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…I hadn’t asked because I was worried I couldn’t win.
Anyway, this guy seemed confident he could win even with me on his team, so I just nodded.
“This forest is quite small, so if you shout, your voice will echo and can be heard from pretty much anywhere. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, please call out loudly.”
Soon the chattering sounds grew distant and it became quiet. When only the sounds of footsteps on soil could be heard, I felt that we were left alone together.
I checked the condition of the small crossbow I borrowed from Gareth and asked.
“We just need to catch one biggest creature, right? Have you thought about what kind we should catch?”
“Well. I wonder what kinds of monsters are in this forest. Judging by how they say it’s not dangerous, there probably aren’t any really large species.”
“Hmm. This is a game where Gareth, who knows this forest well, has the biggest advantage.”
“That’s probably why he suggested going first. He wants to look good in front of Ret too.”
Ah. So that was his scheme.
I knew he wanted to be alone with her, but I hadn’t expected that he suggested the hunting game because he wanted to impress her.
“Should we just take it easy then?”
“No.”
Cedric said something mean.
I wondered where I had rubbed him the wrong way again…
“I want to look good to you too.”
…When he said that.
Heat rushed to my face. Had his earlier promise to make sure I won also meant that… he wanted to look good to me? I bit my poor lips for no reason.
Around that time, the sound of a crossbow being shot could be heard early on. It seemed to be coming from where the trading company men were, and judging by the giggling sounds, they seemed to be having a good time.
“Come to think of it.”
At that moment, Cedric, who had been walking ahead, spoke up.
“This is the first time we’ve hunted together like this.”
“Ah, that’s right.”
Even when we stayed in the cabin because of the carriage accident, I had only followed behind, so this was definitely the first time we were wandering around playing a hunting game like this.
“Are you scared of hunting?”
Suddenly he aimed his crossbow somewhere and shot. I heard the sound of the arrow flying in a curve and embedding in something.
When I went closer, there was a fairly large, lizard-like monster lying dead. It had been hidden by bushes and couldn’t be seen, so how did he hit it?
“Oh. That’s impressive.”
I admired it briefly and answered his earlier question.
“I’m not scared. I just don’t have the skill.”
Especially, I absolutely didn’t want to do it with someone as skilled as him. I’d definitely be compared to him. Back then, even words that weren’t comparisons felt like comparisons to me. That’s why I had never gone hunting with Cedric before.
Now, well, I’m rather proud of him.
Cedric looked at me and smiled playfully.
“Should I help you use the crossbow? Want to try catching one?”
“Mmm. Yeah, I’d like to try.”
“Good. Let’s walk a bit more first.”
That’s when we went deeper into the forest following Cedric. There was some sound from the front. A round monster with black fur was eating grass.
It wasn’t too big or too small, so it looked just right to aim for.
I first lifted the crossbow at Cedric’s gesture. Cedric quietly came up behind me and supported the crossbow.
“I’ll help you aim. When I signal, pull the trigger.”
“Okay.”
The crossbow’s position shifted slightly.
I was nervous. Not because of the hunting, but because of the breath I could feel nearby.
I was busy looking at the monster and being conscious of Cedric, so I was licking my lips when Cedric whispered quietly.
“Now.”
I pulled the trigger.
Suddenly… smooch.
Lips touched my cheek.
Ping!
The shot arrow flew off drawing a strange parabola. It was because I was surprised by the touch on my cheek and jerked my arm slightly.
Squeak!
The startled monster seemed very angry and sprayed a lot of black ash at us before running away.
We ended up missing the monster… and both of us got covered in strange ash from head to toe, getting dirty.
“Ah… damn.”
Flustered, I quickly shook my head to brush those things off. Small monsters in the prey position of the ecosystem have defense systems to protect themselves, and the monster just now seemed to spray ash generated from its body at enemies.
What kind of humiliation is this?
