Chapter 61
As I opened the bottle and looked up, Belietta smiled and spoke in a sweet voice.
“I came to apologize. Forget about what happened in the forest. I think I got too carried away and did something I shouldn’t have. Please forgive me.”
I had been waiting for her to spout some more ridiculous nonsense, but what came out of her mouth was so underwhelming that it made me feel embarrassed for expecting more.
She always does things that go against my expectations.
How could she just strike up a casual conversation like this after we were glaring at each other like we wanted to kill?
I stared at Belietta without even taking a sip of the drink I had been about to lift to my lips, swallowing a scoff inside.
“Sure. I’ll forget it. Don’t worry too much about it, Belietta.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried about what I’d do if you didn’t accept.”
“I’m glad I could ease your worries too.”
A dry laugh and an equally dry voice escaped me.
Even with my response and attitude, Belietta still smiled brightly, like she was genuinely happy.
What’s she thinking?
Did she really believe I’d just accept her apology and understand everything?
I couldn’t shake the strong feeling that there was another motive behind this.
What’s she plotting?
As I kept staring at Belietta, who was smiling silently, a trumpet sounded in the distance.
“Looks like people are starting to come back. Want to go see?”
I almost laughed at how absurd it was, thinking, ‘Why would I go there with you?’ But then the thought that Belietta might be up to something made me chuckle.
Was one failure not enough for her?
After staring blankly for a moment, I slowly stood up, and Belietta’s eyes sparkled.
She started leading the way as if inviting me to follow, and I quietly spoke.
“Sir Rippert.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“What I asked for this morning, is it ready?”
“It’s done.”
After hearing his answer, I gave a short nod and moved my legs.
As I followed Belietta, I could see people returning in time with the trumpet sound, each carrying a large or small beast they had caught.
The ones with small beasts were met with encouragement, while the ones with larger ones were greeted with cheers.
“Did you know? Some of the participants in this event joined to represent their families, but most of them joined as individuals. Most of them are knights, too. Do you know why?”
When I turned my head at Belietta’s voice, I saw her smiling deeply.
She met my gaze and gently curled her lips into a smile.
I just stared at her, not sure what she wanted to say, and Belietta slowly opened her mouth.
“It’s to express their feelings.”
“Feelings?”
“They’re offering the beasts they caught. The bigger the beast, the bigger the feelings they’re expressing. That’s why most of the knights participated—to present a beast to the lady they have feelings for and confess. I didn’t know this either, but it seems there’s that kind of tradition in this hunting competition.”
I looked away from Belietta and ahead, seeing knights carrying the beasts they had caught somewhere.
After handing back the tokens they received as participants, they scattered, each holding their beasts.
The knights approached the ladies who had come to watch and offered them the beasts.
From that moment on, all the attention was on which lady would receive the most gifts from the knights and who would get the largest beast.
“I only found out about it recently, so I went around telling the participants who were returning that it’s okay to follow the tradition and custom. That they can confess their feelings however they want.”
Why is she telling me this?
Is she trying to teach me about an interesting custom and tradition, or is she giving me a heads-up about what’s coming?
I stared at her eyes as they subtly checked my reaction, then slowly turned my head and spoke briefly.
“Belietta. Get to the point. What are you trying to say?”
“There’s nothing to say.”
“Nothing?”
“Yeah. You just need to stand next to me.”
Belietta took her eyes off me and turned her gaze toward a knight who was walking toward her.
The knight approached her, placed the massive beast he had caught on the ground, and kneeled.
“May the grace of the gods be with you. I am Bahilron, a knight of the royal family. I present this beast I caught in the competition to the Lady of the House of Bozbourne.”
Not just a regular knight, but a royal knight knelt and offered a beast.
The scene surprised even me, and it seemed to shock the others just as much.
And it wasn’t just an ordinary beast either; it was a massive wolf-like creature, not easy to catch.
The gazes filled with envy and admiration all converged on Belietta.
“Thank you, Sir Bahilron.”
Belietta lightly took the hand the knight offered, and her eyes slowly shifted toward me.
It was only then that I instinctively realized that her smile wasn’t one of joy—it was a smile of victory and superiority.
