The Northern Mad Dog Is Wagging Its Tail

  Leon and Crave, leaving behind the escaped Huate, were moved for treatment. 

 

  “Philip, come here, this bastard. Didn’t I tell you to keep us by my sister’s side and make sure we’re always together? When did I tell you to let us be found?”

 

  Leon, lying on a makeshift bed receiving treatment, thrashed about, threatening to kill Philip.

 

  “For someone who can only use their left arm, you’re quite daring.”

 

  “Come here and see what happens. I’ll finish you!”

 

  “Leon.”

 

  Leon, who was being called by his sister’s calm voice, instantly swallowed his breath.

 

  “You need to calm down. You’re injured.”

 

  Leon obediently sealed his lips and nodded his head. Britia shifted her gaze to Crave.

 

  “What’s this talk about owning all the land?”

 

  “Tia, well, you see…”

 

  “Where is this land?”

 

  Crave hesitated, unable to easily reveal the story.

 

  “You were supposed to tell me if Count Huate said anything.”

 

  But they had kept it a secret between the two of them. Crave didn’t know what to do in the face of Britia’s wounded eyes, filled with a sense of betrayal.

 

  “Well, it’s not that, actually. It turns out that a few days ago, someone was sent from Huate.”

 

  He revealed that his father had written the contract with Robley ten years ago, and it was now being transferred to the Lockhart Territory.

 

  “What about that promise that they would never give it to our child? Surely…”

 

  “Me!”

 

  Leon suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs.

 

  “They said if I married him, he would make this all go away.”

 

  Both Britia and Philip were taken aback and turned to look at her. Crave, who couldn’t stand up, made an impression and moved his eyes around.

 

  “But you’re a member of the Knights, so you can’t get married,” Philip pointed out. Leon inwardly felt annoyed at his unnecessary logical rebuttal.

 

  “Oh, so that person told me to marry them and leave the Knights!”

 

  Leon silently commanded Philip to shut up.

 

  “I heard that person wanted to marry my sister before, and now they want to marry me. Have they gone crazy about marriage or something?”

 

  Crave began to feel that Leon’s lies were becoming increasingly difficult to grasp.

 

  “Well, I could get out of the Valendergue if I marry. I probably won’t be able to join the Knights again. So, I even considered closing my eyes and getting married. But no matter how I think about it, I didn’t want to become a couple with that person.”

 

  Leon pretended to be in anguish, lightly covering her expression that was awkward due to the lies, while supporting his head with her left arm.

 

  “So, you refused?”

 

  “Yeah. Sister, you wouldn’t tell me to marry that man even if you hated me because of the territory, right?”

 

  Leon glanced at Britia, testing her reaction.

 

  “Don’t talk rubbish.”

 

  “Of course, right?”

 

  Leon smiled in relief, but then averted his gaze when she saw Britia’s stern face.

 

  “So, because you said you didn’t like it, you made yourself look like this?”

 

  Leon couldn’t meet his eyes and simply nodded his head.

 

  “Got it.”

 

  “Sister, what do you mean by ‘got it’…”

 

  “Philip, will you stay with the two of them?”

 

  Britia, standing up from her seat, spoke to Philip who was standing at a distance where Leon couldn’t reach.

 

  “I’m counting on you.”

 

  Philip, taken aback by her expression, nodded his head with a slightly surprised look.

 

  Britia left the room just like that. As her footsteps grew distant, Crave attempted to get up but let out a groan and lay back down.

 

  “Hey, Leon Lockhart!”

 

  Crave whispered Leon’s name while lying down.

 

  “Bro, what should we do? Sis is angry. She’s completely furious…”

 

  “She’s not angry just because you lied about that man wanting to marry you!”

 

  “You were just showing off in front of her and got caught up in your own words!”

 

  “But my arm is broken too!”

 

  Crave groaned and, while lying down, searched for where Philip was.

 

  “Philip, hurry and go after Tia! Otherwise, it’ll be a big problem. Someone might end up dead!”

 

  “I don’t want to, bro. If I didn’t listen to you furious sister, who knows what trouble she might cause for me.”

 

  “Why does this guy listen to Leon but not me?”

 

  No matter how frustrated Crave felt, Philip didn’t budge.

 

  “So, it was a lie that Count Huate wanted to marry you?”

 

  “And do you think that person would actually want to marry me? Forget it, just let Tia go.”

 

  “Because he likes her?”

 

  Leon’s mouth fell open at Philip’s question.

 

  “Don’t say such nonsense. Before I really kill you. Can’t you see the wound on my arm because of him?”

 

  “Then what’s the reason for him wanting to marry Tia?”

 

  “Like I would know. He can’t marry my sister, even if it’s a love that spans a thousand years.”

 

  “That’s not happening. No way. Even if dirt gets in my eyes.”

 

  Crave lay down and echoed Leon’s words.

 

  Britia, as she stepped out of the tent, felt a strange sensation. She wasn’t getting flushed or heated despite being extremely angry. Her head was unusually cool.

 

  She slowly shifted her footsteps and lowered the quiver that was slung over her back. There were only two arrows left.

 

  Britia approached the wooden shelf where the quivers were gathered and took five more arrows. Then, recalling the direction in which Huate had ridden off, she moved forward.

 

  Thanks to Huate not having fled too far, Britia was able to find him about ten minutes of walking and a hundred paces away.

 

  Without uttering a word, she drew out an arrow from the quiver and aimed.

 

  Unlike the tautly drawn bowstring, she was now in a state of extreme comfort. Even holding her breath for a moment didn’t feel uncomfortable.

 

  The arrow pierced through the still air and struck the left front leg of the horse. Huate’s horse stumbled forward as a result. Losing control of the reins, Huate fell to the ground, groaning.

