Chapter 2.5

Eventually, they arrived at their hunting point. It was close to the Ammon Cliffs, as evidenced by the occasional sight of the red fence. Stopping in front of a large tree, Ragaen dismounted from his horse and spoke.  

“We’ve arrived.”  

Greta followed suit and dismounted as well. Ragaen moved around the tree, stopping at a certain spot. At that moment, light poured onto Ragaen. Was this the halo effect that emanates from beautiful and lovable people? Greta’s heart pounded as she barely managed to suppress the feeling of it leaping out of her chest.  

“Miss, please stand here.”  

Startled, she stood where he had indicated and looked up. Through the dense leaves and branches, there was a gap. Sunlight streamed through it. The reason Ragaen appeared to glow wasn’t due to some radiant halo but simply because he had been standing in the sunlight.  

“When you see a Lorus through this gap, shoot it down with your bow.”  

“Yes!”  

Ragaen spoke as if it were easy, and Greta answered just as easily. However, in truth, it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. The flight speed of a Lorus was quite fast, and even though the gaps between the branches were relatively wide, they were far too narrow compared to what was typically needed to aim at a Lorus.  

For Ragaen, who based the hunting point on his own capabilities when he had two arms, it was a perfect spot. But for most people, it was an almost impossible location. Unfortunately, Ragaen had little awareness of how much others’ physical abilities differed from his own, and Greta didn’t think much of it either.  

Well, she did think a lot—just not about the right things.  

‘I’ll catch a Lorus magnificently and make the Duke fall for me!’  

That was the only kind of thought filling her mind, which was the problem.  

At that moment, a black dot appeared in the distance. Greta’s exceptional eyesight allowed her to discern its outline. Two bat-like wings—it was a Lorus. Ragaen also spotted the prey without missing a beat.  

“I see it.”  

Without a word, Greta pulled out her bow and arrow. It was a high-end bow set specifically designed for Lorus hunting, which she had trained intensively with just for today.  

‘I need to show my best self right now.’  

I’ll be the best. I’ll definitely become the best and make this man fall head over heels for me!  

Feeling an intense desire she had never experienced before, Greta drew the bowstring and aimed at the monstrous bird in the sky. The target was massive. Though it appeared small due to its height, to Greta, it was no different from a sufficiently large bullseye.  

Greta held her breath.  

She was certain.  

This arrow would not miss.  

Why? Because she was the best.  

Tang!  

With a strong twang, Greta’s arrow sliced through the air at high speed. And then—  

“Screeeeeeeech!”  

A horrible scream that grated on the ears filled the forest. Birds hiding in the trees took off in fright.  

The arrow had pierced straight through the right wing of the Lorus. Its massive body began to plummet. Soon, with a thud that shook the ground, it crashed.  

“Let’s move.”  

The two quickly mounted their horses and raced toward the fallen Lorus.  

Up close, the Lorus was even larger than they had imagined. Greta had thought it would be about the size of a very large eagle, but it seemed to be twice that size. It looked as though it could tear someone like Greta apart in an instant. For the first time, Greta realized she had never directly faced a magical beast before.  

‘Oh my goodness, it’s enormous!’  

While Greta was stunned by the grotesque and massive form of the first magical beast she had ever seen, Ragaen drew his sword and approached the Lorus, which was writhing in pain. The arrow had left a gaping hole in the center of its right wing. It was the thinnest and most lethal part of the wing. Among mercenaries, it was the most recommended spot to aim for when shooting down a Lorus with a bow. If this spot was pierced, the Lorus would lose complete use of one wing.  

‘If she aimed for that intentionally, her skill is remarkable.’  

Thinking so, Ragaen skillfully climbed onto the Lorus’s back and decapitated it with a single stroke. A gush of red blood spurted out, and the enormous, one-eyed head bounced and rolled, eventually stopping at Greta’s feet.  

Thud. Thud. Plop.  

“Oh my.”  

