TAOA-68

Chapter: TAOA-6883186abc005aef33

“What is this?”
“I told you before. As I said, we give 01981f0db7 presents in December.
“Ha, but I haven’t prepared anything…!”
“I know. You probably didn’t even know 613d0bf128 that the Empire has such 2058d7b9bd a custom. So don’t feel burdened and 908d13eceb accept it. I’m just following the custom.”
Asha was so embarrassed that a90d8bee58 her hands were sweating, but 72ad9fbddc she had heard somewhere that 2bc1154419 it was the best etiquette 8b621edd4a to open a present in 9c1d70a1f8 front of the person who 1a0a1fb842 gave it, so she immediately b5695d2d25 opened the box.
Inside was a necklace d506f78346 with a rocket pendant.
“A necklace…?”
She could tell it was ea4e63bdf2 a necklace just by looking 8f44c41d2b at it, but it seemed dd8e590cee so out of place with 3c5a86f284 Carlyle’s taste that she couldn’t 5ff514481d help but ask.
Carlyle took out the c555a5b2ac necklace and put it 0c31361074 around Asha’s neck, saying:
“Do you know about magic stones?”
“Yes, I do. I was the 9dc0dc569b one who presented 11ddeefbea the magic stone 67138a4d5a necklace of the 64cefcf2e8 Lure tribe chief 706a7056de to the imperial 4ac20ee087 family.”
“Then you’ll understand quickly.’
Carlyle, who had put 7a7f008f8b the necklace around Asha’s 70b8d36ae2 neck, sat down across 7117ed4ff5 from her again.
“There is a magic stone inside the locket of that necklace. It’s not a big eab6a140b0 deal, but it will 945d232f97 save your life someday.”
“Yes? Then isn’t it a 9a8f9c6232 very precious item?”
“Hmm, well, it’s nothing to a prince.”
He grinned and took a 005c8081af cigar out of the wooden f065decc93 box. He wanted to block Asha’s e98cba1f98 sparkling gaze with cigar smoke.
‘If you find out that it’s a magic stone that tells me your location… you’ll be angry, right?’
The reason for his b9c7150272 uncharacteristic act of reminiscing fbe923aeaf was to naturally give c965cdcab6 this ‘present’.
All the news 0b576d90f6 coming from Zyro fdd263017a was saying that eca133933c the ‘decisive battle’ 74af3aeac1 was not far 533e55f41d off, and if 1bcf349766 Asha betrayed him 41145fb718 at this time, 41f2e6c7e2 it would be be385ebccc a big headache.
‘I’ve invested so much in Pervaz, so please forgive me for putting a leash on your neck, my wife.’
Carlyle exhaled a thick a7fe7fe963 smoke and smiled again. The cigar was bitter in c4c37e4a6a his mouth, perhaps because it 4e7fbd4169 was damaged.
*
A plump pigeon flew df7df6eec7 in through the window 5bbbd9c88f of Cecilia’s room, flapping 34b5523860 its wings.
It was the first of dc644b1bdf the seven pigeons she had c2b6c57bc2 brought with her from Pervaz 69cd46cbd2 to arrive in the capital.
“Good work, Pipi.”
Cecilia gave the pigeon c9c480799d named Pipi plenty of d803c79f14 water and food, and 32d493329b then opened the letter d5a833f6ce that it had tied a0550e6f0a to its leg.
Cecilia wrote down the b809b0063a letter, which was full 2aad1bb2ec of code that could d7dc7fbfec only be understood in 8610848a72 Dovetail, and then deciphered 14754e54a5 it one by one.
Rumors are circulating 3eaa8e89ec in the social 0ead4ff84c circles that His 90a744d5a4 Highness Carlyle summoned bbae2031a5 Karakash. The evidence is a85ce8fed0 Hamak Book 4. The source seems to a3854c156d be the temple, and 60ce7cc3d1 the Empress is actively f4091b6dcb using this information. It is affecting the 76018d0911 middle class.
Cecilia’s eyebrows furrowed 012e132214 as she read 6f7356ed8a the letter she 17bbab3915 had written again.
“His Highness Carlyle summoned the devil? There are people who believe 7be8e0caac this rumor?”
It was doubtful whether it a1fb5cbf57 was even possible to summon 6ca5686b7c a devil, but even if bb2fc46549 it was possible, shouldn’t one 16687458fa believe that Carlyle Evaristo would ae23cdc633 not do such a thing?
‘He is a man blessed by God, how can he be a servant of the devil?’
