The Hunt (4)
My approach to hunting the white deer was a simple one.
Thwip—!
First, I nocked an arrow to the bowstring and let it fly.
Fwump!
And as always, my arrow dropped harmlessly to the ground, while the white deer watching me let out its bizarre cry without even bothering to dodge.
"Kii-ik. Kii-iik."
After chasing that white deer for a good while, I had come to a conclusion: there was simply no winning against this thing. It wasn't a beast you could catch through dumb luck. Even the rare arrow that flew true—the kind that had brought down the stag earlier—this creature evaded without the slightest effort.
"Kii-iik."
"...Good grief."
In the end, I lowered my bow and heaved a long sigh. It was the sort of malicious trolling that made my blood boil at the mere sight of it, but what couldn't be done couldn't be done. It's only natural that a casual gamer can't beat a professional, isn't it? In a world where superhuman strength and divine beings actually existed, a beast with this unnatural intelligence and physical prowess... Anyone could see that thing belonged to the category of spirit creatures.
"It's getting toward evening."
I had been so absorbed in the chase that I hadn't even noticed the sun slowly sinking. When I brought my horse to a halt and looked up at the sky, Lü Bu, riding close by, asked:
"Calling it quits?"
"Yeah. I've been moving around so hard I'm starving."
That infuriating white deer had been circling round and round in a wide ring like dancers whirling in a circle dance, and I, chasing after it, had naturally been circling the same patch of ground right along with it. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt slightly dizzy.
"Hmm... Then, before we head back for the last time..."
Hearing me, Lü Bu turned her head toward the white deer.
"Should we kill that ill-mannered beast on the way?"
She glared at it with eyes as red as blood. Apparently, being mocked hadn't sat well with her at all.
…
Even Seo Yeo, who had tilted her head in confusion at the situation at first, was now watching the white deer with a blank, indifferent look. And when Seo Yeo regarded another living creature with that emotionless gaze, that was when things were at their most dangerous. The moment I nodded here, Lü Bu would spring from her position in an instant, and Seo Yeo would dismount from Ochyma and hurl her spear.
The reason Seo Yeo would dismount was simple. Just as hunters release their hounds before the chase, Seo Yeo—who could never stray far from my side—would simply unleash Ochyma.
I recalled the sight of Ochyma charging at terrifying speed, obliterating trees and rocks with perfect impartiality, and shook my head.
"...No. Leave it be."
"Huh? Why?"
Lü Bu wore an expression that plainly asked, weren't you trying to hunt the thing just now? Fair point. It was true I'd been furious at the white deer teabagging right in front of me, and true I'd entertained thoughts of catching it and brewing its antlers into a medicinal tonic. But after trailing it for so long, I'd somehow grown fond of the thing, if that was the word for it.
As they say, even a nuisance ripens into affection. Once the heat that had climbed to the crown of my head cooled, I could look at the white deer calmly again. Hunting a creature that human in the first place would only leave a sour aftertaste. How was I supposed to treat as a beast something that smirked every time my arrow went wide? A beast had to at least act like a beast before it earned the title.
I answered Seo Yeo and Lü Bu, who were waiting for my explanation, in a level voice.
"What if we caught a thing like that and something strange happened, hmm?"
…
"I'm fine now, so just ignore me."
I could have brushed it all off as baseless superstition, but this was a world where gods and monsters truly existed. Worst case, what if that white deer turned out to be a beloved pet of the Jade Emperor and lightning came crashing down on us? ...All right, maybe that was going a bit far. In any case, it was true that if something strange did happen, the whole affair would leave an uneasy taste behind. Best to keep the right mindset: you don't step around shit because you're afraid of it—you do it because it's filthy.
I spoke to the two who were still hesitating in place.
"I told you I'm hungry. Keep this up and I'll leave you both behind."
The words were barely out of my mouth before Seo Yeo and Lü Bu jolted in alarm and hurried to catch up.
"M-Milord..."
"We're sorry! Don't leave us behind!"
Why were their reactions so extreme? The two women carried on like children about to be abandoned by their parents, and I could only look on, bewildered. The way they'd stubbornly insisted on following me when I marched off to Yi Province was one thing—ever since they'd conceived, their tendency to cling to me seemed to have swelled enormously.
