“The third island is safe, as the Inspectorate is on guard. When the competition starts, run as fast as you can to get there.”
“...”
“I wanted to warn you before, but the surveillance I was under was quite intense, and... Your Highness didn’t show up at the training ground at all.”
Suddenly, I remembered the voices of the maids who had been living in the training grounds with Princess Veronica.
Assuming that she was also under surveillance, the only place where she could have naturally encountered me would have been the training ground.
Now it felt like something was finally falling into place. I bit my lip and asked again.
“Why are you telling me this?”
It was an honest curiosity. And yet, I couldn't completely believe what she said.
If there was a trap for me, whether it was a water cannon or something else, then the situation itself would be advantageous to her.
Did she withdraw in advance because I thought that if I got hurt or died in this competition, she would be the first to be suspected?
Veronica couldn't answer right away. She just stared at me with her deep blue eyes and slowly opened her mouth.
"...Well."
“...”
“I guess it’s because I swore in front of His Majesty that I would compete fairly.”
I couldn't look around, but I felt like I knew what kind of expression she was making.
The hand holding the reins trembled slightly. I pressed my lips together and spoke quickly.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“...”
My head was in a mess. Whether I believed Veronica or not, it wasn't a good idea to stop the competition. Even if I could survive, I would get out once the search started.
If a massive search were to take place and nothing suspicious was found, it would only make me look ridiculous.
I bit my lip hard to suppress the trembling.
So, we can't back out here.
Finally, the third and final horn sounded. It was an ominous sound, like a scream, like an alarm bell before sinking.
A strong wind blew, but without hesitation, I kicked my horse's flank and ran into the forest.
The sound of the wind blowing past was deafening to my ears.
“Ugh...”
The horse was picking up speed without me having to whip it. It was the first time it had run this fast.
I've never even tried it because I was scared, but it seems like people will do anything when their lives are at stake.
Now, I wasn't riding a horse, it was more like I was being dragged around by the scruff of my neck.
I don't even know if this is the right path. I just kept running forward. The hanging branches hit my cheeks, causing drops of blood to form.
If you run by horse, it takes thirty minutes. If you walk, it takes two and a half hours.
I tried to figure out where I was by recalling the map I had memorized.
But the roads were all similar, the trees in the forest were so dense that it was difficult to tell them apart, and it was nearly impossible to see anything in detail from a running horse.
The only good thing was that we weren't completely off the road.
It wasn't so much my horsemanship as it was the intelligence of the Emperor's horse, Alexana. She acted as if she knew the forest like the back of her hand.
“Please, just like this... a little faster...”
She snorted in response.
It was then that the howling of wolves began to be heard from afar.
“I heard that the second island isn’t that big. They probably have taken care to keep dangerous animals out, and the roads are well-paved, so you should be able to get through quickly on horseback.”
I remembered Irina explaining this just a few days ago. She had taken steps to prevent wild beasts like wolves from appearing.
So this was not a normal situation.
If this situation had occurred without human intervention, then it would have been just beasts breaking through the barrier...
There was an enemy who wanted to kill me, but it was a very smart decision. If I died at the hands of an animal rather than a human, it would be difficult to secure clear evidence. Even the body would not be intact.
The ominous wolf howls continued. Alexana was still running fast, but the forest's sounds made it hard to tell exactly how close they were.
Then a very soft and ominous sound was heard. Not the sound of an animal, but the faint whistling and clicking of a human being.
When I thought I heard it, it was already too late. Something flashed in the grass, and Alexana let out a sharp groan as if something sharp had torn her muscles.
The guy tried to slow down as much as possible, but she couldn't keep up with the speed she was running and eventually fell forward. I lost the reins and rolled off Alexana's back.
I fell down a small hill, my mouth bursting open and I tasted the bitter taste of metal and dirt. Fortunately, my bag fell right at my bedside.
I looked up the hill and saw Alexana writhing in pain. I caught a glimpse of a wolf's shadow. The creature tried to get up and run, but it seemed like its leg was broken.
