The Legendary Private Lesson

It was late.

The two sides said their goodbyes.

They had no particularly in-depth conversation, nor did anyone invite the other to dinner. Tina did not discuss her side's circumstances, only saying that the Penguin would remain in the Holy Seal Archipelago for a while and might impose on him.

This was the first time Kang De had learned the name of these lousy islands.

As a modern man from Earth, living in an age of information overload, Kang De had been through it all and seen plenty. What games hadn't he played? What novels hadn't he read? He immediately picked up something unusual from the lousy name-damn it, it didn't sound like a respectable place.

It probably had demons, monsters, or big-dicked girls sealed away on it.

One thing was certain: the magical animals had to know more about the island's origins and secrets than Tina did. Unfortunately, though the beasts were highly intelligent, they couldn't speak and didn't understand Kang De very well—or perhaps they understood and were playing dumb... So all of it remained shrouded in the mists of history.

Still, at least humans he could communicate with had finally come to the island.

He had many questions he wanted to ask Tina.

What kind of world was this? What countries did it have? What civilizations? Was there magic? Were there dragons? Were there any strange things...

Questions like those.

He was itching to see the outside world, of course. Humans were social animals, especially when they had been stranded on a deserted island for a whole year and couldn't return to normal modern society.

Of course he wanted to see what normal society in another world was like.

He wanted to interact with the people here and experience the customs of another world. It looked like an evil, backward feudal society, where people's thinking and the social system were both very feudal. Money could buy beautiful older girls who obeyed your every whim. A wicked place like that certainly needed a thorough critique.

But he wasn't in a hurry to ask Tina his questions. There was no need to do it tonight. Although today's conflict had been resolved for the time being, the awkwardness and distrust between the two sides remained.

Out of basic courtesy and hospitality as their host, he brought the animals along to see Tina's party back to their camp and made a small gesture of goodwill.

"There aren't any particularly fierce apex predators on the island."

As Kang De explained, he glanced at the magical animals. He guessed there originally had been, but these magical animals had killed them all, especially the groundhog, which loved eating brains.

"You're free to gather or hunt the fruit, wild vegetables, birds, and animals on the island, as well as the fish, turtles, and seafood in the water. There are no restrictions. But I've hardly ever eaten any of them myself, so I don't know which are poisonous and which are safe. You'll have to be careful and figure that out yourselves."

Although the residential compound had abundant supplies, he wasn't about to volunteer, "Oh my, I have so, so much food. Would you like me to give you some for free?" and blah blah blah.

Their relationship hadn't reached that point, and taking the initiative to fawn over someone naturally put you a notch below them. Old Wang had taught him that.

Besides, the other side might not dare eat it anyway.

He took out a notebook and a pen, wrote and sketched for a while, then tore out a page. "It's just best to avoid these animals... You understand."

The princess took the paper, and the knight held up a torch. The page was covered in sketches of animals.

The paper surprised Tina. Such fine paper did exist on the continent, but it was expensive, made by highly skilled alchemists and controlled by the major merchant guilds. She had some, but it was among her most treasured possessions, sprinkled with gold dust and giving off a refreshing fragrance. She could rarely bear to use it.

Still less would she bind paper into a notebook as Kang De had, so lavishly tearing out pages whenever he needed them.

And the pen... How had such a convenient writing instrument been made? Was it a magic item?

Compared with the paper and pen, the modern quick-sketching technique Kang De had displayed was likewise remarkable in Her Highness's eyes, but it was no longer such a big deal.

Kang De didn't understand the expression on Her Highness's face at first. "Sorry, I can't write in your language."

Only then did Tina come back to her senses. "Ah, no, your drawing skills are extraordinary."

The page was covered in animals. The linework and brushwork weren't really anything special, but the ideas and technique were what truly amazed her. The drawings weren't realistic; instead, they emphasized the animals' distinctive features. A silhouette and a few simple lines were enough for someone to recognize an animal at a glance.

The kangaroo, chicken, and other animals by Kang De's side were among them. His meaning was self-evident.

"They don't have very good tempers, and their skin and flesh are tough enough to resist swords. If you make them angry, there's no telling what might happen," Kang De said. "But don't worry. We'll let them know tonight. They're all very clever, and human traps and tricks won't do much to them. This is just a precaution."

The magical animals on the island were naturally not limited to the few by Kang De's side. The kangaroo and the others were simply the closest to him. Some of the other animals liked living alone, and some were proud by nature. Their relationships with Kang De varied in closeness, but they had ultimately accepted him as one of their own, and they would listen to what he had to say.

That was a reputation he had earned through fighting.

After all, Mr. Kang had once performed the feat of chasing Zhu Ganglie, Brother Fang, the island's top fighter, across two hills and through the mountains with five bottle rockets in hand. By now, he was quite a famously terrifying upright ape among the magical animals of the Holy Seal Archipelago.

