Chapter 129. His Sincerity?

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    Asha felt suffocated.?

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    Never before had she felt so unable to communicate with Tamon.?

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    Just as Tamon’s attitude was unusual, Asha felt that her impatience was also unusual.?

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    She tried her best to remain calm, but it was not easy.?

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    The more she talked to Tamon, the more it felt like a hot ball was rolling around in her chest.?

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    “It’s not that I won’t take your help. It’s that I’m looking for a solution without your sacrifice.”?

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    “My ability is not available in the way it could be used without sacrifice. Oh, or do I have to mix bodies with everyone who gets hurt?”?

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    Asha’s expression turned cold at his sarcasm.?

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    “I don’t know why you say that.”?

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    “I don’t know why you refuse to accept my offer to help you. Don’t you believe in my abilities?”?

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    “The silver deer are very cautious and they won’t follow you anyway. The same goes for the children. I am the only one who can convince them.”?

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    “So, now, you’re going to find a way to get into that canyon yourself, is that it? Inside the black canyon with poisonous fog?”?

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    “There is the protection chain…….”?

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    “You are making a ridiculous assumption.”?

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    Tamon cut Asha off, as if he could not allow that to happen.?

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    Asha’s face also tensed.?

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    She knew it, too.?

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    She was too weak of a being to go in the canyon alone, trusting only in the chain.?

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    But no matter how strong he was, it was also absurdly dangerous to let Tamon go into that black canyon.?

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    “There must be another way.”?

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    Asha said through clenched teeth.?

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    She assured him again, and Tamon read it.?

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    Their confrontation continued in silence.?

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    In the end, it was Tamon who got to retreat first.?

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    “……I really don’t know.”?

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    After sighing heavily, he swept his hair roughly and turned back.?

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    Just then he heard a rustling sound outside.?

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    It was a sign that Jorge had finished sorting through the woods and returned.?

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    “I’ll be outside for a while.”?

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    Tamon, with a hard look on his face, slipped out of the tent, leaving Asha behind.?

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    Asha, who had been standing there, sighed slowly.?

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    ‘I had some other words…’?

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    Words that would persuade him to understand.?

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    Such words were certainly present in her.?

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    The problem was that it was too much for Asha to pull it out from deep within.?

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    “Kaaaa….”?

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    As if in some kind of a mood of concern, the young deer, who had remained silent, belatedly spoke up in a weak voice.?

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    Asha reached out and held the fawn in her embrace, whispering.?

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    “Are you nervous because you thought something would happen?”?

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    The silver deer stared at Asha in silence. She bent her knees and whispered quietly, keeping eye contact with the little animal.?

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    “Don’t worry. I will save your family, I promise.”?

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    In a way that would not injure that man to the maximum extent possible.?

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    ‘I’m sure of it.’?

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    * * * *?

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    It was noisy outside for a while.?

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    There was the sound of a silver antlered deer carcass being put away, followed by a small dialogue about the atmosphere at the entrance to the canyon.?

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    Meanwhile, Asrell and the kids busily prepared a meal.?

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    At the mention of a herd of silver deer nearby, Jorge and the Knights talked about delaying the itinerary a bit and taking a closer look at the place.?

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    Tamon naturally agreed.?

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    In the meantime, Roselyn was lost in thought, hugging the weak young deer.?

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    “Method. We need to find a way.”?

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    There wasn’t enough time to contemplate it fully, and the restrictions were too many.?

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    In the first place, where should they look for silver antlered deer??

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    It would be more problematic if a herd of deer was in that canyon.?

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    It was not a simple matter to go into that proposed canyon with a group of Knights with minimal manpower and weapons to save time, without the impossible task of preparing to investigate the canyon.?

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    “Even if we knew where the deer herd was……”?

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    Asha clutched at her slightly feverish forehead.?

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    Worst of all, this fawn in her arms might be the last living member of the herd.?

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    “I wish you could talk.”?

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    Asha mumbled frustratedly as she stroked the deer, which had been sleeping in her arms for some time.?

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    She said she would surely find a way, but it wasn’t easy.?

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    With her eyes closed, she recalled the topographic map she had seen in Tanatos of the black canyon.?

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    It was the topographic map she used to look at every time she sent a survey team.?

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    “These beasts in there are strange. Perhaps we should call them beasts, but it is ambiguous to call them monsters anyway. They are different……”?

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    It was said that prolonged exposure to the black fog caused mild paralysis.?

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    The animals in the canyon seemed to be fine, if they had already adapted, but it was dangerous to wander through it for more than a day.?

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    The cleanest place inside was by the stream.?

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    The target point of the investigation team had always been the stream.?

