How to Become a Hunter (1)
“You’re coming to the hunting competition too?” Edwin asked, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Would you prefer I didn’t, Your Highness?”
Royals and high nobles always brought an entourage to the Imperial Hunting Competition. Someone had to load the fallen game onto wagons, after all, and someone had to track down whatever quarry had been brought down at a distance. But because the Third Prince’s Palace lacked any servants capable of such tasks, I had decided to take the duty upon myself.
“No, it’s not that! When did I say I didn’t want you there? I was just checking. Can you even ride a horse?”
“Passably.”
“What about archery?”
“Better than Your Highness.”
“Oh, please.”
Though Edwin grumbled, he couldn’t hide the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Brightening, he turned to greet his mount with genuine delight.
“Hello there. Nice to meet you.”
Prickly as he might be toward people, the boy was endlessly gentle with animals.
“Lia wants a howse too! Lia wants a weal howse! Waaaah!”
Meanwhile, Emilia was flailing in Catherine’s arms, weeping copious fat tears.
“Imperial Princess, you are far too young. It’s far too dangerous for you.”
“Lia’s not wittle! Lia’s all gwown up!”
“Goodness, whatever am I to do with you?” Catherine coaxed and coddled the girl, shooting me a desperate plea for rescue over her shoulder.
“Princess Emilia.”
At the sound of my voice, the princess turned her tear-streaked face toward me.
“Once Your Highness is a little older, I shall personally find a steed worthy of you. So please, dry your tears.”
“Sniffle… A wowthy howse?”
“Yes. How would you like a snow-white mare, or perhaps a magnificent horse that shines like pure gold?”
Emilia’s wide blue eyes sparkled instantly.
“A white howse! Lia woves white howses!”
“Very well. But until I bring back your white horse, you must work hard to grow big and strong.”
“Mm-hmm… But when can Lia wide it?”
“Once Your Highness is as tall as Prince Edwin is now.”
Emilia’s lower lip began to tremble again.
“That takes too wooong! Lia wants to wide it wight now!”
“It won’t take long at all, provided you put in the effort.” I gently dabbed at her cheeks with my sleeve, wiping away the tears. It felt like a crime to let such an adorable face—one that brought sheer joy just to look at—be ruined by running tears and snot. “If you eat all your meals without being picky, go to bed early, and sleep soundly, you will grow up in no time.”
“Weally?”
“Of course. Until then, will you make do with this?”
“Eeeeeek! A dancing stowy!”
I promptly produced the illustrated fairytale book I had tucked inside my robe. Emilia let out a delighted squeal, her tears vanishing like morning mist. The horses seemed already forgotten.
“Nanny, where on earth did you manage to procure two such magnificent steeds?” Catherine asked, shifting Emilia in her arms as the girl swayed with the book clutched tightly to her chest. “I was certain the funds I gave you wouldn’t be nearly enough.”
“…No, it was the exact amount needed.”
“Nanny? Why did you hesitate just now?”
“You’re imagining things.”
I hastily averted my gaze from Catherine’s suspicious glare.
Still, I was worried Gale might try something stupid again, but…
The horses he had brought were in far better condition than I had anticipated. The black stallion reserved for me was especially magnificent.
They say a spirited horse makes the finest mount.
I watched the stallion snort fiercely, the corner of my lips curving upward. Terrorizing that little wretch Gale to the bitter end had certainly paid off. Since both horses had originally been earmarked for the Second Prince’s stables, their pedigree and stamina were practically guaranteed.
“By the way, what’s this riding outfit? I’ve never seen it before.” Having returned to his quarters, Edwin held the tailored riding garments against his frame. It was far more opulent than his everyday attire, and he inspected it with wide, curious eyes.
“Ah, Her Majesty the Empress sent that.”
Truthfully, it had caught me off guard. The Empress had never shown the slightest interest in Edwin, yet here she was personally gifting him riding attire.
I suspected she might have hidden poisoned needles or rigged some foul contraption into the fabric, but…
Upon thorough inspection, the garments proved entirely harmless. If there was anything unusual about them, it was merely the lavish quality of the fabric and the meticulous, stitch-by-stitch embroidery adorning the seams.
“Does it not suit your taste? If you dislike it, I can prepare something—”
“No, I like it!” Edwin blurted out, his fingers tracing the fine cloth. “It’s just… I’ve never worn anything like this before.”
He seemed utterly fascinated by the new clothes. But we had no leisure to stand around admiring fine tailoring.
“Shall we begin right away, then?”
“Huh? Begin what?”
“What else?” We had no idea when the Emperor would summon everyone for the competition. Before that day arrived, I had to mold this boy into the ultimate hunter. “Your training for the hunting competition, of course.”
Thud-thud-thud-thud—!
The thunder of galloping hooves echoed across the vacant grounds alongside the sharp crack of my voice.
“Straighten your back! Shoulders back!”
“Keep your thighs tucked inward!”
“Who told you to choke the reins like that? Loosen your grip!”
“How many times must I tell you to hold your balance!”
Perhaps thanks to the relentless badgering, Edwin’s horsemanship improved with astonishing speed day by day.
“Uuuuugh…”
Every night he collapsed onto his bed with pathetic groans, yet he never missed a single session of his regular knight training the following morning. Even as someone notoriously stingy with praise, I had to admit the boy’s grit was impressive.
I’ve thought this before, but he really does have a natural knack for physical discipline.
I didn’t know whose blood ran strongest in him, but his athletic instincts were exceptional. Perhaps he had inherited them from the Emperor, who was said to rival Duke Crowner in swordsmanship.
“You ride quite well now.”
