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The shooting range was left with only two men after Noel departed.

Just with one fewer person, a silence enveloped Orcus and me. In this space now occupied by just the two of us, the only sound was the whoosh of the arrows he shot slicing through the air.

Had he found a rhythm? I could visibly confirm that his arrows were steadily approaching the center of the target.

It wasn’t just empty words when they said he inherited the divinity of a god; Orcus’s entire build was akin to a well-trained martial artist. He hadn’t trained just like Noel, but it wouldn’t have been strange to consider him a skilled warrior rather than a magician, given his well-honed physique.

Of course, physicality and combat prowess dwelled in slightly different realms, but witnessing his steady improvement in archery, I felt that Orcus wouldn’t have to be embarrassed in the hunting tournament as much as he worried. While he may lack exceptional talent in weaponry, the enhancements from his training were evident.

As the tenth arrow hit the target, I halted him momentarily and moved the target back by 30 paces. Upon seeing the target retreat, Orcus hesitated for a moment before confidently pulling back the bowstring, seemingly measuring the distance once more.

Thwack!

It wasn’t in the center, but the arrow stayed within the target. Satisfied that it had hit the target, Orcus subtly smiled.

With this boost of confidence, Orcus’s hands started to pick up speed gradually, unlike at the start. Had he simply shot faster, I might have pointed it out, but since his speed was accompanied by improved accuracy, I silently observed his shooting.

Finally, his arrow struck dead center on the target.

At this point, thirty-six arrows had been used.

It took thirty-six shots for his first success.

At this stage, one could cheer, yet Orcus’s lips remained quiet. However, the way he clenched his hand that held the arrow showed he was certainly happy.

As he slightly turned his head towards me, Orcus’s eyes, not as pronounced as Noel’s, nevertheless glimmered with a similar blue hue. Perhaps it was a sibling thing. I had assumed the only resemblance was in their hair and eye colors.

I nodded at his gaze and said, “Then let’s move the target back another 30 paces.”

At that, Orcus’s eyes started to squint.

Why? Wasn’t this what he wanted?

I ignored his piercing gaze and carried on. The way he alternated between looking at the pile of arrows at his feet and back to me felt like a silent plea to lessen the load. However, I had no intention of complying.

The pile of arrows at Orcus’s feet.

After sending Noel away, I had assigned Orcus a staggering number of arrows, unlike with her. It was a quantity substantial enough to make even the stoic Orcus show a slight hint of panic on his face.

After all, I had brought every spare arrow available in the shooting range.

Given that he had hit the center now, he apparently wanted me to reduce the quota a bit. But I had never planned on having him shoot all those arrows from the start.

Using up the entire stock of arrows I had brought would be less training and more like a torture disguised as training.

There was a reason I had given him such an overwhelming number of arrows as a quota: I wanted him to understand that the amount of training he had initially considered was set by me.

Perhaps Orcus himself recognized that if he made any significant progress in his training, I would adjust the requirements. That’s why he didn’t contest the excessive training amount I had set from the beginning. At this point, one could argue that there was a reason behind Orcus’s current demeanor.

However, it seemed he hadn’t quite considered that the results he thought of and the results I had in mind could differ.

Orcus was someone whose progress became distinctly visible the more he moved. How could I be satisfied with just one hit in the center? The upcoming hunting tournament in the south differed significantly from merely hunting regular animals.

With mediocre skills, catching even a single rabbit in that certain hunting ground would be quite the challenge; thus, he needed to be able to hit any target within the range of 200 paces without difficulty.

There was still a long way to go, and I couldn’t afford to relax just yet.

While I set out to adjust the target again, Orcus let out a deep sigh and unexpectedly spoke to me.

“What do you feel about it?”

“What do you mean? If you’re talking about the arrows just now, you did quite well. So let’s keep the momentum going and move the target back 30 paces more.”

“No, not that. I mean Noel. Noel.”

Noel?

Why was he bringing her up all of a sudden?

Caught off guard by the unexpected topic, I halted my steps for a moment. It wasn’t that I had no connections to his words, so I focused my attention on what Orcus was saying.

Seeing that I wasn’t leaving, Orcus started scanning the area briefly. Was he checking if Noel was still nearby?

The shooting range was such an open area that if she were close, I would know right away. There were no structures around for anyone to hide, so once he confirmed that Noel wasn’t around, he continued speaking.

“Don’t you find Noel’s behavior today just a bit strange?”

“I did get the feeling that her focus was lacking. Is something troubling her?”

“Exactly. The atmosphere changed a bit after yesterday.”

Orcus said this and then quietly stared at me. No way, this guy couldn’t possibly think that the cause of Noel’s behavior was me.

Yesterday, huh.

I briefly retraced my memories.

The gathering during the banquet yesterday. Had the odd feeling begun from that moment?

It was unsettling how much her gaze kept alternating between me and Elena. She would suddenly blush when looking at us, then quickly drop her mood when she looked at Elena. It was a series of exceedingly inconsistent actions.

Even during the practice just now, she seemed lost in thought until Orcus had spoken to her. Given the situation, it wasn’t unreasonable for him to point back to me as the cause. But if you think about it, Elena was implicated too.

Maybe that’s why I found myself deeply engaged with the topic Orcus had thrown out. Well, regardless of how much I pondered, I wouldn’t gain any insights since I knew so little about her. All I could do was let my imagination run wild, crafting stories that were little more than fiction.

In the midst of this, Orcus suddenly dropped a line that hit me hard.

“I think it seems Noel likes you.”

“What?”

Unintentionally, I responded in a casual tone rather than formal speech to Orcus’s declaration. Realizing it only afterwards, I tried to scramble for excuses against the expected reprimand from him, but all I heard was his laughter.

