The month of May in the frigid land of the North was the brief season when warmth would make its fleeting appearance.
The thick layers of white snow would melt, revealing brown earth beneath, frozen streams began to flow again, and even the trees, which had been wearing white hats, would finally take them off for a change.
May was the month when a canvas of colors momentarily replaced a world that was otherwise purely white.
It was a favorable month for activity, one when the hibernating animals awake, scouring the foothills to fill their empty bellies.
Thus, it was also the month when the hunters of the North relentlessly ascended the snowy mountains.
An hour ride north from the Grand Palace lay the snowy peak.
The relatively gentle terrain of this winter mountain boasted an abundance of food, attracting wild beasts, making it the territory of the Winterfell Grand Duke’s family.
Hunting there was strictly reserved for family members, with fences adorned with the Grand Ducal emblem erected around the mountain to restrict access to outsiders.
Only during special family events, such as the Betrothal Contest, were outsiders allowed entry into this domain.
In this very place, Lumia gazed down at the four finalists.
More precisely, her attention was fixated on Elden Raphelion.
The indifferent expression on his face was particularly noticeable.
‘…What could he possibly be thinking?’
A note of encouragement had been delivered the previous night, and once more this morning through Lady Ariel.
Even though the hypothesis of [Love] had flopped spectacularly, the encouragement and allure should have provoked some sort of reaction.
Yet, Elden was as unmoved as a stone.
Despite knowing that all eyes were on him, he didn’t even spare a glance back.
Lumia felt anxious.
She felt a surge of annoyance.
And mostly, she was downright frustrated.
‘…….’
She hadn’t slept a wink, desperate for the last evaluation before the face-to-face meeting to go according to plan.
[Tag of Death].
Everyone should understand the sheer horror she had faced during her academy days and just how brutal it had been.
They should experience the despair of having hope for escape snatched away just when they thought they saw a glimmer of light.
After Elden’s declaration of withdrawal, she had formulated countless hypotheses, crafting premises and digging through everything she could get her hands on for research and validation.
She had pored over ancient texts, rifled through memories, and what a mess it had all turned into! Research schedules were delayed, experiments went haywire, and her head was just a jumbled chaos, yet still, her desire to uncover the truth behind his withdrawal burned bright.
The cracks created by Elden’s withdrawal continued to widen, and without any solution in sight, she felt like she might lose her mind.
It was so exhausting that she often wished she could just go to her father, confess everything, and tie up this vendetta in a neat bow.
However, a nightmare that broke through her consciousness disturbed the anger she had buried deep within, and those old scars flared up again.
For the sake of her freedom, every plan laid out for the Betrothal Contest must succeed.
In the beginning, she had sworn not to let herself become consumed by revenge.
She had pledged to lead them to repentance through enlightenment and guidance.
When the face-to-face meeting happened, she wished the four scoundrels would regret their past actions.
And she hoped they would sincerely apologize.
She wanted them to recognize how wrong their evil deeds against her had been.
That was precisely why she had plotted their repeated food tortures and childish games.
However, everything had gone off the rails from the start.
Thanks to Elden, her torturous plans turned into a grand feast.
That was why, this second round absolutely had to succeed!
“Now, we shall commence the second evaluation of the Grand Ducal Betrothal Contest. The next test will be a [Hunting Contest]. All finalists, please take your positions at the starting line!”
“There are four caves in this mountain, but only one houses the prey marked with the Winterfell emblem!”
“The contestant who retrieves this emblem and returns shall be declared the winner of the [Hunting Contest].”
“Please demonstrate your [Valor] with the weapons provided.”
“Particularly, the Grand Duchess has mentioned she will bestow significant points upon the ‘valorous’ contestant, so I hope for excellent results from you finalists.”
And so, the hunting contest commenced.
It was only Elden Raphelion’s back she could see as he stood at the starting line.
Please.
Please.
Please.
She wished fervently that he would head northeast, and as Elden began to walk in that direction, Lumia was finally able to release a sigh of relief, dousing her troubled mind.
Unbeknownst to her, as her obsession grew and her principles cracked under the duress that Elden imposed, she heaved a sigh of relief.
For now, she could only hope that this time, her plans would succeed and that both the terror of death and the emblem of the Grand Duchy would fall into hie grasp.
She prayed that Elden would be the one to retrieve it.
Crunch, crunch.
Ah, the sound of stepping on snow is refreshingly delightful, isn’t it?
It was just an ordinary sound, yet it brought a strangely exhilarating feeling as Elden trekked towards the northeast, the provided bow lazily slung over his shoulder.
“Haaaaah~”
This rare outing was a treat, a first for him since being thrown into this other world. He inhaled the crisp, refreshing mountain air, relishing its charm.
It felt invigorating.
Breathless, he felt as if he were living out a dream, thoroughly embracing everything this vibrant snowy landscape had to offer.
On a whim,
Crunch.
He scooped up a handful of snow and brought it to his mouth, half-expecting it to taste a bit sweeter for some reason.
However, to his disappointment, it tasted just like snow from his past life.
‘By the way, I wonder where the other three have gone?’
After the Mana Record incident (?), the trio of regretful fools had cut off all interaction with him.
