Chapter 58: The princess has no friends (5)

12 PM; it was the time when the sun was at its zenith.

The sky that day was clear, without a cloud in sight, seemingly having nothing to block the sunlight pouring down toward the ground. This was no exception in the forest, which had fully emerged from winter and was now dyed a lush green. The light penetrated through the gaps in the dense foliage and reached the ground.

When the light seeping through the gaps touched something, it reflected a hidden golden hue within the shadows of the dark forest. Startled by the sudden shimmer in the darkness, a deer quietly grazing under the trees began to run toward the depths of the forest.

"Ah!!"

At the sight of the suddenly fleeing deer, Noel let out an exclamation and began to chase after it, oblivious to the fact that it was the reflected sunlight on her head that had startled it.

"There!!"

She shouted towards the deer, running after it. Although she could've easily caught up with the deer in no time using her divine power or aura, she chose to rely solely on her physical strength, possibly due to a promise she had made before entering the forest.

Because of this, the distance between her and the deer didn't seem to be narrowing, yet a smile was painted on Noel's face. She seemed to find joy in the running, her face never losing its smile.

With every movement of her body, she could hear the rustling of the surrounding grass. The chirping of birds flying between the trees and the sound of the wind hitting her running body tickled her ears.

When was the last time she'd run this freely since the Emperor forbade her from running inside the castle when she was young? Relishing the freedom to move without any constraints, Noel sprinted through the wind.

As she went deeper into the forest, the denseness of the oddly shaped trees that grew everywhere turned the place into something akin to a demon realm. It considerably limited her movements, but for someone like her, who had senses and power surpassing normal humans, this was no issue.

- Thud thud thud...

As the deer's speed gradually increased, Noel also raised her strength to give chase.

Even though she wasn't using her aura, if it was an ordinary deer, she should've caught up with it by now. But it seemed like deer living in a demon realm like Runeproud. Its abilities greatly surpassed those of an ordinary deer.

As the distance from the deer didn't seem to decrease, Noel glanced at the bow in her hand.

Noel liked to use weapons, but her greatest confidence wasn't in the bow, but in the sword. That was why she always carried a sword with her. However, now the only equipment she had was a short hunting dagger on her waist, a bow in her hand, and a few remaining arrows in the quiver on her back.

If she had been using her aura, it would've been different. But unless she reached a certain level, a long sword would only limit her movements in such a densely wooded area, so she had left it behind. But now, without her sword, she felt strangely empty.

While running, Noel attempted to draw her bowstring. However, due to the violent shaking, she quickly lowered her hand.

Despite her talent, it was challenging to handle a weapon she wasn't accustomed to. She had hoped to catch the deer with her bow while hidden in the shadows, but hitting a moving target while on the run was a formidable task, especially when she still had to focus heavily to shoot from a stationary position.

- Squeak-!

Suddenly, a sharp whistle echoed through the quiet forest. Noel knew what this whistle meant. It was a warning from the rangers patrolling her surroundings, telling her not to go any further.

If she proceeded further, she would enter a territory inhabited by real magical beasts called "Masu*".

"Ugh..."

Despite the warning, Noel didn't halt. Part of the promise she had made before entering the forest was to always obey the rangers' instructions, but her desire to not let go of the prey that seemed within her grasp was too strong.

If she used her aura, she could easily catch up with the deer in a single step, but as a princess and a knight, her honor did not allow her to use it. She'd rather let the deer go than use her aura.

Just as Noel was about to give up her chase, something wrapped in leather brushed against her fingertips. When she reached into her leather pouch, a short dagger emerged.

Noel alternately looked at the dagger and the deer running ahead, then began to measure the distance between them. The distance did not shorten, but it did not widen either.

'Where should I aim?'

'Should I break its legs so it cannot move? Or aim straight for the head.'

'Right. Let's go for the head.'

Once the target was decided, her action was swift. The moment her next foot hit the ground, she launched the dagger like a lightning bolt from her hand.

This was a skill purely made from the explosive power of her body, without a hint of aura. Perhaps because the distance wasn't that far, the dagger Noel threw pierced precisely through the back of the deer's head.

With its head pierced, the deer collapsed on the spot without a single cry.

"Yaaaaaaa!!"

Noel ran to where the deer had fallen and cheered when she confirmed the deer was dead. She pointed precisely at a tree and shouted toward it.

"Look at this! I caught it!!"

Then, a silhouette appeared from what seemed like an empty tree and quietly applauded. Soon, others in similar attire appeared from here and there and lifted the deer Noel had caught.

The rangers who had been waiting in the surroundings revealed themselves. Among them, a man who seemed to be the leader approached Noel and congratulated her.

"That was a very clean dagger technique. However, I ask you to please come back at the first signal next time, Your Highness. No matter how much we are watching over the surroundings, anything can happen here."

"Ah, I'm sorry... I, that..."

"I won't tell young lord and young lady."

At his words, Noel smiled again. While it was important for Noel not to use aura during hunting here, the priority for others was to prevent her from going too deep into the forest.

How much scolding did she receive from Elena and Damian when she forgot the rangers' warnings on her first day and went inside? Noel, not wanting to experience that again, smiled at the ranger's words and headed toward the camp they were currently using as a base.

"By the way, where is my brother?"

"His Highness the Prince is still not used to the bow, so he is training with Lord Damian."

At his response, Noel lightly nodded.

