Entry into the royal hunting ceremonies was prohibited unless one had a confirmed identity.
Emily, Killian, and Charles, along with several knights guarding the inner area, reviewed the list of participants.
“He was wearing a hat and a mask.”
After hearing Emily's explanation, one of the reporters narrowed down some candidates.
“Do you remember the impression?”
“People wearing masks are memorable because we have to double-check their names and faces.”
“Are there any other characteristics you remember?”
Charles asked.
“Um... he was a tall, large man. I’ll draw him.”
Charles handed Emily a pen and paper.
Emily sketched the details of the man's hat and clothes, remembering them.
“You’re so good at drawing! Where did you learn it?”
One of the knights praised Emily, seemingly in surprise.
Killian didn't know that Emily was good at drawing either.
Killian was entranced by Emily's drawing skills.
“I learned it from a friend when I was back home.”
Until she said this.
Charles also realized who Emily's hometown friend was, and his expression hardened along with Killian's.
Charles also remembered Louis, who had been casting his adoring glances around Emily when he was engaged to her.
The knight, oblivious to the two men's condition, chatted with Emily about the painting.
“There’s someone among my friends who is good at drawing.”
“Yes, he is a painter now.”
“Wow, so you learned painting directly from the artist?”
“It was before that friend had officially debuted, but I guess that’s what it was like.”
“Is he a famous painter?”
“It has received good reviews at several exhibitions, so he will soon become famous.”
“That’s great. It’s nice to have a celebrity among your friends.”
At those words, Charles shook his head and interjected.
“Having a friend like that is just tiring. I don’t like it.”
Killian also agreed with Charles.
“Just thinking about having a celebrity friend gives me a headache.”
'You who say such things are the most famous people in the empire.'
The knight and Emily looked at them with a trembling expression, then turned their gaze back to the painting.
“Anyway, thanks to the detailed drawing of the clothing details, I can easily tell who this person is.”
“Yes? Really?”
The knight nodded with a confident expression.
“Yes, Viscount Charles Coventry.”
Emily looked at Killian, but he shook his head, as if he had never heard of him before.
“Do you know who he is?”
Emily asked the knight again.
“He was originally a member of the Imperial Security Force, but he was dismissed quite some time ago due to hia addiction to gambling.”
“I guess we should arrest him and interrogate him immediately.”
Emily immediately stopped Charles.
“Besides my testimony, there is no concrete evidence, so I think it would be better to investigate secretly.”
Killian opened his mouth, agreeing with Emily's opinion.
"We will investigate the Viscount Coventry, so Your Excellency, please find out the route of the imperial weapons smuggling. I believe Your Excellency can guess who is behind it."
'It must be Crown Prince Lucius.'
Charles swallowed his sigh.
“And please also check the speed of entry of the knights here.”
"We are the 2nd Knights, brimming with honor and pride. Don't worry, we're not the type to go around talking nonsense."
“So that’s what they say.”
Charles said with a raised lip.
It was time to decide the winner of the hunting contest.
Emily and Killian naturally looked to see if the Viscount Coventry was present.
Of course, no one was wearing the exact same outfit that the two people had witnessed.
“I think he changed his clothes.”
Emily whispered to Killian.
"He might not be here. We can check later to see if he injured his right arm."
As the two were having a serious conversation, Knox, who had come at any moment, interrupted with a blank look in his eyes.
“Do you really have to stick together like this even outside?”
He started talking again, saying, "Are you lighting a fire in the young man's heart?"
Emily could now somewhat ignore Knox's ramblings.
“Mr. Knox, have you had any success in hunting monsters?”
“Of course! Since my family is here, I should look good, right?”
“Oh, I didn’t see you this morning, but Mrs. Howard is here too.”
Marlene had been trying hard to get into Mrs. Howard's group these days anyway.
“Yes, I saw you earlier, and you pointed an arrow at me because I called you ‘mom’ in front of people.”
