For Somebody/P, thank you for the ko-fi! ♡
<Episode 137>
In case of an incident.
‘Seeing that Rue gave a similar warning… there seems to be something going on.’
I examined the swordmaster. I wondered if the Emperor and that man had some hidden plan I wasn’t aware of, but it was hard to find any noticeable change in his demeanor from before.
“Sir Rowayne. If anything unexpected happens during the hunt, don’t mind me and run straight to inform Raphael or Count Rosebell.”
“Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”
“Just be alert. We’re still 4th place, remember? Do you really want to be my husband?”
Rowayne kept his mouth shut.
Soon after, the host appeared on the podium in the center and announced.
“Hunters and aides, please collect your supplies. If you have your own weapons, you may use them as is.”
A cautious servant approached and extended out a sword, bow, and spear to me.
I briefly adjusted my pearl earrings before taking the sword from the servant. It felt like a waste to use Rue’s sword for this, especially since the devils aren’t even going to be real.
“On the second day of the hunt, 44 teams will start first, followed by an additional 6 teams after 15 minutes. Please note that the grand prize for this year’s hunting competition will be announced at the banquet.”
What was up with that? Don’t we have to know the grand prize to enjoy the hunt?
‘But that’s it?’
No mentions of the traps or the devils?
“The hunting festival administration. Is it usually this lacking in explanation?”
“The hunting festival originated from lords distributing food to their serfs before the winter season. This tradition later evolved into one which involved nobles with large estates and their obligations to manage them, and further developed into the hunting festival we know now. Since it was an event attended only by noble families for generations, even if new faces appeared, they would only last for the next generation or so. So, there’s no need to explain the competition format.”
In other words, because it was their own competition, everyone understood the format without explanation.
‘So that’s why a new hunter’s partner can be decided even before the official feast.’
It was a very arrogant and haughty method, befitting a noble, but in some ways, it was also a method that achieved the highest efficiency, so I roughly understood.
Ding.
As soon as the start of the competition rang, 44 groups scattered in all directions like grains of sand.
The rules of the hunt on the second day were simple.
『First, points are only awarded for dismantling ‘magic traps,’ not for killing creatures.
Second, ‘magic traps’ can only be dismantled by hunting the demons generated within the traps.
Third, one can request assistance from others in case of abandonment or emergency. In such cases, each team can throw the disposable firecracker provided to them into the sky.』
Rowayne seemed to be concerned about the hunting on the second day, so he memorized a bunch of tips on killing devils and stuck closely to my side as if checking to see if I was nervous.
“The devils that appear in the traps are different from the ones that appeared in the actual magic war. They are incomparably weak in terms of strength, speed, intelligence, and every other aspect. However, those who see demons for the first time can faint from their terrifying appearance and foul smell. Women usually hunt using bows, but in terms of hunting speed, swords are far superior…”
Hey, Rowayne.
I appreciate your concern, but I’ve been hunting devils for 10 years.
I’ve cooked stew next to demons and even taken a nap beside them for four hours.
What do you know…
Just as I was starting to worry that my ears might get tired from his incessant talking, the surroundings suddenly darkened, as if nightfall fell half a day early.
“Be careful, Viscount! We’ve fallen into a trap!”
“Oh.”
It’s really a mental trap, isn’t it?
I was strangely a little excited. I fixed my gaze on the unknown presence that appeared in the darkness, feeling the rush of exhilaration in my body.
A Devil.
A monster that first appeared in the Magic War.
There were various rumors about it being a genetically engineered chimera from biological experiments that crossed the continent, but it’s true origin was yet to be revealed.
One thing for sure is that it was an intelligent creature that usually hunts in groups and only obeys the commands of the Great Wizard Mephisto.
Its appearance is large and grotesque.
In reality, the actual devil is about six times larger than the devil in this trap, with its hind legs spread out like a spider, and the ends of its front legs sharp like spears, capable of piercing through anything with a single strike.
Its patchy, rag-like skin emits a terrible stench. Its nose is flat like a pig’s, but it has a long and large mouth, perfect for tearing apart prey.
In short, its overall appearance is closest to that of a human.
“Oh.”
Quite convincing, isn’t it?
First of all, the appearance. Approved.
Although its appearance was much more simpler than the devils from my memory, this level of recreation wasn’t bad.
[GYAAAH!]
Scream. Approved.
At this point, I became curious.
‘Will the feeling of cutting it down be the same?’
The two legs of the devil, which were bent for propulsion, shot towards me. Rowayne shouted with a voice even more tense than mine, who was the actual target of the devil.
“Viscount! You must act calmly. I know that you are an excellent hunter, but the opponent is different from ordinary prey! As I mentioned before…”
First, grip the sword.
Next, plunge it below the chest and stab.
[Screeeech… Screech!]
As a result, the devil dies.
“Is it over already?”
I quietly looked down at the devil who’d fallen with his chest cut in half.
Sensation. Disapproved.
Out of habit, I licked the corner of my mouth.
Whenever I used to cut into the body and tear off the torso, blood used to splash on my face. And I always tasted that blood. It was my own trick to not completely assimilate into a sword-demon.
Because the blood of the devil had a terrible stench.
But the fake one was different. It had the sticky sensation characteristic of its black blood, but I couldn’t taste anything.
‘Well, I guess it’s only natural.’