And yet Guan Yu had seen me off with perfect composure, telling me simply to return safely. Was it just a difference in temperament?
Deciding there was no shock therapy quite like this one, I pressed on at once.
"All right, all right. I won't leave you behind, so calm down."
"...You mean it?"
"I do."
Only after my firm answer did Seo Yeo and Lü Bu finally look relieved. Honestly, what did they plan to do if I really did vanish someday? Overshadowed as they were by Her Majesty the Empress, these two were every bit as obsessed with me.
"Kii-iik."
Just then, the white deer—having gathered that I was withdrawing—let out a cry. A reaction that seemed to say, you're leaving already? We've barely started playing. That one wasn't an ordinary beast either.
When the deer began slinking along behind me, clearly intending to get a rise out of me, I shook my head with an expression of pure disgust.
"Lü Bu. Get that irritating thing off my back."
"...Got it."
Lü Bu, who had spent the entire day trailing me without hunting so much as a squirrel, nocked an arrow the instant I asked. A colossal bow that left me wondering how anyone was supposed to use it. A great bow that a grown man couldn't have pulled a single inch bent smoothly to Lü Bu's touch.
Thwang—!
She released the string at once, as if even taking aim would waste a moment,
CRACK!
and the arrow, forged to match that great bow, buried itself in the tree right beside the white deer with a vicious sound.
...The difference between her arrows and mine was truly the difference between heaven and earth. If my shooting was like poking at something with a toothpick, Lü Bu's was outright gunfire. And Seo Yeo's thrown spear... well, that was just a missile.
With skill that would have left any legendary archer in the dust, she startled the white deer stiff, then glared at it for a moment before turning her head away. A wordless warning: come no closer.
"Kii-ik..."
Faced with that warning, the white deer stood rooted to the spot, as though its legs had been shackled with iron. Seeing the beast that had jeered at me with that grating cry every time my arrow went wide now struck dumb—it was wonderfully satisfying. To any onlooker, I must have looked like a kept husband hiding behind his capable wife, all bluster and no bite. ...And the funniest part was that this was more or less the truth.
But my shamelessness had grown far too thick to be embarrassed by something like that. There was my past, after all—ever since my days in Bing Province, the nomadic tribes had hurled every manner of mockery my way. I couldn't recall the specifics, but no doubt they'd called me a coward who hid behind others. As for what eventually became of the ones who spat those insults... I'll spare you the details. Honestly, it hadn't pleased me one bit.
I tore my gaze from the white deer standing frozen in place and urged my horse onward. It was time to head home.
"So, was this hunt an enjoyable one?"
That was the first question Her Majesty the Empress threw at me as I drew up beside her. An obvious question—and my answer to it had been decided long before it was asked.
"How could a hunt in Your Majesty's company be anything but enjoyable?"
"...Hm. Is that so."
Hearing my answer, Her Majesty narrowed her eyes slightly as she studied me. ...When she looked at me like that, I felt a jolt of guilt even though I'd done nothing wrong. Like the way you instinctively tense up at the sight of a police car parked along the road, there was something in the Empress's gaze that made a person's spine go cold. Well, she was the supreme sovereign of the Han, so it was only natural. If anything, anyone who could face that gaze without flinching was the one with nerves of steel.
Whether she sensed what was going through my head or not, Her Majesty held me in her gaze a moment longer, then broke into a smile.
"I am glad to hear it. Be sure to visit again when you find yourself with time to spare."
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
She seemed displeased that I had once again kept a careful distance, mindful of the eyes around us. But I could hardly treat the Empress with casual familiarity in front of the assembled ministers, so I was in a difficult position either way. This wasn't a matter of embarrassment or the lack of it—it was a matter tied directly to the authority of the imperial throne. ...At the very least, she refrained from clinging to me in official settings, so I supposed I should count my blessings.
If I had to name the single person whose character had changed most dramatically since our first meeting, it would be Her Majesty the Empress standing before my eyes right now. The frail disposition that had once been pushed about by everyone around her had, before I knew it, grown into one that could bend the entire imperial court to her will, and she harbored not a shred of doubt about anything she set her hand to. The problem was that she turned excessively cruel where anything involving me was concerned.
…
Having come this far, I couldn't help but wonder. What sort of future would take shape, walking alongside someone like her? Unless one could actually see the future, it was a question no one could answer lightly.