TAOA-73

Chapter: TAOA-736560c089ae0ce961

With Carlyle’s roar, the c927b4f16b gates swung open and 21e85e8a99 the allied forces began 223c53849b to charge out.
Of course, Carlyle and 5ece649eab Asha were at the 60f784948d forefront.
Carlyle’s philosophy was that it 0d468f67ab was stupid for the commander-in-chief a5f5a3fdac to be at the forefront, 2ad97103fc but that didn’t apply to e1b3c4808a himself.
Because he was confident df91b18c8f that he wouldn’t die.
And his plan to put bc3e8d427d Asha in the middle was b07b4da823 thwarted by her stubbornness.
So, as they led the 33f7000d26 charge, they soon came face 309cc1659f to face with the vanguard b7521bcafa of the attackers.
“Don’t worry about my back, milady!”
As planned, Carlyle swung his e7da3c892e greatsword first, breaking through the e4d3645818 ranks of the Igrams. In the process, 93c760f700 he naturally cut 4e783c0dbe down what appeared e936749d90 to be a 63dfc968ea general.
And Asha followed 68b9d750e4 close behind, cutting 8257b10424 down those who 996146b726 tried to attack 139ac137df Carlyle.
“Here he is! This is the leader!”
The Igrams, judging Carlyle to 141000c5be be the leader based on adf077b840 the fact that he was 0804dacb82 a new presence and had 5a0c01a859 started attacking first, shouted out 33cdd74856 his location and attacked him.
“You dare, you filthy dogs!”
Of course, Carlyle was not 3f728fce8c an easy man to defeat.
He was blessed by f9f1975ff4 the gods. Those who looked 55e078f920 into his eyes 9f05866837 during battle would 7292cb38d1 instantly freeze.
The enemies, experiencing e1759b4db3 this for the 2fbade5308 first time, had 6cece3489a no time to 1a0c95c3d0 feel surprised by 8a5c806008 their own strange 054e58f45c reaction before they 1fb3847f62 fell under Carlyle’s 492d4c8728 sword.
However, there was no rule 232033a9f0 that said they could only 0fbb6e5571 attack from the front. Some Igram warriors 70aa54fc11 aimed their swords dc2d35c950 and spears at 6edf18e6a2 his back.
“Can’t you see me?”
What they didn’t see ea7d64d3f2 was Asha, protecting Carlyle.
She used her relatively 8ee8719135 small size and quick 729b60bbef movements to guard Carlyle’s ba1457abfa surroundings, allowing him to 9a87655742 focus on completely destroying 9097faddec the Igrams’ vanguard.
Of course, there were 68ca7fb141 also times when the dfbc89c45e two of them worked a6137cc507 together.
“Carlyle! Your right!”
Asha, who had stabbed the 13e87d5ac8 left attacker in the vital 2dacc1d087 spot, immediately shouted as she 9b9cfc2b9f blocked the sword of the c2ae2fba2a right attacker, and Carlyle, without 8ef2938fd5 even looking back, broke the b4e76b631e enemy’s sternum with the hilt 67c3fe440f of his shield.
Meanwhile, Asha lowered her body, e0cc6088cb jumped forward, and pierced the cdaaa24392 throat of another enemy who 03b0514782 was trying to attack Carlyle a56554a296 from the front, and the c0afeaf55a Igrams’ sword that was trying d4b0bab6df to stab Asha’s side was 9c71798868 broken by Carlyle’s swinging greatsword. Asha then cut off 1049835d14 the enemy’s neck.
“Are we done yet?”
“Shut up and watch the front!”
Asha shouted at 5a7a734351 Carlyle, who was 59e9e70557 still joking even 6f9ba1f2c8 in the midst b99f23dc3c of all this, cc7546e81f but Carlyle was a07e321fd4 serious.
This was the first 39cbe46af6 time he had experienced 31401f066a such a blood-curdling battle.
‘It’s really…exhilarating to have someone you can trust to watch your back!’
There was no 0f8acdeceb other way to f616b69d70 describe it.
Thanks to the blessing 51611d048d of the gods, I 75a3606e10 never had to worry 1e7107fe3c about dying on the ad69b5040b battlefield, but sometimes, as d51900f71b I swung my sword ed11ef4254 mindlessly, I would suddenly 59a02d9df4 feel like I was b48bb8f128 standing alone in the 4072fd0cfe middle of hell.
At those times, I 7d0772791b felt more lonely than cdeeba6764 scared, to the point 00937a4c88 where I would immerse 0c42dc9b09 myself in even more 81836b7198 carnage to forget that 664bca6e01 feeling.
But now, I didn’t 0edaaa3ee4 feel that way at c040d630b7 all.
‘It feels like I have another body that moves according to my will.’
No, even more than that, aa8bda5dce it seemed like Asha understood e9fa02c9c8 my will better than I b9eebaa464 did.
