As more earth spirits gathered outside the tent, the once-confident earth fairies began to slowly retreat.

“Uh? There are quite a lot of them.”

“Yeah, why do they keep multiplying?”

Ark and Esta expressed their bewilderment, while Oton, who had been seriously observing the situation outside, suddenly stood up and shouted.

“They’re just earth spirits, after all. They can’t even speak on their own.”

Fools.

     Fools.

          Fools.

The earth spirits standing outside echoed Oton’s words like a chant.

Milla, who couldn’t hear anything, remained calm and composed, but Stella was on the verge of losing her mind from the buzzing noise outside.

If they didn’t chase them away, they wouldn’t be able to go outside or do anything.

Perhaps because they were far from Verdura, the earth fairies seemed to have lost some of their power. Even if they were at full strength, it would have been difficult for just four of them to handle so many earth spirits.

Feeling the need to act, Stella looked around and picked up the pickaxe. It was said to be a noble pickaxe imbued with the power of the earth, so she hoped it would do something.

“Princess, where are you going with that?”

When Stella, who had been sitting quietly, stood up with the pickaxe, Milla asked with a surprised expression. Her eyes darted anxiously between the pickaxe and Stella’s face.

“I’m not going outside. I just feel like my arm strength has weakened, so I’m going to exercise. Don’t worry about it.”

Stella said this as she stared at the earth spirits swarming like cockroaches outside the tent, holding the pickaxe.

There was something intimidating in her tone, so Milla didn’t ask further. Claiming she was exercising her arms, Stella began swinging the pickaxe around.

Milla was worried sick that Stella might drop it and injure her foot.

Meanwhile, as Stella stood with the pickaxe, the earth spirits, who seemed ready to invade the tent at any moment, flinched and retreated.

The sight of the swarming earth spirits moving all at once looked like a black wave undulating.

As expected.

“Let’s see if I can build some arm strength.”

When Stella, holding the pickaxe, approached the entrance of the tent, the earth spirits backed away significantly.

“Wow! Long live Stella!”

“As expected, she’s a noble farmer blessed by the goddess Terra!”

“Get rid of them all!”

Esta and Ark praised Stella, while Oton, in a frenzy, pointed and shouted at the earth spirits.

Stella took another step forward. Honestly, she was scared and wanted to run away, but she tried her best not to show it.

Instead, she glared at the earth spirits as if she intended to kill them, swinging the pickaxe with all her might as if rowing.

Get rid of them.

     Get rid of them.

          Get rid of them!

The earth spirits, seemingly terrified, raised their arms and fled, repeating Oton’s words.

Seizing the moment, Stella bravely took another step forward and swung the pickaxe, sending the earth spirits flying before they could escape.

With a single shriek, the heads of the other earth spirits moved in unison, tracing a parabolic arc. As soon as the flying earth spirits were out of sight, countless black eyes turned sharply towards Stella.

It gave her goosebumps. But when Stella acted as if she would swing the pickaxe again, the gathered earth spirits scattered in all directions in a panic.

“Princess?”

Satisfied with watching the earth spirits flee, Stella quietly lowered the pickaxe at the sound of Milla’s voice from behind. It must have been an incomprehensible sight for Milla.

Back inside the tent, Stella placed the pickaxe on the makeshift table. Just by looking at her eyes, Stella could tell that Milla wasn’t fond of the pickaxe.

She never imagined she’d feel so grateful to be of a higher status than Milla, all because of a single pickaxe.

The opening ceremony of the hunting festival offered three main spectacles.

First, the emperor of the Credion Empire, Kai Edelgard. The mere fact that one could see him in a public setting filled the hunting festival with noble maidens.

Second, even a low-ranking noble could catch the emperor’s eye if they stood out at the hunting festival.

Many young nobles close to the emperor had gained recognition for their achievements at the festival and become close to him. However, the process of attending the festival was so rigorous that some had to wait years.

Lastly, the most splendid spectacle was the procession of princesses from various countries held as hostages. Despite being hostages, they were princesses.

The sight of beautiful princesses gathered in one place was a rare scene one could only witness at the hunting festival.

Many frivolous young nobles were more focused on observing the princesses than the festival itself.

Stella stood in the very back row among the princesses gathered as densely as the earth spirits.

While some princesses assigned to the back openly expressed their dissatisfaction, Stella actually found it comfortable.

Even though the emperor was giving a speech in front, she could barely hear it. Fortunately, the sun wasn’t too hot, and a cool breeze blew, making it comfortable to sit.

