Chapter 105: Hunting Tournament (6)
Chapter 105: Hunting Tournament (6)
[Deon Hart dislikes crowded places.]
[He will probably move to a place with few people and little foot traffic even at the hunting competition.]
[We'll set up the crossbows. We'll drive Deon Hart into that place.]
[Isn't it about time we put an end to that stubborn life?]
Click. Clack.
Chess pieces moved back and forth. Long, bony fingers with thick knuckles coolly picked up and shifted pieces for both sides in turn.
Since the Duke was actively involved, there was nothing he could do. He decided not to worry about it. Besides, now was not the time to think about that.
'More than that, didn't they say the frequency of the Revolutionary Army leader's mother coughing up blood had increased?'
Clack.
The black king revealed itself before the enemy with only a few escorts.
'The leader still doesn't know that fact.'
Click.
The white camp targeted the black king.
'He'll find out soon enough. Should I tighten the surveillance further?'
Clack. In the meantime, a covert movement stirred within the black camp.
'More than that, coughing up blood. Coughing up blood, huh...'
My little brother, Deon Hart, had often coughed up blood too.
The hand that had been moving pieces came to an abrupt halt. As if unable to concentrate at all, Cruel, who held a black bishop between his fingers, lowered his green eyes in contemplation.
'The Duke knows Deon Hart well.'
He knew him well, and had thoroughly prepared for the hunt.
'On the other hand, Deon Hart does not know the Duke.'
Without even knowing the Duke was targeting him, he had entered the hunting competition with no preparation whatsoever.
A thoroughly prepared hunter, and an unsuspecting prey.
The outcome naturally came to mind.
[You're going this far just to deal with one man weakened by a curse?]
He had even sneered at those who came under the pretense of supervising, setting up crossbows, but they only twitched their brows. Like seasoned assassins, they set up the crossbows without any agitation.
If he got hit by those, he would truly become a pincushion.
Upon hearing the news that the hunting competition had begun while sitting in the tent, Cruel quietly flicked his fingers. The chess piece caught between his index and middle fingers tapped against the desk at regular intervals. His green eyes sank darkly.
'There are many of the Duke's men at the hunting competition. If I use them, I can easily manipulate that child's movements.'
The assassins' skills were not to be underestimated. Even without the crossbows, he could die by their hands, and even if Deon survived there, he would still be led by their guidance to the crossbows.
If that happened...
Clack. His fingers stopped.
'.......'
Clatter. The chess piece rolled messily across the desk.
Grabbing his sword, Cruel rose and threw on a robe. His subordinate Senzer, who had been silently watching him, asked.
"Where are you going?"
"To the hunting competition. I must prove my worth myself."
"......."
"I'll deliver victory to His Grace. You go and relay the news that I am participating."
* * *
I dismounted from the horse and deliberately walked through a secluded area. It was my own consideration.
Everyone who crossed my path sucked in a sharp breath and kept glancing at me, which was extremely uncomfortable. I had no intention of being zealous about the hunt anyway, so I kindly stayed out of their way so we could all be at ease.
And then, fuck, I was attacked.
"My lord!"
"Ah... shit."
I squirmed up from Dan's arms.
This sucks. So... what happened? Ah, right. I met the 'real' Count Hart. That bastard picked a fight, persistently chased after me who was kindly avoiding him, and then...
I shoved Dan away and rolled to the opposite side. A dagger embedded itself in the spot where I'd been, quivering.
"Hk!"
Whether Dan stopped breathing in shock or not, I rolled my eyes and scanned the surroundings, muttering to myself. This is all because I couldn't get a single handkerchief. Nobody wished for my safe return, right?
"......Damn it."
I spotted my dropped bag rolling around in the corner of my vision.
The flowerpot isn't broken, right...? At least the soil probably spilled out, maybe it's dead? No, if it died that easily, I wouldn't have thought to bring it here in the first place.
'The bag seems to be twitching...'
...It must be my imagination.
Anyway, given the situation, let's ignore it.
