Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Respect Comes from Awe
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“Respect comes from a sense of awe.”
“That may be true. Then, Ardhen, what do you think of Huss?”
“He’s a friend I want by my side.”
“And?”
“A man I respect.”
“You must find Huss intimidating.”
“I can’t say otherwise. This guy’s awfully tricky.”
Jun shifted his gaze to the side. Then he posed the same question to Huss.
“Huss. What do you think of Ardhen?”
“I think he’s a friend with a lot of ambition.”
“And?”
“I think he knows how to control that ambition well.”
“Ardhen says you intimidate him. I’m curious how you feel.”
“If this friend treats me with intimidation, it’ll be intimidating. If he treats me easily, it’ll be easy.”
“I see.”
Jun handed each of them a book.
“Read it on your own and summarize it by next time. I want to hear about the life attitudes you’ll uphold going forward.”
“We did something similar last time.”
Ardhen said, lifting the book above his head.
“So? Don’t want to?”
“I want to know why. I don’t think there’s any more of myself left to figure out. I know myself better than anyone.”
“You brazen kid. Do you really think that?”
“Yes.”
“Then no need for homework. Instead, pick out ten passages from that book that you like.”
“Do I have to?”
“You can skip it if you don’t want. What right do I have to order a prince around? Should I remove you from my class list while we’re at it?”
“You always say things like that. I’ll pick twenty passages.”
“You never just take it quietly once.”
“I’ll be the one who gets in the way. So no one can treat me lightly. I’ll become a difficult person and earn respect.”
“Your people might get fed up and all leave.”
“The ones I keep around won’t. My people aren’t that pathetic.”
“A true king must find value in everything. If you only keep those who meet your standards, your vessel will be exactly that size.”
“I’m not that petty.”
“That confidence of yours pierces the heavens every time. Learn some humility.”
“I’ll learn humility once I’m at the top. Humility is one of the privileges the powerful can bestow. Humility from the powerless is just pathetic.”
“You might get stabbed in the back like that.”
Jun said with a low chuckle. Ardhen twitched his eyebrow, then replied with a serious expression. “That might really happen.”
“No, I won’t get stabbed in the back. This friend will always be behind me. I trust him. No one can surpass him to target my back.”
Ardhen said, looking at Huss. Huss simply nodded with a face as still as a lake without even a ripple.
Was it a plea to believe him, or an acknowledgment of plain fact? The more you watched, the more intriguing the kid became.
“I’ll be right back.”
Ardhen stood up.
“I have a meeting with a shaman from the orc tribe in the Den Plains. It’s a hard-arranged meeting, so I have to go.”
“No need to explain to me. How could I stop a prince’s movements?”
“You say that, but your eyes are cursing me, so I have to explain in detail. Sometimes I feel sad because it seems like you hate me, Grand Duke.”
“Hate you? Who would hate the Empire’s 4th Imperial Prince? I just don’t like this brat who lacks charm.”
He told Ardhen to come back safely. Meeting an orc tribe shaman alone would offer much to learn. They were ones who viewed the world’s truths through mystical eyes.
“Grand Duke.”
Ardhen, who had turned to leave, paused. Jun looked at him with eyes asking what was wrong.
“I’ve heard rumors that orc tribe shamans pull out the souls of living people. Is that true?”
“If they want to, they could. They’re mystical beings. Why? Scared?”
“Would it be rude to ask to see it once? I’m really curious if souls have hands and feet too. I want to experience it.”
“Don’t even think about it. It’d be pitiful for your attendants clutching their necks and collapsing. Remember that if something happens to your body, a few people will vanish without a trace.”
“Now that I think about it, you’re right. I’ll postpone the request. Huss, see you later.”
Ardhen left with his attendants.
“The noisy one’s gone.”
“Ardhen’s tight-lipped. He only talks like that in front of you, Grand Duke. You’re one of the few he can relax around.”
“You want him to be a bit more tense. That way he’d quiet down.”
“Outside, he’s too anxious to speak. No one knows better than him what impact a single word can have.”
Jun pulled out the ever-present酒 barrel he carried. He took a sip and looked at Huss.
“Want some?”
“I’m fine.”
“You never take it even when offered. Do you hate alcohol?”
“I drink when necessary.”
“So not necessary now. Fine, I’ll get drunk alone.”
He grinned and tilted his head back. His hand felt empty. Somehow, the barrel was already in Huss’s hand.
