’Be gentle, you wench.’
Sollivan adjusted his posture, suppressing the urge to curse the warrior standing behind him. However, he didn’t dare to do so and remained seated in silence, gazing into the eyes of the beautiful girl before him.
Meanwhile, Blear hesitated for a few seconds before leaving the room.
"Sollivan, right?" the beautiful girl asked in a sweet yet indifferent tone. Without waiting for his response, she continued speaking, her eyes fixed on him with a stern gaze.
"My name is Beatrice Griffin. I am the daughter of the leader of this tribe, and I am the one assigned to oversee you. From now on, all your movements will be under my supervision. You are not allowed to disobey my orders. If you need anything, you must inform me first."
Sollivan was slightly surprised upon hearing this and wasn’t sure how to react. He froze for a moment, his expression one of astonishment. After a long silence, he finally spoke hesitantly, "I understand. So, I must ask you for anything I need, and you’ll provide it if it’s allowed, correct?"
A cold, arrogant look appeared on Beatrice’s face as she nodded indifferently, showing no interest in his words.
"Young princess, as you know, I was brought to your tribe without any prior notice. Due to the series of events, I haven’t eaten in a long time. So, am I allowed to have some food now that things have settled down?" This time, Sollivan’s tone was humble, devoid of any arrogance. It wasn’t out of fear for the person who would now decide his fate, but rather to avoid any misunderstandings.
Beatrice looked into his dark eyes, which seemed devoid of any resistance, and waved her hand indifferently, gesturing to the warrior beside her. "Bring him a decent meal."
"Yes, ma’am," the warrior replied, placing her hand on her chest in a respectful salute before leaving. However, as soon as she opened the door, Beatrice spoke again.
"Bring double the amount. It seems he really needs the food." Her voice carried a clear tone of mockery as she glanced at his thin frame.
Sollivan, however, wasn’t bothered and smiled lightly. "Thank you for your generosity, princess. I was about to ask for that."
Beatrice’s eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, and she looked at his gentle smile with a hint of suspicion. But she said nothing and averted her gaze.
Click!
The warrior left, leaving the room in an eerie silence. Even after several minutes, neither of them spoke, and they remained seated, each lost in their own thoughts.
’This girl is troublesome.’ Sollivan placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands in front of his face, hiding his sharp eyes from Beatrice.
He slowly lowered his head and glanced at the legs of his chair, where a shadow in the shape of a chair lay. Strangely, the shadow seemed to move as he looked at it, as if reacting to his gaze.
’Stay hidden.’
He sent his command through the link he shared with the shadow, then raised his head again and stole a glance at Beatrice, who was sitting indifferently across from him. But suddenly, she lifted her head and met his gaze, as if she had sensed him looking at her. Unexpectedly, she spoke.
"Don’t think of doing anything foolish. Even if you have an abyss beast by your side, it won’t help you, given how weak both of you are."
Hearing her mockery, Sollivan raised his head, no longer hiding his eyes, and asked in surprise, "An abyss beast? Are you talking about the shadow I contracted with?" He didn’t try to hide the shadow or deny its existence. Several people had witnessed the chaotic contract ritual, so he knew most were aware of it. The fact that they hadn’t taken any action against him was proof enough that he posed no threat to them.
Beatrice raised her eyebrows in surprise, adjusted her relaxed posture, and mocked him with a serious face.
"Are you being serious? Do you not know what an abyss beast is? Ah! Come to think of it, I heard you claim to have lost your memory. But you’re overdoing your lie. You’ll need to improve your acting if you want us to believe you." She chuckled lightly, her expression filled with a strange mix of mockery and pity.
Sollivan opened his mouth slightly, at a loss for words for a moment. He narrowed his eyes, wanting to explain himself, but in the end, he decided to remain silent and simply sighed. ’I’ve been misunderstood again. I really don’t know anything.’ He raised his hand, wanting to smack his forehead, but stopped halfway, fearing it might offend Beatrice.
The room returned to its usual silence, and neither of them spoke again. After a few moments, Beatrice suddenly stood up from her chair and said in an indifferent tone, "Warrior Mina, keep an eye on him. Once he’s finished eating, take him to meet Fredrick to begin his training." Without giving him another glance, she left the room.
Sigh!
Sollivan let out a relieved breath and relaxed slightly. ’Being in a position of weakness is truly nerve-wracking.’ He raised his hands and rubbed his temples, not caring about Mina, who was watching him with a disgusted expression.
Time passed slowly, and after waiting for about thirty minutes, the warrior who had left earlier returned, carrying a large wooden tray filled with several dishes. Without any courtesy or respect, she slammed the tray onto the table, causing the dishes to rattle and some of the meat broth to spill onto the table.
