The first time I saw her, she greeted me with a smile full of laughter.
"Nice to meet you. I am 'Clear Soul.'"
I nodded slightly and said hello to the 'clear soul'.
"Hello. I am the great Yi Cheon-il, the son of God and warrior."
My gaze naturally turned to her. She was about a fist taller than Native American women, had kind eyes, dark skin, and most of all, her entire body was covered in elastic muscles.
"I heard that he is a great warrior who can be called the warrior of God. I also fight one-on-one with most warriors in our tribe and never lose. When you have time, I would like to receive instruction from His Majesty the Emperor."
"...."
I was a little taken aback by her attitude, as if she was testing me. 'Cold Tree' also introduced her with a more bewildered look than usual.
"…Your Majesty the Emperor! This is the woman from the Tusukarora tribe that I reported to you about last time."
I looked at the 'clear soul' who was smiling brightly and nodding slightly.
'You don't feel intimidated by me at all.'
And it had a strange charm that secretly drew people in.
[Clear Soul]
[Affiliation: Pitcher Karora Tribe, Female Warrior and Great Knight]
[Trait: Cheerful and sociable, a sharpshooter with excellent archery skills]
[Ability]
Stamina: 12
Strength: 11
Agility: 15
Wisdom: 12
After looking into the 'clear soul' ability window with my eyes, I could see why she was full of confidence.
'The Great Warrior… .'
This is the first time I've seen a female Native American warrior.
'Not a common warrior, but a great warrior… .'
I started analyzing her status screen while having a natural conversation.
'Her abilities are quite good, and more than anything, his agility as an archer is exceptionally developed.'
I couldn't help but be worried as I was thinking of sending the 'clear soul' back to the pitcher Karora tribe.
'It's not like the Grandmaster can be easily obtained.'
After greeting the 'Clear Soul', I headed towards the savage tribe village hall under the guidance of the 'Cold Tree'.
* * *
The next day. After a day of rest, I was receiving reports from 'Cold Tree' at the village hall.
"… As long as we build a garrison and a fortress, there shouldn't be any major problems in governing the barbarian tribes. And the surrounding tribes that were keeping a close eye on us have also been able to resolve the issue through dialogue."
"…great job."
"…no."
The 'cold tree' ruled the savage tribes so well that no separate instructions were given.
"What happened to the Tudelo tribe that I instructed yesterday?"
"Yes. He has sent word of thanks for rescuing the Cherokee slaves. And it seems that the chief of the Tudelo tribe would like to see you, Your Majesty. He has earnestly requested that Your Majesty come along when the Tudelo tribe is sent back."
"…hmm!"
I was lost in thought for a moment. It would not have been a bad idea to visit the Tudelo tribe in order to foster friendly relations with them in the future.
"I'll try to schedule something soon."
"Are you serious? His Majesty the Emperor may be in danger."
'Cold Tree' expressed strong concerns about my decision.
"I saved the Tudelo tribe, so what could possibly happen?"
"...."
"And if something happens to my personal life, will the Tudelo tribe be able to handle the aftermath?"
"…That's true."
The territory of the Tudelo tribe is currently completely surrounded by the 'Sun in the Sky'. Honestly, if I wanted to, I could conquer the Tudelo tribe right now.
The main reason I didn't do that was because I planned to absorb the Tudelo tribe in a peaceful manner, like the Mohegan or Erie tribes.
And even if something happens to the Tudelo tribe, I can easily get out of there with my current abilities and fighting power.
"It's okay. Nothing will happen."
"… I understand. But just in case, I will include some of the best warriors and soldiers from the Royal Guard in the visiting delegation."
"okay."
Knowing the loyalty and concern of 'Cold Tree' towards me, I couldn't say anything until then. After a while, when the number of people who would visit the Tudelo tribe was decided, the 'Cold Tree' spoke cautiously with a burdened expression.
"…What should a pure soul do?"
"…hmm!"
I was worried about that too. The Tusukalora tribe sent a woman as a gift? The meaning is that the 'Sun of the Sky' and the Tusukalora tribe want to maintain good friendly relations through marriage.
In any case, as someone who leads the 'Sun of the Sky', I couldn't help but feel burdened by the 'Clear Soul'. Moreover, I was already married to 'The Moon Rises' and had a family.
Of course, most Native American tribes, including the Lenape, were matriarchal societies with monogamous family systems, but that wasn't the case for all.
Although it was not common, a chieftain or a capable man might have three or four wives.
'… It's not common to find a talent like a great warrior.'
After much thought, I decided to keep it simple by recalling the 'honest bear' and the 'red berry', the chieftain of the Iri tribe.
'I don't think it would be a big problem even if I wasn't the one who was going to marry her.'
After gathering my thoughts, I spoke to the 'cold tree'.
"It would be rude to ignore the sincerity of the Tusukaro tribe. I will take the 'clear soul' to the 'sun in the sky.'"
'Cold Tree' asked with a surprised look.
"How do you plan to persuade your wife?"
"I don't think I ever said I would accept you as my wife?"
"then?"
"She should be allowed to choose the man she marries."
"Oh, that would work."
After a while, as the 'Cold Tree' retreated with light steps, I was left alone in the village hall and I thought about the absurd request of the 'Clear Soul'.
"This is the first time I've ever heard a woman ask me to teach her through sparring."
