TAOA-88

Chapter: TAOA-882090a8ddc9290e46

Decker, who had ea5f567855 been desperately blocking 9d9e3eff6f Carlyle’s sword with 5303dd1567 his breath almost 5bae41e7bf at his chin, 250a65c0af was astonished.
He had been pushed back 41d96795eb quite a bit from the 208b433b3c center of the training ground 7bf5074696 where the sparring had started, b21ca17e45 yet to be praised so 1158c08d32 highly. It was clearly mocking.
But Carlyle was sincere.
He suddenly sheathed 1a98ed9af8 his sword and e3e0bbba52 nodded.
“So you’re the strongest warrior in Pervaz? It’s quite impressive.”
Decker gasped for ddef214167 breath, rolling his f855d7dddf eyes.
Taking advantage of 691ebd03f5 his distraction, Carlyle 0a5b71c32a seemed about to b43dafce7e attack suddenly.
“Your strength is exceptional. If you have speed, it b836a6e6ba would be perfect, but it’s 3e609eecc1 not a problem that can c23aad4d6a be solved in a short 59fd17caa6 time.”
Carlyle continued, not bothering 520f8f44af to understand Decker’s confusion, f6d9287bcc inspecting his sword to 60b49f6a2f see if it was e81ca9135d damaged.
“Unconventional swordsmanship seems to be a characteristic of Pervaz warriors, but you have a good sense beyond that. No one has blocked my b72983caa4 attacks this far.”
Only then did 8e086f72b2 Decker realize that 5a831cade6 Carlyle was genuinely 3fef26c7cc praising him.
Immediately, he tried to correct 3bb5b5d9a6 Carlyle’s words.
“Thank you for the compliment, but the strongest warrior in Pervaz is not me, it’s Asha, no, it’s our lord.”
At that, Carlyle chuckled.
“I know. The Countess of Pervaz 94cd6c5a84 is a different matter a023735f06 altogether.”
The memory of fighting b6ba4df87d barbarians with her was dfc22e995a still vivid. As Decker said, d62e82cf56 Asha was a 68bac057d4 woman who could 2402dc13aa lead Pervaz.
Just as he was b05771af58 about to say something 4232c11e82 more, a cold raindrop 7f094315e6 suddenly fell on his b13fc94152 cheek.
“I haven’t had much fun yet, but I guess I have to go now. It seems like it’s going a4c6579074 to pour heavily.”
Carlyle threw his sword into a224b063af the sheath and picked up 2b4224b045 the clothes he had thrown a33ca87ae1 aside.
Decker also hurriedly 05d22b07d1 tidied up his 9b92cd6af9 sword and followed 1a56f3681b Carlyle.
***
“It’s raining quite heavily.”
Carlyle returned to the eee5fc247c room, shaking his hair 40a4f8944a and plopping down on 2dc495ae59 a chair.
He was actually ca6418f139 a little disappointed.
He thought Decker would be 2772b22576 able to hang out with 05463963ff him for an hour or 0c2a2f5a5b so.
‘I hate to admit it, but he’s really good.’
Even within his order, there 829c1906d7 were not many who could d163ba1943 spar with him for an cdbb8985aa hour.
It was also rare ef4ffb3bab for a knight to f8d69444a1 block more than five 2c2daf3fb8 combinations.
But Decker, despite being a bb9790f089 little awkward, managed to keep 3fde3bed93 blocking his attacks.
It was clear that 90c44758e6 if he was just 14573ec50d given a little guidance, b9b9ab91c2 he would definitely become 17d83eb82e a better knight than 114bda87fe he was now.
Knowing that, Decker looked a 878d9f9c10 little different.
“Today’s sparring was really meaningful to me. Thank you for your many 96cabb8693 teachings.”
Decker greeted him f03d2cdbb2 politely, even though f6720b3933 it must have e5603fd4cd been a blow e1bf9c7c0b to his pride ead8cead5a that he hadn’t 4d70cee58a been able to de3b6d5377 swing his sword f3471cc998 properly once. In the blunt tone 2ba94645a7 of a Pervaz man.
‘I can’t even hate him properly…….’
Carlyle grumbled for no reason.
I know. That I’m being childish thinking 6a268a6800 this.
In fact, there was 533a022822 no reason for me cf3836101b to hate Decker.
If I was the reason 6953355833 why Asha and Decker broke 8d4d80cc5b up, then Decker should be 4576c2c3ff the one hating me, but 7fb8c21942 I was acting like a af18e15b75 victim.