In their pursuit of victory in the Betrothal Contest, they kept their distance, much to his benefit, allowing him to bask in tranquility and healing.
At any rate, he continued onward alone toward the northeast.
The reason?
He merely wanted to understand why the hunting contest was deemed a game of tag by Lumia.
Lord Gelwood had mentioned that only one of the four caves harbored a special prey with the Grand Ducal emblem.
Last night’s note indicated “800M northeast.”
There must be the prey that could lead him to victory.
There must be some prey out there that will turn this evaluation into a victory.
As soon as we set off, the three members of the Regretful Trio moved together, as if solidifying their bonds.
They must have had some sort of agreement among themselves.
In order to facilitate that, the female protagonist removed the shackles known as “evaluators.”
Although it was in a direction different from mine, it was a foregone conclusion that they would arrive at the cave located 800M northeast.
Therefore.
“Hmm, would this be about right?”
I had arrived at a hill overlooking the cave.
The hill was particularly clear under the bright blue sky today.
I selected a sturdy tree nearby, close to the cave, for concealment.
“Up we go.”
I climbed up successfully with a few hops and settled comfortably on a thick, flat branch.
Then, I took out one of the fruits I had foraged earlier.
Scooping up a handful of snow that had gathered on the branch, I gave the fruit a good wash and rubbed off any impurities against my clothes.
“I wonder what it’ll taste like.”
The fruit looked like an apple, but it had a deep, glossy red color like a tomato and a long stem.
My father had warned me to be careful with random fruit, but how could I resist something that looked so enticing?
It was so captivating and splendid!
Whoosh~
The crisp mountain breeze seemed to congratulate me for the efforts of climbing up here by cooling me down.
I swept my hair back and took a bite of the fruit.
Crunch!
Sweet and tangy juice burst forth.
The flesh was slightly softer than an apple.
Hmm, it truly is delicious, isn’t it?
“There’s nothing quite like a refreshing nap.”
I crossed my legs and closed my eyes.
I pulled my hunting cap down over my face, ready to enjoy a moment of rest under the warm sun, thinking the Regretful Trio would take a while to arrive.
“That guy definitely came this way.”
“I can see his tracks headed in this direction.”
I heard voices sound nearby.
Lifting my cap, I spotted the Regretful Trio approaching the cave.
They seemed tense, ready to draw their weapons at the slightest hint of danger.
Since they arrived soon after I did, they must have been trailing the one who withdrew.
As a precaution, I had erased my footsteps before climbing the tree.
I hadn’t expected them to follow me, but this was the moment where Lee Jin-Woo’s paranoia paid off, preventing a tricky situation.
“Tsk. Where did that bastard vanish to?”
“Maybe he noticed we were trying to follow him?”
“That guy always was slippery like a snake.”
…Wait.
Could it be… Were these fools actually after me from the start?
Was this their master plan?
I’m honestly impressed by such splendid idiots.
They haven’t changed at all, have they?
“Hey! There’s a cave over there!”
“What? Oh, you’re right!”
“Let’s go inside!”
The Regretful Trio, having spotted the cave, started to venture in, led by Deron.
It seemed that Blund and Kyle had officially decided to push Deron forward.
Maybe they thought they’d snag some crumbs if Deron ended up as the Duchess’s spouse.
Honestly, it was none of my concern. I just wiggled my toes while eagerly anticipating what might unfold in that cave.
Boom!
Suddenly, a tremor shook the ground.
Birds flew away in fright, and snow piled on branches fell off.
“What the hell was that?”
The source of the vibration was clearly the cave, and it was anything but ordinary.
It felt like a mini earthquake.
At the same time, my heart began to race.
Not from fear or dread, but from something thrilling.
It was stirring something deep within me.
A profound awe at coming face to face with something massive.
A slight tension from encountering something intriguing.
And, above all,
An exhilarating expectation that something extraordinary was about to happen.
I could feel the pulse of my fantasies as I stood up with a broad, eager grin.
Crunch!
I took a sizeable bite of the apple-like fruit I had.
Boom!
The ground shook again.
Some rocks fell from above the cave entrance.
What in the world was happening in there?
Given the force of the tremors, something monumental must be lurking within that cave.
Boom!
The vibrations returned once more.
As my fingers trembled and my heartbeat grew frantic,
Finally, the source of those vibrations revealed itself.
Accompanied by the Regretful Trio, of course.
“Arghh–!! Don’t leave me here, you bastards!”
“Damn it! Don’t hold onto me—!!”
“Kyle, you jerk! How dare you push me?!”
“We’re going to die, you idiot! Who cares about anything else?! MOVE!”
The Regretful Trio was trying desperately to flee.
And hot on their tails was none other than the Wild Big Boar.
This monstrous boar dwarfed even two elephants combined in size.
“Kwoooo!!”
Thud, thud!
Judging by the heavy chains tethering its hind legs, its movement and speed were likely limited.
As it charged at the Regretful Trio, it swung its colossal tusks around.
Now I understood why Lumia called this a [Hunting Contest] and termed it a [Game of Tag].
I took another bite of my fruit.
Someone once said,
Life is a tragedy up close, but a comedy from afar.
Crunch!
…Hang in there, my friends! Keep fighting!
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