Surviving As The 5Th Prince Of Hellman Kingdom [EN]: Chapter 138

138

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((What’s your name?))

((It’s Lanua.))

((Lanua… Surely, in the Khan language, that means ‘beautiful star,’ right? It’s a fitting name.))

As he spoke, he lightly tapped her head with his ghost hand.

━━━━━━━━×

Lanua

Gender: Female

Age: 19

Race: Human

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[Relationship: Normal]

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Two years older than me.

I was secretly relieved. The Khan people hold their coming-of-age ceremony at 14. I was worried she might be too young.

I let out a sigh of relief inwardly and examined her closely.

Khan women are usually short, but she didn’t seem that short. She was slightly shorter than Reina, who was quite tall for a woman.

Well, she was Nurugal’s daughter, after all.

It would be stranger if she were as small as other Khan women.

‘Relationship is normal…’

「Your relationship with Lanua has improved.」

??

‘What is this?’

All I did was ask her name and compliment her.

With a puzzled look, I met Lanua’s eyes. She subtly avoided my gaze. A blush was slightly blooming on her cheeks.

Ah… Could it be?

Did she like my first impression?

I chuckled and opened my mouth.

((But what brings you here already?))

((I was curious about what kind of person you were, so I took the liberty of visiting.))

Probably at the Grand Chieftain’s instruction, right?

Even so, I didn’t think she would come to my ger [a portable, round tent covered with skins or felt and used as a dwelling by nomads in Siberia] unannounced on her own. If she really did, she’d be incredibly naive.

I decided to move on without pressing the issue.

((If you’ve confirmed, how about leaving now? It’s not even confirmed yet, and spending too much time alone with a strange man…))

Rustle.

I was momentarily speechless at the sight of Lanua suddenly taking off her outer garment.

No, why is she suddenly taking off her clothes?

And why is she so scantily dressed underneath?

My eyes were drawn to her supple skin without me realizing it. Her skin tone, subtly different from that of the Lionel Kingdom people, was strangely attractive.

((…It’s too hot because of the stove, so is it okay if I take off my outer garment?))

I got up from the bed I was sitting on and slowly approached her.

Lanua’s face turned as red as a ripe persimmon.

What are you imagining…

((If you were going to ask for permission, shouldn’t you have asked before taking off your outer garment? And even if it’s near the stove, you’re dressed too lightly.))

I took out a cape from my space expansion pouch and draped it over her. Now I felt like I could relax a little.

((Would it be difficult if I just left the food and left?))

((Ah! T, that’s…))

Lanua was flustered.

It was true that the Grand Chieftain had sent her to my ger. It seemed he had ordered her to consummate our relationship today.

I looked at the table where the food was placed.

The smell of the dishes made my mouth water.

Habitually, I scanned the food with my ghost hand. No notifications popped up. It meant they were safe to eat.

((Will you eat with me?))

((N, no, thank you.))

((Then I’ll eat alone. But how do I eat this?))

I asked Lanua, looking at the buttock-shaped dish that was steaming.

((Ah, I’ll serve you. You tear it with a knife like this to let out the hot steam, and then take out the meat inside and eat it.))

((It’s a strange dish.))

You could think of it as similar to dumplings.

I took a bite of the meat.

The taste was also strange.

But it seemed like a dish to eat for energy recovery rather than for taste. Just taking one bite of the meat made sweat bead on my forehead.

I cut and ate a small piece of the dumpling skin-like part. It had a chewy texture. It reminded me of the grilled intestines I used to eat in my previous life. It seemed like the internal organs of some animal.

((What is this?))

At my question, Lanua’s complexion, which had been returning to normal, turned red again.

((Th, that’s… the kella’s te, testicles. It’s a precious ingredient that the Noya tribe people can only eat on special days.))

Kella is a giant bison that the Khan people consider sacred.

Ah… It was a very precious part.

No wonder my face felt hot.

