༺ Cheering ༻
The month of May was a period where the cold and harsh climate of the North would lessen for a bit.
The thick layers of snow would melt revealing the brown earth beneath, frozen rivers would flow again, and even the trees would shed their snowy tops for a period.
During this month, a canvas of colors would bless the white territory.
It was a blissful month for all, even the hibernating animals would awake and roam the land in search of food.
This also meant that May was a month when the hunters thrived, relentlessly scouring the mountains for game.
At an hour’s worth of ride from the Grand Palace stood a mountain.
This mountain was frequently visited by wild animals due to its relatively gentle terrain and abundant food sources.
The mountain was also a territory exclusive to the Grand Duke’s family.
Only the family members were allowed to hunt there. The mountain’s surroundings were protected by fences bearing the Grand Duchy’s crest, forbidding the entrance of outsiders.
However, during special events, like the Betrothal Contest, some were allowed entry.
In such a place, Lumia gazed down at the four finalists.
Her attention was especially focused on Elden Raphelion.
His expression remained indifferent.
……What is he thinking?
Last night, a note of earnest encouragement was sent, and this morning motivation was delivered through Ariel, that encouragement was conveyed again.
Although the hypothesis called [Love] had failed, the inducements and persuasions should have triggered some response.
Yet, Elden remained stoic.
Despite knowing that all eyes were on him, he didn’t so much as glance back.
Lumia was anxious,
She was annoyed,
And most of all, she was frustrated.
‘……’
Due to her emotions, she had hardly slept.
[ A Deadly Game of Tag ].
She would make them experience all the terror and fear she had suffered in her Academy days.
They would understand the depths of despair. To desperately hope for a way out, only to have their salvation snatched away.
After Elden’s declaration of withdrawal, she had developed countless hypotheses and premises, thoroughly investigating and validating them.
Digging through ancient texts and forbidden books.
This had caused research schedules to be delayed, experiments to go awry, and her mind to become a jumbled mess, but still, her desire to unravel the truth behind his withdrawal never waned.
The fissures created by Elden’s withdrawal were widening, and no solution to mend them seemed in sight, driving her near madness.
Lumia’s burden was so overwhelming that she sometimes wished she could simply go to her father, confess everything, and end this vendetta quickly.
However, her recent nightmare stirred her anger once more, stirring the scars she had long since forgotten.
For her freedom, the plans she had set in motion for this Betrothal Contest must succeed.
At first, Lumia had vowed not to obsess over revenge.
She had resolved to lead them to repentance through guidance and enlightenment.
When their first face-to-face audience occurred, she hoped the villainous quartet would regret their actions.
And she hoped that they would offer sincere apologies.
She wanted them to denounce the evil acts they had committed against her.
After all, she had planned the repeated food tortures and games of tag for that very reason.
However, things had gone wrong from the very beginning.
Thanks to Elden, her torture became a feast.
That was why, this second round must succeed at all costs.
“Now, the second evaluation of the Grand Ducal Betrothal Contest will commence! The test shall be a [ Hunting Contest ]. Now, the four finalists, please stand by the starting line.”
“There are four caves in this mountain, however! Only one contains a special prey marked by the Winterfell crest!”
“The one who recovers this crest and returns it shall be the winner of this [ Hunting Contest ].”
“The contestants are expected to prove their [ Valor ] by using the weapons we will provide.”
“Especially since the Duchess has informed us that she will reward bonus points for the most ‘valorous’ contestant.”
The evaluation began…
Lumia would only see Elden’s back, as he stood at the starting line.
Please.
Please.
Please.
She prayed that he would head northeast, and as Elden did so when the signal was given, Lumia could finally sigh in relief.
Unaware of her obsession growing at each moment, of her principles being corrupted by her dark desires, Lumia only sighed in relief.
She had fervently hoped that, this time, her plan would succeed, and that the Crest of Winterfell would be obtained alongside the terror of death.
Lumia also prayed that Elden would be the one retrieving the crest.
**
Scrunch, Scrunch-.
Ah, the sound of walking over snow is always refreshing.
Even though it was an ordinary sound, there was something strangely exhilarating about it.
As he walked towards the northeast, Elden casually slung the provided bow over his shoulder.
“Haaaah~”
Enjoying this rare outing, Elden inhaled the crisp and refreshing mountain air, relishing in the charms of this place.
It was liberating.
The scenery seemed to come straight out of a dream and Elden fully enjoyed every aspect of it.
On a whim,
Scrunch-.
He scooped a handful of snow and brought it close to his mouth.
For some strange reason, Elden assumed it would taste a bit sweeter.
However, it tasted the same as his previous world.
Well, that’s that. And where could the Regretful Trio have gone?
After their previous confrontation(?), the Regretful Trio had cut off any sort of interaction with Elden.
Because of this, he could fully enjoy his newfound peace.
Nevertheless, he continued on his track towards the northeast.
Motivated by a very peculiar reason.
Elden wished to understand why the [ Hunting Contest ] was referred to as a [ Game of Tag ] by Lumia.
