395 – The King and the Warrior (2)

As I said before, Tatar is a country modeled after ancient Egypt.

A people with a uniquely hot climate and copper-colored skin. And surprisingly, they also have abundant resources.

Perhaps because of that, the palace that Kara entered had many similarities to ancient Egypt.

First of all, the palace’s exterior has established its own unique culture. There were almost no trees, and the building was built entirely of stone.

An architectural style that emphasizes straight lines, stone pillars that look solid at first glance, and even a huge wall gate.

Apart from the stone, what caught my eye was that it was built of mud bricks, suitable for the dry climate.

Above all, the exterior is beautiful. It feels cool because it has holes here and there, but it still maintains its grandeur.

It is a building built by a country that was founded less than 10 years ago. It is so sophisticated that it is hard to believe.

“wow.”

“How is it? Isn’t it wonderful? I have never been to palaces in other countries, but I can at least say that the Tatar palace is not inferior to them.”

As I looked around the palace and exclaimed in admiration, Kara explained with a smug look. To be honest, it was a majestic sight.

The ancient Egyptian palaces of the Earth are also famous for their unique forms. In addition, ancient Egypt is one of the earliest civilizations of mankind.

On the other hand, Tatarstan is a country with a history of less than 10 years. Despite that, it built such beautiful structures.

In the case of ‘architecture’, it means that a unique culture has been established. Given the environment, there are bound to be some aspects that cannot be helped.

“Awesome.”

“thank you.”

“It’s really cool.”

“Kick kick.”

Kara giggled as she continued to shower him with heartfelt compliments. Her unique coolness and joy were equally evident.

Who could possibly call the Tatars barbarians after seeing this architecture? They have achieved an undeniable civilization.

Although it has many shortcomings, the fact that it was able to build such a huge structure like a palace is significant in itself.

‘It means we joined forces.’

This is a building built by the combined efforts of a ‘nation’, not a ‘tribe’. And it’s not just one, it’s two altars.

This is a part where you can get a glimpse of Hector’s leadership. He himself is wandering around, unable to find a clear path.

The legal code and architecture that fit the Tatars perfectly made me feel that his founding myth was truly amazing.

“You’re here, Princess Kara.”

“Yes. Father, no, Abamama?”

As I was walking down the hallway, I ran into someone. Judging by the conversation and the noise, it was women, and not just one, but several.

I couldn’t help but feel dumb as I looked over Kara’s shoulder. That was understandable, because of her outfit.

No matter how hot it is, isn’t it almost like you’re naked? It’s not just airy clothes, but clothes that are completely transparent.

It was fortunate that it was a dress, but if it had been any other type of clothing it would have been more embarrassing.

“Your Majesty is in the office. But who is the person behind you?”

“Ah. I made an important achievement while crossing the desert this time. Say hello.”

“hello.”

I greeted them fluently in Tatar. With my appearance, I would look like a local to anyone.

The woman leading the crowd looked at me expressionlessly at my greeting. Her eyes seemed to be examining me thoroughly, one by one.

Finally, she smiled softly and opened her mouth in a gentle voice.

“You’re mixed race. Where are you from?”

“hmm?”

I looked at her with wide eyes. How did she notice it so quickly?

Aside from my slight surprise, Kara asked in a calm tone, as if she had expected it.

“You noticed right away?”

“The accent and the structure of the appearance are different from those of the Tatars.”

“Rather than my origin… I came from the Academy. By the way, I’m not a Tatar. My skin is a bit tanned.”

“······It doesn’t seem to be at the level of a coal mine?”

The answer came a little slowly. There was a lot of question in that one beat late answer.

Kara shrugged her shoulders as if she didn’t know. In reality, even I don’t know this part, so I have no choice but to skip it.

The woman bowed her head politely, as if she had no intention of asking any more questions.

“I understand. Since you said you have achieved great things, I will pay my respects in the future.”

“Okay, thanks. Oh, by any chance, could you open the bathroom? Not the bathroom.”

“I’ll prepare your clothes.”

