Even if the cat that they used to throw fish one by one as they came and went, moved wrongly, it was bound to end badly. It goes without saying that the person who was always next to him and lived with him would go through something bad, he can’t help but not be okay.
Selina asked amiably like a cat lying about on his lap.
“Is it dangerous even with the Duke by my side?”
Kalcion naturally looked down at Selina and met her eyes.
“It’s a hunting contest, so we can’t stay together.”
“As long as the Duke fights with your prey, I just need to quarrel with the ladies in a safe place.”
“What if the ladies get angry and pull out their swords or bows?”
His habit of worrying. Once the worries begin to creep in, they take root and all thoughts flow only in the direction of that worry.
“I don’t think I will lose.”
Her swordsmanship training with Kalcion every morning was still going on. The combination of Selina’s quick learning ability and Kalcion’s desire to teach her made her progress quite fast.
Now she was able to withstand a few numbers against the youngest knight. Since there wasn’t even a trainee in the mansion, there were no weak opponents in the first place. Although the youngest was the weakest, he became a match for Selina, but he was also one of the best in all of Renbird’s forces.
Being able to face him a few times meant that her winning rate went up quite a bit against normal men and weak soldiers. So, wouldn’t it be easier to deal with ladies who have never lifted anything heavier than a pen?
“As long as they have a weapon, you must not be vigilant even to a child.”
“I know.”
He was still sensitive to injuries. In fact, it only happened a few times during morning training with the youngest knight.
Every time she confronts another knight, he stares at them with a terrifying expression. He wasn’t just watching, he stopped most of them, saying it’s dangerous. After that, he said that if the skill difference is big, he can predict their movement, thus reducing the probability of injury.
Knowing his character, Selina listened obediently.
“Even if I want to participate in hunting, I can’t because I haven’t practiced with a bow. I only used a sword. First of all, I hate hunting itself.”
“Now that I think about it, it’s worth learning the bow at least once.”
“Oh, I know how to shoot.”
“Did you learn the bow?”
Whenever training was mentioned, Kalcion was always surprised. Turns out Selina had learned a lot and she knew what to do a lot.
“The country I lived in used to shoot arrows well for generations. I learned a few times because I had the opportunity to perform in front of people, and I don’t think it was bad.”
“Really? Shall we try it then?”
Kalcion seems to have wanted to see it while they’re at it. He sprinted up.
“Right now?”
“If it’s a bow, you don’t have to change clothes.”
The sun was already setting. But it was difficult especially when Kalcion was pestering like a child with such excitement.
‘It’s cute that he’s fussing like that… Ah, what am I thinking?’
Nonsense, no, delusional. Reflecting on herself, Selina got up too. There was no reason not to, so she followed him.
“But I don’t know what it would be like to use a different bow here.”
“You don’t have to be good. I just want to see it.”
Selina shed a small laugh at Kalcion’s more desperate persuasion.
It is cute.
* * *
Selina was in her dress and stood in front of the target.
The knights, who had been taking a break as it was in the evening, rushed out when they heard that Kalcion had come to the training ground.
“I didn’t mean to do this with people looking like this…”
“When you train, don’t they always gather like this?”
Kalcion wondered as he thought about her usual morning training.
As he said, during morning training, everyone watched with their eyes lit up, wanting to see if they could learn something from Kalcion. It was a view so familiar that even Selina, who found it burdensome at first, can now forget the gazes and focus on training.
But this morning was different. They are not gathered to see and learn from Kalcion, but to watch her shoot her bow.
“Now they see only me…”
The eyes of people who flocked to see her are not scary, but she was also concerned about showing things that she was unfamiliar with.
“No need to be nervous. Everyone is equally bad.”
There was nothing better to say. The knights’ shoulders hearing his poignant evaluation slumped. From tomorrow morning, archery may be included in the training schedule.
Kalcion clenched the bow and passed it on to Selina.
It looked a little strange, but the structure was similar. Selina glanced at the bow she was holding, and then she tied the arrow to the string.
When she actually pulled the string, it felt like it was flexible and moderately strong.
Selina’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the target.
In an instant, the arrow escaped her fingertips.
It flew wildly, like a raging heart that went out of control against the master’s will.
Her first shot missed from the target’s circle.
“Uhmm.”