A horse with a broken leg cannot live. Cesare was the first horse I learned to ride when I was learning horseback riding.
If we leave it like this, I'll have time to escape, but Alexana will have no choice but to be torn alive by the wolves.
But if I shoot...those wolves' eyes will be focused on me.
There wasn't much time to think. Alexana was kicking and wailing like crazy. I pulled at the leather strap that was tightly tied around my waist.
My marksmanship was poor, but I was close to my goal. It had to be done in one go. The goal was to reduce unnecessary suffering.
As the cold metal touched my palm, my rapidly beating heart became calm.
With trembling hands, I loaded the gunpowder and bullet into the gun barrel. I lit it, unlocked the latch, aimed accurately, and held my breath...
I imagined that Alexana was not a horse, but a crude plank of wood that Cesare had set up for my shooting practice.
Bang!
As soon as the gunshot rang out, Alexana slumped down. For a moment, the surroundings became as quiet as a mouse.
But a growling sound soon followed. A large wolf appeared, stepping on Alexana's body.
After that, four or five wolves popped their heads out together.
My fingertips were trembling. If there had been one or two, I would have done something about it, but this was far beyond what I could handle.
I held onto the dropped bag tightly and stepped back. I wanted to turn around and run away right away, but if I did, the wolves would surely catch up and pounce on me in an instant.
I raised my trembling hands and aimed my gun at the wolf leader. I had no ammunition or live bullets, but... The wolves had no way of knowing.
Fortunately, the strategy worked, and the wolves only growled and did not attack me even when I took a few more steps back.
What broke this strange standoff was the sound of rapid horse hooves.
"Your Highness!"
It was a woman's voice. Veronica's at that. She was riding towards me.
At the sudden appearance, the wolves simply stood with their fur erect as if on guard.
“This way!”
I stretched out my arms toward her without even having time to think about anything else. Veronica grabbed me by the waist and pulled me up onto the running horse, still hanging on to the horse.
It was a dangerous stunt that required her to support the entire weight of one person with her arms. If she had not been military trained, it would have been nearly impossible.
I caught my breath, half-hanging in her arms, shivering as if I had just been pulled out of very cold water.
Since I was so close to Veronica, she must have felt my trembling.
But Veronica thankfully didn't say anything, instead, she urged me on. Before long, the sound of the wolves howling grew fainter.
Only then did Veronica slowly stop her horse. She helped me get off the horse - almost rolling off.
“I was planning to protect you, but Your Highness left so suddenly that I missed you and was late. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yes, it’s okay...”
It's okay. I should have said that it shouldn't be a big deal at this point, but my mouth just wouldn't open.
Alexana's corpse and the yellow wolf's eyes still seemed to follow me... I sat down on the spot. I felt nauseous.
“Please use it.”
Veronica said, holding out a handkerchief from her bosom.
Instead of accepting it straight away, I stared at her face. She had no reason to spare me. She had done her duty by just giving me a warning.
So I thought there might be some kind of deception or ulterior motive, but there was not a single hint of it on Veronica's calm face.
“...”
It was probably her father who tried to kill me. But in the end, it was she who saved me. Whether it was out of pity or sheer competitive spirit.
I ended up taking her handkerchief.
"Thank you."
“Please don’t thank me.”
It was a voice that sounded almost forced. Veronica said after a short silence.
“May I take a look at Your Highness's bag?”
"As you please."
I weakly handed my bag to her. Veronica began to take everything out of the bag without hesitation. Tilatha's notebook, iron traps, herbs...
All of those things were placed on my lap. She lifted the empty bag upside down and emptied it.
“It seems like there’s nothing...”
As I said that, Veronica finally found something. She dug her fingers into the torn seam of her bag and pulled something out.
Red. It was a sachet that looked like some kind of target. It was something I had never seen before.
As I opened my eyes wide, she handed me a sachet.
