Episode 9. Dancing with the Huntress.
The two of them lounged on their chairs for a while.
Staring at her neatly parted hair, Leon finally voiced the thought that had been circling his mind.
“I’ll host a banquet in your honor.”
At the unexpected statement, Ar raised her head, first scolding his lips silently for addressing her oddly again, then opened her mouth to respond.
“A banquet?”
“Yes. As my benefactor, you should be introduced to everyone in the banquet hall. The feast will have all your favorite dishes—meats, fruits, and even a stream of chocolate flowing beside the dining table. And for music, I’ll invite the finest musicians from Somnium, the continent’s best ensemble.”
Promising that it would be incomparable to a small village celebration, Leon pulled Ar up from her chair.
“To enjoy the banquet properly as its star, you’ll first need to learn how to dance, don’t you think?”
Leon extended his hand toward her, as if asking for permission.
Ar looked at his smiling face, then down at his outstretched hand, and without hesitation, placed her own hand over his.
Leon gently took her hand, guiding her into the proper dance position. One hand on the waist, the other lightly holding the partner’s hand.
Standing close enough for their torsos to almost touch, they lifted their chests slightly and gazed into each other’s eyes.
“Yes, just like that. Straighten your back. You’re doing well.”
Once they’d established the basic posture, Leon began teaching her the steps.
Though unfamiliar with the movements and a bit awkward at first, Ar, an expert in all things physical, quickly picked up the dance.
Impressed by her rapid progress, Leon taught her how to move to the rhythm next. Ar mastered the steps in no time.
Feeling more confident, Ar grew increasingly excited and began moving faster.
Leon, skilled as he was, matched her pace effortlessly, keeping up with her spontaneous changes.
Spinning and twirling, Ar laughed brightly, her smile radiant and untainted by any hardship.
Watching her, Leon’s lips curled into a faint smile.
After dancing for a long time and working up a sweat, the two collapsed from exhaustion by evening, eating only roasted boar before falling into a deep sleep.
***
The day was beautiful.
The bright sun hung high in the clear sky, with fluffy clouds providing occasional shade from its warm rays.
On this serene afternoon, after finishing his meal and cleaning up, Leon brought a book Ar had purchased and stepped outside the cabin.
It felt wrong to stay indoors on such a sunny day.
Savoring the fresh air, Leon leaned against a tree trunk and opened his book.
How much time passed, he didn’t know. Absorbed in the words before him, Leon eventually noticed Ar sitting beside him.
He felt her gaze drilling into his cheek. Though aware of her intense stare, he didn’t turn to look, remaining still.
Suddenly, warmth pressed against his side.
Ar had wriggled her way into the space beneath Leon’s arm, her head poking out over his book, entirely blocking his view.
Rather than being annoyed by the distraction, Leon found it endearing.
With a soft chuckle, he spread his arm wider, making room for her to sit more comfortably.
“Would you like to read with me?”
Ar glanced briefly at the book in his hands, then turned away, uninterested.
“I can’t read.”
It wasn’t uncommon for people outside of affluent households or those serving noble families to be illiterate.
Though it was expected, Leon found himself surprised.
He’d assumed, somehow, that she would know. It was strange he’d thought so in the first place.
Settling herself between his knees, Ar began absentmindedly playing with his hair.
“It sparkles.”
Whatever initial strangeness she’d felt about his pale skin and shiny hair seemed long forgotten.
To her, Leon shimmered whenever she looked at him, and she expressed her thoughts plainly.
“You’re like a flower.”
As her nose brushed against his neck while she sniffed him, Leon momentarily held his breath.
“Like sunlight on rippling water.”
To her, the brightest thing during the day was the river’s surface reflecting the sun, and she thought his face mirrored that shine.
“Like a falling star.”
As a child, she’d once wandered the forest at night, looking for a star she’d seen fall from the sky.
Though scolded by her grandfather, she’d been curious about its fate. Now, Ar no longer wondered.
The star she’d been searching for had come to her and stayed. She hugged her star tightly.
Held snugly in her arms, Leon was grateful his flushed face was hidden.
‘So that’s why.’
Why he hadn’t expected her to be illiterate—it was because of this.
Buried against her chest, Leon murmured softly.
“Ar, you might have the talent of a writer.”
Anyone in love becomes a poet, but Leon, unaware of this, truly believed she had untapped potential.
