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nAfter that, Artizea guided the guests to the backyard.

nThere was an unused annex in the back of the Empress’ Palace. It was said to be the Empress’ personal space since the predecessors.

nIt was rumored to be the place where the Empress and her lovers met. It was such a secluded place, and it was planted with trees that were much taller than a human height, as if to make it inconspicuous.

nSo even when she was walking around the backyard, she couldn’t see the roof of the building.

nEmpress Dowager Catherine never used this annex. When she was a powerful empress, she managed every nook and cranny of the garden.

nHowever, after the gates of the Empress’ Palace were closed, there was no one to look around, so the building was old and the surrounding trees grew more lush.

nWhen Artizea entered the Empress’ Palace, she had another chance to manage. But she didn’t do it on purpose.

nThe building itself was repaired, but the gardens were left lush. Rather, she fenced it outside.

nIt was a waste on the surface, apparently because there were no guests to come to the Empress’ Palace. She used the excuse that the fence was to anticipate that it might be dangerous for Leticia to get in.

nBut that’s not the real reason. It was for today.

nThe Karam, who introduced himself as Weil, stood enthralled in front of a tall maple tree. Then, he touched the trees and touched the new leaves that had just bloomed, rejoicing like a child.

nKesa said,

n“It’s the first time we’ve seen a tree with such large leaves. In our land, big trees are as hard as iron and their leaves are as sharp as needles. The new shoots are light, but it’s not pretty or soft like a baby’s hand.”

nWeil nodded his head and said something. Kesa smiled.

n“He said he never thought he would see a tree like this before he died. While we were here, we were barely able to get off the ship due to security.”

n〘Mister Weil is the greatest carpenter in the Ironmaker tribe.〙

nApua said.

nKaram’s technology lags behind humans. There could be no other disagreement here.

nIf he had been a craftsman, he would have felt that fact more acutely.

n“We are not yet at the stage where we can reveal who you are, but if there is something you want to know while you are here, we will try to let you experience it as much as possible.”

n“Thank you.”

nWeil answered, and Kesa translated.

n“Actually, just experiencing such warm weather is a great experience that seems to expand the world. I’ve been to the south, but I’ve never imagined the weather so warm.”

n“It was really cold in the North.”

nArtizea shuddered just by imagining it.

nKesa had a white complexion and her face looked fresh with the spring dress inside her fur cloak.

n“I heard that there are also lands in the Empire that are midsummer all year round. But looking at Your Majesty’s outfit, it looks like it’s getting hotter than it is now?”

n“It’s too hot for the human body, so we use very thin fabrics to make clothes.”

n“You mean clothes like something for a handkerchief?”

n“Yes. But, it must be hot.”

nArtizea said while looking at the slightly different Karam.

nKesa and Apua had shaved their faces cleanly. Thanks to that, they didn’t look much different from a human, except that the part of their hair was too stiff and thick.

nIf they only covered their arm and third eye, anyone would think that they were a distant local from somewhere or that they had a peculiar appearance.

nSeeing that the nape of their neck was also exposed, it was as if they had cut off the hair that ran like a mane on their back.

nBut other Karams did not. They trimmed and cut some of their hair to show manners, but the choice to shave them neatly was impossible for them.

nIt looked hot. It will actually be hot. But they didn’t take off their clothes, they were being polite.

nKesa laughed.

n“There were plenty of opportunities to shave on the boat. It’s a given.”

n“Actually, I was going to serve tea, but from the looks of it, I can’t because it’s hot. Are you two okay?”

n“A bit hot, but tolerable.”

n〘This is my first visit, so I visited in spring because of various circumstances, but if there is a second chance, I would like to cross the Thold Gate in the fall and see you in winter.〙

nKesa translated those words. Artizea compared her understanding with Kesa’s interpretation and nodded her head.

nIn fact, the reason she put the words in her head even if it was too much was because she was afraid that the interpreter would make a trick in the middle.

n“Yes. It’s too hot here, and it’s easy to get people’s feet tied up in the North, even in midsummer.”

nThe reason for being able to coexist with Karam is that above all else.

nEven if Karam goes south in the middle of winter, they have to go up north again in summer. Karam and human habitation only partially overlap.

nArtizea had them bring a chilled beer instead of hot tea.

nKesa’s face brightened. In the North, where food was scarce, alcohol made from grain was quite precious.

nWeil, who was kneeling on the floor and touching the soil, and other Karam, who were looking at the building with strange faces looking at the huge Imperial Palace from afar, also gathered around, smelling the alcohol and twitching their noses.

nHannah gave them a beer cup one by one. Although it was not a useful object in the Empress’ Palace, it was thought that this was safe for Karam, whose hands were not delicate and had hardly touched ceramics or glassware.

