Chapter 14: Hunting Competition : Tied the Ribbon
In the morning of the hunting competition, all participants had gathered in one place.
There is a culture where before the competition began, they came together for the traditional ceremony of exchanging ribbons. Numerous young men and women would came forward with ribbons, offering them to the knights and wizards they fancied. Some refused the ribbons, but most accepted the gifts they received.
While it was an individual's choice to wear or not wear the ribbon, refusing the ribbon was considered impolite.
Of course, 'Owen' had never cared about such etiquette and had never accepted a ribbon. For the entire duration of the hunting competition, he consistently refused ribbons, making it pointless for anyone to prepare one for him. As a result, there were no longer any person to give him a ribbon.
However, there was one exception.
"Your Grace, Duke Verdin."
Lucia Edelt.
An heiress who would stop at nothing to get what she desired.
In the social circles, there was no one who did not know the intense red and vibrant thorns of a rose.
"It seems you've prepared a ribbon again this time."
"It appears so."
As Lucia approached Owen with a red ribbon, many around them cast an admiring glances.
It was no wonder, as Lucia had presented a ribbon to Owen without fail every single year.
Despite being rejected each time with cold and indifferent eyes.
Even when everyone else had given up on Owen and turned away, she still brought a ribbon, just like every other year.
The nobles smirked at Lucia.
Conquering someone so persistently was seen as quite impressive.
Pouring such passionate interest onto someone who showed no reaction to her at all was not an easy task.
"Isn't it time to give up by now?"
"Is an Edelt heiress one to know when to give up?"
"Well, she isn't."
In some ways, it made sense.
Lucia Edelt never let go of her prey once she had it in her sights.
Whether it was an object, an animal, or a person.
She somehow managed to get her hands on it.
And.
Owen Verdin was no exception.
Three years ago, from the day they first met, Lucia Edelt had never once given up on him.
Was it merely that she didn't give up?
She cut off many who aimed for him.
Although Owen seemed indifferent to the attention of those around him, but she still felt insecure because Owen wasn't totally hers yet.
His perfectly sculpted face plus his position as the only heir of the Verdin's Dukedom, successfully made those annoying bed bugs gathered around him, hoping to get a pieces of him.
That's why she gave them a good warning.
Everyone in the social circle vividly remembered that one day three years ago, where Lucia stepped on a bold hand who dared to hold Owen's arm.
Everyone at that time thoroughly understood.
That one should never dare to casually snatch what Lucia was after.
"I'd like to tie the knot for you."
Lucia approached him with a smile this year as well.
The nobles, looking at her, naturally predicted what would happen next.
Owen would look down at Lucia with a cold, indifferent gaze.
And then, he would likely utter a refusal.
At a time when everyone had the same expectation.
Owen, who was on horseback, dismounted.
Approaching her, he soon gave his answer.
"Do as you wish, milady."
As Owen's answer spread softly, those around him looked at him in surprise.
He, who had previously ignored and dismissed others with a cold gaze, showing no emotion, now willingly got off his horse, met the other's eyes, and gave a positive answer.
For those who had been observing Owen's actions, it was an unbelievable sight.
Hence, as they couldn't believe and stammered. Lucia casually approached Owen who had dismounted. Then, she tied her ribbon to the handle of Owen's sword sheathed at his waist.
After securely tying the ribbon with two knots, Lucía smiled gently and said, "It's done."
Owen, with a bright smile, gazed at Lucia's face as she whispered, then glanced at the ribbon tied to the sword.
"There are roses embroidered on the lace."
"I've prepared it with rose patterns embroidered in golden thread, as Your Grace likes roses."
As she said, the red ribbon was embroidered with an elaborate rose patterns in golden thread. The ribbon, adorned so lavishly that it was hard to look away, seemed to resemble Lucia herself.
Well. At least, Owen thought so.
Even without embellishments, the beautiful and noble red rose was enough to attract people's attention. Owen, who had been gazing at the tied ribbon on the handle of his sword, soon reached out and touched the ribbon. The rose-shaped stitches embroidered in golden thread left a distinct texture on his fingertips.
"I like it."
Caressing the lace for a while, Owen whispered.
His voice carried sincerity.
As everyone watched in astonishment at the words he whispered, Owen nonchalantly mounted his horse again. Then, he briefly greeted Lucia.
"Thank you, I will go now."
"Finish quickly and come back. I'll be waiting."
In response to his greeting, Lucia also smiled and replied.
***
After the event of presenting the ribbon to everyone, the hunting competition officially began.