The aroma of the delicious food wafted into Sollivan’s nose, and his stomach growled with hunger. Without hesitation, he reached for the largest dish, which contained a large, juicy red steak.
He picked it up with his hands, ignoring the heat, and took a big bite, letting the juices smear the corners of his lips. However, he couldn’t enjoy the taste because the heat burned his tongue. His eyes widened, and he exhaled hurriedly, making a strange and slightly funny expression before swallowing it.
Without hesitation, he took another bite, but this time he savored the salty and delicious flavor, forgetting the heat in his mouth. The taste of the meat brought back memories of a flavor he hadn’t experienced in years due to his poverty and frugality.
But he didn’t want to be bothered by old emotions, and with great voracity, he began stuffing the meat into his mouth like a ravenous beast. Within a minute, he had finished the entire steak and reached for another piece with his greasy hands.
The warriors in the room grimaced, their expressions growing more disgusted. Strangely, they involuntarily took a step back and averted their gazes from him. Even for their tribe, which valued strength and ferocity, Sollivan’s actions were excessive.
Burp!
But Sollivan didn’t notice their reactions; he had completely forgotten their presence. He didn’t lift his head from the table until he had finished all the meat dishes. He licked his lips, then suddenly opened his mouth and let out a loud, obnoxious burp.
His saliva, mixed with bits of meat and fat, sprayed onto the table in front of him. Anyone seeing him now wouldn’t believe he was the same polite and respectful person from earlier. He raised his hand and patted his slightly bulging stomach, muttering, "I’m still not full."
He quickly scanned the table with his eyes and finally noticed a small plate with three strange square pieces. ’Are these desserts?’ he wondered curiously, picking up one of the square pieces, which was about the size of an apricot. He examined it carefully, trying to figure out what it was. After a few seconds, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"It’s meat!" The muscle fibers were clearly visible. But his surprise lasted only a moment before he carelessly stuffed the piece into his mouth. However, as soon as it touched his tongue, it melted, spreading an incredible sweetness throughout his mouth. His body shivered strangely, and his eyes widened. Involuntarily, he reached for another piece and ate it.
’What is this taste!’ He was shocked by the tenderness and sweetness of the meat. Even for someone who had tasted some luxurious desserts in the past, he couldn’t believe what his taste buds were telling him.
But his surprise didn’t last long, and soon his usual indifferent expression returned as he picked up the last piece and ate it. He looked at the empty plate with a slightly dissatisfied expression before relaxing.
He wiped his hands with a linen cloth that had come with the dishes and leaned back in his chair.
He closed his eyes and relaxed his body, looking as if he was about to take a short nap. But suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching his chair. He opened his left eye and glanced at the muscular warrior standing beside him, then sighed. He opened both eyes and stood up calmly.
"Let’s go."
Without waiting for the warrior’s response, he quietly got up and opened the door. After taking a few steps down the long hallway, he stopped and turned to look back at the warriors, asking, "Where is Fredrick?" But he received no answer other than their disgusted looks.
The warriors walked with heavy, threatening steps, and when they reached him, one of them pointed a thick finger at him and said in a deadly tone while pushing him with her finger, "Don’t you dare order us around again." Each word she spoke was like thunder in Sollivan’s ears, and he took a step back.
He slowly adjusted his posture and looked into the eyes of the warriors in front of him. After a minute of silence, he replied submissively, "Understood."
"Hmph!" The warrior who had scolded him bumped into his body as she walked past. Before he could regain his balance, another warrior hit him with her shoulder, sending him crashing into the wooden wall.
...
"Who would believe that this savage hybrid could become the princess’s future husband? Has the leader gone blind?" In a soft, barely audible whisper, Mina muttered to her companion walking beside her, casting a quick glance at Sollivan, who was stuck to the wall.
The other warrior’s eyes widened, and she looked at Mina sternly, scolding her in a low voice, "Quiet, the leader might hear us. Besides, nothing has been decided yet, and who knows what might happen."
...
"Tsk!" Sollivan exhaled angrily but said nothing and quickly adjusted his posture. He smoothed his slightly disheveled hair and hurried to catch up with the warriors who had walked ahead.
...
After leaving the leader’s house and walking for a while through the center of the city, Sollivan and his escorts arrived at a large tent surrounded by several stables housing the strange horses he had seen earlier. He looked around warily, observing the massive horses and the young boys taking care of them. But his eyes were drawn curiously to the horses’ strange food, which was a mixture of minced meat and plants.
Despite the odd sight, he wasn’t particularly surprised. The world was vast, and it was filled with all sorts of strange things. Horses eating meat was still within the realm of believability. He averted his gaze, no longer distracted by his thoughts, and focused on the large tent ahead. His steps were slightly slow, but he eventually reached the tent’s entrance, which was covered by a large curtain.