 

  Struggling to touch the ground and rise, an arrow flew towards his right arm this time.

 

  “Ugh!”

 

  He held onto his arm and scanned his surroundings. There was no sign of the person who had shot the arrow. His heart was racing, but the person had already fled long ago.

 

  Another arrow. This time, it aimed for the area just below his heart as he tried to escape. Thanks to wearing armor, he managed to escape unharmed. However, another arrow came, targeting the same spot.

 

  Realizing that the archer could intentionally aim for his head despite wearing armor, Huate grew desperate. He struggled to get up and run. However, due to a broken leg from the impact of the fall, he could only hobble and couldn’t run anymore.

 

  If he were to encounter anyone who recognized his face, he could at least seek protection.

 

  “Damn it.”

 

  But there was no one passing by. Even though the scheduled time had been delayed due to the crazy dog releasing the demon, it was reasonable to expect to encounter at least one searching knight. However, not a single ant passed by.

 

  Then, another arrow flew and struck his armor in the same spot as before. He didn’t realize that the feeling of growing strength was due to the archer getting closer.

 

  A rustling sound of stepping on leaves brushed against his ears as he hurriedly fled. Finally, Huate, who had turned his head in delight at the thought of encountering someone who would protect him from that crazy person, came across a mass covered in brown fur.

 

  Come to think of it, he heard that the crazy dog had not only released the demon but also a bear. It was in the Elliwood Forest, where he came to catch foxes.

 

  “A nuisance from one to ten.”

 

  When Huate locked eyes with the bear, he hesitated for a moment and then started to back away. However, a person with a broken leg couldn’t possibly outrun a fully grown bear. The bear pounced on him with its massive body.

 

  “Aaaah!”

 

  Thinking that the bear would devour him alive, Huate screamed as if he were going insane. However, the bear only pressed heavily on him without moving. Two arrows had pierced its heart, and the bear was already dead. Huate was just lying beneath the fallen bear carcass.

 

  The momentary joy of being alive faded as he realized he couldn’t push the bear away with his own strength. No matter how he struggled, with his neck trapped underneath, there was no way he could free himself.

 

  At the sound of approaching footsteps, Huate turned his head in that direction. The archer who had been chasing him finally revealed her face through the trees.

 

  In truth, Huate had stolen glances at that woman quite a long time ago, hidden in a corner of the party. At first, it was because he found it amusing to secretly mock the foolish woman who was grateful without knowing what Lokhart had done.

 

  But one day, he saw that innocent woman secretly crying. When he approached a little closer to observe her interesting face, their eyes accidentally met.

 

  “Count Huate.”

 

  The woman called out his name with a smile, her eyes still reddened from the tears. Huate forcibly held back his laughter and felt an indescribable thrill in his chest when he saw the woman’s face as she smiled through her tears.

 

  He wanted to see her more. But it was difficult to see her easily. The more difficult it became, the more Huate longed for her face. How could he find a way to see her more?

 

  It didn’t take long for the thought to cross his mind that it would be easier to leave it aside and force a smile. So, he patiently waited for the right moment and stole glances at the woman over the course of many years. Having observed her countless expressions, he arrogantly believed that he knew every inch of her face.

 

  “Count Huate.”

 

  However, the woman who now looked down at him seemed like a stranger, as if he were seeing her for the first time. She didn’t appear foolish or naive in the slightest.

 

  “Please refrain from laying a hand on our children.”

 

  Huate felt a shiver down his spine at the woman’s eerie sternness, which he had secretly laughed at inwardly.

 

  “I want to stop here as well.”

 

  With a ghostly cold expression, the woman spat out those words and turned away, leaving him lying motionless on the bear’s carcass.

 

—

 

  After the revenge and warning, Britia felt a sense of melancholy. Being released from her intense focus, her body felt limp and exhausted.

 

  “I’m tired.”

 

  She wanted to just sit down and rest. However, as Sig had mentioned, there were still two bears wandering in the forest. Without arrows, there was nothing she could do if she encountered a bear.

 

  “I should return to them…”

 

  Britia let out a deep sigh and dragged her heavy legs.

 

  Meanwhile, as Sig witnessed Britia heading into the forest alone with a bow, he followed closely behind her. The demon had been defeated, but there were still three bears roaming around.

 

  But just as he was about to catch up to her, he stopped in his tracks upon seeing her draw her bowstring. And in the face of the sight before him, he instinctively stifled his voice to avoid disturbing her, biting his lip tightly.

 

  “Indeed, it wasn’t a coincidence that she caught their attention.”

 

  Watching her calmly walk away, leaving the felled bear behind without a second thought, Sig muttered to himself.

 

  It seemed like he had caught a glimpse of Britia’s true abilities. He was overjoyed. But the reason for his happiness seemed to be more than just that.

 

  The emotions he felt towards Britia, the feeling of embracing her, were far more complex than what one would experience when facing a strong opponent.

 

  When he worried about her safety and without hesitation handed her the cloak, an heirloom from her father, before she even had a chance to think about it, he had already thrown away the only weapon he held in his hand.

 

  Even now, in awe of her skills, he couldn’t help but feel an indescribable sense of pride.

 

  She wasn’t family or a friend, and she had no relevance to him whatsoever.

 

  He now knew that Crave’s claim of a serious illness had been nothing but a joke. However, he couldn’t find an answer to the question of what this emotion he was feeling truly was.

 

  Furrowing his brow in frustration, he suddenly realized, as if by fate, the one reason that could explain it all.

 

   “I… Britia-nim!”

 

  The thought that he had finally found the answer made his heart race madly.