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The sun hung high in the sky. It was noon.

On this day, the sky was a clear blue, without a single cloud, and there seemed to be nothing to block the sunlight pouring down onto the ground. The forest, completely free from winter’s grasp, was now bathed in shades of green. Light filtered through the thick leaves and reached the ground.

When the light flowing through the gaps touched something, a glimmer of gold burst forth from the darkness that had lingered in the shadowy forest. Perhaps startled by the sudden sparkle, a deer quietly nibbling on grass beneath a tree began to run deeper into the woods.

“Ah!!”

Noel gasped at the sight of the deer suddenly breaking away and took off after it, unaware that it was the sunlight reflecting off her own head that scared it away.

“Stop there!!”

Noel shouted as she chased after the deer.

If she set her mind to it, she could easily place herself right in front of the deer, but perhaps due to a promise she made before entering the forest, she was running purely with her physical strength, without utilizing her divine aura.

This meant that the distance between her and the deer was not closing, yet a smile remained on Noel’s face. It seemed that she was enjoying this moment of running, and her smile showed no signs of fading.

With every movement, the surrounding grass rustled. The chirping of birds flitting between the trees and the sound of wind brushing against her contributed to the delightful orchestra of nature.

How long had it been since she had run like this, unrestricted, ever since the Emperor forbade running within the castle walls? Lost in the joy of being able to move freely without constraints, Noel sliced through the air.

The deeper she ventured into the woods, the more it resembled a magical realm, with twisted trees growing densely and creating considerable obstacles. Yet for someone with her superhuman senses and reflexes, it posed no real challenge.

Thud-thud-thud—

As the deer’s speed increased, Noel channeled her energy to pick up the pace in pursuit.

Despite not using her aura, if it were an ordinary deer, it should have been caught by now. However, living in this Rune Proud magical territory, this deer was unlike any normal one.

As the gap between them continued to remain unchanged, Noel glanced down at the bow in her hand.

Although Noel enjoyed handling weapons, her greatest confidence lay not in a bow but a sword. Thus, she always carried a sword with her, yet her current resources consisted of merely a butchering dagger hanging at her waist, a bow in her hand, and a few arrows left in a quiver strapped to her back.

While using her aura might have made things different, she had left it behind, believing that wielding a great sword in such a thickly vegetated area would limit her mobility. Yet now, faced with her current situation, the absence of her sword felt a little empty.

Noel lifted her bow as she ran, but upon seeing the violently shaking bow, she quickly lowered her hands.

It was true that she was often called a genius, but that didn’t mean she could handle a weapon she hadn’t practiced with as skillfully as a master.

Just moments ago, she had been hidden in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to catch the beast with her bow. Now, hitting a fast-moving target while running felt like a very high-level challenge for her, as even shooting from a stationary position consumed a significant amount of her mental energy.

Whoooosh-!

Suddenly, a sharp whistling pierced the tranquility of the forest. Noel recognized the sound; it was the rangers circling around her warning her not to go any further.

If she proceeded deeper, she would enter a place teeming with creatures known as monsters, unlike what she was experiencing now.

“Ugh…”

Despite hearing the whistle, Noel didn’t halt her steps. Although following the rangers’ orders had been part of the agreement before entering this place, the thought of losing her chance at such an easily catchable game was too disappointing to let go.

If she used her aura, one step would have been sufficient to catch the deer, but Noel, being a princess and a knight, couldn’t allow herself such a dishonorable display. It was better to let the deer escape than to use her aura.

Just as she considered stopping her pursuit, something brushed against her fingertips; she reached into her leather pouch and pulled out a short dagger.

Noel briefly glanced between the dagger and the galloping deer, then began to measure the distance between herself and the deer. The gap hadn’t decreased, but it also hadn’t increased.

Where should she aim?

Should she break its legs to prevent it from moving? Or should she aim for its head?

Right, let’s go for the head.

Once the target was decided, her actions became swift. As her foot touched the ground for the next step, she unleashed the dagger from her hand with explosive force.

This was a technique crafted purely from her physical prowess, using not even a whisper of her aura. Perhaps due to the reasonably close distance, the dagger she threw pierced the deer’s skull the moment it left her hand.

The headshot deer collapsed without a sound.

“Wowww!!”

As Noel rushed over to where the deer lay, she confirmed it had drawn its last breath and let out a cheer. She pointed triumphantly at a tree nearby, announcing loudly, “Look! I caught it!!”

Then, from seemingly nowhere, a figure appeared atop the tree and began to clap without saying a word. Soon, others donned in similar attire emerged from various spots and lifted the deer Noel had captured.

These were the rangers who had been standing by. One of them, appearing to be a leader, approached Noel and offered her congratulations.

“That was a very neat throw with the dagger. However, next time, I kindly ask you to return at the first warning, Your Highness. Even though we are around to protect you, anything can happen in this place.”

“Oh, I’m sorry… I, um…”

“I won’t mention this to the young lord and lady.”

At his words, a smile returned to Noel’s face. While it was important for her to keep her aura unused during the hunt, the rangers prioritized her not going too deep into the woods.

She had been scolded thoroughly by Elena and Damian when she had ventured inward, completely forgetting the rangers’ warnings on her first day here. She didn’t want to experience that again, so she smiled at the rangers’ promise not to tell as she made her way back toward the camp serving as their base.

“By the way, where is my brother?”

“Prince Alphonse is still training with Young Lord Damian, perhaps still not accustomed to the bow.”

