Chapter 559
I ran around the hunting ground, trying to staunch the blood flowing from my left shoulder.
‘At least I avoided a fatal wound.’
I bit my lip, trying to shake off the dizziness.
It sounded ridiculous to talk about a fatal injury with one of my arms out of commission, but considering the size of that monster, losing just one arm was a stroke of luck. If I had taken a direct hit from that huge beast’s leap, I’d be a goner.
“Tina, are you okay?”
– Puhruung!
I sighed a little in relief when I checked on Tina and got a booming reply back.
Losing an arm is bearable. As long as I can escape safely from here, I can get treated later.
But if Tina gets hurt even a little, we’re both dead. Right now, I need to protect Tina, even if it means I get hurt more.
‘…How?’
But how? How can I protect Tina from that monster with one arm useless?
For starters, taking on the monster solo is impossible. I couldn’t catch the beast even with all limbs intact, let alone when I’m injured.
But I can’t just run away either. If I turn tail and flee now, that beast, having caught a whiff of blood, would rage and wreak havoc in this area, putting the locals and the marquis at risk.
‘What should I do…?’
I felt tears threaten as I faced this no-win situation, unable to fight or flee.
If only I were stronger, I wouldn’t even be worrying about this. If that monster had popped out early enough, I would’ve taken it down and used it as a trophy.
This is all my fault for being weak. If I were stronger, I could’ve caught that beast. If I were stronger, I wouldn’t have insisted on this hunting competition. If I were stronger… I wouldn’t have to worry about the locals or the marquis.
—Chuu…
“Gyaaaak!”
– Puhihing!
But the monster, clearly not guilty about being a hunting target, had escalated its game to throwing rocks at me.
Now I’m really shaking. A beast this big shouldn’t be able to jump AND throw things at the same time? Where has it been hiding all this time?!
“Ugh!”
I was knocked off my horse by a heavy blow from behind.
“Tina, you go ahead! Go to Dad!”
As soon as I hit the ground, I shouted at Tina. There was no way I could get back on her, so it was best she made a run for it.
Plus, if Tina returned without me, Dad would notice something was wrong, take control of the hunting ground, and handle that crazy beast. We could minimize the damage.
But instead of fleeing, Tina stubbornly circled around me.
“Go quickly! We’ll both get caught at this rate!”
– Puhruung…
Tina’s eyes were moist now, and she whimpered helplessly at my shouting.
What a fool! If we’re both going to die, at least one of us should survive!
“Hey! You should at least listen to me!”
Sudden tears of frustration welled up.
Yeah, I need Tina to listen to me. Dad’s pushing for a wedding I don’t want, I keep losing to that insufferable Marquis Idripen, and now this hunting competition has turned into a disaster. Nothing’s going right! So Tina has to follow my orders!
—Chuu chuu!
But Tina didn’t move away, even as the beast closed in on us.
What a genuine idiot. Who does she take after to be this stubborn?
“If you die with me, I swear I’ll ride you even in the afterlife!”
As I painfully lifted myself and grabbed my sword, Tina licked my cheek.
It was embarrassing but comforting. Knowing that my selfish partner, who’s been with me since childhood, would stay by me even in death almost made me laugh.
‘If I’d known it would come to this, I would’ve fought head-on from the start.’
I felt regret. I had been trying to avoid a confrontation, and here I was, engaging in a fight with one arm. If I was going to die anyway, I should’ve done it when I was at full strength.
But what can I do? It’s all my ineptitude.
‘Let’s aim for the ankle.’
So I resolved myself. If I couldn’t kill it, I at least had to land a serious blow. It was hopping around, so if I could injure its ankle, its mobility would drop like a rock.
If that happened, I could rest easy in dying. No matter how strong it is, if it can’t move, it’s just a big target.
‘…Even if I’m not good at riding, I should be able to dodge.’
I bit down hard as I thought of the marquis, wherever he was in the hunting ground. The best option would be to avoid running into that beast entirely, but if I did, an injured beast should be easy enough to dodge.
Since I was the one who brought Tina here, making sure we’re as safe as possible is my responsibility. Even if he is annoying, I don’t dislike him enough to want him dead. After all, it’d be quite embarrassing if a guest in our territory ended up dead.
“Come at me! You big, headless idiot!”
—Chuu!
I took a few deep breaths and shouted at the beast.
A monstrous creature that had the body of a bear and the head of a lion? That thing must have taken a beating from someone else, hence its missing head. No wonder it’s a wreck.
But what do I do? This time, it’s coming for my ankle!
“Get ready to run around with chicken feet from now on!”
I didn’t even care if my taunt got through. I just needed something pathetic to think of while shouting.
Just then, I saw the beast swing its paw and I ducked—
“This big body and chicken feet are such a mismatched pair!”