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    “They say if you go straight up along the canyon, you’ll find a tree with a warped shape…Was it around here?”?

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    Roselyn took out a piece of paper and drew a topographical map as she remembered it.?

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    It wasn’t exact, but it was better than nothing, she thought.?

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    She thought she would go in with the knights at daybreak, since it would be less dangerous at dawn.?

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    “Can you come with us?”?

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    She whispered to the young silver horned deer, and its twitching, protruding ears fluttered as if it didn’t like it.?

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    Asha smiled and ruffled the beast’s soft fur.?

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    Tamon came into the barracks after the sky had completely darkened.?

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    He glanced at the topographical map Asha was drawing and silently undressed.?

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    Asha also looked at him, folded the paper neatly and put it on one side.?

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    It was late at night when more than half of the people had already fallen asleep.?

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    “It’s late, how come you haven’t slept?”?

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    Did he calm down a bit??

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    Tamon spoke in his usual voice.?

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    But what was this awkwardness??

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    Asha hesitated for a moment, then answered in the same calm voice.?

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    “I’m going to sleep now.”?

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    “Okay….”?

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    Tamon inspected the fire in the fireplace inside the barracks and then lay down beside her.?

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    The strange silence that had settled between them until now had not disappeared.?

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    The only light in the barracks was the furnace, which was growing warmer.?

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    It was the first time that the two had such a quiet night since they shared a bed together.?

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    The awkward silence made Roselyn turn over and over.?

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    Tamon, however, seemed to have fallen fast asleep, not moving an inch, as usual.?

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    Asha, who had been changing her seat here and there, gently turned herself toward Tamon.?

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    Looking at his face lying comfortably in a straight posture, she felt strangely unfair.?

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    This was a really strange feeling.?

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    Tamon had not said anything harsh, nor had he ignored her or used violence like Gillotti had.?

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    Nevertheless, strangely, there was disappointment on one side of her heart.?

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    It was a loneliness that she had never felt for Gillotti, who had spoken to her in such a disgusting manner.?

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    What was even more appalling was how annoying it was to see Tamon’s handsome face sleeping peacefully.?

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    ‘What on earth are these feelings?’ (*it’s love, Asha)?

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    ‘I’m not a child and I can’t believe I’m pissed off…….’?

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    With no one watching, Asha quickly turned her body the other way to hide her frazzled mind.?

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    Desperate to sleep, she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the brazier burning.?

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    The smell of the ashes wasn’t bad.?

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    She fell quietly asleep, concentrating on the smell of the ashes and the sound of the crackling of the fire.?

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    She was tired and when she tried to sleep, the sleep came quickly.?

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    When she was fully asleep, Tamon, whom she thought was sleeping soundly, opened his eyes.?

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    He lay still for a moment, looking at the low ceiling, and then at the back of Asha as she lay on her side.?

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    “…… you really don’t behave like my mind for a second.”?

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    Muttering to himself, Tamon carefully hugged Asha in his arms and kissed her pale cheek.?

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    Asha told him she did not want him to sacrifice himself.?

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    She didn’t want to see his body torn to shreds.?

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    ‘But if not that, what else can I do to prove my usefulness to you?’?

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    He chided himself bitterly.?

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    Even without Tamon, Asha was a woman who could rise up on her own.?

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    So did she really need Tamon to help her get revenge??

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    When this revenge was over, would he really be satisfied with just getting that empty seat??

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    He still wanted to own her completely.?

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    He wanted to swallow all of her so much, so sorely…?

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    ‘Aranrosia.’?

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    My brilliant sea.?

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    It seemed that he gave her a useless name.?

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    The sea always flowed and was so vast that it could not be caught or locked up.?

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    So it was even more beautiful, and therefore even more brilliant.?

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    So it was more sparing, and maybe that was why he wanted more.?

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    Tamon looked at Asha’s face for a while as she fell into a deep sleep, not knowing how he felt.?

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    The fine breathing relieved him.?

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    To hold this breath, Tamon was willing to endure her hatred and anger, even prepared to give away everything he had.?

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    So how could this soft breath not be lovely??

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    ‘If you care a little about me, that’s good enough for me.?

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    And if my space that occupies a corner of your heart grows larger and larger…..?

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    Even if you don’t want love, if I can have you in any other form…?

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    Yes, how many times can this body be broken?’?

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    Tamon kissed her eyes gently and slowly got up.?

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    When he went outside, the air was chilly and cold.?

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    He didn’t know how much time had passed, but the dim dawn light began to shine through the blackened sky.?

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    With casual steps, Tamon walked toward the darkness where the forest was.