EIITAB - Chapter 100 < The Last Winner >
Even if it is Trampled and Broken
"Hmm!"
As he tried to speak and got nowhere, Aslan laughed sharply as the High Priest and the people on the delegation cleared their throats in discomfort.
"Well, that's good. There must be a reason why you came all the way to the end of the earth, which you didn't even bother to look at."
As he lazily leaned against the backrest with an attitude of "let's see where I can go," awkward coughs broke out here and there.
Still, it seems that both the delegation and the pilgrimage group had an intention to have their own assortment.
"His Majesty the Great King Yorgos, the lord of Ellsworth, looked closely at the poor environment of the Kalathi Duchy and ordered the delivery of insufficient medical supplies."
This was the mission's pretext. They talk bullshit for a long time. But Aslan endured. In any case, it was true that there was a shortage of medicine, and Kalathi territory needed it.
Aslan couldn't show off his pride because his subordinates would suffer in future battles. And the additional medicines sent from the capital this time would certainly be of great help to Dr Vito, the only doctor in Kalathi Castle.
So, Aslan was proud and tolerated the nonsense of the envoy. But busy praising Yorgos, just listening in one ear and ignoring it with the other.
"Kalatien has not been touched by God for a long time. Through this pilgrimage, I would like to reconnect the path that was lost. First, I want to check the condition of the abandoned temple."
It was so absurd and shameless that Aslan couldn't stand it anymore and snorted.
".... Duke Kalathi?"
"Oh, excuse me."
Because it's so similar. Aslan swallowed what he was saying, but the cold glare made it seem as if he had already said it. Sure enough, the high priest who had been talking just now turned red and let out an awkward cough.
'That's because you say things that don't even sound like words.'
Aslan let out a cold sneer. It was clear to anyone that it was an excuse.
They will rebuild the temple and spread the faith. How can they be so serious about something that will never be possible before winter is driven from this land?
It was so funny that Aslan felt like he was going to burst out laughing, so he had to press my lips.
'Still, should I consider sincerity?' The High Priest is probably well aware that there is not even a hint of sincerity in what he said. However, he did not give in and continued to say it...
First of all, he thought it was right to praise that point.
"I understand roughly what you want to talk about."
There was no need to listen to them since they were both excuses anyway. The justification for this visit was to make peace for publicity purposes, but when he met them in person, he could clearly see what their true intentions were.
'Hestia. They came to see her.'
Although they treated her poorly when they were next to her, they seemed to have some regrets about losing her.
'And she still doesn't know what she's worth.'
So, wouldn't it be okay to say that the ultimate winner is himself? He even had such arrogant thoughts.
A wise laugh escaped Aslan's lips.
Anette was such an amazing woman. To bring a royal family and a temple to this land that had been neglected, after the death of the previous king and all that at the same time.
'What on earth did you come all this way to meet Hestia and say? Are you trying to persuade me to return to the capital?'
Aslan thought it was a good idea to go one step ahead and assign Jerome as her guard, since he couldn't stay by her side all the time. She said.
'It's going to be nerve-wracking during their stay, but I'll just have to bear with it.'
They won't be able to last long anyway. The winter in Kalathi was not going to be easy for those who had lived a good life. This is because winter is as merciless as the personality of Aslan, the owner of this land.
The conversation that followed was filled with meaningless chatter. It wasn't a particularly fruitful conversation. Aslan didn't expect much from the beginning, but he deliberately stayed there in case he could pick up some information they might have let down while they were off guard...
It was a pointless waste of time. At this point, he has shown his sincerity in listening to what they have prepared, so the conversation can end at this point.
The moment he slowly stood up, a person appeared in his eyes. Since entering the conference room, no. To be more precise, it was the Saintess, Anette, who had not opened her mouth since Hestia left first.
'A Saintess....... hmm. '
Aslan gaze became sharper as he examined her. He naturally recalled the divine power that Anette had displayed earlier. The green waves that spread across the white snow like the train of a dress were a very impressive scene when you think about it without thinking about it.
If this was the case for him, it must have been the same for other people.
'If that woman hadn't come with them, the atmosphere we would have had in dealing with the southern humans would have been worse.'
