## Chapter 819 – Winter in the Capital

No joke, they were taking this seriously.

They mentioned Mirkesha’s traditional culture to defend me as much as possible, but they still thought there was a fundamental problem. The defense was probably only because it was me, and they were deliberately trying to find a reason to see me in a good light.

“Shit.”

Still, I was glad that we had built a deep relationship of trust. With the experience of a Paladin, it seemed like they would just have a serious talk with me and be done with it. This is why image is important. They’re understanding because I’ve been doing well.

ㅡCrunch, crunch.

The sound of the Saintess biting her nails kept ringing in my ears. It was the first time I’d ever seen that woman so flustered. Ah, damn it, I can’t stop thinking about it even while walking.

Even though I managed to get through it, I ended up disappointing her after all.

But it wasn’t something I could hide forever anyway. I would have to reveal it someday if the opportunity arose, and today was just that day.

Let’s be confident.

According to Mirkesha’s traditions, it’s perfectly natural for a strong warrior to have many wives. I’ve never been to that land, so I don’t know for sure, but that’s how it is. The Saintess seems to know a little about that culture, so it’s probably true.

I’ll go with this.

It’s more convincing than spreading offspring, as Claudia said. There’s an old saying that heroes are fond of women, after all.

From ancient times, kings and nobles had many spouses. It’s because they had to spread their seed as much as possible. The great warriors of Mirkesha think the same way.

And the Paladin is already a hero. If anyone thinks I’m not a hero, come out and fight me.

Anyway, Mirkesha.

“Ah…”

My homeland, which I don’t even know what it looks like.

My essence was in that land of steppes and jungles in northern Karga Kingdom.

But damn it, I’ve never been there, so I don’t know.

I do know the geographical features, that if you go further north, you’ll find mountain ranges covered in ice and snow. The road leading to those mountains even comes down near the Dodens Barony… and beyond those mountains is the Northern Empire, right? Anyway, I know that much as common sense.

But that’s it.

Should I study Mirkesha’s culture separately?

I used to go to the library to study when I had the chance. Of course, it was only superficial. I only did enough to be able to talk about it. But with the appointment with the Saintess coming up the day after tomorrow, that’s not enough.

I need to add a little more credibility.

With that in mind, I headed straight to the library.

“Teeeeeeeeeng.”

Ah, right, damn it. I didn’t even ask if the Battle Priest armor set could be serviced. I’ll have to ask about that at the restaurant the day after tomorrow.

* * *

When I arrived at the library, an ominous feeling suddenly sprang up.

As soon as the keyword “Archmage” came to mind, I turned my head around and scanned the inside of the library. Let’s not think about that. As long as I don’t go upstairs, I won’t meet her.

Honestly, I’m too afraid to see her again.

It would be better to just completely forget each other and live without any connection.

“…”

I searched the library with that thought in mind.

What I needed was a book that summarized Mirkesha’s culture and characteristics. Let’s memorize it simply. But finding it wasn’t that difficult, it was beyond not difficult, there were quite a few.

ㅡThe Lives of the Mirkeshans.
ㅡThe Savage Warriors.
ㅡThe History of Nomadic Conquest.

I roughly found this much.

Is it natural that there are so many books because it’s right up north? I guess so. They said they had a war a long time ago. Swordmaster that old lady completed the conquest fifty years ago.

So there must be a lot of data.

In fact, there are quite a few people from Mirkesha who have flowed into the Karga Kingdom from various places. Of course, prejudice and discrimination follow, but as close as it is, such ecosystems are bound to be well known.

I picked out all the books and immediately took a seat and slowly opened them.

「The barbarians of Mirkesha are divided into two types. One is a tribe that lives a nomadic life in a dry climate, and the other is a tribe that lives in a jungle-like area.」

「The Mirkesha we know refers to the former. The story that the name of the chieftain who invaded this land decades ago is the origin is a very famous story.」

The barbarians who live in the jungle area don’t seem to have caused any trouble, so they’re not covered here.

In the first place, I’m not interested in anything other than the nomadic people, so it doesn’t matter.

For reference, that chieftain who had the name Mirkesha was eventually defeated and killed by the Swordmaster. Even though he had integrated all the nomadic tribes with tremendous force and was heading south, he was pushed back by the Swordmaster of fifty years ago.

What a scary old lady.

「They live a nomadic life in tribal units. As the land is vast, the number of those tribes is so large that it is impossible to investigate and record them all, and those tribes are spread out very widely. It’s natural because the land is vast. And each tribe has similar cultures, but in many cases, they have their own unique cultures depending on the god they believe in and the region.」

「Interestingly, there are almost no conflicts between those who live in the jungle and those who live as nomads. There is no special treaty, but there were many testimonies that they feared each other’s land.」

I continued to read the book.

「The perception that Mirkeshans are a nation of born warriors is widespread, and it is true that this was the case in the past. However, after the conquest was completed by the Swordmaster, and decades have passed, it can be said that this warrior culture has been somewhat buried.」

What!!!!

These bastards weren’t a nation of warriors!!!!!