Warrior Mina pushed the curtain aside, revealing the spacious interior of the tent, which was filled with various tools: saddles, weapons, metal tools, and food buckets. The tent was like a large storage room filled with equipment for the horses. As he surveyed his surroundings, his eyes landed on a large, rough-looking man dressed in neat and elegant clothing, different from the other warriors.
Fredrick had a gentle and serene expression as he cleaned his horse’s saddle, meticulously removing every bit of dirt. His attention to detail was so thorough that he even cleaned the narrow corners between the saddle’s decorations.
Contrary to Sollivan’s expectations, the warriors didn’t offer any greetings and remained standing in their places obediently. To him, this seemed strange, as he had previously seen warriors loudly thump their chests and shout whenever they encountered someone of higher status. He didn’t dwell on it too much and instead observed Fredrick’s focused expression.
’He seems very peaceful and calm. He reminds me of myself when I was copying books. Thinking about it, the thing I hated most while doing that was the loud and annoying noises.’ He turned his head and stared at Mina’s face with an enlightened expression: ’I get it.’
Suddenly, Fredrick raised his head and said in a calm voice, "You may leave. The hybrid stays."
The warriors placed their hands on their chests politely and shyly without saying a word. Sollivan, however, stood at the entrance for a moment, stunned, before seeing Fredrick gesture for him to approach.
Slowly and carefully, he walked forward, avoiding any objects in his path to prevent making any noise. When he reached Fredrick, he saw him pull something from his clothes and hand it to him.
"Read this. It contains everything about the basics of training. If you don’t understand anything or encounter any difficulties, you can ask me."
"Alright," Sollivan replied curtly as he took the book. Without asking further questions, he searched for a good spot to sit.
After sitting down, he didn’t open the book immediately. Instead, he took a few minutes to calm his mind and clear his thoughts. The training techniques and explanations were somewhat complex and required focus to understand, so he didn’t allow any distractions or wandering thoughts.
He opened the hard leather cover of the book and looked at the first page, which was written in a language that felt very familiar to him. But this time, unlike before, he could read everything easily, which suddenly made his clear mind chaotic.
"This is..." He brought the book closer to his face and read the first page again.
’This is the same language as the black book. How did I become so proficient in reading it?’
Suddenly, he opened his mouth and relaxed his hand, causing the book to fall to the ground. He raised his head and looked forward, lost in thought. His mind raced as he remembered all the conversations he had had since arriving in this world. It was then that he realized he wasn’t speaking the language he knew, but rather the language of the black book.
Sigh!
He shook his head and held it in frustration: ’I thought the surprises were over.’ He laughed mockingly and bent down slowly to pick up the book from the ground. "But how?"
’The blood, the language, the sudden contract, not to mention the fact that I’m still not full after eating all that food, and lastly, that vague idea that has been lingering in my mind since I woke up.
Everything is wrong and out of place. Even the black book, which is likely the cause of all this, I can’t see or perceive it.’ His expression twisted, and he felt a suffocating tightness in his chest. But suddenly, he forcefully stopped all his thoughts and calmed himself.
"Huh?"
He exhaled a long breath, releasing all his sadness and anger. He no longer bothered himself with things he couldn’t control, though he still occasionally lost his composure.
He opened the next page of the training book and began reading it intently. Every second he spent reading made him relax more. His mind was no longer chaotic, and he focused all his thoughts on understanding and analyzing what he was reading. And so, time passed.
...
Fredrick, who had been engrossed in cleaning his horse’s saddle, heard a faint sound that made him glance up and stare at Sollivan, who was sitting nearby. He noticed that Sollivan had dropped his book and was making a very strange expression. ’What’s wrong with him?’ Fredrick wondered silently, but he didn’t stop what he was doing and continued to focus part of his attention on Sollivan. Then he heard him mutter.
"But how?"
These few words made Fredrick’s heart beat faster. Involuntarily, he raised his head and stared at Sollivan, whose expression was one of confusion.
To Fredrick and the rest of the tribe, Sollivan was an enigma, a very mysterious one at that, with no clues about his identity. Even if he was a half-human hybrid, his primitive blood alone made him an incredibly valuable figure across the vast plains. Even the tribe’s leader was acting very cautiously around him and had shown some interest in improving the lineage of his daughter’s descendants.
But the confusion on Sollivan’s face suddenly disappeared, and he picked up his book again, reading it intently. Fredrick raised his eyebrows skeptically, but even after observin g him for several more minutes, there was no change in Sollivan’s demeanor. He seemed deeply engrossed and oddly enjoying the reading.
Sigh!
’No answers, then.’