"The first thing that caught my attention was that you got out of prison."
That may have fueled the suspicion.
But it didn't make sense to lock me in a harem just for that.
No, something is missing.
I bit my lip.
And then as if I had just realized something, I clasped my hands together.
"Are you trying to isolate me?"
A deep silence fell.
After some thought, Nasir decided that she was not stupid.
Just by looking at a few situations and circumstances, she can fill in the empty pieces and jump to a conclusion.
It was not a decision that anyone could easily make.
A strange light appeared in Nasir's eyes.
I racked my brain hard.
I don't know the full story, but there has been some recent commotion between Kracha and Pesian, and since it's not a place where politics is normally stable, there may have been a war between the tribes.
Still, I was certain that it had something to do with Kracha.
Because Kracha and Cromwell are on friendly terms.
If a northerner was going to be suspicious, it had to be on Kracha's side.
Above all, the man knew that I was going to Kracha.
But the decisive factor in being dragged into the harem and locked up was that I had escaped from prison once.
There is a reason to lock me up and monitor me, but at the same time, it makes it so that no one can approach me.
The intention was to make it so that even if he gained something, he could not let it be known outside. Am I being treated as a spy after all?
I guessed all the charges against me.
No, I wondered how I could have not known about it all this time...
No, I didn't think about it.
I was so dumbfounded that I just stared blankly.
Nasir smiled broadly as he watched the reaction.
He just asked out of curiosity, but the response was better than expected.
He doesn't think she's the spy side.
If that was the purpose, there was a high probability that she would have pretended not to know until the end.
Even though it was just a little bit, the look of surprise wasn't an act.
Although she was not completely cleared of the charges, Nasir was convinced that she was not a spy.
"If I ask you how you got out of prison, you won't tell me, right?"
"The door is open."
Do you think I'll believe that now?
But Ashina seemed unwilling to tell him anymore.
"What's wrong with just opening an open door and coming out?"
"Then it would be important why the door was open."
Because there's no way that door would just open.
Ashina nodded but didn't seem to agree.
Nasir looked quietly at the girl in front of him.
Brown, almost black eyes.
The eyes were unremarkable, but there seemed to be something more to them. What is this feeling?
For a moment, Ashina looked straight at Nasir. Nasir was briefly surprised.
It felt as if his mind had been discovered.
But Ashina didn't seem to have any particular thoughts.
"You're kind. What's your name?"
"My name is Nasir."
"I guess there are more names?"
The relaxed manner in which she responded was the attitude of someone who had already lived in this country for many years.
Nasir smiled faintly.
Somehow he feels like he knows what's on Ra Kun's mind...
"I hope you think of me as someone who has hidden my name, just like you."
Ashina was convinced.
Nasir was actually a bit surprised at how cleanly she backed down as if she no longer had any regrets.
No, quite a bit.
He thought she'd be willing to force him to tell you.
Rather, what came back from Ashina was a greeting.
"Thank you. For telling me all these things. Well, I guess I was just trying to get your cooperation, but thank you anyway. That damn... No, no. The person who brought me here was definitely lacking in that kind of consideration."
I understand.
Nasir could tell without even looking that the battle had been going on between his master and this woman.
Although it was just a casual smile, Nasir felt his heart relax for some reason.
"Didn't the guides in Surt recommend crossing the Pasl to get to Kracha? That's how most northerners go to Kracha."
"I know. He told me to do that. Even though I refused."
Ashina nodded as if she was annoyed.
Nasir was curious.
"Why did you go to the desert?"
"I wanted to see the desert."
There was not a single lie in Ashina's eyes as she spoke like that.
"It was prettier than I imagined."
The enchantingly colored eyes shine beautifully.
It seemed like she really liked the desert.
Nasir was also born and raised here. He's seen the desert, but he never felt that way.
It's somehow interesting...
"Of course, it was worse than I expected."
Ashina smiled prettily as she added a word.
Nasir smiled back at her without realizing it.
Nasir was eventually admitted... That this woman is telling the truth.
"My name is Nasir Etl Ahmet."
Ashina opened her eyes wide.
Why are you telling me your full name?
Nasir knew that the northern woman had no idea what it meant in Pesian to give out all the names.
