Chapter 2.9

The knights who arrived at the scene were dumbfounded. The entire clearing was filled with decapitated Lorus, and the blood from their severed necks had pooled into puddles, creating a sea of blood. Even the few remaining Lorus crawling toward the humans through the blood of their kin added to the horrific scene, reminiscent of the battlefield during the height of the Great Demon War. The knights quickly regained their composure, dealt with the remaining Lorus, and approached Ragaen and Greta.  

The sight of their Commander, Ragaen Sol Adantie, was truly a spectacle. Completely drenched in blood, he looked less like a hero of the nation and more like a blood-crazed murderer. If his hair and hunting clothes hadn’t been black, he would have looked even more terrifying. Ragaen always exuded a strong charisma and an unapproachable aura, but today, soaked in blood, he seemed especially fearsome.  

“Are… are you alright, Commander?”  

“The lady is injured. Administer first aid immediately.”  

“Yes, Sir!”  

While one knight treated Greta’s wounds with emergency supplies, Ragaen and the knight leading the rescue team, Michael, exchanged words.  

“This many Lorus… What happened here?”  

“There was an accident.”  

“An accident?”  

“Just know it’s related to His Highness the Second Prince and handle the rest quietly.”  

Ah… Michael immediately understood. His Highness the troublemaking Second Prince must have been up to something mischievous and caused an accident again.  

“Yes, I’ll first confirm His Highness’s safety.”  

Ragaen nodded. Meanwhile, Greta, who had finished receiving first aid, approached Ragaen.  

“Your Grace, aren’t you going to treat your wounds?”  

“I’m fine.”  

“But…”  

With the blood wiped off during the first aid, the wounds on Greta’s body became clearly visible. Ragaen also had a few minor injuries, but having lived a rough life, he didn’t even consider them wounds. However, the bruises and scratches all over Greta’s body, with blood seeping out, and the bandages wrapped tightly around her arm, made her look as if she had sustained life-threatening injuries—at least, that’s how it seemed to Ragaen.  

Ragaen bowed his head to Greta.  

“I’m truly sorry. This is my fault…”  

“How is this your fault, Your Grace? This is…”  

Greta couldn’t bring herself to rudely say it was because of the Second Prince, so she rolled her eyes once and continued.  

“This is just an accident.”  

“However, I am the one in charge of security and vigilance. Regardless of the reason, an accident occurred, and you’ve been injured like this. I sincerely apologize, Lady Lievo.”  

“It’s not even a serious injury. Your Grace, you are also quite injured.”  

“No, I’m barely hurt. If you hadn’t helped me, it would have been different…”  

Greta pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. As mentioned repeatedly, Ragaen’s appearance was in such a state that it couldn’t be called fine even as a courtesy. Having continuously decapitated Lorus, he was drenched in blood, looking like something out of a nightmare—perhaps like “Jack the Ripper” or “The Butcher Chopper.” It was hard to tell whether the blood on him was from wounds or just splattered from the monsters.  

“I’ll wipe your face.”  

“That’s not necessa—!”  

Greta took out the handkerchief. Though it was slightly stained from the blood that had seeped into her clothes, it was cleaner than Ragaen’s face. Still caught up in the excitement of the hunt, Greta, unusually bold, ignored his protests and wiped his face.  

The pristine white handkerchief quickly turned crimson.  

“It was an unfortunate accident, Your Grace. And no one was seriously hurt in the end.”  

“You’ve been gravely injured.”  

“I’ve fallen off a horse and broken my arms and legs before. This is nothing.”  

“But if I hadn’t opened the pouch, this wouldn’t have happened.”  

“I was about to open it first.”  

Despite her continued reassurances, Ragaen’s furrowed brow didn’t relax.  

“Are you that sorry to me?”  

“…Yes.”  

“Then!”  

Greta grinned mischievously.  

“From now on, call me Greta. Not Lady Lievo.”  

Ragaen stared blankly at Greta’s playful smile for a moment. He felt a ticklish sensation in his chest. It was the kind of feeling he occasionally had when looking at a young animal or a newborn child. What was this? What kind of feeling was this? He couldn’t figure it out, but one thing was certain—whatever Greta said right now, he would nod in agreement.  

“Yes. I will, Greta.”  

