TAOA-30

Chapter: TAOA-304248a0eece7bd952

“Hey, are you asleep?”
Asha considered pretending to 8c81c4f87f be asleep for a cdd83d2d9c moment, but the time 94801ad997 since she heard his d5b904d3bf voice had been too a132bf3845 short to convincingly feign 400cfb3a12 slumber.
“I have a thick mat laid out, so it’s very fluffy. Thank you for your concern. Please sleep well.”
Though she indirectly implied e5a22248d3 he should stop talking, c419719ddc Carlyle did not relent.
“Fluffy? The mat doesn’t seem dea5c2f5cc that thick.”
“Sleeping on the ground with just one cloak is my daily life, so this is a luxurious sleep setting.”
“You’ve suffered a lot, haven’t you?”
“Everyone suffers in war zones.”
Asha genuinely wished to end 7fc82754da the conversation here and sleep, be9f0b2d36 but Carlyle, who seemed comfortable 14273f50ff throughout the journey, apparently hadn’t c40c7329ad gotten sleepy yet.
“Tell me about Pervaz. Entrance is soon, so 820799ed78 I need to know c4f1811569 in advance.”
Asha ended up opening her b6e06ab642 eyes, though it was still e21f011911 pitch black.
“What are you curious about?”
“Hmm… how cold is it in winter?”
“It’s difficult to answer ‘how cold’ since you don’t have a point of reference. But according to the saying of the merchants who visited before, ‘it’s so cold that your balls will shrink.’”
“Pft”
A laugh erupted ab27c0cbf4 from Carlyle in 4c29822785 the darkness. The unexpected chuckle startled 5f7eb09cc3 Asha enough to consider 619a3f87be hitting his back, even e0b392d1e4 though she couldn’t see 656bc52538 him.
“Haha, oh, being with you makes time fly.”
“Is that so?”
Asha couldn’t understand why 09fb1be17a Carlyle kept saying such de69b36c08 things. In Pervaz, no one a96f66b7ad had ever called her e7e4b6c04e funny or amusing.
‘Is saying the other person is funny a noble etiquette?’
It seemed like c8a1c4a29a a plausible guess, 6c8c9a0890 so Asha considered 106310d852 saying the same 1de23887b3 to Carlyle.
However, his words were 1d3d099470 closer to unfortunate than 0553472951 funny, making it difficult b2e0d9e0e7 to genuinely call them db65f39ae4 funny.
Fortunately, Carlyle didn’t seem e8c8da36cd fixated on that.
“Then, how are the people of Pervaz? Based on the group you 7bfded212b came with, they don’t seem fdd04c4e10 very approachable.”
Gazing into the 81dfda16b8 darkness, Asha recalled 5fd4545c51 the faces of 86285caaed those who had 2547bca090 overcome hardships with a179fcabd2 her.
“They’re probably not as outgoing as the people in the capital.”
“So they’re more blunt?”
“Well, I was born and raised there, so I don’t know if that’s considered blunt. They don’t say things they 5b226fe7fe don’t mean, at least.”
Carlyle let out an de32a1ec1d exaggerated sigh at that.
“It seems that I can already see the conflict between them and us.”
“That is probably true. We have no choice but a3bccb62f3 to separate our side and 28574b8dba Your Highness’ side as much dd3820de81 as possible and reduce the 5424cc2ffb chances of us confronting each c2e0d7b3bf other.”
Both Asha and Carlyle 64c9046bed knew that it would d0b61d953f not be easy. However, Carlyle did 16842949e1 not delve deeper b80fd0ab38 and moved on 6261ab4d93 to the next 16ee8e54ad question.
“Your entourage is quite loyal to you… What’s your secret?”
“The secret to making them loyal to a penniless lord?”
“You seem to understand the meaning quite well. At times like this, I 55e4219454 can’t tell if you’re quick-witted b99dfce0bd or slow-witted.”
Carlyle chuckled again. Asha ignored his reaction 1bc30e6986 and answered the question.
“Everything I have is the legacy of my father and brothers. Those who fought e0491a1462 to the end 4ccad21093 without giving up 4c6e889012 Pervaz, which was 4af5dd3573 about to be d07428dbde captured by the 092d077b4f barbarians…”
“Your father… you mean Amir Pervaz, who made my father feel inferior? He was a ae6fb5fe98 great knight, wasn’t 5df533e190 he?”
