390 – Desert Crossing (1)
“You didn’t catch it?”
Dark blond hair. Brown skin typical of Tatars. A face that looks like it could be one-sided.
A man wearing light clothing, his muscular body clearly visible, said with a frown.
It was a typical blond, tanned gangster look, but it was far from gangster-like.
Not a low-class image like a gangster, but a literally wild image.
But his unique bad-temperedness could not be hidden.
“My lord. Ah~ please do.”
“Try what I gave you too.”
In fact, there were beautiful dancers flaunting their grace on both sides of him.
The man accepted the dancers’ charms with a blank expression, as if he was used to this kind of thing.
But the expression is the same, and the two hands are touching the dancer’s chest or stroking her thighs.
He was freely expressing his instincts as a man.
“······I’m sorry. That guy is so cunning······”
The man prostrating himself before him was a warrior wearing a blue turban. The blue turban signified the chieftain’s personal guard.
In other countries, it would be similar to the ‘knight’ class. The man waved his hand after hearing his excuse.
“No, that’s fine. You’re an academy student anyway, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities.”
“··· ···”
“I was just curious. Who cut off my useless little brother’s tongue? It doesn’t make sense.”
The man smiled with interest. The guards flinched at his smile.
The meaning behind that smile is not very good. In fact, didn’t the dancers on either side start to notice?
“And my brother said something funny. Oh, now that he can’t speak, I guess he has to write.”
“Hey, what do you mean by interesting······?”
“That academy student is Princess Kara’s boyfriend. I can ignore everything else, but I can’t ignore that.”
It was an attitude of not caring much about his brother’s tongue being cut off. The nuance was that there was something more important.
The guard heard those words and opened his mouth in a cautious voice.
“No matter what, isn’t it a lie?”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s a lie. The problem is that I heard that story.”
“··· ···”
“The woman who’s going to be my first wife is another man’s girlfriend? That’s outrageous.”
A rather profane subject was brought up by the man, but no one stopped him.
Because the man was the patriarch, the head of a family now. Moreover, there was a reason why he would make such a wild remark.
“Academy students are just rookies with no experience. How can someone like that be the boyfriend of a great princess?”
“··· ···”
“Those without scars are not worthy.”
Instead of speaking, the guard glanced at the man’s body. His light clothing revealed most of his upper body muscles.
Among them, the scar was definitely the most noticeable. It was drawn diagonally and felt quite intimidating.
Scars are often considered to be marks of glory among Tatars, as they indicate that they have fought in many battles.
In particular, many warriors were wounded in the tribal unification war. Men were among them······
‘That’s what it was like to be guarding the house.’
‘But his own father, who died in battle, never showed off his scars.’
‘Why does it look so empty?’
People not only said nothing outwardly, but also did not admit it inwardly. This included not only the guards but also the dancers.
It is true that Uro, the chieftain and head of the Bugwag tribe, participated in the war to unify the tribes. The scars prove it.
Above all, he is relatively strong. At least, there is no one within the Buaga tribe who can beat him.
There was always a question mark over whether he was truly active in a war where his ‘life’ was at stake.
A lot of veterans shrugged their shoulders and said it was a glorious time, but they didn’t brag about it like that.
Because it was a time of glory, but at the same time, it was a generation that felt the effects of the terrible war.
“This is an opportunity to show the power of our Tatars. Even the rookies at the Academy will be in awe of us.”
“······Do you still want to go to war?”
“Of course! I don’t know why we have to walk around hunched over. We Tartars are strong.”
The Tatars are strong. This is an undeniable fact.
However, no matter how strong an individual may be, he is nothing more than an individual in front of the ‘military’, the greatest military force of mankind.
Moreover, Tatarstan is connected to other countries on all sides. If you are not careful, the geography can be very dangerous.
Hector also knew that very well and was conducting diplomacy while spiting blood. The problem is that there are quite a few people who don’t know that.
Uro is one such example. A generation that skillfully avoided the horrors of war while monopolizing the glory of their predecessors.
Even those who are closely connected to politics are talking nonsense like that. And to make matters worse, there are even those who agree with them.
“What I lack is the throne. But if I marry Princess Kara, that too will be solved. What do you think? Isn’t that great?”
“······You will need to have permission from Lord Gulag.”
“Would it be that lightning strikes our heads? God will help us, and he will not shake our fate.”
What would have been the reaction of the Gulag if they had heard this? The SS suddenly wondered.
‘I’d rather have lightning strike my head.’
Chief Buaga and Uro were so lost in their own world that they thought like that.
If the ancestors who died in the war to unify the tribes had seen it, they would have collapsed from high blood pressure.
Because I was looking only at the light and avoiding the shadows, I was truly blind.
Should we say that it is a blessing in disguise that the military is strong?
‘No. It’s probably because it’s vaguely strong that I feel more confident.’
There is a saying in the East: The riper the rice, the more it bows its head.
He disparaged the academy students as rookies, but he himself is one of those rookies.
The Royal Guard was active on the front lines during the Tribal Unification War, so they knew that fact deeply.
‘I miss my ancestors.’
But he did not give advice. The guards were not his subjects, but his family’s sword and shield.