***

The great warrior of the Noya tribe, Orhan.

He had guided Evan and his party to the Noya tribe village, and then immediately moved to his own ger to sleep.

This was because he was in charge of the night watch.

Late at night.

Orhan, yawning widely, came out of his ger at a time close to midnight and moved to his post.

He exchanged shifts with the great warrior who had been in charge of the first half of the night and moved to check the sentries’ alert posture.

It was when he visited the third outpost.

He could hear the sentries, in pairs of two, giggling inside. Orhan frowned as much as he could and threw open the outpost door.

((Who’s chattering during guard duty!))

((Ah! Sorry!))

((We’ll correct it!))

The sentries shouted reflexively, startled. One of them looked at Orhan’s face and looked relieved.

((It was you, brother. Can you let it slide just this once?))

((What, it was you?))

It was Orhan’s cousin.

He clicked his tongue and opened his mouth.

((I’ll make an exception for you, so be careful in the future. If another great warrior had caught you, you guys would have had to stand guard duty for a whole month.))

((Haha. Thank you, Brother Orhan. You know I like you, right?))

((Shut your mouth, it’s disgusting. But what were you talking about that was so fun?))

The sentry hesitated for a moment.

It was because they had been talking about Lanua, who had entered the ger where Evan was staying and hadn’t come out until close to midnight.

The sentry had noticed that Orhan had feelings for Lanua.

((Aren’t you going to tell me quickly? Do you want to stand guard duty for a whole month?))

At Orhan’s threat, the sentry cautiously opened his mouth.

((That’s… Lanua went into the ger where the leader of the outsiders who visited the tribe is staying and hasn’t come out. What is that human’s identity anyway?))

The fact that Evan’s party came from the Lionel Kingdom was a top secret known only to the great warriors who had guided him to the Noya tribe.

The sentry, curious about Evan’s identity, realized that he wouldn’t get an answer.

This was because Orhan’s face, which was already fierce, looked like he was about to devour him right away.

((Lanua went where? Tell me in detail.))

((I just overheard it, but not long after the Grand Chieftain was looking for Lanua, she took that… kella dish and went into the ger where the outsider leader is staying.))

At the mention of the kella dish, the door Orhan was holding creaked and crumbled.

Even if it was other things, in the Noya tribe, the kella dish was a dish that newlyweds, especially the groom, ate in the evening after the ceremony.

To have a wonderful first night.

‘Nurugal!’

The Grand Chieftain’s intention was clear.

He was trying to give Lanua to that frail Lionel Kingdom brat.

-Give me Lanua.

-Orhan, isn’t there too much of an age gap? And I believe you already have three wives.

-I only took in my brothers’ widows because they were struggling to make a living after their husbands died. I don’t have any wives that I wanted to marry.

-Well, I understand. Orhan, if you reach the realm of Shurugal, I’ll consider it. Try your best.

He had clearly promised.

That if he received the blessing of nature one more time, he would give Lanua to him. But he’s giving her to that pale-faced guy from that small country?

He had to check it right away.

Orgal hurriedly left the outpost.

((Uh… Brother? Brother! Where are you going!))

He ignored the sentry’s words and moved in a flash to where the Lionel people were staying.

‘Lanua is my woman.’

Her 14-year-old coming-of-age ceremony.

From the moment he saw Lanua’s enchanting dance, which had transformed her from a girl into a woman, she was the only one who had taken root in Orhan’s heart.

Having arrived at Evan’s ger in such a hurry, Orhan’s eyes flipped again.

It was originally the ger that Lanua used.

He immediately felt like he should go inside and split Evan’s head open, then take her and run away outside the tribe.

At that moment.

“Who is it!”

Adol, who was guarding the entrance of the ger, looked at him, gripping the spear in his hand.

“Huh? You’re… surely the Khan warrior who guided us here?”

Orhan’s instincts, honed as a warrior, whispered that he was a formidable opponent.

