Chapter 33

"The carriage is said to be very special, a rare sight in the east. You can feel the craftsmanship."

"What about this riding outfit? It doesn't seem to be made of ordinary fabric. May I ask what kind of fabric was used?"

I tried my best to smile naturally and answered each question one by one. Even though my answers weren't particularly impressive, the ladies responded kindly, which helped me relax more as I spoke.

'Fortunately, I don't seem to have made a bad impression.'

I was worried that my first impression might have been bad because I stumbled when I got out of the carriage. It was really fortunate. Thanks to the conversation centered around me as a new face, the topic of discussion for a while was Eilsford. With many new events happening in Eilsford recently, the conversation flowed continuously. In particular, people seemed very curious about the wealth Eilsford had gained from the mithril mines. I lightly cleared my throat and straightened my back at the expectant looks of the people.

"The mithril mines have considerable reserves. We've recently signed a contract with a merchant guild. I don't know the details, though."

When the ladies learned that a contract had been signed with the second-largest merchant guild in the empire and the scale of the contract, their eyes changed from curiosity to goodwill. This meant that my image had been upgraded from 'unknown viscountess' to 'viscountess worth befriending.'

'They seem a bit materialistic, but...'

That's inevitable. Nobles value their dignity and honor, but to maintain them, they ultimately need money. Especially mithril is an essential item for the nobility. They probably all think that getting closer to Eilsford won't be a bad thing.

"By the way, it's been a long time since Lord Eilsford attended a gathering."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. He hasn't come out since the previous lord passed away. It's nice to see him again."

As the conversation about Eilsford turned to the past, I became more interested because there were many aspects of Altear's past that I didn't know.

"The fire was tragic. How could such a thing happen..."

"Yes. If it weren't for that incident, the previous lord might have..."

"He was such a good person..."

The stories poured out simultaneously, and my mind raced.

'Now that I think about it, there was an abandoned area in Eilsford Castle.'

While inspecting the castle for repairs, I found an abandoned building and asked Pavel about it. He said it didn't need to be repaired and wasn't used anymore.

'That must be the building where the fire happened.'

Pavel seemed reluctant to talk about it, so I didn't press further, but there must have been some hidden story.

"After that, Eilsford's situation worsened. The previous lord owed a lot of money to his relatives."

"The previous lord?"

I was surprised and asked, and the lady who started the conversation covered her mouth with her hand and smiled slightly, as if she had made a mistake. She seemed to have forgotten that the person involved was present because I had been so unobtrusive.

"That's all in the past. Now Eilsford's situation has improved."

Just as the embarrassed lady was trying to change the subject, a low and majestic trumpet sound echoed from a distance, signaling the start of the hunt. The lady who was in a difficult situation was the first to stand up.

"Shall we go out too? We can't lose to the gentlemen."

"Of course. You haven't forgotten that I caught a deer last hunting season, have you?"

"Of course not. Lady Gilan even caught a bear and... there was a lion too."

Bear? Lion? Question marks floated in my mind. The ladies, who had been boasting about their impressive hunting, now turned their gaze to me.

"What about you, Lady? What did you catch in the capital?"

"Did you catch a bear?"

"As the wife of Lord Eilsford, who caught a dragon, just a bear? You must have caught a lion."

Their questions, asked as if it were obvious, confused me.

'Are they joking about this?'

Are they just exaggerating to lighten the mood? Seeing the expectant looks of the ladies, I couldn't bring myself to say, "I've never even caught a rabbit..."

'Alright! I'll join this exaggeration party!'

I lifted my chin slightly and picked up the bow I had prepared.

"Of course. I caught a lion easily."

"Oh, as expected!"

The ladies sighed in admiration, as if they had known it all along.

"The star of this gathering will be Lady Eilsford!"

"Shall we go to the forest then?"

* * *

When we arrived at the forest, the ladies began to scatter in groups, looking for prey. Lady Gilan, the host of this gathering, remained by my side. She was a middle-aged woman with a refined appearance, as quiet and composed as I was.

'But, handling a bow...'

Even to me, who was inexperienced in hunting, she seemed very skilled.

"There are footprints this way."

After inspecting the ground, the lady followed the tracks without hesitation. At first glance, there were huge bear footprints on the ground.

'Why, why, why are we following this?'

Shouldn't we avoid bear footprints?

"Um, Lady..."

"Shh!"

