TLVGAJ 71

~Chapter 71~

The hunting tournament began.

Albert was wandering through the bushes, frowning.

[I need to warn you, Your Highness. Be careful when you hunt the wild boar today.]

Irene’s voice from earlier kept echoing in his mind.

…Why did she suddenly mention the wild boar?

He didn’t understand why she said that.

Of course, wild boars were one of the animals that could appear during the tournament. Catching one would give a lot of points, though it was tough to catch alone.

But why did she suddenly mention the wild boar? It was as if she predicted that he would be injured by one today…

Boom!

Suddenly, the sound of fireworks and cheering came from a distance.

It was a sign that someone had earned big points in the competition.

Did someone catch a bear…?

Albert briefly thought about it but then continued walking, not paying much attention.

In truth, Albert didn’t enjoy the hunting tournament much.

He grew up in the Harmen Temple, surrounded by animals and nature, so hunting animals was a strange concept for him.

Though the Heshite Empire followed the goddess Irene, and there were rules in place to prevent unnecessary slaughter during the hunting tournament, it still felt uncomfortable to him.

The animals used for the tournament had small magical markings that made them easier to track, and participants could only kill the marked animals. This system helped keep track of the hunt.

Still… killing animals was still the same.

Albert passed by a small rabbit marked with magic.

Then, he heard a rustling noise.

Unconsciously, he turned his head and his eyes widened.

Ahead of him was a wild boar.

“…”

Albert stopped breathing.

The boar was standing a few paces ahead, digging into the ground, seemingly unaware of Albert.

[Be careful when you hunt the boar today.]

Irene’s voice echoed again in his ears.

Maybe it was because of her warning, but Albert felt an uneasy feeling.

It was better not to approach. He quietly started to turn around to leave when—

“Albert.”

“…!”

Out of the bushes came Cedric, the First Prince, holding a sword.

The Encounter with the Brothers

“Cedric?”

Albert furrowed his brows. Cedric, suddenly appearing with a sword in hand, had a sharp look on his face.

Albert frowned.

Just when a wild boar appeared, Cedric showed up too.

It was definitely an ominous sign. He had a bad feeling.

Cedric seemed to want to say something.

Normally, he wouldn’t even speak to Albert, but now he stood in front of him, not planning to move.

Albert thought it would be better for both of them to leave this spot, so he spoke.

“There’s a wild boar over there. We should move…”

“I greet you, Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

Then, from the nearby bushes, another man appeared. It was Freddie, the Second Prince, holding a bow.

“Brother, it’s been a while.”

Before Albert could respond, another man appeared beside him.

It was Jamie, the Fourth Prince, casually holding a spear.

“…Jamie.”

Albert’s expression grew more frustrated as he saw his three brothers surrounding him.

He felt a tightness in his throat.

What was going on? He had a bad feeling.

Behind him was the wild boar, and in front of him were his three brothers. They had always been a source of trouble for him.

One of them had probably sent assassins after him before.

No, they were probably all in on it.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Albert felt an unpleasant sensation.

He was the Crown Prince now, and these brothers were his rivals.

“What are you trying to do?”

“You know. We can’t just sit back and let you become the Crown Prince,” Cedric said, laughing.

“So, the three of us decided to work together. Albert.”

“You know this goes against imperial orders, don’t you? Aren’t you afraid of the Emperor?”

“Hmmm, not really afraid. There are no guards here to protect you, and no one will even know we met.”

Cedric calmly looked around before tilting his head.

“Even if we survive here, do you think you can strike us down?”

“…”

Albert smirked.

Right. He knew this moment would come eventually.

He was tired of fighting with these political rivals. In the end, one of them had to die.

If he didn’t fight them now, he would be constantly at risk of death.

So…

“Fine. Try to kill me then.”

It might be better to settle it now.

Albert drew his sword, ready to fight.

The numbers were against him, but it wasn’t impossible to win.

None of his brothers had ever beaten him in martial arts.

Just as he pointed his sword at them, the brothers started laughing.

Albert frowned, wondering why they were laughing.

Jamie, the youngest, chuckled and walked closer to Albert.

“Sorry, but we don’t plan on killing you ourselves.”

Jamie’s eyes shifted past Albert’s shoulder.

“That wild boar… will be the one to kill you today.”

Whoosh!

There was the sound of something cutting through the air.

Freddie, who had been standing silently, shot an arrow toward Albert’s shoulder.

The arrow hit something, and Albert heard the sound of the boar’s angry cry.

Turning around, Albert saw the boar charging toward him, looking furious.

His spine went cold. The boar was coming straight at him.

Albert thought to himself that maybe this whole thing had been planned from the start.

The Tournament and Irene’s Concern

Tap, tap.

I was shaking my legs, arms crossed, watching the big screen showing the live score of the hunting tournament.

Albert’s rank was surprisingly low. But no one seemed concerned. It was well-known that Albert wasn’t good at killing animals during the tournament.

In fact, people admired him for respecting life and not harming animals unnecessarily.

“Lady Hartmann, are you okay? You look nervous today,” Sophie asked, noticing my unusual behavior.

“Haha, it’s nothing,” I replied, shaking my head.

I kept thinking, ‘The hunting tournament is the perfect opportunity for a hidden assassination attempt.’

That had happened in the original story.

After Albert became Crown Prince, the three rivals decided to join forces.

They planned to kill him during the hunting tournament using a wild boar.

They shot a magical arrow at the boar, which made it attack only Albert.

Albert got seriously injured and couldn’t meet Emily for several days.

This incident would be the trigger for Albert to eventually take down his brothers.

I couldn’t just let that happen, though.

I decided to warn him, even if it was just a simple reminder.

“Be careful when you hunt the wild boar today.” Was that enough of a warning?

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should have done more.

If only I could truly help him…

Then, a good idea came to me.