The knights and mages who had gathered together dispersed into their assigned groups and soon disappeared into the forest.
Lucia kept watching Owen's back, but as he vanished from sight, she turned around. Around her, there were already numerous young nobles and ladies.
"Lady Edelt, would you like to enjoy the tea party together?"
"I would like to have a conversation with the lady... if it's not too much trouble."
"If it's not impolite, I would like to talk more with the lady-."
Lucia was undoubtedly the flower of the Empire. Until the female protagonist appeared, she had such a grip on the social circle. With that level of power and influence, naturally, many gathered around Lucia. Most sought her favor to strengthen their position, and occasionally, there were those who coveted her position.
But no one had ever succeeded.
Nevertheless, she, who was already impressive, did something unimaginable today.
To directly tie a ribbon to the sword of the usually cold and indifferent Duke Verdin.
It was an incident that lent credibility to the rumors that everyone thought were false. Perhaps everyone was eager to know the truth behind the rumors.
"It's delightful to have many who wish to accompany me."
Lucia flashed a brilliant smile, her lips blossoming.
"It would be even more enjoyable if we all savored the tea party together."
Just the fact that she was seen tying a ribbon on Owen's sword caused a drastic change in people's reactions. It was a comical reality, but Lucia was adept at leveraging such reactions.
Making a credible rumor out of thin air was no small feat. Just by casually mentioning the times spent reasonably with Owen at the tea parties, everyone would easily be swayed.
Those who approached her to gain something were usually loose-lipped.
If they simply spread the word around, rumors could easily become reality.
And Lucia hoped for that.
With a graceful flicker of her eyes, Lucia raised an enchanting smile.
"How about we all head to the greenhouse for the tea party together?"
***
As Lucia headed to the greenhouse with those young nobles, Owen had just entered the edge of the forest.
"Hm? Duke Verdin, I don't think I've seen any demons yet."
This was all because of the Crown Prince, Richard Le Freyon.
The hunting competition was originally not about individuals moving alone but moving in pairs. However, this was a story that only applied to ordinary knights and mages. It did not apply to transcendent beings like swordmaster Owen. It had certainly been like that until last year.
"Replied to Your Highness, we're still at the edge of the forest, that's why."
Richard nodded slightly at Owen's response.
Being a direct descendant of the royal family, Richard had sharp blond hair and golden eyes. At nineteen this year, he was the sole Crown Prince of the Freyon Empire. The same age as Louis Edelt, he would come of age next year.
Perhaps that's why the Emperor wanted Richard to secure his position as the successor more firmly. So, he allowed Richard to participate in the hunting competition, which he had refrained from doing until last year, in order
to gain popularity among the people of the Empire by showing the Crown Prince's willingness to protect the North.
"As expected, the Duke knows a lot about the 'Forest of Eyes'."
"I'm sure Count Caleb, the owner of the estate, knows more than I do."
Owen humbly replied to Richard's admiration, nodding his head.
Then Richard nodded in agreement, opening his mouth, "That's right. Count Caleb is the owner of the estate. You all are indeed remarkable."
Although Richard was not considered a genius knight to the extent of being outstanding, he was an expert in using the aura. Despite having much better conditions for hunting than ordinary knights, the Emperor, who was cautious by nature, personally asked Lord Caleb to prepare a team for him.
A team personally requested by the Emperor was far from ordinary.
From the outstanding swordmaster, Owen,
The organizer of the hunting competition, Lord Xaverius,
A 6th-class mage, Count Caleb,
A Sword Expert, Louis Edelt,
And even the original sub-male protagonist, Matthew Kyle.
Until last year, they were all individuals hunting on their own. Yet now they were keeping pace with the Crown Prince, who was new to the hunting competition.
No matter how much they talked, their speed was not fast. Thanks to that, the group was still lingering at the edge of the forest.
"The Crown Prince is truly remarkable."
Count Caleb, one of the four Imperialists, was the first to speak after Richard's praise. In response to his reply, Richard nodded.
"Don't blindly praise me. Just speak truthfully."
"Truly, I speak from the heart, Your Highness."
As Owen watched the exchange between the two, he quietly chose to withdraw from the conversation as he was not particularly skilled in flattery. That applied to 'Owen' as well, so there seemed to be no need to force something that wasn't there.
As Owen averted his gaze, Louis approached him and spoke, "Your Grace...". Owen looked at Louis with a cold gaze in his deeply sunken black eyes.
Having read the original work dozens of times, Owen could boast of knowing Louis's actions better than anyone.