I tried to dissuade Lady Gilan carefully, but she cut me off with a stern look and quickly hid in the bushes.

"It's over there."

"Over there?"

"Can you see it?"

Following the lady's gaze, I saw a giant bear wandering between the trees, breathing heavily.

'W, why is the bear so big?'

I had seen bears in the capital, but they were much smaller than this one. The east is said to be a paradise for beasts, and it seems the bears here are much larger.

'Fortunately, we haven't been noticed yet.'

If I ran now, I could probably avoid danger.

"Lady."

I gently pulled on Lady Gilan's collar, and she turned to me with a gentle smile, still focused on the bear's movements.

"You should shoot now."

"Um?"

"Fortunately, the prey hasn't noticed us yet, so you can easily get a good catch. It's a bit small, which is a pity, but..."

"Small...?"

As Lady Gilan continued speaking calmly, I began to grasp the reality of the situation. The conversation with the ladies earlier and the current situation were not jokes or exaggerations. These people really considered catching such beasts a simple task!

"Since I'm the host, I should yield the prey to the guests. Go ahead and catch it."

Lady Gilan gave me the opportunity with a kind look.

"Um..."

As I was pushed into position, the bear suddenly turned its sharp gaze toward me. I flinched in surprise, and my bow lost its tension, sending the arrow flying toward the bear.

"Roar!"

The giant bear, or rather, a relatively small one by local standards, roared at the incoming arrow. The arrow, seemingly losing momentum, fell to the ground far short of the bear.

"..."

"..."

"..."

I was silent, Lady Gilan was silent, and even the bear seemed taken aback and stopped roaring.

"Haha..."

"Roar!"

My awkward laugh was followed by another roar from the bear. It seemed to feel it had the upper hand and began to charge at me, raising its massive arms.

"Lady! Watch out!"

I quickly turned and reached out to Lady Gilan, but my hand only grasped empty air. She was nowhere to be found.

'What...?'

Looking around frantically, I couldn't see Lady Gilan. Had she run away upon seeing the bear's state? If so, I only needed to take care of myself. It was fortunate that Lady Gilan wasn't in danger because of me. But before I could feel relieved, I felt the bear's hot breath right in front of me. Turning my head, I saw the bear's massive face right in front of me.

"Grumble..."

I was too shocked to even scream.

'It's too late to run.'

I collapsed to the ground, my legs giving out, and pulled an arrow from my quiver. It was the only weapon I had.

'The bear's weak point... the eyes?'

Looking into the fierce eyes, I couldn't believe they were a weak point, but it was the only thing worth aiming at.

"Roar!"

As the bear opened its massive mouth and approached me, I aimed at its eyes and shot the arrow. The bear let out a painful roar and collapsed to the ground.

"Grumble!"

The bear rolled on the ground, more in pain than I had expected, which made me feel both scared and puzzled. As I watched the bear gradually lose strength, I heard rustling from nearby. Could there be another bear? I looked up in surprise and saw someone approaching me. It was Prince Orca.

"Are you alright, Lady Eilsford?"

He crossed the forest alone, without any attendants, and retrieved a dagger from the bear's back. As I watched him in a daze, Prince Orca bent down to check on me, tilting his head to one side.

"You seem quite shaken. The dagger is coated with poison. The poison spreads quickly, so the bear won't wake up. Don't worry."

Prince Orca smiled softly and extended his hand. This helped me snap out of my daze.

"Thank you."

My legs were too weak to stand on my own, so I accepted Prince Orca's hand, and he gently pulled me up. Despite his reputation for frailty, his hand felt quite strong.

"You're brave. Since you're from the capital, you're not used to such hunts, yet you came out to hunt a bear alone."

"I... I didn't know the hunts in the east were like this... and I wasn't alone..."

I mumbled, embarrassed, and Prince Orca took a step back, still smiling.

"The capital and the east are quite different. It's rare to meet someone from the capital in the provinces, so we are rare comrades, aren't we?"

Prince Orca spoke in a friendly manner, but knowing his character from the novel, I found his kindness uncomfortable and suspicious.

"Is that so?"

"By the way... Lady..."

As I shrank back and replied awkwardly, Prince Orca, who had been silent, narrowed his eyes and took another step forward.

"Why are you afraid of me? I haven't done anything... yet."

Prince Orca's smile was unsettling, and a chill ran down my spine.