[Trantor - Pr?ks]


    [Proofreader - Kawaii]


    [TL/N - PoV changed.]


    Chapter 16: Knowing Myself, Knowing My Enemy


    "So you''re the tutor, are you?"


    Allenvert''s tone had changed to a respectful one, something he hadn''t even used when speaking to Aiden.


    "Peter, bring some tea."


    "Yes, sir!"


    The attitude of the young servant boy who moved so quickly was also unusual. Wasn''t it usually the other way around, with the servant looking after Allenvert and teasing him?


    "Please sit down. You must have suffered greatly teaching such an unmotivated student as myself."


    "...!"


    The tutor was momentarily taken aback by Allenvert''s sudden politeness.


    ‘He really has changed.’


    He realized that the butler''s warning had not been an exaggeration.


    ‘He wasn’t exactly rude before, but he was definitely passive and aloof.’


    What was more, he had been a frustrating student who barely reacted during lessons. He wouldn’t answer questions and was clearly disinterested.


    Not that he was cruel enough to hate. After all, he was the son of a duke, a person of incredibly noble birth. Hadn’t he been a rather difficult student?


    ‘I heard he was quite intelligent in his youth and was even envied by his brothers.’


    The Allenvert he had taught had none of that past brilliance.


    “While you wait for the tea, perhaps we could catch up a bit.”


    “Yes, please.”


    Allenvert even took the lead in the conversation.


    “You must have heard that I suffered from amnesia.”


    “Yes, it’s truly unfortunate…”


    “I’m fine now. It’s more like I feel reborn.”


    “That’s good to hear.”


    “However, I’m afraid I’ve forgotten everything you taught me.”


    “Um, Your Grace.”


    Without realizing it, he gave Allenvert the answer he wanted.


    “Perhaps we could review your lessons today?”


    “Oh, that would be wonderful.”


    When Allenvert readily agreed, the tutor, who was always exhausted from exining the reason for each lesson, felt a surge of excitement.


    “Where would you like to start? Literature, mathematics, rhetoric, history...?”


    “I’m interested in history.”


    Allenvert replied promptly.


    “Oh, history, is it?”


    “Yes. It’s probably because of my lost memories.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    “Ah, I see.”


    The tutor suddenly looked sad.


    “But if you forget history, won’t you be unable to navigate the future?”


    “Oh, I remember that saying.”


    “I suppose seeing you has brought back some of your precious teachings.”


    “Ha, precious teachings? That’s quite apliment.”


    The tutor’s lips curled into a smile.


    “Thank you foring. Please teach me a lot.”


    “Of course. I will do my best…”


    .


    .


    .


    A few minutester, Peter returned with the tea and watched in disbelief as the two men chatted.


    ''Wow, what''s going on.''


    It was more than a little bizarre to hear the tutor giggling in disbelief at the erudite wordsmithing of a young master who hadn''t yet taken off his boyshorts.


    ''You''repletely changed, young master.''


    Peter watched their conversation until the tea cooled.


    ''Don''t ...... talk to me, just stay there and watch.''


    Somehow, he knew exactly what Allenvert meant by that look in his eyes.


    ***


    "Brother, did you call for me?"


    Barva, the youngest of the Grunewald, stood before his elder brother with his hands respectfully sped.


    "Barva."


    "Yes, brother."


    Barva could barely reply, unable to look directly at his brother.


    His brother was said to be more beautiful than a fairy. An otherworldly beauty that, to Barva, was more terrifying than anything else.


    If his brother''s appearance had been more sinister, with snake-like slit eyes, or if he had been brutish and savage, with a violent and barbaric appearance, perhaps he wouldn''t have been so afraid.


    But his brother was as beautiful as a sculpted statue of a god, yet at the same time, he was iparably terrifying, cruel, and powerful.


    Like a rose hiding thorns or a beautiful spider carrying poison.


    "You''rete."


    Barva lowered his head at the cold words.


    "I''m sorry. I was called urgently..."


    "Didn''t I tell you to be ready toe at any time?"


    "It''s my fault, brother. I''m sorry."


    Barva cowered like a child afraid of being beaten.


    It was rare to see a fifteen-year-old boy, who was usually so confident and arrogant, so timid in front of anyone.


    "Have you heard about Allenvert?"


    "Yes. Father didn''t react much."


    "That''s right. But we need to see if the butler is paying attention to anything."


    Barva cautiously watched his brother''s expression.


    "Is it really necessary to worry about that? After all, he''s just a seventeen-year-old who''s been wasting his time cooped up in his room..."


    "You''ve grown quite bold, haven''t you, little brother?"


    The handsome man chuckled.


    "Making judgments in front of me."


    "I''m sorry. I was just..."


    "Shh, shh."


    As the handsome man raised his finger to his red lips, Barva immediately shut his mouth.


    "It''s meaningless to judge someone based on rumors alone."


    "You''re right, brother."


    "But it wouldn''t be appropriate for a Grunewald to send a lowly servant.


    "!"


    Barva immediately realized why his brother had called him.


    "Go and check him out and see how he reacts."