「Of course, since the number of tribes is so large, there are still tribes that value tradition and worship the god of war, Haalbayar, and live worshiping martial arts. However, their power is not as prosperous as it was before the war.」

“Ah, shit.”

I almost had a heart attack.

To summarize roughly, as the land is vast, there are so many tribes that it’s impossible to lump their culture together as one.

The perception that is widespread is a bit outdated.

In the past, they were famous as a nation of born warriors, but after being conquered by the Swordmaster, they became shrinking violets.

The conquest by the Swordmaster greatly changed their culture.

Religion is a prime example.

They didn’t seem to be considered heretics because they also thought polytheism was natural. So it’s written that the Swordmaster didn’t massacre them, but this can be said to be the claim of the author of this book.

When reading history books, you shouldn’t just look at one.

Anyway.

In the past, the religion that worshiped the god of war, Haalbayar, was the most prosperous, but now it’s buried. With the human Swordmaster kicking their asses, what god of war or anything else would there be?

Recently, more tribes are jumping into commerce.

Well… to summarize roughly, it’s like this. Whatever the case, there are so many tribes with their own unique cultures, so there are plenty of things to talk about.

I am Kim Kat, born and raised in a tribe that reveres martial arts. So I think polygamy is natural, and I’m always training myself to become stronger. But when I was relatively young, I left the tribe for some reason and have been living in the Karga Kingdom as a semi-illegal immigrant.

So I lived as a beggar in the early days and was beaten by Winia… but somehow I managed to get ahead. Yes, this is my background setting.

“Adequate.”

Come to think of it, when Eliza told me to join the Holy Light Cross Society, I refused while mentioning the tribal god. That tribal god was the Mirkesha god of war, Haalbayar!!!

“Wow!”

My true religion is revealed here…!! It was like finding an oasis in the desert! Yes, Haalbayar! Let’s keep this in my heart! Of course, my roots are still Fusion Confucianism. I’m just pretending that I believed in Haalbayar in my background.

「Tribes that worship Haalbayar are very warlike and value tradition. They are very brave warriors…」

The doctrine of worshiping this god is very simple.

The strong take a lot. If you’re strong, polygamy or polyandry are all allowed. What if a great warrior wants to have multiple marriages to spread more offspring? You can’t mess with the strong.

This is the basic mindset, but I was born with such a civilized way of thinking and had a moral character, so I felt disgusted by this custom and left the tribe.

I acknowledge this religious view to some extent. But I think it’s too much. The strong shouldn’t monopolize everything, it shouldn’t be like that. That’s why I couldn’t help but feel disgusted…! Thinking like this, it felt like the memories of the barbarians living in that Mirkesha land were seeping into my head!!!

That’s why I left my homeland and came to the Karga Kingdom…!

I abandoned my family and my hometown and left…!

ㅡThud.

With that, I nodded satisfactorily, finished reading everything I had brought, and closed the book. Some time has passed. Still, I crammed all the essential knowledge into my head.

As expected of the largest library in the kingdom, the quality of information is different from the libraries in Krasheim or Isvant.

After organizing all the books, I went home.

The day after tomorrow… shit. Anyway, I’ll have to talk about Mirkesha customs to make the Saintess feel more comfortable.

* * *

When I came back, the first floor was empty. It’s daytime now, but haven’t they all woken up yet? First, I changed into comfortable clothes and went down to the basement.

I could hear sounds from there.

ㅡCreak.

When I opened the door, I saw Lisha’s back.

“Lisha?”
“Ah, have you come?”

Looking at her, Lisha was already standing in front of a perfectly constructed experiment table, doing something. That something is, of course, researching the heart of the Spirit King. Various tools and books were scattered around, and Lisha was touching them with her bare hands.

She’s really working hard.

“How long have you been doing this?”
“It hasn’t been that long.”

Lisha, who came up to me with a smile, hugged my waist and began to explain the progress of her research.

“First of all, I’m trying various things to extract or refine the power. I’m an extremely skilled expert in this kind of thing, but still, isn’t it the first time I’ve encountered something like this? I have to be careful.”
“Of course you have to be.”

Who else would have touched the Spirit King’s heart?

Maybe in the past, but not in this era.

“But then it will take some time, right?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“Take your time, take your time. It’s not like anyone’s chasing us. You can research it while touching it as you please.”

After all, no one in our house except Lisha knows how to cook this. And with the existence of the Spirit King ambiguously passed over, we can’t sell it anywhere.

“But there are results.”

Lisha said with a prim smile.
Such a confident attitude.

“What, already? It hasn’t been a few days?”

When I asked, Lisha picked up a small flask that was placed on the experiment table.

“I scraped off a little of the surface and did a reaction test, and it seems that it has a very strong resistance to fire. As it contains the power of the Ice Spirit King, it resists the opposite attribute on its own.”

Lisha handed me the flask. It felt like a potion with a faint blue color. Somehow, I felt a chill seeping out.

“Don’t tell me this is a test product made while experimenting?”

She nods.

“I tried to refine the scraped pieces after doing a normal treatment. You could say it’s a kind of elixir.”

Elixir.

“I was just about to test it.”
“How are you going to test it?”

Certainly, if you make something, you have to test it.