He was someone who despised and tormented his own sister, Lucia, with all his might, even going so far as to help the male lead 'Owen' push her to her death.
There was no way Owen could look favorably upon such a person.
"...There is something I'd like to ask."
Louis showed a startled reaction at the deeply sunken black eyes.
It must have been related to the news he received that day, so it was no wonder Louis was surprised.
Louis looked at Owen, who responded slowly with a nod. Then, he spoke up, "Is the rumor true?"
Louis asked Owen directly, likely due to the headache he had been suffering all night from what Lucia had said yesterday.
"The rumor?"
Seeing Owen's confusion, Louis let out a shallow sigh. As if relieved.
"Hm, so it wasn't true after all. What Lucia said yesterday was indeed a lie-."
"No."
Interrupting Louis, Owen narrowed his eyes and spoke again, "I was just asking you what rumor you were talking about."
"If it's about Lucia, then yes, it's true."
Owen stated firmly.
He didn't even know what rumor Louis was talking about, or what Lucia had said yesterday. It was just his precautionary measure, in case Lucia might be harmed.
He figured it must be a favorable rumor to her, as she was the one who started it.
Or perhaps it was a rumor related to him.
"...That's impossible."
Even though Owen spoke those words, Louis's eyes showed clear disbelief.
"But... But Lucia is not worth that-."
"Louis Edelt."
As Louis began to speak in his usual manner, Owen cut in with a cold tone.
"Be careful with your mouth. Even if you are her brother. "
A chilly anger seeped into Owen's voice as he spoke lowly, making Louis stiffen momentarily.
It was because of Owen's threatening tone.
"I hope I never hear those words in my ears again."
At his warning, Louis bit down on his lower lip.
'It's really true.'
He couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it.
'They were... lovers!'
Owen's outburst about someone speaking ill of Lucia was just a spontaneous burst of anger, but Louis was unaware of that and thought they were indeed a lovers.
As Louis was about to make a great fuss and come to a conclusion, Kyle, who was leading the way, turned back. His voice carried a clear annoyance.
"If you keep going at this slow pace, you'll end up going back to the last place."
He was the only commoner among them in this place. Perhaps that's why he didn't bother with etiquette, facial expressions, or acting, and just managed to maintain politeness without crossing the line.
"You're already lagging behind, so hurry up a bit."
Hearing those words, Owen looked at Kyle.
'Matthew Kyle. One of the supporting male lead.'
Owen hadn't had the chance to observe him properly earlier due to focusing on the prince and Louis. Looking at him belatedly, his appearance felt quite intriguing. Although it was their first meeting, Owen couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity with Kyle.
'Looks exactly like the illustration on the novel's cover.'
Even if it was one-sided, meeting someone with a 'known' face made Owen feel strangely excited. This was likely due to the lack of emotional closeness in Owen's relationships with others. Owen had not a single person he could call a friend. As a result, aside from Lucia, the people Owen met were all there for business. Perhaps tired of such human relationships, even the familiar face of Kyle was warmly welcomed by Owen.
"...Why are you looking at me like that?"
Was Owen's gaze burdensome?
Kyle responded, furrowing his brow.
Seeing his somewhat rude attitude, Louis, who had reached his limit, approached Kyle. Then, he began to scold Kyle, "No matter how high-ranking you may be as the leader of the Imperial Knight, you should understand your root. Don't be disrespectful to the Duke."
Seeing Louis getting worked up, Owen finally recalled from the original work that Louis greatly admired him. Owen then let out a small sigh and intervened to stop Louis.
"Enough. It was my fault for making it awkward. I apologize."
At Owen's humble apology, both Louis and Kyle looked at him in surprise.
"For you to apologize.....Impossible..."
"The Duke apologizing..."
Although they seemed to be muttering to themselves, unfortunately, Owen with his exceptional hearing caught every words they've uttered. Unsure of their disbelief, Owen opened his mouth to make excuses, but soon gave up. No matter what he said, it was clear both of them would only be more surprised.
'Ah! I sound just like a useless male lead.'
Internally scolding himself, Owen tightened the reins. Naturally, the pace of his horse quickened, and Owen passed them by, speaking as if in passing.
"Let's hurry. Didn't someone say they didn't want to go back in the last order?"
After a short, forced laugh, Kyle picked up the pace. As the two moved ahead, Louis, in a flustered voice, urged them to slow down.
"Why are you two going so fast..."
In response, Count Caleb and Crown Prince Richard also hastened their pace to follow.