“Come to think of it, there was a sparring session during the academy schedule, right? I’m already looking forward to it. Hahahaha!”
“··· ···”
The guards could not laugh even at the mocking laughter of Uro.
‘Princess Kara, you have to win to say something like that.’
*****
The days in Tatar went by. There were a lot of ups and downs from the first day, but somehow I was able to get through it.
Maybe it was because Tatarstan is a desert, but the nights were quite cold. Still, the inside of the accommodation was warm because there were blankets.
This means that when morning comes, the murderous heat begins. In many ways, it is not an environment suitable for human habitation.
“There will be a theory class this morning. We will be giving advice and tips on how to cross the desert, so everyone should listen carefully.”
During breakfast and assembly time, Marlboro gave us the schedule. The main part of the schedule was focused on ‘crossing the desert’.
However, it is only called desert crossing, but in reality, it is closer to experiencing the desert. It is impossible to cross that vast desert due to the schedule.
After probably spending three or four days in the desert, the remaining time will be spent resting and learning about the local culture.
‘If we talk about local culture, it’s nothing but Dalian.’
If you do well in the duel, you’ll be able to have a go at Hector. Otherwise, you’ll have to deal with a major incident before then.
I’ve already had an accident, so I’m probably getting Hector’s attention. I’m going to be very active in the sparring.
‘Then a chieftain who Hector hates will appear?’
This is the chieftain who can be called the villain of this Tatar episode. The so-called Golden Sun Chieftain.
If you lose, the Tatar episode will have a bad ending, but if you win, there is a high chance that it will have a happy ending.
‘I guess I’ll have to draw some aggro after crossing the desert.’
I will definitely beat that guy up, if only for the sake of dramatic development and to attract the attention of the locals.
The situation itself isn’t bad since you’ve already drawn aggro. What you need to be careful about now is crossing the desert.
‘It’s an experiential learning experience that could result in death if done wrong.’
It wasn’t the hot desert weather that was the problem, it was something else. Marlboro happened to be trying to explain it to me.
Let me correct that. It wasn’t Marlboro, but a local, a warrior who would help with experiential learning, who explained it instead.
“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Seto, and I’ll be your guide to help you cross the desert. I look forward to working with you in the future.”
He was a Tatar who wore a blue turban on his head. He had a gentle-looking appearance.
The blue turban must have been of quite high rank, and judging by the fact that he claimed to be a guide, it seems that he was personally selected by Hector.
In fact, Kara seems satisfied with the selection of members, as if they are all familiar faces.
“Crossing the desert is not difficult if you just pay attention to what you need to be careful of.”
Yeah, that’s what you’ll say.
But that person is a ‘dead man’ who has been living in the desert.
A person who doesn’t consider something dangerous as dangerous and just passes it over because they are ‘weak’.
Not only that person, but most Tatars are similar. Should we say that their romanticism has exceeded its limit?
“Contrary to what you might think, there is life in the desert. The problem is that there are things like snakes and scorpions. It’s very hard to find food.”
“I heard you don’t bring much food?”
A student asked in a bewildered voice. It wasn’t just him; other students had similar reactions.
The desert is an environment where it is very difficult to obtain food, but we do not take much food with us.
Guide Seto nodded, as if he had expected the question, and opened his mouth.
“So we’ll have to figure out how to get as much food as possible. Water can be replaced with magic, but anything else will be difficult.”
“Do I have to eat a real snake?”
“What are you going to do if you get bitten?”
The students were in an uproar over the tougher conditions than they had expected. However, considering that they are now in their second year, the difficulty level is easy.
First of all, even if you cross, there won’t be much danger since you’ll be following a set route.
Even if it happens, the guides will identify the danger in advance and evacuate.
One thing to watch out for, as the guide mentioned, is poison from snakes and scorpions.
‘All the individuals living in Tatar are very poisonous.’
In particular, there is a very dangerous snake called the black mamba. This snake is extremely aggressive, and even guides are often attacked by it.
Fortunately, there is an antidote, and even if you run out of it, you don’t have to worry. Unlike in Soul World, Ellie is here.
After that, Seto began to explain in a comfortable manner using the common language, and the theory class began to slowly come to an end.
“Do you have any questions?”
When asked if I had any questions, I cautiously raised my hand. When I raised my hand, many eyes turned to me.
Seto held out his hand to me as if to tell me to speak. In response, I spoke in the common language, not Tatar.
“There are scorpions in the desert, right?”
“Yes, there is.”
“it is delicious?”
Usually, when I hear this question, I react with confusion.
But where is this place? Isn’t this Tatar, boasting a terrible environment?
Seto, rather than being flustered by what I said, seemed a little troubled, then answered kindly.
“It’s crispy and delicious when fried in oil.”
“··· ···”
“But since the conditions aren’t right, we’ll have to roast it. Thanks to the shell, we’ll be able to maintain a crispy texture.”
As expected, it is not an easy place.
“Oh. But don’t eat the tail.”
“Because of the poison?”
“No. It’s harder to get it out once it’s stuck around your neck.”
“··· ···”
“Poison can be treated with an antidote, right?”
It’s really not easy.