64 – Southern Hunting Tournament (3)

The sky full of rain clouds filled the quiet forest with the sound of rain, and when the next day came, the bright sun rose up as if it had never happened.

The knights from Krause prepared to leave the forest by shaking off their rain-soaked cloths all night. It was because Damian, who could be said to be in charge of this place, had given the order to move to the Legion as the tournament was about to be held.

When the order came, they moved their bodies and prepared to leave quickly.

No matter how long the knights subjugated the beasts and succeeded in this task, they were also human, so it was natural that they wanted to go to the legion with facilities rather than staying in the damp forest.

Is it because of their wishes?

Even if they weren’t, those who were trained to the point of being incomparable to others began to move with sincerity, so the dismantling of the camp proceeded twice as fast as when they set up the camp on the day they arrived.

As if everything had happened in an instant, everything passed swiftly, and it was when he was leaving the woods on his horse that Orcus came out of his tent and came to his senses after seeing the rain that had stopped.

It seems that the one who always led the flow was not accustomed to being swept away by the fast-passing flow.

As soon as he came out to say let’s go hunting, the knights were preparing to leave. Although his status is a noble position that is close to universal recognition as the prince of the empire, the chief officer here was Damian and he ordered the move, so no matter how Orcus Even so, he had to follow his words.

It didn’t matter that Damian, not the emperor, was leading the situation. It was a fact that Orcus was already fully aware of.

It’s just that I didn’t have enough time to think because I was hit here and there without knowing anything among those who were constantly moving around.

Everyone was getting ready to leave without any explanation, so it was only natural that there was confusion in my head for a while. When I found Damian to explain this, the camp had already been dismantled.

Orcus, who was on top of the horse, opened his mouth with a sad face as he watched the forest getting farther and farther away.

“I wonder if it’s fun now, but…”

“It’s not too late to find something like that after the tournament is held. Although the tournament was created for the purpose of subjugating seawater, it’s also for the entertainment of the warriors. “

“That’s true. Wouldn’t it take at least one more day of practice to get a good grade in the competition? There’s still time before the competition starts.”

Damian thought about it for a while, then answered Orcus’s words with a light smile.

“It’s a good attitude, Orcus, but with your current skills, staying here and hunting for a day or arriving in Legion and increasing the amount of practice to hit the target is the same. So don’t talk nonsense and just follow me.”

Orcus didn’t get angry at Damian’s harsh criticism of his bow skills.

“Now, are you saying that you’re going to do that again when you get to Legion?”

“Didn’t I just tell myself? I want to practice for one more day and get a good grade in the competition. Then you have to do what you want.”

At that, Orcus let out a sound of air escaping from his mouth as if he was dumbfounded, but Damian didn’t care about Orcus’ behavior at all. When Orcus said something to Damian again, Damian smiled again and continued the conversation.

If anyone had heard their conversation, they would have fainted. No matter how close they are to each other, the heir to the count’s family and the heir to the empire. There was such an absolute difference in rank in the position attached to them.

It was clear that the emperor who asked him to make friends would have been quite surprised if he had seen this scene.

Because he knew Orcus’ disposition better than anyone else, he knew that even if Orcus had allowed him not to show respect, he wasn’t the type to carry on a conversation with ease.

This was also proof that Orcus thought of Damian as a friend.

Even though it wasn’t that long, it was clear that the fact that he was the first to establish a new human relationship as a friend must have played a part in the relationship between the two. It sounded like a good fit.

However, it is still a matter that only Orcus himself knows whether the meaning of ‘friend’ to Orcus is the same as that of other people. For him, only Orcus would know whether a friend would be a friend with whom he shared friendship, or whether it would simply be a consumable item to be used in the name of a friend created by the emperor’s order.

“I’m sure I won’t be able to defeat Her Highness, even if I try hard.”

“Isn’t it purely a matter of talent?

“Even if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to beat Elena.”

“…”

Orcus’s face rapidly decayed at Damian’s words.

The things he said were undeniably true, so there was a limit to passing them over with words. However, like Damian, there was nothing to talk about. Damian, whom Orcus had been watching so far, was a guy who didn’t have anything to complain about.

In the end, there was nothing he could do except show his feelings with his face.

Sometimes Orcus thinks.

Was it really a good choice to stop being respectful that day?

While thinking such nonsensical thoughts, Orcus continued his conversation with Damian.

***

When they first reached the forest, Damian and Elena, Noel and Orcus were all using a carriage. But now, only Noel and Elena were in the carriage. This was because Damian suggested that Orcus ride a horse on the road to Legion.

It wasn’t because Orcus couldn’t ride a horse. Speaking of horseback riding, speaking of nobles, it was something that could be said to be essential. Of course, Prince Orcus also learned to ride a horse from an early age.

Riding a horse was obviously familiar to him. Horseback riding was a must at least once a week. So, how long can Orcus sit on a horse?

Even sitting comfortably in a wagon can make your body feel sore after a certain amount of time. If you say a word that vibrates more than that and you can’t even lie on your back comfortably, it’s as if the answer has already been given.

Although Orcus’ body is trained, it is by lineage and not the result of his efforts. The body may be fine, but the head that feels it may feel a completely different sensation from the normal body.

The distance from the campsite to Legion was not very far, but it took two days for a number of people of a certain size to move. And Damian saw that as enough time for Orcus to get used to the horse.

For safety, Damian decided to stay by Orcus’s side, and in the end, Noel and Elena were left alone in the carriage.

Noel, who likes to move her body, must have had the option of riding next to Orcus, but contrary to everyone’s expectations, she chose to ride with Elena in the carriage. Of course, the reason she made that choice was purely because of Elena.

Noel turned and looked out the window.

Through the window, you can see Orcus and Damian on horseback.

