Chapter 396

Tartar is a nation inspired by ancient Egypt, as I mentioned before.

A unique ethnicity with a hot climate and bronze skin, surprisingly coupled with abundant resources.

Perhaps that’s why the palace I followed Kara into bore many similarities to ancient Egypt as well.

First of all, the palace’s exterior reflects a distinctive culture. There are hardly any trees, and the buildings are solely made of stone.

The architectural style emphasizes straight lines, with sturdy-looking stone columns standing tall, and massive wall gates as well.

Aside from the stone, I noticed that mud bricks were used, fitting the dry climate perfectly.

Most of all, the appearance is beautiful. There’s a refreshing feel in the air yet it still maintains its grandeur.

It’s incredible that a building from a nation established fewer than ten years ago could be this sophisticated.

“Wow.”

“What do you think? Isn’t it magnificent? I haven’t seen the palaces of other countries, but I can confidently say that the Tartar Palace stands tall among them.”

As I admired the palace, Kara puffed up with pride and explained. Honestly, she had every reason to boast.

Ancient Egyptian palaces on Earth are famous for their unique structures. Plus, ancient Egypt is one of the early civilizations of humanity.

In contrast, Tartar is a nation with just a decade of history. Yet they have built such beautiful architecture.

In terms of ‘architecture,’ this signifies they have created a distinctive culture. Although the environment may play a role.

“Awesome.”

“Thank you.”

“Seriously awesome.”

“Hehe.”

As I continued to express my heartfelt admiration, Kara giggled, her joy radiating through her features.

Who could ever look at this architecture and call Tartar a barbaric nation? They have undeniably built a civilization.

Even if there are many shortcomings, the very fact that they constructed such a colossal building holds great significance.

‘It means they came together.’

A building created not by a ‘tribe’ but by a ‘nation.’ And not just one, but two altars.

You can see Hector’s leadership in that. Though he himself seems to be wandering, unable to establish a clear path.

The perfectly tailored laws for Tartars, along with their architecture, made me appreciate his founding myth even more.

“Ah, you have arrived, Princess Kara.”

“Yes. Father, or should I say, Abamama?”

As we walked down the corridor, someone approached us. Judging by the conversation and presence, it was not just one woman, but several.

Therefore, I couldn’t help but stare over Kara’s shoulder. The reason being, their attire.

Despite the heat, did they really have to be practically naked? It wasn’t airy clothing but sheer garments revealing all.

At least they were dressed in a dress-like form; otherwise, it would have been more embarrassing.

“His Majesty is in the office. However, may I ask who is behind you?”

“Ah, I just accomplished an important task while crossing the desert. Let me introduce you.”

“Hello.”

I greeted in fluent Tartar. With my appearance supported by the language, I looked just like a local.

The woman leading the group stared at me with a blank expression, as if thoroughly inspecting me.

Eventually, she smiled gently and spoke in a warm tone.

“You are of mixed heritage, aren’t you? Where do you hail from?”

“Um?”

I blinked in surprise, wondering how she figured it out so quickly.

Regardless of my slight shock, Kara appeared to have anticipated this, calmly responding to her.

“You noticed right away?”

“The accent and the structure of your features are different from Tartar people.”

“Rather than birthplace… I’m from the Academy. And just for reference, I’m not Tartar. My skin is a bit tanned.”

“That doesn’t seem like just a tan, though?”

Her answer came slowly, filled with curiosity.

Kara shrugged her shoulders as if she herself didn’t know. Honestly, I couldn’t explain that part either.

The woman seemed to lose interest in probing further and bowed politely.

“I understand. Since you’ve done remarkable work, I shall show you respect moving forward.”

“Thanks. Oh, could you open the bath? Not the bathroom, though.”

“I’ll prepare your clothes.”

She said that as she passed us by, followed by numerous other women.

What role do they play to have a position equivalent to a head maid? And their attire was quite minimalist.

