Chapter 387

Meeting with an old man who had not a trace of prejudice was quite amusing.

He was as open-minded as he was free from bias, and I certainly wasn’t going to turn down the chance to meet someone like that.

In fact, we had such a good rapport that we ended up sharing some fun conversations, mainly about the Academy.

“I assume since you’re from the Academy, you might have heard about the princess. Do you know Princess Kara?”

“Yes, she’s in my class.”

“In your class? Ah, now that you mention it, I heard Princess Kara’s class is going on an experiential learning trip.”

The old man and I settled in for a nice chat.

The pancakes were delicious, and it seemed he took an interest in me as well.

“I wonder if it’s alright to have a conversation in such a humble place.”

“Humble? The bread you made is top-notch. Especially that date syrup—absolutely delicious.”

“Thank you. As a student, you don’t have to pay, so eat as much as you want.”

That feels a bit unethical, knowing my appetite.

Of course, pancakes aren’t really a meal; they’re more like a snack, so I planned to take my time enjoying them.

Besides, sweet foods tend to get old quickly if you overindulge. It’d be just a polite gesture, really.

“By the way, what’s your relationship with the princess?”

“Friends.”

“Oh, friends.”

The old man stroked his chin at my response, clearly intrigued. An unexpected reaction, indeed.

After taking a bite of a pancake, he spoke with an air of wisdom.

“If you’re close enough to call her a friend, it must be more than just a casual acquaintance.”

“A good friend.”

“Hmm. I thought as much. Have you ever dueled with the princess?”

How did the conversation smoothly transition to dueling? What a strange culture.

Well, it made sense since Tartars were known for their combative nature. They’re a people who bond through fighting, after all.

“Yes, I’ve dueled with her.”

“Who won?”

“I did.”

“Impressive. Surely there’s no falsehood in that statement?”

“Ask Kara… I mean, the princess.”

I almost blurted out Kara’s name. I’d be calling her ‘princess’ at least in Tartar territory.

The old man seemed to believe my words, nodding in response. A no big deal kind of reaction.

“Definitely hiding a ferocious aura beneath that seemingly innocent face, huh?”

“Me?”

“You’re not really looking at me, are you? You’re glancing around, staying on guard.”

That was quite a sharp analysis. But honestly, it’s more of an instinct at this point.

Having been ambushed many times in the forest, I found it hard to let my guard down even in daily life.

If someone approaches me from behind without showing any murderous intent, I usually just let it slide.

Most of the time, it’s just acquaintances messing around, so I often just roll with it.

“By the way, I’ve heard an interesting story. There’s a student who entered the Academy after living in the forest near here.”

“That’s me.”

“Figured as much. I heard rumors that the princess suffered a tragic defeat in a duel.”

I scratched my head, feeling a bit embarrassed. Is the rumor already spreading this far?

Though perhaps it isn’t surprising. Kara is a princess and the only Tartar student at the Academy.

Even if it’s a somewhat humiliating rumor, he seemed unfazed sharing it.

Instead, a different kind of curiosity shone on his face. A kind of competitive spirit.

The old man stared at me, his face full of that spirit, and quietly asked,

“If I were a few years younger, I would have asked you for a duel… What a shame.”

“Dueling? Come on now. You’re a guy who hates war, yet you have a thing for combat?”

“War and combat aren’t the same! You’ve no idea how terrifying war can be!”

“Oh, please. I prefer trading over war. I have no intention of fighting at all.”

The shopkeeper and the old man began bickering. I put the pancake in my mouth without looking at them.

In reality, many Tartars possess a competitive spirit towards the strong. But regular folks like the shopkeeper are a different breed.

The old man is likely a warrior of considerable rank. It’s important that he’s ‘old’ even being a Tartar.

‘Being old means surviving.’

It’s often joked about, but in Tartar culture, the elderly are respected figures.

Even if times have changed, Tartar men generally grow up to be warriors from birth.

Things aren’t much different even after Hector unified the tribes. Yet ironically, the young warriors are causing issues now.

“The young folks these days, I swear! They’ve never seen war firsthand, yet they’re all clamoring for one. Just drives me nuts…”

“Calm down! There’s an Academy student right here. We should show our country in a good light.”

“That’s the problem! If those wet-behind-the-ears punks start something…!”

The old man began to whine as if he were frustrated. Seemed like this happens often since the shopkeeper remained unfazed, simply baking bread.

I quietly munched on bread while listening. The old man was mentioning all the current threats facing Tartar.

‘People unable to see the shadows behind glory.’

The founding ‘myth’ of Hector lures many in. It was indeed an achievement worthy of myth status.

However, the shadows veiled by that glory are hidden by the bright light of success. Almost nobody would know unless they lived through the tribal wars.

‘That’s just how war is.’

Who said it? War is sweet to those who have never experienced it.

Many young Tartars, unaware of this, are eager for battle. Most of them are young folks.

And in the upcoming stories, the Academy students will act as gunpowder, igniting the young Tartars.

If you ask me if I want to stop it, I can confidently answer,

‘Not at all.’

I would plunge deep into that explosion. To meet Hector.

If the old man heard that, what kind of reaction would he have? Would he froth at the mouth and try to hit me?