With this thought, he gently lifted her chin from his head, sitting her upright in front of him, and made a serious suggestion.
“Why don’t I teach you how to read and write?”
“…Read and write?”
Ar had learned everything essential for survival from her grandfather—how to uncover the forest’s secrets, defend herself from predators, and hunt efficiently.
Her world had always been just the forest and the village.
Reading and writing weren’t needed to hunt game, sell it, or buy necessities.
“Yes. Starting with the alphabet… However this book won’t do, I’ll write a simple guidebook for you.”
Leon enthusiastically began explaining his plan—a structured curriculum with letters, materials, and learning objectives.
Bombarded with unfamiliar terms, Ar grew dazed.
Though she didn’t fully grasp what he was saying, one thing was clear—it sounded like a lot of work.
Though Ar enjoyed watching Leon excitedly talk with his lively eyes, she couldn’t help but feel that studying was a waste of time.
Her days were already full—checking her traps, selling her game in the village, and spending every remaining moment with Leon.
Even then, it never felt like enough.
With that in mind, Ar, for once, let her dislike show.
“What good would learning that do me?”
Leon, unfazed by her bluntness, picked up a nearby twig and wrote something in the dirt as an example.
[ārdeor.]
Ar stared blankly at the word etched into the ground.
Before she could process it, Leon quickly wiped it away.
“What does that even mean?”
“…You’ll find out if you learn.”
He answered evasively, avoiding her gaze as he changed the subject.
He passionately explained the usefulness of literacy—how words, unlike speech, weren’t bound by time or place and could convey meaning even across vast distances.
Ar alternated between looking at the now-erased dirt and the book Leon held.
She remained unconvinced, thinking it was a waste of time.
However, refusing something Leon wanted so earnestly didn’t sit well with her either, leaving her conflicted.
Leon watched her, his thoughts drifting. Behind Ar stretched the vast forest she called her entire world.
To him, she seemed complete, living freely in this place.
Suddenly, the opposite world he would one day return to crossed his mind—a place teeming with venomous serpents disguised as people.
Was it selfish of him to think about taking her there?
Lost in thought, Leon sighed without realizing it, his expression dimming.
Ar, ever attuned to him, noticed his melancholic air immediately.
She peeked out from under his arm, breaking his reverie with her playful intrusion.
Her antics made him laugh despite himself, momentarily forgetting his worries.
‘For now, I’ll focus on what I can do.’ .
Even if it wasn’t something she needed, he wanted to give her whatever he could.
With renewed determination, Leon poured his enthusiasm into planning lessons she still didn’t seem thrilled about.
***
Ar headed to the village to sell the prepared leather she’d worked on.
Normally, she’d rush through her errands and hurry back to the house where Leon waited. But today, there was something else she needed to check.
She made her way to the village chief’s house—the only place where someone could read.
“Eh? What’s this about?”
The chief wasn’t home, but his son, who was studying under a city tutor to become a nobleman’s servant, was there.
The boy greeted Ar with his usual arrogance, tilting his chin up and looking down on her. But she didn’t care.
She knew he considered everyone in the village, not just her, ignorant and beneath him. In truth, she found him easier to deal with than the chief himself.
“You can read, right?”
“What? Do you even know who I am? Don’t you know who’s teaching me?”
The boy loved showing off his knowledge and relished mocking others’ lack of it.
Ar nodded along at the right moments, pretending to listen to his long-winded bragging.
“So, what do you want to know?”
Satisfied after boasting about himself, the boy finally asked.
Ar picked up a fallen twig and carefully drew the shape she had memorized in the dirt.
[ārdeor.]
Her lines were crooked, but the word was legible enough.
Even though Leon had erased it quickly, Ar had committed it to memory.
“Huh? What’s this—something burned?”
“Burned?”
“If not… Ugh. Don’t tell me…”
The boy’s expression shifted to one of disgust as he looked at her.
He then began lecturing her, saying she shouldn’t harbor feelings toward someone so far out of her league, warning her to stay in her place.
“What feelings are you even talking about?”
“What, you didn’t even know what you wrote?”
Flustered, the boy yelled louder to cover his embarrassment, accusing her of doing something inappropriate.
Ar waited patiently for him to finish his tantrum, then calmly asked again what the word meant.
Finally, still red-faced, he explained the meaning.
“…!”
Hearing the answer, Ar grinned brightly, her smile as refreshing as a cool breeze.