I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but it was fun to watch Orcus’ expression change from moment to moment. Occasionally, the color of Orcus’ face didn’t look good, but the conversation between the two of them continued to speak really well.

After coming to the south, the appearances of Orcus, which were not visible when he was in the imperial castle, began to appear. The fact that I met Elena again, and the fact that a bond with Damian Krause was created. It was a life in the South where there was only one pleasant thing.

“Ummm…”

Noel couldn’t take his eyes off the two for a while, wondering what he was jealous of, then looked back at the window and looked at Elena sitting next to him.

No matter when you look at her, the beauty on her face never fades.

A pure white girl who is completely different from herself. The delicate scent of lavender that emanated from her seemed to have a calming effect.

Normally, Noel would have said something excited about being with Elena, but now her mouth is quiet. Obviously, on the way to Legion, I climbed into the carriage expecting to have a hearty talk with Elena, but that was a dream that could not come true.

It wasn’t that the relationship between Noel and Elena had become awkward.

It hadn’t happened since she found out that Damian was Elena’s fiancée. There were times when Noel, who saw Damian training, suddenly asked him to fight, but it did not affect the relationship between Elena and Noel.

There was only one reason why Noel wasn’t talking to Elena right now.

“Hey…”

Hearing the sound of light breathing, Noel looked at Elena’s relaxed face, and then, without hesitation, raised his hand and placed it on Elena’s cheek.

Elena’s bouncy cheeks in her hand gave the illusion that she was touching slime. Even though Noel himself had never touched or seen a monster called slime.

In a word, it feels good to touch.

Noel continued to rub Elena’s cheeks with that inescapable addiction. I tried stretching it by pulling it lightly, and I also flicked it with my fingers. Elena’s ever-changing face was enough to give Noel laughter and joy.

Whoops-

“Hmm…”

“Whoops!”

Elena, whom he met again after coming to the South, was different from the woman Noel knew before, and although many things had changed, it was also clear that he had not. Now her wretched smile proves it.

After the reunion, Elena has become more mature and sophisticated to the extent that she can’t find her timidity before.

Noel thought Elena’s changed appearance was cool, but in a part of her heart, she felt sorry that she could no longer see the image she had seen in the garden that day.

If there is one regrettable thing, it may be that it is impossible to have a normal conversation with Elena in this state.

You can’t have a conversation with someone who is asleep.

Noel stroked Elena’s cheeks and thought about the change in her. It was only this morning that Elena was in this state. And about the cause, Noel also had some insight.

‘What the hell happened inside the tent?’

The last day when it was raining heavily.

Noel was able to meet him at Damian’s tent with Elena soaking wet.

There was a separate tent for Elena to live in, but there was nothing strange about the two of them being together. Damian and Elena. The two were engaged, so Noel had no doubts that they were together. It was also a sight that I often saw in the lord castle. Although this is the first time I’ve seen a shower of water fall right after opening the tent.

The reason she puts that incident as the cause of Elena’s condition now is that Elena’s mood has noticeably changed since then.

When Noel came to the tent, Elena immediately left without saying goodbye. Seeing Elena disappear into the rain without taking care of her friendship, Noel watched her blankly, and Damian also looked at her with Noel for a while, then raised the corners of his mouth slightly.

Noel stood in bewilderment at Damian’s smile for an unknown reason. Without much conversation with Damian, she eventually went back to her place with only doubts about Elena’s sudden action.

It was after hearing that he was leaving for Legion after the rain stopped that he met Elena again.

When I met Elena again, the atmosphere was definitely very different from before.

Before, there was no gap and everything felt relaxed, but now it felt like everything had been loosened.

It wasn’t just the atmosphere that had changed. For the first time, Noel wondered if yesterday’s events had affected her health. Although she was a wizard, Elena had a body that was not trained like her own, so it was natural for her to be worried that she might have caught a cold when she remembered the image of yesterday, soaked in water.

It didn’t take long to find out that it wasn’t because of the illness, though.

“So what the hell happened yesterday?”

“Yes Yes?”

“In the tent. You were with Damian. When I went, the water suddenly fell…”

“Uh…uhh, that, that’s…”

He didn’t say a few words, but Elena trembled uncharacteristically, then blushed and bowed her head.

Noel looked at Elena as if he were curious to see her for the first time, but there was no word from Elena. As if he didn’t know how to answer, he turned his gaze toward Damian outside the window with his face blushing. Noel stopped asking Elena about the day.

Seeing Elena bewildered, her curiosity only grew, but she had no intention of forcibly asking for something the person in question did not want to talk about. Above all, she could tell from her actions that something had happened with Damian, so that alone was enough for Noel.

How much time had passed like that?

Elena, who was flustered by Noel’s question, fell asleep leaning next to her.

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Maybe he didn’t sleep last night, but for some reason Noel didn’t seem to have to think about it.

“love…?”

Noel looked at Elena and muttered a word that suddenly popped into his head.

He couldn’t figure out the exact reason, but Noel thought that maybe this was what made Elena change now. It is love between the sexes. It was a very unfamiliar territory for Noel, and it was something he had never thought about, so it was just a strange feeling.

Damian and Elena. Elena and Noel.

If there is a difference in this relationship, wouldn’t it be the difference in emotions that connect them?

Noel thought for a moment, then shook his head and started touching Elena’s cheek again.

“yap.”

“hehehehe…”

love and friendship No matter how much he thought about it, Noel couldn’t remember the difference between the two. He just remembered once again that Noel, what connects him and Elena is friendship, and what connects her and Damian is love.

If one day you fall in love with yourself, won’t something change?

Recalling Elena’s face when she was with Damian, Noel decided to imagine what if he hadn’t experienced it yet.