I Became The Younger Sister Of A Dying Woman - Chapter 43

Chapter 43: A Springtime Nightmare (3)

“Young Master Leal?”

The culprit made Linzel twitch her forehead.

“Ahem. How do you do?” 

The child was pretending to be an adult again today.

Wearing a child-sized robe and holding a small staff meant for children. He was a wizard without the look of the youngest member of a wizarding family.

The problem was not that she was feeling intimidated by the tiny magician…

‘Cute!’

It was the fact that he was so adorable.

Without realizing it, a faint smile formed on Linzel’s face.

The child looked up at her and spoke hesitantly.

“Is your forehead… alright?”

“Well, yes. But it throbs occasionally.”

“…….”

The child tapped the staff on the floor one after another, not knowing what to do.

It was clear that he felt sorry for her.

She lowered herself to the child’s level, aligning eye contact.

“But if Young Master Leal could blow gently on my forehead, the throbbing might go away.”

“D-Don’t make fun of me.”

“Oh no, I’m not making fun. Since Young Master is an excellent magician, your breath might have remarkable effects.”

“……Is that so?”

“Of course!”

Doubt filled the child’s eyes as he faced the eccentric, pink-haired lady who had helped him at the ball.

“Come on, hmm?” Linzel coaxed.

The child hesitated with suspicion, but slightly parted his tightly sealed lips. Soon, the child’s breath reached her forehead.

It was like a mountain breeze, a lovely and warm breath.

The child blushed with embarrassment from the gentle whew~. The rosy tint on his cheeks was evidence of that.

“Your Highness,” Leal began after regaining his composure. “Do you know what?”

“What?” Linzel asked.

“I want to participate in this hunting competition too. Of course, I have to move with my brother, but……

If it’s his brother, he must be talking about the charming Ramon.

“I’m the youngest participant,” he finished proudly.

The child was clearly delighted.

Linzel gave him a big pat on the back.

“You’re amazing.”

“I will give Her Highness the opportunity to cheer for me.”

Did he want a cheering accessory?

Linzel hastily got up from her seat and realized that she hadn’t brought anything.

But if she didn’t give him anything, the child would look crestfallen.

In the end, she took off the bracelet she was wearing. It fit perfectly on the child’s staff.

“Do your best!” She cheered.

The child’s face lit up.

“I will defeat His Highness Hernan.”

“Yes, please win.”

If that’s possible, that’s what Linzel wanted to cheer for. What a sight it would be.

“…I’m not joking,” Leal said seriously.

That’s when it happened. Another person emerged from the bushes, rustling through them.

“Hey, you. There you are, I’ve been searching for you for a while. The hunting competition is about to start.”

It was Ramon.

He had a single blade of grass on his head, just like his little brother.

When he noticed me, he nodded his head.

“Thank you for being so friendly with my brother.”

Had he been listening to our conversation?

“Haha. I want to be even closer with the young master because he’s so cute.”

“That’s right. My little brother is really adorable. He would be even cuter if he listened to others……”

Leal glared at Ramon.

“Oh, by the way. Do you know that Father has approved the proposal made by His Highness Hernan?”

“If you’re talking about the proposal by His Highness Hernan… Are you referring to being recognized by the Sevilla Duchy?”

“Yes. Father is grateful for saving my brother. He says he wants to meet and express his gratitude.”

“Oh, no. It’s enough that he recognized me.”

It seemed like things were going well, as Hernan had mentioned.

“I will soon deliver the seal that signifies being recognized by the Sevilla Duchy.”

The seal.

These unique emblems, made of aurichalcum, had the symbols of each family engraved in a special way.

(E/N: Aurichalcum is a metal (specifically a bronze-alloy) mentioned in several ancient writings, including the story of Atlantis in the Critias of Plato.)

It is said that replicas can never be made.

And there were three holes in the entrance of the archives where the seal could be inserted.

It is said that if you insert the emblems in there, the locked door of the archive will open.

Of course, you had to meet with Apophis and get permission to enter the archive beforehand.

Opening the royal archive’s door without permission?

That is considered a declaration of direct confrontation with Apophis.

No matter how skilled Hernan was, he couldn’t defeat the 500-year-old Mountain Dragon. Absolutely not.

“Thank you,” Linzel said.

“Yes. Then I’ll be off, and I’ll take my brother with me.”

“Yes, Ramon, take care and stay strong! And Leal, be careful not to fall.”

The child pouted his lips.

“I’m not a little child who falls easily.”

Well, but you are a child, though. Don’t tell me there’s a big difference there.

The brothers went off, after they had made a promise to Linzel to listen well to her parting words.

Leal had a pouty look on his face.

“Oh, Your Highness. Since we met, let me tell you… It would be wise to be cautious of the people from the Cardis Duchy who participate in the hunting competition.”

“Why is that?”

“They have resentment towards the imperial authority. It is certain that they think negatively of Your Highness and His Highness Hernan.”

