Chapter 52
Chapter 52
Translator: Penny
Chapter 52
Lawrence's hunt was proceeding smoothly.
Each time he drew back the bowstring and released, an arrow pierced its target.
"Your Highness, a pheasant has been caught," Hunts, with his keen eyes, reported.
"Tch, if we're going to catch something, why not a deer or a wild boar? The beaters don't seem to be doing their job properly."
"Didn't you just lodge an arrow in a wild boar's rump and chase it away?"
"...I didn't like that one. It dared to glare at me."
Hunts stared at Lawrence as if he were spouting nonsense.
"Why, why are you looking at me like that?!"
"Nothing, Your Highness. I just thought you were talking nonsense."
"Shut up! Go join the beaters and drive out some bigger game."
"Bigger than a pheasant?"
Lawrence considered kicking the Guard Knight's rear.
"At least a fox or a deer! That's something I can brag about to Agron!"
"Shall we just drive up a bear or a wolf, then?"
"...No, those are too big... A deer would be perfect."
Lawrence had finally gained an objective understanding of his own abilities.
In the past, he would have made unreasonable demands out of sheer embarrassment. But traveling with Agron had made him realize how insignificant his own skills were, and he was now learning the meaning of humility.
"Understood. I'll fetch the beaters and be back shortly."
Hunts chuckled and disappeared into the forest with the beaters.
Left alone, Lawrence gazed blankly across the vast plain.
For some reason, Second Prince Duran was avoiding approaching Duke Belmond.
Rumor had it that after whispering with Agron, Duran abruptly left for the table. There hadn't been a chance to ask Agron what they discussed.
Agron wouldn't have threatened Duran. Besides, Duran's personality would have made him explode if threatened.
Second Princess Artea continued to hover around Agron, but he remained uninterested. When other nobles began swarming him, she retreated to her chambers and didn't emerge again.
If Duran fails to secure Duke Belmond's support here, overturning the succession rankings will be nearly impossible.
Once, Duran had been the man closest to becoming the next King.
He was ambitious, with the drive to turn his ambitions into reality.
He enjoyed widespread support among the nobility, and his influence soared when two of the Kingdom's most powerful figures—the "Five Golden Lions"—declared their allegiance to him.
It seemed almost certain that Duran would be the next King.
Then, without warning, the two Golden Lions who had been supporting him suddenly withdrew their support.
Duran wasn't the only one thrown into disarray.
The entire Kingdom was in turmoil. One day, two other Golden Lions declared their support for the First Prince, while another Golden Lion backed the First Princess, plunging the succession battle into complete chaos.
It was from that moment that Duran became consumed by bitterness.
Until then, he had been a decent older brother.
Lawrence recalled the days when he and his brothers had played together as children.
Just then, a rustling sound came from the bushes, and a group of people emerged.
"Your Highness Lawrence, what are you doing out here alone?"
"Ah, I was just lost in thought for a moment... Is the hunt going well, Your Grace?" Lawrence greeted Belmond politely.
Behind Belmond, a group of nobles followed him, their presence unclear—whether they had encountered him during the hunt or deliberately approached him.
"I intended to hunt quietly, but somehow it turned into this. Your Highness, is your hunt going well?"
"Just a few pheasants and rabbits. Your Majesty... wow."
Lawrence could see servants dragging foxes and deer behind Belmond, who wore a triumphant expression.
"Hahaha! I'm quite confident in my hunting skills! I never imagined playing with my grandfather on the fief would prove so useful."
"Congratulations, Your Grace. The deer looks remarkably large."
"Even to Your Highness, Lawrence?" Belmond asked, his voice brimming with excitement, unable to hide his smile.
"It looks like we're almost in the running for the win."
"Brother, I made a bet with Count Agron. Don't you think I'm likely to win at this point?"
"Agron? Agron... Agron."
Lawrence fell into deep thought, recalling Agron's mannerisms.
The deer Belmond had caught was genuinely large, not just a boast. It could very well make him a contender for victory in Count Kopellus's hunting competition.
But his opponent was none other than Agron.
Could that be why?
A nagging doubt began to surface, whispering that this might not be enough.
"Ah, you don't think so?"
"No... Somehow, I feel like that... I mean, Count Agron would have bagged an even bigger one."
"How are we supposed to find an animal bigger than this in these mountains? Unless it comes to me on its own."
Belmond bit his lip, glancing back at his deer.
"Well, perhaps a wild boar the size of a house could fly over to Your Grace?"
"Puhahaha, Your Highness is quite the joker. Such a thing doesn't exist!"
"My apologies. I just remembered Agron saying there's all sorts of strange things in this world."
Lawrence chuckled in response.
A pig?
Even though he'd said it himself, it sounded as absurd as a horned rabbit.
Just then, Belmond pointed to the sky and asked, "Could that... be it?"
"Huh?"
Lawrence tilted his head, confused, and followed Belmond's gaze.
Sure enough, something tiny was gradually growing larger as it flew toward them.
"W-what is that?!"
"D-dodge, Your Grace!"
"Eek! A Flying Pig!"
"A-a wild boar is flying toward us!"
"A magical pig! R-run!"
Everyone who saw it panicked, frantically tugging at their reins.
The sight of a massive wild boar soaring through the air with its forelegs outstretched was truly terrifying.
"U-uaaah!"
"What is that thing?!"
Belmond and Lawrence were equally terrified. They clung to each other, squeezing their eyes shut.
Kuaaang!
The sound of the massive creature crushing the earth reverberated through the air, sending dust and dirt billowing in all directions. The roar was so deafening it made their ears ache.
