Chapter 174
During their casual conversation, the child they had been waiting for finally joined them.
Mikael, who had changed into more comfortable clothes instead of the ones he had worn at the spire, approached them while waving something in one hand. It was a weapon that seemed to function by blowing air to shoot projectiles.
“Mama, look! Bang! I hunt too!”
“…Meryn?”
Instead of Mikael, the maid’s name was called. Under the Empress’s gaze, which silently demanded an explanation, the maid quickly bowed her head and approached, whispering in a small voice.
“It is a toy, Your Majesty. His Highness kept requesting a hunting weapon, so we removed the actual darts and replaced them with blunt ones.”
“Even if they’re blunt, isn’t it still dangerous?”
“No, even if it were misused and fired at close range, it wouldn’t leave more than a small bruise. We tested it ourselves before giving it to him, so please rest assured.”
At that, Ysaris finally relaxed her expression. She patted her son’s back as he excitedly waved the small tube around.
“Mikael wants to hunt too?”
“Yeah! Gonna make a ‘Ppiu’ friend!”
Children really did grow up in the blink of an eye. With his second birthday approaching, Mikael was already forming proper sentences, and Ysaris smiled in delight. He probably wouldn’t be able to catch a bird with that, but she was already considering finding another bird for him soon.
“Such a brave boy, my son. Do your best. Do you want Mama to help?”
“I do it!”
“Alright. Are you cold?”
“Warm!”
Ignoring his answer, Ysaris carefully adjusted his clothes once more, ensuring he was properly bundled up. Then, she glanced at the people accompanying the child—two maids and ten guards.
Since wild beasts had been released into the hunting grounds, the escort was necessary for safety. All of them were imperial knights, skilled enough to ease some of her worries.
Would it be alright to let him play freely at this point?
Just as Ysaris was about to send Mikael off, an unexpected voice interrupted.
“Oh my, is His Highness personally joining the hunt? How courageous of him.”
It was Runellia, the Imperial Consort, her red hair reminiscent of roses.
* * *
“Are there no more around here?”
“No, Your Majesty. We’ve already caught most of them, and if we want to find larger prey, we’ll have to move deeper in.”
Kazhan glanced at the wagon following behind him. It was already packed with the animals he had hunted, filling the spacious cart, yet he knew from experience that this wouldn’t be enough to defeat Temisian.
The ratio of smaller animals was too high.
Bad luck. Or perhaps he had chosen the wrong direction.
Kazhan roughly ran a hand through his hair before turning around. There was no need to ride anymore, so he strode into the forest with unwavering steps.
As they ventured deeper, led by the scout, they finally began to spot larger beasts. As was common with winter creatures, their thick hides made arrows ineffective, so it was faster to rush in and precisely slash their vital points.
This method also granted additional points.
Thus, he found himself repeatedly sprinting on foot, engaging in swift and clean kills.
After a prolonged slaughter, Kazhan finally took a brief rest, his uniform soaked in blood. As the lingering excitement settled, a sharp sting reminded him of the wounds on his fingers. They were the result of his efforts to complete the hairpin before today.
“Tsk.”
He should have applied some painkillers.
Clicking his tongue lightly, Kazhan clenched and unclenched his fist a few times. Since he couldn’t afford to waste more of Tennilath’s blood, he had settled for ordinary medicine, but it left him unsatisfied.
At least only his thumb had been cut on the hand he wielded his sword with. Although the raw wound had soaked through the bandages from gripping the sword too tightly, it wasn’t enough to hinder him.
“…She seemed to like it.”
His focus quickly shifted away from his injury, his thoughts drifting back to Ysaris.
He recalled her blinking in surprise when he presented the hairpin and, in the end, accepting his gift with those delicate hands.
A sense of satisfaction settled within him.
The countless hours he had spent carving the hairpin, treating it as a form of training, had paid off.
He would have to make more in different designs for her later.
And if she allowed it, he would personally style her hair with them.
But first, he needed to win the Sepia flower and present it to her.
Hopefully, this time, it wouldn’t break.
As Kazhan lost himself in thought, idly opening a water bottle, he suddenly noticed a shadow looming over him.
It was the shape of a monster that shouldn’t be here.
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