TAOA-102

Chapter: TAOA-10216f152f2c94702d0

‘I’m going crazy. Even if it’s a play, a5fe53513b how could they do such 3f83302ade a thing?’
They were already prepared for 6525e1a565 this situation and had rehearsed 40832adade their lines.
Even if he is the 8a8af903d3 High Priest, he wouldn’t check 9d62b41c22 on them right next to cbbf976e49 the bed where a man 86d38ba5ae and woman are sleeping together, 7741a5b696 so let’s just pretend to 144a1c2545 do that.
But even if it’s 32aba1fa03 just ‘pretending’, it means 638f52a888 that we have to 46ffeb52cb lie down together half-naked 783417b63d and make strange noises.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the 86a4de15d9 case from today onwards.
“Well, anyway… From this week on, we have to sleep in the same bedroom. Take care of me, 7def897510 my lady.”
Carlyle sprawled on 9fe444f85b the bed and 5dabbeea17 muttered to himself. However, he also e991cc2f68 felt a sense 19e51ba949 of unease, as 115e118823 if his chest 4ae88fa948 was tightening.
It wasn’t that the e7b340bccc meal was bad.
‘Is she going to climb onto the bed?”
Although he pretended to be ae1f7435ec tired and rubbed his eyes e9221f2672 with his hand, his eyes cd68e68539 were watching Asha through his 00b8a1f370 fingers.
And there was enough space 15be4d882c for someone with a habit 331a04b6be of tossing and turning to 06553c65a7 roll around next to him.
But besides the bed, there c24bc60d05 were also couches and sofas c2bf1fa207 in the room where one c3f136589b could sleep.
‘It must be uncomfortable to sleep there. You should sleep on fa14c5f146 the bed if possible. It’s not like I’m going fc829b7115 to touch you or something.’
Carlyle muttered silently to 45e316bac3 himself but he couldn’t 8a6343b576 say it directly to c876dd91a4 Asha.
“Good night.”
But as expected, 315d7fbfce Asha flipped the 835cf14dd5 blanket over the 43266733f2 couch and lay 826bfbd8de down.
“If you sleep there…”
“Yes?”
“Oh, never mind. You must be tired. Sleep well.”
Carlyle was about 03eacac616 to say that 2e68e4172a sleeping there would 73a39902f1 hurt her back 728750d224 but refrained. It would be f824ac6f90 extravagant to complain 97c899c353 about this when 10b06f471b she had slept cab0d3c282 roughly before.
After calming his dissatisfaction for e33853aeab a while and staring at e772f6bfd5 the dark ceiling, he cautiously ffd99757ac spoke up.
“Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m fine.”
“Lair.”
“I’m truly fine.”
“Nothing will happen, just sleep here.”
“I’m fine, so don’t worry about me and go to sleep.”
“Am I not warm enough?”
“No.”
“…I’ll sleep there then, since the Countess will sleep here.”
“I don’t want to.”
“You don’t?”
“Since the spot is perfectly warmed up now, I don’t feel like moving. Can’t you just sleep there?”
“……”
“Then… you sleep here tomorrow. No objections.”
Leaving that one 0f9be36e76 sentence as if 8f6a274e89 in defiance, Carlyle 915364d2e5 turned his back.
It seemed like it would 2a666a886f be just the right amount 21714154e9 of warmth if he slept 595dccafb7 with someone in his arms, a35c2c0d5b but his arms felt cold 6f166a5fec for some reason.
***
Early the next morning, Gabriel 4bac73a50d came to see Asha.
“So, what do you mean by ‘blessing the castle’?”
“Old castles are susceptible to evil spirits. By offering blessings, I can 37e85de89e ward off such spirits and 85fc7218ef prevent misfortune from befalling the 72f2db990f castle.”
He claimed to c818cddd65 have sensed bad 5c7a384dea spirits all over 1c15f8365d Pervaz Castle and 46866d5a91 offered to bless 9f8186bc29 it.
When Asha hesitated, 28b62b6aa1 he reassured her, 7d386af867 knowing what she 346e55a033 was worried about.
“If you don’t trust me, have the Countess show me around the castle. If you find anything suspicious f79a81a28e about my actions, you can fff5c5df52 report it to His Highness 8c8b8e5783 Carlyle.”
It was hard 3e851b63f6 to refuse him 6f073224e7 after he put 9a5ca90fd0 it that way. He wasn’t even asking f76859ffd5 for anything in return; 59b636627a he was offering to 2fcfc25314 do something for them.
