The Age Of Arrogance

“Hey, are you asleep?”

 

Asha considered pretending to be asleep for a moment, but the time since she heard his voice had been too short to convincingly feign 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 he should stop talking, Carlyle did not relent.

 

“Fluffy? The mat doesn’t seem 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 the conversation here and sleep, but Carlyle, who seemed comfortable throughout the journey, apparently hadn’t gotten sleepy yet.

 

“Tell me about Pervaz. Entrance is soon, so I need to know in advance.”

 

Asha ended up opening her eyes, though it was still 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 from Carlyle in the darkness. The unexpected chuckle startled Asha enough to consider hitting his back, even though she couldn’t see him.

 

“Haha, oh, being with you makes time fly.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Asha couldn’t understand why Carlyle kept saying such things. In Pervaz, no one had ever called her funny or amusing.

 

‘Is saying the other person is funny a noble etiquette?’

 

It seemed like a plausible guess, so Asha considered saying the same to Carlyle.

 

However, his words were closer to unfortunate than funny, making it difficult to genuinely call them funny.

 

Fortunately, Carlyle didn’t seem fixated on that.

 

“Then, how are the people of Pervaz? Based on the group you came with, they don’t seem very approachable.”

 

Gazing into the darkness, Asha recalled the faces of those who had overcome hardships with 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 don’t mean, at least.”

 

Carlyle let out an 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 to separate our side and Your Highness’ side as much as possible and reduce the chances of us confronting each other.”

 

Both Asha and Carlyle knew that it would not be easy. However, Carlyle did not delve deeper and moved on to the next 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 can’t tell if you’re quick-witted or slow-witted.”

 

Carlyle chuckled again. Asha ignored his reaction and answered the question.

 

“Everything I have is the legacy of my father and brothers. Those who fought to the end without giving up Pervaz, which was about to be captured by the barbarians…”

 

“Your father… you mean Amir Pervaz, who made my father feel inferior? He was a great knight, wasn’t he?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Asha did not show any humility when it came to her father. He was that great of a man.

 

“The difference in power was overwhelming, and Pervaz had no supplies for war. As you have experienced many wars yourself, Your Highness, you know that it is not easy to win such a war.”

 

Carlyle could not deny that.

 

“It was a miracle.”

 

The word “miracle” should be used in this context.

 

“My father was literally thrown there with the intention of killing Amir Pervaz. He probably thought it would take a year at most?”

 

That was how imminent the fall was, which is why the former King of Pervaz had offered his country to the empire, and the subsequent Kings of Pervaz were all political prisoners, and they all committed suicide within a year.

 

A land bordering the abandoned land where attacks by barbarians and monsters were commonplace.

 

A place where there was no joy to be found.

 

Pervaz was a place where people were sent to die.

 

“My father must have known His Majesty’s intentions as well. But if he was going to die anyway, he might as well have tried something.”

 

The people of Pervaz were too pitiful to just slit their throats and end it all.

 

“It was also important that the people of Pervaz actively followed my father’s will. Since they would surely become slaves if they were captured by the Lure tribe, there was no other way.”

 

“They were all facing death.”

 

“That’s right. Since my father was the only one who did not commit suicide, but chose to survive, organize an army, and prepare to fight, that’s why they all have loyalty to the Pervaz family.”

 

“He was the only lord who did not run away even after seeing that desperate situation.”

 

And Amir made not only him, but also his children continue to protect Pervaz, and eventually won the war against the Lure tribe.

 

He had accomplished the impossible.

 

“Then naturally, loyalty arises.”

 

Carlyle nodded in the darkness.

 

The thought that Amir would be alive struck him suddenly. He wondered how helpful it would have been to win him over and make him his own man. He felt they would have had plenty to speak about.

 

Then it dawned on him: the woman breathing over there in the darkness was the one who inherited Amir Pervaz’s legacy.

 

‘She didn’t flee Pervaz, and now she risks her life for Pervaz’s reconstruction. A knight who lived her entire life on the battlefield.’

 

Even the victory in the war against the Lure tribe belonged to Asha herself.

 

Furthermore, she even dared to confront the Emperor and win the war reparations. Although it wasn’t in the way she desired.

 

‘Come to think of it, this woman might even be more impressive than Amir Pervaz.’

 

Carlyle thought Amir Pervaz, whom he never even met, left him a great gift.

 

“Tell me about your brothers. How many brothers 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 reached his ears.

 

Inhale… exhale…

 

Inhale again… exhale…

 

“Ha!”

 

Sharing the same tent as a prince yet falling asleep before him.

 

Carlyle couldn’t decide if she was rude, ignorant, or simply bold.

 

He found it peculiar that he wasn’t upset, even in this situation.

 

‘Well, blaming a country bumpkin for ignorance of etiquette would be ridiculous, wouldn’t it?’

 

Carlyle sighed and turned to lie down.

 

The tension in his back was likely due to his habit of staying on guard against assassins.

 

***

 

Thud.

 

As the door quietly closed, those sitting around the round table stood up and bowed their heads slightly in that direction.

 

To them, Gabriel, who entered last, greeted with a faint smile.

 

“Long time no see, everyone. How have you been?”

 

The place where he stepped foot was the place where the regular meeting of the “Golden Bough Brotherhood” he leads was held.

 

“High Priest Gabriel! Was it inconvenient to come? I apologize for suddenly changing the meeting place.”

 

“Is that Sir Jeronimo’s fault? It’s the fault of the temple leadership that distorts the words of God by compromising with the mundane world.”

 

Gabriel kindly encouraged Jeronimo, the brotherhood’s secretary who arranged the meeting place and adjusted the schedule.

 

Among the various factions within the Elahe sect, the Golden Bough Brotherhood, which was the most recent, was a gathering of conservative and extreme purists.

 

Because the brotherhood’s keynote emphasizes adhering to the scriptures literally, rather than reflecting the changing reality, the religious leadership was wary of the danger of the brotherhood turning into a heresy.

 

Therefore, securing a meeting place was not easy.

 

“But in the end, we are the ones who win. Libato will bless us.”

 

“Of course! Isn’t High Priest Gabriel a living proof?”

 

Everyone gathered there believed that their beliefs were not wrong.

 

Gabriel Knox, the so-called signboard of the Elahe Church, was their leader.

 

That fact is kept confidential to secure freedom of movement.

 

“Not just me, but all of you too. Not a single one of you is unnecessary for this place.”

 

As Gabriel humbly lowered himself and raised the executives high, everyone’s eyes lit up with a 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 who is acting as the representative of the Golden Bough Brotherhood instead of Gabriel, announced the start of the meeting.

 

The atmosphere of the meeting room became serious in an 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 preparing for a full-scale counterattack.”

 

Carlyle was almost the “enemy” of the Golden Bough Brotherhood.

 

Only if he were gone could this country be transformed into the “Chad Holy Empire”, but he was too strong as an opponent.

 

****

 

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