Chapter 33
Is That Even Reasonable?!**
“A bear…? *Me*? You want *me* to fight it?!”
“You’re already holding a weapon.”
“But I just used this bow *for the first time today*!”
And her accuracy was practically zero. She was clearly a hopeless beginner.
**ROOOAAAR!!**
The bear that had been growling suddenly lifted its front paw high. It looked like it was about to charge. Reina’s mouth dropped open in shock. Carlheil didn’t even flinch.
“Wait—you really want *me* to shoot the bear?! Are you serious?!”
**ROAAAAAR!!**
The bear’s roar echoed again, louder this time.
‘Is this where my second life ends?’
“Do *something*!”
“You have a weapon in your hands. Try aiming for its heart.”
‘Does he even *hear* himself?!’
Reina hadn’t put down the crossbow because Carlheil still hadn’t drawn his sword. It was her only backup plan, just in case he actually *didn’t* help her.
“I couldn’t even hit the regular target! How am I supposed to hit a *heart* I can’t even see?”
“Just aim for the chest. You *do* know hearts are on the left side, right?”
“…What?!”
Was this guy for real?
“I can’t do it!”
“Then get eaten.”
In that moment, Reina realized Carlheil might be just as cruel as Blair.
‘If I ever feel even a little sorry for you again, I swear I’ll change my family name!’
Her brief moment of sympathy earlier now felt like a total waste. Carlheil, still completely calm, added one more thing.
“Oh, and make sure to hit it with the *first* shot. If you miss, the bear might charge at you.”
‘WHAT?! That’s like asking a baby who just learned to walk to win a sprinting competition!’
Reina gulped, realizing that what he was asking was basically impossible.
‘…Forget this. I’m running.’
She remembered someone once said: if a bear chases you, you just need one person to be slower. Luckily, Carlheil was a bit closer to the bear than she was.
‘If I move first, I have a chance.’
She subtly looked around, checking her escape route. Holding the crossbow, she started to back away slowly—one step, then another. The more distance she put between herself and Carlheil, the higher her survival chances got.
‘Just don’t spook the bear… go slow…’
Reina even held her breath as she stepped back. Carlheil was now definitely closer to the bear than she was.
“This is it!”
Just as she turned to run—
She tripped. Her foot caught on a tree root she hadn’t seen.
“Wh-whoa?!”
As she fell backward, she saw the bright sky peeking through the trees. And in that same moment, her finger accidentally pulled the crossbow’s trigger.
**TWANG!**
The tightly drawn arrow flew into the air.
**SQUUEEEEEAAAL!!**
“Reina!!”
Carlheil’s voice and the terrible scream of the bear echoed together across the woods.
“…Are you okay?”
Before Reina’s head hit the ground, Carlheil had jumped forward and caught her. She nodded in a daze—just as a loud **thud** shook the earth.
Something massive had fallen.
They both turned to look.
“…?”
They stared blankly. The bear, which had been ready to charge just moments ago, now lay flat on the ground.
It was dead.
Trembling slightly, the bear had collapsed with an arrow sticking out of its chest. It was the very same arrow Reina had accidentally fired.
“…I guess I have to take back what I said about you being bad with bows.”
“I… I really hit the bear?”
Carlheil answered without hesitation.
“If you didn’t, who else could’ve? It was just the two of us here.”
‘That’s true… and Carlheil had his arms crossed the whole time…’
“So… that one arrow I shot by accident actually hit the heart… and killed it?”
Still in disbelief, Reina looked to Carlheil. He walked over to the bear, checked the wound, and nodded.
“It hit the heart. Guess you were lucky… or the bear was unlucky.”
Feeling braver now that she knew it was dead, Reina walked over to the bear too. It was huge, with thick brown fur and a lifeless body. The arrow stuck in its chest made everything feel real.
“I really… killed it? A bear this big?!”
She turned to Carlheil and asked,
“Is hunting a bear normal in this competition?”
“No. No one’s ever hunted a bear before.”
Carlheil folded his arms slowly and added,
“Besides, bears aren’t even supposed to be in this area.”
His face turned serious, but Reina didn’t notice. She was too excited. She’d just made history.
‘With this, I could actually *win* the whole contest!’
Her eyes sparkled with hope. She proudly stepped in front of Carlheil and said,
“Anyway, I hope *Your Highness* makes it clear that this bear was *my* kill.”
“…?”