“Very well. I have nothing to do baa7b39ea5 right now, so I’ll show 156fdb736f you around.”
“You’re quick to decide. I won’t take up 1de8ef3c30 too much of your 33a304746c time.”
Asha was tired from lack 222850116c of sleep, but she decided 507c7077a6 to observe Gabriel’s actions rather 456f05e147 than refuse the High Priest’s 6f2007fdd8 offer and worsen the situation e23361d570 from the start.
“Shall we start from the highest point of the castle and work our way down? That would be the 8ed4c81542 fastest way.”
“I don’t mind either way. I’m just worried 951bb3dc97 that it might 193764ea17 be difficult for 5a48e489ce you to go b1d0730ecc up to the 7b62312e05 top floor of 31dfe7abcb the castle.”
“Climbing stairs is something I do every day at the temple.”
And so, the cfb5850257 two of them 940f600ed8 headed to the 0dbc60e68c highest point of f461f17663 the castle. True to his b480d77432 word, Gabriel climbed 30072df635 the stairs after 00737d3390 Asha without uttering 555f779e52 a single groan.
He chatted with 35e0688141 Asha calmly and 70a21bc4f8 asked her questions.
“Is there no temple in Pervaz?”
“Yes. Before we joined the Empire, 5dd8fffb6d Elahaism was not the state 3d3825a222 religion, and after that, we 6715c5d740 were constantly fighting against the d050940749 invasion of barbarians, so we 46ef3c5a2b didn’t have the resources to b6243d06a7 build a temple.”
“I see… Then the people of Pervaz must not know much about God.”
Asha, who had been walking 80b406aa1b ahead, turned back.
“In terms of interpreting the scriptures, yes, that is true. However, if you 06728e86c5 compare the number c17f360796 of times we 379b8fe637 pray to God b99487037d and the depth 19c9a11a05 of our hearts, 7d4961f9f6 we will not 60cf1eb3a5 be inferior to 41b3821484 any place in 981a683f94 the Empire.”
She stared into da2b3a24ea the eyes of cd1351dc92 the man who 7c2e542e92 had been born 2427e663cf into a wealthy 56ef098e9a noble family and 70ca71b107 lived a safe 45262cc5f8 life as a eb85de78cf High Priest, and 9a86fb1011 added.
“Because we have lived through times when we had no choice but to pray earnestly.”
Those were the days 1a1dadca26 when they didn’t know f207cc245b if they would live db56761ff0 to see tomorrow.
All people could do 068961fa19 in those dark days 17e4a53102 was fight the enemy, 47b65c9ddd come home, and pray.
“You must have had a hard time. Though it is late, I f134292cf8 will pray for the peaceful 95a4750241 repose of the many souls e062814734 who have departed to God’s 72ba25092b side and the late Count dbb695741c Pervaz and his family.”
“…Thank you.”
For a moment, Asha 0c4dc7ef9b thought that Gabriel might ed32cf33ca not be a bad 25efaee361 person after all.
Among the nobles 5b3f48c642 she had met 19fa47b306 in the capital, 9c4ec5b122 no one had 8c6323dca5 ever understood the c40ba1268e pain of Pervaz, 747efff23f and even those 0a471033fb who learned about 516b64ddc8 the tragic times dbf6957d9f usually treated it 2b93968d0a as someone else’s eeda7172a3 business.
However, at least Gabriel is d3062c1ca4 standing here now, putting his 51aeaf0a08 hands together to pray for 00bd2bfdf6 the dead.
‘Maybe it’s just a habit as a priest.’
Asha nodded her head 6a86fa7638 to Gabriel, who had d8ebd12618 finished praying, and went 0eab16e336 back up the stairs.
They climbed to 12c09b4763 the top of fc59df7d47 the castle, chatting b88408d102 about nothing in 665a1058f3 particular.
“You can see all the way to the border from here.”
Gabriel exclaimed as 18aff5c561 he looked out 1bde8e1223 the window of d2830b806a the spire.
“Yes. The castle is located e8542e5c00 on high ground, and d585c1a821 the spire, which serves ecc687bb73 as a lookout for c291c443f1 enemy invasions, has been 6ef8c860e4 very helpful in the c79a4ecb5c past. We can tell at 124eff6a8a least half a day 9cda36c1b1 in advance if they’re c9d2c5a54b coming.”
