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(369)
“Today I’m going to teach you about poetry and metaphors. They are the most important things in speaking with dignity, so listen carefully.”
Naseria thought that maybe there was no need to say those last words.
Belisarios was already a man of intense concentration, his quartz eyes filled with a dangerous yet alluring curiosity.
Because he was so smart, he never forgot anything that was taught to him, and he quickly learned even texts that were much more difficult than spoken language.
“Your Highness. Why is the 'Anatolian Commons' so difficult?”
“Didn’t you say we were learning poetry and metaphors today?”
“I believe that Your Highness must have thought something like this when he first learned poetry and metaphors!”
The playful laughter and questions thrown in from time to time were quite pleasant, and surprisingly, there was also something to think about.
“They don’t think of fixing it easily. They think that if they don’t know how to read, they won’t be able to access knowledge, and if they don’t have access to knowledge, their subordinates will become ignorant, and if they are ignorant, they will listen to what they say. I don’t know who is truly ignorant. … Forget the last sentence.”
“Politicians are similar in every country. Hmm. If the princess smiles at me once, I think I’ll forget everything.”
Sometimes it seemed like he was focusing on her rather than the blackboard, but that wasn't all that bad.
“……Concentrate! So the sentence structure is…….”
No matter what, he was a student who was quite enjoyable to teach.
“Your fingernails are like jewels with a thousand facets.”
"stop!"
“Your eyes are like dawn hanging over the eastern sand dunes.”
“I said stop!”
“Your hair is like a gentle breeze.”
“Can’t you hear what I’m saying?!”
“The reason I like poetry is because I can call you you. ……How is it, Your Highness?”
There seemed to be something playful behind those playful eyes, but that only served to make Belisarios look more attractive.
Naseria tried not to blush.
Those crystal-clear eyes seemed to see right through this thin veil.
“I don’t know about the empire, but in the Emirate of Amir, composing a poem praising a woman’s appearance in that way is a very special act.”
To this Belisarios replied:
“I want to be a special person, so I will do special things.”
This time, Naseria blushed for real.
“That crazy guy.”
That's how class ended that day.
* * *
The interpreter, Daedonghan, opened the door with his mind completely blank.
'That royal is completely crazy. If I report this, even Her Highness the Princess will be in danger.'
Squeak.
And beyond the door stood a man whom neither the interpreter, nor Naseria, nor Belisarios had expected.
“Naseria.”
Sand-colored hair reminiscent of huge hills, strong hazel eyes, a strong jaw and a stylish short beard.
Tall and stocky, wearing a long white robe and a golden vest.
“What is a woman doing with a man from this hour onwards?”
The eldest son of the second most powerful emir in the emirate and a field marshal.
“Even the woman who will marry me.”
And Naseria's fiancée.
Alceste.
He rolled his eyes and looked around the room.
The distance between Naseria, standing in front of the blackboard, and Belisarios, sitting at the desk right in front of her, seemed close enough to touch each other if they stretched out their arms.
The interpreter froze, unable to say anything, and Nasseria froze in embarrassment, clearly visible even through the veil, while Alceste strode into the room and urged Nasseria on.
“Even if it is a marriage arranged by the Sultan, shouldn’t you fulfill your duties as a princess?”
Naseria bit her lower lip once and answered.
“I don’t want to do it either. I did it because the Sultan ordered me to.”
“An order? For something like that, the laughter sounds very bright.”
Alceste glared at Belisarios.
In the meantime, he calmly cleaned up his desk and only showed the paper he was using for practice.
It seemed as if Alceste, his enemy and a great warrior, was not the least bit of a threat.
Just before Alceste could scream at his arrogant attitude, Belisarios opened his mouth.
“I am Belisarios, a member of the royal family of Soletaras who has surrendered to the Sultan. I am learning the Anatolian language and script from Her Highness Princess Nasseria.”
"you."
“I was having a hard time learning new words, and the princess was happy to see me do that. Your Majesty the Princess did not do or say the things you thought she would do, so you can rest assured.”
Although the pronunciation was still a bit awkward, it was something worth listening to.
Alceste frowned, then softened slightly when he saw the interpreter standing there.
Even if Naseria was a princess who behaved like a tomboy by his standards, she would never have done something 'unthinkable' in front of the interpreter.
He nitpicked and said.
“You haven’t even grown a single beard. Even your face is half-and-half, so you look like a castrate. I can’t have a monster that’s neither man nor woman roaming the palace. I have to find a manly excuse.”
Belisarios glared as if he had misheard and took a step back.
“Are you trying to strip me of my clothes here?”
“!”
Alceste cried out, feeling like an idiot.
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“I will hunt the eroded beasts of the river. Come out.”
* * *
Mecharis, like Soletaraon, also had a large river flowing to the east of the city.
The Sultan's soldiers and Alceste's soldiers launched a large ship.
As soon as the sails were spread and the Imam said his prayers, the wind blew and the boat began to move forward like an arrow.
The docks around the city were safe, but even a little further out, animals were often seen stranded among the reeds or on the sandbanks.
An eroded water bird flapped its three legs and attacked a cat with its black beak, a 6-metre-long monitor lizard ran along the shore, and a 12-metre-long crocodile with three pairs of eyes and gills emerged onto a sandbank.
“Unlike warriors, beasts only receive the energy of one god, and so the balance is broken. The important duty of our nobles is to hunt such invasive beasts and prevent them from causing trouble to the people.”