I plunged the sword into the head of the struggling devil lying on the ground.
The thrill of the hunt. Utterly unsatisfying.
Overall score: fail.
Thank you for the effort, though.
As the prey’s breath was completely cut off, the darkness around me lifted and the blue sky was revealed again. In the place where the devil’s head had been, a small box-shaped magical tool was impaled on the sword.
The hunt is complete.
“Hmm.”
Unlike a real devil, it was infinitely weak. Like a delicate flower.
The excitement that had dominated my body quickly faded away.
Could this even be called a devil?
What was the reason they’d chosen devils for the hunting on the second day instead of living creatures?
‘Maybe they’re trying to remember the horrors of the magic war and prepare for anything similar… that could be a reason.’
It was so sloppy that I wondered if it really was for preparation. But considering the weak, such as women and the elderly were also participating, it was probably the best option.
I approached the absent-minded Rowayne and threw the collected trap tool at him.
“Good for you.”
“Yes?”
“The traps are light. They’re easy to carry around. I should’ve been an aide on the second day too.”
Traps don’t require much maintenance. Moreover, hunting living prey had a sense of fulfillment to feel, considering it was going to end up in the bellies of orphanage children. On the other hand, hunting the fake devils didn’t even feel like a hunt.
“…I didn’t expect you to catch them so easily, Viscount.”
“Now that you know, it’s fine.”
Rowayne nodded with a slightly ashamed expression.
“You even subjugated me with one hand during the interrogation. I guess I worried for no reason. I feel embarrassed about being so nervous.”
“Why should you be embarrassed? You were trying to help me. In other words, it’s called goodwill. If it were any other hunter, they would have valued your advice like flesh and bone. Isn’t that right?”
He looked at me with slightly surprised eyes, scratching the back of his neck and avoiding eye contact. He looked a little more embarrassed.
“Yes, Viscount, you’re right.”
After that, we continued hunting devil- no, traps, without rest.
Our hunting speed was incredibly fast, and we encountered traps one after another, dismantling and gathering them up repeatedly.
Sometimes, traps with more than two devils appeared, but it only delayed the dismantling process slightly.
There was no fun in it at all.
“Sigh, Is demon hunting always this boring? I feel like I’ve become a trap collector.”
Rowayne handed me a bottle of refreshing water and replied, “It’s because you hunt so skillfully. The devils’ behavior patterns change every year, but you dive right in and cut them down in one fell swoop, leaving no chance to memorize or understand their patterns.”
“How many have we collected?”
“Eight.”
“Do you know how many traps were set?”
“The number is not disclosed. But if you were able to collect eight in less than an hour, you can surely expect to be in the top three, if not the top two.”
Rowayne’s face showed a slight excitement. Being in the top two was quite a motivating force for hunting.
As we approached the end of the one-hour hunting session…
“Screaaam!”
The trap we came across this time was a little different before.
Usually, when caught in a trap, all surroundings became engulfed in darkness. But this time, a devil appeared from the gap between the trees.
“It seems like there are some unique traps scattered around, like the one from earlier where two devils appeared.”
Moreover, this devil was much stronger and resilient than the previous ones, making it difficult to take down in one strike.
Does the difficulty of the traps increase as we venture deeper into the forest? The anticipation I had forced down began to rise.
“Keiiii… Keiik...”
And when I licked the corner of my mouth out of habit again.
“……”
“Viscount?”
This is it.
“…Sir Rowayne, is it possible to implement the devil’s ‘taste’ in the hunting traps?”
“What? Taste… what are you referring to?”
Rowayne approached me with a bewildered look, trying to understand my question.
“I’m not sure what taste you’re talking about, but at most, it would be the smell…”
After wiping off the black blood from my cheek with my fingertips, I inserted my finger between Rowayne’s lips.
Rowayne’s expression, initially taken aback, quickly contorted in a violent manner.
“Ugh!”
“What do you think? Can you feel it too?”
Instead of answering, Rowayne gagged and stumbled backward. He stood there, hunching his back for a while, with an expression that showed he couldn’t bear it.
This was a reaction that would never come out of simple hallucination.
“What on earth is that? How can this disgusting stench…!”
“The taste of the devils.”
The sky, as I lifted my head to look, was still blue.
The black blood splattered on my clothes didn’t look like it was going to be erased.
The corpse of the devil that should have transformed into a trap mechanism still remained in its original form.
Moreover, the nauseating stench rising up from my mouth was undoubtedly…
‘Viscount, this castle is filled with a very unpleasant energy. Be careful, as we don’t know what might happen.’
‘Always be vigilant against your surroundings and prepared for any incident.’
“This is not a fake.”
Rowayne, as he looked at me, paled.
As someone who had participated in the magic war, he would have immediately recognized it.
The distinct stench emanating from the real demon. And…
“A real devil has appeared. Go to the main hunting camp and immediately report this to Raphael. It’s urgent, so do it right now!”
The intense anxiety that made my heart race.
On a side note, I feel like Rowayne will be traumatized for life after this year’s hunting competition.
Thank you for the chapter translator and Somebody/P!
Who wants to bet that devils are made as by products of experimentally feeding people heart crystals? Everyone? It’s no fun then…
Poor Rowayne. He just can not catch a break. I love his mother, she is very cool. I guess now we know why the second day is hunting demons. Thank you for the translation.