Edited by An Zheee
Even after saying that, Medeus pulled the bow tighter and tighter.
‘I know,’ but what are you trying to do? Why didn’t you put your bow away, instead choosing to continue aiming?
If Nataek stood up in this moment, someone was going to get seriously hurt, whether it was him or the attendants who might get startled by his sudden appearance. Instead, Nataek silently gestured to Medeus. As if attempting to calm down an angry tiger, Nataek held out one palm and used his other hand to point to the ground.
I’ll be down there. Taking cover.
Medeus gave a slight nod as if he understood. Nataek quickly crouched down, shoving Dudu’s head down with him.
Fwish–!
At the same time, the arrow flew out. The arrow struck the trunk of the nearby date palm tree, vibrating slightly. The height of the arrow matched the height of the attendants’ heads.
Startled, the attendants dropped the baskets they’d been carrying.
“Whoa! What the…Heuk, Th–Third Master…”
Only then did Nataek stand up to reveal himself, Dudu doing the same.
The sight of Medeus approaching them was like a scene from a movie. It was like a video playing in slow motion. Eyelashes that casted long shadows in the morning sun, vividly-colored eyes that gently dropped, a smoothly extended nose and jawline without curves, and that was all in addition to thin lips that were plump at the center as well as a sturdy body.
Even Nataek, who knew about the temperament hidden beneath, had to admit that Medeus was a beauty beyond gender. If he’d been born in the modern world, he would’ve been a celebrity, earning fame and fortune after getting a free pass into the entertainment industry and sitting on a literal pile of money. Somehow… He’d been born and was living in a world where he was cursed at every step he took.
Medeus, who stood before them before he could even blink, reached out and grabbed the arrow embedded in the tree. A vein popped out from Medeus’s forearm as he pulled out the arrow.
“I see you’ve been taking it easy this morning instead of working,” Medeus said calmly.
Nataek blinked his eyes at the vague statement. Who was he talking to?
“Isn’t it the duty of a servant to fetch water for washing up for the master before he wakes up?”
So, he was talking to Nataek after all. But Medeus’s accusation was confusing since Nataek had woken up early enough for time to do his chores, it was Medeus who crawled out of bed earlier than usual.
As Nataek was thinking over how he should respond, Medeus slipped an arrow into the attendants’ basket.
“Stick closer to each other next time. That way, I can hit two with one shot.”
“My–My…My apologies, Third Master.”
Medeus frowned and jerked his chin in a certain direction as if telling them to get out of his sight. The two scrambled away, Dudu disappearing with them.
Now, only Nataek and Medeus remained. Just like how it always was. Wherever they went, they were always the only ones being singled out. One would expect them to team up together, but they ended up being just as wary of each other.
Finally, Nataek spoke up quietly, “I wasn’t slacking off.”
“Then?”
“…I heard there was an important meeting today, yet I haven’t received any information about it. I wanted to ask around about it.”
“You could’ve just asked me.”
Nataek, left speechless and unable to maintain his composure, let out a sigh. It was at this moment that Nataek, a citizen of a democratic country for over twenty years, could no longer keep it in.
“Ask? Ask how? I didn’t even know there was going to be a meeting today. I just found out moments ago that there’s even a schedule for meetings.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Kfgfrl.”
“Tfr, Zjrafg. Uifjrf, ub jtfjv.”
“Tbe tjnfc’a mbwf ab sbeg rfcrfr joafg ktja tjqqfcfv fjgilfg?”
“Qtja?”
Qtja kjr tf ajixlcu jybea cbk?
“Gb sbe gfjiis yfilfnf atfs kbeiv ulnf sbe atf gluta lcobgwjalbc? Ljnf sbe obgubaafc jybea atf lcmlvfca gfujgvlcu atf lcmfcrf yegcfg?”
“…”
Ktf lcmfcrf yegcfg jcv atf rmfcafv bli atja j cjlnf Rjajfx jmmfqafv klat bqfc tjcvr. Pa kjr atja mbeqifv klat Rjajfx’r wlrajxf bo rqliilcu atf fcalgf ybaaif lcab atf yjataey atja jiwbra uba Zfvfer xliifv. Tfjt… rfgnjcar kfgfc’a ab yf agerafv flatfg…
Nataek let out a heavy sigh of frustration. Medeus looked down at him with crossed arms.