Forcibly tearing my gaze away from the bag, I took a step to the left. Once again, a blade silently skewered the ground.
More importantly...
"Why are you clinging to me?"
"Y-your tone is insolent!"
The 'real' Count Hart was stuck to my side and showed no intention of letting go.
If he fired a signal flare because he was scared, he should stay quietly in a corner until support arrives, so why is he clinging to me?
Ugh, this is annoying.
"If you could not protect yourself, you should not have joined the hunting competition."
"This isn't a hunt!"
"You turn pale at mere insects, and yet."
"You... you...!"
Anyway, I'm in danger of dying because of you! Take responsibility and protect me! the guy shrieked.
I looked down at him with pitiful eyes, then grabbed him by the scruff and shoved him away, moving a couple more steps. Something was a little off.
'It's as if I'm being hunted down...'
Ugh.
Before I could even finish grasping the situation, my head, which should have been spinning tautly, went blank.
"Uwek... cough...!"
The aftermath of the first roll across the ground caused by Dan surged up.
Betraying its owner's desperate will to suppress it, it backflowed from my throat and out of my mouth. Red liquid dripped down, wetting the ground.
At a glance, the bag that had been pitifully rolling around seemed to be twitching more violently.
Of course, my gaze, which had briefly touched it, was immediately pulled back. Because those damn assailants openly revealed themselves and started pressing in.
Sword strikes flew about frenziedly. No, they flew one-sidedly at me.
As expected of killers, every single attack aimed at vital points. To survive, I had no choice but to block.
Sneakily, they gave me no opening to attack. Each time I struck away an incoming blow, I acutely felt my life hanging by a thread.
'Fuck, save me.'
This is fucking terrifying.
Startled, I knocked away a concealed weapon aimed at my throat and stepped back two paces. And then, click—
A small noise sounded.
"!"
"It's over."
In an instant, the world slowed down.
From where the sound came, countless arrows could be seen rushing in. When I rolled my eyes again, I saw an assassin thrusting his sword up from below, aiming for under my chin.
It was too late to dodge. To avoid one, I had to give up the other. Whichever I gave up, the end would be my death.
Would I be skewered from chin to brain in one go, or become a pincushion?
At that moment, as I hesitated over a decision I couldn't easily make.
Thwack!
"......!?"
"......."
"Ugh, ugh... cough, no, wait..."
Fuck, what's happening.
Once again, held in someone's arms, I rolled across the ground and struggled to steady my spinning vision to assess the situation.
At that critical moment, some plant stem burst through the assassin's chest. Before I could even be horrified, someone snatched my body and rolled across the ground, escaping the range of the arrows.
The plant... well, yeah. Let's believe it was not that for now. Who saved me? Dan?
'Earlier, he roughly rolled me and churned my insides, but this time he snatched me quite carefully without any shock...?!'
It is not Dan.
When I lifted my head, I met green eyes beneath a robe. He immediately turned his head as if to hide, but I was not the type to let that brief moment slide.
My blood ran cold.
"You."
"......."
"What are you plotting?"
I grabbed the scruff of the bastard who tried to silently put me down and back away.
I got in his face, bared my teeth, and snarled.
"You think I wouldn't recognize you just because you're wearing some crappy robe?"
Cruel Hart.
Explain why you are here.
"......."
"......."
Silence flowed. Cruel, his mouth stubbornly shut, stared down at me endlessly. With an unreadable gaze, I did not back down and glared right back at him.
The silence that felt eternal was broken by the sound of tearing flesh once more and urgent footsteps rapidly approaching from afar.
"I came after receiving the danger signal! Are you safe-hiiiiiiiiick! What is that?!"
"Monster? Is it a monster?! I've never seen a plant-type monster before?!"
Plant-type... monster...?
A chill raced down my spine at the ominous feeling, and I urgently turned my head to find the plant-type monster they mentioned. And I was horrified.
'What the hell is that?!'