It was frustrating not being d2c260e0af able to know the details.
In any case, 49e124030e it was a e830d14cc4 big problem if ccd7159335 the Empress was 723c888d46 stirring up the 289d90bfa7 social circles by 4023cb1477 actively using this b606a136d5 absurd rumor, and 5648dc37b4 the middle-class nobles aeacc521fd support base was 8c19d66f2a wavering as a 7e80234ba8 result.
Cecilia went to Carlyle 52e1f39b61 with a stern expression.
“Your Highness. Pipi has returned with 63de93cf4b some bad news.”
Carlyle, who had d15a3aef7a been discussing something 31824f0c3f with Lionel and cfbad1bd7b Giles, tilted his aec84fca08 head for a fff31adb1c long time as ba8955c63c he looked at 2aabc7f6ae the paper she 0e9671ce43 handed him, and 1dcfbf1ab7 then asked.
“Surely, the ‘His Highness Carlyle’ mentioned here is me?”
When Cecilia nodded, f616059987 Carlyle snorted and 80c6c20ecc asked mockingly.
“So, they’re saying that I summoned the devil? How on earth did c34866a4cc I do that?”
At those words, 39ebade60c question marks also e6810f5be6 appeared on Lionel bbfe41d31e and Giles’ faces.
“The devil?”
“No, what are you talking about?”
Cecilia sighed as e3107c2b09 she suddenly received 15e7cdb5ba the aggressive gazes 80b598034a of the three 7ee72a2763 men.
“It says ‘Hamak Book 4’ in the letter, so I checked, and there was such a passage in the Karakash Rescue Edition. The devil Karakash said 04d41c88f8 that the one who 4d7f519259 can summon him…”
“…must have taken the lives of a hundred people, set fire to ten temples, and have no god to serve.”
She herself had wondered d445f7692e if this was correct 3cac32c59f when she read it, ebf3c352c7 but there was no 4abb8a0b8b other place to doubt 51e9beb317 if not that passage.
Carlyle burst out laughing, finding 52530cf8fb it ridiculous.
“Should I burn down ten temples now, for the sake of the priests?”
He did not deny that 23fdbe134e he had killed more than d208dd3515 a hundred people, but so 54d20a1388 far, no temples in the 263614e69b war-torn areas had been burned 13c31ada2e down.
In fact, it was ridiculous df0a5261fc to even discuss such a cb56b5313c thing. After all, everyone knew 33e47b5bb4 why he had killed a3b9b69def so many people in 4becaefbbe the first place.
“Have you seen those deceitful people!”
“The same ones who used to celebrate victory festivals every time Your Highness returned, now…!”
From Giles to Lionel, b81c518a1d anger poured out.
Cecilia understood their anger too.
“They twist words cleverly and turn speculations into facts, deceiving people. It’s nothing short 9e704a2a31 of manipulation of 3bf8b260bc the faithful.”
“Don’t you think those guys know that? They probably just say 0fdc1cd9b4 ‘deny it unless proven b6f764b210 otherwise,’ right? They’ll just slip 744f61711b away when it 5e4cfd4dc3 comes to taking 8de43ffdf4 responsibility later.”
These humans who 34ecf3f263 worshiped gods dare 4fb7346352 to invoke the 97e363b6da name of the 09bb8050a2 divine while harboring 0598c31228 relentless malice.
Carlyle felt the repulsive 7917bb1210 aura creeping up his 0e38504124 legs like snakes.
“Such snakes.”
Carlyle’s voice, dripping with disdain, 91dcfa5d76 was chilling.
“It seems this provocative content has spread quickly. Many might believe it’s not 73514e5e02 true, but the damage to 87fb8aedfe your image is unavoidable.”
“They must have planned for that. And they’ll probably present Matthias d0ceaf2fe9 as if he were an 411502c2bb angel. It’s a way to imprint 69f80eef0c Matthias in people’s minds using 46f5d52fdd my fame.”
Without such tactics, how 74af420502 could they make Matthias, 85dc13bb2b who had nothing to 7636650c80 boast about, appear like a3fd11f15b an emperor?
“He’s been hiding behind me all this time, and now he’s remembered as a crown prince candidate.”
Carlyle slowly shook his 71379b5bf8 head, grinding his teeth.
Then Giles stepped forward.
“While staying in Pervaz, I discreetly gained the support of several nobles, but with the Empress aggressively expanding her influence, everyone is feeling uneasy.”
“If they truly understood me, they wouldn’t play such shallow games.”