Since he valued the authority of the imperial family, it wasn’t surprising for him to be wary of my demeanor, but seeing my reaction made him too busy laughing. Through his laughter, I realized that his words had been a joke.

I was momentarily stunned.

The one person closest to Noel, Orcus, said that and I knew it was absurd, yet for a brief moment, I nearly took his words to heart. As I stared at him in disbelief, Orcus chuckled and spoke.

“You have quite the interesting expression. It’s a new discovery.”

“Are you joking?”

“Hmm? Is that not what you wanted?”

“Of course not. I’m just curious if the behaviors of Her Highness the Princess are part of a prank designed by you.”

“Not at all. Well, speaking of which, it’s a bit strange for me to say this, but… Surely, that girl Noel couldn’t perform such intricate acting.”

That was true.

Seeing my acknowledgment of his words, Orcus grimaced slightly.

“Then…”

“Since yesterday’s meeting with you and Elena, it’s true that Noel has become troubled. A difference from what I mentioned earlier is that I happen to know why.”

So, it meant that Noel’s change was related to me and Elena.

What on earth could Noel’s dilemma be about?

For me, my encounter with her had been nothing more than a brief spar and conversation, leaving me utterly devoid of information to uncover any worries she might have. Did Orcus realize that? He didn’t throw any more questions my way. Instead, he directly revealed what he knew to me.

“You might find it hard to believe, but the truth is, Noel only learned of your engagement with Lady Elena just yesterday. To be precise, she knew it, but just recalled it yesterday.”

“What do you mean by that?”

I couldn’t hide my astonishment at Orcus’s words. The surface reason for their visit was to celebrate my engagement with Elena, yet one of the parties involved didn’t know about it? How is that even possible?

But I quickly found myself accepting what followed from Orcus.

“Isn’t Noel obsessed with swords? Well, it isn’t just an obsession; she’s truly crazy about them. Anyway, since Noel’s personality is like that, it seems she only filtered out the part about going to Sarham when someone conveyed the message. She completely forgot about it until I reminded her on the way back to my room yesterday.”

“Ah.”

After hearing Orcus’s explanation, everything began to click into place.

Why she was alternating between gazes at me and Elena, blushing, and why her face fell when looking at Elena—all of it was explained.

Her unusually open demeanor in front of Elena during training had implied that she was just bright and pure; I had no idea it was because she didn’t know I was engaged to her. Once she learned that, it made her behavior start to shift awkwardly.

No wonder she had begun to avoid me deliberately. I understood now.

The reason she had left the shooting range early might have been to meet Elena. Thank goodness it wasn’t as serious as I had initially thought.

With Orcus’s explanation, the concerns weighing on my mind lifted, and I felt lighter. However, still, questions lingered. I spoke towards him while he grinned, bringing up Noel again.

“Then why did you suddenly bring this up with me?”

At my question, Orcus’s laughter ceased. He stopped chuckling, yet a smile didn’t leave his face as he replied.

“To become friends. They say you form friendships through these conversations, don’t they?”

“That’s not quite it. But I understand now.”

So, it was a simpler reason than I had anticipated.

After hearing Orcus’s answer, my curiosity fully resolved, I resumed my task to adjust the target. I pulled out the arrow lodged in the target and once again moved back 30 paces. Once I finished and returned to my spot, I found Orcus staring at me in disbelief.

I asked him, taking note of his blank expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Um, no. Your response was just different than I expected. Did you perhaps mishear?”

“No. Didn’t you say you wanted to be friends?”

“That’s right. So?”

“Do you need anything more?”

“If that’s the case, I’ll take that as you consenting to my earlier statement. That’s what I wanted to clarify.”

At Orcus’s words, I smiled and replied.

“What sort of consent is needed for friendship? If you regard me as a friend, then I’m one; if you see me as an enemy, then I’m one too. How this relationship develops is for both of us to decide.”

How can relationships be defined from the get-go?

Orcus, having traversed the complexities of noble power dynamics, surely knew this, but the absurdity of such a question must stem from a lack of opportunity to form friendships. Hearing his words gave me a glimpse into why the Emperor urged them to make friends.

Once Orcus seemed to grasp the meaning of my response, he paused thoughtfully before extending a hand to me.

“I see. Let’s get along well from now on, Damian.”

I took his extended hand and replied.

“I look forward to working well together too, Orcus.”

Whether he viewed me as a friend or merely a tool, I couldn’t tell either.

In the novel, Orcus Estellia was depicted as a highly calculating individual. Perhaps at this very moment, he was weighing the benefits of our newfound friendship, but that was reciprocal as well; if he treated me as a friend, I would respond likewise, and if not, I’d view him purely as a political tool to be used for my survival in this world.

Orcus appeared slightly awkward when called by name, a faint smile crept onto his face.

“Ah, how strange. Being called by my name by someone not family is a little odd. But it doesn’t feel bad at all, Damian. From now on, feel free to be casual with me. No, wait. I should probably start. You can call me casually from now on.”

His tone lacked the regal detachment usually present in a prince and seemed almost more relaxed, as if he sprinkled a bit of sugar powder onto a crumbly piece of bread named Orcus. It surely wasn’t a bad change to see a bit of that formality lighten up.

“Alright then.”

With Orcus’s permission granted, I immediately dropped the formal speech. He made an odd face again at my sudden shift, but I continued.

I took an arrow from the pile at his feet and handed it to him.

“We’ve moved back 30 paces, so let’s begin again.”

“Damn it.”

Trying to sneak away, huh?

There’s still a long way to go.

 

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