As she spoke, the woman passed us by. A number of women followed behind her.

What on earth does she do to be in a role equivalent to that of a maid? Even her attire is refreshingly unusual.

“Godmother.”

“godmother?”

“Yeah. In our country, ancestral rites are important, right? If you think of it as someone in charge of dancing, it’s easier.”

“aha.”

I get what you mean. Since Tatar is a country with a high level of religious prestige, the status of dancers must also be high.

Karaman is a dancer. She is also the most favored dancer in the Gulag.

“Then what about the general manager?”

“My father usually takes charge of everything.”

I followed Kara and asked her various questions. Kara answered my questions sincerely.

In Soul World, not only is there no detailed description of the culture, but neither are there any books about the Tatars. There are very few books about the Tatars.

The same goes for the encyclopedia, it took a long time to master the Tatar language completely. It was better because of Kara.

“Kara.”

“Huh? Why?”

“There is a palace and an altar. What about the tomb?”

“tomb?”

“Yeah. There’s no grave?”

“hmm······”

At my question about the grave, Kara seemed puzzled for a moment, then made an expression as if she was gathering her thoughts.

The reason I asked this question is, of course, because of the Tatar motif. When you think of Egypt, what comes to mind?

A huge, triangular tomb made of stone, the pyramid. It is a structure widely known as the king’s tomb.

Since Tatar is based on ancient Egypt, I thought that the tombs would naturally be similar.

“I hadn’t even thought about the grave… I need to think about this slowly. But why the grave?”

“I was just curious. That’s part of the culture, too.”

“Culture······”

At my word culture, Kara tapped the area around her mouth with her index finger.

Then he stopped his index finger, chuckled, and said playfully.

“If we’re going to make a tomb out of stone, why don’t we make it really big and grand? Like an altar.”

“How big?”

“Well, wouldn’t it be better if it were bigger?”

That’s right. In reality, building a large building requires a high level of architectural ability.

To some, this may seem simple and ignorant, but if you look closely, it is something that cannot be ignored.

While I was walking along chatting with Kara like that, I arrived at my destination.

When I arrived at my destination, a question suddenly occurred to me. Why was it an office and not an audience room?

‘Do you have any personal business?’

The opening of the trade route meant that Tatar’s trade network had expanded, which meant that their national power had become stronger.

It would be right to praise his achievements in front of his subjects, but it seems like there is something wrong with him calling him to his office.

“Actually, I should congratulate you officially in the audience room, but I have some circumstances. I will call you officially later.”

It seems that Kara was also aware of that part. If that’s the case, then it doesn’t matter.

After a while, Kara knocked cautiously on the office door. A few seconds after knocking, a solemn voice came back.

[Come in.]

It was a low, thick voice. Even in the voice, I could feel strength and spirit.

As soon as Kara got permission, she carefully opened the door. As soon as she opened the door, a quiet atmosphere descended.

“It’s been a while.”

A solemn voice was heard from in front of Kara. I slowly approached Kara.

Thanks to that, I was able to face the figure sitting at the desk in front of me. A muscular man who looked more like a wire than a desk.

Looking at his rather fierce face, you wonder if he really is Kara’s biological father. But looking at his strong body, you’ll be sure.

Hector, the Destroyer. Or Hector Gurdsson, King of Tartars.

Now I could face Hector as a king, not as a destroyer.

“You don’t have to stand up. There’s a chair over there. Just sit down.”

“yes.”

“?”

When I answered in a polite voice, one of Hector’s eyebrows rose.

I guess he knew I would use informal language. But I decided not to use informal language like that anymore.

‘I got scolded a lot by Lord.’

Lord scolded me when I heard that I spoke informally to professors, so I started speaking formally to them.

Of course, it wasn’t easy at first because it was a way of speaking that was stuck in my mouth. But it’s gotten better.

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

Sitting on the chair was fine, but what happened next was the problem. An awkward silence settled in.

That was understandable. Hector and I were not on good terms, even in empty words. Hector’s record was clear.

From Hector’s perspective, it must be awkward and embarrassing. Still, if he has something to say, he has to say it.