“Is it yours, Your Highness?”
“...”
“I wanted to warn you before, but the surveillance I was under was quite intense, and... Your Highness didn’t show up at the training ground at all.”
Suddenly, I remembered the voices of the maids who had been living in the training grounds with Princess Veronica.
Assuming that she was also under surveillance, the only place where she could have naturally encountered me would have been the training ground.
Now it felt like something was finally falling into place. I bit my lip and asked again.
“Why are you telling me this?”
It was an honest curiosity. And yet, I couldn't completely believe what she said.
If there was a trap for me, whether it was a water cannon or something else, then the situation itself would be advantageous to her.
Did she withdraw in advance because I thought that if I got hurt or died in this competition, she would be the first to be suspected?
Veronica couldn't answer right away. She just stared at me with her deep blue eyes and slowly opened her mouth.
"...Well."
“...”
“I guess it’s because I swore in front of His Majesty that I would compete fairly.”
I couldn't look around, but I felt like I knew what kind of expression she was making.
The hand holding the reins trembled slightly. I pressed my lips together and spoke quickly.
“Thank you for telling me.”
“...”
My head was in a mess. Whether I believed Veronica or not, it wasn't a good idea to stop the competition. Even if I could survive, I would get out once the search started.
If a massive search were to take place and nothing suspicious was found, it would only make me look ridiculous.
I bit my lip hard to suppress the trembling.
So, we can't back out here.
Finally, the third and final horn sounded. It was an ominous sound, like a scream, like an alarm bell before sinking.
A strong wind blew, but without hesitation, I kicked my horse's flank and ran into the forest.
***
The sound of the wind blowing past was deafening to my ears.
“Ugh...”
The horse was picking up speed without me having to whip it. It was the first time it had run this fast.
I've never even tried it because I was scared, but it seems like people will do anything when their lives are at stake.
Now, I wasn't riding a horse, it was more like I was being dragged around by the scruff of my neck.
I don't even know if this is the right path. I just kept running forward. The hanging branches hit my cheeks, causing drops of blood to form.
If you run by horse, it takes thirty minutes. If you walk, it takes two and a half hours.
I tried to figure out where I was by recalling the map I had memorized.
But the roads were all similar, the trees in the forest were so dense that it was difficult to tell them apart, and it was nearly impossible to see anything in detail from a running horse.
The only good thing was that we weren't completely off the road.
It wasn't so much my horsemanship as it was the intelligence of the Emperor's horse, Alexana. She acted as if she knew the forest like the back of her hand.
“Please, just like this... a little faster...”
She snorted in response.
It was then that the howling of wolves began to be heard from afar.
“I heard that the second island isn’t that big. They probably have taken care to keep dangerous animals out, and the roads are well-paved, so you should be able to get through quickly on horseback.”
I remembered Irina explaining this just a few days ago. She had taken steps to prevent wild beasts like wolves from appearing.
So this was not a normal situation.
If this situation had occurred without human intervention, then it would have been just beasts breaking through the barrier...
There was an enemy who wanted to kill me, but it was a very smart decision. If I died at the hands of an animal rather than a human, it would be difficult to secure clear evidence. Even the body would not be intact.
The ominous wolf howls continued. Alexana was still running fast, but the forest's sounds made it hard to tell exactly how close they were.
Then a very soft and ominous sound was heard. Not the sound of an animal, but the faint whistling and clicking of a human being.
When I thought I heard it, it was already too late. Something flashed in the grass, and Alexana let out a sharp groan as if something sharp had torn her muscles.
The guy tried to slow down as much as possible, but she couldn't keep up with the speed she was running and eventually fell forward. I lost the reins and rolled off Alexana's back.
I fell down a small hill, my mouth bursting open and I tasted the bitter taste of metal and dirt. Fortunately, my bag fell right at my bedside.
I looked up the hill and saw Alexana writhing in pain. I caught a glimpse of a wolf's shadow. The creature tried to get up and run, but it seemed like its leg was broken.
