Chapter 200
The next morning.
Since it is the day of the hunting compet.i.tion to begin, the Lombardy villa has been busy from early in the morning.
This was because the employees were up and busy before dawn.
And among them were those who came out of the Palace following the Empress.
Many of the luggage that she had brought with the schedule to stay throughout the hunting contest was being arranged in the hands of the servants again.
"The blasphemy."
The Empress, who was sitting on the sofa with a poor face because she couldn"t sleep, muttered one after another.
"How dare you insult me like that?"
Last night, the face of the old Lombardy, who brought Brown"s men and smiled triumphantly, came to her mind, so she couldn"t get rid of it.
The Empress pushed her carefully arranged nail tips into the armchair-covered leather.
"Things like d.a.m.n bugs that never die."
She meant the Brown family.
Since that day more than 40 years ago, Angenas has used a lot of manpower, time, and resources to clean up the Brown family.
They tracked down those who did not have a right hand and killed them if they lived a stable life, and kept them alive if they lived a shabby life.
But then they got together and started planning like that.
"I should have killed them all on the spot yesterday."
The Empress" blue eyes shone cruelly.
The land where Angenas is now located was a place to live and build a home in the barren west.
It couldn"t be taken back by a weak Brown who couldn"t even protect their land.
No need to worry about the brown family anymore.
It was a matter of sweeping them away again secretly.
However.
"An annoying old man."
Lulak Lombardy was not a pushover.
It was the Lord of Lombardy that used to shove a knife in his back as suddenly as this time even if he was on the lookout.
"It"s obvious that the Empress doesn"t know exactly what happened to her ancestors or how the Brown family came to this point!"
He wasn"t talking about the raid.
There"s no one in the Empire who doesn"t know about what happened that night.
Lulak must be talking about the way the Browns lost their land.
"Duigi."
At Rabini"s call, the Lord of Angenas, who was checking his luggage in the next room, approached.
"Do you happen to know anything about the Brown family, Duigi?"
"When it comes to land, you know that. That our father was particularly reticent about it."
"Yes, he did. But I asked you because I thought you had something to say."
Empress Rabini spoke with disappointment.
"Not a very helpful father. It"s the same after his death."
Empress Rabini uttered harsh words with a casual face."I have to go back and meet the elders of Angenas. It won"t work like this."
Lulak"s smiling face was ominous.
Rabini was constantly bothered by a feeling of uneasiness.
It was clear that those who experienced what happened around that time would know something.
"Mother."
Then Astana came into the room.
"Where are you going?"
"Ah, Prince. Your mother will go back to the Palace because something urgent came up. The Prince, enjoy the hunting contest and come back."
Astana squirmed at the smiling face of Empress Rabini.
"What happened yesterday... Aren"t you angry?"
He thought he"d get in big trouble as soon as she saw his face.
Her usual gentle smile was rather scary.
"Yes, there was a commotion yesterday, right?"
Empress Rabini looked at Astana and asked.
Now that it has come, Astana was in a hurry to make excuses.
"I can explain everything..."
"Yesterday."
Empress Rabini snapped Astana"s words.
"Let"s say that we both played in Lombardy"s hands yesterday, Prince."
"...Yes?"
What does that mean?
"We"re played in Lombardy"s hands?"
Astana was puzzled.
"I insulted Lady Lombardy, whom I first started it..."
"Ah, my son."
Empress Rabini patted her son"s cheek.
It was obviously a conflict with Florentia Lombardy, that caused the duel yesterday.
However, the person who duels instead of there is a member of the Brown family, so everyone at that place witnesses the excellence of Brown"s Swordsmanship.
There is no such perfect coincidence.
Rabini was convinced the situation itself was plotted.
Last time, she thought Florentia was clever when she suddenly called Perez at the Empress"s Palace dinner.
She never thought she"d do such a cute thing.
Empress Rabini smiled benevolently at Astana, who still looked at her with his eyes wide open.
"I need to know anything. Leave it to your mother. I"ll put you on the throne by all means."
It was a sweet voice like the honey of a rose with thorns.
"Well, then, mother."
Astana hesitated and said.
"What if I went back to the Palace with you... What if I get seriously hurt after partic.i.p.ating in this ignorant contest? So..."
"No."
Empress Rabini cut firmly and said.
"If the Prince is weak at a time like this, we can all be ridiculed."
"But..."
Astana cry.
As it happened yesterday, he woke up in the morning and looked out of the window, and the foggy Forest of Madman was so shabby.
Before hunting compet.i.tions, his heart thumped with fear.
"It"s a contest that His Majesty will attend. If the Prince gives up and goes back to the Capital, everyone will be misunderstood that you ran away because you were afraid. Isn"t that so?"
It"s scary.
However, Astana touched his lips a few times with his pale face, and he reluctantly nodded his head.
"Prince, move with other aristocratic sons. Then everything will be fine."
Empress Rabini got up from her seat to go for the carriage after she said so.
However, Astana continued to glance through the dark Forest of Madman.
He didn"t have a good sense of honor.
