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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Yuziro
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In the quiet forest, filled only with the chirping of birds and the croaking of frogs, two rabbits hopped playfully.
Still young, they frolicked without a thought for predators.
But a pair of eyes, or rather, one pair of eyes, watched them intently.
“Now!”
At Iyer’s signal, Guinness swiftly cut the rope tied to a rock with her dagger.
Sensing the threat, the rabbits instinctively tried to flee, but they were already within range.
With a whirr, the rope snapped free from the rock, releasing a network of stones tied to a nearby tree.
They flew through the air in a perfect arc.
Thwack!
One of the hand-sized stones struck a rabbit squarely on the head, knocking it unconscious.
“Direct hit! A direct hit, Guinness!”
“Yes…!”
Iyer, who had been lying prone in the grass, jumped up with a bright smile.
Guinness, lying beside him, nodded repeatedly, a mixture of surprise and delight on her face.
It had been almost too easy, but Iyer’s praise made her heart flutter.
Iyer approached the unconscious rabbits and expertly tied their ears and legs together.
“I didn’t expect them to be caught so easily. As expected of Guinness. I knew you had a talent for this.”
“…Thanks.”
“So, what do you think of hunting? It’s quite satisfying, isn’t it?”
Guinness gave a small nod in response to Iyer’s cheerful question.
Truthfully, she wasn’t sure about the satisfaction part, but it didn’t matter.
Iyer tied the bound rabbits to a long stick and looked at her.
“Shall we move on to our next target?”
Guinness simply nodded.
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The circumstances that led to their hunting trip were as follows:
>They had reached the edge of the forest in the early afternoon.
>Deciding it was better to camp early at the forest’s edge than to risk getting caught inside after dark, they had begun setting up camp.
>Since it was still early, they had some time to spare, and that’s when Iyer had made his suggestion.
“Why don’t we try hunting?”
With the forest right there, Iyer’s proposal to hunt small game had appealed to Guinness, and she had agreed.
“The key is to find their habitat by tracking their footprints. We follow the tracks, little by little, until we find an area with a lot of activity.”
And as expected, Iyer’s true skills shone during the hunt.
Wagner’s claim that Iyer was the best hunter in Tillasden wasn’t an exaggeration.
His ability to use his heightened senses to track prey was remarkable.
He seemed less like a human hunting and more like an animal stalking its next meal.
Iyer set the traps, but he made sure Guinness was the one to catch the prey.
As a result, Guinness had bagged three animals: two rabbits and a bird.
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As they hunted, the sun began to set.
Returning to the edge of the forest, they sat by the campfire they had prepared earlier.
Guinness watched as Iyer expertly dressed the rabbits.
“You’re pretty good at handling animals.”
“I am. I hunted rabbits a lot when I was younger.”
“When you were younger?”
“There was a mountain near my village. I used to go there often with the village hunter. That’s how I learned so much about hunting.”
Guinness hadn’t known that.
She knew Iyer was famous as a hunter, but that was for monsters, not animals.
She’d never heard him talk about hunting as a child.
‘I grew up in the village without my parents, but I had to leave for certain reasons.’
She remembered Iyer’s story by the river, from a time when she hadn’t yet developed any feelings for him.
She had been vaguely drawn to him, but she realized she knew nothing about him.
Iyer seasoned the rabbit meat with salt, skewered it, and placed it over the fire.
Soon, a savory aroma filled the air.
As Guinness watched the meat cook, Iyer’s voice brought her back to reality.
“Guinness?”
He patted the fallen log he was sitting on and smiled.
“Your bottom must be sore. Come sit here.”
“…Alright.”
‘It’s a good thing we’re by the fire.’
She thought.
‘Even if my face turns red, the firelight will hide it.’
Guinness carefully stood up and sat beside him, quietly watching the fire.
It was meaningless, yet the time seemed to fly by.
“Here, try some. I couldn’t get rid of all the gamey smell, but it’s better than jerky or dried fruit.”
Iyer offered her a perfectly cooked piece of rabbit.
It looked much more appetizing than the jerky she had been eating.
The tempting rabbit meat, the crackling campfire, the clear, star-studded sky… and when she turned her head, she saw Iyer’s face, illuminated by the firelight.
Lost in thought, she stared at his profile.
Sensing her gaze, Iyer turned to meet her eyes.
Although hidden behind the black cloth, she could somehow tell he was smiling.
“Did you enjoy the hunt?”
“…I’ve never hunted before.”