“Ah…”  

***

The night before, Jespa had called Ragaen over and said, 

“Your Grace, Your Grace, please don’t forget this. Miss Lievo is different from any other woman you’ve met before!”  

Different? Ragaen found this deeply puzzling.  

To him, Greta Lievo was no different from the “women” he knew. Like other women, she was small, very small—incredibly small.  

Realizing that his superior did not understand at all, Jespa pounded his chest in frustration.  

“The women you have met so far, Your Grace! Mercenaries! Or knights! Or mages! Or at least healers and priests who braved bloody battlefields, tending to the wounded! But Miss Lievo is different!”  

“…In what way?”  

“Miss Lievo has never witnessed the bloody carnage of a battlefield. In her life, which has blossomed like a flower, the most she has hunted is quail. According to my investigation, this is her first time participating in the Lorus Hunting Competition. She has probably never faced a magical beast directly.”  

“So…?”  

“That means you must protect her from horrendously ugly and terrifying magical beasts, Your Grace! Even if you have to decapitate a Lorus, make sure as little blood as possible splatters on her! And under no circumstances should you hand her the severed head of the first prey or ask her to hold it!”  

Ragaen, unable to grasp the difference between hunting quail and hunting Lorus, was momentarily confused. Quail and Lorus both had wings, didn’t they? They were the same—just birds of different sizes (not really). Moreover, whether you cut their necks or shot them with arrows, the act of killing was the same, wasn’t it? Miss Lievo was excellent at hunting quail, so wouldn’t she be just as good at hunting Lorus?  

“You must be cautious! A young lady like Miss Lievo, who has lived an ordinary life, might be deeply shocked. Do you understand? Do you understand me!”  

“Yes, I understand.”  

Even after receiving an answer, Jespa wasn’t satisfied. He continued to pester Ragaen until he finally grew annoyed.  

And yet…  

The enormous, grotesque, one-eyed head of the Lorus, with its sharp, terrifying beak—essentially a magnified version of a quail’s head in Ragaen’s eyes—rolled to a stop at Greta’s feet. Lorus blood gushed, splashing onto her shoes.  

Jespa’s words echoed in Ragaen’s mind.  

‘A young lady like Miss Lievo, who has lived an ordinary life, might be deeply shocked. Do you understand? Do you understand me!’  

‘That means you must protect her from horrendously ugly and terrifying magical beasts, Your Grace!’  

Miss Greta Lievo might be shocked!  

Panicked, Ragaen hastily dismounted from the lifeless Lorus.  

“Mi-Miss, I’ll clean this up for you.”  

“No, it’s fine!”  

Greta kicked the Lorus’s head away. It rolled a few times before stopping.  

“Were you worried about my clothes getting dirty? Thank you!”  

“Ah… Yes, you’re welcome.”  

As Ragaen stood frozen where he had dismounted, Greta approached him and asked, 

“Shall I apply the potion?”  

“No, Miss. I’ll do it.”  

Jespa would not be spared.  

Ragaen decided he would sew Jespa’s brain shut. Absolutely.  

Now that he realized what kind of prejudice he had held toward women all this time, Ragaen vowed to correct his distorted mindset.  

Unaware that Jespa’s words were mostly correct, Ragaen resolved again and again.  

After applying the potion to the Lorus’s claws and returning to the hunting point, Greta took a deep breath inwardly. The sensation of the Lorus’s head rolling and bumping against her toes was vivid. It was much larger and scarier than she had anticipated.  

Although Greta had extensive hunting experience and was accustomed to the sight of bloodied animal carcasses, she wasn’t used to enormous birdlike creatures with only one eye. And if it involved directly meeting the gaze of that one enormous eye (even though it was dead!), it was even worse!  

A sudden chill ran down her spine, and she almost screamed in fright, but Greta held it in. Screaming in fear would be anything but cool!  

‘I must show the Duke my most impressive side!’  

It was the power of love!  

Greta boldly kicked the head away, her foot tingling from the sheer weight and hardness of the head, but she didn’t let it show. To be impressive, one had to remain impressive to the end.