CHAPTER 74………………………………
The attendants held their breath.
Ivelina stopped in her tracks and stared fixedly at a certain spot.
Then, leaning close to one of the attendants, she whispered softly:
“Is that the Giant Bear?”
“Yes… yes.”
The attendant’s voice was trembling.
Even from a distance, its size was immense.
Closer up, it was impossible to imagine how huge it really was.
It was far larger than she had expected, and Ivelina swallowed hard.
Still, she had no intention of giving up and turning back.
Considering the time she had spent tracking the Giant Bear and the reward that awaited, she had to capture it.
Ivelina whispered to the attendants:
“You all stay here with the horses. I’ll go alone.”
“M-Marquess! It’s too dangerous!”
Fearing the Giant Bear might notice, the attendant could only whisper quietly instead of shouting.
Ivelina quietly jumped down from her horse, making no sound.
The movement was so light and graceful that it looked like a butterfly fluttering its wings, leaving the attendants staring in awe.
She crept slowly toward the Giant Bear.
The bear was completely absorbed in eating honey from a beehive hanging from a tree.
The closer she got, the louder the smacking sounds of its eating became.
Ivelina glanced upward.
“It’s huge…”
It looked even larger because it was standing up to eat the honey.
In an instant, a bow made of mana appeared in Ivelina’s hand.
She stayed fully alert, never loosening her focus.
She didn’t know when the Giant Bear might spot her and charge.
It was even more difficult because she had to ensure no harm came to the attendants far away.
She briefly wondered if she could do it… then quickly corrected herself.
“Not if I can do it, I must do it.”
Ivelina took a slow, deep breath.
Piercing the heart always proved fatal.
She moved a little closer, but accidentally stepped on a small twig.
It snapped loudly, and she froze awkwardly in place.
The Giant Bear stopped eating honey instantly.
Lifting its head from the beehive, it sniffed and looked around for the source of the sound.
Then, as its eyes met Ivelina’s, it let out a tremendous roar.
Ivelina cast a speed spell on her legs and began running in the opposite direction.
Despite its massive size, the Giant Bear was astonishingly fast.
Had she not cast the speed spell, she would have been caught and torn to pieces in no time.
Ivelina ran as deep into the forest as she could.
She only stopped when she was far enough that the attendants could no longer see her.
As she suddenly turned around, the Giant Bear flinched in surprise.
But soon it bared its sharp teeth and charged at her.
Ivelina chose to confront it rather than dodge.
A thin shield materialized, and the Giant Bear collided with it with a heavy thud.
“I need to aim for the eyes.”
Losing its sight would completely throw off its balance.
The arrow tip aimed straight for the Giant Bear’s eye.
Without hesitation, Ivelina released the bowstring.
The arrow shot through the shield at high speed and pierced the Giant Bear’s eye.
The bear let out a painful scream and stumbled backward from the shield.
Seizing the moment, Ivelina quickly created another arrow and pierced the other eye as well.
Blinded, the Giant Bear began thrashing wildly.
Unable to see, it rammed into trees, making loud thuds.
Its erratic movements made it difficult to aim for its heart with arrows.
“Then there’s only one way.”
Ivelina muttered softly, scattering her mana to dissolve the bow.
She spread her palm toward the Giant Bear.
Within seconds, a massive lightning bolt struck the bear.
A deafening crash rang out, and a cloud of white dust rose.
The sound was louder than she expected, and Ivelina was startled.
When the dust cleared, the Giant Bear lay charred black.
Carefully approaching to inspect, she confirmed it was dead.
To transport the Giant Bear, the attendants would need a cart, but they were still far away.
As she pondered what to do, she heard the sound of hooves.
Not just one, but several.
Ivelina looked around in surprise.
Instinctively, she formed a bow in her hand.
But the person who appeared was Jonas.
Ivelina quickly dispelled the bow and, dazed, spoke.
“Your Majesty?”
“Huh…”
Jonas looked incredulously from the charred Giant Bear to Ivelina.
He dismounted his horse and approached her.
“Did you catch the Giant Bear?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“With… what?”
Jonas glanced around, noting that she held no weapon.
“I used magic to capture it.”
“Magic?”