Tracking animals without being detected, anticipating their movements to set traps… it was all new to her.
When hunting monsters, she simply had to overpower them.
The patience required for hunting animals was unfamiliar, but…
“It was…fun.”
It had been fun.
The short time she had spent hunting with him had made her heart flutter.
The hunt itself had been enjoyable, but being with him had made it even more so.
Iyer smiled, pleased with her answer.
“Let’s go again sometime when we return to Tillasden. It’ll be a nice change of pace.”
It was a simple suggestion, yet it made her heart race.
Without thinking, she voiced the wish she had been harboring.
“I want to know more about you.”
As soon as she realized what she had said, her face flushed.
But Iyer wouldn’t see it.
The flickering firelight hid her embarrassment.
“I feel the same way, Guinness.”
“…What?”
“I want to know more about you, too.”
His words made her heart pound.
Knowing he felt the same way made her heart race.
Guinness’s eyes widened as she looked at him.
“You promised you’d be my friend if we made it out alive.”
“I did…”
“We have plenty of time. Let’s get to know each other.”
Guinness closed her eyes tightly and buried her face in her knees.
The joy and the pounding in her chest were too overwhelming to control.
Compared to just a short time ago, when she had struggled to accept these unfamiliar emotions, her feelings had grown exponentially.
She could no longer deny them.
I…
I really…
Guinness’s fists clenched tightly.
Like a log collapsing in the fire, she slumped forward.
“…Damn it.”
It wasn’t a groan of frustration, but one of embarrassment.
It wasn’t a harsh curse, but a soft whimper that betrayed her true feelings.
That night, she accepted the love she held in her heart.
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A day passed.
The carriage, carrying the two of them and their driver, arrived at the first town on their route.
It was smaller than Tillasden, but it was a proper town with all the necessary amenities.
By the time they passed through the gate and entered the town, it was already evening.
“Then I’ll go ahead… You two can stay at the inn I’ve booked…”
“Are you staying somewhere else?” Iyer asked the merchant.
“Yes… I’ll see you in the square after breakfast tomorrow…”
The merchant, or rather, the driver disguised as a merchant, bowed his head and left.
He led his horse and carriage away, disappearing down the street.
Iyer and Guinness were left standing alone in the middle of the road.
“…Shall we go then?”
Iyer, recovering from his momentary bewilderment, suggested they head to the inn.
Even though the merchant had said he booked separate accommodations, the inn couldn’t be far.
They walked through the evening streets towards the inn.
Iyer seemed to accept the situation, but the merchant’s behavior was suspicious.
Even the oblivious Guinness suspected that the sly, fox-like wolf had something up his sleeve.
The nature of that “something” became clear when they arrived at the inn.
“You’re saying there’s only one room booked?”
The innkeeper nodded in response to Iyer’s question.
“That’s right. One room, not two. I’m certain of it.”
“Hmm…”
Behind the perplexed Iyer, Guinness quietly clenched her fists.
She remembered her conversation with Wolf before their departure.
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“Ten days, you know. Ten days. Do something in that time. A kiss, or whatever it takes to move things forward.”
His blatant intentions had made Guinness close her eyes tightly.
That bastard…!
She could almost picture Wolf winking at her.
She could imagine his sly expression, even though she couldn’t see it.
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“How many beds are there?”
Iyer asked.
“One. It’s a bit small, but two people can fit if they squeeze together…”
One room at the inn.
A small bed.
A man and a woman.
It was a situation ripe with awkward possibilities.
Guinness’s heart pounded.
She didn’t want to fall for Wolf’s scheme, but she couldn’t bring herself to refuse outright.
Instead, she found herself looking at Iyer with a strange sense of anticipation.
“Well, it can’t be helped.”
Guinness’s eyes widened.
Could it be?
Is he really…?
The thought echoed in her mind.
Iyer rummaged through his bag and pulled out a pouch of money.
“There seems to have been a mistake. I’ll pay for another room myself.”
The fire that had been raging in Guinness’s heart was instantly extinguished.
Oblivious to her inner turmoil, Iyer paid for another room.
He smiled, seemingly relieved.
“It’s a good thing they had another room available. Right, Guinness?”
“…Right. It really is.”
Guinness’s trembling fist slammed down on the nearby counter.
Thud!
The water glasses on the counter rattled, as if echoing her frustration.
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[NOOOOOOOO WE GOT ROBBED!!!!!! i demand a full refund in for the ship i just bought. the stock for Iyer+ Guinness fell harder than nvdia stock]
Iyerpol!!!