Chapter 391

Posted by Kuze, ? Views, Released on January 26, 2025

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“Did you not catch it?”

With dark blonde hair, the typical brown skin of a Tartar, and a face that seemed like it could start a fight.

A muscular man wearing light clothing, showing off his toned physique, grimaced as he spoke.

He had the appearance of a typical tanned blonde delinquent, but he was far from one.

Instead of a lowly image like a delinquent, he had a genuinely wild aura.

However, he couldn’t hide his unique bad boy charm.

“Lord, ah~ please.”

“Try what I gave you.”

He actually had beautiful dancers flanking him, fawning over him.

The man accepted the dancers’ charms with a straight face as if he was used to it.

But while his expression remained calm, his hands were all over the dancers’ chests and thighs, expressing his primal instincts without reservation.

“…I’m sorry. That guy is just too shrewd…”

The person sprawled out before him was a warrior wearing a navy turban. The navy turban indicated he was part of the chief’s personal guard.

In other countries, this would be closer to the rank of a ‘knight.’ The man waved his hand dismissively as he listened to the excuse.

“No, it’s fine. After all, you’re an Academy Student; you’ll have plenty of chances.”

“…”

“I was just a bit curious. Who’s the guy that cut out my useless brother’s tongue? It doesn’t make sense logically.”

The man smiled, intrigued. His smile made the guards flinch.

That smile didn’t carry pleasant intentions. In fact, even the dancers on either side began to look wary.

“And my brother said something interesting. Oh, I have to correct that—he wrote it down since he can’t speak anymore now.”

“Wh-what did he say that was interesting…?”

“That Academy Student is Princess Kara’s boyfriend. I can ignore other things, but I can’t just overlook that.”

He didn’t seem particularly bothered that his brother’s tongue was gone. There was an implication that something else was more important.

Hearing this, the guards cautiously opened their mouths.

“Isn’t that just a lie?”

“I don’t care if it is a lie. The fact that such a rumor reached my ears is the real issue.”

“…”

“The woman who will be my first wife is another man’s girlfriend? How ridiculous.”

It was quite an irreverent topic for the man to bring up. Yet, no one dared to stop him.

Why? Because he was the chief, now the head of a clan. Moreover, there was a reason for him to speak such nonsense.

“Academy Students are all inexperienced rookies. You mean to tell me one of them is the boyfriend of a great princess?”

“…”

“Those without a single scar aren’t worth my time.”

The guards didn’t respond but instead subtly glanced at the man’s body. His light clothing revealed nearly all of his upper body muscles.

Among those, the most notable was, without a doubt, the scars that added a sense of intimidation.

In Tartars, scars are often considered marks of honor. They signify a wealth of combat experience.

Particularly, many warriors received wounds during the Tribal Unification War. The man was one of them, but…

‘He was defending his home, and that’s how he got those.’

‘Meanwhile, his father, who actually died in battle, never boasted about his scars.’

‘Why does he seem so unimpressive?’

People didn’t say anything out loud but agreed in silence. This included not just the guards but also the dancers.

Uro, the chief of the Buwag clan, indeed participated in the Tribal Unification War. The scars were proof of that.

Above all, he was relatively strong. At the very least, none among the Buwag clan could defeat him.

It was just a lingering doubt whether he had truly excelled in a war where ‘life’ was at stake.

Many veterans bragged about their glorious times, but none would do so in a way that disrespected the atrocities of war.

Because they were from a generation that had experienced the horrific consequences alongside the glory.

“In this opportunity, we’ll show our Tartar might. The Academy Rookies will come to revere us.”

“…Do you still want to go to war?”

“Of course! I don’t know why we should walk with our heads down. We Tartars are strong.”

Tartars are indeed strong. That’s an undeniable fact.

However, even the strongest individual is merely a single person against the might of humanity’s greatest military force.

Moreover, Tartars are surrounded by neighboring countries. It’s a geography that makes the situation perilous if even one thing goes wrong.

Hector knew this well and was sweating bullets in negotiations. The problem is that many people are blissfully unaware of this.

Uro is a perfect example. A generation that avoided the ravages of war while indulging in the glory achieved by their predecessors.

Even Uro, despite being closely connected to politics, has been running his mouth with such nonsense. To add to the absurdity, he’s found supporters as well.

“What I lack is the throne. But if I marry Princess Kara, that problem will be solved! How about it? Isn’t it great?”

“…That would require the permission of Lord Gulrak.”

“What, do you think he’s gonna drop some lightning on my head? The God supports us, but He won’t shake up our fate.”

What kind of reaction would Gulrak show if he heard that? The guards suddenly became curious.

“I’d rather see a bolt of lightning strike me down.”

That’s how absorbed Uro was in his own world.

If the ancestors who died in the Tribal Unification War saw him, they might have collapsed from high blood pressure.

He was so blinded by chasing light and avoiding shadows that he had lost his vision entirely.

Perhaps it’s fortunate that he’s strong enough to be called strong.