By the end of the first week, Edwin could comfortably let go of the reins while his mount galloped at full tilt. Seeing that, I decided it was time to advance.
“I believe we are ready for the next phase.”
Edwin, who had been absentmindedly braiding his horse’s mane, blinked in surprise. “The next phase?”
“If you intend to hunt, you must know how to shoot a bow.”
I stepped forward and unlatched a long wooden case, presenting its contents to him. Resting inside were the masterwork bow and arrows gifted by the King of Adamant.
“Have you ever handled a bow before?”
“N-No,” Edwin replied, his voice shrinking. “I’ve seen them plenty of times, but I’ve never drawn one myself.”
“Is that so?” I lifted the weapon from its velvet lining and offered it to him. “I inspected it earlier; the craftsmanship is flawless. Give it a draw.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Taking the bow with awkward hesitation, Edwin hooked his fingers around the bowstring in a clumsy grip.
“Nnngh—!”
The moment he strained to pull, his pale face flushed scarlet like forged iron in a furnace. Yet despite every ounce of effort he threw into the effort, the bowstring barely budged a fraction of an inch.
“How am I supposed to pull this? It’s impossible!”
“It is entirely possible.”
I took the bow from his hands and drew the string back in a smooth, effortless motion. Watching the rigid cord yield like spun thread, Edwin stared in utter disbelief.
“If I can draw it, there is no reason Your Highness cannot.”
“That’s because you’re ridiculously strong!”
“A bow is merely a weapon that anyone can master with sufficient practice.” I handed the bow back to him. “From this day forward, you will draw this bowstring one thousand times a day.”
“What?!” Edwin’s jaw dropped so far it nearly hit his chest, and he leaped back in horror. “That’s insane! I can’t even pull it once! How am I supposed to do it a thousand times?!”
“Whether the string moves an inch or not at all, you will complete one thousand repetitions every day without fail.” I locked eyes with him, my tone brooking no argument. “Do you understand, Your Highness?”
“B-But—!”
“Did you not say you wished to become strong like me? If you balk at a simple task like this, how do you expect to grow stronger?”
Edwin scowled, glaring at me with every ounce of frustration his young face could muster, before finally giving a reluctant, minuscule nod. I reached out and gave his unruly hair a light, approving ruffle.
“When it comes to training the body, sweat and effort never betray you. You know this better than anyone.”
When he had first started, he couldn’t even keep pace with the Third Division Knights, yet now he endured their grueling regimens without falling behind.
“You are doing splendidly, Your Highness.” Meeting Edwin’s upturned gaze, I offered him a faint, reassuring smile. “So trust in yourself, and push just a little further.”
Splash—
Catherine ladled steaming water over her shoulders and melted into a puddle of blissful contentment.
“Aaaah… All my exhaustion is just melting away!”
“Lia’s tiwedness is gone too! Allll gone!”
I smoothed my wet hair back from my forehead as I watched Catherine and Emilia splash happily inside the grand bathhouse.
To think this place actually had something worthwhile.
Barren and neglected as the Third Prince’s Palace had been, it possessed one jewel that no other palace could boast: a truly massive public bathhouse.
When I first saw it, it was in such disrepair I thought it was just the ruins of an ancient garden pond.
The previous head maid had utterly neglected the secondary facilities, allowing them to rot. But once Catherine took over the household, she had scrubbed, polished, and restored the baths to their former glory.
Under normal circumstances, only royalty and distinguished guests would ever be permitted to use such a place.
Yet because Emilia hated bathing alone, we frequently ended up sharing the expansive waters together.
Well, if it lets me indulge in such luxury, I suppose I shouldn’t complain.
Once cleared of grime and polished to a shine, the marble bath rivaled even the private baths in the Emperor’s Palace. Best of all, an outdoor bath had been built onto the adjoining terrace—a feature that any imperial citizen with a love for hot springs would have lost their mind over.
Soaking in steaming water under the cool night air while gazing at the moon…
There was no luxury greater than this. I kneaded the tense muscles at the back of my neck and took in the luminous full moon hanging in the clear sky.
Just then, Emilia came paddling over with clumsy little dog-paddles and clambered onto my shoulder.
“Wayche, Cathewin keeps twying to wash Lia’s haiw!”
“You must wash your hair, Your Highness.”
“Lia doesn’t wanna wash haiw!” Emilia whined, clinging tightly to me. Suddenly, she poked a chubby, dimpled finger right into the center of my back. “Wayche! You have an eawthwowm on youw back!”
“An earthworm?”
I hadn’t felt any insect crawling on me. Reaching behind with one hand, I brushed the spot she had prodded, but my fingers met nothing out of the ordinary.
“It wooks just wike an eawthwowm! Doesn’t it, Cathewin?”
Having waded over, Catherine hoisted Emilia into one arm and tilted her head in curiosity. “Oh, my. Nanny, you have quite a peculiar birthmark back there.”
“A birthmark?”
“Yes. A circular mark, almost like someone drew it on with ink.” Catherine held the squirming princess close as the girl fought tooth and nail to avoid shampooing. “It does look a bit like a curled-up earthworm, actually. Though to my eyes, it looks more like a snake. Like a serpent coiled into a tight circle…”
“Eeeek! Lia’s gonna wun away! Wayche, hewp me!”
I watched their ridiculous little tussle with a faint smile—until that very second.
The fine hairs along the back of my neck stood on end with chilling familiarity.
…Killing intent?
Cold, disciplined, and razor-sharp, the murderous aura wasn’t directed at the bathhouse.
It was aimed toward the main palace—straight at the Third Prince, Edwin.