294 – Culture Shock (2)

Gaia Anniversary, marking the end of the year. This anniversary is a very special day in the world.

As I said before, compared to Earth, it is comparable to Christmas. It is natural since it is the birthday of Gaia, who is treated as a god.

Coincidentally, it was the New Year a few days after the anniversary, so many people saw it as a festival to end.

The United Academy, which was established by a warrior after the Demon God War, also celebrates its anniversary in a grand manner.

It can be said to be on a scale next to, if not greater than, that of the Holy Kingdom of Byzantium. The weather is also moderately cold.

After lunch time, various bands and theater companies put on great performances, and the square was crowded with countless passers-by.

‘It’s colder than I thought.’

Among the passers-by was Dan Ye-rin. Now, when it was getting dark, she went outside and started looking around the festival.

Originally, I had planned to stay in the dormitory, but I was so bored being alone that I came out.

There may have been assassination threats, but Dan Ye-rin wasn’t too worried. If an assassination attempt is made during this period, only the Huan Empire will suffer.

Something unexpected happens on the anniversary, a festival for Gaia? Then, there will be a huge amount of glare from that country.

Sometimes countries with no backs commit crimes, but most of the time they are retaliated against. Whether it be economically or brute force.

Thanks to this, I was able to move around freely and see places. She’s called a princess, but she’s not famous, so no one pays attention.

Even if you attract attention, most people are attracted to your beautiful appearance. Dan Yerin watched the festival without paying any attention.

‘It feels different from my hometown.’

Dan Ye-rin observed the scale of the lively and grand festival with a curious expression.

Although there are some Eastern-style stores here and there, the festival culture was actually fascinating.

Festivals in the East were often held as some kind of ancestral rites. In a way, it is similar to Tatar.

Just as shamans are appointed to pray for blessings on anniversaries honoring gods, the East also elected shamans.

The East often places more importance on agriculture than the West, so it tends to be held on a grand scale regardless of whether it is Gaia or Heavenly God.

‘My hometown will be preparing for the ancestral rites by now.’

The way Gaia’s anniversary is celebrated in the East is very simple. The ultimate goal is to make farming successful.

What if there is a poor harvest next year? Then, the shaman elected at the next festival will be replaced.

The reason is that God did not like the shaman. Of course, we don’t know if it’s real.

‘Now that I think about it, did you say that the Tatar princess was also a shaman?’

Tatar is a desert country, so there is no need for agriculture. It is a country that only worships the gulag.

Perhaps that’s why I couldn’t help but think of Kara, the Tatar princess. Not only does she have strong arms, but she is also the Gulag’s favorite shaman.

Tatars also worship Gaia, but it is bound to be less so than the Gulag. No matter how much rain falls, if the land is a desert, farming is meaningless.

Compared to the explanation earlier, it feels incoherent, but this can’t be helped. Because all life is born from the earth.

‘That could be the reason why the Tatar people are so strong.’

Dan Ye-rin walked around the square, thinking with the flow of her consciousness.

She plans to eat some street food that looks delicious and then go back to the dormitory.

‘It would have been nice to have Shiva at a time like this.’

Being alone like this made me miss Shivar. Dan Ye-rin looked around her and searched for him.

She didn’t know it when she was in the next room, but now that she wasn’t there, she felt lonely.

She was confident that he would not leave her, but unlike others, she is bound to have limits.

Some people proudly occupy the side, while others I had to meet secretly. Dan Yerin smiled bitterly.

‘What would have happened if she had entered school earlier?’

Even if you do this, the chances of cohabitation are very small. There was a guard next to me.

Moreover, the last incident was also possible because Shivar was in the room right next door. It was upon coincidence.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. If we had met her early, it wouldn’t have been difficult to meet her openly.

‘I know there was a similar children’s book…’

The story of a man who is foolish but grows into a dependable general, and the princess who helps him.

On the outside, it seems like an ordinary fairy tale, but if you look closely, there is a popular saying that the man was not a fool but a genius.

He was only called a fool because he did not receive a proper education when he was young, but the fact that he became a general of a country showed that he was extraordinary.

Just by looking at this, you can say that it is Sivar. Because he possessed not only personal strength but also extraordinary genius.

At first he was a wild man looked down on, but now he is the most famous person in the Academy.

‘What are you doing right now?’

Is that why? Dan Yerin searched for Sivar.

Even if there is someone next to him, I plan to quietly stick with him and say it’s a ‘coincidence’.

Having Grace is the icing on the cake. At least it was easy to intervene if it was someone I knew well.

‘I said I wouldn’t make you lonely.’

I said I would give you trust, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t make you lonely.

But Dan Yerin’s thoughts did not reach that point. She wandered around the square aimlessly.

‘I just need to find the hair color.’

Everyone around him has a unique appearance. The hair color is especially unique.

Red is a color that only Tatar blood has, and purple is also very rare.

Shivar had black hair, but all Easterners have it.

“Hey. Did you hear that?”

“What?”

“There’s a wild person who came to the academy.”

It was around the time I was looking for Shivar. An interesting story came to Dan Ye-rin’s ears.

Originally, this would have been overlooked. It was common for outsiders to chat about Sivar.

“I heard that wild man is participating in the performance? It looks like he’s dancing.”

“What?”

However, Dan Ye-rin had no choice but to stop at the content of the conversation that followed.

Afterwards, she listened to what the passers-by were saying.

She controlled her distance so as not to attract suspicion.