“The young folk are indeed an issue, but so are the chieftains, I mean, our royalty.”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, the topic of royalty came up, specifically the Tartar royal family, and it seemed like this would take a critical turn.

Currently, Hector is a near-mythic figure in Tartar. Be it through strength or religion.

However, the old man boldly brought up potentially contentious topics. His voice was loud enough to catch the attention of those around us.

“Oh no. You’re bringing up dangerous topics again, old man! It’s quite risky to speak like that.”

“Risky? This is a conversation we need to have for our country to become stronger!”

“Are you by any chance suggesting that King Hector should remarry or that Princess Kara should marry to secure alliances?”

“That’s exactly it!”

“…”

What? A loyal subject, huh? I understood and nodded with vague acceptance.

Usually, those who bring up dangerous topics are loyal subjects. In fact, this is one of the most pressing concerns in Tartar.

Hector has only one child: Kara. If anything were to happen to either, Tartar would be in serious trouble.

What about Hector’s siblings, you ask? Well, to put it bluntly, his past isn’t too far from Mongolian Genghis Khan.

A rather worrisome family tree, to say the least. So if Hector dies, Kara would automatically detach from the story.

“Princess Kara has already passed the marriageable age. Yet it seems she has no intention of marrying.”

“And right now, she’s a student at the Academy. You know that too, old man.”

“I know that. Besides, it’d be better for the King to remarry. He’s still quite spry.”

“I’m not sure if we should be discussing this here with the Academy student present.”

The shopkeeper nodded and pointed at me. The old man’s gaze turned toward me.

He scrutinized me for a while, then suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!” I started to feel a bit anxious.

“Ah! That’s right! You over there, student!”

“Yes?”

“You said you were a close friend of Princess Kara, correct?”

“Yes.”

“Then have you heard any rumors? How about a significant other who’s close to the princess?”

“Come on, why are you asking such things? Know your limits!”

Uh… I wanted to say, “I mean, that’s basically the case, though?”

Even though there’s another person involved, Kara dislikes that one to a high degree, so let’s overlook that.

“Impossible! Princess Kara is one of the most beautiful dancers in Tartar. You can’t agree otherwise?”

“Well… I’ve seen her a few times during prayers to Gulrak. She is indeed beautiful.”

“No man can see that beauty and remain indifferent! There must be someone!”

Not even a love-struck fool, right? This was ridiculous. Yet I quite agree that Kara is beautiful.

However, I’m not totally devoid of questions. I munched bread as I turned to the old man.

“What about Tartars?”

“Huh?”

“Tartars. No potential suitors?”

“Hardly anyone stronger than the princess in her age group, what are you saying?”

“…”

Uh. It’d be hard to find someone stronger than Kara from the get-go.

Even if he dislikes war, it’s clear his innate barbarity shows through.

Kara has rolled around in the thick of war since her late teens, so it’s no surprise she’s strong despite her age.

Let alone, she’s received all of Gulrak’s favors; finding someone stronger than her may be nearly impossible.

“It’s not just about strength, after all. You’d need Gulrak’s blessing too.”

“And if you keep talking like that, the princess might end up an old maid.”

“No way. I’m sure somebody’s out there…”

The shopkeeper chided the old man, who was barely keeping it together, then shot a quick glance my way. He froze in that state.

I also stood still, chewing on my bread. The glint in the old man’s eye wasn’t easygoing at all.

Then, as if calculating, his eyes darted around, and he suddenly asked,

“…how old are you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why don’t you know… Ah, that makes sense. Still, you look young; your background seems… non-existent, right?”

“Yes.”

“But your strength surpasses that of Princess Kara… Considering you communicate well in Tartar, that’s not an issue… And you’re quite handsome…”

While muttering something to himself, the old man suddenly made a bold leap of logic.

“Is it possible you have feelings for Princess Kara?”

“Whoa there! You must be losing it! Student! Don’t mind him, just leave!”

“Where would I go? I’m serious!”

If he’s truly gone mad, he’s shouting like a lunatic.

As the shopkeeper tried to restrain him, I hurriedly slipped away from the table.

It’s great that he’s a patriot serving the country, but going overboard isn’t the way to go; too much of anything isn’t good!

‘Did he say he was a former chieftain? What’s his deal?’

Now that I think of it, I never caught his name. I walked away with a mixed feeling of unease.

If I’m lucky, I might run into him again. Since he mentioned being a former chieftain, he might call out to me someday.

‘Earlier, everyone acted like it was a normal occurrence.’

It’s not surprising if someone reported him, yet he was so outspoken about it.

He could very well be quite close to Hector.

I munched on the leftover pancakes as I strolled through town.

‘Where to next?’

******

After a light exploration, lunchtime rolled around, and I headed straight back to the lodging.

Upon returning, it wasn’t long before the professor informed us about the afternoon’s plan to gather essential supplies.

The students, without a care in the world, began moving to gather supplies. But suddenly, a ruckus broke out.

“What did you just say, you punk? What’s that about our country?”

“Uh, what? Huh?”

“Why? Did you think I wouldn’t understand if you spoke in a foreign language? Are all Academy students like this?”

The anticipated scenario unfolded right before my eyes.

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