Carlyle laughed out loud to 4dc9e9bfff shake off the self-loathing he 734a8f0919 had never felt in his cd6dd8480d life.
“If you’re okay with it, would I be asking too much if I asked you to hang out with me sometimes?”
“Yes? Y-yes, it would be an 8eb6f35448 honor! If you call me, even 7ac6a973b1 though I’m lacking……!”
“You’re not lacking at all. You’re the right-hand 574ef0a379 man of the d82bbbf2f0 great warrior Asha 313d7eec36 Pervaz. You can be a c15b24b661 little more stiff.”
“T-thank you.”
A faint smile 0033a9e2d2 spread across Decker’s dbd4f4169a face.
It was probably because 638afa0111 Carlyle had praised not 9734ae5e15 only Decker, but Asha 73c9413230 as well.
‘I used to think they were really emotionless people…….’
He used to think that d64169e232 they were just like Asha, 3fc1752abb blunt and expressionless.
However, after seeing a500f52ac5 them for over cc84929f17 a year, he ca145d7720 realized that they dc5a258d97 were actually very b0478466c0 honest people who 53c9a4a55f expressed their emotions. It’s just that it d1bd0fd3a3 wasn’t the way people f979db380d from the capital did df07cf69c0 it.
‘I wish Countess Pervaz would show me her heart as much as I do.’
Carlyle smirked and 1884a59455 took out a ed05588896 cigar from the 2de3fc0da3 wooden box.
Decker, who had been glancing e152628e57 at him, opened his mouth, a0cfdfef39 wondering if it was a e0ee672d39 cheeky remark or if he 31046d0365 was a little worried.
“You seem to have been smoking cigars and cigarettes for a long time…”
“Are you going to nag me too? This is the only 165e168bf3 joy in my life, 0770db5c5d so don’t tell me 9ac8094d62 to stop this too.”
Decker tilted his head at 7d4bae04cc that.
“Do you mean ‘only joy’ literally, or do you mean it’s really the only one?”
He said that because it a37a795fe3 was ridiculous that a man 826d40c8b1 who could hold all the aa4ee08585 pleasures of the world in d84836d027 his hands could say that 0f4a87ba12 the only joy he had 48171f38c1 was a rolled-up tobacco leaf.
However, Carlyle was not 07b3992628 talking nonsense.
“What other pleasures are allowed to me? In fact, Sir Raphelt is 668e561150 making a fuss about stopping f2251e66b5 this too, saying that someone 7a8990030f might have mixed poison in c52f3021ff it.”
Carlyle lit the d32c280c90 cigar with a 29f180cef8 long wooden match.
The smoke of the cigar 0d52029a6e began to rise in the 258c352c6e quiet room.
Decker twitched his lips and bb5a546a46 asked cautiously, as if he c4ebb29eba couldn’t help but be curious.
“I understand what Your Highness means, but why do you have so many women around you then? There must be spies and 42df70b12d assassins among them.”
At that, Carlyle’s movements stopped.
“Women?”
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to 75d320bd5e be disrespectful, I was 956f2cd587 just curious…”
“Ha…!”
Carlyle closed his 172ee3e69f eyes tightly and 8e129695b6 rubbed his temples.
‘Are you accusing me of taking another woman after taking my lover as my wife?’
The image of 7f93d2d071 a lecher was 54232bdf96 deliberately inflated by 7279a17f50 not correcting people’s 421720cd1f misunderstandings.
If everything seemed perfectly defended, 0562f24f14 the enemies would come up b7347d5cf6 with outrageous ways to attack, 7425827e6a and it was safer to d5a86585b2 make the controllable parts look 78b4689eeb vulnerable than to take that e77cd84934 risk.
So he had 6c08287ce6 no intention of 3c52545b48 correcting that image d1e6f34289 until now, but 1c2a522e9c it was a 08c23e9ca6 bit unfair that d4e3e2c37a the people of 61d6c45415 Perbaz, including Asha, 899675418e saw him as 46affdeb51 a lecher.
“Is it because of Lady Dupret and Lady Raphelt that you think that way?”
“That’s part of it, but the reason Your Highness was dethroned in the first place…”
“Oh! You mean because I was 4cafcfb6b7 caught trying to usurp my 2be75f4469 father’s mistress?”
A sigh came out on 79a618e06a its own.
