Chapter 101: A Chaotic Turn at the Hunting Tournament

At Rozally’s gentle words, Elina II smiled slightly. Though Kim Bing-ui knew all too well that this was a ‘well-orchestrated trap,’ it was the Female Lead’s duty to respond in kind and with ease.

When the horn sounded the start, Elina II scanned her surroundings. At the starting point of the Hunting Tournament, knights astride warhorses and noblemen checking their weapons could be seen. Here and there, women passed along their belongings to the men as a wish for a safe return.

‘I have something to deliver too… but a handkerchief is so mundane. I need something as unique and innovative as a dimension-hopping Female Lead… Ah!’

Elina II’s face lit up with a genius idea. What if, after a surprise kiss, she told them to return it to her once the tournament ended? With a sly smirk replacing her earlier expression, she hurried forward to catch up with Karlahee, who was leading the pack.

Meanwhile, Karlahee, about to don his helmet, caught sight of Elina II reflected on its rounded surface and dropped it in shock, his expression reminiscent of someone who had just seen a ghost with twisting arms chasing him.

“Off, go!”

“Wait! His Highness! I’ve got something to say~!”

Karlahee spurred his horse at full gallop as he passed through the foothills of a mountain range. To catch up with him—who had vanished in a blink into the forest—Elina II quickly mounted her horse. Though she had never ridden before, her body seemed to remember, and she guided the horse naturally.

From afar, Youngae and the others noticed Elina II and began chattering excitedly.

“Hey, one of our party is off doing her own thing?”

“Oh dear, if she’s going solo like that, what’s the point of the party…”

“Let’s just disband the party.”

Just then, as discontent was rising among the group, Rozally stepped forward and said,

“I’ll go check out what’s going on. You all wait here.”

“But it’s dangerous for a dealer to go alone…”

“I won’t get into any risky business. So, it’ll be fine without a healer.”

Quickly mounting his horse, Rozally reassured the healing Youngae before chasing after Elina II. Deeper into the densely wooded forest, the surroundings grew ever darker. Soon, aside from the sound of hooves, not a single noise could be heard.

Feeling a surge of anxiety, Rozally scanned the swiftly passing scenery for any sign of Elina II. He had to find her quickly—before Kim Bing-ui fell into trouble, before she disappeared all on her own.

‘I can’t let the Male Lead’s attention and worries pile onto one person…! Especially if it sparks his feelings further, I must stop this!’

Before long, a look of intense emotion crossed Rozally’s face. Perhaps they had been riding for some time when a scream reached his ears.

“Aaaaaah!”

That piercing cry belonged unmistakably to Elina II. Possibly a beat too late, Rozally spurred his horse toward the direction of the scream. If she were surrounded by monsters, he’d be caught in the fray too—and they’d both end up being rescued together by the Male Lead!

With that resolute thought, he arrived at the scene only to find Elina II collapsed on the ground. The horse that had been carrying her so well just moments before had vanished without a trace.

“…What are you doing?”

Rozally asked in disbelief. At that moment, as Elina II, who had been sobbing like a lost child, suddenly straightened up as if nothing had happened, she looked at him and said,

“…Ah, I wasn’t calling you… Damn it, the Male Lead isn’t coming, and some wicked woman is rambling on…”

“I can hear everything, you know?”

At Rozally’s sharp retort, Elina II narrowed her eyes. Previously, she had forced herself to sit uncomfortably on her knees to seem pitiful, but now she stood, brushing dust from her knees, and casually remarked over her shoulder,

“Once you’re done with your errand, leave.”

“Hohoho! And if you just stand there? I guarantee you’ll wander into danger in the forest until the Male Lead rescues you at the perfect moment! You really think I’ll let that happen?!”

Just as Rozally raised his left hand to slap Elina II’s cheek, a strong grip clutched his wrist—happening in less than a second.

“So you finally reveal your true wicked nature…”

Blocking her path was none other than Karlahee. His cape billowed dramatically in the strong wind. Elina II looked up at him blankly before exhaling a small, frustrated sigh and playfully flicking the inside of her cheek with her tongue.

“Hey, what have you been doing until now? While I was sulking all alone, you suddenly show up?”

“Hey, wicked nature of yours? So what? Instead of meddling in women’s fights without discretion, why don’t you just scram?”

Both Elina II and Rozally simultaneously gave Karlahee a well-timed pat on the shoulders, shoving him back. For Karlahee—a tyrant groomed within the pristine walls of the Forbidden Imperial Palace—this raucous back-alley culture was entirely new. At home he was a tyrant, but outside he was nothing more than a down-and-out guy.

