Chapter 103: Hunting Competition

I barely managed to pull my fingers away, stopping the plant from making another move as if it was about to stand up. Carefully, I cradled my throbbing fingers.

Damn it. Look how red and swollen my fingers are. And Hien, that bastard, handed such a dangerous plant to me!

As if proud of itself, the plant pointed at my swollen fingers with its stem, curling its leaves upward. The sight of it mimicking a thumbs-up sent my blood pressure soaring.

“What’s there to be so proud of…?!”

“Gweeck.”

“Don’t make noise… Huh? Are you saying I should use this as an excuse to leave early?”

“Gwek.”

An even quieter reply came back. My expression turned strange.

No… I appreciate the thought, but even a hero has their pride. There’s no way I can go home with just a finger injury.

More importantly, is it really thinking of me? Or is it just annoyed because I keep poking it?

The outside seemed busy, and eventually, they couldn’t ignore the commotion inside. Accompanied by hurried footsteps, Lien’s voice reached me; she must have brought him along.

“My lord! I heard there’s a problem! May I come in?”

“W-Wait! No! Please wait a moment!”

“…….”

Damn it. Why bring Lien when I told them not to come in?

In a flurry, I shoved the flowerpot into my bag.

Perhaps it wasn’t the answer she expected, as there was a moment of silence. Then, just as I was struggling with the stubbornly unclosing bag, her determined voice returned.

“Indeed, it seems there is a problem. I’m coming in.”

“!”

B-But I haven’t closed the bag yet!

…I’ll just shove it into the corner. I quickly kicked the bag into the corner. The cloth covering the entrance was pulled aside almost at the same moment.

Sword drawn, Lien strode in, her eyes sharply scanning the interior. Confirming that everything seemed normal, her gaze landed on me, awkwardly standing in front of the bag.

“Are you alright?”

“Y-Yes, yes….”

“My lord always says that. I don’t believe it.”

Then why did you ask?

Her unwavering gaze swept over me. Her scrutiny, intense enough to dissect every strand of hair, finally settled on my slightly swollen finger.

Her expression hardened.

“An assassination attempt!”

“How is this related to an assassination attempt?! It’s just a sprain!”

“If it were nothing, you wouldn’t have desperately tried to stop the guard and me from entering! There must have been an assassin!”

“…….”

I was speechless….

Unable to say that I was hiding something, I quietly shut my mouth. She seemed to take it as confirmation, her voice filled with certainty.

“I understand your desire to resolve things quietly, but the guard and I exist to protect you, my lord. Please don’t try to hide things from us.”

“…….”

“I’ve heard that some assassination methods involve pricking with poisoned needles. I will call for a physician immediately.”

“No, wait… just a moment…!”

“Do not stop me! Your finger is already so red and swollen! We must treat it before the poison spreads further!”

What is with her? She’s like a runaway carriage!

Embarrassed as I was, there was no way I could let her call a physician. I reached out to stop Lien, who looked ready to bolt. Instead of her hand, my fingers grasped a large, calloused man’s hand.

…Huh?

“Did you say poison?!”

When did you get here? And more importantly, can you let go of my hand?

Kleter barged in, having apparently overheard Lien’s shout. Suddenly, I was being held by my hand and shoulder, swaying helplessly as he moved. Belatedly regaining my senses, I shot him a deadpan glare.

“How dare you enter without permission….”

“Where is it! Where were you poisoned?! Surely not by ingesting it?!”

“No….”

“Then where?!”

“Nowhere….”

“Kleter, I’ll deal with your impudence later. Fetch the physician at once.”

“Understood!”

No! Stop right there!

I hurriedly grabbed Kleter, who was about to dash out. But this guy just kept moving? And I was still holding onto him.

As he moved, my body stretched out, threatening to send me sprawling. A flustered Kleter, forgetting his mission, quickly steadied me.

“Why, why are you stopping me?”

“It’s not poison. Sir Lien just misunderstood.”

He blinked, then let out a deep sigh of relief, collapsing onto the floor. Ugh! I fell with him.

You son of a… Rubbing my nose, I looked up to hear a still-suspicious voice.

“Then why is your finger swollen?”

Lien stood with her arms crossed, eyeing me suspiciously.

“I told you, it’s sprained.”

“Yes, but how did that happen?”

“……Do I have to explain that too?”

It’s just a sprained finger, for goodness’ sake.

There’s no way I’m admitting I was hurt by a plant. Was it dangerous? No, it was just embarrassing.

Lien seemed to think there was no need to elaborate, clearing her throat and shaking her head.

“I see. It’s a relief that it’s not poison.”

“Yes… Ah, Sir Lien.”

“Yes?”

Her questioning gaze turned to me.

I just thought of this because I saw her. I spoke casually.

“I want to go home.”

“Ah, I heard from the butler that you were tired due to the backlog of paperwork. It’s not possible.”

“……?”

She’s firm as always.

No, more importantly, doesn’t what she said sound strange?

“His Majesty will be arriving soon, so you cannot return before him. If your reason for not wanting to participate in the hunting competition is the concern, you don’t have to exert yourself catching monsters; simply remaining present will suffice….”

She inadvertently looked up, her eyes meeting mine.

She paused, uncrossing her arms and straightening her posture. The slightly relaxed expression was gone, replaced by her usual sternness.

“My lord, could you please lift your head?”

“?”

“Kleter, lift my lord’s head. So I can see him clearly.”

“L-Like this?”

Kleter grabbed my chin and lifted it towards Lien.

“My lord, please remove your hand.”

“…….”

“Kleter.”

