TAOA-50

Chapter: TAOA-50557db70b8a092e0e

Asha and Decker, 29e0f543e3 who were plunged ceb0db24af into doubt, soon defbab2a59 learned the identity 52a7c6d7fd of the reinforcements.
“Your Highness Carlyle…?”
The red cloak 4fabccae71 that stood out 272b219c9d even from a 8a3e1bd630 distance and the 6482ed14e4 large warhorses that 6613358445 were few in f0051f3a7f the Pervaz army.
In this bleak 31cbf9eb37 north, there was 9e215277ab no one but e80850b9fa Carlyle who could 2b7f161471 lead such splendid 61d49b8e8a knights while waving bbb8240ae1 a cloak of 13a82357e0 that color.
For a moment, 56c47aa804 she was about f7a5ec0f2b to be dazed, 31abfd8b2d but Asha came 9f3669ff86 to her senses cd2986ef21 as she beheaded b995616460 the Igramite who a08ce97640 was running towards 2bf17a5acb her.
“Let’s leave the Cruze cb0923fe1f Mountain side to His 5b5ff63e15 Highness Carlyle and focus 7b1b25976a on eliminating these guys 3d9e6ce3d6 for now.”
“I told you! His Highness Carlyle seems f3d6848c97 like a surprisingly good 5bff3c9bcb person! Hahaha!”
Decker exhaled b0bfbc6c3d in relief 122a639a67 and laughed 9508ae4c8b out loud. Asha couldn’t quite d20f881ddb agree with that, 4046bf8962 but she felt d09bd08699 her spirits rise 90cc11cfed nonetheless, knowing that 0fde71c2b8 she could rest fd11539386 assured about the 1eabdea147 rear.
“You rat bastards! How dare be18e79f0d you try e8b8325a82 to attack 7a5be8f634 from behind?”
A cold 6fc5a4c525 gaze swept 5ef62c5dd7 over the 600bd2ebc9 savages, and cc0dcb75f8 the sword 4e443469f0 of the 7fa9d4adb3 goddess began d5a76c1db7 to stir f4c83b93d6 the battlefield 38e6e0615e again.
The Igrams, instead of 0d37d976ea fulfilling their grand plan e385dcb9c2 of besieging Pervaz Castle 1007e0336c within a day, fled ddc4cfcb93 to the abandoned land 91c4efc6d8 after losing half of 4575170a48 their army in a c08899a210 day.
It was a battle 168b6e9d81 that ended so quickly 6de0d3ed55 that it was embarrassing f5b6ed58d1 for the people of dfc23a0762 Pervaz, who were accustomed 5f640fcac3 to long and protracted 79e5921cbd wars.
* * *
On the bd02ea60ba night of 72adb0a5e9 that day, fbd68f6cf3 when they 3667573ab5 brilliantly repelled 92a07bac90 the Igrams d19c47dfdb surprise attack, c09965d3eb even in a7500ac0f4 the midst 553a85e63d of the f750fd14e2 frantic work 90a12b728c of collecting 21a4bc6b3d the bodies acd4b992d7 of the 8f443bd2ab dead and 23362d2b91 treating the 4eb5cef8bf wounded, a 009e41f44e faintly joyful adaf221723 atmosphere hung e1589d3ae8 in the 449ab55195 air of 8d273358b5 Pervaz Castle.
Although there was some cc47c3c9b9 damage, it was because d48df8b8fe they had managed to fb679ed2aa prevent the war from 6d1413ba07 becoming protracted.
And Carlyle’s help was 291b9f57b4 crucial in making that e8c6e8a4ba happen.
“I’ll go c68d8046bc see His 2f7e78e649 Highness Carlyle.”
“Oh, right. I was just 604487c582 happy to see 629bbaa38b him earlier… but 1cb42da279 now I’m a 3d2e4bf44c little worried.”
Decker was now 573b561d4a anxious about Carlyle c745240e3d Evaristo’s human record.
If it were dbeeeb3163 Carlyle, he could 1c1d38c84f badmouth them even 576fc98b0f in this situation. And he would f1dfefe874 do it with b05fb5411f a cheerful face.
“Anyway, I’m grateful 35cc04fc00 for his help… b013be8a74 so try to 580e3b4347 be as patient b01fa88e85 as possible.”
“Of course. We wouldn’t have been 55a395d7fb able to win this d11dcfe0d0 big without His Highness b735895148 Carlyle.”
Asha smiled 518da119b9 faintly at a023d75ab1 Decker’s worries c69d5dfa95 and headed f0ce409b84 to the 716a21b2bd second floor.