Even as she asked the question, she had somewhat anticipated the answer.

Orcus was not physically lacking, but since he had no previous contact with weapons, she kept in mind that the training might take some time. After all, even Noel herself hadn't shot and caught a deer with a bow. Regardless, she was participating in a hunting competition this time, not an archery one, so Noel didn't care much about it.

As tents made of gray cloth started to appear, she noticed people marked with the emblem of Kraus scattered and standing guard. Among them, what caught her eyes was the person with the same hair color as hers, Orcus.

"Brother!"

"Noel? Uh, hold on! Shush!"

For some reason, Orcus, who had been standing behind the entrance tent, immediately recognized her face at her shout and signaled her to be quiet. Although she found it a bit strange, Noel silently moved towards him as Orcus suggested.

Seeing Noel approach, Orcus quickly glanced around and then greeted her with a relieved face. Noel tilted her head at Orcus' behavior and asked in a soft voice.

"Brother, did something happen?"

"No, nothing happened. Seeing you back so early, it seems like your hunt was successful."

"Yes! Just look at this!!"

At the increasing volume of Noel's voice, Orcus once again signaled her to quiet down with his hand at his lips. Noel shot him a slightly annoyed glance, but he simply shrugged it off and looked in the direction Noel was pointing.

"Huh..."

There lay a deer with its head pierced.

Looking at the fallen deer, Orcus stared blankly, seemingly at a loss for words. No matter how he looked at it, the deer's head wouldn't be intact after being attacked by Noel, who might be considered superhuman even if she only wielded a dagger.

"Is that...really your work, Noel?"

"Yep!"

Honestly, the sight of the deer's corpse with its head split in two wasn't pleasant to look at.

Still, Orcus couldn't help but feel a new emotion he had never felt from Noel before, who proudly showed her work to him. He was certain he should not have let her learn the sword back then.

"Um, what were you doing here, brother?"

"Well, that is..."

Orcus was vague in response to Noel's question. Even though Noel realized something was up, the answer came to her without her doing anything.

"So you're here."

"Huh!"

A familiar voice reached Noel and Orcus' ears at the same time. Upon hearing that voice, Noel's eyes sparkled, while Orcus, on the other hand, lost the light in his eyes. As Orcus slowly lifted his head, golden eyes like a dragon reflected in his blue eyes.

"I wondered where you had gone when you left your post. So you were hiding here."

"Hiding? Obviously, I was just having a conversation with my younger sister."

"You can have conversations at the training ground too."

Damian said.

Upon hearing the conversation between him and Orcus, Noel felt like she understood how things were unfolding. Orcus, who saw a different sort of smile on Noel's face, sighed, extended his reddened fingers towards Damian, and spoke.

"Take a look at this. My hand is completely red. Every time I pull back the bowstring, my fingers hurt so much that I can't pull anymore. So, let's take a rest for today... Argh! What, what are you doing!"

In response to Orcus' words, Damian pressed hard on his extended fingers. Orcus immediately groaned, but Damian calmly responded.

"You're still fine. Your hand is starting to develop calluses, and if you practice a bit more, it won't hurt anymore when you pull the bowstring."

"This damn bit more'! Do you realize you've been saying the same thing since a while ago?! I've shot over 100 arrows since then!"

"However, most of them were off target. To improve your skill, you need to practice. Didn't you ask me earlier to be stern until your skill improved?"

"Didn't you say I was improving? Even for a beginner, hitting the target is a big deal! You can see I'm gradually getting closer to the center!! It's time to rest now."

"That's why you should be more diligent now. In the tournament, you won't be just standing still and shooting, you'll be riding a horse. So it's good to get a feel for it."

"Ughhhhhhhh!!!"

In the end, Orcus screamed out. It was quite unusual for Orcus, who was always quiet and dignified in the imperial castle, to act this way, so Noel's eyes sparkled as she observed her hysterical twin brother.

"Well, let's go back to the training ground. You have to go hunting in the forest like the Her Highness the Princess tomorrow, don't you?"

"Enough!! I've had enough!! Just let Noel compete in the tournament! Wasn't I a magician to begin with? Why can't a magician use magic?! There's definitely something wrong with this!"

If he used magic, it would be very easy for him to get the arrow in the center of the target. Of course, it was not allowed because this was a contest of martial arts, not magic. In response to Orcus' words, Damian replied.

"Elena is a magician, too. As you know, she shoots well without magic. So let's obediently go practice. You said you didn't want to show your incompetence, didn't you?"

At Damian's words, Orcus stopped talking.

When he mentioned Elena, a fire seemed to light in Orcus' eyes again. The memory of his overwhelming defeat in a casual competition when he first held a bow at the castle flashed in his mind. Both of them hadn't held a bow before, so it was purely a difference in talent, but Orcus' pride had difficulty accepting that.

Though Orcus didn't resist anymore, Damian, as if preparing for an unexpected event, stood on his right side and grabbed his right arm. Then Damian and Noel's eyes met. Noel immediately stood on Orcus' left side and grabbed his arm, just like Damian.

"Hehehe..."

Noel suddenly started laughing after looking at Orcus' face. Their gazes naturally shifted to Noel due to her sudden reaction, but she just shook her head and looked away.

On the way to the training ground, Noel slowly stepped forward, reminiscing about the time when she first arrived at the lord's castle of Kraus.

--- END OF CHAPTER ---