“Yes.”

Damn it. Kleter grabbed my hand, which was covering my lower face, and pulled it away.

The warm liquid that had been running beneath my nose dripped down my chin and landed on the floor with a splat.

“You’re having a nosebleed!”

“Ah… it was a nosebleed?”

And here I was, desperately trying to hide what I thought was snot.

…No, wait a minute. A nosebleed?! Why now?

My eyes trembled as I looked at Lien. Sure enough, her eyes were blazing.

“It is the poison after all…!”

“No! This is because this idiot made me fall earlier…!”

“When did I… Ah, aah?!”

Kleter, who had reflexively jumped back, stopped abruptly as if something had dawned on him. His eyes were visibly shaking.

Right, he’d sat down without warning while he was helping me up, thinking everything was fine. And I fell with him.

Shall I drag him away? Lien’s eyes seemed to ask. I shook my head and called out to him, my voice slightly nasal due to the handkerchief pressed against my nose.

“Kleter.”

“Yes… Count…”

“Why did you come here?”

I needed to know the reason before dragging him away.

There’s no way this guy, who should be off somewhere with those mad dogs, messing around, would have just happened to be in front of this tent.

Kleter also seemed to belatedly recall his reason for coming. “Ah,” he exclaimed softly, straightening his posture. His gaze was earnest as he looked at me.

“I heard you’re taking Dan as an assistant for the hunting competition.”

“That’s right.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to take at least one more person? It feels a bit 불안합니다 [boohwanhamnida – uneasy/unstable] with just two.”

“Is it really necessary…?”

The maximum number of assistants you can bring to the hunting competition is four. Ah, but four is only for royalty, so it’s actually three.

I don’t have any particular desire to hunt monsters enthusiastically, so more assistants would be a luxury… I was even initially planning to participate alone without Dan.

My lack of enthusiasm seemed apparent on my face, as Kleter quickly added.

“Dan’s gaze seems a bit suspicious.”

“Huh?”

“During the subjugation just now… the way he looked at you, Count…”

“……?”

“…Um… well… intense annoyance? A simmering suspicion? Burning rage?”

Is he casting a spell?

“Anyway, it was very suspicious.”

“I see… well then, Sir Lien.”

Drag him away.

Lien, who had been standing still, strode forward and grabbed Kleter’s arm.

She just grabbed it.

“C-Count?”

“…Sir Lien? Why aren’t you dragging him away….”

“While I’m not sure about the other details, I agree with the suggestion to bring another assistant.”

I will go. Her firm gaze declared.

…I appreciate her concern… but this is too much.

Being swayed like this isn’t a one-time thing. I’m a person capable of learning.

Avoiding her burdensome gaze, I rolled my eyes.

“Absolutely not.”

Not with the monster in my bag.

More than anything, her personality is the issue. Dan is one thing, but the moment she finds out, the worst possible scenario imaginable will unfold.

Confirming that the nosebleed had stopped, I folded the handkerchief, put it in my pocket, and stealthily picked up my bag.

“Get out. I’m leaving too.”

“My lord?”

“No way. Absolutely not.”

“Count?”

“I don’t want to. It’s my decision.”

“Are you a child, Count? Why are you throwing a tantrum without a valid reason?”

I don’t care. No way. Originally, I was planning to go alone anyway.

It’s better to be outside than to be pressured like this. I pushed the two humans out of the tent.

And then I regretted it.

“How is it that a mere Honorary Count is called ‘Count’… tsk.”

What’s the deal with my luck?

Getting accosted the moment I step out. I stared at the person picking a fight, a hint of admiration in my gaze.

He confidently mentioned the title of ‘Count,’ so he must have a title himself. Did he recently become the head of his family? He’s quite young.

But he looks remarkably vile. While I was blankly staring at the face that seemed to have put all its effort into expressing a rotten personality, Kleter, unable to bear the silence any longer, stepped forward.

“Excuse me, may I ask who you are?”

“Step aside. You’re not worthy to speak to him.”

Wow.

If the owner is a jerk, the attendant is a jerk too, huh?

Kleter’s mouth snapped shut, and then he grinned.

‘Hey… hey, take your hand off your sword. Now.’

Even if you’re annoyed, you can’t put your hand on your sword like that. What if he’s a noble whose status I can’t handle?

I looked at him with exasperation, then looked for Lien. She must have seen Kleter put his hand on his sword, but why isn’t she stopping him….

‘Oh… right… she was probably going to draw her sword too….’

Come to think of it, that guy’s words did provoke her ‘knightly duty’ related to her ‘lord’.

Still, you shouldn’t draw your sword. Know your opponent.

I gestured for the two of them to stop and quietly looked at the sneering man.

What did he say earlier? Ah, right. ‘How is it that a mere Honorary Count is called ‘Count’?’ Honestly, I don’t really have a comeback for that.

‘He’s not wrong, I guess.’

My official title as an ‘Honorary Count’ is ‘Hart Honorary Count.’ It’s true that it’s correct to refer to me as such to prevent unnecessary confusion.

However.

“Who are you…?”

Who are you to be picking a fight like this?

The man, whose eyes met mine, flinched and raised his voice in response. It was more of a shout to hide his fear than arrogance.

“I am the ‘real’ Count Hart! I’m nothing like a fake like you!”

Huh?

“…….”

“…….”

Silence descended.

In the quiet space, I slowly blinked.

What did I just hear? Let’s think about it again.

Hmm… again.

Again. Again. Again.

…….

“…Aha.”

At that moment, the man before me, paling, stumbled backward, probably seeing the expression on my face.