“No. The ambiguity in his strength only seems to inflate his confidence even more.”

In the East, there’s a saying. “The more ripened rice becomes, the lower it bows its head.”

He dismissed the Academy Students as rookies, but he was, in fact, one of them.

The guards had been on the frontlines during the Tribal Unification War. Thus, they knew this fact all too well.

“I miss my ancestors.”

But they did not offer any counsel. The guards weren’t his servants but rather the swords and shields of the clan.

“By the way, there’s a duel scheduled in the Academy itinerary, isn’t there? I can’t wait for it already. Hahaha!”

“…”

Even in the face of Uro’s mocking laughter, the guards couldn’t bring themselves to laugh.

“If only you could win against Princess Kara before saying such things.”

*****

A day passed in Tartar. Many tumultuous events occurred right from the start, but somehow, I managed to get through it.

Maybe due to being in the desert, the nights were quite cold. However, the lodging was warm thanks to the blankets.

This meant that come morning, the brutal heat would set in. In many ways, it’s not a hospitable environment for living.

“This morning, we’ll have a theory class. We’ll go over various cautions and advice for crossing the desert, so please listen carefully.”

During breakfast and the morning briefing, Malboro announced the itinerary. Most of it was focused on ‘crossing the desert.’

But merely mentioning desert crossing actually meant it would resemble a desert experience. Considering the vast area of the desert, crossing it in the schedule would be practically impossible.

Most likely, we would spend three to four days in the desert, and the remaining time would be for rest and learning about the local culture.

‘Though the local culture will be nothing but dueling.’

If I perform well in the duel, I could get a chance to speak with Hector. Or perhaps cause a major incident before that.

Since I was already causing an incident, Hector was likely interested in me. I was planning to make a notable impact during the duel.

‘That’s when Uro, who Hector dislikes, will show up, right?’

He could be considered the villain of this Tartar episode. The so-called Golden Sun Chief.

If I lose, the Tartar episode may end in a bad ending. If I win, the chances of a happy ending will increase significantly.

‘After crossing the desert, I need to attract some attention.’

To create a dramatic storyline and draw in the locals, I must take him down without fail.

I’ve already attracted some attention, so the situation isn’t too bad. What I need to be cautious about now is crossing the desert.

‘It’s an experiential learning that could potentially result in fatalities.’

The hazardous weather of the desert isn’t the real issue. Coincidentally, Malboro was about to explain that.

Correction: it wasn’t Malboro, but rather a local warrior who would assist us during the experiential learning.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Seto, the guide who will help you cross the desert. I look forward to working with you.”

He was a Tartar wearing a navy turban. He had a gentle appearance.

Given that the navy turban indicated a considerable rank, it seemed Hector chose him directly.

In fact, Kara appeared pleased with the selection, as she recognized his face.

“Crossing the desert isn’t difficult as long as you pay attention to a few key points.”

Sure, that’s what he would say.

But the guy is an ‘established player’ who knows the desert like the back of his hand.

He’s someone who doesn’t consider things dangerous and just brushes them off as ‘weakness.’

This is true not only for him but for most Tartars as well. Did their romanticized view of life go overboard?

“Contrary to what you might think, there’s life in the desert. The problem is that they include snakes and scorpions. Finding food is quite difficult.”

“I heard we won’t be taking a lot of food with us?”

One student asked, sounding flustered. It wasn’t just that student; others had similar reactions.

The desert is an extremely harsh environment for finding food. Yet, we wouldn’t be bringing much food with us.

It seemed that Seto anticipated this question, as he nodded and began to speak.

“So you’ll need to find ways to gather food. Water can be replaced by magic, but other things will be tough.”

“Do we seriously have to eat a snake?”

“What happens if you get bitten?”

The students murmured at the unexpectedly tough conditions. But considering that we were second-year students, the difficulty was manageable.

Even crossing would follow a designated route, so there shouldn’t be any major risks.

Even if there were, the guides would likely assess the dangers and evacuate in advance.

What needed to be careful about was exactly as the guide mentioned—snakes and scorpions.

‘Every creature living in Tartar tends to be venomous.’

Not to mention the black mamba, an extremely dangerous snake known for its aggression, which tends to inflict casualties upon even guides.

Fortunately, antidotes did exist, and even if we ran out of them, there’s no need to worry. Unlike when I was in the Soul World, I had Eli with me now.

Afterward, Seto casually explained things in the common tongue, and the theoretical class began to wind down.

“Any questions?”

When he asked if there were any questions, I cautiously raised my hand. Upon doing so, countless eyes turned towards me.

Seto gestured for me to speak. I chose to use the common tongue instead of Tartar.

“There are scorpions in the desert, right?”

“Yes, there are.”

“Are they tasty?”

Usually, hearing such a question would elicit a bewildered response.

But this is Tartar—known for having some pretty horrific conditions.

Instead of being flustered, Seto seemed to contemplate for a moment before kindly answering.

“They’re delicious when fried in oil, and become crispy.”

“…”