Chapter 97 - THE SECRET OF DESERT TRIBE

The leader helplessly breathed out. "You were always stubborn since you were young. You haven't changed that habit. We don't need you to protect us. Synetians and Riverhills need to join hands if they want to win a war against us. What we have is too precious to tell others."

"I'm not an outsider," Arthur uttered in a low but serious tone.

The leader's sharp eyes gazed at him and then swept that gaze toward Veronica. "That pet. Where did you get it?"

Arthur stole a glance at the carefree cat who was roaming in the room as if that room belonged to her. He replied, "I got her from Felix. Why do you ask?"

"Hmm," the leader hummed. "Do you know where her collar came from?" His voice sounded mysterious.

"No, what about her collar?" Arthur inquired. He became interested in the collar with the green gem as well.

Veronica acted like she didn't hear or understand what they were talking about. 'What about my collar? Is this about my necklace? Why is this grandfather curious about my possession?' she wondered.

"Since you don't know, why should I tell you? It must be because you didn't study well," the leader of the desert tribe shrugged his shoulders.

"…" Veronica relaxed her muscles. She sighed in relief and thought, 'So, it was nothing. He was just making fun of Arthur.'

"…" Arthur thought it was something serious. Upon hearing the elder's words, his veins popped out. "Listen, gramps, I don't have time for a joke. You need to tell me what is so important about this desert that made Riverhill and Synetia fight for this land. I have to prepare myself for the worst future. You don't think I won't protect you when you are in danger, do you?"

"Arthur, my lad, you don't have to worry about us. You should worry about your surroundings. Don't poke your nose to somewhere you cannot get away from there. You have a goal, remember? You have to fulfill the promise that you made when you were young," the leader reminded him.

"I haven't forgotten my goal. Nothing can sway me from my goal," Arthur stated in a firm tone.

The leader of the desert tribe nodded as he approved his answer. "That's good to hear. However, if you go deep into this kind of matter, you will get swayed from your goal. The path you chose and the path you want to go is completely different."

Arthur knew this elder was hard to crack. He was prepared for that. He said, "I know you want to treat me like a child but if you want me to grow up, treat me like a man."

"Treat you like a man?" The leader of the desert tribe raised an eyebrow. "I'm not those women around you who will treat you as a man. Your playboy attitude is so annoying that I kicked you out of this place. Who knows how many women you would make them carry your children if I let you stay here."

"!!!" Veronica was speechless. 'I knew he was a skirt chaser but this is even worse than being a skirt chaser!' she nearly freaked out.

Arthur was losing his patience at this old man's tease. He swept his hair behind him. His hair got longer in the last few months. He didn't get the time to trim it. He even had a beard on his face. He looked more mature in that look. He almost looked like a traveler.

He grinned like a devil and stated, "Listen, old timer, if you are trying to hide something from me, it's good that you have done it. But, don't come at me just because I'm more handsome than you are. Women only go for handsome and charismatic men. You know very well that you have none of those qualities."

The leader of the desert tribe got mad at Arthur this time. He stood up on one foot and spoke in a loud voice, "Say that again!"

"What? Do you want to have a bet? You will lose, old timer," Arthur didn't stop himself from saying something this cruel.

'Hey, hey, someone please stop them,' Veronica became restless.

"You boys, what are you doing? Look, you scared the kitten," the elderly woman came inside and scolded two big boys. "If you don't want to run a marathon, stay put."

"Yes, mam," Arthur sat down without an argument.

"As you wish," the leader of the desert tribe sat down obediently as well.

'Hehe, who is the main leader of this desert tribe, I think I found out,' Veronica snickered secretly.

The elderly woman served the meal to Arthur and Veronica. While Arthur was given a stew, Veronica was given a meat curry. The woman stroked Veronica's head and said, "Sorry child, we don't have fish here. You have to eat meat only."

"This is understandable considering it's a desert. You can hardly find water here, let alone fish," Arthur commented.

"Ah, don't worry about fish. I love meat more," Veronica gleefully said and began to eat.

'She is just like Veronica. Look the way she is eating meat,' Arthur thought while having his meal. Somehow the kitten's behavior toward meat reminded him how happily she would eat food that contained meat. She even got chubbier despite it being a war zone. He managed to save extra meat for her knowing how much she liked them.

Thinking of her actions made him chuckle. In the second, his smile disappeared. His expression became grim as he wondered, 'Where is she now? How did she vanish on the balcony? What happened to her? I hope Felix finds her soon and gets her out of Synetia.'

The elderly couple noticed his expression. The woman asked him, "Dear child, why do you look so gloomy?"

"It's nothing much. It's just a girl I know who disappeared suddenly. I haven't found her yet," Arthur shortly told them what happened in Synetia.

"Oh, is this the girl you brought to us and asked for clothes? You didn't even let us talk to her. You kept her hidden. Is this the girl you have feelings for?"