Coughing and brushing away the dust, the men discovered a blood-soaked pig at the edge of the ravaged earth.
"Cough! Your Grace, Duke Belmond! Cough, are you alright?"
"Keh, kek! I-I'm fine."
Lawrence checked on Duke Belmond's condition, trying to understand what had happened.
At that moment—
Whoosh— Clang!
A knight deflected a suddenly launched arrow with his sword.
Since they were standing close together, it was impossible to tell whether the arrow had been aimed at Lawrence or Belmond. Regardless, it was an attack.
"Take cover, both of you," Wolf, the knight who had deflected the arrow, warned them in a low voice.
Arrows and spears rained down from beyond the spot where the boar had fallen, and a group of people emerged.
Upon closer inspection, the pool of blood wasn't from the boar at all, but from the people crushed beneath it.
"A-an ambush?!" Lawrence exclaimed, his eyes widening.
Five or six armed figures charged at Wolf.
Fortunately, the pig's earlier attack had left them in poor condition.
Wolf deflected the incoming sword blades, ducked low, and rammed his shoulder into his opponent's solar plexus.
He then grabbed a spear lying on the ground and hurled it straight at the man's face.
Crunch!
Wolf continued to swing his sword relentlessly at the remaining enemies.
The sharp clang of clashing metal echoed across the plains.
"D-damn it! This bastard's way too strong!" one of the assassins cursed.
In truth, this assassination attempt wasn't supposed to be difficult.
The nobles' hunting tournament was the perfect place to carry out the operation.
With countless people scattered across the hunting grounds, firing arrows and spears at their prey, it would be easy to make their deaths appear accidental, allowing the matter to be quietly closed without raising suspicion.
- Complete this mission, and you'll receive enough gold to live comfortably for the rest of your life.
- Understood. Who are the targets?
- These men.
Their targets were Count Agron and Prince Lawrence.
- Both at once...?
- What? Getting cold feet now?
- H-but he's a prince...
Even setting aside Count Agron, Prince Lawrence would be a difficult target, even with the advantage of the hunting competition's chaotic environment.
No matter how dissolute the prince might be, he was still the heir to the throne of an entire kingdom.
Moreover, if both a member of the royal family and an aristocrat were to die in the same place, wouldn't anyone immediately suspect foul play rather than an accident?
"Kill him in one strike. In exchange, we'll cleanse your identities and let you live in another country."
"Understood..."
"But if you fail, you'll have to evade the fiery retribution yourselves."
Fucking bastard!
The assassin cursed under his breath, thinking of his client, Duran.
If it weren't for that Kobuul or whatever the hell organization, the man wouldn't be so terrifying.
"You bastards! He's just one guy! Finish him off and kill the target!"
"Fuck, are you kidding me?! Two of us already got flattened trying to break through!"
They stared helplessly at the helmeted knight before them.
"Isn't the Demonic Beast ready yet?!"
"That idiot got crushed to death by the Flying Pig!"
"What?! He's blocking the knight!"
"Wait, hold on!"
The Assassin Leader quickly retreated and began digging beneath the Flying Pig.
He grabbed a mangled corpse and pried the flute from its grasp.
Pee—!
The Assassin Leader blew forcefully into the flute.
A magical sound, barely audible to human ears, reverberated in all directions.
"Heh heh heh... if I draw their attention with this... cough!"
A cold blade pierced his shoulder.
Wolf, who had already slaughtered all his subordinates, had hurled his spear at him.
"Whatever that is, put it down."
"Cough...! You damn knight... it's already too late."
"What's too lat—"
At that moment, the ground shook violently.
Wolf's eyes narrowed as he scanned for the source of the tremor.
A snapping branch heralded something rising to its feet.
Shlurrrp.
"What the..."
Even Wolf, with his stoic demeanor, couldn't help but recoil in horror.
A colossal snake, easily over forty meters long, had raised its head and was glaring down at him.
Wolf took a deep breath.
This creature wasn't a normally grown animal.
"Demonic Beast."
He tightened his grip on his sword and fearlessly lunged at the massive serpent that was glaring at him.
His breath came in ragged gasps, and his heart pounded wildly, pumping blood through his veins like a runaway train.
His mission was simple:
Protect Duke Belmond.
Agron's sole command.
Wolf would remain loyal to those words, no matter the cost.
Pang!
The snake's tail lashed out like a whip, striking Wolf's body.
His sword flashed in that instant, but it was no match for the colossal serpent's attack.
"Wolf—!" Lawrence shouted, seeing the knight sprawled on the ground.
A single blow had been enough. A bucketful of blood poured from beneath Wolf's helmet, cascading down his face.
"Damn it, Agron! Where the hell are you?!"
Lawrence didn't know why he was calling out Agron's name instead of summoning his guard, Hunts, who had been missing for some time.
"Ugh..."
Wolf trembled violently, yet he used his sword as a cane to rise to his feet.
It had been a short life, but not a bad one.
He had started as a street thug and ended up as the commander of the Count's House's knights.
I wish I could have lived longer with the Count's sword.
He raised his sword forward.
Even if I die, I'll stab that snake bastard at least once before I go.
Sssshhh!
At that moment, the snake's eyes flashed with a sharp glint, and it lunged at Wolf with full force.
Its violent movements seemed to convey an unforgiving rage at the human daring to face it directly.
Wolf bit his lip.
His sword fell vertically toward the Demonic Beast.
Kwaa─────!!
Amidst the overwhelming surge of power that crashed over him like a tidal wave, Wolf felt a solid presence envelop him.
"Hmm, a snake."
Before him, Agron stood, blocking the snake's head with one hand, his eyes glowing with an intense blue light.
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny