394 – The King and the Warrior (1)

The Sand Scorpion Queen was neatly defeated and the aftermath continued.

Although it was dry, the flesh, not the shell, had to be burned because it could easily rot in the hot weather.

But it was too much of a waste to just burn it, and it was too big, so I decided to just eat it as a meal.

The students refused to eat scorpions even though they were big, but that didn’t last long.

“Oh, it’s delicious!”

“Is it delicious?”

“Yeah! It tastes like lobster from the ocean! And it’s not even fishy!”

“really?”

It’s dangerous to eat it raw, but it’s a different story when you cook it over fire. People say it tastes like lobster or something.

Hearing that, the students rushed in and killed the scorpion. In the face of hunger, there was no such thing as dignity.

“I caught it!”

“Wow. Whoa. Our Shivar is good, isn’t he? You shouldn’t be angry.”

Of course, the amount that went into my mouth had to decrease. Ellie barely managed to stop me, but I couldn’t help but feel angry.

Academy students eat more than adult men, so the Sand Scorpion Queen quickly disappeared.

Still, he gave me the delicious part, as if he still had some conscience left. Even that was not enough.

“Are you going to sell the remaining shells?”

“Yeah. There’s no place to use it.”

“Okay. I’ll transfer all the proceeds from the sale to your account.”

Kara decided to take care of the remaining byproducts instead. She must have sensed that I was upset because she even offered to raise the bonus.

But I was more concerned about the hunger right now. I had plenty of money.

When I return to the city, I will definitely eat some delicious food. That’s what I promised myself.

“Wow~ That scorpion was really tasty! It’s been a while since I had a good meal!”

“··· ···”

Is this kid kidding me? I thought of Antonio, who was patting me on the shoulder and speaking cheerfully.

It was so predatory that it even had a toothpick in its mouth, but I don’t know where it got it.

I stared at him like that and shook my head. If I get angry here, I lose.

‘Aren’t there any others?’

I wondered if there were any other entities than that. I slowly moved forward.

I have something to ask the guide. As I approached, the guide also showed his face after asking a question.

“Do you have anything to say?”

“Yes. Is there anything stronger than a scorpion?”

“Is there anyone stronger than the Sand Scorpion Queen?”

“yes.”

“haha!”

When I asked the question, the guide burst into laughter as if it was funny. Why is he doing that?

The guide’s smile grew wider as I tilted my head as if I was genuinely curious.

Then he looked around, shrugged his shoulders, and began to explain.

“There are only five beings stronger or equal to the Sand Scorpion Queen. Do you know what I mean?”

“There are four more left?”

“That’s not all, but there’s no one left that poses a threat to the upstream! The Sand Scorpion Queen in particular is very difficult to subdue because of its habit of digging into the sand.”

The guide burst into hearty laughter. I scratched my head, wondering if it was really that good.

Because it was something I hadn’t heard of even in Soul World. The Giant Sandworm, which was the greatest danger, was defeated by Hector.

The top predator disappeared and the predators below it took over, and I took out one of them.

“What about other predators? They could take your place.”

“You don’t have to worry about those guys, they can be observed from afar. The Queen was the biggest problem.”

“Aren’t you going to raid?”

“I don’t do it often. The queen is a monster that often raids the upper ranks. Its territory has been changed to ours.”

I guess I helped the country. I feel good that I was of help.

“Perhaps this news will reach His Majesty the King’s ears. He may even award you a reward.”

“Is it a reward?”

“Yes. I don’t know much about the reward either. It’s the first time a foreigner has achieved something like this.”

The guide who said that looked back. I also turned my head to follow his gaze.

When I turned my head, I saw Kara writing something in her notebook.

I guess he was making up Queen’s mind, but he definitely felt like a Tatar.

“So it would be quicker to ask the princess. She might be thinking about a reward by now.”

“thank you.”

“What gratitude? We should be more grateful.”

Actually, I was going to ask if there were any more raids on other entities, but I got sidetracked.

I was afraid that if I said that now, the atmosphere would get weird, so I naturally approached Kara.

Kara noticed my approach and looked up from her notebook to look at me.

“What’s going on? Do you have something to say?”

“Yeah. I’m getting a reward?”

“Ah. That makes sense. Since we took care of the troublemaker.”

It seems Kara also knew about Queen’s danger.

Then she closed her notebook and looked at me intently. Her green eyes shone like jewels.

Kara stared at me blankly for a while. Soon, she smiled and opened her mouth.

“Is there anything you would like to receive?”

“Just······”

I paused in my speech. It’s not that I don’t want to receive anything, but there are things I want to see.

I saw Kara’s dance costume only once a year ago. How would Kara react if I asked her to show it to me?

-Kururung······

It wasn’t Kara’s reaction, but a reaction from the sky. A faint rumble of thunder echoed.

At that sound, not only the guide who was walking ahead, but also the security guards all stopped in their tracks. At the same time, they looked up at the sky.

“That just now······”

“Is that thunder?”

“What? Why on earth?”

As a faint thunder rumbled through the clear sky, the Tatars began to stir. It was understandable, since the Tatars were a nation that believed in the Gulag.

As a Tatar, I couldn’t help but feel fear along with doubt. This is an inevitable situation.

Kara was the same. She looked up at the thunderous sky and then lowered her head.

Unlike the other locals, he has a suspicious look on his face. It feels like he has noticed something.

“Shivar.”

“huh.”

“Can I borrow your ear for a moment?”

Kara said that and then whispered softly in my ear.

I didn’t forget to speak in Tatar in case anyone heard.

“Have you had a strange thought again?”

“··· ···”

Now I can guess everything by looking at the heavens’ reaction. I have no intention of denying it, so I just stayed still.

Kara looked at my face like that and smiled as if she couldn’t stop me. Fortunately, she didn’t react in a bad way.

“Well, I can show you something good.”

“really?”

“But you can’t wear a dancing outfit. That’s only for ceremonial purposes.”

“··· ···”

“Isn’t that too obvious of a disappointment?”

Was it too obvious? I fumbled with my face.

People around me are quick to notice my facial expressions. Lize, in particular, is the quickest at it.

“When I get the chance, I’ll invite you to the palace. There’s a swimming pool there for the royal family.”

“Can I enter the palace?”

“I guess we can send it in as a reward for catching the queen earlier.”

So this is how it is. Not a bad method.

-Kururung!

It doesn’t seem to be the sky though.

“Again, again?”

“What the heck is going on today······”

“I must hurry and perform the ritual. I must hurry and inform His Majesty.”

Only the poor locals became anxious.

*****

After a long and short journey, we returned to the city. As soon as we returned to the city, the students complained of fatigue.

The Sand Scorpion Queen appeared in the middle, but thanks to my efforts, I was able to defeat it safely. There was no need to take a detour.

Still, it doesn’t change the fact that it was a tough journey for the students. I was confident in my physical strength, so I was fine.

“Thank you all for your hard work. Take a good rest today. Starting tomorrow, there will be a full-scale Tatar cultural experience.”

“What are some cultural experiences?”

One of the students asked in a tired voice. It seemed like he wanted to go back to his dorm and rest right away.

Still, he couldn’t help but be curious. Marlboro nodded after hearing the student’s question and passed the baton.

The person who passed the baton was a familiar face. It was Seto, the local who had told us what to watch out for before crossing the desert.

Seto smiled gently and kindly told me the schedule.

“The next day will probably be free time. Even though it was a short time, you should rest your body after crossing the desert. The full-scale cultural experience will follow two days later.”

I said it was a cultural experience, but to put it simply, this is it.

The students were in an uproar at the explanation of the previous chieftain and the current heads of the clans.

That would be the case, as it may be a bit hard to understand that cultural experience is a form of training. But culture is culture.

“Some may think it’s barbaric, but it’s our tradition. Maybe we can say that we’ve entered a transitional period.

“transition?”

“Yes. Right now, the person with the strongest military power is the head of the household, but as time goes by, there will be people who are weaker but will also become the head of the household.”

The students nodded at Seto’s explanation. That was the format for their own country’s nobles.

There is no reason why a family must be strong in military force. Even if they are strong in military force, it is meaningless if they are incompetent in the most important ‘politics’.

Therefore, cultural experience will be a kind of arm wrestling. An experience to confirm the gap between each other.

“Another biggest feature is that they fight in succession, meaning they fight one after another. One person can defeat everyone, or vice versa.”

“How many people are there in total?”

“There are five people. Oh, it’s not mandatory, so don’t worry.”

“I think we can put just one person in?”

One student said, “That must be me.”

But Seto would laugh at this. The reason for this was revealed later.

“If we beat all of our representatives, someone very special will join us.”

“Someone special?”

“Your Majesty the King.”

The students reacted differently to the story that His Majesty the King, Hector, was participating.

While the warrior class was mostly excited at the prospect of taking on the King of Destruction, the magicians were indifferent.

Although the notoriety of the King of Destruction is well-known, if you think about it simply, he is nothing more than a warrior with outstanding military power.

I guess I think there are probably things to learn.

‘I won.’

Actually, it wasn’t me. Of course, I didn’t win by normal means either.

At that time, it was not ‘runaway’ but ‘madness’. I would like to get back together at least once.

Even when looking at objective skills, it has become stronger than before. I wonder if it will be possible to push through with pure technique.

“If you would like to participate, please let the professor know by tomorrow. I hope you all have a fun experience.”

Seto’s explanation is over. Now the remaining time is free.

Of course, most of the students decided to rest in their accommodations due to the aftereffects of crossing the desert.

“Shivar.”

“huh?”

“Follow me for a moment. Do you know where we’re going?”

Except for me. I followed Kara obediently.

Perhaps because Kara was used to crossing the desert, she didn’t show any signs of fatigue.

“hmm?”

Then, as I followed along, I came across a group of people wearing blue turbans. They looked familiar.

People who had been following me before. I glanced at them once and pretended not to know them.

I felt a warm gaze from behind me. Perhaps he was looking at my face and thinking about it.

“······Is it true that it’s red? Or is it not?”

“Hey. He’s from our country. Just pass him by. He had pale skin.”

“I guess so? It’s not my mistake.”

“Are your eyes slit-like?”

It doesn’t look like a hole, but it seems quite sharp.