“Stella looks pretty today!”

“Not at all, it looks cool.”

“Be quiet. Why bother saying that when they can’t even respond?”

When Oton snapped at them, Ark and Esta squinted and glared at her.

Despite this, Oton continued to scan the surroundings intently. When Stella raised her eyebrows as if to ask what she was looking at, Oton replied sharply.

“The earth spirits might come out again. You don’t even have the pickaxe right now. If I see even one of them, I’ll let you know, and you should pretend to be sick and go inside the tent. Although I doubt they’ll show up again after running away earlier, this place is crawling with monsters, so their energy is strong too.”

Stella smiled and pointed inside the hem of her dress with her finger. Oton, initially puzzled, widened her eyes in surprise when she realized what Stella meant.

“Did you really hide it under your dress? The pickaxe?”

Stella simply shrugged in response.

“Well done.”

Oton chuckled. Stella found Oton adorable for taking care of everything despite her grumbling, and she patted Oton’s small, round head.

“What’s this? Do you think I’m a kid? Hmph!”

But when Stella continued to fuss over her, Oton reluctantly leaned her back against Stella.

Stella gently tapped Oton’s back with her fingers. Oton flinched every time she was touched, making her look incredibly cute and lovable.

“Did you hear that there was a handkerchief tied to His Majesty’s sword?”

Voices murmured from the front. The princesses sitting nearby leaned in, intrigued by the conversation.

“Really? Do you know which princess made that handkerchief? Has anyone heard about the handkerchief His Majesty chose?”

The princesses shook their heads, indicating no one had heard anything.

Stella craned her neck to look at the line. The princesses were seated in a row by district, and the front seat was occupied by Princess Annette of Müiget. Being in the last seat meant Stella was ranked lowest in the Plant District.

Stella glanced at the other princesses sitting at the back like her. Despite being adorned in fine clothes and jewels, their expressions seemed as gloomy as those attending a funeral.

Then, she made eye contact with one princess who, like her, was looking around. She was the only one among the princesses in the back who was smiling brightly.

The two exchanged smiles as if they had agreed to do so and then turned their gazes forward.

Below the platform where the emperor stood, knights were lined up with military precision.

‘Could Royce be among them?’ Stella wondered if Royce had tied the handkerchief she had given him to his sword.

***

As Kai descended from the podium after finishing his speech, Harman quickly approached him. The hunting festival was the only event among the many held by the royal family that the emperor didn’t dislike, except for the speech part.

“You were magnificent today. Your speech was even more impressive than last year’s. It seems you’re getting better at it with each passing year. I struggled to hold back tears while listening.”

Harman, who had rushed over, praised Kai so much that his mouth went dry. Seeing Kai’s lips curl into a smile, Harman felt his flattery had paid off.

“Harman.”

Kai’s voice was gentle as he addressed the Chamberlain.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Was it really more impressive than last year’s?”

“Of course. You know I can’t lie.”

“Really?”

Harman nodded contentedly. Although he had dozed off a bit and hadn’t heard the entire speech, the thunderous applause from the crowd convinced him it must have been a successful speech.

“Yes, it was the best.”

“It’s the same speech as last year.”

“What?”

“You said the same thing last year.”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Despite the wrinkles, Harman’s eyes, which usually shone brightly, seemed to lose focus.

“And yet you say it becomes more impressive with each passing year. That’s quite intriguing.”

Having said his piece, Kai effortlessly mounted his horse, leaving Harman standing there in a daze. Kai’s young and sturdy black horse seemed pleased to have its master on its back, prancing and stamping its feet.

Then it happened. The handkerchief tied to Kai’s sword came loose and fluttered to the ground. Harman, who had been standing with a slightly sulky expression, quickly snatched the handkerchief from the ground.

The gazes of the princesses and noble ladies who had been watching the scene focused on him instantly. Though the emperor had chosen and tied the handkerchief to his sword, no one knew who the owner was.

“Your Majesty, I caught the handkerchief.”

Even Harman, who was unaware of the handkerchief’s origins, pretended to hand it over while sneaking a peek at the embroidered pattern.

“Huh?”

Harman tilted his head in confusion. Kai, with a chuckle, took the handkerchief from him and tied it back onto his sword.

“Your Majesty, that handkerchief, where did it…”

Harman held back the urge to ask outright where he had picked it up. He couldn’t fathom why there was a carrot embroidered on the emperor’s handkerchief.