* * *
Cherokee (Holston River) upper reaches, Cherokee tribal village. Log cabins with roofs made of river bamboo were built in a row around the village's central square.
As day broke, the Cherokee tribe began their day by moving busily in and out of the sturdy village fence. People going out to hunt, people going out to fish in canoes on the river, people going to farms with slaves, etc.
Even though they were spending such peaceful days today, the atmosphere in the large log cabin where the chief and elders gathered was very serious.
"Why did the sun in the sky attack our village?"
"That, that…."
The Cherokee warrior reporting to the chief paused and hesitated. At that moment, the Cherokee chieftain, Cave of Darkness, became furious.
"… Our tribe's chief was taken away for no reason. Tell me the truth. Then we can decide whether to go to war with the Sky Sun Federation or negotiate."
"War?"
"okay."
The word war must have made the Cherokee warrior come to his senses, for he began to tell them everything that had happened in his village.
"… At the orders of the chief, we had no choice but to hunt the Shawnee people as slaves."
After a while, as the Cherokee warrior finished his report, the expressions of the 'Cave of Darkness' and the Cherokee elders became even darker than before.
"I have nothing to say to the sun in the sky."
"Why did you bother with the Shawnee tribe?"
The Cherokee chiefs and elders were well aware that the Shawnee tribe was affiliated with the Heavenly Sun Confederacy.
Moreover, the relationship with the Shawnee tribe was not bad. However, the 'Last Breath' that arbitrarily hunted the Shawnee tribesmen without their permission was very resentful.
"… Is there a last hidden spirit? Or not?"
"…I did something really stupid."
For a while, the 'Cave of Darkness' and the Cherokee elders hurled all sorts of insults and abuse at the absent 'Last Breath'.
For a while, 'The Cave of Darkness' discussed countermeasures with the elders and fulfilled his responsibilities as the chief of the Cherokee tribe.
"… war is absolutely unacceptable. Rumor has it that the warriors of the 'Sun of the Sky' are armed with powerful weapons."
"… Considering that the village was left intact without being burned down, it seems that this issue can be resolved through dialogue with the Sun in the Sky."
"… I think the same as you, Chief."
"… If we offer a polite apology along with a suitable gift, perhaps the 'Sun in the Sky' will release our people."
Once the direction was somewhat set, the meeting proceeded quickly.
"… I think it would be better for me to personally meet the leader of the 'Sun of the Sky' and apologize. What do you think?"
"I agree."
"I think it is right for the chief to go."
The elders did not particularly object to the opinion of the 'Cave of Darkness'.
"Then, I will visit the 'Sun in the Sky' to negotiate soon."
* * *
Savage Tribe Village Training Grounds. As we entered the training grounds, a 'clear soul' who had arrived earlier than the appointed time was stretching.
"Here you are. Your Majesty the Emperor!"
"...."
As if to show off her bright personality, 'Clear Soul' waved her hand lightly at me. I walked towards her without any hesitation towards me.
"Have you been waiting long?"
"No. I haven't been to the training grounds for very long either."
"Then, let's get started right away."
"yes."
As I moved to the center of the training ground first, 'Clear Soul' followed with a nervous expression. I looked at her, who was now standing facing me, and asked her with a calm expression.
"You said you wanted to be taught?"
"Yes. If possible, I hope you don't treat me like a woman and treat me like a real fight."
When 'Clear Soul' asked with a sincere expression, my heart actually felt lighter as I was worrying about what level of sparring to do.
"Okay. Attack as much as you want."
"Okay. Okay, I'll go."
She, wielding a club, kicked the ground and rushed at me fiercely. And then, like a storm, he swung his club at my entire body.
Sometimes the head.
Sometimes the chin.
Sometimes he aimed at my chest and legs.
WHEEK! Boom! Boom!
However, I dodged all of her attacks with astonishing ease. And about ten minutes passed like that? The 'clear soul' whose neck was choked by my arms exhaled heavily and immediately declared surrender.
"I lost."
"...."
Without anyone telling her, she tapped my arm with her own hand. As I released my arms from around her neck, the 'clear soul' collapsed to the floor.
'Clear Soul', who took a moment to catch his breath, shook his head and asked with a look of utter disbelief.
"… How could I not get hit even once? I can't believe it even though I experienced it myself."
"...."
I couldn't tell her that it was because of the game system, as she was staring at me with an expression that contained a mixture of emotions like emptiness and frustration.
After a while, he gave 'Clear Soul' some advice on what he needed to fix when using his club as a weapon, and then got up.
At that moment, I heard the voice of a 'clear soul' mixed with regret behind me.
"If we had trained with the bow as our main weapon from the beginning, I wouldn't have lost… ."
"...."
Stop!
Are you telling me that you wanted me to hear that? I couldn't help but laugh at her refusal to admit her defeat. He stopped walking and turned around.
"Want to practice archery?"
"yes?"
"Do you want to practice archery?"
'Clear Soul' answered cautiously, watching my expression.
"… I would like to, but His Majesty the Emperor is busy."
"Okay. I'm busy today so it might be hard. I think it would be better to practice archery the day after tomorrow."
"Really? The way I practice archery doesn't involve hitting targets or anything. Is that okay?"
"It's okay. You can train the way you want."
"Then, I will prepare the bow and arrows that will be used for sparring."
"okay."
After finishing my conversation with 'Clear Soul', I came out of the training ground with a disgusted expression on my face and reproached myself.
"I feel like I told her something…."