Chapter 72

"Huh, heok…!"

I could hear a sharp gulp nearby. Maybe it's because of the different momentum from last year, when she looked so stupid.

"I said go get them. Huh?"

None of the maids, who had been flabbergasted as if they were going to call for a guard right away, either, could think of moving. the forest silence with no breath.

Ack… …only the sound of my fingers slowly groping the trigger went dreary.

"Pri, Princess! If, it you doing this…..!"

Lady Kellin called me urgently.

'The Duke's crazy dog really tries to shoot people to death.'

Now I can feel some seriousness, and the blue-haired eyes, which had remained calm to the end, shook wildly, soaked in fear.

And then, snap. No matter who heard it, the sound of pulling the trigger rang out loud.

"Hmm…"

When the women, including Lady Kellin, closed their eyes with a vain face.

"Bang!!!"

I mimicked the gunshot with my mouth. Naturally, there was no bead that was fired.

"It's a joke."

I grinned and lowered the crossbow I was aiming at.

"Hiccup."

Lady Aris, who was sitting opposite, burst into hiccups. Until just before, faces full of contempt and ridicule had already been eroded by intense fear.

'I must be a real villain.'

It was not pitiful, but rather, a sight to behold.

"Why are you so scared?"

"….."

"I didn't even load, everyone."

I held up the crossbow in one hand and pulled the trigger a couple more times. It was just to show that it was safe, and each time the thin shoulders trembled.

I set the crossbow around my back again. And I looked around the table and acted as if nothing had happened.

"Relax your facial expressions, huh?"

As if a tomboy pouting her lips when the reaction seemed to be poor after a mischievous prank, she said with a frown.

"I feel like I'm the villain who came to ruin the tea party. I was invited formally to you."

"….."

"Aren't you, Countess Dorothea?"

As I looked back at the organizer and asked her, she jumped out of place.

"Well, yes, Princess!"

Quickly regained consciousness, she exclaimed hurriedly.

"Hey, everybody, smile. Pri, Princess played such a funny joke to make us laugh."

But no one laughed at the prank.

"I have to go hunting now, so I'll get up first."

I got out of the back of the chair. Since the atmosphere is frozen because of me, shouldn't the person who caused the inconvenience avoid the right place?

I added with a look of regret after getting ready to leave.

"Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to show you my skills. My crossbow's bolt is not an arrow, but a magic bead."

"….."

"I'll show you when I get a chance next time."

I was about to turn around and walk.

"Oh, my."

I stopped walking again and turned my head to the table, as if there was something I had forgotten and couldn't say before

"I'm telling you in particular because I'm afraid some of you might be wondering what magic it is….."

"….."

"My crossbow bead has a magic of making the right things turn into an idiot."

I calmly uttered falsehoods, and started with the main culprit behind the plot, and met each one's one by one.

"Thanks to someone, I couldn't hunt for a year and I was itching. To the point where they make these beads for me to catch the game."

I went back to the beginning and fixed my eyes to the blue hair. I smiled with a smile and finally hit the wedge.

"Of course, it is made for small animals, so even if it's hit right, it won't die…."

"….. "

"I wonder if magic will works for people."

And Lady Kellin turned around in the background, turning blue like a doze off.

I was just on the way to the central vacant lot after finishing my threat to watch her mouth. My eyes suddenly brightened.

reputation has been reduced to -10

(total: 80)

I has lost my reputation. I poked my lips for a while, then passed the system window without minding it.

It's not like being likable, unless it's directly connected to my life. It was none of my business to fall for fame or reputation.

* * *

Chapter 7.

"Hey. Where should I go to the animal hunting zone?"

I grabbed a guard who was passing by and asked him the way, and after hearing the answer, I took a step toward the main purpose I had thought of in the morning. After the entrance to the hunting ground, there was a way to go, and the right road was my destination.

'What can I get you?'

Recalling the inorganic gray eyes, I walked along the forest path with light steps. But on the other side of the road I've been to, it wasn't the animal hunting ground I imagined.

"What is this…"

I gazed at the endless stretch of trees and grass.

What I thought was, of course, that the servants would gather only the small animals separately, fence them in a certain area and lock them up. So that beginners can experience it easily.

"You said it's a place where kids can catch them, and it's just a forest."

Yes. It was just a forest. I looked all over the place, but the animals didn't show up at all.