“Grandmother.”

“Grandmother?”

“Yeah. In our country, rituals are important, right? You could think of her as someone in charge of the dancers.”

“Oh.”

I got a rough idea of what she meant. Since Tartar is a country where religion holds immense power, the position of dancers must be high too.

Kara herself is a dancer. And she is the one most favored by Gulrak.

“So who’s in charge overall?”

“That would be my father.”

I followed behind Kara while asking various questions. She responded sincerely to my inquiries.

The Soul World didn’t elaborate much on detailed culture, and books were barely any better. There’s almost no literature related to Tartar.

Even encyclopedias took a long time for me to master Tartar perfectly. Luckily, having Kara around was a real boost.

“Kara.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“There are palaces and altars. But what about tombs?”

“Tombs?”

“Yeah. Are there no tombs?”

“Hmm…”

At my question about tombs, Kara, momentarily puzzled, seemed to be organizing her thoughts.

The reason I posed such a question was naturally due to Tartar’s inspiration. What immediately comes to mind when you think of Egypt?

The enormous stone pyramids, built as tombs for kings, right?

Given that Tartar takes inspiration from ancient Egypt, I thought surely they would have similar tombs.

“I hadn’t even thought about tombs. That’s something I need to think over slowly. But why are you curious about tombs?”

“Just wondering. It’s part of culture, right?”

“Cultural context…”

At the mention of culture, Kara tapped around her mouth with her index finger.

Then she stopped and smiled mischievously.

“Well, since we’re at it, why not make the tomb a colossal stone one? Something grand, like the altars.”

“How big?”

“Hmm. The bigger, the better, right?”

That’s true. Large constructions require advanced architectural skills.

To someone else, it might seem foolish, but if you look closely, you can’t afford to overlook the effort involved.

As I continued a trivial conversation with Kara, we finally arrived at our destination.

Upon reaching our goal, I suddenly questioned why it was the office and not the audience chamber.

‘Is there some private matter at hand?’

The unlocking of trade routes meant Tartar’s trading network had expanded. In other words, their national strength had increased.

It would be appropriate to acknowledge accomplishments in front of the ministers, but calling us to the office suggests something more.

“Actually, I should be officially thanking you in the audience chamber, but circumstances dictate otherwise. I’ll call you in officially later.”

Kara must have sensed that too.

In any case, that was fine.

Then Kara cautiously knocked on the office door. After a few seconds post-knock, a solemn voice replied.

[Come in.]

It was a deep and resonant voice, flowing with strength and authority.

As soon as Kara was given the go-ahead, she carefully opened the door. The atmosphere grew solemn as we stepped inside.

“It’s been a while.”

A solemn voice came from in front of Kara. I quietly moved beside her.

Thanks to that, I could finally face the figure sitting at the desk. A muscular man who seemed more fit for a battlefield than a desk.

With a rather fierce face, I wondered if this man could really be Kara’s biological father. Yet, looking at his solid physique, I had no doubt.

The Destruction King Hector, or King Hector Gurdsun of Tartar.

Now, I came face-to-face with Hector as a king, not the Destruction King.

“No need to stand. There are chairs, so sit comfortably.”

“Sure.”

“?”

As I replied politely, Hector’s eyebrow raised slightly.

It seems he expected a more casual response. But I decided against being too familiar.

‘I’ve been chastised by Rod enough already.’

I had heard that Rod scolded me for using casual language with professors. So I was determined to maintain formal speech.

Of course, initially, it wasn’t easy to adapt to this new way of speaking, but I was gradually getting better.

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

While it was fine to sit, the next issue arose. An awkward silence settled in.

Of course, with Hector and I, we couldn’t claim we were on good terms, especially given his past actions.

For him, it must be beyond awkward and more of an embarrassment. Yet if there’s something to say, it must be said.

“So… um, have you been well?”

“Yes.”

“With your daughter?”