* * *
Finally, it"s time for the hunting contest to begin.
I was on the podium in front of the partic.i.p.ants gathered in one place.
It was to explain the rules of the hunting compet.i.tion.
And the moment I stood on the podium.
"Gulp!"
I had to keep my mouth shut in order not to laugh.
"Hmm. Let me briefly tell you the rules of the compet.i.tion."
It was because it was worth seeing that most of the partic.i.p.ants" faces were in tears.
Of course, some people flashed their eyes and burned the spirit of victory.
"The rules are simple. The person who dealt with the greatest monsters in the next 3 days will get the honor of winning and the prize money. As evidence, you can cut off a part of the corpse of the monster and collect it."
When I asked to cut it off, I could already see some distorting their faces because they"re not feeling well.
Let"s tease them a little more.
"But remember, monsters are also creatures who know how to hunt people. So don"t go too deep in the woods, and use the provided flare when you are in a dangerous situation."
I saw people who were more contemplated by my words quickly looking at the signal.
"Be careful because the flares become useless when it"s wet, and if you use flares, you will be disqualified in the compet.i.tion at that moment."
Then, Astana, wearing yellow protective gear, suddenly asked.
"It"s an individual game, but it"s an acknowledgment of getting help from someone else in a dangerous situation, right?"
He"s using his brain.
I already knew that dozens of people who partic.i.p.ated in the event were Astana"s aides.
That"s why he"s going to get a definite answer and work in groups in there.
"Yes, but as you said, it"s an individual compet.i.tion, so you have to refrain from excessive cooperation. Of course, the Prince wouldn"t do such a thing. Right?"
Astana nodded quiveringly at my question.
However, he seemed to be more relieved to exchange glances with the henchmen next to him.
"Do you have any more questions?"
I asked the partic.i.p.ants.
No one raised their hands.
"Then, let"s start a hunting contest."
Lombardy"s servants flapped large flags at my words.
The hunting compet.i.tion has officially begun.
I could see some people running into the forest as if they had waited.
In reality, they were bored, and it seemed that they were too excited to take this opportunity.
"They have the shortest lives."
It was when I murmured as I watched the running back.
Perez was seen approaching Astana with the Academy trio.
I couldn"t hear them because it was too far away, but there"s no way that words of blessing come and go between the two.
Sure enough.
When Perez said something with a few words, Astana"s face turned pale.
And he rushes to the woods with his people.
As if he were running away.
"What did you say?"
I approached Perez and asked.
"Tia."
Perez smiled, slightly folding his eyes toward me.
"Did you, by any chance, give him a notice of murder?"
"No, it"s not like that. Just."
Perez replied, shaking his head.
"I said he"d better not go into the woods and run into me."
Wow, that"s cruel.
If it"s not a murder notice, what is it?
Perez tilts his head on my face, looking at him, covering my mouth with one hand.
"Tia, I told you that yesterday, so you should have been prepared for that."
"Well, yeah, thank you, Perez."
That"s a horrible way to do me a favor.
"I"ll be back then."
Perez came up to me saying so.
And he kissed my forehead as if he was used to it.
"Okay, have a safe trip."
I said, brushing off his red protective gear that Perez is wearing.
And I made eye contact with the Academy trio.
"I, I"ll be back!"
"Oh, my waist. Why is it like this today..."
"Good work!"
I think they"re avoiding my eyes.
What"s wrong with them?
"Lady Florentia."
It was Clerivan who appeared quietly, calling to me after Perez.
"What on earth is going to happen in there?"
Yeah, it"s worth your while to be curious about.
"I don"t know either."
"What?"
"That"s all what Perez and I cooperated with. He will have a hunting contest in the Forest of Madman, stamp Lord Brown"s eye, and have Astana and the Emperor partic.i.p.ate."
"You really don"t know?"
Clerivan said in a dazed way.
"Because it is."
"If Lady Florentia had asked, I think the Prince would have answered anything."
"That"s right, that"s right."
"But why didn"t you ask?"
"Because..."
I replied, looking again at the thick foggy dark forest.
"I and Perez, we"re people who have to do whatever we want to do."
* * *
It was such a strange thing.
Quite a few people entered the forest.
But in the foggy forest, it was only silence.
As if the Forest of Madman had eaten up the sound of people.
"The Magic is amazing. This is why the monsters live together."
Tedro said.
"The n.o.ble family partic.i.p.ants must be breaking out in a cold sweat."
Steely giggled.
"Are you not a n.o.ble, then?"
Lignite, son of the Eastern, Luman family, asked with a frown.
"Don"t compare me with a bunch of guys like that. I am the successor of the Sector family who learns to hunt while traveling through the southern jungle from an early age."
Steely shrugged his shoulders.
Then, Perez, who had his feet on a thick tree and was tying his shoelaces tightly, called him.
"Steely."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Tracking, is that possible?"
Steely replied with a grin at Perez"s words.
"That"s enough."
Steely"s specialty, the successor to a Sector family moving in and out of the southern jungle like a front yard, was the "tracking" of hunting trails.