Chapter 54
Chapter 54
Translator: Penny
Chapter 54
Hunting Competition 3
As Belmond strode outside, Kopellus, whose name had been called, hurried after him in a fluster.
"W-what's happening so suddenly?"
"Let's go with them!"
"Did you just say you're going to see a wild boar?"
"How should I know?"
Lawrence answered for the bewildered nobles. "We're going to see a wild boar that flew through the sky. Just follow along."
"Ah, Your Highness..."
"What are you all waiting for? Get ready to move out."
Lawrence didn't wait for them and left first, followed by Agron.
The other nobles scrambled to catch up, hurrying toward the hunting grounds.
When they arrived, a massive wild boar lay sprawled in a pool of blood, its colossal form dominating the scene.
Those who had witnessed the monstrous beast's arrival were once again awestruck by its sheer size, while nobles seeing a boar for the first time stared with gaping mouths, their eyes blinking in disbelief.
"Is... is this really a boar?"
"It's the largest boar I've ever seen in my life."
"Why would this boar be lying here?"
"Perhaps a Demonic Beast brought it here to eat."
The nobles gathered around the boar, each offering their own speculations.
Those who knew the truth behind the boar's arrival were struggling to find a way to explain what they had witnessed.
They doubted anyone would believe them.
"That boar... it flew here from the sky."
Belmond was the first to break the silence and offer an explanation.
Naturally, no one believed him.
"Ha ha ha, Your Grace! Your jokes are quite amusing."
"If this pig could fly, then my nanny could fly too!"
"Come now, those who were at the scene earlier, give us your answers quickly."
Perhaps this was the expected reaction.
Those who had witnessed the event with their own eyes hesitated to speak, exchanging nervous glances as even the Duke's words were dismissed.
At that moment, Lawrence sighed deeply and poked the pig.
"Hey, sirs! This pig! It—it flew down from the sky and landed here, I tell you!"
"No... even Your Highness Lawrence..."
"This thing couldn't be thrown, let alone fly."
"It must have looked like the Demonic Beast dropped it from its mouth and sent it flying."
The massive boar, judging by its size, likely weighed between 500 and 600 kilograms.
What kind of being could possibly hurl such a creature high enough to make it appear to be "flying through the sky"?
If such a being existed, it would have to be a mage who had transcended human limitations or a powerhouse on par with a Golden Lion.
"The Sirs here and Your Grace, Duke Belmond, all saw it with their own eyes!"
"This boar doesn't have wings. How could it possibly fly? You must have been disoriented by the Demonic Beast."
"Damn it! The boar flew first, and the Demonic Beast appeared much later!"
Lawrence, clearly irritated, glared at the sneering noble.
"But why did you suddenly want to see this boar?" Count Kopellus asked Duke Belmond, likely trying to defuse the chaotic situation.
"Didn't the other nobles say the deer I caught was the largest?"
"Indeed. They even claimed Count Agron's kill wasn't a wild animal but a Demonic Beast."
As Kopellus spoke, his gaze shifted to Count Soltidis' vassal, who had earlier defended Belmond. The noble, visibly embarrassed by Kopellus' attention, cleared his throat and turned away.
"We learned during our earlier conversation that my brother, Agron, was the one who hunted this boar."
"Ah, Count Agron hunted this boar?!"
"So it seems. If Agron truly hunted it, wouldn't he be the victor?"
"That's absurd, Your Grace! How can you declare a winner without evidence?!"
Soltidis' vassal once again sided with Belmond, raising an objection.
Kopellus glared at the noble, his expression incredulous.
"Evidence? We have it. Agron reportedly extracted the boar's tusks and discarded them elsewhere."
"W-where are these tusks, then?"
Instead of answering, Belmond glanced at Agron.
"Hmm, I sent one of my men to retrieve them."
As if on cue, a gaunt young man appeared, dragging two massive tusks and a mangled human figure.
"I've brought them, Count."
"Well done, Jacob."
The crowd marveled at the sight of the small-framed man carrying not one, but two massive tusks, each larger than himself.
And to top it off, he had a bloodied man slung over his shoulder.
"Who... who is that?" someone asked cautiously, unable to contain their curiosity.
"The man who tried to assassinate me," Agron replied calmly, briefly recounting his encounter during the hunt.
For him, boar hunts and assassination attempts were hardly noteworthy events, so he hadn't bothered mentioning them earlier.
The nobles, however, reacted quite differently to his explanation.
"Someone tried to eliminate Count Agron, Your Highness the Prince, or Your Grace the Duke during this hunting competition!"
"We must find the culprit and punish them severely!"
"Exactly! This is a matter of the Kingdom's honor!"
As the nobles erupted in indignant shouts, someone cut through the crowd, drawing all eyes.
"Now, now. I, Luhan Arhan von Kopellus, swear on my name that I will uncover the truth. In the meantime, let's focus on choosing a winner."
He steered the conversation back to Agron's remarkable feat before the atmosphere could spiral into further chaos.
After all, the true culprit would never be caught by nobles arguing amongst themselves.
"With this much evidence, how can anyone still claim Count Agron didn't hunt the boar?"
"Hah, but... how do you explain the pig flying through the air?"
"That's because I threw it."
"...??"
"...??"
Several nobles wanted to shout, "That's absurd!" but they didn't dare challenge a warrior who could pull a boar's tusk out with his bare hands.
"Your Grace, Duke Belmond, do you have any objections to Agron being declared the ultimate victor?"
"Pahahaha! None whatsoever! My brother has achieved an overwhelming victory!"
"Excellent! Everyone, let's proceed to the banquet hall for the award ceremony!"
The award ceremony was a grand affair.
The nobles who had supported Belmond attended the banquet with sullen expressions, while those who backed Kopellus or owed their lives to Agron beamed with smiles.
