Chapter 59: The Beginning of The Change (2)
The hunting competition began with the resounding blast of a horn. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Even though this was a competition, nobles and royal families did not go alone. They needed to be prepared for emergencies. Fighting monsters required teamwork, as individuals could not handle them alone. The hunting ground, being a forest, presented risks that made solitary monster encounters dangerous.
‘There must be people sticking close to Sigren too,’ Fiona thought.
“Lady Fiona!”
Fiona instinctively channeled her mana while still lost in thought. A moment later, the body of a monster near her erupted into flames. Fiona glanced at the sparks fluttering in the air and muttered, “Ah, fire is dangerous here.”
Heilon was a cold region with few trees, but the capital was different. A stray spark could easily start a large fire. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“I should be more careful than in Heilon.”
Fiona turned her horse’s head with determination. However, the knights by her side looked at the charred monster’s remains with dismayed expressions.
‘It seems there’s a problem…’
They had no opportunity to step in. In normal battles, mages supported knights, but Fiona was the exact opposite.
“Is there a problem?” one of the knights asked.
“Oh, no.”
On the surface, Fiona appeared to be a typical noble girl—beautiful with her silver hair and pale skin. In the capital, she was a rare sight. Anyone who saw her would think she was a noble lady who had been well-raised. At first, the knights were puzzled, even wondering how they would manage if she fainted at the sight of monsters. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
‘It was just an unnecessary worry.’
They had heard she made a bet with Duke Ernest, but it seemed the bet was surprisingly advantageous for her. As the hunting competition progressed, her performance only became more impressive.
Fiona looked at the pile of monster corpses and muttered, “Something’s missing…”
‘What the hell?!’ The knights around Fiona thought in unison. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Sir, are there any more advanced monsters?”
The escort knights looked troubled. “There are, but they are outside the hunting competition area.”
“Ah…”
Fiona, who aimed to compete with quality over quantity, shook her head. She didn’t want to break the established rules. Unless Sigren suddenly decided to take the competition seriously, she knew he would obviously win.
“Then I can’t.”
As she was speaking and moving, she ran into another group—it was Duke Ernest. He, who had not yet seen the monsters Fiona had caught, smiled triumphantly, likely because he had also caught a few.
“I don’t know if things are going well.”
Fiona smiled softly. “They’re weak, but I’m working hard, Duke.”
Duke Ernest clicked his tongue. “To be able to relax like that, dealing with monsters must not be a big deal for the heir of the Heilon family—”
His eyes widened when he turned his head and finally saw the monsters Fiona had killed. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Are those what Lady Fiona caught?”
Fiona replied calmly, “As you said, it’s not a big deal, but I’ll continue doing my best.”
Duke Ernest’s face frowned. Fiona had fought more monsters than he had.
‘How?’
“Uh-hum. I’ll be on my way.”
The duke walked away, his pride hurt.
“You’re old, so I hope you don’t overdo it,” Fiona said kindly, watching his back. It was a light provocation.
Duke Ernest turned his head to look at Fiona, then took the reins again and set off.
At first glance, Fiona could hear Duke Ernest urging his knights.
‘He seems to be in a hurry.’
Seeing this, Fiona smiled softly. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
***
Duke Ernest ground his teeth.
‘That cheeky brat.’
He remembered Fiona’s face and thought she would be docile, but instead, she was very cheeky.
‘It’s disgusting; she looks just like the Duke Heilon.’
She did, and her subtly provocative demeanor reminded him of Abel Heilon. This only made Duke Ernest angrier. If he continued like this, he would lose, and his reputation in society would be at stake. After all, he had already spread rumors.
“We will move.”
The knights who followed him stopped talking. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Where do you plan to go, Sir?”
“We will go beyond the control line.”
“But there…”
The hunting competition control line marked the boundary where higher-level monsters might be found. Although there was no official punishment for crossing it, it was set as a precaution due to the potential danger.
“I hope the knights of the Duke’s family are not afraid of monsters.”
“We’re not. However, Sir, it may be dangerous for your life—”
“Anyway, it’s a place that had been cleared before the hunting competition, so there aren’t really any dangerous monsters,” the Duke said, shaking his head as if to dismiss any objections. It was difficult to beat Fiona with only lower-level monsters, so he had no choice but to go after higher-level ones. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Go inside. We can’t lose like this.”
The knights who followed the Duke exchanged anxious glances with each other.
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