‘So this is why you brought me here, huh.’
She wanted me to feel the difference between us.
“Classic Bellietta.”
This was the most childish and straightforward method Belietta could think of.
Impressive, I guess.
I never expected her to use this kind of tactic.
Since she couldn’t break me, was she trying to embarrass me instead?
While I watched her, more knights began to gather around Belietta.
And these weren’t just any knights; most belonged to the royal family or famous houses.
Not to mention, there were quite a few waiting in line to present their beasts.
But there wasn’t a single one standing in front of me.
I hadn’t sent anyone to participate, nor had I formed any connections with any knights.
“Wow, it really is Lady Bozbourne. Look at everyone lining up to offer their beasts.”
“With such a prestigious house, great character, and beautiful looks, I guess everyone just wants to at least call her name once.”
“I’m so jealous. But why is that person standing next to her?”
“Who knows? There’s no one there to present a beast, so why is she just standing there?”
“If it were me, I’d leave. It’d be embarrassing to be compared to her.”
“Right?”
As I casually rolled my eyes, I could hear small voices whispering from behind me.
Just because I was next to Belietta, I was also drawing attention.
But unlike her, it was in a bad way.
Ah, consistency is nice, Belietta.
This wasn’t just about what happened in the forest; she was clearly doing this on purpose.
It was such a childish and impulsive move for her.
I twisted my lips as I watched Belietta enjoy her superiority while I stood behind her.
This is entertaining in its own way too.
***
A strange echo vibrated through the silent mountain.
The once-calm trees screamed, and the ground groaned.
Boom!
A thunderous sound, like the ground collapsing, erupted and a tree snapped.
Crows hiding in the forest flew into the sky, followed by floating beasts.
“Phew…”
On the back of a massive fallen black wolf lay an unusually long sword.
A woman who had been watching quietly pulled the sword from its hilt.
Blood oozed from the wound where the sword had been, soaking the ground.
Her clothes were stained a deep red, barely revealing any original color.
Her hair, tied in a single bun, was matted with dried blood.
“Are you done?”
A voice came from behind the woman as she exhaled deeply.
Her golden eyes, still staring at the beast, slowly turned to look back.
“I’m finished over here. How about you, Aden?”
“I left the cleanup to the commander.”
Aden calmly approached and looked down at the sprawled wolf beast.
Despite being at least twice the size of a person, neither he nor the woman seemed particularly impressed.
“I thought this year would be a bit tough, but it looks like it’s wrapping up more smoothly than expected.”
“If only Bozbourne hadn’t been messing around, it could have gone even smoother without casualties.”
The woman, with her cold gaze, twisted her lips.
“Gillard is greedy, but he’s not stupid enough to act thoughtlessly. He definitely knew what he was doing.”
“But even so, we can’t hold him accountable.”
“There are some people you can’t hold accountable, no matter what.”
The woman rummaged through a bag she had tossed to the ground and pulled out a water bottle.
I thought she was going to wash her blood-streaked face, but she used the water to wash the blood off the sword.
As she watched the thick blood wash away, her lips slowly parted.
“Was it Sierra? I should thank the young lady of Brilloxen. Thanks to her, I was able to finish this job safely.”
“I’ll pass that on…”
Before Aden could finish his sentence, a huge shadow soared up from the other side.
With massive wings blocking the sky and a jutting snout.
A huge body that looked to be at least 6 meters long.
The wyvern, revealing itself from its hiding spot, charged toward the woman.
(Wyvern: Two-legged, winged Dragon)
“Graaah! Aaaah!!”
Letting out a tremendous roar, it proclaimed itself the master of this mountain range.
Among the high-level beasts, this one was considered top-tier.
Even as such a beast rushed toward her, the woman still looked down at her sword.
Finally, the wyvern lunged at her and Aden, showing its enormous teeth.
In an instant, it seemed like it could turn the two of them into minced meat, but the wyvern never reached them.
In a flash of light, with a booming sound, the wyvern’s corpse flew through the air and impaled itself on the opposite side.
The once-mighty wyvern was nowhere to be seen.
All that remained was its long neck, bleeding profusely.