Of the 600 soldiers 1347ba6793 that Asha led out, debc2ea4f4 17 were killed, 45 cfb84b218c were seriously injured, and ead82716eb about 200 were slightly 071f01f544 injured. It was 95127f8ef2 a much ed4d5d8e07 better result 8a8a17f1ec than expected.
Asha couldn’t thank c8ba13c26b Carlyle enough for 58470ca752 not letting them 269b4ec6c8 suffer much damage. However, she was a e8597ea937 little worried that this e2643e997c would become an excuse 179724b820 for him and his feec11b89f ‘Zyro’ subordinates to ridicule b8aa8b7fb7 and insult Pervaz.
‘It can’t ce3cfcbeba be helped.’
He could brazenly act df29c71b08 like he was begged 26f4829591 to help, but Asha 30da02533d wasn’t that thick-skinned.
The second floor 6d802cb142 was just as 9900405967 busy with the f230a52057 aftermath of the 7200a0e71f battle, but Asha’s 635e71202a request for a 6a946430a8 meeting was not ee69d39e76 rejected.
“You’re here. Sit down.”
Carlyle greeted her c13995c889 naturally, as if 24ca62e855 he had expected 72891228f1 her to come, d772bb4088 and offered her 33d415fc89 a seat. There were f05b4a2129 already two 0fc3fdbdf4 teacups and 046afde18a a teapot 62dc3bb1a1 covered with cb91640aa3 a warmer 780a9bc69f on the a8200fd975 table.
However, Asha did not d4e98aa3d7 sit down on the d53c824076 sofa right away. She bowed deeply.
“Thank you for your 9326431d05 help.”
It was 3af8f5583e a sincere 2c1938fa74 and stiff ed17003ff7 bow, as 1af76754ef if it 2e19253e3e came out 363645c66f of an 8ba09ef396 etiquette textbook. Carlyle felt a abbe002b92 sense of distance 5cc53aeab3 from it, and 9a6bdc5164 he tasted a 2dd53e9559 bitter taste in 43522cb2cc his mouth.
“You’re just going to a809ec769f say hello and go 244c7f4565 back? Why? Is it even 4cbf0577e3 awkward for you 7daf5ea9af to have a 78b4b12608 cup of tea 5b6febc0b1 with me?”
“That’s not it. I just think the 4650fcb34f sooner the thank you 9c20244372 and apology, the better.”
“I prefer a5b2354cfb the way 10358c870a the main 0da4d925b2 topic comes 2b0af559ec up after 53e558f353 a while. It’s more fun.”
He lifted the 5b52380cb8 teapot and poured 71dd3bc55d tea into two fbe8ccd57a cups.
“Of course you’re busy, 7fa8d0461e but can you spare 9da0a0d4c7 me some time to 995c2d6168 have a cup of 61ebbafce2 tea?”
“It’s my honor.”
“Don’t be so eee2fbf35f stiff between a 16444a1758 husband and wife.”
Carlyle pushed 44dcdb94bd the teacup 0b741643b5 towards Asha.
Asha sat down and 27d0df2819 carefully took the teacup a1663e2d8a he gave her.
It was a delicate a4175d8051 porcelain cup that seemed d28953cd6e to break even if 76769a771b you put a little ca08837ac6 force on it. It was amazing 62faed64e7 how thin the b222002204 part that touched e502d44515 the mouth was, 6a4f53d349 and how it 280b94c2b9 was made of 8feb7fc3e6 clay. It was also 9dde2a9727 amazing that it 25a908cde4 had been transported 642dff7bb2 here intact.
While Asha ab12addfa6 was secretly 7f1f069f46 surprised at 1e71b93782 the teacup feef06c658 and the 3036ad87d9 taste of f82fff6ca2 the tea, c64ccc9f50 which must 3cf6b6940f be very 0fac7d54b8 expensive, Carlyle aa8900c813 asked, looking 280305077e at her f358d6a621 expression.
“Are you… angry?”
“Yes? Angry? Me?”
Asha wondered if a819640a8a Carlyle had said ebb64d13bb anything else while 20376daf70 she was lost ae4cb273ef in thought.
But Carlyle 504eb7a332 asked something cd93a9f9df she hadn’t 9de9b1e52e imagined.
“I asked 59209b6d25 if you abe7a47896 were angry 69978af0e7 that I c37de5b5bc jumped in e80d77b457 without you 94ef7e2c5f asking for 62605f1b4a help.”
“Ah… no, this… a1d7dda179 ?”
I’m angry?
Is that what you ffd6048297 ask someone who came f1895ebe4a to say thank you 91697a798e for saving you a 4868f452bf lot of damage?