Carlheil gave her a look that said, *What are you even talking about?*
“Seriously! You didn’t do a single thing to help, so don’t even think about taking credit.”
“Wait. Are you planning to claim the contest prize too?”
“Of course!”
“…Ha.”
Carlheil chuckled, clearly shocked. Reina lowered her voice and added,
“Besides, it’s *you* who provoked Blair’s competitive spirit, not me.”
“…”
“And I risked my *life* out there. I deserve the prize!”
Carlheil shook his head in disbelief. Reina’s frustration bubbled up.
“I mean, seriously! You told a beginner who just picked up a bow to shoot a bear? That’s insane!”
She remembered how Carlheil just stood there with his arms crossed while she faced a *bear*, and she grew even more upset.
“How could you just stand there while your *fiancée* was about to get mauled?!”
Carlheil sighed and crossed his arms again.
“It was training.”
“…Training?”
“People only get better in real-life situations. The more dangerous, the better.”
“Ohhh, so what you’re saying is… you were helping me improve my archery?”
Carlheil nodded.
“…Who the heck trains by putting someone in front of a charging bear?!”
At that, Carlheil let out a little laugh.
“You weren’t even thinking about shooting. You were clearly planning to *run*. Did you really think I didn’t notice?”
‘Wait… how did he know?’
Reina flinched, guilt written all over her face.
“I was going to draw my sword if you started running and the bear came after you.”
So he *hadn’t* planned to completely abandon her. Reina felt a little better.
Still, she stepped in front of the bear like a guard dog and declared,
“Anyway! This is *mine*.”
Carlheil sighed deeply.
“…Fine. Do what you want. You won’t win anyway.”
‘What? I caught a *bear*. How could I not win?’
Ignoring him, Reina grabbed the whistle hanging from his neck and blew it as hard as she could.
A moment later, servants came running. When they saw the huge bear lying there, their jaws dropped.
“Careful—move it gently.”
The bear was so big, they had to call for more help. It wouldn’t even fit in a regular cart—they needed the *biggest* one.
—
At the edge of the clearing, beside all the rabbits and badgers other people had caught, was Reina’s giant bear. It had taken *twelve strong men* and a massive cart to move it.
Everyone stared in shock.
“Ahem!”
Reina stuck out her chest proudly. This was the first time *anyone* had caught a bear.
‘Amazing, right?’
But… oddly, all the attention wasn’t on her. Everyone was looking at Carlheil.
A lower-ranked noble approached and said,
“Your Highness, that’s incredible.”
“…Huh?”
“I already knew you were a great swordsman, but to take down a bear…”
‘Wait, WHAT?! Why is *he* getting the credit?!’
“As expected of the man who led us to victory in war.”
Everyone seemed convinced *Carlheil* had killed the bear.
“Excuse me, I was the one—!”
Just as Reina opened her mouth, Carlheil shook his head.
“I didn’t kill it.”
“What?”
“Then who?”
“My fiancée, Lady Reina, did.”
“…Lady Reina?”
All eyes turned to Reina. People looked at her small frame, her thin arms, and burst into laughter.
“No way. That must be a joke.”
“Look at her arms—how could someone like her bring down a *bear*?”
“His Highness must be giving her credit to be kind.”
Everyone praised Carlheil as a romantic and noble man.
‘Kind?! That man stood there with his arms crossed while a bear charged at me!!’
Reina was boiling inside.
But thankfully, Carlheil—though reckless—was not a liar. He immediately corrected them.
“I didn’t help her. Not one bit. Lady Reina took it down by herself.”
“…Seriously?”
“Her shot was perfect. The arrow hit the heart directly.”
A few people checked the bear. Just as Carlheil said, there was only *one* arrow—and it was straight through the heart.
“Can that… even be real?”
“I know it’s hard to believe. But it’s true.”
The whispering grew louder. All eyes were now fixed on Reina, filled with shock and awe.
‘Well, since Carlheil explained everything, that should do it.’
Reina picked up a blank sign, wrote her name, and stuck it in front of the bear to mark it as hers. She looked around at the other small animals people had caught and smiled.
‘Yeah… this victory is mine.’
She could already imagine the prize.
‘If I win an island, I’ll clear some land, grow crops… maybe raise a few pigs too?’
She was happily planning how to use her prize when suddenly—**clip-clop, clip-clop!**
A loud noise of hooves echoed in the distance.
It was the other contestants returning from the hunt.
And when Reina looked up at them, her eyes went wide in shock.
“…What the heck… is *that*?!”