"There's not much danger on the island. What you need to watch out for most is the Black Beast."

At the mention of danger, the knight immediately perked up. "The Black Beast? What's that?"

That's a five-episode Japanese anime. Once I like you a little better, I can lend it to you.

Of course not.

Kang De gave a general description of the Black Beasts' appearance and characteristics, including their bizarre looks and the black aura they gave off. One look was enough to tell they weren't naturally born creatures. They were savage and sinister, loved killing, and had a strong urge to attack all living things. They were inedible, and after being killed, they would slowly vanish into thin air.

Tina nodded thoughtfully. "They sound like the product of some evil force's corruption, but I can't tell which kind for now..."

"Just be careful. Have people stand watch at night. They're afraid of fire."

Kang De mentioned a few more of the Black Beasts' weaknesses. The knight listened seriously and committed them to memory.

He saw them all the way to the vicinity of their camp, where people came out to meet them with torches. Kang De stopped and said goodbye to the princess and the knight. Their conversation for the day ended there.

It had to end there, because a rift still remained between the two sides. Kang De was still on guard, and the other side hadn't put the matter behind them either.

That was how it was with people: they had to gradually show their sincerity and dispel each other's wariness. It had always been that way.

What would tomorrow... bring?

Kang De looked at Her Highness. Her graceful figure formed alluring curves in the light of the flames. Even though he had clashed fiercely with the knight and the others today, Her Highness had made no hostile moves from beginning to end, instead showing him goodwill with perfect courtesy and propriety.

Who wouldn't feel a favorable impression toward a beautiful woman with such a wonderful personality?

He also recalled how she had looked while eating snacks at his home during the day.

Even when drinking fat otaku happy water and eating junk food like potato chips, she had observed proper table manners. Her movements were elegant and pleasing to watch-though she had eaten faster and faster, like a cute little hamster. Even as she sped up, she had still been cute and lovely to look at.

A thought popped into the head of Kang De, who had little romantic experience.

If I invite her to my house for cola tomorrow, will she agree?

Ah, how should I bring it up?

Would it be too forward and abrupt to say it outright? She seems to be a princess, the kind with a very exalted status. Would she be very shy? If I invite her over for a drink outright, will she think it's rude? We don't seem to be that close, either. Should I find a more reasonable excuse?

Oh, right, I've got it!

Writing! I still can't write in their language! I can ask her to come teach me!

And I can pay tuition! I might not have much else, but I do have some food, drinks, clothes, medicine, and things like that! They look like they drifted here, so they must be short of those things.

Kang De composed his words in his head.

Just then, the knight standing opposite him suddenly strode over.

"Mr. Kang De, I have an impertinent favor to ask."

He bowed to Kang De.

The knight did everything by the book, and his manner, like that of a medieval antique to a modern person, left Kang De somewhat unused to it. But there was no helping it. Chinese people also valued courtesy, and when the other party observed proper etiquette, he had to be just as courteous in return.

He said, "...Please, go ahead?"

"Well, if I may..." the knight said, "please allow me to visit you tomorrow. Don't misunderstand; I harbor no hostility or ill intent. To show my sincerity, I can wait tomorrow at a place of your choosing. Once we meet, I will leave my weapons with my attendant and accompany you alone."

"...Huh?"

Visit me? You? What are you coming for?

Kang De was stunned for a moment.

The knight continued, "I noticed that although you learned our language through the ritual, Mr. Kang De, you probably still don't know how to write it. Though my abilities are modest, I once studied at the Tower of Omniscience and am familiar with the knowledge and writing systems of various nations. If you do not object, I would be willing to share that knowledge with you."

"..."

A private, one-on-one lesson with Knight Commander Cleveland.

Such treatment would probably make the vast majority of young women in the Duchy of Goethe faint with joy.

The same was true for some men.

Kang De, of course, was definitely not among them.

I don't want that!

But as mentioned earlier, Chinese people valued courtesy.

The man still had a big lump on his head. After being beaten up like that, he had taken the initiative to apologize, and now he was humbling himself and showing such sincerity. A flat refusal would be far too disrespectful, and it would also mean rejecting the first gesture of goodwill the other side had offered—not at all helpful for future communication.

Fine, fine. For the sake of communicating with Tina in the future, I'll meet with you first.

He could ask this knight about the information and knowledge he wanted concerning the other world just as well.

And his intuition told him that although Princess Tina looked gentle, beautiful, and endearingly vulnerable, this knight was easier to fool and to draw information out of by comparison.

PS1: This is fucking bizarre. Why is writing men smoother than writing women... (pensive)

PS2: Fuck, if I'd known, I would've made the knight a woman. Damn it.