Alceste pointed to the scaled monster with an exaggerated gesture.
“Do you know how to catch that monster?”
Belisarios shook his head.
“I don’t know, Your Majesty.”
“You have been transformed by the energy of the strongest god in this area, so you should use a weapon that contains the energy of the god that is the opposite of that god.”
Alceste took up one of his spears.
Saaaaah!
A red aura rose from the spear tip, and he took a firm stance, planting his feet firmly on the deck, and swung his spear at the eroding beast on the sandbar.
"ha!"
Wedge!
A crackling noise rang out, as if a ballista had been fired from a spear thrown by a man.
The recoil caused the large ship to rock slightly from side to side.
puck!
The spear struck the crocodile predator's gills, sending a red glow through its blood vessels and into its body.
“Keeeeeek!”
The body of the eroder touched by the red energy crumbled like melting snow.
Alceste shrugged his shoulders triumphantly.
“That's what I'm saying.”
“You are amazing.”
“It is much more effective than the Light Church that Soletaras believes in.”
He threw nine more spears, ten guns, and caught nine ravening beasts.
“……It’s a duty.”
Following him, Naseria also took up the javelin.
The layers of clothing worn over her flowing going-out veil and white one-piece dress distorted her posture.
'It's uncomfortable.'
Her purple eyes captured the eroding beast with precision, but her thick earrings, bracelets, and rings kept clinking together, breaking her concentration.
I was especially worried that the large earrings would be ripped off the moment I threw the spear.
puck!
“Keeeeee!”
Naseria threw ten shots and killed five.
The warriors on board looked at him with astonishment.
Like Naseria, it was the first time in a long time that they had thrown away such uncomfortable clothes and dazzling accessories, and they had no confidence that they could hit them even once.
But Alceste looked as if he was not pleased with something.
“……Don’t act so wild, princess. Please maintain the dignity of a virtuous woman.”
Naseria wanted to ask why she had brought me here if that was the case.
'I guess he wants me to compliment him.'
The moment she raised her head, Belisarios took a step forward.
“Your Excellency, I will try it now.”
* * *
Naseria didn't have high expectations.
Even though the ship was large, it rocked back and forth, the distance to the sandbar was at least 300 meters, and Belisarios looked more like a cheerful trickster than a hardy warrior.
But the moment he grabbed the spear and took a stance, the light atmosphere disappeared like melted snow.
Alceste was also surprised and opened his eyes wide.
“Phew.”
Belisarios threw his spear, smiling happily.
The movement of pulling up the power from the legs, passing it through the waist, back, arms, and fingertips was beautiful like a dance, and strong like an animal.
Whaaaa …
There was a loud crack as if a ballista had been fired.
puck!
“Keeeeeek!”
A beast of prey burst out and rolled across the sandy floor.
“You’re lucky.”
Alceste muttered, biting his lower lip.
Belisarios nodded with an embarrassed smile.
“I was just following Your Majesty.”
But Naseria saw a bitter smile cross Belisarios' face.
She seemed to have a similar laugh.
Wedge! Wedge! Wedge!
Belisarios threw a javelin.
So far, I've thrown nine sticks and caught nine, so if I hit the last one, I'll win against Alceste.
“That imperial family is no joke either.”
“It must take a lot of strength to throw nine balls in a row from this distance.”
“Don’t you think he’s stronger than Your Majesty?”
“Hey, hey. Watch your mouth. Delilah.”
Belisarios took up the last javelin.
"ha!"
Her playful smile and light-hearted cheer went well with those crystal-clear eyes.
Under the blazing sun, his delicately sculpted muscles were visible through his sweat-soaked white clothes.
At that sight, Naseria felt an inexplicable sense of anticipation, and Alceste felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
Wedge!
Belisarios threw the last javelin.
But the spear did not even reach the sandbar and fell into the water.
with a plop.
“Huh?”
"oh my."
“You did well, but you lost strength at the end.”
The exhausted warriors turned their heads again, Naseria felt a pang of regret as if her spear had fallen off, and Belisarios smiled slightly awkwardly.
“Your Majesty, I apologize. I wasted a precious spear.”
Alceste unconsciously released the fist he had been clenching and wiped his sweaty palms on his thighs.
'Shit.'
He answered with a sense of self-loathing.
“No, that was great.”
Belisarios shook his head firmly.
“I tried my best, but I just couldn’t focus. I couldn’t beat their energy. Honestly, after seven, it was all luck. So Your Majesty, you are truly amazing. How could you throw all ten shots properly?”
Alceste's expression softened noticeably.
“I missed a step too. It’s embarrassing.”
“No. Wasn’t it because of the strong wind that you missed? Your Majesty, you might as well have hit all ten shots.”
“Oh, my. I’m a man and my mouth is loose. Don’t show me off too much. The gods might have sent the wind on purpose to prevent me from becoming arrogant.”
He smiled heartily at Belisarios.
“You’re not bad either. If you work hard, you can become a warrior like me. Come out often to hunt and earn some money for your bread.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Belisarios bowed his head deeply.
Alceste spoke to Naseria.
“Princess, you should teach him to speak better. He has a cheerful attitude, but his pronunciation is awkward, so he looks like a fool. It’s a shame. If you bring an interpreter and keep to the time, I won’t say anything from now on.”
Naseria felt annoyed at having to thank him for those words.
“Yes, my lord.”
The inflammation had grown so large that even she was surprised.