Judging from the situation, it seemed he had an unrequited love for Yelodia, and challenging him to a duel on the spot felt like a less troublesome option.

“Take your hands off her if you have any sense of honor!”

“If I refuse?”

“How dare you…!”

Theodore’s face turned red with anger and humiliation, as if he was ready to draw his sword at any moment.

Just then, the air behind Theodore seemed to ripple. A surge of bloodlust swept through, making the forest tremble as though it were alive.

The very next moment, a massive paw emerged from behind the cedar tree.

“Graaaah!”

Theodore, frozen in place and unable to breathe, staggered backward. Edward yanked him back by the collar just in time.

“Ugh…!”

The ferocious beast’s paw narrowly missed Theodore’s face. A fraction of a second later, his face would have been crushed to pulp.

“A bear…!”

Faces turned pale with shock. A colossal male bear, large enough to overshadow the cedar trees, roared in rage.

“Graaaah!”

With a single swipe of its paw, the bear smashed a massive cedar trunk into splinters. As the tree groaned and collapsed, everyone’s faces drained of color.

Getting caught by those paws would mean not even bones would remain.

“Careful with your arrows!”

It was the Emperor’s voice.

At the same time, an arrow whistled through the air and pierced the bear’s shoulder with a thud. The bear let out a pained roar.

“Y-Your Majesty! Get back!”

Theodore’s voice cracked with panic.

“Such nonsense,” the Emperor said with a dry laugh. After all, he was the one who had driven the bear to this spot.

“Why are you standing there? Get over here!”

The Emperor, drawing another arrow, issued a warning. But no one dared to move. Any movement risked provoking the enraged bear’s deadly claws.

Sweat soaked the back of Beyhern’s shirt as he muttered quietly, “Sir!”

“Don’t move. As you saw just now, those claws will shred you into ribbons,” Edward said calmly. On closer inspection, the bear was already bleeding heavily from several arrow wounds, its blood pooling beneath it.

The massive gray bear, easily three times the size of an adult man and ten times the weight, was covered in thick gray fur. It was a species found only in the northern mountains.

The Emperor drew his bowstring again. Unfortunately, the next arrow narrowly missed the gray bear.

“Grrrrr…”

The bear’s sharp teeth glinted ominously.

“That’s more like it,” the Emperor said with a grin, nocking another arrow to the string. The Imperial Guards surrounded him, standing ready, knowing the Emperor disliked his prey being taken down by others.

“Graaaah!”

Enraged by the arrows, the gray bear lunged at the Emperor with alarming speed. In the forest, nothing moved faster or more fiercely than a bear.

“Come at me!”

The Emperor confidently pulled the bowstring taut, showing no sign of fear despite the massive gray bear barreling toward him with thunderous steps.

The arrow struck true, piercing the bear’s neck.

The giant beast collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud, like a crumbling mountain.

“Hit!”

“Amazing, Your Majesty!”

“It seems today’s victory is Yours!”

Previously unseen noble youths flocked toward the Emperor, showering him with praise. They had followed him, knowing they stood little chance of winning the hunt themselves.

“To encounter a gray bear in a place like this—I hadn’t expected it either,” the Emperor said as he leapt down from his horse and approached his trophy. He glanced at Edward with a wry smile.

“So, how’s your hunt going?”

“I haven’t caught a single one yet,” Edward replied honestly. The Emperor let out a dry chuckle, wagging his finger.

“Don’t just stand there gawking. Come closer and learn something. You can’t study from a distance.”

Edward approached reluctantly. Observing the enormous gray bear up close was unsettling, but disobeying the Emperor wasn’t an option. Besides, he couldn’t deny his curiosity about the beast he’d never seen before.

“The Duke of Quito will throw a fit when he hears about this. He’ll say I stole his prey.”

“Will he now?”

“These bears are mostly found in the north. They’re man-eaters. Orders are to kill them on sight, so they’ve nearly vanished from the region.”

“So it fled here to escape its hunters?”

“Perhaps someone deliberately released it,” the Emperor said with a sly grin. The cryptic remark made Edward glance at the bracelet on his left wrist. He knew the Emperor wore an identical one.

“Now, bring the servants and have them skin and butcher it. We’ll take it all,” the Emperor commanded, turning back to admire his trophy.