A woman who did not even know the desert of death.
But he thought she would have half an idea what it meant just by looking at it.
"I said this because I think we'll be seeing each other often in the future."
Ashina laughed at Nasir's addition.
That was a pretty pleasant smile.
"I hope so. I can't stay in one place for too long."
***
After sending Ashina back to the harem, Nasir was left alone and sat lost in thought.
A woman passing through the desert of death.
The destination of the trip was Kracha.
Desert of Death, Jirdah.
Deserts are traditionally treated as abandoned lands that belong to no one.
However, everyone living in the Southern Continent tacitly recognizes it as Pesian territory.
The reason was simple.
Because they're afraid of Ra Kun.
In the desert, which was practically Pesian land, she asked the owner for directions to Kracha.
It was well worth the award.
But Nasir felt no qualms about that fact.
And that fact was amazing.
Ashina was definitely suspicious in many ways.
Her purpose for being here was unclear, and her place of origin was also unclear.
Even the small pouch she owned felt suspicious for some reason.
If he looked into the reason why she went to the desert, it was strange.
She went to the desert because she wanted to see the desert.
But for some reason, Nasir was drawn to her.
The assumption is made in his head that Ashina is not a spy.
That situation was quite strange...
"What are you doing?"
It seemed like a lot of time had passed while Nasir was lost in thought. He didn't even know the door was open.
It had been a long time since he had seen something like this, so Nasir smiled pleasantly.
Karim tilted his head as he watched Nasir laughing without knowing what was going on.
"Karim."
"What?"
Nasir, who had been wiggling his fingers, raised his head and said.
There was a rather satisfied smile on his lips.
Karim wondered why he was doing this.
"I guess you'll have to guard the harem for a while."
Karim's forehead furrowed.
It was an expression on his face as if he had heard something he shouldn't have heard.
"What are you talking about?"
Tamura of Ra Kun.
Some may call them bodyguards, but they were more like warriors who would sacrifice everything for Ra Kun.
Completely unrelated to the forty-eight tribes of the desert, warriors who live only for Kun.
Karim was the best Tamura among them.
The first reason why all desert tribes fear Ra Kun.
"A new mistress has come into the harem. When the harem was empty, there was no need for separate harem guards, but now, no, there won't be a need for them."
The black eyes twitched in discontent.
Karim didn't like this situation from the beginning.
If It's suspicious, you can catch it and kill it.
If you suspect your opponent of being a spy or anything else, kill them.
It was a thought that a warrior born and raised in the desert would have.
From the beginning, he didn't like the idea of a white-skinned northern woman joining Kun's harem.
It should have been empty.
"I know you don't like this situation."
"Is this your order?"
Karim didn't ask anything else. Nasir hesitated for a moment, looking straight in the eyes.
But judging from Ra Kun's attitude earlier, he was certain that Sihad would never oppose this matter.
Above all, that woman is dangerous. Nasir not talking about an actual threat. Even in their short conversation, he could sense the natural friendliness and charm that Ashina possessed.
Moreover, he was smart and perceptive enough to properly discern what was dangerous.
If that woman really is a spy, then whatever happens will happen properly.
He doesn't think that's possible, but he should have prepared properly for the 'real thing'..
Nasir felt that he could never leave Ashina alone.
It's not for nothing that the Ra Kun put her in a harem.
If she had been put back in prison, she would have already left this place and headed to Kracha.
Although he couldn't be sure, Nasir thought it could be possible if his eyes were not deceived.
"It is my order, but it is also Sihad's order."
Karim had no answer.
It seemed like invoking the name of God would have some effect, but it didn't seem to be the case.
Karim looked straight into Nasir's eyes.
No official can shamelessly face the gaze of a warrior filled with life.
But this was the desert empire, Pesian.
Every man here had to know how to survive alone in the desert.
"Is she a dangerous woman? Why aren't you reacting well?"
"Well."
Nasir understood that it was not good in some way, but he smiled as if he did not know.
Karim frowned at the ambiguous response.
He looked impatient.
Nasir simply narrowed his eyes and looked up at Karim.
He tried to guess what kind of picture would come out if he put Karim and Ashina together, but he couldn't get a feel for it.
But one thing was certain, the spectacle was going to be very entertaining.
