As I mentioned before, the Academy has warps that allow travel to different nations.
But these aren’t for personal use, and even nobles with high status aren’t much different.
Each country must grant permission, and since the Academy maintains a neutral position, all it takes is the other side’s okay.
Sometimes, if a student is in a really urgent situation, they open it up, but unless it’s a wedding or a funeral, the procedures are complicated.
“The Academy sent a request? Didn’t I tell you to get permission beforehand?”
“Still, I sent it for confirmation.”
“Hah.”
Tartar’s king, Hector, rubbed his face at the messenger’s report.
The messenger maintained his composure, knowing that if he showed any fear, he could face some serious wrath.
In the meantime, Hector, expressing his frustration, waved his hand and began to speak in a somewhat tired voice.
“… I will grant permission. But from now on, without my… no, my orders, carry it out immediately.”
“Understood.”
“Good. Thank you for your efforts.”
The messenger bowed deeply and left the room, leaving Hector alone.
As soon as the messenger exited, Hector leaned back in his chair and began to scan the room.
Torches, monster trophies, flags—all sorts of decorations adorned the walls.
It was quite lavishly decorated, but this was a room kept for processing various documents; in other words, an office. The place where a king must handle his duties.
It was a place that Hector was familiar with, yet not entirely comfortable.
‘There are still many people unfamiliar with the structure.’
Hector sighed.
Eight years had passed since Tartar’s founding. In those eight years, Tartar had undergone significant changes.
Not only had the scattered tribes unified, but they also built cities across the river dividing Tartar from top to bottom.
Originally, countless tribes fought over this river, but now that was no longer the case.
Only peace remains. Everyone is farming around the river and living an ordinary life.
If someone committed a crime due to a loss of control, the law dealt with it immediately.
Everything was progressing smoothly on the surface.
‘Those damn chieftains.’
As the tribes unified, the chiefs of those tribes became nobles responsible for each area.
Most of them, having grown weary of war and pillage, chose peace. They were working their heads off just like Hector.
But, as is often the case with newly formed nations, especially nomadic ones, there were inevitably people with a warrior spirit.
Hector picked up a document and scrutinized it.
[Request for Eastern Region Supplies: 50 swords, 100 bows, arrows… etc.]
‘Looks like they want to start a raid.’
Hector narrowed his eyes. No matter how he looked at it, this wasn’t a normal supply request.
The eastern region was managed by a chief with an aggressive temperament. This was the area Hector was most concerned about.
As mentioned earlier, not everyone prefers peace. There are insane folks who yell for war without a clue.
The problem is that this insane guy spouts off about Tartar’s pride and honor, and quite a few people rally behind him.
Once, Hector himself had been swayed, which shows how persuasive the guy could be.
‘In fact, many citizens think this way.’
This is the biggest problem. Tartar is a newly established nation.
It means that its peculiar, barbaric culture is bound to remain prominent.
They’ve managed to put laws in place to prevent this, but there’s still a surprising amount of public opinion that doesn’t understand.
Despite being known as the “King of Destruction,” Hector was ironically someone who had realized the horrors of destruction.
If he hadn’t known so much, he might have found peace of mind. But he learned too much.
‘First, I need to remind them not to touch Academy students.’
The moment they touch an Academy student, everything will become a tangled mess.
On the flip side, he also had to consider the possibility that Academy students might provoke Tartarians.
Whatever happens, Hector couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Resorting to force would be a last resort.
“Hmm…”
Then suddenly, one name caught Hector’s eye.
It wasn’t his daughter, the princess of Tartar, Kara, but someone below her.
‘I need to see this person’s face…’
At the end of Hector’s gaze was the name ‘Sivar.’
******
Experiencing a warp for the first time was, how should I put it? Both wonderful and weird.
There was a huge door at the top of a staircase, and passing through where a semi-transparent curtain fluttered marked the end.
The feeling of space travel was different from what Rod had shown. While Rod’s teleportation was just that—’movement’—the warp felt like it was drawing you in somewhere.
Fortunately, nothing exploded, and everyone made it through the warp intact.
“Uuggh! Uugh!”
“Uugh…”
“Ack… my stomach…”
But the motion sickness was unavoidable. I heard this was normal, though.
As I explained earlier, the method involved zipping from 1 to 10 at hyper-speed, so it was no wonder physical ailments occurred.
We had to rest for a while after moving. It felt like taking a break at a rest stop.
“Sis, once we step outside, we’re in the capital, right?”
“That’s right. Just a moment.”
“Tartar isn’t too hot, is it?”
“Yeah, it is. And look over there; they have some clothes.”
Kara, who was talking with Eli, pointed her finger at something.
Following her gaze, I saw two Tartarians walking toward us from a distance, carrying something in their hands.
Soon enough, those Tartarians were quietly talking to the professors before setting down what they carried.
“Everyone, listen! As you might know, Tartar has very hot sun. I’ll be distributing sunscreens and clothes, so cover your skin as much as possible.”
“What happens if we don’t wear it?”
“You could end up with severe burns and various skin diseases.”
The students immediately put on the clothes after Malboro’s response. Mostly light, loose-fitting garments.
I also threw on something. I mean, it’s not like I need to dress like this in the capital, even if it’s a desert.
Still, my skin is precious. Even if it can regenerate, it’s hard to endure that unique sting from strong sunlight.
“Don’t you need to wear any?”
“Wanna see my skin?”
Kara answered Eli’s question while pointing to her own arm. It was a healthy, brown skin.
Yet Eli tilted her head, and Kara chuckled, saying, “Only outsiders dress like that; Tartarians are fine. Our skin is accustomed to the sunlight.”
“Ah, I see. I’ve heard that that’s why people from Frozen have such pale skin?”
Of course, Eli. If we’re talking smart, she could rival Jane.