After running for a few minutes, the group finally reached the center of the 'Forest of Eyes', where monsters were known to appear. There were some people who were already there, hunting.
"So, those are the monsters."
Richard remarked, finding the appearance of the monsters fascinating. Contrary to his reaction, the others remained indifferent. Having participated steadily in hunting competitions, they had seen monsters several times, so it was nothing new.
Except for Owen.
'Hm? Looks more decent than I thought.'
Externally composed, Owen inwardly found the sight intriguing.
Thanks to the heroine, monsters appeared several times in the novel, but their appearance was never properly described. It mentioned briefly how Bella, with Owen and Kyle, successfully defeated the monsters.
'Just an ordinary wild animal with a dull color.'
The actual appearance of the monster Owen faced was slightly different from what he had imagined. The real monster had a resemblance to ordinary animals, with the only difference being its black color, not appearing grotesque or strange.
As Owen and the group stood still, observing the monster, a loud scream echoed from the opposite side.
Hearing the scream, the group's gaze naturally turned towards the source of the sound. There, they saw a knight retreating, dropping his sword on the ground. Others who seemed to be his party members were also frozen in fear, trembling uncontrollably.
Observing their reactions, Owen narrowed his eyes. In such a place, they needed to be alert and act together, but their attitudes were incomprehensible.
"Why would a medium-sized monster...?"
Count Caleb, who had examined the monster, narrowed his eyes and muttered.
It was only after he spoke that Owen realized how the situation had unfolded. Originally, this area was inhabited by small demons, so it was a place where knights and wizards capable of dealing with small demons mainly hunted. However, when a medium-sized demon twice the size of a small demon appeared before them, it was enough to throw them into a panic.
Owen silently cursed and drew his sword from its sheath. The smoothly drawn blade was instantly covered in a sinister black aura.
Perhaps due to the sharp aura of the sword. With just one swing, the demon, as large as a lion, was cut in half.
Owen, who killed the demon without hesitation, sheathed his sword and then realized what he had done.
'Without any hesitation...'
He whispered under his breath as he looked at the half-cut demon's body.
'..I killed it.'
I killed something that was alive with my own hands.
Without any hesitation or guilt.
The sensation of killing something that was breathing still vividly lingered at his fingertips.
The feeling of cutting through flesh, penetrating the body of life-.
"Duke Verdin?"
As Owen stood motionless for a while, Kyle approached, puzzled by his state.
"What happened?"
Only after hearing his question did Owen finally come to his senses. He tried to calm his trembling fingertips and spoke, "Nothing, just-"
Owen struggled to come up with a plausible excuse in his mind.
After managing to think of something reasonable, he spoke again.
"I was wondering why there's a medium-sized demon here."
When Owen mentioned what he had heard from Count Caleb earlier, Kyle quickly understood.
"Oh. That does feel a bit strange to me too. Why would a medium-sized demon be here?"
With Kyle's puzzled inquiry, Count Caleb shrugged.
"I'm also puzzled since this is the first time for me to encounter such a case."
At his response, Kyle narrowed his eyes slightly.
"That makes me even more uneasy. If this is due to a 'distortion'..."
Distortion.
A term referring to the breaking of the existing framework.
"No way! Distortion only occur due to external influences, right?"
Richard voiced his opinion in response to Kyle.
"That's right. For example, like the influence of holy power."
Nodding in agreement with Richard's words, Kyle continued.
Since demons are fundamentally creatures of darkness, they strongly react to holy power, which is of the light attribute. If holy power attempted to infiltrate from the outside, they would willingly broke the existing framework to fight against it.
"Holy power...?"
As the term holy power was mentioned, Owen, who had barely managed to control his emotions, stiffened once more.
Holy power.
There was only one thing Owen could think of when he heard that word.
The protagonist of <Flower of the Empire>,
A saintess who appeared after 200 years,
The only one who could use her holy power for a purpose other than 'healing'.
It was Bella.
Sensing something in Owen's reaction, Count Caleb immediately asked Owen, "Your Grace, do you have any information?"
"...No."
Struggling to compose himself, Owen opened his lips.
It was true that Bella's confrontation with the demons in the north was the trigger for her awakening as a saintess. However, that was only within the Taylor Viscount's territory where she was adopted.
Moreover, it was still a month before the original work was supposed to begin.
'It must be a coincidence.'
Bella had no reason to use her holy power in the 'Forest of Eyes' before the original work started.
Owen cleared his mind and moved on, trying to shake off his thoughts.
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littleheaven
littleheaven I'm sorry for the delayed updates since I was outside town these past 2 days.
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