The little pharaoh looked at me with an excited expression on his throne. "Now, could you tell me about what happened there?"
"It was..." I told him about everything, starting with when I was in the desert.
"Wow, such an exhilarating story. Sorry for not noticing you. The guards are doing their job, and I can't help with it. To keep this country safe, I need their help and trust them."
"It can't be helped. I know your situation. As a leader, you need to do the best thing for the citizens. Am I right? "
"Yes, you are right... I am pretty hungry right now. Do you want to eat with me? "
"Sure, if you don't mind." Then the officer who was at my back hit me hard in the back. "What is it?" I whispered to her.
"Nothing, but what is your position on eating with him?"
"Elar, you should not bully him. I am inviting him to eat with me. Okay, Wholife, let's eat our lunch. " He asked me to eat with him.
Then, I followed him to the dining room to eat with him. I could smell the Middle Eastern cuisine that is served here. I quite like to try many cuisines when in my world. It is kind of nostalgic to eat something good when I am outside the prison. The food in prison does not taste very good. It destroys my appetite. I am thankful I can eat something good after a long time.
"Where were you before coming to this country?"
I'm sorry, your highness, but I'm afraid I won't be able to respond. I lost my memory before I entered this country. " I lied to him.
"Oh, is that so?" I nodded. " I understand your current state, I hope you are well soon." He is too kind, but it is quite suspicious here. Maybe, I just think too much. I should trust him. He looks like a good person. Also, the officer was with us at the dining table. She ate the food that was served. As we finished our lunch, the little pharaoh showed me every place in his palace.
The palace was so big, with many rooms, and pretty from the inside. It was my first time in a place like a castle. Of course, I am excited myself. The pharaoh asked me something after he showed me every place in his palace. "Do you like games?" He brings me to one room that has many games here.
"Yes, I like the game. What kind of games do you want to play? " He sat on the chair with the table in front of him. Then, he brings out something from the box near him. It was two pouches. There were a lot of wooden replicas in there.
"Wholife, please sit here. We will play the game right now. " As I sat and looked at the shape of the replica that was shown from the poaches and the surface of the table with the white and black pattern. I just realised he wanted to play with me in a chess game. He looked at me. " Do you know how to play?" I nodded.
After finishing arranging the replica on the table with the pattern, we started the game. The little pharaoh started the game with a pawn in front of the king with two moves. Then, I moved the pawn in front of the queen. After that, he brings out many kinds of strategic positions for me. But I'm not the type to fall for a cheap trick.
A few moves later, I have one king, three pawns, and two bishops. Meanwhile, he has a king, one rook, two pawns, one bishop and one knight. I lost my queen because of using the queen's gambit, but it's worth it. Right now, he is moving the rook at the back of my king. Because of that, I took down his rook. Then, he took back my bishop by using his knight. Because there is no move left that can bring me to victory. I moved my pawn until it was promoted to the queen. After sacrificing one of my pawns and a bishop, I obtained two queens. Thanks to that, I won the game with the pharaoh. For a while, his face looked kind of depressed. Then, he tried to smile.
"Wow, fascinating! You are the first one who won with me. That is why you can come up with such a strategy to kill that monster. I am very impressed with you. " How could he know that I could kill that monster. There is something sus here. I need to know.
"Hey, pharaoh! How could you know that I am the one that killed the monster? " I am a bit curious.
You might be surprised to learn that there are a lot of CCTV cameras in the area.
"Wait! Are you saying there is a CCTV?" He nodded. "Then, why don't you send a help there."
"You see my face." He responded with a bored expression. "Do I care about what happened there? There was a prisoner, and they were people who had sinned. It was their fault, to begin with. " I started to get tense with this child.
"Hey, kid! I know that you think that all prisoners commit sins. But you should know that not all of them want to commit it. Also, it is not their fault, to begin with. For your information, your warden or officer that takes care of your job does not do the job properly. They just caught people with a..." Suddenly, Elar came and hit my head.
"Pardon me, pharaoh. This guy did not intend to harm you or anything. He liked this, stupid. I want to show him another place. Excuse us. " That girl dragged me with her to exit this room.
"Hulaif! If you want to know, I don't have a priority at that place. I made people there keep that place for me. Sorry for not taking care of you guys."