It seemed to have been roughly arranged by releasing large and small animals separately from the crossroads. There are few parents who bring their children anyway, and most of the female aristocrats don't participate

"Ha… …why everything about this game so strange?"

I trudged along the forest path, complaining. Fortunately, the road was well-structured and there was no reason to get lost.

But even if I went deeper along the road, I wondered if I could catch, or even find, quick animals running freely.

'Let's just say we're going for a walk since we're here.'

I gave up my pledge to hunt neatly and walked down the street.

But not long after walking, I realized that it was a hasty give-up.

'Wow! It's a rabbit!'

A white rabbit, as white as snow, was hopping in a short distance. There were not only one, but as many as four.

'Cute….'

Actually, I have never seen an animal other than a dog or a cat in my life. It is because I have never been to a zoo where others have been bored.

Because of this, even though I found out the hunting area, I couldn't catch them straightly

'No! Don't go!'

In the meantime, a group of rabbits, who sensed the human mettle, ran away at a rapid.

I got sullen and walked the road again. Soon after, the same thing just happened again.

Squirrels, blue squirrels, raccoons, chickens, wild cats and even small deer. I ran into a game of foot-and-mouth to see if I was in charge of the area where the animals were released.

Sadly, it was just a meeting. The prey ran away quickly, either during sightings or around the crossbows.

"Aish, I was too novice-level to hunting.'

It was fortunate that I was the only one around. It would have been a disaster if I had been formally involved in the hunt following the Duke with useless courage.

With the sense of shame coming, I walked half-heartedly, with the attitude of being able to shoot the crossbow straight.

I was entering deeper and deeper woods. I've found a hunt that I like more than anything I've ever met.

'Awesome.'

It was a gray-haired fox that looked just like Eckliss's eye color.

"That's it!"

I was sure at once. That's the prey I'm supposed to catch and take today.

The gray fox was quenching his neck by a small stream below the slope. It was a rare kind of paper, but unlike other animals, there was only one.

'If I miss it, there will be no soup either.'

I shifted my foot carefully. I had to get a little closer because a tree on the slope was subtly covering the angle that I could aim at.

I was careful not to make a sound, but soon I reached my target tree. Half-hidden on a wooden post, I slowly turned the crank.

At that moment the fox's ears pricked. However, it was still scratching water to see if it felt any signs.

Dalkak—. Finally the load is complete. I slowly picked up the crossbow and aimed. By the time the target came into the center of the bow body perfectly. The fox, who was drinking water at a leisurely pace, suddenly raised his head. And as soon as I pulled the trigger, it started running.

Ta-ang-!

The bead fired by a single stroke missed. The distance from the fox, who sensed the threat, began to widen in an instant.

'Don't, no! I can't miss it!'

Is this what a hunter feels like when he misses all his prey?

I started running recklessly after the fox. I was so sorry and impatient that I couldn't catch it by a hair's breadth.

'I'll catch it soon!'

Unfortunately it was my arrogance. The fox was incredibly fast. I can't believe how that little body comes with that speed and stamina.

I wanted to run after it, but my weak body soon ran out.

"Oh, my gosh…"."

I ended up missing the fox. But that fox wasn't the problem. I ran to the depths of the forest because I ran frantically to chase the fox.

"Where the hell am I….."

When I looked around, I couldn't even find a well-structured road.

"Ha…. Let's find the mark first."

Even if it's a forest, it's inside the palace anyway. I managed to raise the possibility that signs were installed throughout the hunting grounds to prevent any possible disaster.

After a complete failure in hunting, I trudged my steps. Fortunately, I could quickly find a golden cloth tied to a tree.

"That's a relief…"

I was relieved. Now if I walk along that, I'll be able to meet other people or get out of the woods.

But my obsession was that I couldn't remember what the color of the mark meant.

"Kkeuuu, Keuoahhh-'

Soon after, I was able to meet another prey. No, an animal that can be called a prey for hunter to hunt me because the host has changed.

"KKKeuuuuu!"

"Ack! What is it!"

I saw a huge bear popping out of the bushes without warning, I open my mouth big.

Only then did I remember. The golden mark means the area where predators such as lions and tigers are released.

It was that moment.

 An unexpected quest has occurred! An excited giant brown bear has appeared!

Would you like to hunt [The Giant Bear] and lay the groundwork for becoming [Queen]?

(Time limit: 30 seconds, reward: Giant bear skin and gallbladder, reputation +50, [??] favorability +5%)

[Accept / Reject]

'You crazy game, what's going on here!'