Chapter 100 : Hunting Festival

“You damned woman!”

After the exchange meeting ended, Rein shouted loudly upon returning to his room.

Bang! 

As he entered the room, a loud noise reverberated. 

It was because he slammed the door so hard that it seemed like it might break.

His face, filled with fury, reflected his emotional state.

“What, a wretch? A woman who has nothing but prophecy dares to!”

Rein’s mind replayed scenes from the exchange meeting. 

The moments of being openly ignored and humiliated in front of so many people flashed through his head.

“To humiliate me in front of such lowly beings! Alice will surely look at me with those disdainful eyes again!”

Alice Everglow—his family member and the source of his inferiority complex.

He could still feel her gaze, filled with contempt, piercing through him. He hated it with every fiber of his being.

“Those lowly beings will gossip about me again, calling me an irredeemable piece of trash!”

Though others’ ridicule wasn’t visibly apparent, the attendees at the meeting had mostly looked perplexed.

Still, he was convinced they were mocking him in secret. Even if they weren’t laughing openly, he believed they were always waiting for a chance to tear him apart behind his back.

In his eyes, it was as though he could already see them gossiping about him.

He despised it. Despised it to his core.

“Ruina, that damned woman!”

Bang!

Rein slammed the desk with both hands. 

His voice was drenched in fury.

In his head, the words of the white-haired woman who had smiled at him earlier echoed like a curse.

“But, Lord Rein? What do you even have?”

“Shut your mouth!”

Rein swung his arm violently in the direction of the voice he thought he heard whispering right by his ear.

His voice resounded through the empty air.

“Ha… To dare to look down on me? Me, in the North?”

Breathing heavily, he muttered toward the empty space. 

His clenched fists trembled slightly, and his face twisted with anger.

“I must retaliate. I must make them pay dearly for looking down on me!”

Just as he had dealt with others who had mocked him in the past, he resolved to do the same again. 

This time, he would ensure no one could ever dare disrespect him again.

If he failed, everything he had built up until now would be in vain.

If that happened, he would revert back to the days when he was mocked and ridiculed by others.

“How… how can I make her beg for mercy…”

Rein desperately began to think. Using his position, as he always had, was not an option. 

She stood on equal footing—or perhaps even higher ground—than him.

A direct confrontation was impossible. He instinctively knew this from their previous encounter. 

He needed to find her weakness.

Then, a certain person came to mind.

Unlike her confident demeanor, a child who had been trembling in fear behind her, trying to hide their body from him.

“Yes… that’s it.”

A wicked smile stretched across his face.

It was as if he had discovered a treasure. 

He felt like he had found a lifeline in a vast, unending sea.

“I’d never even heard the name Rein Everglow before arriving here.”

Despite his thoughts, the voice of the woman continued to echo in his ears.

“It’s been a while since I’ve used that.”

Still smiling, Rein began to move. He reopened the door he had slammed shut.

He looked silently outside. It was so dark that he couldn’t see an inch ahead. It was the perfect night to act unnoticed.

Despite the darkness, Rein stepped outside without hesitation.

“Prepare yourself. I’ll make sure you can never forget my name for even a single moment…”

He muttered as he walked.

The darkness swallowed him.

***

“There are so many people.”

On a chilly morning, I brushed my hair, which was fluttering in the wind, behind my ears and spoke while standing in a snow-covered field with snowflakes swirling around.

Contrary to my words, it wasn’t all that cold.

Thanks to the green cloak billowing behind me, I didn’t feel the chill.

According to Agnes, this cloak, engraved with Everglow’s unique family magic, was a special artifact that kept one warm just by wearing it.

At first, I had doubted her words, but as soon as I stepped outside Springfield, I realized she was right.

Unlike before, when I shivered uncontrollably, I felt warm despite the freezing cold. This cloak’s magic was genuine.

Amazingly, the cloak had another feature.

It was beautiful. Its design wasn’t gaudy but elegant, so wearing it felt natural.

It was a marvelous magical artifact with excellent functionality.

Though, of course, it was incredibly expensive.

But that wasn’t my concern. After all, I was a saintess of a church.

Even if I was a fake one.

“This festival is practically a gathering of all the nobles from the North.”

Hearing Bliss’s reply, I looked around.

We were waiting for the opening ceremony of the hunting festival. 

According to Agnes, the opening speech would be delivered by Leopold, just as I had seen before.

It made sense since the Everglow family was hosting the event.

Agnes had mentioned that the ceremony would begin soon, so we just had to wait a little longer.

Many people were gathered around us. Some were in groups like us, while others stood alone.

“It’s clear there are two kinds of people—those who form groups and those who prefer to hunt solo.”

I recognized many faces from the exchange meeting. 

Although I had only attended on the first day and avoided it afterward, some faces felt familiar.

I looked around to see where the Everglow family members were and found them standing at the very front.

Both Alice and Rein seemed inclined toward group play. 

Like us, they were accompanied by several people.

After that, I spent time talking with my companions or watching the crowd.

How much time passed? 

Just when I was starting to feel annoyed about waiting, Leopold finally stepped onto the prepared stage for his speech.

‘It’s finally starting.’

I stopped speaking and shifted my gaze to the stage. It wasn’t just me; the once noisy area fell silent in an instant.

As the surroundings quieted down, the speech began.

“Young futures of the North! How have you been? Some of you may be meeting for the first time today, while others may have met before.