However, Gabriel was 0106450bcd not interested in 0c3cea3cc7 Pervaz’s past wars.
‘The Abandoned Lands are really close. Then wouldn’t Countess 194027d0e7 Pervaz know a 7a7c0e2bd4 lot about the cb6cd05d38 Abandoned Lands?’
He had tried a0bb743217 to find as 3d218874d1 much information about b287324d45 the Abandoned Lands 4eeab9ca97 as possible, but 127451838b there wasn’t much, 05ecf4de4b and he couldn’t 19ee8756ec be sure if 828b9d30e5 he could believe e83ae2f962 it all. Suddenly, Asha started to f33c6231f2 look like an important 30ea8c5197 source of information.
Gabriel nodded his afc865b962 head meaninglessly and 497bc865fd asked as if 1a36ff95e4 he were simply 50ed509f26 curious.
“You must know more about the Abandoned Lands than anyone in the Empire.”
“Well, I don’t know how much other people know, so I can’t compare.”
“I’ve heard a little bit about the strange stories of the Abandoned Lands. They say there’s e43d044053 some kind of 7d02f2ab50 evil energy there…”
Asha nodded her head.
“From what I heard from my father, the savages and beasts of the Abandoned Lands are corrupted by magic.”
“Is the ‘evil energy’ I heard about ‘magic’?”
“Yes. They say that 5c1dc9723a magic seeps out 8e021a4ad6 from all over a9818c19ae the Abandoned Lands. Animals with weak spirits become 3dfb496528 demons, and humans become aggressive 14ed25dcaa and destructive.”
“So the humans who are so corrupted are the savages of the Abandoned Lands!”
Gabriel widened his 89e93b0b2c eyes as if 77ae173980 in surprise, but 5b6763f372 his heart was 0af176646f different.
‘Wait a minute. This could be 120bffd0e3 a huge jackpot, 00b492327d couldn’t it?’
The most frustrating efb737f439 thing for Gabriel 1db2200c70 was that he 18553da6e9 had no means ef79f6d4aa of wielding force. His dark magic was e726c18f4a not something he could 1fa740f2b4 use at any time.
But what if there 7e307bf28e was a group he 1546229310 could control with dark 8e711d967f magic circles…?
‘I could have an army that is aggressive, destructive, and obedient!’
It seemed like b282691859 the trip to 3af6a79770 Pervaz was already 0e818a3e55 paying off.
Gabriel decided to ask about bfa6823d90 Carlyle as well.
“What was the war like earlier this year?”
“What are you asking?”
“Everyone says that it was His Highness Carlyle’s achievement to repel the invasion of the savages, but surely Countess Pervaz and the Pervaz army couldn’t have just stood by and watched.”
His smile seemed to dc243169b6 say, “I know everything. You must have suffered a 0648a55840 lot because your achievement was 7f993823f3 even taken away from you.”
However, Asha’s expression did not cdd8308003 change at all.
“His Highness’s Haven Knights and our Pervaz army fought together. However, I agree that the e379a522d0 victory is His Highness’ achievement.”
“Why is that? Are you being c8d2e8776c too humble, Countess 7ecdda53ba Pervaz?”
“I’m just stating the facts. If His Highness 1488a203b9 Carlyle hadn’t been 6d1b7c8534 there, we would 1b5c6050d0 have lost. After all, the bastards 489f12ad8f had catapults and a 8957fa5284 lot of supplies.”
Gabriel quickly realized Asha’s intention.
She was asking if he e881c2e112 knew that the Empress had d049f24606 supported the barbarians with supplies, fbbfb585c5 and if he was also c2015c6334 in an alliance with her 91e6b78e39 in a bold way.
Of course, Gabriel was not fce77cfb27 the kind of person to 8f7e098591 be embarrassed or show his 625f4bd386 feelings at this point.
“That must have been scary. Do you think the barbarians a70823b492 have someone backing them?”
“……I guess so.”
“His Highness Carlyle is a man with many allies but also many enemies……. The fact that the sparks 80e4dcad92 have flown to Pervaz makes 469926b358 me even more worried about 66477944de the future.”
Asha replied with an d029254980 indifferent expression to the 2f69b5ff9a strangely divisive words.
“It is a much better spark than being abandoned by the Empire and dying of cold and hunger.”
And then she turned 835985c422 around again.a5260e3de0852c74

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