It was at that moment.

“Graaaah!”

The bear, thought to be dead, suddenly rose and charged at the Emperor.

“Your Majesty!”

The Imperial Guards immediately drew their swords and rushed forward.

The Emperor hastily unsheathed his blade, but it was too late. The gray bear closed the distance in an instant, poised to rip the Emperor’s throat out and crush his heart with its jaws.

Thud—!

A sword gleamed sharply as it pierced through the gray bear’s neck. The enormous beast didn’t even have time to flail its massive body.

The bluish blade sliced through the thick neck without hesitation.

“Hah…!”

Soon, the gray bear’s head thudded onto the ground. Its gigantic body collapsed helplessly, and crimson, steaming blood poured out like a waterfall.

The emperor instinctively stepped back, losing his balance and landing hard on the ground.

“Are you all right?”

It was Edward. The emperor, still in a daze, looked up at the man nonchalantly retrieving his sword. Edward’s eyes, drenched in scarlet blood, were unnervingly calm, like the still surface of water.

‘What a monstrous man’, the emperor thought.

At last, he glimpsed the true nature of the man called a phantom during the Phoenician Sea War.

“Do I look fine to you?”

“No, you do not,” Edward replied calmly, extending a hand.

The emperor took Edward’s hand and stood. His pale-faced royal guards rushed over to support him, with Fabian among them, visibly astonished by Edward’s skill.

“Are you all right, Your Majesty?”

“And what if I’m not? We’ll have to call an end to this hunting tournament.”

The emperor turned to the nobles, who were staring blankly at him, and made his announcement.

“The winner of the tournament is Baron Adrian.”

“But… wasn’t the bear already fatally wounded?” Theodore’s protest was hardly worth consideration.

“Did you, by chance, hunt down a gray bear the size of a cedar tree and save me? If so, then surely you too can effortlessly sever a gray bear’s neck. Feel free to try—even if it’s tied up first.”

“…”

Theodore could only fall silent. Even if Edward had attacked from behind, confronting an enraged male bear required more than three lives to survive.

Had Edward been even a moment slower or lacked the necessary strength, the one lying decapitated would have been Edward himself.

Above all, Theodore couldn’t ignore the fact that Edward had saved his life.

Satisfied that the rest would also accept this, the emperor moved on to the main point.

“The winner was to receive the Hand of Zeus, wasn’t it? You’ll be given an additional reward. Edward Adrian already holds the title of baron, so I’ll grant him a viscountcy.”

“Your Majesty, how could I…!”

Edward was visibly taken aback, though the nobles showed no surprise.

Those who had witnessed Edward decapitating the gray bear knew the emperor’s reward wasn’t excessive; if anything, it seemed insufficient.

Finally, Edward understood that the emperor, having had his life saved, would never go back on his word.

Kneeling on one knee, Edward spoke.

“Your Majesty, I humbly request something.”

“Speak.”

“I participated in the tournament today on behalf of my aunt. If you must bestow a title, please grant it to her instead.”

“Ah, such filial piety from the baron!”

The emperor burst into hearty laughter and pulled Edward into an embrace.

“Lady Selina, who raised you, is as deserving of the title as you are for saving my life. It’s only fitting that she receives the reward.”

“I am deeply grateful.”

“Do not be so modest. You’ve saved both my life and the empire. This is the second time, no less.”

The emperor’s decisive words left no room for objection.

No one among the onlookers dared to speak.

Bwooooo—.

A massive horn echoed through the forest, signaling the end of the hunting tournament.

The emperor’s attendants, physicians, and knights headed to the hunting grounds to clean up, leaving those in the tent in a state of unrest.

“Is it already over?”

The sudden sound of the horn indicated either that the winner had been determined or that an injury had occurred, making further proceedings impossible.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, the servants stationed near the tent hurried to gather information. The servants of Yelodia’s household were no exception.

“There’s a rumor that Baron Adrian might have been gravely injured during the hunt!”

“What?”

Yelodia’s heart sank.

The young fox, sensing the ominous mood, bristled its fur.

“What… what did you say?”

“They say the baron fought a gray bear barehanded to protect His Majesty. That’s why the tournament was suddenly ended.”

“…What?”