A horse with a broken leg cannot live. Cesare was the first horse I learned to ride when I was learning horseback riding.
If we leave it like this, I'll have time to escape, but Alexana will have no choice but to be torn alive by the wolves.
But if I shoot...those wolves' eyes will be focused on me.
There wasn't much time to think. Alexana was kicking and wailing like crazy. I pulled at the leather strap that was tightly tied around my waist.
My marksmanship was poor, but I was close to my goal. It had to be done in one go. The goal was to reduce unnecessary suffering.
As the cold metal touched my palm, my rapidly beating heart became calm.
With trembling hands, I loaded the gunpowder and bullet into the gun barrel. I lit it, unlocked the latch, aimed accurately, and held my breath...
I imagined that Alexana was not a horse, but a crude plank of wood that Cesare had set up for my shooting practice.
Bang!
As soon as the gunshot rang out, Alexana slumped down. For a moment, the surroundings became as quiet as a mouse.
But a growling sound soon followed. A large wolf appeared, stepping on Alexana's body.
After that, four or five wolves popped their heads out together.
My fingertips were trembling. If there had been one or two, I would have done something about it, but this was far beyond what I could handle.
I held onto the dropped bag tightly and stepped back. I wanted to turn around and run away right away, but if I did, the wolves would surely catch up and pounce on me in an instant.
I raised my trembling hands and aimed my gun at the wolf leader. I had no ammunition or live bullets, but... The wolves had no way of knowing.
Fortunately, the strategy worked, and the wolves only growled and did not attack me even when I took a few more steps back.
What broke this strange standoff was the sound of rapid horse hooves.
"Your Highness!"
It was a woman's voice. Veronica's at that. She was riding towards me.
At the sudden appearance, the wolves simply stood with their fur erect as if on guard.
“This way!”
I stretched out my arms toward her without even having time to think about anything else. Veronica grabbed me by the waist and pulled me up onto the running horse, still hanging on to the horse.
It was a dangerous stunt that required her to support the entire weight of one person with her arms. If she had not been military trained, it would have been nearly impossible.
I caught my breath, half-hanging in her arms, shivering as if I had just been pulled out of very cold water.
Since I was so close to Veronica, she must have felt my trembling.
But Veronica thankfully didn't say anything, instead, she urged me on. Before long, the sound of the wolves howling grew fainter.
Only then did Veronica slowly stop her horse. She helped me get off the horse - almost rolling off.
“I was planning to protect you, but Your Highness left so suddenly that I missed you and was late. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yes, it’s okay...”
It's okay. I should have said that it shouldn't be a big deal at this point, but my mouth just wouldn't open.
Alexana's corpse and the yellow wolf's eyes still seemed to follow me... I sat down on the spot. I felt nauseous.
“Please use it.”
Veronica said, holding out a handkerchief from her bosom.
Instead of accepting it straight away, I stared at her face. She had no reason to spare me. She had done her duty by just giving me a warning.
So I thought there might be some kind of deception or ulterior motive, but there was not a single hint of it on Veronica's calm face.
“...”
It was probably her father who tried to kill me. But in the end, it was she who saved me. Whether it was out of pity or sheer competitive spirit.
I ended up taking her handkerchief.
"Thank you."
“Please don’t thank me.”
It was a voice that sounded almost forced. Veronica said after a short silence.
“May I take a look at Your Highness's bag?”
"As you please."
I weakly handed my bag to her. Veronica began to take everything out of the bag without hesitation. Tilatha's notebook, iron traps, herbs...
All of those things were placed on my lap. She lifted the empty bag upside down and emptied it.
“It seems like there’s nothing...”
As I said that, Veronica finally found something. She dug her fingers into the torn seam of her bag and pulled something out.
Red. It was a sachet that looked like some kind of target. It was something I had never seen before.
As I opened my eyes wide, she handed me a sachet.
“Is it yours, Your Highness?”
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