At that moment, Greta’s cheeks turned as red as flowers in bloom. Thump. Ragaen’s heart beat in a way it had never done before in his life.  

Ragaen likely didn’t realize he was smiling at that moment. Nor did he know that, far away, his subordinate Michael, seeing his blood-streaked Commander smiling, was trembling in fear.  

***

Greta and Ragaen had captured a total of six Lorus before firing off the rescue signal. This was the number they had managed to hunt in just one hour. The average number of Lorus hunted by the first-place winners of previous Lorus Hunting Competitions ranged between 15 and 17. If they had been able to continue hunting at that pace, the first-place spot would undoubtedly have been theirs.

This was Ragaen’s first time participating in a hunting competition. For this reason, Greta was determined to secure the first-place spot for him. She was confident. However, as is often the case, things in life don’t go as planned.

Ragaen noticed Greta’s inability to hide her disappointment and regret. For some reason, his mouth felt dry, and he grew anxious.

“…Greta, if not for the accident, we definitely would have taken first place.”

“Yes… That’s why I’m so disappointed. I really wanted to put you in the top spot, Your Grace.”

“…Just the thought alone is enough. Thank you.”

“Will you now be heading off to attend to security matters?”

That was indeed his plan. There were bound to be numerous loose ends to tie up regarding the Second Prince.

However, Ragaen’s lips remained tightly sealed.

Greta’s moist eyes, looking up at Ragaen, sparkled red under the sunlight. Her eyes, unable to hide her upset feelings, shimmered with emotion. 

Suddenly, he had the urge to touch the corners of those eyes. Perhaps it would ease the sadness reflected in them.

“No, Greta.”

Once again, his heart beat strangely—thump, thump.

“There’s still time before the competition officially ends. Would you like to spend the remaining time exploring the festival with me?”

“Yes!”

Greta’s eyes curved into crescents as she beamed with a radiant smile.

Thump.

This is just… fan service.

Thump.

It’s simply to console an upset fan.

Thump.

Absolutely, there are no other thoughts.

No one noticed that, at that moment, the tips of Ragaen’s ears turned ever so slightly red—just enough to go unnoticed.

***

Richard, who was on his 17th quail skewer, dropped his jaw when he heard the story relayed by a fellow knight. The quail in his mouth fell to the ground and rolled away. But he didn’t even have time to care about his food.

“Gr-Gretaaaaak!”

Throwing aside the skewer he had been eating, he began running toward the location his colleague had mentioned.

The news that Greta had been attacked by a pack of Lorus! Even knights shudder at the thought of being attacked by dozens of Lorus. Richard imagined Greta with her limbs shattered into pieces and felt his eyes well up with tears.

‘Sniff, my sister…!’

Though they bickered and fought daily, Richard was still Greta’s brother.

When Richard spotted Greta from afar, battered and bruised, he almost burst into tears.

“Gretaaaaa!”

“Richard?”

“What—what happened to you?”

The beautiful hunting attire Greta had prepared to impress the Duke was so drenched in blood that its original color was barely recognizable. Her face also bore traces of blood that hadn’t been completely wiped off, and her body was covered in hastily treated wounds.

The last time Greta had been this injured was when she foolishly attempted acrobatics on horseback, only to fall spectacularly and break two of her limbs.

Richard turned sharply toward Ragaen, who, by contrast, appeared relatively unscathed.

“How could you! Commander! How could you let this happen to my sister! How! Could! You!”

He struggled to form coherent sentences.

Ragaen, who already felt deeply guilty about Greta, understood what Richard was trying to say.

“…Sir, I apologize. It’s my fault that Greta was injured.”

“Exactly, it’s because of your incompetence that—what did you just say? Greta?”

Richard’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar way the Commander addressed his sister. Blinking several times, he looked back and forth between Greta and Ragaen. Then, he caught the fiery message Greta was sending him with her eyes.

Shut up. Leave. Now.

“There was an accident. I’ll provide the details after the investigation is complete. However, the fact remains that it was my fault. Because of me, Greta was seriously injured—”

“No, that’s not true. Richard, I’m not that hurt.”

Greta hastily waved her arms.

“I just rolled under the Lorus and got a few bruises, that’s all.”

“Greta. The wound on your arm is quite severe.”

What is this atmosphere? What’s going on here?