“How have you been?”

“yes.”

“With your daughter?”

“father······”

How awkward must one be to say such nonsense? Kara looked at Hector with cold eyes.

Hector tried to clear the air by coughing. Song Chung then scratched his eyebrows and continued speaking.

“I’m sorry for talking nonsense. Your name was······Shivar, right?”

“yes.”

“I heard the story. You said that you opened the way for our Tatar advance?”

Has the story already reached this point? It’s definitely fast.

Well, since it was something related to the Academy, I guess I was the first to hear about it. It’s not like I couldn’t understand it.

“I will express my gratitude. I will congratulate you officially soon. Since I have an Academy schedule, I will probably call you to the audience room at the end of my schedule.”

“thank you.”

“······Something feels awkward. He was clearly a wild person.”

Hector is scratching his head and mumbling to himself. He seems to think I won’t understand.

“Father, even Shivar understands Tatar.”

“What? Our language?”

“Yeah. And you’re even good at our language?”

It seemed like he was bragging about something. Hector looked at me with a curious expression.

It’s been less than a year. Until a year ago, I was a wild person, but now I’ve even learned a foreign language.

Hector, who had been watching me for a while, tilted his head as if he sensed something strange.

“······Come to think of it, I thought your skin was white?”

“··· ···”

You ask so quickly. You are clearly a smart person, but sometimes you get off track in strange ways.

But a king’s timber is a king’s timber, Hector said sharply, looking back and forth between me and Cara.

“Is it by any chance that you learned Tatar because of our daughter?”

“father!”

Kara shouted at him to stop. There was confusion in it.

“yes.”

“Hey, Shivar?”

“I see.”

And I didn’t try hard to deny it, because the question itself wasn’t wrong.

Kara was at a loss after hearing my honest answer. The atmosphere was flowing strangely.

But it seemed that it wasn’t Hector. He snickered and then burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahahaha! Right. So that’s what happened. Do you call someone like you a genius?”

“··· ···”

“Actually, there’s another reason I called you. Do you see that?”

Hector pointed to the wall with his thick finger. I turned my gaze toward the wall.

On the wall hung a very familiar looking axe, Ragnarok. It was originally Hector’s weapon, so it didn’t matter that it was hanging there.

“Would you like to hear it?”

“Hear me?”

“Okay. Just take it.”

What’s so difficult about that? I tilted my head, but did as he told me.

In fact, there was no need to walk. All I had to do was extend my hand and call out Ragnarok to myself.

-Thump!

Ragnarok was easily grasped in my hand when I called its name. There was nothing wrong with it.

But not Hector. His face hardened, as if there was some serious problem.

“Can you lift it up on the desk for a sec?”

I did as he said. I stood up and placed Ragnarok on the desk.

Hector looked at Ragnarok with a complicated expression, then raised his head. He met me, who was standing there blankly.

“Phew.”

Hector took a deep breath and grabbed Ragnarok. His hand was so large that it felt more like a hatchet than a one-handed axe.

The original owner was Hector, so lifting it up wouldn’t be a problem. That’s what I thought.

-Kkwakwak!

“··· ···”

“··· ···”

“Euuum······!”

Even if you hold it with two hands instead of one, Ragnarok doesn’t budge.

There was no change, even though the tendons on Hector’s thick arms were protruding like corns. Ragnarok was still in place.

If that was an act, it would be really great. In other words, Hector is being sincere.

After wrestling for a long time, Hector finally let go, a drop of sweat running down his face.

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

“··· ···”

“I heard the whole story from Kara. How Ragnarok was destroyed, how we made a sacrifice to Gulag, and how the Saint helped us.”

“yes.”

“They say lightning strikes those who are not qualified. But lightning doesn’t strike me. I just don’t budge.”

Hector, with a complicated expression on his face, spoke to me as if appealing to me.

“Is there a way? If so, please let me know.”

My answer to that appeal was very simple.

“Me?”

At first glance, it may sound rude.

“How?”

I really don’t know.

You got the wrong number.