"Go and judge for yourself, you."
Karim somehow felt like punching Nasir in the face for his sly grin.
***
Even I, who lived without fear in the world, had a few rules of my own.
The first is to never do anything that would put my life at risk.
There was a special reason for that, so it was the part that I cared about the most.
The second is to never mess with the ruler of the place I travel to.
That has been maintained quite well so far.
I thought it would be well-kept in the future.
I was a kind-hearted person by nature, and rarely did anyone try to harm me...
So far there have been no problems.
More than anything, Ashina hated complicated emotional battles with people.
At that time, I would rather travel than go on a trip.
And the last one is...
"I won't reveal who I am."
I crumpled my face as I repeated briefly.
The reason for not revealing my identity was simple.
Because it would be embarrassing if I got caught.
No, it wasn't that difficult.
Not only would there be damage to the home, but there could even be a war.
My mother wouldn't stay still if she knew what happened to me.
No, my maternal grandfather was the biggest problem.
If things had not been the same, I might never be able to travel again. I don't know about anything else, but that scared me.
First of all, my status was quite extraordinary, and above all, I had made a promise to my father.
I promise not to reveal anything carelessly while traveling.
"This."
If I do it right, all three will end up breaking it.
No, I've already broken two.
It was a short outing, but I gained a lot.
The conversation with Nasir was very useful.
I didn't usually mind moving around as I pleased, but in the current situation, that was becoming a huge problem.
I reevaluated the Ra Kun again.
I thought he was a bad, unlucky guy who did whatever he wanted, but it turns out he was just a bad guy.
The lack of consideration was still there.
"A woman I didn't know suddenly appeared in a desert where no one went and asked for directions to an enemy country, and the person she asked happened to be the King of this country. I thought it was suspicious, so I arrested her and threw her in prison, but this time she escaped and is now wandering the streets. And to anyone who sees her, she's from the Northern Continent..."
I let out a deep sigh.
It's difficult.
Where should I untie the thread?
When I traveled around the Northern Continent, there was no room to think about the conflict between countries.
The feud between families was not of interest to me
It didn't matter who was powerful or small.
The North Continent was politically stable, and the only problems were the Pen above and the Pessian blow.
But things were different for Pesian.
It was my fault for not thinking about it, although I should have considered it carefully.
How wonderful it is that there is no conflict.
In the North, I could go wherever I wanted without any major political problems arising.
The same goes for status.
So I thought the current situation was too simplistic.
"Oh, my head."
I feel like a mouse is going to fly out of my head because I'm trying to use my unused head.
Still, I thought hard about it.
First of all, I can definitely say that I look incredibly suspicious.
That has become an inevitable part of the past and an irreversible prerequisite.
Now I can't even express an inch of dissatisfaction about being locked in a harem.
No, if I had to complain, I would, but I knew very well how disadvantaged the situation was for me.
Yeah, so I can't just pretend I don't know.
"I thought it was too easy."
That's the problem. I reflected briefly that I was complacent.
Although Pesian was treated as an enemy by Cromwell, there was no history of a full-scale war between the two countries.
Because Pesian was on the southern continent and Cromwell on the northern continent, they firmly maintained their respective territories, neither of them going up nor down.
To put it more precisely, the relationship between the two countries was close to that of disliking each other but ignoring each other like cows and chickens.
Should I say that it's like a couple of ladies fighting?
I thought it was because of cultural differences.
Among them, I thought the attitude of the two countries, which showed disrespectful rejection of each other's religion, was the most problematic, but I decided to overlook that part.
That's not what's important right now.
Anyway, perhaps because of that atmosphere, I had no sense t lhat this place was a formidable enemy country.
This was especially true because I had come with a light-hearted attitude, like a preliminary survey to get a feel for the atmosphere before embarking on a full-scale adventure in the Southern Continent.
"So, in short, not only did I betray the King of this country, but I also did something incredibly suspicious, and now I'm locked up. I'm even suspected of being a spy."
It was a perfect arrangement.
I shook my hands.
The situation was so simple that there was no need to complicate things.
Oh, then I guess I can clear up his doubts.
But at the same time, it was a situation that made me want to curse.
Damn, how did things get so messed up!
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