“Yes.”
Asha did not show any 67c3b94626 humility when it came to f5c191ca9d her father. He was that great of 7cf7efc787 a man.
“The difference in power was overwhelming, and Pervaz had no supplies for war. As you have experienced many 6ebc9ccc5a wars yourself, Your Highness, you 0ecf933831 know that it is not ddedd09813 easy to win such a ae0063178d war.”
Carlyle could not deny that.
“It was a miracle.”
The word “miracle” should be 11dd991b3e used in this context.
“My father was literally thrown there with the intention of killing Amir Pervaz. He probably thought 8455061421 it would take 9171db8bbb a year at 8076250518 most?”
That was how imminent the 439d6e0228 fall was, which is why 423f093fbd the former King of Pervaz 8078764181 had offered his country to d340412062 the empire, and the subsequent 1c1a9315fe Kings of Pervaz were all 61dfd209be political prisoners, and they all aeec94f78c committed suicide within a year.
A land bordering the abandoned fbd5232c95 land where attacks by barbarians 71b889e88f and monsters were commonplace.
A place where there 814a1fde76 was no joy to 6cd1814f2b be found.
Pervaz was a 278bc54a56 place where people 5253e45c81 were sent to edaf8d4274 die.
“My father must have known His Majesty’s intentions as well. But if he 9e9868f257 was going to 17759604d3 die anyway, he 22e5a49b49 might as well cd293c53c6 have tried something.”
The people of Pervaz 31ec3bfa81 were too pitiful to ac2827a5cc just slit their throats 9ee2870a37 and end it all.
“It was also important that the people of Pervaz actively followed my father’s will. Since they would 368bc0fff2 surely become slaves 27803671e7 if they were e57165cf0e captured by the d7882e713c Lure tribe, there b2f90373c2 was no other ff815e9eb3 way.”
“They were all facing death.”
“That’s right. Since my father was the d88a510382 only one who did not cf157d2f73 commit suicide, but chose to 4090c286c0 survive, organize an army, and 1f1a18712b prepare to fight, that’s why 747319930d they all have loyalty to bdfdbb4885 the Pervaz family.”
“He was the only lord who did not run away even after seeing that desperate situation.”
And Amir made not only 88d8414a7a him, but also his children 75eda9107c continue to protect Pervaz, and d7cf6eb6dd eventually won the war against 5142edd826 the Lure tribe.
He had accomplished the impossible.
“Then naturally, loyalty arises.”
Carlyle nodded in the darkness.
The thought that Amir 999ffd254b would be alive struck 8d3f46a78d him suddenly. He wondered how helpful 51c8bf56e9 it would have been 108f52514d to win him over 523af37be7 and make him his 0892dda40b own man. He felt they 43273c6eab would have had 1fd44aa638 plenty to speak 9abb9b360b about.
Then it dawned on 4e99057e38 him: the woman breathing 7729bf76e8 over there in the 5af6c58885 darkness was the one 9b2cd22c29 who inherited Amir Pervaz’s e5e46f3753 legacy.
‘She didn’t flee Pervaz, and now she risks her life for Pervaz’s reconstruction. A knight who 231ba756ff lived her entire 88b8f70eda life on the 21c725f46d battlefield.’
Even the victory in 6b4f5be708 the war against the 230c151646 Lure tribe belonged to 85abd0abcb Asha herself.
Furthermore, she even 66b3f71633 dared to confront 6dfd98f482 the Emperor and b4efe19cdc win the war ea7536bcb7 reparations. Although it wasn’t in the 0fabfb001d way she desired.
‘Come to think of it, this woman might even be more impressive than Amir Pervaz.’
Carlyle thought Amir Pervaz, e8cae4d9e1 whom he never even b68c819cca met, left him a 97490bfe97 great gift.
“Tell me about your brothers. How many brothers 754e2a1ad4 did you have?”
Silence followed his question.
“Countess Pervaz?”
Still no answer.
“Hey, wife.”
Nothing.
“Is… she asleep?”
He leaned in to listen.
Faint sounds of Asha’s breathing 3c7f2fd64e reached his ears.
