Lariette immediately moved to the room Hamad had given her as soon as she finished borrowing magical supplies from Yama. It was to pack the necessary magical supplies for walking through the desert.
"Lari, none of that will withstand the sandstorm of Wind Month," advised Hamad with a furrowed brow as he followed her back to the room. They could have avoided such a sandstorm, but now it was the second stormiest half of the Wind Month period. It was not a place to survive with torn cloaks and tents. But despite the continuous dissuasion, Lariette continued to busy herself packing.
"Even a little will help."
"Even if you couldn't escape death with that little help?!"
Hamad raised his voice, his choice and indignation rushing toward death; he was the king of Ashtar, and Lariette was the guest who had been invited to Ashtar. Hamad had a duty to protect her, yet when Lariette heard the threat of dying, she didn't care at all. She casually asked the other soldier where she could find Asrahan. Her indifference infuriated Hamad even more. Over 100 people died in the desert.
They were swallowed by a desert storm, broke their necks, and died; they were ovulated by a monster and died... most of them haven't even been found. Even they were mostly desert-born and bred warriors of Ashtar.
It meant that even those accustomed to this climate would lose their lives if they were even slightly unprepared.
So, to Hamad, Lariette's actions were seen only as an act of brutality. Percussion! A large hand grabbed Lariette's wrist as she tied her hair.
It didn't hurt, but it was quite a strong force. Only then did Lariette look back.
"Lari, do you think dying is easy?"
Hamad approached her face as a warning. He felt he had to stop her even in a harsh way.
"It's not an easy decision. The cutting wind. You will face cockroach-infested monsters before your lover."
...
"You won't be able to feel the feeling of love again, eat delicious meals, or lie down feeling the comfort of a blanket. How precious was the life you took lightly, and it was too late to regret it amidst the monsters."
Hamad thought Lariette would be confused. The courage from the emotions of the moment cooled in the face of reality. But what appeared in his sight was Lariette's face with a small smile on her lips.
"Yes."
There was a voice that seemed to recall a distant moment.
"How precious was life to be considered a trivial routine. How precious and beautiful were the days of crying, laughing, and whining in the passing time. What a horror death is to take all that away."
She knew it better than anyone. Lariette added with a smile. She couldn't have known... She regretted one day, one hour, and one minute amidst the misunderstanding of a time limit, and after the misunderstanding cleared, her life was so precious that she left Asrahan.
Asrahan is a person who came to this desert through a sandstorm to find her gone, leaving only cold words. That's why Lariette knew very well what choices she had to make at that moment.
"It's not an easy decision."
Lariette firmly grabbed his hand. A direct gaze soon turned toward Hamad.
"It's a decision I made because I know more about life than about death."
She stepped away, dressed in a cloak to keep the desert wind at bay, left the room, abandoned the palace, and headed towards the gate.
