Chương 30: Chapter 29 Lessons in the Hidden Hollow

In the end, Roberto accepted Karath's proposed bargain. If he remained alone, he would die anyway. Refusing the offer would have been absurd.

"Teach me writing." Once the agreement was made, Karath's first request was to learn the written language of this world.

"Ghk." Roberto released a pained groan as he raised his upper body from the ground. Using one finger, he began drawing geometric shapes across the dirt. Like the alphabet Karath had used in America, they were the written symbols of this world. Roberto pointed to each character and pronounced its sound. Then he indicated nearby objects and gave examples of how those sounds were used.

"Ground."

"Stem."

"Root." Karath spent approximately an hour learning the characters before returning to the settlement. The orcs possessed a spoken language, but they had no system of writing. They had neither paper on which to record words nor ink with which to write them. Even if a script had once existed, the tribe would have had no practical use for it. After returning home, Karath continued tracing the characters in the dirt so he would not forget what he had learned.

"Karath, what are you doing this time?"

"Oh! Did you make another new game?" His friends soon gathered around him and stared with interest.

"No. I am only drawing."

"This is a drawing?" The young orcs tilted their heads as they examined the symbols on the ground.

"What is it supposed to be?"

"Heh heh. Karath is not very good at drawing."

"Wow! There is something Karath cannot do!" They laughed among themselves as though they had discovered something wonderful. Karath could not be bothered to argue with them.

"Everyone is here, right? First squad will practice fighting. Second squad will play hide-and-seek. Third squad will play football. Begin!" He issued the orders and returned his attention to the characters. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Karath had found the missing ball on his way back to the settlement the previous day.

"Training is battle!" The moment he gave the command, the children scattered throughout the village to begin their exercises. A year and a half had passed since Karath became the official caretaker of the underage orcs. By now, their training continued without serious problems even when he was not directly involved. In truth, he had continued joining the football matches mostly because he enjoyed them.

Now that he had found something even more interesting than football, his enthusiasm for the sport had cooled slightly. His daily routine followed a similar pattern from then on. Every day, Karath prepared a small amount of food for Roberto. He also collected dry grass to spread across the floor of the hollow and medicinal herbs to continue treating the man's injuries. In return, Roberto taught him the human language and explained how humans lived in the wider world.

Karath soon discovered that the land surrounding the settlement was not merely a forest. It was part of a mountain range. The Grimwood Mountains were known among humans as a forbidden region and a paradise for monsters. Humans also regarded orcs as one type of monster. Roberto never stated that fact directly, but Karath understood it easily enough from the way he spoke. Karath also learned Roberto's name from the man himself.

Based on the information Roberto provided, human civilization seemed to exist somewhere between the medieval and early modern periods. As their conversations continued, Karath gradually formed a clearer understanding of the human world. Nearly a month passed after Roberto began teaching the young orc. By then, they could communicate with reasonable ease.

"Magic? Magic actually exists?" Karath stared at Roberto in astonishment.

"Yes. There are mages who use it." Roberto's expression twisted with disdain.

"They are arrogant bastards who act as though they understand everything in the world." Although Roberto answered casually, he found it increasingly difficult to conceal his amazement. Was this child truly an orc? Humans generally regarded orcs as primitive creatures. They could speak the human language in a crude manner, but their intelligence was believed to be extremely limited. Karath was completely different.

When Roberto first taught him the written characters, he had not expected the orc to learn either the script or the language. He had only agreed because Karath provided food and dry grass for the hollow. Roberto's original plan had been to entertain the creature until his body recovered, then leave the area. Karath returned the following day having memorized every character. Written symbols were only a method of representing language, however.

Knowing the script meant nothing if someone could not learn vocabulary or grammar. Yet Karath memorized every word and grammatical rule he heard each day. His ability extended far beyond memory.

"You said knights choose a king or a lord to serve. Does that mean some lords command more knights than the king?"

"That is why royal families constantly keep the nobles in check," Roberto explained.

"The nobles use every method they can devise to escape that pressure." Karath considered the answer.

"Then ordinary citizens and serfs must be the ones who suffer. You said training and maintaining knights requires a great deal of money." Roberto had only given him a basic explanation of knights. Somehow, the conversation had naturally expanded into the structure of feudal society and the burden of taxation. At times, Roberto found it impossible to believe he was speaking to a young orc. Even human children could not hold conversations at this level. It felt more like speaking to an educated adult of his own age.

Was this what people called genius? Karath understood ten things after being taught only one. Whenever Roberto introduced a new subject, the orc connected it naturally to everything he had learned before. He even inferred information Roberto had never explained. Teaching him made Roberto want to travel around boasting that he had discovered and educated an extraordinary genius. If only the student had not been an orc. For a brief time, Roberto had wondered whether teaching such a brilliant monster was wise.

He soon dismissed the concern. He had never imagined that teaching someone could be this enjoyable. Explain one concept to Karath, and he understood ten. A lesson would soon transform into a discussion. Anyone who had taught another person would understand the pleasure of instructing a student who grasped every explanation and eagerly asked thoughtful questions. Karath was also more than an orc. He was Roberto's savior.

Roberto cast aside his remaining hesitation and continued teaching Karath everything he knew about the human world.