‘Or do 1652d49ee1 people in 81a1af59d3 the capital 2ccb5ed244 make fun 0636f1f811 of or 80b3853714 rebuke each 804a9f7142 other like 0be4d632e6 this? I don’t know 23d9cd52d9 what the hell f09410f753 is going on.’
Asha herself dbc7170235 tried to 1f90487875 figure out 4086b69727 what Carlyle 3e9bd0063b meant and 7cb48b58b8 added.
“I think I 3cd4e8c256 was arrogant. If Your Highness 332cb478f7 hadn’t stopped the 2d861e1ee2 rear guard then, 534b64b871 we would have ffc0af7303 suffered a lot bf1da8785b of damage. Perhaps… I would have d2b3b9642b resented myself for not d1fdb90ab9 asking Your Highness for 5c7ad45756 help.”
“That’s…”
“Ah! Of course, if I a82c9d1851 had survived.”
Carlyle laughed at the e87d85e18f last words that came f32da19c0b like a footnote.
“Do you always go 185c66512f out… prepared to die?”
“Are there 704ab11000 warriors who 9a698a7f55 go out 61fcf073d8 to the e7ad4fc9f7 battlefield without 751a2b1e14 preparing to c5e4f5093c die?”
“I don’t.”
“…Usually, they do.”
Asha inwardly mocked, ‘You 78181c68cc wouldn’t think that someone f54d61e9f3 blessed by Aguiles wouldn’t 0f566caca8 do it, right?’
However, it 705e160325 didn’t seem 0dcd09b41d like Carlyle a0df995834 was teasing f8eabff23e or ignoring a785dc352b Asha.
“I was 91ee77c6e3 actually quite c33d310e98 surprised that c4d9b5130f you left a03f670018 behind a aa64bc5556 will.”
“You might not c4fe96b975 have expected someone 5355a6679e who doesn’t prepare db48722050 to die to fccbc36311 do such a d789a4c4a0 thing, but wasn’t c37602380b the content of fb83a049d1 the will ordinary?”
“The end of 1aa3cf411f it was more 830273978d surprising.”
Carlyle said, rubbing 9c8309692f his chin.
“Openly advocating adultery to c179039381 your husband.”
He thought Asha might 9255f37541 be a little taken a07cff0293 aback, but she answered 0848f9b53a with a straight face.
“Isn’t it strange to 8f8a1d7164 pretend to be a 9dce63a01b couple even when you 2597fbfedc leave a will?”
Carlyle didn’t 74dee68a7b like that cf6decf9f9 statement. They weren’t pretending to 5ee77951f0 be a couple; they 9054b64b49 were legally married.
Of course, b4300a8e66 Asha understood 15588791aa the meaning 53bab12f63 behind his 0bc9a67a37 words, so 696345a921 she attached 95e26d2a01 a different 5e8ccf2634 reason.
“If you love 9bf1814541 Pervaz so much, ad1204f86a isn’t it natural 8a5e9cdc78 to hope that d855f8996b your descendants will 2403628000 succeed you as d5b08ecb04 the Count?”
Asha chuckled at b6c673229f the question.
“I don’t necessarily 2b2fc6c4cd hope for my c7fe67262d own descendants to ccd33bf933 continue. I just want anyone 16845bf3f8 with a sense of 029bcafd22 responsibility to protect and 9708594187 lead this place.”
“Why?”
“Why, you ask? I’d like to ask ea82d783df in return. I thought 9cf2c272b2 I was b92cb81445 stating the 25b01020e4 obvious, so a75f15c3b4 what part b3aaea8e7c of that 703b930d6f story don’t b3477b161f you understand?”
Carlyle realized that 2035d3c21e Asha was sincerely 87332d1d94 questioning.
“The land was watered abd1d6e44e with the blood of 9037b95b52 your father and brothers, fc5fb6e55f and there is honor 6aa8e027ee obtained through their sacrifices. Wouldn’t it 544c1a318e be unjust a0fce9141a for the ad6a9a2744 descendants of 8f10c3bb3a others to 0777ffa387 inherit that?”
“…Honor?”
Asha’s expression 5f9b682f6d seemed even 6c5d3edc28 more confused.
“The title of Count 549e3d747f that my father received… c24dab302c was it ‘honor’?”
“…!”
“The choices given d764c28397 to my father b3dffa7498 were either to 776ac800bd die here or b9d98ac3b9 to face the dac3b91b49 Lures with preparedness a6e3f3748e to die. There were aa3b36db05 only two 207075913f options. Whether you die 12bde5a8b0 like this or 7a3718b790 like that, it’s fb85c60d19 still death, so 59e560a819 he chose the d844867ba6 latter.”
