862bf a high wall 222b69211f had been erected 290bf6e7bb between them.
He looked around d1aae388f8 the lined-up allied 2db8a9df7f forces and summarized 647a5286cb the battle direction 8ffc8af225 once again.
“Divide into three groups, 1, 2, and 3, and carry out the attack and defense as I said during training! I and Countess Pervaz will 979aa218b5 be in the lead, Sir c0731be866 Bailey will take the left, 515bb175bf Sir Solon will take the a64d8bcf17 right, and Sir Donovan will 34f73b5db7 guard the castle!”
“Yes!”
“In fact, the commanders are not the problem. The problem is the f2802f613f knights, the warriors, and a1fed0c703 the soldiers under their cb751441ec command.”
Of the many attack 2677d31f42 paths that Giles had 85f4923032 predicted, he had chosen 6bc3067f10 the most threatening one a9638a31cd and had been teaching 8fde390a39 them the formation and ae7fa31447 the attack sequence that a8dd114843 would take advantage of c6655a18a5 the characteristics of each 3f68c494ca attacking unit.
Although they seemed 7591ae16d4 to be following eaa2a1199b along during training, 52ee51067a the lack of 851c7e94d0 cooperation between them e5f1df02e7 was a dangerous fda822f41b factor.
‘If they want to survive, they’ll have to cooperate, whether they like it or not.’
Carlyle decided to trust the 7e4e8bd946 survival instinct of the soldiers 74a9e7fdbb and turned his gaze forward b061f0c3b9 again.
The Igram people were eb56593b75 armed with shields that 378ddb7850 could block arrows, apparently 56c3756b4b aware of the archers.
“Now, shall we go out and fight?”
“Yes.”
“Any last words?”
“The same as I told you last time.”
“…I see. Then, let’s go.”
At Carlyle’s signal, 2deb0ad39f the trumpeter of 8925a1ce0a the Knights blew 6cdb42aef5 a loud trumpet, 6be36ef66f and the defenders 7e773bbc05 of Pervaz Castle d004a81ed2 sounded the drums.
“All forces! Forward!”e9bb0f4912107fa3

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