"Congratulations, Count Agron!"
"I wouldn't be surprised if the Kingdom gains a new Golden Lion!"
"A boar that flies through the sky and a serpent that splits the earth! And the Count who hunted them both! What legendary feats!"
Those who saw no need to antagonize the rising young noble showered Agron with praise, endlessly recounting his heroic deeds.
At the heart of this fervor were Belmond and Lawrence.
With their characteristic wit, they embellished Agron's martial prowess, elevating the banquet's atmosphere to new heights.
"Pwahahaha! I knew it from the moment I first saw my brother! Ah, this fellow is no ordinary man!"
"Ooh─ So that's how it was, Your Grace. And what was Your Highness Lawrence's first impression?"
"Agron immediately punched a Wolf Demonic Beast to death with his bare hands right after seeing me!"
"Ooh─"
"Then, the next day, he took me out for a meal and served me the meat from the Wolf Demonic Beast he'd killed the day before."
"Huh? Hahahahaha!"
The guests laughed, drank, and ate, completely losing track of time as they listened to the duke's lively tales.
Just then, a latecomer cautiously entered the banquet hall.
"Your Highness Duran, you've arrived."
"Huh? Uhm, yes."
Guided by a servant, Duran requested a corner seat away from the center of the banquet hall.
The servant, though slightly puzzled, didn't press the matter. He seated Duran in the secluded spot and brought him a drink.
"Hah..."
Duran gulped down the white wine the servant had brought him, then let out a long sigh.
His gaze drifted toward Lawrence and Agron.
Fucking hell, they actually survived that?!
When he first heard the news, he couldn't believe it.
He had prepared expensive poisoned arrows that could kill even a bear with a mere graze, and even a massive Demonic Beast to distract their attention.
A contingency plan he'd devised after grumbling that killing both the Prince and the Count in a single hunt would be too difficult.
Fucking idiots! They should have taken out Lawrence first, then gone after Agron!
If the assassins had focused on eliminating their targets one at a time instead of splitting their forces, the assassination would have been entirely feasible. But they hadn't done so.
As Duran clutched his head and groaned, someone approached him.
"Who the hell—oh, Count Agron...?"
"I didn't see you at the hunt."
"What...?"
Duran swallowed hard at Agron's question.
How does this bastard know that? Has he been watching me the whole time?
"I, uh, wasn't feeling well... I went out for a bit and came back."
"I see. You made a wise decision. You could have been swept away by the Demonic Beasts."
"...What are you getting at?"
"What do you want me to say?"
Duran bit his lip.
How dare this mere Count presume to match wits with a prince of the realm?!
"I have no desire to hear anything you have to say, nor do I want to say anything to you! Why don't you go wag your tail for your master?" Duran snarled, jerking his chin toward Lawrence.
"Whatever misunderstanding you have, it's absurd. Lawrence and I are simply friends."
"Hah! Surely my father made you some kind of offer, didn't he? Something like, 'Help Lawrence rise to power, and I'll grant you a title or a fief.'"
"There was no such offer, and even if there were, I wouldn't accept it."
Agron sat down across from Duran at the table.
"By the way, since you arrived late to the banquet, you must have missed some news."
"What news? As if I'd want to hear anything from the likes of you—"
"We've captured two assassins."
Duran's face instantly turned as pale as the white wine he had been drinking.
"We're digging into who hired them and what they were planning to do, every last detail."
"W-w-what does that have to do with me...?"
They won't talk.
Duran promised to take care of their families, even if things went wrong.
If they betray their client here, their families will be fish food in the harbor tomorrow.
"I have a Master Daoist named Baek Woon from the East."
"...So?"
"His Talisman Arts are quite remarkable."
"..."
"There's even a talisman to extract confessions."
"..."
"After the banquet tomorrow, I plan to stage a show in front of all the nobles. I'd like Your Highness Duran to attend as well."
Agron rose from his seat and clapped Duran on the shoulder.
"Regardless of who the assassin targeted, Lawrence and Duke Belmond were both present. Whether they intended it or not, it now appears as though they targeted both the Kingdom's Prince and the Empire's Duke."
"What...?"
"I wonder who will bear the responsibility for this."
Duran watched Agron's retreating figure, clenching his teeth so hard his gums bled.
Creak.
The guard, having received his bribe, glanced around cautiously before quietly moving away.
The dungeon of House Kopellus.
A shadow emerged into its damp, dark interior.
Duran held up a lamp and began searching for someone.
"Damn it, where are you?!"
Time was running out.
He had to resolve this situation while the banquet was still in full swing.
Tomorrow, you're going to gather the nobles and do what? Don't make me laugh, you bastard!
Duran ground his teeth.
He wouldn't let things go so easily according to your plans.
He moved directly to the cell where the assassin had been imprisoned.
If he had more time, he would have used his men to handle this discreetly, but he had no such luxury.
Besides, he couldn't afford to watch his subordinates botch things again.
"I'd rather do it myself than rely on these incompetent bastards!"
Duran headed for the most secluded cell in the dungeon.
"Found them."
Two men lay sprawled on the floor, drenched in blood.
Duran unlocked the cell with the key the guard had given him and stepped inside.
"These vermin... They couldn't even handle a simple assassination, and now they're still causing me trouble even in death."
He kicked the assassins' bodies with the toe of his boot, as if shoving them aside.
His rage showed no signs of abating.
Sling.
The dagger he drew from his cloak glinted crimson in the lamplight.
"Corpses tell no tales."
Duran bent down, drawing his arm back to strike.
Thud.
"That's far enough."
Someone grabbed Duran's arm and spoke in a low voice.
Duran's gaze snapped backward.
Agron, Lawrence, and Kopellus stood there, watching him.
📝 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