Dumbfounded, I turned to look at Cedric. He was standing there blankly, then looked at me and burst into laughter. Seeing that, I also laughed along.
It was ridiculous, but this situation was just funny.
“What are we going to do about this…”
Both of us had our clothes, faces, and hair covered in ash, looking like people who had fallen into a chimney.
“Let’s say we fell while walking.”
“Where in the world would someone end up like this from falling while walking?”
“Right here.”
“Ugh, that should at least make sense.”
I shook my head and brushed off the things on my body. Cedric, who was also brushing off beside me, still looked at my blackened face and chuckled.
“Eddie, you’re completely sooty.”
“You’re the same.”
When I glared at him with fresh eyes, Cedric curved his eyes into crescents. How does this guy still radiate beauty even when covered in soot…
“Are you okay? Did any get in your mouth?”
“Mm-hmm. But I want to wipe it off.”
Though I was brushing hard, there was no point in trying to wipe a dirty face with dirty clothes. Even a handkerchief wouldn’t work, so we eventually decided to find Lionel to borrow something to clean with.
The men greeted us with serious faces thinking we had been attacked or something…
“Ahahaha!”
“Oh my, you really got it good, young master.”
After hearing the circumstances, they laughed so hard.
I’m dying of embarrassment.
Still, with their help I wiped my face clean and felt better. Of course, I felt like I’d need to wash immediately when we returned to the villa.
“You shouldn’t play around when handling weapons.”
“Be careful from now on, young masters!”
“You can’t underestimate even small monsters!”
“I got it already…”
Embarrassed, I quickly took Cedric and left. Since Cedric kept grinning every time he looked at my face, I pinched his side telling him to stop laughing.
There was a small commotion, but as a result, we… or rather Cedric, won the hunting game that day.
He had said he didn’t know well what monsters lived in this forest, but someone knowledgeable in monster studies was indeed different.
He carefully examined the forest and directly found the habitat of a monster called Giant Horn Rat, the largest in size here, and caught it. Gareth had also tried to catch a Giant Horn Rat but didn’t know where its habitat was.
“See? I told you I’d make you win.”
Proud Cedric spoke in a voice small enough for only me to hear.
“Yeah. Amazing.”
When I honestly praised him, Cedric also smiled brightly. Gareth seemed quite disappointed by the unexpected result, but when Riette hugged him tightly to comfort him, he seemed satisfied with that.
…Wasn’t that his goal from the beginning?
What a fox.
“But why did you two get so dirty?”
After comforting Gareth first, Riette looked at us and asked. I briefly made eye contact with Cedric, then smiled awkwardly. Since it was the same story I told the men anyway, I decided not to hide it.
“Well, I was trying to shoot an arrow at a monster, but he played a prank so I accidentally shot wrong. Then that monster sprayed ash at us…”
“Ah! I can’t live. Be more careful.”
Though Riette said that worriedly, she couldn’t hide her laughter. According to Gareth, that was a monster called Charcoal Rabbit.
“Cedy, did you know?”
I turned to look at Cedric and asked. He scratched the bridge of his nose with an embarrassed look and said.
“I knew about it, but I didn’t think that far.”
He knew about it, but ‘because I was so focused on wanting to kiss you’ he didn’t think that far – that part seemed to be omitted in the middle.
Others wouldn’t know, but to me, who knew exactly what happened then, it felt like I could hear the omitted part.
Anyway.
Since I had no intention of blaming him further, I ended my nagging by elbowing his side. Though I ended up suffering humiliation I didn’t need to because of Cedric, well. I also thought it was quite an interesting experience.
“Eddie, should I wash you?”
“No thanks.”
This is the third scheme, my friend.
“That’s strange.”
“What is?”
“There are times when you should just say yes, like a snake crossing a wall.”
“…Do you think I’m that stupid?”
That day we returned to the villa and washed ourselves before eating dinner. Separately, of course! After washing, I couldn’t feel more refreshed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