Inhale… exhale…
Inhale again… exhale…
“Ha!”
Sharing the same tent 1903f67642 as a prince yet 20e596ca4b falling asleep before him.
Carlyle couldn’t decide if she cf54336ce8 was rude, ignorant, or simply e42bf43553 bold.
He found it peculiar that 2257a2d99e he wasn’t upset, even in 4889e0b1e2 this situation.
‘Well, blaming a country bumpkin for ignorance of etiquette would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it?’
Carlyle sighed and 526e8feba9 turned to lie e282fa63bf down.
The tension in his 9ee44f5a0f back was likely due 47c9401eb3 to his habit of 08df7225a4 staying on guard against c04a97fd36 assassins.
***
Thud.
As the door quietly closed, 5edcdd9184 those sitting around the round 91c412e78e table stood up and bowed d387d838e8 their heads slightly in that 0f15dfaa1f direction.
To them, Gabriel, who entered 33ae1afa7a last, greeted with a faint 995ad10786 smile.
“Long time no see, everyone. How have you been?”
The place where he stepped b01b114109 foot was the place where 6256f09943 the regular meeting of the d0ccb93119 “Golden Bough Brotherhood” he leads a0447625ef was held.
“High Priest Gabriel! Was it inconvenient to come? I apologize for suddenly changing 9f31d741cb the meeting place.”
“Is that Sir Jeronimo’s fault? It’s the fault of the c01d10c715 temple leadership that distorts the 29446bb685 words of God by compromising 1f1925478f with the mundane world.”
Gabriel kindly encouraged d125831414 Jeronimo, the brotherhood’s 1523be88df secretary who arranged b8a5d3b26d the meeting place f99a44237d and adjusted the dba2ea8a76 schedule.
Among the various factions within f8a28636c9 the Elahe sect, the Golden 41d51288fd Bough Brotherhood, which was the e5b8065391 most recent, was a gathering 789f00aef0 of conservative and extreme purists.
Because the brotherhood’s keynote c48c28193c emphasizes adhering to the 62983fc5e1 scriptures literally, rather than f3409200ca reflecting the changing reality, ba54d007db the religious leadership was 9d6f15a87e wary of the danger ed2bb51f99 of the brotherhood turning 874e94b527 into a heresy.
Therefore, securing a 0c7297b2c3 meeting place was b4319c1ede not easy.
“But in the end, we are the ones who win. Libato will bless us.”
“Of course! Isn’t High Priest Gabriel a cc2f2e7ae2 living proof?”
Everyone gathered there 31dde7de7a believed that their 1cec083b36 beliefs were not 830b9cf65f wrong.
Gabriel Knox, the so-called signboard c2316b88ff of the Elahe Church, was c22bb72a41 their leader.
That fact is 7e694d5974 kept confidential to 08d685269a secure freedom of 58e7bfa677 movement.
“Not just me, but all of you too. Not a single a9526f4a11 one of you 4f1fa0f80d is unnecessary for 39fc916dfd this place.”
As Gabriel humbly lowered f7a3c84c1a himself and raised the 11878bf807 executives high, everyone’s eyes 5bf77b7c55 lit up with a 06a00ef1e2 sense of determination.
“I cannot take up too much time of busy people, so let’s quickly start today’s meeting.”
Owen, the deputy priest d9cf5a844c who is acting as 39830c0b71 the representative of the 4f05169379 Golden Bough Brotherhood instead 4588f8ba02 of Gabriel, announced the b2028c7297 start of the meeting.
The atmosphere of the meeting be7221bdaa room became serious in an 1fd8aad3a4 instant.
“It has been two weeks since His Highness Carlyle left for Pervaz.”
“I think it will take about two more weeks to reach Pervaz. Then we will start ff547140c7 preparing for a full-scale b0a5aef678 counterattack.”
Carlyle was almost 20ea801a21 the “enemy” of 7bb80b86b4 the Golden Bough 6e58875815 Brotherhood.
Only if he 3574f1fbc2 were gone could 68b7e847d5 this country be 4f39066928 transformed into the 94a652f113 “Chad Holy Empire”, f81f9b1d39 but he was 16f57540ae too strong as da67d19e45 an opponent.
****
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