‘Even if I see them, I’m not participating in the hunting competition… Can they harm me?’

Moreover, there were several people and escorts here.

Linzel was a little worried about Hernan, but she didn’t think he was an easy target.

He might as well pluck out the eyeballs of the Duke of Cardis.

“Thank you for the advice.”

“Well, then we’ll be going.”

“Your Highness, let’s meet again later.”

The child imitated Ramon’s tone until the end. Cute little guy.

As soon as the Sevilla company was completely out of sight, the sound of a pistol was heard in the distance.

It was the sound that signaled the beginning of the hunting competition.

“Mini, let’s go back too. We shouldn’t stay in secluded places for too long.”

“Yes, Miss Linzel.”

By now, Letty would have had plenty of time to talk to Izekiel.

Izekiel must have also participated in the hunting competition…

When Linzel was about to turn around, a sneeze, which had been silent for a while, threatened to come out again.

“Ah… ah… Achoo!”

It was the loudest sneeze she had ever made.

The loudness caused her back to bend sharply forward.

As she bent her back, she heard a sharp sound of something slicing through the air.

Linzel’s long, flowing hair was scattered. The handkerchief hanging on her ear fell to the ground.

And something hot trickled down her cheek.

“……..”

It was red blood.

She turned her head to the side, holding her breath.

Then she saw what had made the sharp sound.

“…..!”

It was an arrow, stuck in the tree behind her.

If she hadn’t lowered her head when she sneezed, the arrow would have hit not the tree but her head.

“M-Mini… I… I almost died, right?”

Linzel’s voice trembled without control. Mini, who had been frozen in surprise, finally regained her senses.

“Y-You… You have to get out of the way quickly!”

What just happened?

A chill ran down Linzel’s spine.

It felt like all the blood in her body was drying up.

* * *

Despite bragging to Linzel, telling her not to worry, telling her that he would easily win first place in the hunting competition, Hernan was actually quite serious.

Of course, he was sincere about being able to win first place in the hunting competition.

What he was really worried about was…

‘I hope those Cardis Duchy bastards don’t cause any trouble.’

Hernan suspected that the Cardis Duchy was the main culprit behind the civil war, but was unable to completely uproot them.

They had harbored resentment towards the imperial authority for a long time, ever since they grew powerful enough to pose a threat to it.

Of course, it wasn’t just the Cardis Duchy who was involved in causing the civil war; there were other nobles implicated as well.

That’s why, ever since his return to the palace, he had been focusing on uncovering the mastermind behind it all.

Perhaps even more so than becoming the Crown Prince.

Taking precautions for any unforeseen circumstances, he immediately instructed his knights to guard the imperial family and the Valencia Duchy members as soon as the opening ceremony ended.

Despite the measures in place, he still had an ominous sense of foreboding.

Deep within the Elche Forest, Hernan, who had brought down three wyverns, let out a deep sigh.

In his hands was a long spear for shooting down creatures that soared through the sky and a sword for cutting down those that roamed the land.

“Your Highness, you’ve already taken down three wyverns. Why do you sigh like this?”

It was Jackson, the vice-captain who had been protecting his back, who spoke.

Wyverns were the top predators among winged monsters. Just capturing one was enough to aim for a high rank in the hunting competition.

Even though he had secured first place, he sighed.

Jackson couldn’t understand Hernan’s anguish.

“For some reason, I don’t feel good.”

“……”

“What can I say……. It’s like I thought I had destroyed my enemies, only to be caught in the middle of one of their schemes.”

“That’s a terrible example to hear.”

At that moment, the cry of a wyvern echoed once again.

Hernan raised his spear high, preparing to shoot it down.

But someone else shot an arrow faster than he threw his spear.

The arrow pierced the wyvern’s heart accurately, and it let out a painful cry as it plummeted.

Soon, a group of people appeared.

Hernan’s pupils narrowed as he looked coldly at them, holding his spear firmly.

“…..I apologize for hunting Your Highness’s prey before you could.”

The man with red hair at the front of the group spoke. Despite having no prey before him, the man tightly gripped his bowstring.

The tip of that arrow was aimed at Hernan.

“How dare you draw your bow towards His Highness Hernan?”

The enraged voice belonged to Jackson.

“No way.”

The man with the red hair responded and aimed his bow elsewhere.

The arrow forcefully struck the head of the already dead wyvern.

“I merely intended to kill the wyvern perfectly. Don’t worry, I have no intention of disrespecting His Highness.”

Jackson gritted his teeth.

It was undoubtedly clear to anyone that he was picking a fight with Hernan.

Hernan stopped Jackson from stepping forward.

“You don’t have to apologize for getting the wyvern first. That was some nimble bowman ship.”

“You flatter me.”

“But…..”

In an instant, Hernan threw his spear, and the events unfolded rapidly.

The spear flew without the faintest deviation, heading directly towards the man with the red hair.