Based on Gelwood’s words, there were four caves with prey inside, but only had held a special beast adorned with the Grand Duchy’s crest.
The note he had previously received instructed him to wander 800m to the northeast.
There, presumably, laid the beast who would grant him victory.
As soon as the evaluation had started, the Regretful Trio acted as a team.
They must have conspired something.
It was for reasons like these, Lumia removed the shackles known as the ‘evaluators’.
Though each one of them moved in a different direction, Elden was certain they would converge at the northeast cave.
Therefore,
Hm-. This seems to be the place.
He had arrived at a hill overlooking the cave.
Then, he searched for a particularly sturdy tree that would serve as a good hiding spot.
“Up we go.”
In a few moves, Elden climbed the tree and settled down on a thick and flat branch.
He then took out a fruit he had gathered on his way.
Scooping some snow off a branch, Elden used it to scrub the fruit and then rubbed the said fruit against his clothes to clean off any sort of impurities.
I wonder what it tastes like.
The fruit resembled an apple, but it had the color of a tomato with a long stem.
Jin-Woo’s father had once warned him that eating random fruits might upset his stomach, but how could anyone resist such a delicious-looking fruit?
Woooosh-.
The crisp northern winds seemed to reward his efforts in climbing all the way up here, cooling his body heat.
Brushing his long black hair a bit, Elden took a bite from the fruit.
Crunch-!
It was sweet and juicy.
Although it was a bit softer than a normal apple.
Hmm, as I had imagined. It’s delicious.
**
“Nothing beats a refreshing nap.”
With crossed legs, I closed my eyes.
Putting my hunting cap over my face, I prepared myself to enjoy a nap in such comfortable weather since it seemed that the Regretful Trio would take a while to get here.
“He came this way.”
“Look, his tracks were headed this way.”
Then, some voices reached my ears.
Lifting the cap off my face, I saw the Regretful Trio approaching the cave.
They seemed tense, ready to draw weapons at the slightest sign of movement.
Considering they had arrived here just after me, it looked like they were tracking the withdrawer.
As a precaution, I had erased my footsteps before I climbed this tree.
While I didn’t anticipate being followed, Lee Jin-Woo’s paranoid personality proved its worth, by preventing a troublesome scenario.
“Tsk-. Where did that bastard vanish?”
“Maybe he noticed we were following him?”
“That wastrel was always a slippery one.”
…Wait.
It can’t be…These idiots were after me since the beginning?
Was this their master plan?
Truly, I can’t help but be impressed with such splendid fellows.
They never change, do they?
“Look! There’s a cave over there!”
“What? Oh-.”
“Let’s go inside.”
The Regretful Trio, having spotted the cave, began to enter, led by Deron.
It appeared that Blund and Kyle had decided to push Deron forward.
If Deron becomes the Duchess’ spouse, they would reap some benefits.
Of course, what they intended to do was none of my concern. I simply watched the idiots, curious about what might happen in that cave.
Boom-!
Then, a tremor shook the area.
Frightened by the impact, some birds took flight while the accumulated snow on the trees fell.
“What the hell was that?”
The origin of the vibration was clearly the cave, and its intensity was extraordinary.
It was intense enough to pass as a minor quake.
At the same time, my heart began to race.
Not of fear or terror, but a different kind of thrill.
It was certainly stirring something inherent within me.
A profound awe when encountering a massive anomaly.
A slight tension when facing an intriguing incident.
And furthermore.
The excitement bred from the anticipation that something special was about to unfold.
My heart skipped a beat for the longing of such a fantasy-like event that was about to unfold, as such, before I even noticed, I had risen from my spot with a sharp smile on my face.
Crunch-!
I took a large bite of the apple-like fruit I had.
Boom-!
The ground shook once more.
Some rubble rolled down from above the cave’s entrance.
What on earth was happening there?
From the sheer intensity of the vibrations, there must be something tremendous lurking in that cave.
Booooom-!!
The mini earthquake occurred again.
My fingers trembled as my heartbeat intensified.
Finally, the cause of such quakes revealed itself.
Alongside the Regretful Trio, of course.
“Arghh–!! Don’t leave me here you bastards!”
“Fuck-! Don’t hold onto me–!!”
“Kyle, you mongrel! You dare to push me?!”
“We’re going to die you fucker! Who cares about shit like that?! MOVE-!”
As the Regretful Trio desperately tried to escape.
None other than a Colossal Tusk Beast chased them.
The Colossal Tusk Beast was a giant boar-like monster, bigger than two elephants combined.
“Kwoooo-!!”
Clang, Clang-!
Judging by the heavy chains around its limbs, the range of motion and speed of the monster were severely limited.
As the Tusk beast chased the Regretful Trio, it swung its giant tusks.
Now I understood why Lumia had called this [ Hunting Contest] a [ Game of Tag ].
I took another bite from my fruit.
Someone once said,
Life is a tragedy when seen up close, but a comedy from afar.
Crunch-!
……Hang in there my friends! Fight on!