Just as a familiar voice came with some kind of surprise from near the beast’s neck.
“Of course, considering it injured a lady like you, chicken feet would be a bit of an overstatement.”
As the monster staggered and began to bleed from its neck, I finally caught sight of the marquis, who’d been obscured by the beast.
“My apologies for taking your prey, my lady. I’m a little greedy since I haven’t caught one myself yet.”
His usual sly grin was replaced with heavy panting.
*
The white horse, which had ignored its rider, finally stopped once it reached where the lady was standing, staring down the bizarre beast.
‘Huh.’
And as I saw the lady in front of the bizarre beast, I couldn’t help but chuckle.
What a magnificent steed! To have sensed its owner’s danger and rush to her side—are all northern horses like this?
‘But I didn’t bring my sword.’
The problem was that I had no suitable weapons on me, despite the white horse’s display of prowess. I only brought my bow and arrows since I thought we were just going for a hunt.
‘If it comes down to it, she’ll get hurt.’
Unfortunately, I know my archery skills all too well. Even if the target’s huge, if luck isn’t on my side, the lady or the horse next to her could get hurt.
But there’s no way I could throw punches at a gigantic beast.
‘Ugh.’
Suddenly, memories from before I graduated the Academy popped into my head, recalling what my mentor had told me.
“There was someone I met up north who could handle both sword and bow at the same time. From a distance, he shot arrows with an iron bow, but once the imperial troops got close, he’d split the bow in half and use it like twin swords. That guy was crazy.”
“What an unusual fellow. What’s his name?”
“Udessir Jairog, a notorious paper destroyer.”
I still don’t understand what “paper destroyer” means, but the idea of turning a bow into a close-range weapon is definitely worth remembering.
I quickly grounded my bow and aimed the sharpened piece at the back of the beast’s neck.
“My apologies for stealing your prey, my lady. I was just feeling a bit greedy since I hadn’t caught anything yet.”
I offered some comfort to the surprisingly shocked lady.
To be honest, I was also shocked, but I was more relieved than anything that the lady had avoided death. So having someone with a calm mind should ease the tension.
“Your Grace?”
But oddly enough, the lady said nothing. She simply stared at me with her mouth agape.
“…Ugh!”
Then she suddenly lowered her head and let out a cute whimper.
Seeing that familiar sight of the lady calmed my nerves. It seemed she had taken a moment to process the shock.
*
The hunt fizzled out. Only a fool like my dead older brother would insist on carrying on with a hunt after someone almost got killed.
“Your Grace, are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.”
I returned to the front, seeing she must have been exhausted after the run-in with the beast.
‘This is awkward.’
I forced a grin while watching the lady, who had her head still lowered.
She had stubborn pride, and getting into danger in front of me would humiliate her. For someone like her, who had gambled on this hunt to save face, being saved by me only compounds the embarrassment.
I worried if this would bring her down. A lively and fierce personality like hers could be deeply affected if pride gets bruised.
“Speaking of which, I saw you caught a lot of prey, which is far more than I did. If that monster hadn’t interrupted, I probably would’ve lost.”
“…….”
Even my attempts to comfort her did nothing to lift her gaze.
Hmm, was that too blunt?
“W-well, actually…”
‘Oh.’
As I pondered what to say to lift her spirits, she beat me to it, breaking the silence.
“Up north, it’s more common that those who catch bigger game win rather than those who catch more.”
“Is that so?”
It was a twist I didn’t see coming, but it didn’t shock me either. No matter how you look at it, I would’ve lost regardless of which criteria were applied.
“So… the marquis won. I couldn’t catch something that big on my own.”
Her shaking voice declared her defeat, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
How fascinating she is. Strong in pride and hard to accept defeat, yet when the opponent wins, she can admit it. She can accept her loss even while shivering in fear.
With someone so interesting, how could I dislike them?
*
I couldn’t bear to look the marquis in the face and only kept my head lowered.
I had to accept it. The marquis was stronger than me. He was ahead of me in every aspect.
Acknowledging that made me see what I had tried to ignore.
“I’m not interested in weak men. I aim to be a chieftain who leads my tribe, and I can’t have weak people by my side!”
“Physical strength isn’t everything. Intelligence and manners are also a part of strength!”
All the things I’ve said to my father. All the conditions I’d put forward for a partner.
Surprisingly, the marquis possessed all those qualities. I just refused to see it because I pushed him away, even though he was exactly what I wanted in a groom.
Okay, I admit it. I acknowledge it, yet…
‘What’s the point of acting all sweet and friendly now?’
I resent my past self. How foolishly I reacted. I hate that I let my true feelings show so blatantly.
‘If I suddenly approach him… he’d definitely think I’m weird.’
It made me feel like crying, but in a different way than when facing that beast.
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