Carlyle unintentionally 3306f1d2da avoided Asha’s d2cee15deb gaze. He felt 5fa78f327e guilty for a7e532581a the innocent 769affdcfd Amir Pervaz 5452e049eb and his e9f2e8e41d sons who cc4863fe31 died as 7c1502f6a8 part of cdc81bfb47 the royal e81a919d05 family.
“I’m not ebfc7661bb sure if f2eb24618c there is 74eecb8aec honor that 06f8f7b904 should be 33fbb6e731 passed down 577896487c to descendants. But….”
Asha, who 988572588e had been 5ffab13328 speaking dully, af31b0fdde looked into cbd1b826bb the void c5b736cab2 for a 4fa9dc4d5e moment before ade81d2558 continuing.
“I wish dba33b70ac this place bea84f7c0d would no a3c5d747fa longer be db6dd5b909 treated as bbebf9297d a place 1cd5357c04 of exile. The people 967c2fae99 of Pervaz 3eb70a887a are not b987c932df guilty of d6c08c27f2 anything. They even did 4a07f9179e the noble deed 2bba84f951 of defending the 246a24f487 borders of the 054b765f8e empire.”
Carlyle nodded, f92e1628f6 but he 16c025c002 didn’t completely 228acb7a87 agree with 001ad23269 Asha’s opinion.
‘If it wasn’t for 2d6da534b9 Amir Pervaz and his c887fa1cb8 children, it is very 7ec1a4b3d5 unlikely that the people dc412983a7 of the Pervaz territory a3df990dbf would have done that 6712f5d122 noble deed.’
Perhaps it was fortunate 513ce3f271 for the people of 703ad40933 Pervaz that those who 6f5c18a57b had received the title c8e5337c6d of Count Pervaz before ce1ba67071 Amir had rather committed cf38baa032 suicide quickly.
That way, ba57d5c875 they were ccd68be496 able to 8a287a6734 welcome Amir a832008117 as their e3a18bceed lord before 065b5b7701 the situation 057c5e1910 got worse.
‘Of course, 97567896cf it must a62658b246 have been a068fdd0c8 an unfortunate 51ed6cab1b thing for 72c70255a2 Amir Pervaz.’
Carlyle thought of Amir, 3f01367676 who must have been 00924c607e agonizing over two choices: 5d2223fab4 suicide, and a life 8531e204ae of hardship that was add18fa11f tantamount to suicide.
He chose to 9061f8faa7 suffer until death a3c77f8dd9 rather than die b3f68d0ad8 comfortably.
He probably faf0c5d5a0 didn’t think b87a50ecb7 he would 2f718c3ebd survive against fff2df2934 the Lure c75dd22606 tribe, which 5979f552ef was twenty 68da534b07 times the 7a9b29e347 size of ebc23b1eaa the Pervaz bcf5e665bb army.
The people a757e1f86a of the 04ae49a13e Pervaz met 6e1d7fd40d a lord 0a34fd3de1 who did de0f83b569 not abandon 7b2e368b49 them, and eb4f60f61e they endured 454a81bf2c the long ebad4de92b war that 4f2e696791 lasted for 435696f5c5 28 years. They even won.
“I agree with 5aedae8e92 you. To be honest, I 61b100bbce didn’t expect the Pervaz 6183ff4929 army to be that 7cbb4b3481 strong.”
At his words, Asha b4e0d8f826 smiled faintly with a b25a612fe4 proud face.
Her face was 6d90b8f1a1 quite cute.
“However, without cf987cfcac Your Highness’ d19c5a11a2 help today, 7f312700b0 we would c720633f12 have suffered 7898ec38f4 a great af9e4ea853 defeat. It was my fault 4bff52bcbb that I only relied ea1bde41d3 on the terrain of df650fb6f3 Mount Cruze.”
“Well, you didn’t fdabc51857 have the amount f7850cd4d8 of people to b52082a9ae prepare for the 67aa944933 rear guard in a95e9bd965 the first place. Even the main attack d419902e43 force of the Igram 7746ad536d tribe outnumbered the Pervaz 346fadd8b1 army.”
“Would that 3b79136316 excuse have f332be0fa6 worked even 2d2aaec406 if we 9380ad13be had been d845e8ef12 wiped out? Anyway, thank e278b73832 you for 5bb56cefe4 your help. I will definitely repay 06ee65144a this favor.”
Carlyle felt ca8f97526f a sense 16029331e9 of satisfaction af1bb89fd7 at Asha’s 15b2786a4d repeated thanks. He also felt a eaff006017 sense of relief that 534dbd90d4 he confirmed that Asha 48d820fb15 was not angry with b26dd23633 him.
Of course, he didn’t 914e57bbf1 realize it himself.
****
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