“As for the schedule, I’ll be the one providing it every morning.”
“Can’t you tell me what’s on it in advance?”
“I don’t trust you enough for that yet.”
Nataek raised his gaze at Medeus. Come on, all Nataek was asking for is a little heads-up on what needed to be done, why would such a minor thing require trust?
As if reading Nataek’s thoughts, Medeus tilted his head. His back leaned against the date palm tree, directing his gaze towards the stable in the distance.
“The attendant before you had been with me for ten years. A nanny who looked after me ever since I was a child.”
Medeus was suddenly bringing up the subject out of nowhere, but Nataek listened carefully nonetheless.
“That day, I had to travel to the northern outpost. It was a trip that had been planned for a while. Like always, my attendant was the one in charge of water and food for the journey. They even arranged the canteens in a certain order. I didn’t think much of it at the time, because I knew they cared about trivial matters like that.”
Medeus looked down at Nataek.
“I went through most of the water throughout the trip, leaving only one canteen left. As we were nearing the outpost, I was about to drink the last of the water, but something felt off. It didn’t smell like anything suspicious, and the canteen didn’t look any different, but it felt strange. It turned out that my gut feeling was right. Do you know what was in that canteen?”
“…No.”
Despite what he said, Nataek felt like he already knew the answer.
“There was poison applied to the mouth of the bottle. A highly effective poison that’s very difficult to obtain.”
“…”
“Maybe, it was something they’d been planning since the beginning. I doubt they’d acted alone. But one thing was certain—The fact that only the last canteen was poisoned meant they wanted to dispose of me outside of Uruk’s borders.”
Nataek was horrified by what he was hearing. No matter how much political strife was depicted in those historical dramas, this was a bit…
“Even the attendant who spent ten years with me ultimately stabbed me in the back. What are you able to tell me about what you believe in?”
“…”
Nataek rubbed his nose with his index finger. It was him who’d been dragged into this harsh ancient civilization under unfortunate circumstances, but that seemed like nothing compared to the type of life Medeus had been living. He was still so young, too…
After such a story, Nataek was left speechless. His mouth feeling dry, Nataek said, “That’s… I didn’t know you went through something like that. I understand your point of view.”
“Understand? What is there to understand?”
“I… I mean I understand why you don’t trust me.”
“So.”
“…So?”
So what?
Medeus turned his body fully towards Nataek, casting an intimidating shadow over him. Nataek subconsciously took a step back. Medeus took another step closer.
“What will you do now? Will you show me trust? Or will you walk the same path as my last attendant?”
“Um, I…”
Their bodies were almost touching. Uncomfortable with the proximity, Nataek took two more steps back. His back touched the wall of the warehouse. He wasn’t used to being so close to another person.
Nataek lowered his eyes to the ground, mouth speaking hastily in panic, “I, um—I’ll… show you that you can trust me.”
“You will?”
“Yes.”
Medeus’s hand slowly reached for Nataek’s throat. A palm large enough to cover Nataek’s face brushed against his lower jaw.
What… Was skinship how people show trust in this time period? Really, why do you have to be so close? Nataek’s eyes darted around in bewilderment.
Medeus spoke in a deeply low voice, “How?”
“Little by little over time, but even if you ask me how, it’s not something I can show you immediately.”
“Well then, just tell me you can. Why are you so nervous?”
Medeus’s thigh was pressing against Nataek’s legs. Cold sweat trickled down Nataek’s forehead.
“Because… you keep coming closer…”
Medeus pulled away from Nataek, his hand clutching onto a leaf. “I was only trying to remove this weird thing that was on your head.”
If it’s like that, then just say so…
Nataek, who grew embarrassed for no reason, glanced at Medeus.
“Though Uruk is known to be tolerant of sexuality, I have no interest in embracing men. So, rest assured,” Medeus said. He threw the leaf into the air and turned his back on Nataek. As the man was leaving, Nataek smiled.