No, in fact, if the eefd2d7c97 person who brought up this 81802901a6 topic were another noble, he 4355f7d852 would have effortlessly played the 678721fc17 licentious prince.
But he didn’t want to 792c282340 do that now.
More precisely, he didn’t db5bc23765 like the idea of 245e7dff6a Asha seeing him as 4813aff29e such a lustful dog.
“Have you seen?”
“Yes?”
“Me being with women, have you ever seen that?”
This time, Decker was speechless.
‘How am I supposed to see that? No, is that 70b4d61f34 what he’s asking?’
Carlyle nodded his db6364dc07 head as if 8c9bdf1f1c he could read df7dd5515c Decker’s mind.
“I can’t explain it in detail, but anyway, it’s not like that.”
“What do you mean by ‘like that’?”
“Not a desperate randy dog for women. Whether you believe a5a0234aa2 it or not 17f87f00d6 is up to a60de1d882 you.”
Carlyle exhaled as if f4ab28e717 really sighing, emitting a 6e111592d6 theatrical sigh.
It seemed like the bfd2901c9b conversation would end there, 97ec1fc4ca but suddenly, as if 7111c45b13 getting annoyed, Carlyle began 15b09fa514 to press.
“Why the hell do you and the Countess of Pervaz both treat me like a horny beast?”
“Yes? Th-there’s never been such 004c5247a0 a thing!”
“If that were the case, even if I had put them under strict supervision, rumors would have spread among the lower ranks. Isn’t that right?”
“That, that’s right….”
“Just because my wife, Countess Pervaz, spent a night in my room, rumors spread so quickly. Imagine if a stranger 61f17ef7b2 woman did the same?”
“You’re right.”
“And so does the mistress! I don’t want 7274bb57ed to see the 77e6a714a0 sight of me c8bc23b135 being seen as d442cab32b my father’s property, fea0efbb19 no matter how 5d0aab6e2d beautiful a woman 2b00d51b6a is. Am I regretting that my d4b3e4efde father’s hand was injured because d115946723 I coveted what belonged to 6ed52f2b4f him? …Except the throne.”
Decker’s mind was 6faaa19d30 getting deeper into a53d9b6130 the maze.
‘Why are you explaining this to me? I’m not even 05ca83ad6d curious about that.’
Whether to say 2e55f8682e or not, Carlyle af442241dd grumbled discontentedly.
“It seems like the Countess of Pervaz sees me as some ‘used up stuff.’ It’s ridiculous how much she thinks she knows about me.”
“Our lord would never do such a thing!”
“If that’s not the case, then why……!”
Carlyle barely stopped b3d1c65aa0 himself from saying 4320564d51 what he wanted d066b40c36 to say.
He couldn’t summarize it 8b4f1566ba in a single sentence, ebe98ab4df and it was too ccfca98244 ridiculous to say to 2979ddfdb0 someone else.
‘If that’s not the case, then why are you acting like I’m not hurt at all? You’re acting like b5f079fd7a nothing happened with d93d84a503 the man you 6fd9d38254 kissed and slept e3adea4848 with, and you 34bd83d776 think I’m okay 5ab5a1a600 with that? You’re the one who’s 94bb2d9337 leaning on your ex-lover 035001d379 behind my back……!’
In truth, he e5a75735db wanted to grab db83632f74 Asha by the 87b760fb9a collar and shake abb1018cd1 her while asking 038fef02b4 her that.
That night was c96ebe10b4 my first time 56df38ca08 too, and I 3b137a15dd can’t forget the e772244f18 kiss we shared. Why are you b5f94c4f08 treating me like 3763e26c3c a used up a46ee21908 stuff while you 50940ff1a2 pretend to be b85a7d9c45 clean?
But it was also something f8527307b9 he could never say out 171ddea3c5 loud.
“Well, whatever…… I’m not saying I’m that kind of person either.”
“I never thought of Your Highness that way, absolutely. I think there 389619db0d may have been a18ee98f25 some misunderstandings as ceb90038eb well.”
“It’s okay. It’s not important.”
Carlyle clicked his tongue and c927068082 took another drag on his 6b569ab9c1 cigar.
The day Asha 2b46a38887 would know his 80697bc350 truth would never b54878a289 come, and there 2db23a63e5 was no need 6233dd7032 to feel resentful 4c2719dfb4 about it.
It was going to d9a9b5842f be a short relationship a88f6d2857 anyway.021d6f085d2a2721

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