    Barva trembled.


    "You don''t really expect me to go and bully him, do you?"


    Barva asked with the greatest courage he could muster.


    While it was true that he looked down on his older brother Allenvert, he didn''t hate him enough to go and beat him up, even if he was his older brother.


    "You don''t want to?"


    "...No, it''s just..."


    The handsome man threw the ss he was holding at Barva.


    Clink!


    "!"


    "Must I repeat myself, little brother?"


    Barva trembled at the gentle tone.


    He didn''t want to be ''punished''.


    "I''m sorry, I''m so sorry, brother. I was wrong."


    Blood trickled down Barva''s white cheek which was scratched by the shards of the broken ss.


    "Be careful. Isn''t it bleeding?"


    As his brother''s long fingers reached out to wipe away the blood, Barva froze like a frog encountering a snake. Who knew that kindness could be so terrifying?


    "Your answer?"


    "I-I''ll go right away."


    Only then did his brother nod.


    "Go."


    The hellish time was finally over. With his head bowed, Barva left the room, his eyes filled with rage.


    "Damn it, damn it."


    What was he supposed to do with this anger and humiliation?


    But even though his brother had pped him and spit on him, Barva waspletely dominated by fear so he couldn''t even bring himself to hate him.


    The fifth son of the Grunewald family, Barva was...


    "...Allenvert."


    He directed his boundless resentment towards his fourth brother, Allenvert Grunewald, who had caused him this humiliation.


    ''Why did that idiot have toe out of his room and cause trouble?''


    Little did Barva realize that his brother had intentionally provoked him to vent his repressed anger on someone beneath him.


    Meanwhile, the boy, who had developed a reputation for being a spoiled brat, headed towards his pitiful older brother who had just recovered from a long illness.


    "Oh dear."


    "Shh."


    The servants of the dukedom watched his back with worried eyes.


    ***


    ‘Just how much knowledge does one need to get a job as a tutor for the fourth son of the Duke of Grunewald?’


    It was as if his brain had been pickled in ink, like a sardine preserved in salt.


    There was no other way he could possibly talk nonstop like this without a break. This was insane.


    "...So, let us return to the starting point."


    I rubbed my earlobe. It felt like I had suffered an inner ear injury. Was there any blood?


    "Your Grace, in my opinion, to discuss history, we must first examine the geopolitics."


    The tutor with a map spread out spoke with excitement. It was almost lunchtime, and he hadn''t stopped talking for two hours without even taking a drink of water.


    ‘Take a breath.’


    Was it every teacher’s pleasure to cram as much knowledge as possible into a bright student until their head burst?


    I stared nkly at the tutor, who seemed ready to recite his thesis word for word, forgetting to even nod in agreement.


    It was amazing that he still had saliva left. Did he have a spring in his salivary nds?


    ‘I’ve heard enough.’


    But considering how hard this man had worked teaching a student who had no reaction to anything, I decided to be a little more patient. What a kind person I am.


    “As you can see, the continent is surrounded by a vast outer sea, and within it lies an inner sea.”


    “I see.”


    “Based on this inner sea, we can ssify the three countries to the north as the northern region, the three countries bordering the inner sea as the central region, and the two countries to the south as the southern region.”


    “That’s a straightforward ssification.”


    “It’s always better to be straightforward.”


    The tutor pointed to the top of the map.


    “In the north, there is an ancient empire that once ruled most of the continent. To the left and right of the empire, nomadic tribes established kingdoms, and the warriors who were pushed out by them established their own kingdoms.”


    “That must have been tough for the empire.”


    “Yes, it was. But the fact that the old empire did not perish but instead civilized the two hostile nomadic tribes is indeed a surprising historical reversal. In short, culture has a power as strong as a sword.”


    At this point, his pride as a schr was evident.


    “Therefore, as I’ve exined, while the empire, which originally originated in the north and spread to the continent, lost its power as it was stabbed in the back by nomadic tribes seeking wealth from the coldnds…”


    “In the meantime, warlords, subjugated peoples, and nations from outside the region established their own territories, dividing the continent over the past few hundred years.”


    The teacher pped his knee at my concise summary.


    “That’s perfectly clear! I’d like to quote you in my thesis! How did you grasp the core of the matter so well?”


    “It’s because you exined it so well.”


    I said insincerely.


    “Now, let’s move on to the central region. As you can see, our Ritvalroer Kingdom is located on a penins in the exact center.”


    While Ritvalroer was part of the central region, its climate and location felt closer to the south.


    “To the west of Ritvalroer, there is an ind nation, and to the east, there is the Madu Kingdom. These three countries form the central region like the three legs of a tripod.”


    When the tutor pointed to the ind nation, I couldn’t just let it pass.


    “This ind nation is located at the western end of the continent, on the border between the outer and inner seas, even though it’s part of the central region, right?”


    “That’s correct.”


    I pretended to be nonchnt as I pointed at the ind nation.


    “I’m curious about the history of this country, nders.”


    [Trantor - Pr?ks]


    [Proofreader - Kawaii]