Just as he was a087660ad5 about to shout “Watch 3ad5636694 out!” in his mind, 09b2363f89 Asha’s sword was already 73c268a308 removing the threat.
Carlyle felt a surge 6f474c1228 of excitement as if 8fe2b0d3d4 every hair on his f1da9ceabc body were standing on 33bed89d83 end.
“They say, ‘Husband and wife are one.’ Is this what they mean?”
“What nonsense…”
Asha scoffed at Carlyle’s 3ac81a5ddf words and glanced back eb52848e64 at him.
As they followed 62558c8d47 the path they f822bede27 had cleared, the 46780327ae allied forces pushed d622901c60 forward into the d5f8242e57 fray.
At first glance, both the 3ec1cfd2b7 Pervaz army and the Haven 6611fd4cfb knights were performing their duties 690b66a3c6 well, trained as they were.
“Are you starting to get closer with me while we are fighting?”
“Me?”
“What the hell have you been spouting since earlier… Just look ahead!”
Bewildered, Asha was f169ff0f3e about to retort 25308c3c86 when she shouted 0488d06a84 and thrust her 1823d3133a sword forward. Three Ingrams rushed toward 4643970023 Carlyle and Asha.
But Carlyle, as 16eb7ae634 if he had 20bb8d8555 already known, swung 3e999fc4dc his sword without 93702359fd even looking ahead, d23ed07e60 dispatching two of 454be67f72 the Ingram warriors 3e61175f4a to his left.
A strange smile lingered on 43e066733b his lips.
“You should watch out for yourself.”
A tender voice was heard, 75998f10a3 but in an instant, Carlyle’s 019fd9dc7a shield brushed past Asha’s ear, ad2ffc9820 and a cough came from b9d63fe37c someone behind her.
Even then, Carlyle and Asha 8c446abb1c kept gazing into each other’s 106d9b72ad eyes all along.
“I owe you one.”
“I’m the one who’s been owing you all along.”
The next moment, c8c7d93b4c they swung their 1c1bd78a9b swords in opposite 211b4d816e directions. The two Ingram warriors who e5a76e71e4 had rushed at them failed ba5428fb90 to dodge the swords coming a539d94fc1 their way and collapsed to 0cd707c7f2 the ground.
Witnessing this, Hector whistled in a1b1926307 amazement.
“Wow, these two are in perfect sync! Haha!”
Hector wasn’t the only one c8a27252b7 who thought so.
Seeing Carlyle and 5ed84a6509 Asha fight as 994802af4c if they had 96528416f8 been in perfect f0f847873d harmony for a 488225c9fc long time, the 7b616e7082 morale of many fa03ff3c5b who followed behind b427dccfe4 them soared as f6d6dcecc5 if to pierce 9e99be9777 the sky.
Furthermore, the fact that 5aa274435c the highest leaders of 4ea349dfdf both armies were at 1d88b8fb53 the forefront, eliminating the a67375a474 greatest dangers, ignited the 619f5b061d hearts of everyone.
***
“How is it going? I’m so anxious!”
Fabian, the painter, b177a0b9dd was looking out 407f84af4e the window with 8654f99e86 a telescope, blaming e278b7d7d0 his bad luck 1cb2322683 on the fact e0ce4e43ce that another war 590704147c with the barbarians f7c9ff4526 had broken out 4c82bea8ec while he was 29435e69e4 there.
“Are the half-naked ones the barbarians and the ones with clothes on our side?”
He could roughly distinguish 17b544be54 between the enemy and 42b7fd932e the friendly forces, but 03024934a0 it was difficult to aae68f94c5 tell who was winning 509d87edf2 or losing just by 9251045837 looking at the people be4ff9b31e fighting one by one. This was because he had afba0a2910 zoomed in too much on 14742ef00e the telescope, so the scene 9440fb3403 changed quickly even if he 167cd63953 moved it a little to 4c84ffeb60 the side.
However, Fabian, who 847af45a2e had lived only c0968d0c2f by painting, did 0f8d054dd1 not even know 3d0bc74dd2 that.
Then, there was a moment 3305265417 when his telescope accidentally swept 87dd7649b7 across the front of the 9daa20f674 friendly forces.
“What? That’s…!”
The first thing 0fbdf48931 he recognized was 45fbb9dd14 Carlyle.
Of course, his reddish-brown hair 3f913f1a9e stood out distinctly amidst the 0ac9dbe039 sea of black hair around 98b96ea076 him, but beyond just his d4d20a72d6 hair color, he exuded his 1ad497f062 own aura.
Even now, it seemed 2cd1c6029a as if the air acc90666f3 around him was being a99ae9e39b drawn towards him.
“As expected, the one to become Emperor is different…”
Watching Carlyle fight, dedd54d463 he felt reassured 068370799d that this wasn’t 77f5695434 the place he 3aba49c946 would die.