n“Make yourself comfortable. I will prepare the clothes a little thinner.”

n“Thank you.”

nApua said.

nHis pronunciation was still unclear, but it didn’t feel like he didn’t understand or was just mimicking the meaning.

nHe didn’t seem to have any trouble understanding the conversation between Kesa and Artizea.

nCome to think of it, it was natural. He was poor at writing, but he had little trouble reading and writing. It meant that he was learning the grammar of the Imperial language almost completely.

nArtizea looked at him.

nQuestions that had not been solved while exchanging letters over the past two years rose in her chest and scratched her heart.

nShe knew he was the ‘returner’. However, she did not know why he started doing this.

nApua was the son of the Ironmaker tribe’s chief, and the Ironmaker tribe within Karam has always been one of the strongest tribes.

nWhen they reached out to the chief of the Goldmaker tribe, they became even more prosperous, encompassing all the tribes in the region, and earning respect as a ‘keeper of the fire’.

nIn fact, it is equivalent to being the king.

nSuch tribes do not need to interact with humans. If there is something lacking, it is much more convenient to plunder other lesser tribes.

nIn fact, the Karam Evron had interacted with in the past were from the weaker tribes to which Kesa belonged, as well as from the smaller tribes that had been pushed to the mountains.

nKaram does not inherit the title. The son of a chieftain does not necessarily become a chieftain, and Apua’s brothers and sisters total eighteen.

nEven so, it was clear that if he was the son of a chieftain who was even called the king, he would be in a considerably higher position than a normal Karam.

nIn fact, he has come this far by leading the unprecedented event of interaction with humans.

nSo, why did he study so much about human language and culture?

nEven if culture penetrated each other while coexisting, it would not have happened to the ruling class in a short period of time.

nArtizea carefully selected her words. Still, she wrote it down on a piece of paper, just in case Kesa could not understand.

nMay I ask how you learned to speak my language? Although I have only studied for two years, it is considered by Karam and humans that learning to write our language is easier than learning to speak.

nSince Karam has no writing, it makes sense if he only learned to write and read books.

nHowever, the difference between words and grammar was not much compared to the difference with pronunciation. Unlike the barking of a dog or the flapping of a bee’s wings, it was distinguishable and recognizable.

nStudying it, it seemed that there were probably those with an affinity for it. There are those who, like Kesa, can speak both languages.

nHowever, it will take a lot of effort to understand the language so skillfully. Even now, Artizea had to be very careful and match the sounds she had heard in her mind with the words she had memorized before she could understand it.

nApua must have put a lot of effort into it.

nArtizea only added that.

nApua’s lips had a faint smile. He picked up a pen.

nThanks to the monarch.

nCedric was called the monarch. In the North, the Karam seems to have called him so, where they conquered before returning.

nArtizea made them bring the brazier while he wrote the long text. It was to burn the writing that should not be shown to others.

nMeanwhile, Apua kept filling the sheet of paper.

nThe Empress must know that the monarch once killed the king in a surprise attack with his detached troops during the war.

nThat was when Artizea stopped the supply to Evron’s stronghold.

nArtizea controlled her breathing slightly. The king who died at that time was the present-day chief of the Ironmaker tribe, Apua’s father.

nApua looked at Artizea’s expression and wrote it down.

nA great warrior was just defeated by a greater warrior. Don’t worry. It was an honorable fight.

nI don’t think that would immediately weaken the Ironmaker clan.

nAfter that, a fight broke out over the position of the chieftain. He was ambushed, and when he came to his senses, he had two of his arms cut off and was abandoned in the Thold Mountains.

nAn old man living alone near the Thold Mountains felt pity for Apua and saved him.

nIt was said that the village where he lived was looted by Karam, leaving only traces of it. People dispersed or became refugees and went down south in search of relatives they could rely on.

nBut the old man remained in the village.

nHis daughter and her husband were said to have died when the village was looted. His son, who was taken to the battlefield as a soldier, lost one of his arms and returned, but eventually passed on to a mountain beast. None of his grandchildren were left.

nBut the old man had pity on Apua.

n“My son didn’t have one arm either.”

nThe old man looked at Apua’s empty shoulders and murmured.

n“The bad one is that devil-like woman. You are just a pitiful bastard.”

nIt took Apua years to fully understand the words. It took him longer to understand the full meaning of the words.

nBut he could see the way the old man looked at his arms and cursed those who took his children.

nHe piled up firewood like a mountain in place of the old man’s lost children. Even without his two arms, his superior physical abilities did not disappear.

nWhen an animal was hunted, the old man made a fire and smoked it. Apua also learned from him how to grow root plants.

nThe Thold Mountains were also warm and well-cultivated compared to the land of Karam. Apua lived there for 15 years.

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