…What a funny guy. Hey, I’m not interested in men either.
* * *
The location of the council meeting was outside the mansion. More precisely, it was situated between the mansion and the temple, which was squared off by walls. It was like a miniature version of the house of Ninurta.
There were colorful paintings on the entrance and the walls of the fence. They looked like murals.
A man who was passing by remarked, “So, even a lowborn with your kind of appearance has managed to crawl their way here as a noble.”
Nataek turned his attention to the owner of the voice. It was Lugalzagesi, Medeus’s eldest brother. Next to Lugalzagesi was Nataek’s—or, rather, Teresi’s—brother, Tartarzi.
So, we meet again, Nataek thought.
Lugalzagesi sneered at Medeus while Tartarzi flashed Nataek a bitter smirk. That tart bastard…As Nataek returned the man’s smirk with a cold look, Medeus replied, “Eldest brother has come dressed today in inappropriately extravagant clothes. I can assure you it won’t make your head any richer in intelligence.”
Lugalzagesi’s eyes widened, his fists clenching, “Let’s see how long that arrogance of yours will last.”
The man walked away, his long skirt swaying with his body. Watching Lugalzagesi retreat reminded Nataek of the conversation he had with Dudu.
“When you go, you’ll understand… Even there… You’ll have to sit in the seat of thorns.”
“What? Why?”
“You’ll know when the time comes, and you’ll also get a sense of what kind of position Medeus is in….”
So far, it’s not any different than what Nataek expected. What more could there be?
A sudden thought crossed his mind as he walked alongside Medeus. This was the first time that so many nobles will be gathered in one place. Could there be things that he’s not allowed to do?
When traveling abroad, wasn’t it customary to always familiarize yourself with the lists of “dos” and “don’ts”. As much as Nataek didn’t want to be reminded that he now lived in a society with a caste system, he was a member of the lowest class. A slave. If he made a big mistake in a place like this, his life would likely be in real danger.
Nataek leaned in closer to Medeus.
“By any chance… If there are things I should be cautious about, please let me know about them in advance.”
“Cautious about what?”
“Things I shouldn’t do… or say…”
Medeus’s pace gradually slowed down to a stop. The man tilted his head and stared at Nataek.
“Judging from your words and attitude, it’s as if you’ve never owned a slave before. You lived as a noble of Lagash before you came here, didn’t you? Even there, meetings discussing national affairs would’ve been held regularly. How long has it been since you came to Uruk? Have you already forgotten the time you spent there?”
A stunned Nataek could only keep his mouth shut. Nataek was already a slave the moment he was brought here. How could he know what happened before that?
“You just need to do what you’re told. Why are you acting so clueless?”
If people could be separated into the roles of ‘Gap’ and ‘Eul’, Nataek had lived the life of an ‘Eul’. He never treated people like slaves before, so it was natural that he didn’t know.
Nataek was able to maintain his composure and chose his next words carefully.
“Yes, I’ve forgotten everything. You told me to forget the past.”
Thinking that he may have accidentally hit a touchy subject, Nataek quickly added, “—And Lagash and Uruk have different cultures. Even if they’re similar… There are still clear differences. I just wanted to ask just in case.”
“Your confidence in asking questions doesn’t match the attitude of someone who’s forgotten everything.”
“…”
Before Nataek could say anything more, people suddenly flooded in. Adorned with splendid accessories and attire, they entered the conference hall in droves.
Medeus leaned toward Nataek and said, “If anyone tries to pick a fight with you, don’t respond. Even if you’re asked a question, don’t answer.”
“…Okay.”
“And keep your eyes in one place. Don’t go farther than my arm’s reach unless I give you an order to do so.”
Those were the key things that Nataek needed to keep in mind while the meeting was happening.
Nataek:I don’t like men.
Also nataek : he’s so good looking
Pretty much.
🤣🤣 I say~ this is gonna be quite interesting~
Medeus: why are you ghe?
Nateak: who says I’m ghe?
Medeus: you are ghe
the 5 stages of 🌈 le géy.
stage 1: denial (“I’m not interested in embracing men…”)
….mhm