"Pharaoh, don't mind what he said. Okay, till we meet again, pharaoh. Bye. "
"Okay. Bye. " Then, we left the palace and stayed outside for a moment.
"Hey! Do you know that you should not talk like that to the pharaoh?" She was mad at me while slapping the wall with me in front of her. Is this like a 'kabedon'?
"Err... Sorry for not knowing about that. But I really can't hear about what he said earlier. It makes me want to punch him in the face to wake him up to the reality of the world. "Then she punched me in the face. It made my head hit the wall. Even though it was a woman who hit me, it was painful enough for a man like me. Then, I realised she wanted to punch me a second time. As soon as I saw that punch, I blocked her punch with my own. I feel some pain, but it is less than being hit by the wall.
"Why did you punch me back?" Elar asked me that question.
"Just realise that I should not block your punch since you are a soldier. The soldier can't feel the pain. That is why I want to test you. "
"Ah, whatever with your humour. At least you'll need to have good behaviour after this. " Fuh, it looks like she has been calmed down.
"Okay, ma'am."
"And don't call me like that. Just call me Miss. I am not yet married."
I just remembered that she looked quite young, even though she covered almost her whole face. On our way to visit the place that she mentioned earlier, we didn't talk much. The environment is quite tense. Maybe I should start the conversation first.
"So, your name is Elar, is it?" She looked at me.
"Where did you hear that name?" Her voice sounds like she is mad at me again.
"I don't mean any harm, I just remembered that pharaoh called you that." She felt relieved. Before she talked to me, she looked around first.
"That is not my name. Okay, if you want to know, my name is..." She stopped before her name was stated. "Well, I don't think that I could share my name with an anonymous person."
"Hey!"
"Okay, okay. I will tell you if you pass my test. " She looks happy when teasing me.
"What? Test? So, you want me to take an examination? "
"Yes, actually it's just from me. I don't have much money to make you take a real exam. Pass my test and I will look at you as a person. "
"So, what are you looking at me right now?" She smiled while looking at me.
"An infant."
"Oh, no! Is that my level with you? " She nodded with a smile.
"Well, your stats are very low. Even children have more than you. If you killed that monster, I am pretty sure that monster is very weak. "
Hearing that makes me feel heartbroken. Maybe I should stop talking with her. My heart will tear apart if this continues.
"Hey, you don't have anything to talk about?" I didn't answer her question. "Oh, so cute. Even an infant sulking in time. "
"I don't have anything to say."
"Okay. If you said like that," however, A few steps later, we arrived at our destination.
"Miss, where did you take me right now?"
"Oh, as you can see, we have arrived at the place that I want to show you."
The place that she shows me is quite like a prison, but much better. I'm hoping she doesn't send me to another prison.
"What kind of place is this? Don't say to me this is a prison. "
"Hey! Don't say that, this is the place that I grew to be a full fledged army. "
"Oh, really! That's why you look so tomboyish to me. "
"Okay, shut up about that." She showed me around the barracks here. As we went to the gate, we found two male guards there.
"Miss Elar, do you need anything?" One of the guards asked her.
"I wanted to enter. Here is my permit. " She showed some passes to them. After they see it, the two guards opened the gate.
When we entered the barracks, Elar said something to me. "Do you used to do military training? Ah, I think not."
"Hey! what is this? Please explain to me something. At least I prepared to do something." She took a breath before saying something to me.
"If you want to know, our general is quite dangerous and no one nor outsider has ever completed his trial. His trial is quite challenging and no one ever passes it. Who knows, only the legend that has accomplished the task that he asked. Also, the one who fails his challenge will die."
"Wait! Why don't you tell me earlier about this? I would have to refuse if you said so."
"That is why I don't tell you. You are weak, weak people always run away from the challenge. Ah, when could I find my dream guy?" She started to hallucinate.
"So what should I do with the test."
"The answer is, you can only know what to do when you start talk with him. All right, don't waste my time. Let's go to his general's room first. "
She brought me to the general's room. She knocked on the door three times. After a while, she opened the door. When the door is opened, she pushed me to enter the room. Then, she immediately closed it. Ah, that woman tricked me again.
As I look in front of me, I see this old man, who is a big, white-bearded, tough-muscle, and has scars all over his face, that man looks at me with a grin on his face. I thought I would goner after this. I don't know what challenge or trial he wants me to do, but I hope I will be okay.