Kara nodded in agreement, but she couldn’t hide her surprise at Eli’s next comment.
“No wonder. I thought it was odd when you wore those clothes back then.”
“What clothes? What are you talking about?”
“Remember when you danced at the altar of Gulrak?”
“Ah.”
That outfit was indeed quite thin. I still vividly recall that dress.
Kara seemed a bit flustered upon hearing Eli, even glancing my way.
But Eli wasn’t done. With curiosity sparkling in her eyes, she asked, “Can I try it on too?”
“Wearing it? The dancer’s outfit?”
“Yeah. Is that okay?”
“It’s not that you can’t, but…”
Kara lowered her gaze. Despite being concealed with a loose jacket, her chest still stood out.
Then Kara shook her head and firmly said, “Not now. There’s no size that fits.”
“Really?”
“And don’t wear it here. You’ll attract unwanted attention.”
That was a little disappointing. I didn’t show it, but I felt disappointed nonetheless.
Well, there’s plenty of time, so I guess I don’t have to worry. I need to tackle the important things first.
‘When’s that chieftain going to start trouble?’
While pondering, someone caught my eye. I stared at that person intently.
It wasn’t a Tartarian. It was an Academy student, but they were dressed way too heavily.
“…”
“…”
“Why?”
It was Luna. She was wrapped from head to toe in white cloth, looking almost like a mummy.
What on earth should I do about her? I stared at her and let out, “Are you a mummy?”
“What’s a mummy?”
“Someone like you.”
“Skin is precious.”
True, skin is precious. Just staying wrapped isn’t bad either.
After throwing on my clothes haphazardly, I stepped outside the warp gate. Just as I stepped out, I felt one thing.
“Ugh… it’s hot.”
“Must be because summer’s approaching?”
“Isn’t it just always hot?”
The scorching heat and intense sunlight were undeniable. The students variously reacted to it.
I slightly frowned as well. The heat was less of an issue; the sunlight was pretty strong.
“Hey, look over there.”
“Could that be the palace?”
“It looks amazing.”
After that, the urban landscape and the majestic palace standing tall in the center came into view.
Modeled after ancient Egypt, the palace was vast and beautiful enough to compare.
Especially noticeable were the finely chiseled stone columns, giving more of a temple-like image than a palace.
‘That’s a shrine.’
Naturally, since Gulrak is the state deity, there was a shrine as well. It was almost as grand as the palace.
While students, including myself, found it surprisingly magnificent, Malboro provided guidance from behind.
“Now, we’ll be moving to the lodging. Please follow without falling behind.”
“Tartar is a hub for trade, so the lodging culture is well developed. You shouldn’t have any inconveniences.”
Following Malboro, Godin added some explanations. I knew the conveniences of the inns were quite good.
So, the professors took the lead and began to move. As one of the students, I was directly guided by Godin.
Continuing our journey, we finally reached the inside of the capital. What I felt as we entered was simple.
‘It’s lively.’
Tartarians are a warrior nation and also excellent merchants. So active trade was happening everywhere.
Sometimes, there were even foreigners. As a trade hub, Tartar had just about everything.
‘There must be delicious food somewhere… Ah. Is that it?’
Then, something caught my eye: a street food that looked like bread. Just the sight of it made it look delicious.
I cautiously slipped away, keeping an eye on Godin.
The owner’s eyes widened when I sneaked away, but then he smiled broadly and shouted cheerfully, “Welcome! Where are you from? Matra? Granada? Hwan?”
He had the typical brown skin of a Tartarian and black hair.
He seemed to think of me as a foreigner, ready to speak in a suitable language.
In reality, Tartarians are fluent in various foreign languages. At least, they’re not at a loss for words.
“How much is this?”
“Hmm? You speak our language?”
However, when fluent Tartar words came from my mouth, the owner was taken aback.
I casually nodded and quietly opened my mouth.
“Yeah. I have a friend.”
“A friend? Where do you live?”
“At the Academy.”
“The Academy? That’s odd. I thought only the princess was at the Academy?”
The owner tilted his head, puzzling. I’m kind of close to that princess…
But saying that wouldn’t convince him. The owner shrugged as if it didn’t matter and cheerfully said,
“Well, great. Is this your first time in Tartar?”
“Yeah. What delicious food do you have?”
“Haha! You’re better at speaking than my son! Great! Try this bread first!”
“How much is it?”
“Three silver coins. Normally it’s five, but I’ll give you a special discount.”
I took out three silver coins from my pocket and handed them to the owner. His smile grew even wider.
Then the owner said he’d give me a fresh-baked one instead of a pre-made one and started baking the bread himself.
The bread wasn’t round like what we usually know; it was flat and resembled a pancake.
In fact, after baking the bread, he topped it with a date sauce, making it closer to a pancake.
“Here you go! Enjoy!”
“Thank you…”
“What are you doing here?”
Just when I was about to enjoy the bread, a chilling voice struck my ear.
I jumped at the sound. This wasn’t a voice that should be heard here.
Turning my stiff neck with effort, there stood Kara, her face full of anger.
“Uh, um? Red hair… you’re the… princess?!”
“Ah. Sorry, I’ll just take this guy with me for a moment.”
“W-wait, just let me take a bite…!”
“Just come along!”
Kara dragged me away before I could take a single bite. I reached for the pancake.
Did the owner sense my plight? He hurried out of the store, quickly pressing a tub into my hand.
Inside was a freshly baked bread just for me. Seriously, what a generous person.
Of course, Kara wasn’t impressed. She muttered with a bewildered expression.
“It’s not like you’re feeding a cat…”
“Nomm!”
“Ugh, delicious?”
“Yeah. It’s sweet.”
“I really can’t deal with this.”
I’ll have to eat more later.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