It seemed like she shouldn't have asked Knox to bridge the gap between Mrs. Howard and Marlene.
“Killian, how much did you catch?”
Killian silently took out a cloth pouch and showed it to her.
There were twelve colorful magic stones in it.
“This monster kid.”
Knox looked at Killian as if he was tired, then turned his gaze towards his pocket.
It was incredibly shabby.
“How many did you catch, Emily?”
"Ah."
Come to think of it, Emily didn't catch a single one.
Emily looked up at Killian with a gloomy expression.
“You taught me how to shoot a bow so hard, but in the end, I couldn’t catch a single bird.”
“Instead, didn’t you protect me with that bow?”
As he said that, Killian took half of the magic stone from his pocket and gave it to Emily.
“Why are you giving this to me? Then you’ll lose your championship.”
“I wasn’t really interested in winning from the beginning.”
Knox, who was listening to their conversation from the side, wrinkled his face.
“What are you two doing? I’m seriously getting annoyed.”
"Now, participants, please submit your pouches containing magic stones!"
The moderator shouted from the front.
Emily and Killian submitted side by side, and Kite also submitted his pouch and came back later.
Kite patted Killian on the shoulder and smiled faintly.
It seemed like he had something to say after everything was over.
The air was filled with tension and excitement as people chattered about who would win this year.
The results were so different that the winner was quickly decided.
“This year’s winner has been decided to be Duke Charles Sadie, who brought 10 magic stones!”
"Wow!"
People were busy giving thumbs up and praising the Duke of Sadie, saying, “As expected, as expected.”
“Look, if you hadn’t given it to me, you would have won.”
Emily was upset and took out her anger on Killian.
“And now I will announce the winner of the women’s division.”
The moderator looked at the results and made a surprised expression.
“The Marchioness of Starr is in first place for capturing five magic stones from intermediate or higher level monsters.”
The room suddenly became quiet.
That delicate Marchioness with that angelic face defeated five mid-level monsters?
‘Ah, you said that the quality of the magic stones is also important, not just the quantity...’
Emily wanted to shout at the nobles' astonished gaze that this wasn't true.
She looked up at Killian with a look of resentment, but he just chuckled in amusement.
“Because of you, people are looking at me like I’m a monster.”
“That’s fortunate. Then there won’t be anyone who will mistreat you.”
"No one has ever treated me rudely. Do you think I've built my reputation for fun?"
“Your reputation won’t be enough to keep the flies away.”
Killian remembered the men who had been gazing at Emily with admiration until recently.
Emily, who had lost the will to refute Killian's words, trudged towards the podium.
Charles didn't seem particularly surprised to see Emily come out to receive her award.
It seemed like Killian had expected Emily to share the magic stone.
“...Are you going to expose it?”
Charles smiled quietly at Emily's question.
“No way.”
The two did not have much conversation.
Because the Emperor came up to the podium right away.
“I expected the Duke of Sadie, but the Marchioness is truly surprising.”
"Thank you..."
Emily nodded awkwardly.
“I look forward to your continued success in future hunting competitions.”
'At this rate, I'll really have to hunt in the mountains starting next year, won't I?'
Emily felt depressed as she looked at the vial of demon exorcism potion that John had given her.
“Originally, it was just a reward, but since the Marchioness fought a mid-level monster, I prepared a special gift this time.”
“Yes? You can just give it to me as a prize...”
"Here."
The Emperor gave Emily a large golden axe.
“It is a precious weapon of the Imperial Palace that can strike down even monsters with skin as hard as iron in one blow.”
"Yes?"
Emily frowned and asked back.
If this were the prize, no one would want to win. Emily could guarantee it.
“Is this really pure gold?”
"Just in case, I'm telling you, don't even think about selling it. Buying and selling palace weapons is prohibited."
That statement became even more useless.
And what's even more unfortunate is that this gave Emily the nickname "The Axe Hunter" in high society.
