Chapter 102: Hunting Competition

“Oh, right, while you were away on your mission, they went and wrecked another building. This is the compensation, but I figured I should still get the owner’s permission.”

……

“Of course, it’s not mandatory, so if you’d rather not, the Imperial Knights can handle it alone.”

The Crown Prince seemed to misinterpret my sour expression, becoming more cautious.

It’s not because of that… these bastards caused trouble again? Destroyed a building?!

Those damned fools.

A voice as cold as my expression slipped out.

“Use them as much as you like.”

“Alright… if you’re not willing, there’s nothing we can d— hm?”

“I’m not sure if this can fully repay their misdeeds. I appreciate Your Highness’s generosity and gladly hand over the command. You’re welcome to use them as much as you need.”

You can even take them for good.

The Crown Prince’s expression subtly changed. He glanced back at the mad dogs who were causing trouble for the Imperial Knights with their swords, only to be dragged away by Lien, then pretended not to see anything and turned back to me with a smile.

“What are you talking about? The whole world knows you’re the only one who can control them. You’re quite the comedian.”

“Huh?”

“I’m grateful that you readily agreed to join us, Count, even though it must have been a bother.”

So… these mad dogs and I are a package deal, is that it?

Damn it, I’ve been had.

….

As we rode on horseback, I thought.

‘Ugh, my butt hurts.’

Considering this vast forest, riding a horse is inevitable, but my weak body can’t even handle that easily. At least, thankfully, I haven’t had to step in yet.

‘No, wait. I need to get hurt. If I don’t step in, I can’t get hurt, can I?’

I need to get hurt so I can go home!

That was the conclusion I reached, being tied to these mad dogs and dragged along.

If I can’t avoid it, I’ll just get hurt and get out!

If we clear out the monsters in this first phase, the hunting competition will begin. Then I’ll have to participate too. After struggling and exhausting myself there, I might even have to face the Emperor.

It’s better to get hurt here and go home.

If I could cough up blood, I wouldn’t need to go through all this trouble, but that’s not something I can control…

‘Get hurt. I absolutely have to get hurt!’

My eyes gleamed with determination.

“Hey, hey, look at the Count’s eyes.”

“Whoa… he looks kind of scary… Is he angry?”

“Isn’t it because he hasn’t had a chance to swing his sword at any monsters yet?”

“He looks a bit terrifying… Is he about to flip out?”

I could hear people whispering around me, but I was too tense to make out what they were saying.

I chose the former, a fleeting moment of physical pain, over the ongoing mental torment, and steeled myself to act…

‘Why is it already ending?’

Before I knew it, the subjugation was nearing its end.

I blankly watched the knights preparing for what seemed like the final battle, then blinked.

“…Sir Lien.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Why are you such… a good guard…”

“That’s an overstatement.”

No, that’s not the point. Don’t be so proud. Do it moderately.

All the way here, Lien hadn’t allowed a single monster to reach me.

Ah, it seems my previous remark ignited Lien’s passion. Her eyes filled with grim determination.

‘Don’t do it. Whatever it is, stop.’

“I will ensure that my lord will not need to draw his sword in this battle either.”

“Ah….”

“Please, watch me.”

“No… there’s no need to go that far… I should use my weapon at least once….”

“Perhaps my lord doesn’t trust my abilities. But please believe me, I am more than capable.”

……

Damn it.

This is making me competitive. Fine, I’ll make sure to step forward and get hurt.

Sir Lien moves away from me to check on the mad dogs. Watching her go, I frantically started racking my brain.

She won’t give me a chance to face a monster easily. Looking at Sir Lien’s current state, it seems impossible to even get a glimpse of a monster.

“Count.”

“…If all else fails, I’ll pinch the horse’s rear to make it throw me off….”

“Count?”

“Ugh, uh? Dan?”

“Yes, Count. Just now… no, never mind.”

Dan, who had been looking at me with a complicated expression, hastily shook his head and turned away.

It must be my imagination that he’s deliberately looking away because he doesn’t want to get involved.

I nodded to urge him to get to the point. Dan changed his expression, as if about to get down to business. I caught him glancing at me.

“I’ve been told that my earlier actions were a serious breach of etiquette.”

“Ah.”

Was it when I offered my hand getting out of the carriage?

It seems Rememver explained it well. It’s good that he knows now. I chuckled and waved my hand.

“It’s already in the past. No big deal.”

“But….”

Having understood the meaning, it’s impossible for him to let it go so easily.

Dan kept glancing at my face. His voice was cautious, as if testing the waters.

“You’re not… angry?”

“I’m saying it’s already….”

I stopped mid-sentence, about to give a dismissive answer. My eyes narrowed.

…Somehow, it feels like he’s expecting me to be angry. Is it just my imagination?

Feeling a sense of unease, I stared at him without a word. When I didn’t immediately respond, he flinched and darted his eyes around.

His dark eyes looked into mine, assessed my expression, and then dropped to the ground. Anyone could see he was trying to gauge my reaction, but even that felt like he was weighing something. I paused for a moment before slowly opening my mouth.

“You….”

“Monster!!”

The following words were drowned out by a shout from the side.

Auditory hallucination! Dan isn’t important right now. I whipped my head around at the shout.

The perfect auditory hallucination generators that no one could argue with were rushing in, one, two, three… well, a whole bunch of them.

‘…They are a bit numerous though.’

Well, still not comparable to the Demon Realm.

The reason they crossed over to this side in the first place is because their numbers were overflowing, pushing them all the way to the Human Realm. The ones that pushed out are probably the weaker ones, exiled even among the demons.

It’s the largest group of monsters I’ve encountered so far, but they aren’t really a threat.

Trusting this information and the capable knights, I subtly drew my dagger. I’ll pretend to fight a bit, get moderately injured, and then get out.