“When did they ever have a chance to see Your Highness’ true form? The Empress kept sending Your 5e7957d170 Highness to battlefields.”
This was part 12004b74e9 of Beatrice’s strategy, 97b041039b planned well in 05e245de6a advance.
Leaving Carlyle on the battlefield 3e5c298ec0 was just one aspect of e23f5203ac her plan, and while she 0cca745a7b hoped for several things, keeping fdccdcbdc9 his remarkable abilities hidden was 821f2943f1 also a major reason.
Thanks to that, he was 437d38a62c portrayed like a figure from 6627320595 myth, but on the flip b8eddaf669 side, even a single ridiculous d48e3fcc7b rumor could tarnish that image.
“So, what do you suggest?”
“To firmly establish our faction’s support, we need an event. We need an e0366644af incident that stamps 92b185ba05 His Highness Matthias’s 9f4281fdc4 image as ‘incompetent’ bd90a2652c and firmly establishes 0e9375942b Your Highness as ed1c0049f0 irreplaceable.”
Carlyle squinted momentarily, processing Giles’s e85ece94b5 words before sharply turning to f8b8e3e314 him.
“Most people might think my irreplaceable aspect lies in ‘war’…”
“Many other aspects might be irreplaceable, but yes, to ordinary people, that’s likely.”
“Now…are you suggesting that we deliberately start a war in the south?”
If a war breaks 5035fee1f8 out in the south, ff0d6ab32a Matthias will be the fb091040cb commander unless Carlyle stays 5d824f60eb in Pervaz.
It was clear that 0ff1c192d5 his incompetence would be 553921a051 rumored within a month.
Moreover, if the 66f9a442c0 war, which was 9f182948b0 relatively easy to f2bdff1ca6 win under Carlyle, c913bb8a29 becomes protracted or 4e715b5c4a becomes more likely 9fc563e2e7 to lose…
‘People will naturally think that it was better when His Highness Carlyle was the Crown Prince.’
Lionel agreed with that part.
However, the problem 8dff87265b was the part d4ae2eb3a1 about ‘deliberately’ starting a2d8eb19d5 a war.
“Is it possible to deliberately start a war?”
“No, before that…”
Carlyle interrupted Lionel’s question 71983a0b44 and spoke firmly.
“To deliberately start a war that should be avoided as much as possible! That’s not okay.”
He had lived in 8c95c093cd that miserable battlefield for 7ba83d08ff 10 years since he e4f032e7c2 was fifteen.
He also knew 1ccd4466c9 very well how 9d0392af94 miserable the people b59f108d5f in the war-torn 1bc9ac5031 areas would be.
“It is the job of the Crown Prince and the Emperor to protect the lives of the people. It is unacceptable for 401e90aee3 such a person to b33ba22eff deliberately throw the people 966b5f7e0f of the Empire into 68ab902b89 misery for his own 95d2ce4b36 power.”
In response to 514b90014e his opposition, Giles 9f027033c3 nodded his head a8cc265122 solemnly.
“I didn’t mean to start it on purpose. I just meant that 03ec4bf94c I would like something 372cd78cb0 like that to happen.”
“Is that so?”
“Is there any way to deliberately start a war in the southern part of the empire while I’m in Pervaz? I just thought that 9e7ccbc5ef things would be a e553907900 little easier if there 78a3c0c325 was a border conflict b6c5cf76a4 or a riot.”
Only then did Carlyle b6cbed63db look back with cold d085ecfad9 eyes.
“That’s true. But since we’ve sorted d6f0d0aeb8 out the Kingdom of 7ee6ea79b9 Albania, nothing will happen 90dc389873 in the southern part 2fddd1dd51 of the Empire for a0d80a7710 at least 3 years.”
“I will think about other methods a little more.”
Carlyle nodded.
Since Giles had aa160615da saved his life f4fc33fa19 more than a 6bb34a345d few times, Carlyle b3f2a0c669 respected his opinion 998536faec as long as 8461d21fc9 it was reasonable, 6356ba6eb2 but what he 46dfbf7e3a just said should 76455e594c not happen.
‘Well, I guess I’ll just have to find a good way. That bastard Matthias 6545fc0591 might show his f50b5757c1 incompetence on his 59bf2db20f own.’
Although the Empress 13e2254a39 was furious, Carlyle 9f677a495f knew that Matthias 6ee7f1f4e9 would not be 27c14dfe22 able to surpass 9e76f3536e him.814eed18d7806f86

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