That's the plant Hien gave me, right? It could walk on its roots too?!
A creature resembling a black rose walked across the ground with its roots squirming! Its stems moved freely, and at their ends, the assailants were impaled.
Perhaps because it had fed on blood, the thing had grown terrifyingly large.
'It took care of all the assailants... yeah... I'm grateful...'
The life-threatening situation was over, yes... but why did it feel dangerous in a different sense?
Please don't act like you know me. I prayed inwardly and turned my head, intending to interrogate Cruel again...
'He's gone?'
He had bolted already! Damn bastard!
This alone was annoying enough, but there was a voice that made my blood pressure rise even more.
"That monster belongs to Deon Hart! I saw it! I saw that monster come out of Deon Hart's bag!"
"......."
I quietly grabbed the back of my neck.
Suspicious gazes turned toward me. Yeah, of course they would. I understand. After all, I am the 'master of the murderers.'
In truth, I am the normal one and the guys under me are the crazies, but from the outside, I would look like the same kind of guy as my subordinates.
"That monster saved Deon Hart from the assailants! It must be under his control!"
But what is this moron trusting to run his mouth?
Is he not even scared of me? Regardless of the truth, my outward reputation should be terrifying.
After a brief moment of speechlessness at his stupidity beyond imagination, I quickly grasped reality.
Either way, the current atmosphere was turning against me. To dispel the suspicion, I had to do something...
'Should I kill that monster?'
I wasn't even sure if I could kill it, and even if I did, they might think I was covering my tracks.
What should I do...?
While I was agonizing, unable to find a suitable method, the creature moved.
'Why... why is it coming closer?'
Don't come!
The creature approached with its roots squirming. It wrapped a stem around my ankle as I tried to stumble back, stopping me, then it lightly caught my back as I nearly fell, and then climbed up my legs.
Sheer terror washed over me.
'Eeek fuck.'
Save me, eeek, scary, eeeeek!
This is why you shouldn't bring home black-headed plants.
With all my survival instinct, I swung the dagger in my hand. It was lightly subdued. Oh, please.
"Eeek!"
Uh... uhuh yeah... you're a good plant, right? Please let me go? No, don't grab my neck... eeek!
A stem coiled around my neck. It looked as if it would squeeze the life out of me at any moment, but fortunately, its purpose seemed to be immobilization, so it didn't apply any force. No... is 'fortunately' the right word?
"Kuh-huk!"
I felt a dull impact in my abdomen.
It hurts. What is this? Was my stomach pierced like the assailants? But it wasn't that kind of pain. If I had to compare, it felt like someone had punched me...
At that moment, another stem gently pressed down my chin. As questions filled my head, the metallic taste of blood surged up from my stomach.
"Cough."
Shit... I admired the Emperor's foresight in sending me red clothes. With blood streaming out of my mouth, I gnashed my teeth.
Come to think of it, I had coughed up blood a moment ago. With my stomach already sore from vomiting blood once, no wonder I was in this state after a shock.
Something hot surged up again from inside. This time, it wasn't blood.
This... this...
"You little shit!!"
Slash!
"...Huh?"
It seemed that in my rage, I forgot I was subdued and swung my hand randomly. But why did it collapse? When had my hand been freed?
Unable to grasp the situation, I blinked blankly for a moment.
As if dying, the monster plant slowly wilted and curled its leaves upward. It was like a person giving a thumbs-up. Only then could I understand what was going on.
'It did this on purpose.'
Knowing I was in a tough spot, for my sake.
It deliberately pretended to attack, even coiling around my neck and grabbing me. It struck my abdomen to make me vomit blood, fooling the eyes of the onlookers. My weak body vomits blood at the slightest impact, so it wasn't difficult.
And then, whether driven by survival instinct or rage, the moment I swung my arm randomly, it released me and offered its vital point.
And it died.
"Ha...."
"A-are you alright?"
"......."
"Count Hart... or rather, Honorary Count?"
"......."
It was smart.
Somehow, I couldn't say anything.