“Father······”

How awkward must it be that he stumbles on such silly talk? Kara shot a cold glare at Hector.

Hector cleared his throat, trying to brush over the situation. Then he scratched his brows and continued.

“I apologize for the useless chatter. Your name was… Sivar, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard about you. You opened new trade routes for our Tartar?”

Have they really gotten the news this far already? That was truly impressive.

Well, since it was related to the Academy, he would undoubtedly hear about it quicker than anyone else. It’s not entirely surprising.

“I appreciate it. I’ll soon officially express my gratitude. There are Academy engagements too, so it might be some time before I formally call you to the audience chamber.”

“Thank you.”

“······It feels odd. You were a wildling just a short while ago.”

Hector muttered to himself while scratching his head. He didn’t seem to think I’d hear him.

“Father, Sivar understands Tartar as well.”

“What? Our language?”

“Yes. In fact, he’s quite proficient in it.”

It felt like she was boasting. Hector looked at me with a mix of curiosity and surprise.

It’s been less than a year. Just a year ago, I was just a wildling, and now I’m fluent in a foreign language.

As Hector was observing me intently for a moment, he seemed to notice something unusual and tilted his head.

“By the way, I remember your skin used to be quite pale?”

“··· ···”

How quickly he asks questions. He seems sharp, yet sometimes gets sidetracked in the oddest ways.

However, a king is a king, and Hector looked between Kara and me before framing his words astutely.

“Is it perhaps that you learned Tartar for our daughter?”

“Father!”

Kara shouted for him to stop. Her voice carried a tone of embarrassment.

“Yes.”

“S-Sivar?”

“Looks like that’s correct.”

I didn’t deny it, as the question wasn’t wrong.

Kara was at a loss for what to do, as the atmosphere shifted strangely.

But Hector seemed to find it amusing. He chuckled lightly and then burst into hearty laughter.

“Haha! Well, so that’s how it is. They say geniuses come in many forms, right?”

“··· ···”

“Actually, the reason I called you today is different. Do you see that?”

Hector pointed thick-fingered to the wall. I turned my gaze towards that direction.

Upon the wall hung an axe, Ragnarok, that looked distinctly familiar. It was originally Hector’s weapon, so it was no surprise it hung there.

“Would you like to lift it?”

“Lift it?”

“Yes. Just pick it up.”

What could be hard about that? I tilted my head a bit, but still moved to obey his request.

In truth, I didn’t even need to walk over. Just calling out to Ragnarok inwardly was all it took.

-Thump!

At my call, Ragnarok easily fit into my grasp. There was nothing problematic about it.

However, Hector was different. His expression hardened as if he faced a severe issue.

“Could you set it on the desk for me?”

I complied with his request. Standing up, I placed Ragnarok on the desk.

Hector stared at Ragnarok with a complicated expression, lifting his head to meet my gaze.

“Huh.”

Hector took a deep breath, grabbing hold of Ragnarok with his massive hand. His hand was so large it felt more like a hand axe rather than a one-handed weapon.

Since it was originally his, lifting it shouldn’t have been a challenge. Just with that thought…

-Crack!

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

“Ugh······!”

Even holding it with both hands, Ragnarok didn’t budge an inch.

Despite the numerous veins bulging from Hector’s thick arms, there was no change. Ragnarok remained still.

If it were an act, that would be a significant feat. In other words, Hector was being entirely sincere.

After struggling for a considerable while, Hector finally released his grip, a bead of sweat glistening as it trickled down his face.

“······As you can see, Ragnarok is rejecting me.”

“··· ···”

“They say that lightning strikes those unworthy. However, I’m not experiencing any lightning. It simply won’t budge at all.”

With a perplexed expression, Hector seemed to appeal to me.

“Is there any method? If there is, please share.”

The answer that came from that appeal was incredibly straightforward.

“Me?”

It might sound rude, but…

“How?”

I had no idea.

I had chosen the wrong person to rely on.

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