She took one shot and forgot her surroundings. Catching her eye on the target, she thought that she had to hit it.
The second arrow hit quite halfway.
But even that was not satisfactory. Selina, without a word, tied the next arrow in protest. She ran out of arrows as she shot so frantically. Her arms and shoulders were sore because she was wearing a dress, which was unnatural.
Even though she wasn’t very happy with the result, it wasn’t bad enough. Selina loosened her shoulders and lowered the bow.
“As expected, I don’t even practice… what?”
Selina stopped when she realized the gazes on herself.
Not only the knights, but also Kalcion’s eyes were tinged with astonishment.
“What, what’s wrong?”
“This is bad?”
“Today was a bit bad…”
Was it that bad?
Selina answered in a voice that lacked confidence, rather getting discouraged.
“You say this is bad?”
“If not bad, then is it worse?”
“What are you talking about? You are talented enough here.”
“…Really?”
When Kalcion said that, she didn’t know if it was a joke or not, but she couldn’t believe it. At this level, she could not even say that she was particularly good at it. She practiced for several months, and in the yard where there are a lot of people who hit the 10-point score in a row, the result with arrows hitting outside of the target circle was not enough to be praised.
“At least here it is.”
“You are so good at all kinds of martial arts, what’s with the bow?”
Although the martial arts here are focused on swordsmanship and horse riding, it was surprising that archery was not developed.
“It is because the physical part of continuous shooting is more important than the training of focusing on one spot, but your shooting is technically amazing.”
“I can teach you if you want.”
She’s not good enough to teach others, but if there’s a skill that doesn’t exist in this world, she was willing to teach it.
At Selina’s generous remarks, the knights flocked in shouting oh oh.
“Don’t rush in. Maintain formation.”
But before they could even approach Selina, a seawall called Kalcion put the brakes on their feet. It was a seawall to stop even when a tsunami came.
* * *
It wasn’t a hunting contest held on a distant mountain, but it was half like a picnic. There was no danger in the hunting contest with animals that had been caught in the nearby forest released.
Selina’s body, which was tense at the thought that it could be dangerous just as Kalcion said as this is the place where weapons come and go, was relieved.
“It’s just a party.”
“Hmm.”
He, who used to light the torch as if going to war, hid his embarrassment with a short moan, perhaps unaware of such a situation.
“Usually hunting contests have a more wild atmosphere. It’s like a miniature version of a beast hunt.”
“At Renbird?”
“….”
It is unavoidable to think according to what he saw and grew up with.
True to the name of hunting contest, women wore simple dresses or robes. The only different thing was the clothes, and other than that, it wasn’t much different from any other party.
At the tables around them, chefs were constantly making new dishes, and light drinks and drinks were also circulating.
Even armed men were holding a glass of alcohol without tension.
The hunting was an excuse to meet.
As she looked around, a group of people approached her with a squealing noise. Before she even looked back, she heard a familiar voice.
“Well, I met a precious face.”
It was the Crown Prince with nobles behind him. They must be the nobles belonging to the Crown Prince faction. Their gaze towards Kalcion was not pretty.
“Crown Prince.”
Kalcion gave a perfect greeting with no flaws on the surface. Selina bowed her head together.
Just before she bowed her head, her eyes met with the Crown Prince. Without missing the brief moment, the Crown Prince erased his solemn expression and gave a playful wink.
‘Ugh.’
Selina hurriedly bowed her head, pretending not to see it.
When she lifted her head again, the Crown Prince returned to the expression of power he had seen in the Rose Palace.
“This time, the untimely beast has not crossed the mountain range this time?”
“Fortunately, yes.”
“The sword didn’t even break a week ago.”
“That’s right.”
“I hope the beast I caught this time has stronger bones than the last beast.”
“I hope so too.”
It was a calm and gentle conversation, but the observer’s spine was damp.
The Crown Prince smiled softly, biting his lips as if he couldn’t think of any more words to bring out in response to Kalcion;s brief reply, which didn’t leave any room. However, he did not hide the blade in his eyes.
“Does Miss Selina also go hunting together?”
In the end, the Crown Prince’s focus on Kalcion turned to Selina.
“What? Ah… No, I’m just brightening the mood.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes on Selina in her suit had a never-before seen warmth. It was beautiful, but she was chilled by the oddity of something out of place, like a flower blooming by a frozen pond.
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