IDTRAFTML 127 💥

~Chapter 127~

Bang!

The bullet Richard fired cut through the air and struck the wild boar exactly.

With a heavy thud, the boar collapsed, and the knights following Richard quickly moved in to deal with it.

“You hit every shot. Is God Elion planning to pour all his blessings onto you?”

Bastian, who had been leisurely watching Richard hunt, commented casually.

Richard barely picked up a gun two or three times a year, yet he was hunting at twice the speed he had last year.

While that was happening, Richard moved toward the thick bushes.

On the surface, he looked extremely focused—but a hint of impatience showed through.

“Judging by that look, your mind seems full of thoughts about the Crown Princess.”

“Not thoughts. Regret. I should have stayed with Amelie, even if I looked foolish.”

“I understand, but don’t forget you are a prince. If you look foolish, the Crown Princess looks foolish too.”

“……I know.”

Richard replied quietly and tightened his grip on the gun, aiming at a fox darting quickly through the brush.

Bang—!

Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger, and another loud shot echoed through the forest.

Once again, his bullet did not miss.

“Want to bet which runs out first—your bullets or the animals in this area?”

“Are you not going to hunt, Brother?”

“Today, I don’t feel much like it. Standing in front of such a sharpshooter, I hardly dare lift a gun.”

What a poor excuse.

Richard shook his head at Bastian’s weak joke.

Bastian Bieneder had been competing in hunting tournaments since he was fifteen and had won many times.

Before hunting was restricted, he often went to the hunting grounds with his mother, and he had talent with every kind of gun—no one could compete with him.

The reason he was not hunting today was likely the same as Richard’s.

After all, the Second Knight Order—Lysa’s order—was currently guarding the Empress.

“The day’s hunt will end soon. Wouldn’t it be better to catch at least one thing before returning? You said you wanted to gift a scarf for winter.”

Richard offered comfort that did not quite sound like comfort.

Until they returned to their tents, they could only receive updates, so it was better to hunt and pass the time.

Understanding his meaning, Bastian chuckled.

“If I join in, won’t there be no fox left for the Crown Princess’s scarf?”

“I have no intention of letting Amelie’s share be taken.”

Richard responded smoothly to the provocation.

Just as the two seemed ready to compete, one of Richard’s subordinates rode up.

“Commander, Lady Amelie has finished hunting and safely returned to her tent.”

“Was there any other message?”

“No, nothing special. Ah—she said she caught a rabbit on her way back.”

“As expected of my student.”

Hearing that Amelie had caught a rabbit, Bastian looked pleased.

Richard, too, smiled with pride.

She said she lacked confidence.

Imagining Amelie jumping with joy over her first successful hunt, the worry he had been holding eased slightly.

“If my student caught prey, I can’t just sit still as her teacher.”

“Then I must catch a fox for the scarf.”

The tension that had weighed on Richard and Bastian finally lifted.

Since Amelie had finished hunting safely, the first day of the competition would likely end without incident in about an hour.

With renewed motivation, the two mounted their horses and headed toward the edge of the forest to hunt foxes.

After some time, they tied their horses to trees and carefully stepped forward, scanning their surroundings.

At last, a fox appeared before them.

“That fox has an unusual fur color.”

As Bastian said, the fox had rare dark gray and red fur.

Its rare and striking appearance made both men raise their guns at the same time.

Bang! Bang!

Two shots rang out in succession, and a flock of crows took off into the sky.

I’m sure I hit it—so why didn’t it cry out?

Just as Richard found the silence strange—

“Your Highness!”

A knight came riding at full speed toward the bushes where they stood.

“Zone Four is on fire!”

The knight, who belonged to the Third Knight Order assigned to guard Amelie, wore a crimson flag on his back—the sign of an emergency.

As soon as I entered my tent, I collapsed onto the simple bed.

Even though I had rested at times, riding around all day made my entire body ache.

“To catch a rabbit on the very first day is amazing, Your Highness!”

Melona raised both thumbs as she cleaned my gun for me.

I had missed far more shots than I hit—but it still felt good not to return empty-handed.

“I just got lucky. I don’t think I’ve got the hang of it yet. Tomorrow will be better, right?”

“Of course! Earlier, I noticed that if you aim a little to the right, you hit much better!”

“Then I’ll try that tomorrow.”

“Great! Ah—you must be hungry. Shall I bring some snacks?”

“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”

Once Melona left the tent, I lay flat on my back.

Hunting aside, the mental exhaustion from constantly watching Yvonne and the Empress was overwhelming.

Did we somehow get through today?

After I parted ways with Yvonne, the knights scouted the area, but found nothing suspicious.

At Melona’s insistence, they checked around my tent again—still nothing.

Maybe it was simply too early to make a move.

For now, neither the Empress nor Yvonne showed any clear sign of action.

“I wonder how much Richard caught.”

He had gone to the most dangerous zone on the very first day—I could not guess how many animals he would bring back.

He had looked back several times before leaving.

I had barely managed to persuade him not to hunt in Zone Four with me.

“…What is that smell?”

As I recalled Richard hesitating earlier, a sharp, burning smell suddenly reached my nose.

“Your Highness! There’s a fire nearby! It’s dangerous—you must leave the tent!”

The knights rushed in, confirming what the smell meant.

A fire—now?

Panicking, I quickly soaked a handkerchief with water and covered my nose and mouth.

“Your Highness! Your Highness!”

I heard Melona calling for me desperately from outside.

Her voice grew closer—she was running toward the tent.

Keeping low beneath the smoke, I followed the knights outside.

“Melona!”

“Your Highness! Are you alright?”

Melona had already reached the front of the tent.

Looking around, I saw flames slowly spreading through the forest—where there had been no fire at all just moments ago.

The knights moved frantically, trying to secure an escape route.

“I’m fine! But why did a fire start so suddenly?”

“There was a campfire nearby—it seems that caused it. The wind is strong right now, so you must evacuate quickly!”

“I understand. Everyone, be careful not to get hurt!”

Just as I started to move under their protection—

Crackle—snap!

Sparks burst up around the tent, and in an instant, flames surrounded us, blocking the escape route.

“This can’t be happening……”

The feeling of complete helplessness burned into my mind as the fire roared violently before my eyes.