To both groups, I say this: thank you so much for gathering here again this year!”

Leopold shouted toward us. His speech, which began with a greeting, was delivered in a powerful voice. 

Considering the calm demeanor I’d seen before, this was unexpected.

His speech continued. 

The content wasn’t anything special—just tedious explanations about the history and significance of the hunting festival.

Just as I thought it would remain dull, something interesting came up.

“Everyone, I have exciting news! This year, a very special guest is participating in the hunting festival! I’m sure you all know who they are!”

Suddenly, the speech touched on a topic related to us.

“You must have heard of them! The hero, Dane Briar, and his companions! Let’s welcome them with a big round of applause!”

Gesturing toward us, he shouted loudly. In that instant, I could feel every gaze in the area sharply focusing on us.

“I am confident that competing with them will provide you with valuable experience. And that will naturally lead to the revival of the North!”

‘So, we’re just experience points, huh.’

Thinking that, I looked back at those sending us their eager gazes. Their eyes already seemed to burn with ambition.

“So don’t be afraid, everyone! Show the hero, who is famous in the southern regions, the strength of the North!”

Responding to Leopold’s words, a loud cheer erupted.

It felt as if we were being treated as enemies to be defeated…

Curious about the hero’s reaction to this situation, I turned my gaze toward him.

The hero scratched the back of his head with a wry smile, seemingly embarrassed by the situation.

Next to him, Olivia shook her head in exasperation.

After briefly observing their reactions, I returned my attention to the speech.

Next, the rules of the hunting festival were explained.

“You will send your hunted prey to Springfield, where appraisers will evaluate and score it. The participant or team with the highest score will win.

Scores will be based on quality, size, and species, and each team may submit only one piece of prey.”

I see… So catching more prey isn’t necessarily better.

It seems the more rare and difficult the prey, the higher the chance of winning.

‘Since each team can only submit one prey, we’ll have to choose carefully.’

This rule seemed likely to spark conflicts of opinion. Was this intentional?

Well, we were participating without much pressure, so it didn’t matter to us.

“Now, let’s talk about the prize for this year’s hunting festival.”

Finally, it was time to hear about the prize for winning.

What kind of prize could it be? Filled with curiosity, I focused on Leopold’s words.

His announcement was astonishing.

“To the winner of the hunting festival, I promise 80% of the profits our Everglow family earns in Springfield until the next hunting festival.”

Wow.

For a moment, I was stunned.

Not a village, but an entire city’s profits? 

And 80% of them at that. He must be out of his mind.

‘Ah, so that’s why every noble in the North participates in this.’

Indeed, with such a prize, it would be worth competing. Winning essentially meant gaining an entire city for free. Hunting a few hundred times would be a small price to pay.

Leopold shouted loudly again.

“Now, warriors of the North, fight! For your honor and the revival of your families!”

With those words, Leopold snapped his fingers. Behind him, a giant phoenix made of flames spread its wings and soared into the sky.

“What is that?” I asked, pointing to the flaming phoenix.

“It’s magic. It’s a tradition to end the opening ceremony of the hunting festival with magic performed by the host,” Agnes explained.

Impressed, I looked up at the phoenix soaring through the sky again.

The phoenix flew as if it were alive. 

Scattering flames near its tail, its lifelike movements as it flapped its wings were breathtaking.

The phoenix’s flight continued for some time.

Then, it suddenly stopped moving, folding its wings and beginning to dive toward the ground. 

Its pointed beak made it look like a hunting bird in action.

For a moment, I felt a chill, as if we were the ones being hunted. 

But I reassured myself that such a thing wouldn’t happen and watched expectantly for what would come next.

The change occurred just as the phoenix’s beak was about to hit the ground.

Before it could make contact, the phoenix dispersed into a fiery storm that expanded in a circular shape.

The sudden burst of red flames surrounded us. 

It wasn’t hot. Instead, it felt as warm as a spring day.

Looking around, I noticed that I wasn’t the only one amazed. 

Everyone was glancing around, checking their surroundings.

And at that moment, Leopold’s voice echoed in our ears.

“From now on, the hunting festival begins!”

With the loudest cheer I’d heard all day, the hunting festival officially began.

***

After the opening ceremony, we immediately entered the perpetual snowfield to begin hunting.

Sure, we started hunting, but…

What exactly is happening in front of me right now?

“Arto, over here, over here!”

Reina jumped excitedly in front of a huge white mass, calling for Artorius. 

It seemed she shortened his name to Arto because she found Artorius too difficult to say.

“Please wait a moment! I’m coming right away!”

The protagonist of Reina’s eager calls, Artorius, approached her while holding the massive white object.

Finally reaching her, Artorius placed the large white mass in the direction Reina pointed.

What they created was, surprisingly…

A giant snowman.

“Wow! It’s Mr. Snowman!” Reina clapped her hands and laughed gleefully.

Her adorable demeanor made me want to keep watching, but now wasn’t the time. Something important was missing.

The issue was our goal. After the opening ceremony, the only thing we had accomplished was building a snowman.

Hunting? We hadn’t even found a single hair of prey.

I blankly stared at Reina and Artorius.

“Haha! Let’s name this guy Rerthorius, after Reina and me!”

“Rerth… hmm, let’s just call him Rer!”

‘Are we here for a picnic…?’

Watching the two, I couldn’t help but think that.