‘Is he a great warrior?’

The knight next to him, who seemed to be his subordinate, also seemed to be just below the level of a great warrior.

He judged that it was impossible to carry out what he had imagined in his head, not to mention a stealthy surprise attack.

He had to retreat.

Orhan stared at Adol silently, then gritted his teeth and quietly turned his back.

“What is that guy?”

“Could it be that they came to check if we are staying here without moving?”

“…Is that so? But my back felt prickly, as if it was more than just a simple errand… Just in case, we need to strengthen our guard even more.”

Orhan, who was retreating, glanced back.

The silhouettes of two men and women reflected on the tent in the firelight of the stove inside the ger. It was clearly a scene of them covering themselves with a blanket on the bed.

He had been robbed of Lanua, whom he had naturally thought would be his.

‘Nurugal… Evan Lionel…’

The string of reason in his head snapped.

***

I couldn’t sleep properly.

I frowned and looked at the bed.

Lanua, who was sleeping soundly, kicked off the blanket that I had painstakingly covered her with. After a while, she would curl up and shiver, complaining that it was cold.

She seemed to be unable to stand the heat, and even less able to stand the cold. I sighed and went back to the bed to cover her with the blanket again.

It seemed like dawn was breaking, so I went outside to get some fresh air.

“Your Majesty, have you risen?”

“Did you have a good night!”

Adol and the knight, who were standing guard, greeted me in the morning.

I nodded to them.

It’s cold, and Adol has been suffering since yesterday… Huh?

“Why is Adol still standing guard? Didn’t you change shifts?”

“How can I entrust His Majesty’s safety to my subordinates in such a foreign land?”

Well, the great warriors who guided us to the Noya tribe village were at the level of 6-star knights. It was a place full of such people.

I understood Adol’s anxiety.

“You should have changed shifts with Alfonso.”

“Doesn’t Chief Attendant Alfonso have to assist His Majesty during the day?”

“He’s not very helpful, so let him stand guard. Julian alone is enough to follow me around. There’s still time left before he has to be active, so wake him up and let him get some sleep, even if it’s just a little.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“Was there anything unusual last night?”

“There was nothing except that the great warrior came by briefly in the early morning.”

“The great warrior?”

“You know, that guy whose teeth were particularly yellow.”

Orhan, you mean?

My head was tingling.

The reason why that guy was kicked out of the Noya tribe and became a henchman of the Hamel Empire seemed to come to mind, but it didn’t.

If I had known that I would form an alliance with the Khan people like this, I would have recorded it when the memories of the ‘future’ were fresh…

At the time, it was a situation where just surviving was difficult.

I shook my head and organized my complicated thoughts.

“Then, as I said earlier, change shifts with Alfonso and get some rest, even if it’s just a little. I’m going to go inside.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Adol, who answered so loudly, peeked inside the ger.

I opened my mouth as if to make an excuse without realizing it.

“I just put her to sleep because I thought the Grand Chieftain would be upset and she would be in trouble if I sent her back like that. If you have ears, you would have heard, but nothing happened.”

Adol nodded and smiled.

“I know. I will definitely tell the Queen about His Majesty’s story of overcoming temptation with a strong spirit despite the visit of a beautiful woman last night.”

He doesn’t know yet that Lanua will become the kingdom’s second queen.

“…I just wish you wouldn’t say anything.”

I shook my head and went back inside the ger, where I saw Lanua, who had kicked off the blanket that I had painstakingly covered her with again.

Umm…

Objectively, she was beautiful.

It’s not confirmed yet because it’s still the ‘Friendly’ stage, but she definitely has the [Beauty] skill of the same level as Sister.

Probably most of the Khan warriors have her in their hearts…

Ah!

A memory flashed through my mind like lightning.

Orhan, the great warrior of the Noya tribe who was cut off his arm and exiled for trying to assault the most beautiful woman in the Khan tribe.

That guy came by last night?