Fighting back tears, he looked away and left the scene. Meanwhile, the verbal spat between the Female Lead and the wicked woman escalated even further.

“You damn bitch! Enjoy your little one-woman show, huh?”

“…Ha, so now you’re calling me wicked? Hehe… you miserable wretch.”

After exchanging a series of heavy blows—in which Elina II retaliated with her own punches—she soon found herself having her hair forcefully grabbed by the wicked woman.

“Is that how you hit me?!!”

“Ah! Won’t you let go?! The Female Lead was about to vanish into the mountains, but now, as expected of a wicked woman, you stick your nose in!”

“Bullshit! You better go find your runaway self. What about our sister’s spirit?!”

“…What? Since when did you know I was possessed?”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find out? Hurry and return your sister’s body!”

“Do you think I came in here just to intrude!?”

“Then while you’re borrowing a body, keep still!!”

The brawl grew more intense as the two clashed, shoving each other violently. At one point, they both misstepped simultaneously in the underbrush—a mistake born of not noticing the uneven ground hidden by the foliage.

“Ah…”

As Elina II began to tilt sideways, Rozally, who was holding onto her hair, lost his balance as well and slipped. In an instant, both tumbled beneath the bushes. While their bodies rolled together for a long while, Elina II struck her head on a jutting rock.

After roughly five minutes of tumbling, their bodies finally came to a halt on a flat patch of the mountain. Rozally, clutching his head, pulled himself upright before immediately vomiting nearby.

“Ugh… my head.”

Wiping his face, Rozally finally surveyed the area. They had come so far that their starting point was nowhere in sight. It was a scene straight out of a perfect missing-person scenario.

‘If only she weren’t around, it would have been perfect…’

Rozally, exhausted and disillusioned, turned his head to see Elina II lying quietly beside him with her eyes closed.

“Ha, the Female Lead just passed out for once?! Get up this instant!”

His voice almost trembling with anger, Rozally reached out and touched the crease between Elina II’s brows, only to feel no warmth.

“…Is she dead?”

Abruptly withdrawing his hand, Rozally looked down at her.

“Hey, hey… you listen, get your eyes open! Hurry up, why aren’t you waking up?”

Rozally’s hands trembled like those of someone with a shaking condition. This made him worry that it might look as though the wicked woman had deliberately killed the Female Lead, or that it was staged to resemble an accident—thus inciting the Male Lead’s wrath and sealing his own fate.

“Whack!!”

With a loud sound, Elina II suddenly raised her torso. In response, Rozally screamed, fell backward, and immediately punched her with all his might—a slap tinged with relieved certainty.

Only after the sun reached its zenith did Lara step out. Feeling refreshed, she headed toward the Count’s Estate, where a tea party was in full swing. Up in the mountain range, the Hunting Tournament was surely in full progress. Though she was slightly curious about the happenings there, Lara chose not to worry.

‘I can ask Rahi about it later… Ah.’

At the sudden thought of his name, Lara drooped her eyes in defeat. Ever since discovering that the dashing Lord Robes was the one, she hadn’t met him—not even once. Or rather, not even had the chance.

Though likely busy with preparations for the Hunting Tournament, she couldn’t help feeling disappointed by his lack of contact. Why hide his true identity? Why pull such stunts behind her back without even offering an explanation?

‘Well, what can I say…’

Trying to shrug it off casually, the thought instead welled up emotions in her. While she resigned herself to meaningless despair, the carriage Lara was riding arrived at the Count’s Estate.

Guided by the mansion’s hosts for the tea party, Lara looked around to see if she recognized anyone. With a champagne glass in hand, her eyes suddenly fixed on something unexpected. How on earth was it here? For three seconds she doubted her sight, but the figure remained unmistakably present.

Showcasing a pronounced jaw, protruding teeth, and a bulky figure draped in a green hide, an Orc boldly intruded into the center of the tea party. Not only an Orc—the so-called Hunting Tournament Triple Threat, a Troll and a Goblin were with him.

It was a sight so astonishing that disbelief barely captured it. Then, with heavy, thumping footsteps, the Orc began striding toward Lara.

“Chomp… squeak squeak.”

A creepy, whimpering cry echoed right in front of her, snapping Lara back to reality. Even though she wanted to run, her feet barely moved.

Who could have imagined that attending a tea party would lead to the biggest crisis of her life? It was clearly a cliché straight out of the Hunting Tournament.