“Yes. I heard that there are no weapon restrictions in the hunting contest. Magic is considered a weapon, so it doesn’t break the rules.”
Jonas nodded, still in disbelief.
“I see. I didn’t know the Marquess could use magic.”
“It wasn’t a talent worth showing off, so only my family knew.”
“Not worth showing off?”
He muttered in disbelief. Jonas certainly didn’t think that way at all.
Since the start of the hunting contest, Jonas had been leisurely hunting foxes and rabbits to pass the time.
Then, he faintly heard heavy thuds, followed by a roar.
It was unmistakably the roar of a Giant Bear.
“Hmm, looks like someone ran into a Giant Bear.”
No one could catch it alone—except maybe Arsen—but otherwise, it would be dangerous.
“If someone unlucky encountered the Giant Bear alone, it would be a risky situation.”
“Let’s hurry to where the sound came from!”
“Yes!”
Jonas and the nobles following him quickly turned their horses toward the noise.
Soon, a huge lightning bolt suddenly struck the ground.
The deafening sound startled the horses, who panicked, and people struggled to calm them.
A bolt on a clear day? It was Ivelina’s magic.
Jonas stared in stunned silence at the charred Giant Bear.
Then he suddenly burst out laughing.
“Your Majesty? Are you all right?” Ivelina asked, flustered.
“This is incredible. They say couples resemble each other, and that’s exactly it. Your brother is remarkable, but the Marquess seems even more extraordinary.”
It had been a long time since he felt this cheerful.
Wiping a tear from his eye, Jonas spoke playfully:
“I’d better not get on the Marquess’s bad side. If she gets angry, the Empire might be gone.”
“Your Majesty, please don’t joke like that. I don’t have that kind of power.”
“Right, I went too far with the joke.”
Jonas chuckled and waved his hand.
Soon, the attendants who had followed Ivelina arrived with a cart.
They froze in shock at seeing Jonas, then prostrated themselves on the ground.
“We greet the Sun of the Empire!”
“Yes. But we should hurry and load the Giant Bear. And we’ll need to sound the hunting horn to mark the end of the contest.”
The attendants struggled to lift the enormous bear onto the cart.
Because it was so huge and heavy, several attendants helped.
Ivelina jumped onto the horse brought by her attendants.
Somehow, she ended up leaving the forest alongside Jonas.
Jonas chuckled to himself, thinking Arsen would flip if he saw them together.
Glancing at Ivelina, he asked:
“Is married life with your brother enjoyable?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Arsen is more than kind enough for me.”
She smiled, a blush on her cheeks appearing at the thought.
Jonas smirked:
“Since the Marquess caught the Giant Bear, you’re first place. Do you know what the prize is?”
“Yes. I heard it’s a golden laurel crown and one wish.”
“Have you decided what to wish for?”
“Yes, I have.”
Jonas widened his eyes, guessing that her nature might make her satisfied with just the laurel crown.
‘Well… if the crown were enough, why bother catching the Giant Bear for first place? Judging by the empty cart, she probably planned to catch the bear from the start.’
Jonas asked, curious:
“Then… will you tell me what your wish is now?”
“No, Your Majesty. I will reveal it at the award ceremony.”
Jonas looked slightly disappointed.
“Very well, I’ll wait then.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Jonas then asked various questions about Arsen.
Mostly, he wanted to know how Arsen treated Ivelina.
Each answer left Jonas making incredulous expressions.
“Really… your brother behaves like that?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Do you think I would lie about something like this?”
Jonas couldn’t believe it.
At the palace, Arsen was utterly cold-blooded.
He had never been seen smiling, nor showing anger, nor worrying for anyone.
Yet for Ivelina, he smiled daily, worried for her, and treated her with kindness—it was a shocking contrast.
Jonas slowly nodded, realizing people really could change after marriage.
Before long, they had left the forest.
Dismounting, Jonas spoke to his attendants:
“Since the Marquess caught the Giant Bear, the hunting contest is over. Sound the horn.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Soon, the long, resounding blast of the horn announced the contest’s end.
Hearing it, Karina and Arsen emerged from the barracks.
They spotted Ivelina dismounting and hurried toward her.