The people of the Duchy of Kalathi hated the southerners who built walls and closed doors to keep them out. It wouldn't have been strange at all if they threw stones, spit, and even pulled out their swords and attacked. As such, no one welcomed their sudden visit.
The reason the atmosphere was so limited was probably that Anette showed off her strength, even if only in a fragmentary way, to the people of the Duchy of Kalathi who were desperate for spring. So perhaps Anette too, if it weren't for her power to make plants bloom, might have been met with the same disdainful glances and suffered misfortune.
As he was continuing those thoughts, Aslan raised his eyebrows.
'But it's strange!'
He traced his lower lip with his tongue and then gritted his teeth. He had already seen divine power once. This is when Hestia treated Jerome's shoulder wound.
'Is it because the texture of the two powers is different?'
Clearly, when divine power bloomed from Hestia's fingertips, he couldn't even breathe properly. For the first time in his life, he felt overwhelmed by an invisible force, and even though he did not want to admit it, he felt pious. But it wasn't forAnette.
'The grass has grown. You are doing something useless.'
Other than that, Aslan couldn't think of anything else. He wasn't even impressed. Although he was the one who had been waiting for Kalathi's spring more than anyone else, he was more upset than others.
'What can I say....!'
He can't explain it exactly, but her power seemed intangible. Unlike Hestia, who proved her 'efficacy' by healing Jerome's wounds, Anette's power simply disappeared, leaving nothing behind. So he felt like he was being deceived, nothing more or less.
At that time, Anette, who had been looking somewhere else the whole time, turned her head and made direct eye contact with Aslan. She pulled her lips up smoothly without any signs of embarrassment. He could tell right away that the smile was fake.
At that moment, all curiosity disappeared from Aslan's mind and only discomfort took its place. He suppressed the urge to click his tongue and opened his mouth in a stern voice.
"The hospitality may not be generous, but I guess you took that into consideration when you came."
Everyone in the capital flinched at the slightly sarcastic tone and looked at Aslan. Aslan, who did not feel the need to deal with them further, began to speak at a rapid pace.
"I already explained where the accommodations are, and if you have any other questions, please ask Sir Martin. I hope you stay safe until the day you die."
Aslan got up first and left the conference room, leaving behind a word that he couldn't tell if it was a curse or concern.
***
It goes without saying, but no welcome banquet was held. There was a reason why Kalathi did not have enough resources, but the main reason was that Aslan said, 'They are well-bred, so if they are treated poorly, they will want to leave in a hurry.'
The envoys and pilgrims who had gone through an arduous path that was not even mentioned in the Eight Characters showed signs of great regret, but they could not overturn the decision made by their master, Aslan.
"They don't have enough to entertain. So what should we do?"
Everyone in the South knew that there was a shortage of food in Kalathi. If the food had been prepared to the fullest extent, the residents here might have had to go hungry all year long. As a result, they couldn't even complain that Duke Kalathi wasn't treating them properly.
"Let's just take care of ourselves."
"Is it so. How come they didn't kick him out? Even if you keep your eyes open, you'll lose energy, so it's better to sleep."
Not only were their bellies not full, but as the sun went down, the temperature dropped exponentially, and the stamina of Southerners quickly weakened. They just desperately wanted to lie down and rest their tired bodies.
As things turned out, they felt like they should have been grateful that Aslan had given them the outbuilding. For these reasons, the fire in the outbuilding was extinguished fairly quickly, even though midnight was far away.
The commotion in the outbuilding that welcomed new guests did not last long and faded away as if it had been buried in snow.
***
How much time has passed?
The door of the outbuilding, filled with silence, opened. The person who entered was Dulcinea, whose residence was in the main building. She opened the door so that only one body could go in and out, and then she glided in through it.
She quickly closed the door, but at that moment, white snow crystals piled up on the floor. It has been snowing in Kalathi for the first time in a long time.
'I shouldn't leave any footprints.'
Feeling impatient for no reason, she wiped away the moisture by rubbing her shoes on the small snow-clearing carpet laid out in front of the entrance.
Meanwhile, she was anxiously looking around to see if someone would wake up and come out here. After a while, Dulcinea picked up her tiptoes and began to walk like a thief.
Climbing the stairs, she finally stopped in front of the door of a room.
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