No matter how many times it happened, he never got used to it. He couldn’t even see when the kid moved.
“How many times have I told you not to touch an adult’s things without permission?”
“Ardhen told me. To stop you from getting drunk, Grand Duke.”
“You brat. At least let me have two sips.”
“Sorry. But I think you should cut back on drinking too. For the academy students at least. Someone told me a drunken appearance lowers dignity.”
“I have to give up my pleasure because of others’ gazes? How tragic is that.”
“You said it yourself, Grand Duke: the more respected you are, the more you must mind your conduct.”
Jun clicked his tongue.
“Do you know what question troubles philosophers most? ‘So how do you live yourself?’ That’s it. My flowery words end up as shackles. Don’t live like me. Live doing what you want. That’s my final teaching.”
He reached out slyly to snatch the barrel, but Huss didn’t yield.
He couldn’t wrestle with a ten-year-old kid. Not that charging at him would do any good anyway.
Huss was born different. A child whose talent’s scale couldn’t be measured.
Ardhen, who spotted that and pulled the knight’s squire Huss to his side, was no ordinary person either.
“How’ve you been lately?”
As he spoke, he glanced at the barrel. Huss hid it behind his back.
“Same as always.”
“Still just grinding away at swordsmanship boringly?”
“That’s all I have to do.”
“While we’re on it, let’s talk about you. What do you do on days without knight order training?”
“Personal practice.”
“And when you’re not practicing?”
“I always am.”
“Never wanted to drop it all and just play?”
“I tried following Ardhen around doing this and that, but it was all the same. Ardhen said I’m a really boring guy.”
“Not wrong.”
“I don’t know. I just think I need to keep doing what I have to.”
“What if the thing in your hand wasn’t a sword, but a pen?”
“I’d handle paperwork.”
“If it was a farming tool?”
“I’d till the soil.”
“So it doesn’t have to be a sword specifically.”
“Yes. I’ll do what I can in my position.”
He used to think the kid was perfectly well-rounded. No rough edges, mild-tempered, perfect to support Ardhen.
But through lessons and conversations, he realized that wasn’t it. The boy before him wasn’t suppressing himself for such lukewarm reasons. No, “suppression” wasn’t even the right word.
“Let’s hypothesize. If Ardhen died, what would you do?”
“That’s an improper hypothesis.”
“So what? It’s just a hypothesis. So tell me. If Ardhen died, what would you do?”
The boy before him fell silent. He seemed to ponder, but the answer was probably already there.
“I’d look into the circumstances.”
“And then?”
“I’d judge if it was justified or not.”
“If it was justified? If he did something he deserved to die for and got killed?”
Silence returned. A flicker of hesitation showed. But only briefly—Huss regained his composure.
Even a difficult, sensitive question only rippled the boy’s surface.
“Then there’s no helping it.”
“Even though Ardhen’s your friend?”
“That’s a separate issue.”
“You gave that answer, but you definitely hesitated. For a split second, but it proves the answer you thought of didn’t sit right with you. I wanted a more sentimental response. What your heart says, not your head.”
“The two are the same.”
“They might be, or they might not. People inherently think all their decisions are products of rational thought.
But they’re not. Humans are swayed by trivial things more than you’d think. Bad weather that day, a stomachache, a glance that feels unlucky—people make bizarre choices because of that. They claim they deliberated, but often it’s just habit.”
Huss blinked. No shake in his sharp eyes.
“That’s why people set standards to avoid wrong choices. From small promises to national laws, rules exist to manage human instability. If human intellect truly pursued only righteousness, we wouldn’t need such rules. Knowing we’re unstable creatures, we regulate each other as a precaution.”
Jun continued, looking into Huss’s eyes.
“Through learning, we learn the lines we mustn’t cross. But that’s just head knowledge. The head can never control emotions. Just as outward consciousness is ruled by the unconscious, acquired knowledge can’t tame instinct.”
“Then what’s the point of learning?”
“Reducing the chance of acting like a beast. It doesn’t control perfectly, but it can manage to some degree. That’s the line between beasts and humans.”
Jun waited for Huss’s question. When the boy had something to ask back, he always met his eyes straight on.
“I’ve heard beasts have their own rules too. Some wolf packs establish hierarchies like humans, divide roles, and protect the weak. If beasts know rules, what sets humans apart? What defines us as special?”
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