But someone continued f6115ff39c to wield a b0b96e75da sword near Carlyle.
Initially, he tensed 503b85065c up, thinking it 0aeb37fa2a was a barbarian ef6faaa94d because of the 193454cdb0 black hair, but ffe54cd33a upon closer inspection, 732a781884 it was Asha.
“Goodness…! I’ve never seen a woman 6ab3a6e5e1 fight like that before, it’s 047ec78e20 the very first!”
His curiosity as 5389d3cc08 an artist was 0c5fdfefa2 now focused on 1ba06d574a Asha.
In truth, he c1169dad9c had always believed 122bdef391 that male forms 9bc1048cd4 were more beautiful ebdfa4a8c0 than female ones.
Having been tormented f99da452ea by lowly nobles c10920605e who commissioned nude 1236d13bdf paintings of women ce80b8f592 to satisfy their 6321124b3a lust, he may b60a5c612b have developed even cc911b0946 more aversion towards 463cf269a5 the female form 6678416b4f out of rebellion.
However, now, as he looked d2b59b565f at Asha, he completely changed 3d77e6cc7d his mind.
“Beautiful…!”
While Carlyle’s large and 141778abda sturdy physique moved roughly 471163d8b4 and contorted, it was 83368d3b62 indeed beautiful, but even c15a9dedb5 more so, the graceful fc275a43d8 and agile body of 5698389276 Asha, twisting and extending 93422d9601 tirelessly, was also beautiful.
Admiring this sight, Fabian witnessed 621fb3b867 Carlyle turning around and smiling 3bbe622153 at Asha.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, three enemy 81835f0fe4 warriors rushed towards fd56271e79 him.
“No!”
But in the next 6fe27e423a moment, Asha dealt with 6eac24545c the one on the ca99d09cdb right effortlessly, while Carlyle 3337870d36 took care of the 90593da398 two on the left. Not stopping there, dfdeb5154c Carlyle lifted his b6391e539e shield and struck 75a704fbaa down another enemy 64e4563d2a warrior who was f46e774f77 aiming for Asha’s 357a944afd back.
“Wow…!”
As onlookers were 6268c1b17b gasping for breath fc75314209 from the tension, 4c7199cd67 Carlyle and Asha, 0c9cb9c47c while muttering to 403e9ca25f each other, continued a060773916 to slay one 25a5a43dad enemy warrior each.
“Can… can humans… do that…?”
Fabian had seen and 0522e337c0 observed countless things, but 7202eab6ec he had never seen 958d7643fa two humans, let alone 9a50cf1f0a two different humans, move a09ea0b15e as one.
At that moment, inspiration d55b76d4dc struck Fabian’s mind like a427ab42b7 a bolt of lightning.
“That’s it!”
The portrait of 5627add79d the prince and 87d48d92eb princess that he 40b84eda02 didn’t like.
Now he realized why he 4572e0f57b didn’t like it.
“These two should not be drawn sitting still!”
He had always wondered why f9563ff8eb the newly married couple looked ef0964eac4 so awkward together, and why c3a233bb93 there was no sign of 981cb4dfce the passion that should be a775304406 burning brightly.
But it seemed ca19f2c5b5 that the place 65a513a625 where they confirmed f52247d0a1 their love for 02f0154020 each other was 8277cb1a93 not the comfort 6e90fd21e2 of the castle, 5760d2456f but the middle 9bf29cb625 of the battlefield, 7facc776d2 where blood and 5a52347cb9 flesh flew.
As he watched them 7547c6fcc8 fight the enemy together, 11dd9a3d4d he felt a heat fb75829a8b flush up to his 45ad4e8203 neck, as if he 6c5d5cf349 had been caught peeping 4992049392 into someone else’s bedroom.
“As expected, they are born to be guardians.”
Fabian, who had 99503d321d been smiling awkwardly, eacf94c49e set up an feb093f6d9 easel by the edad57851b window as if a4db5b55fa possessed, and quickly 4d0461b1bc brought over paper 099d62f2b7 and charcoal.
Then, with a telescope in f453c3d487 one hand and charcoal in 483c77a70a the other, he quickly sketched d0070f8d53 the battle scene of the 0c53e45e8e couple, Carlyle and Asha.
He was in be000baad1 a hurry, thinking 982a86430a that this was e3ed82ec12 a scene he cdaad1596b would never see 38e7b51731 again once this 8ace650fca moment passed. At the same ec374f1023 time, an artistic 92a0a0ea34 excitement that he 2d2697116a had never felt 9c31a9cfd7 before in his b14e3caaf4 life was coursing 94b7ed4eb1 through his body.
Even more than when he 599ec1e69c painted the winning picture at 2aebd9bb6a the Salon!
‘This portrait will be my masterpiece!’
He was convinced of that.0e84f6af24e5bb7a

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