“Dancing? Didn’t I hear it wrong?”

“No. I heard it from someone in charge of the concert. They even asked the orchestra to play.”

This is a really interesting rumor. It’s so interesting that you need to see it right away.

Sivar, who has committed numerous misdeeds so far, dances in the performance? It is an event that you absolutely have to see.

But at the same time, it felt like nonsense. Anyway, dancing on an official ship?

‘I really don’t know even if I know.’

A small smile appeared on Dan Ye-rin’s mouth. She is like an onion in a positive sense.

So she turned her steps and headed toward the center of the square. There is a stage set up in the center of the square.

Why did she set up the stage in the plaza outside the main building?

The reason is simple.

Because more people can see it than the main building. This is to watch the performance even if you have to stand.

‘But what kind of dance are you trying to do?’

There are many different dances in the world, and they differ greatly from region to region.

Also, it is not divided into West and East. The dance is different for each country and race.

For example, the dances of the Hwan Empire are static and quiet, while the dances of the Johan Dynasty are lively and exciting.

The West is no different. The Minerva Empire’s dance is elegant, but the Granada Empire’s is noisy and rough.

‘I wonder who taught it.’

At first it was interesting, but then questions rose one after another.

Who on earth taught it, why, and how? The most likely one is Grace.

Because Grace was giving Shiva various education. It is highly likely that she taught for educational purposes.

Dan Ye-rin headed to the center of the square with such questions in mind. She was already crowded with people as the stage was in full swing.

‘If this goes on, it’ll be hard to go…’

However, Yerin stuck her head out and looked at her stage. She is also quite tall, but unfortunately there are too many people in front of her.

Eventually she had no choice but to force her way in. She is dignified as a princess and can take the courage to watch Shivar’s dance.

She eventually reached the VIP seats where she could sit. In fact, since she is a princess, she can sit in the VIP section.

There is no problem with proving it, but is there a human who dares to impersonate a princess? Even if she does, it doesn’t take long for her to be caught.

‘There’s a familiar head over there.’

Moreover, there was familiar hair on the seat. Purple hair.

Dan Yerin naturally headed in that direction. As expected, she was a familiar face.

“It was here.”

“Hmm? Yerin?”

“I came here after hearing an interesting rumor. I heard that Sivar dances?”

“Has the rumor gotten out there already?”

Grace opened her eyes wide in surprise. A reaction that she hadn’t thought about.

However, Yerin’s surprise was momentary and she naturally took the seat to her left. Kara was sitting to the right of Grace.

And in the back sat Luna and Ellie, who were able to sit by personal request.

“Are you really dancing? I can’t believe it when I hear it.”

“It will be fun. By the way, I saw it in advance.”

“You saw it? Who taught you?”

I don’t know anything else, but I was most curious about who taught me. I wondered if Grace had taught me something.

“They say you learned it on your own?”

“What?”

“Shivar said he learned it on his own.”

Dan Yerin’s expression became strange. Her doubts about who taught her were resolved.

But how remains a question mark. Perhaps Sivar is surprisingly interested in dancing.

When Dan Yerin thought of that, she felt relieved. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like Grace taught it.

“Thank goodness.”

“Yes?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

She must have been so relieved that she made a mistake. Grace tilted her head at her mistake.

Fortunately, Grace didn’t have any doubts either. Dan Yerin sighed in relief.

‘It’s only when my heart grows this big.’

As time goes by, it feels like Sibar’s importance is gradually increasing.

Her jealousy toward her Her Grace was also proportional to this. She was very worried that she might make a big mistake later.

“The next contestant is…’

Time passed and the sun began to set. All performances by the invited bands and theater companies have ended.

Now all that remains is the talent show of the academy students. Most of them participated from the club side.

Of course, it was more of a hobby, and in terms of framework, it wasn’t much different from previous performances.

‘When is it coming out?’

It was a moment when not only Dan Ye-rin but also others were getting bored.

“The next contestant will be quite interesting. He is currently causing quite a stir at the academy.”

Is it finally coming out? People, including Dan Ye-rin, looked at the host.

She is still a host wearing clown makeup as she has not removed her makeup yet.

There were so many participants in the performance that it was impossible to erase it. It is characterized by a shallow face and red lips.

“The next contestant is a Sivar student. He decided to come out on stage and dance alone! Everyone, please give us a big round of applause!”

Clap clap clap!

The rumored hero finally appears. The stage lights went off along with thunderous applause.

Of course, the stage was filled with only darkness, but one person could barely be seen in the darkness.

It was difficult to figure out what he was doing since he was only Inyoung. Dan Yerin watched it silently.

“Here, have a drink.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

At that moment, Ellie had just arrived to buy drinks. It is black tea with steam rising.

Finally, it was the moment when Dan Yerin put a drink to her mouth.

Flash!

The lights on the stage bloomed brightly.

“··· ···”

A participant presumed to be Sivar, wearing a black uniform and fedora, appeared in the center of the stage.

However… The posture was very strange. He put one hand on his hat and the other on his crotch.

The legs his were no different. One side is bent while the other side is straight.

Just by looking at this, you could guess that it was something out of the ordinary. Everyone watching.

But the extraordinary did not end here…

-Thump- Tsk! Thump- Tsk!

The performance begins with the orchestra, specifically the percussion instruments.

Doom- Tch! Doom- Chit!

Sivar also started bouncing his hips in rhythm.

“Pooh!”

Instead of drinking black tea, Yerin just squirted out her tea.