'No need for a nickname like that!'
Emily, Killian, and Charles, along with several knights guarding the inner area, reviewed the list of participants.
“He was wearing a hat and a mask.”
After hearing Emily's explanation, one of the reporters narrowed down some candidates.
“Do you remember the impression?”
“People wearing masks are memorable because we have to double-check their names and faces.”
“Are there any other characteristics you remember?”
Charles asked.
“Um... he was a tall, large man. I’ll draw him.”
Charles handed Emily a pen and paper.
Emily sketched the details of the man's hat and clothes, remembering them.
“You’re so good at drawing! Where did you learn it?”
One of the knights praised Emily, seemingly in surprise.
Killian didn't know that Emily was good at drawing either.
Killian was entranced by Emily's drawing skills.
“I learned it from a friend when I was back home.”
Until she said this.
Charles also realized who Emily's hometown friend was, and his expression hardened along with Killian's.
Charles also remembered Louis, who had been casting his adoring glances around Emily when he was engaged to her.
The knight, oblivious to the two men's condition, chatted with Emily about the painting.
“There’s someone among my friends who is good at drawing.”
“Yes, he is a painter now.”
“Wow, so you learned painting directly from the artist?”
“It was before that friend had officially debuted, but I guess that’s what it was like.”
“Is he a famous painter?”
“It has received good reviews at several exhibitions, so he will soon become famous.”
“That’s great. It’s nice to have a celebrity among your friends.”
At those words, Charles shook his head and interjected.
“Having a friend like that is just tiring. I don’t like it.”
Killian also agreed with Charles.
“Just thinking about having a celebrity friend gives me a headache.”
'You who say such things are the most famous people in the empire.'
The knight and Emily looked at them with a trembling expression, then turned their gaze back to the painting.
“Anyway, thanks to the detailed drawing of the clothing details, I can easily tell who this person is.”
“Yes? Really?”
The knight nodded with a confident expression.
“Yes, Viscount Charles Coventry.”
Emily looked at Killian, but he shook his head, as if he had never heard of him before.
“Do you know who he is?”
Emily asked the knight again.
“He was originally a member of the Imperial Security Force, but he was dismissed quite some time ago due to hia addiction to gambling.”
“I guess we should arrest him and interrogate him immediately.”
Emily immediately stopped Charles.
“Besides my testimony, there is no concrete evidence, so I think it would be better to investigate secretly.”
Killian opened his mouth, agreeing with Emily's opinion.
"We will investigate the Viscount Coventry, so Your Excellency, please find out the route of the imperial weapons smuggling. I believe Your Excellency can guess who is behind it."
'It must be Crown Prince Lucius.'
Charles swallowed his sigh.
“And please also check the speed of entry of the knights here.”
"We are the 2nd Knights, brimming with honor and pride. Don't worry, we're not the type to go around talking nonsense."
“So that’s what they say.”
Charles said with a raised lip.
***
It was time to decide the winner of the hunting contest.
Emily and Killian naturally looked to see if the Viscount Coventry was present.
Of course, no one was wearing the exact same outfit that the two people had witnessed.
“I think he changed his clothes.”
Emily whispered to Killian.
"He might not be here. We can check later to see if he injured his right arm."
As the two were having a serious conversation, Knox, who had come at any moment, interrupted with a blank look in his eyes.
“Do you really have to stick together like this even outside?”
He started talking again, saying, "Are you lighting a fire in the young man's heart?"
Emily could now somewhat ignore Knox's ramblings.
“Mr. Knox, have you had any success in hunting monsters?”
“Of course! Since my family is here, I should look good, right?”
“Oh, I didn’t see you this morning, but Mrs. Howard is here too.”
Marlene had been trying hard to get into Mrs. Howard's group these days anyway.
“Yes, I saw you earlier, and you pointed an arrow at me because I called you ‘mom’ in front of people.”