Noel nodded lightly at his response.

This was somewhat the answer she had anticipated while asking the question.

Although Orcus lacked anything physically deficient, he had never handled a military weapon before, so she knew it would take time for him to improve. Though Noel herself hadn’t captured the deer with a bow, the event was about hunting, not archery, so she didn’t dwell on it too much.

As the tents made of gray fabric came into view, she noticed guards with the Kraus family crest stationed around. Among them, a familiar face caught her eye—none other than her twin brother, Orcus, with the same hair color as hers.

“Brother!!”

“Noel? Wait a moment! Shhh!!”

For reasons unknown, Orcus, standing behind the entrance of a tent, glanced sharply at her upon hearing her call and signaled her to be quiet. Though somewhat puzzled, Noel approached him silently, following his cue.

Orcus briefly looked around before letting out a relieved expression as he welcomed Noel. She tilted her head at his behavior, softly asking, “Brother? Is something going on?”

“No, nothing at all. By the way, seeing you back so early, I take it you were successful in your hunt today.”

“Yes! Look at this!!”

At her rising voice, Orcus immediately raised a hand to his mouth, signaling her to lower her voice again. Noel shot him a discontented look, but he casually disregarded it, focusing instead on the spot she was pointing toward.

“Huh…”

There lay the headless deer that the rangers had placed on the ground.

Orcus stared blankly at the sight of the deer sprawled out on the ground as if he had lost his words. After all, having been struck by Noel, who possessed superhuman abilities, there was no way the deer’s head could be intact.

“Did you really do that, Noel?”

“Yep!”

To be honest, the sight of the deer’s head split in two wasn’t particularly pleasant.

Yet, seeing Noel proudly presenting her catch, Orcus felt an unfamiliar emotion he had never sensed from her before. He firmly resolved that he should never have let her learn swordsmanship back then.

“Um, but what were you doing here, brother?”

“That, um…”

Orcus hesitated at Noel’s question. Although she sensed something was off, the answer to that question came effortlessly as the voice of someone they knew spoke up nearby.

“There you are.”

“Ah!”

An all-too-familiar voice reached Noel and Orcus’s ears simultaneously. Noel’s eyes lit up upon hearing it, while Orcus’s eyes, in stark contrast, seemed to lose their sparkle. As Orcus cautiously raised his head, golden-dragon-like eyes glimmered in his blue ones.

“I was wondering where you had gone off to while I was away for a moment, and here you are hiding.”

“Hiding? I’d say I was having a conversation with my sister.”

“Conversations are better held in the training grounds.”

Damian. Listening to his conversation with Orcus, Noel began to piece together what was happening. Seeing Noel’s smile turn slightly different, Orcus sighed as he showed Damian his now red and swollen finger.

“Look at this! My finger is completely swollen. Now it hurts every time I draw back the bowstring, and I can’t pull it anymore. So let’s take a break… Ow! W-What are you doing?!”

At Orcus’s lament, Damian simply pressed down on Orcus’s finger. Orcus let out a noise in protest, but Damian answered him with a matter-of-fact tone.

“It’s fine. Your fingers will begin to harden soon. Just keep practicing a little longer, and you won’t feel pain when you draw back the string anymore.”

“That ‘little’ part!!! Do you know you said that earlier?! Since then, I’ve shot over a hundred arrows!”

“Most of those, however, were off the target, weren’t they? To improve your skills, you need to practice. His Highness asked me to treat you harshly until your skills improved, didn’t he?”

“I thought you were saying I’m getting better. You even told me that hitting the target is impressive for a beginner! I can see I’m getting closer to the center!! It’s time to stop!”

“Then you need to practice even harder now. In the tournament, you won’t simply be standing still to shoot; you’ll be shooting while riding on horseback! So it’s better to get a feel for it now.”

“Ahhhhh!!!”

In the end, Orcus shouted in exasperation. It was quite unusual to see the usually calm and dignified Orcus acting this way, and Noel couldn’t help but capture the wild sight of her twin losing his composure in her eyes.

“Well then, let’s head back to the training grounds. Tomorrow, you must also hunt like Princess Noel in the forest, right?”

“Stop it!! Just let Noel go to the tournament! I’m a mage, aren’t I? Why can’t I use magic?! This is definitely unfair!”

Using magic, it would be effortless for him to pierce the bullseye with his arrows. Of course, it was only reasonable since this tournament was about martial skills, not magic. To Orcus’s frustration, Damian replied, “Princess Elena is also a mage, but as you know, she shoots perfectly well without magic, doesn’t she? So, you should obediently go practice. You wouldn’t want to show a disgraceful side, would you?”

With that, Orcus ceased any further protest.

Mentioning Elena seemed to ignite a fire in his eyes again. It must have reminded him of when he first held a bow at the Lord’s Castle, completely overwhelmed by her prowess in their light spar. Since neither of them had ever handled military weapons before, it merely highlighted the difference in their innate abilities, yet Orcus found it hard to accept.

Though he didn’t resist anymore, just in case, Damian stood by Orcus’s right side, gripping his arm, while Noel stepped to his left, mirroring Damian’s movements and grasps.

“Hehehe…”

Upon seeing Orcus’s face, Noel suddenly burst into laughter. The unexpected reaction drew their gazes toward her, but she dismissed it with a shake of her head, indicating it was nothing.

On the path to the training grounds, Noel took her time walking as she began to reminisce about her memories when she first arrived at Count Kraus’s Lord Castle.

 

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