As I spurred my horse forward, a thunderous shout beside me shook my eardrums.

“Imperial Knights, prepare for battle! Everyone, form ranks!”

“!”

Whoa, that scared me. I reflexively tightened my grip on the dagger I almost dropped.

At the captain’s command, a swift and orderly movement ensued. A gasp of admiration involuntarily escaped my lips.

Wow, that’s impressive. I’ve seen it countless times on the way here, but it’s still amazing to watch. Can’t our guys do something like that?

“Lofty Knights….”

“Woooooaaaah!!”

“The one with the horns is mine!”

“…Yeah, whatever.”

I heard Lien’s resigned voice.

Yeah, as expected, it’s impossible. Watching the hounds charging headfirst without any formation, I chuckled wryly. I really had foolish hopes.

‘Then I should….’

I scanned the situation and picked out a suitable target.

The dagger in my hand spun around, my thumb repeatedly brushing against the hilt.

The habitual hand signal occurred without me even realizing it, and just as I moved my horse, a familiar voice called out.

“Milan!!”

Kleter, pointing at me and yelling at Milan.

“Stop the Count!”

“…Huh?!”

***

Sometimes, I think about it.

How could the vanguard, composed of commoners and peasants who hadn’t even mastered basic swordsmanship, have survived the eight-year war? Was just running around mindlessly really enough?

‘Of course not.’

No matter how much a sheep struggles, it’s over if the opponent is a tiger.

A life as insignificant as a fly, destined to die if the tiger doesn’t find it bothersome or annoying enough to look away.

There were many tigers on the battlefield, and there were many unavoidable encounters. In those moments, they had to rely on their captain, Deon Hart, to survive.

‘More accurately… through sacrifice.’

Kleter, a member of the Killer Knights, muttered the harsh words under his breath with a bitter smile.

Their captain, who became an honorary Count, had an uncanny ability to accurately assess his own physical condition. He knew the exact ‘limits’ of his body.

Considering how others would either push themselves until they broke without knowing their limits, or give up before even reaching them, this was an extraordinary talent in itself.

Deon Hart applied this talent in a slightly twisted way.

‘Knowing his physical limits also means he can cross that line whenever he wants.’

A hidden trump card to kill an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.

To kill an opponent who had let their guard down, he would momentarily exceed the speed his legs could achieve and the power his arms could exert. Afterward, his bones and muscles would be damaged, requiring a significant recovery period.

Kleter thought it was similar to a bee’s sting.

After delivering a single all-out attack, he would be left completely defenseless.

‘Of course, the difference is that he recovers over time.’

Ah, and he could also endure with his sheer willpower, pretending to be alright.

Naturally, attacking or defending was completely impossible then.

‘But to use that!’

To just subjugate monsters?!

“Ha.”

It’s so absurd it’s not even funny.

Meanwhile, Milan, lacking any sense, seemed about to immediately comply, then tilted his head in confusion.

“Stop the Count… huh? Not ‘take care of’?”

“Shut up and stop him!”

Of course, the hand signal Deon Hart made meant ‘take care of me’, but no matter how he thought about it, this wasn’t the time for that.

What good would it do to have the Count’s body ruined over something that wasn’t even an emergency?

“Well… if that’s the case… Stop the Count!”

“Stop the Count!”

“Stop the Count!”

Those who heard Milan’s voice repeated it and moved, and those who heard their voices repeated it again. The order was transmitted to all the members in an instant.

“What, what are you guys doing…!”

“Count, no!”

“Whatever it is, no!”

“Let go of me, you bastards! I’m going home!”

Kleter watched Deon struggling while being held by the members and quietly sighed in relief.

It’s a relief that the hand signals are a habit, for him and for us. Otherwise, things would be chaotic right now.

Deon Hart mainly uses hand signals on the battlefield. Because of that, Kleter, being the most composed, was assigned the role of watching and interpreting his hand signals.

The hand signal just now meant, ‘I’m going to use that, so take care of me while I’m defenseless.’

“What is going on right now….”

“Haha….”

Kleter gave Lien an awkward smile, who was looking bewildered. He then glanced at the monster subjugation, which was coming to a successful end despite the chaotic scene, and paused.

Dan’s face, twisted with anger and annoyance, was fiercely directed towards the commotion.

***

The initial monster subjugation was over. Now, all that was left was the hunting competition.

I hadn’t done anything, but I was already exhausted. With a tired expression, I crossed the outdoor social gathering area. Every time I passed, noble ladies and young noblewomen covered their mouths with their fans and whispered, but I didn’t want to bother paying attention.

I’m tired. I should go into the tent for a bit.

“My lord, are you going inside?”

“Yes, Sir Lien. Please handle the cleanup and make sure those guys don’t cause any more trouble.”

“Understood. I will inform you when His Highness the Crown Prince is about to give his opening speech.”

“And Dan….”

“Yes.”

“You’re free until the hunting competition, so do whatever you want. …Just don’t follow me.”

……Yes……

Dan stopped in his tracks, having been following behind me. He looked a little dejected, but I just waved him off and went inside.

I placed the heavy and annoying bag on the table, ordered the guards outside not to let anyone in, and carefully took out the flowerpot. Facing the wriggling thing, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“What am I actually going to do with this….”

Do I have to keep carrying this around until I return to the Demon Realm?

But if I participate in the hunting competition like this, I’ll have to be with Dan… won’t I get caught?

“I want to go home….”

Lamenting my tangled situation, I poked the strange creature with my finger. Annoyed by that, the thing curled its leaves around my finger and squeezed.

“Ugh, you crazy bastard…! Let go. Won’t you let go?!”

“Count? What’s wrong?!”

“Don’t come in!”