It seemed like she shouldn't have asked Knox to bridge the gap between Mrs. Howard and Marlene.
“Killian, how much did you catch?”
Killian silently took out a cloth pouch and showed it to her.
There were twelve colorful magic stones in it.
“This monster kid.”
Knox looked at Killian as if he was tired, then turned his gaze towards his pocket.
It was incredibly shabby.
“How many did you catch, Emily?”
"Ah."
Come to think of it, Emily didn't catch a single one.
Emily looked up at Killian with a gloomy expression.
“You taught me how to shoot a bow so hard, but in the end, I couldn’t catch a single bird.”
“Instead, didn’t you protect me with that bow?”
As he said that, Killian took half of the magic stone from his pocket and gave it to Emily.
“Why are you giving this to me? Then you’ll lose your championship.”
“I wasn’t really interested in winning from the beginning.”
Knox, who was listening to their conversation from the side, wrinkled his face.
“What are you two doing? I’m seriously getting annoyed.”
"Now, participants, please submit your pouches containing magic stones!"
The moderator shouted from the front.
Emily and Killian submitted side by side, and Kite also submitted his pouch and came back later.
Kite patted Killian on the shoulder and smiled faintly.
It seemed like he had something to say after everything was over.
The air was filled with tension and excitement as people chattered about who would win this year.
The results were so different that the winner was quickly decided.
“This year’s winner has been decided to be Duke Charles Sadie, who brought 10 magic stones!”
"Wow!"
People were busy giving thumbs up and praising the Duke of Sadie, saying, “As expected, as expected.”
“Look, if you hadn’t given it to me, you would have won.”
Emily was upset and took out her anger on Killian.
“And now I will announce the winner of the women’s division.”
The moderator looked at the results and made a surprised expression.
“The Marchioness of Starr is in first place for capturing five magic stones from intermediate or higher level monsters.”
The room suddenly became quiet.
That delicate Marchioness with that angelic face defeated five mid-level monsters?
‘Ah, you said that the quality of the magic stones is also important, not just the quantity...’
Emily wanted to shout at the nobles' astonished gaze that this wasn't true.
She looked up at Killian with a look of resentment, but he just chuckled in amusement.
“Because of you, people are looking at me like I’m a monster.”
“That’s fortunate. Then there won’t be anyone who will mistreat you.”
"No one has ever treated me rudely. Do you think I've built my reputation for fun?"
“Your reputation won’t be enough to keep the flies away.”
Killian remembered the men who had been gazing at Emily with admiration until recently.
Emily, who had lost the will to refute Killian's words, trudged towards the podium.
Charles didn't seem particularly surprised to see Emily come out to receive her award.
It seemed like Killian had expected Emily to share the magic stone.
“...Are you going to expose it?”
Charles smiled quietly at Emily's question.
“No way.”
The two did not have much conversation.
Because the Emperor came up to the podium right away.
“I expected the Duke of Sadie, but the Marchioness is truly surprising.”
"Thank you..."
Emily nodded awkwardly.
“I look forward to your continued success in future hunting competitions.”
'At this rate, I'll really have to hunt in the mountains starting next year, won't I?'
Emily felt depressed as she looked at the vial of demon exorcism potion that John had given her.
“Originally, it was just a reward, but since the Marchioness fought a mid-level monster, I prepared a special gift this time.”
“Yes? You can just give it to me as a prize...”
"Here."
The Emperor gave Emily a large golden axe.
“It is a precious weapon of the Imperial Palace that can strike down even monsters with skin as hard as iron in one blow.”
"Yes?"
Emily frowned and asked back.
If this were the prize, no one would want to win. Emily could guarantee it.
“Is this really pure gold?”
"Just in case, I'm telling you, don't even think about selling it. Buying and selling palace weapons is prohibited."
That statement became even more useless.
And what's even more unfortunate is that this gave Emily the nickname "The Axe Hunter" in high society.
'No need for a nickname like that!'
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