The Stand-In Empress’S Wedding Night [EN]: Chapter 138

138. Hunting Instinct

2022.04.30.

‘They say you can have the world if you have the Avatar Sword; even I, who had no greed, would develop some. Wouldn’t you?’

The Avatar asked, sounding frustrated.

I answered without any hesitation.

‘Yeah, I wouldn’t.’

‘Ugh, the one who can actually wield it is saying such things… Fine, I don’t care either.’

With that grumble, the Avatar’s fire within me went out.

The Avatar is always like this.

It disappears whenever something gets even slightly complicated.

“To have the opportunity to see the Avatar Sword in person. I wholeheartedly welcome it!”

I looked over at the person shouting with sparkling eyes; it was Emperor Katria.

“Hahaha, I welcome it too!”

Prince Tesler also subtly raised his hand and chimed in.

From the moment the words ‘Avatar Sword’ came out, a strange atmosphere began to flow among the dignitaries from each country.

Linell raised his hand, signaling for silence.

When the voices of the dignitaries quieted down, he spoke again.

“Lastly, I would like to introduce the person who will be with us as a chief physician. Please come forward.”

“Greetings, I am Big. If you feel unwell during the hunting competition, please feel free to find me at any time.”

The siblings from the Shat-O’Neil Kingdom froze as soon as the magician Big appeared.

Grand Duke Martins also exchanged glances with Prince Tesler, showing a surprised expression, but his acting looked awkward to me, and I almost laughed.

The day after receiving the new magic potion from Linell, I had Sharon send a note to Grand Duke Martins.

If I hadn’t informed him that Linell was the one who kidnapped the magician Big, Grand Duke Martins would still be searching for Big.

Prince Tesler’s face was so red that it was visible even from a distance.

I could see the prince thinking through countless scenarios in his head.

Why Linell took the magician Big, whether he knows about the magic potion I am taking, and if he knows, whether he knows about his misdeeds… and so on.

It was a little satisfying to see Prince Tesler looking at Linell with a terrified expression.

“Well then, it seems like it’s time to depart.”

When Linell gestured to Commander Macron, the commander looked at the trumpeter.

Then, the sound of the trumpet announcing the start of the Continental Hunting Competition echoed throughout the Lapion Imperial Palace.

***

‘Finally, the hunt begins.’

Crossing the drawbridge of the Imperial Palace leads to a fork in the road.

The left path leads to the Imperial City, and the right path leads directly to the Elangi Forest. The Elangi Forest connects to the Shat-O’Neil Kingdom on the border and extends all the way to the Canyon of Death, which marks the end of the Northern Continent and the beginning of the Southern Continent.

I turned back to look at the Imperial Palace one last time before it completely disappeared from view.

I was fine when I left my home country, the Shat-O’Neil Kingdom, but the farther I got from the Lapion Imperial Palace, the more sentimental I felt.

‘I’ll be back in a month, what’s the big deal.’

The Avatar inside me noticed my emotions and teased me.

That’s true…….

I kept feeling a little regretful, but it’s only a month.

I should enjoy the present since I’ll be back to my daily life in a month.

I looked at the procession ahead and thought.

There was no set order for the Continental Hunting Competition procession.

The men mingled with each other, moving back and forth while talking on horseback, but mainly the heads of each country took the lead.

In comparison, the women rode in either horses or carriages. The carriages were mostly occupied by women from the Northern Continent or the Lapion Empire’s concubines.

There were also empty spare carriages prepared.

The spare carriages were for cases where someone got injured or sick during the hunting competition.

It was said that men also used the carriages when their stamina ran out or when they needed to rest.

Knights escorting the dignitaries were stationed between the rows, and overall, there were troops surrounding the procession from the front and back.

When the dignitaries hunted, the knights who closely escorted them would follow within a range that did not interfere with the hunt.

Even if there were deserters, there were knights in charge of the entire group, so it was difficult to get out of the range of this procession unless someone deliberately rode like crazy.

I looked back at the carriages carrying the concubines.

The concubines were all craning their necks out of the carriage windows, looking around the forest.

It was still the beginning of the forest, so everyone was in high spirits.

Once the sun sets and the sounds of wolves howling and beasts growling start to be heard from all directions, no concubine will be sticking their face out of the carriage.

I made eye contact with Rosie, who seemed the most excited.

She waved at me, so I smiled and waved back.

Rosie was the only concubine who could ride a horse, but she chose a carriage for now because of Ah-ssi.

Moya transformed into a butterfly, a bee, or a gnat and went back and forth between Rosie and me.

Every time the doppelganger changed, it whispered in my ear, ‘Master, it’s Moya.’

“Your horsemanship is excellent.”

Empress Elan, of the Adrian Empire, approached, bringing her horse alongside me.

“I wouldn’t say riding at this speed is excellent.”

“I can tell just by the way you sit in the saddle.”

“Thank you for the kind words.”

“You’re welcome. Will Your Majesty mainly use a bow or a sword when hunting?”

“Both.”

“You seem to have a slingshot as well, so isn’t it three things?”

Empress Elan asked with a smile, gesturing to my bulging uniform pocket.

When did she see that?

“The slingshot is the easiest. It’s simple.”

I answered, patting my uniform pocket.

“Yes, it’s also great for hunting secretly without being noticed. Well, I think you could even hunt with a fork, though.”

“!”

She subtly mentioned the time at the banquet when I threw a fork and saved her from danger during the martial arts competition with the empresses.

I hope there won’t be any unexpected situations like that at the hunting competition.

“Then, I’ll see you later.”

Empress Elan gave me a light bow and rode her horse to Emperor Adrian, who was in the front row.

***

The summer heat is actually beneficial to Linell.

Some of the dignitaries were already sweating and showing signs of fatigue, but his physical condition was better than usual.

If the weather cooperates, they will be able to reach the new destination of the hunting competition, the Velos Empire, faster than originally scheduled.

However, even if they arrive at the Velos Empire early, there was not much leeway to find ‘Yakante,’ the main herb for the magic potion Zelda was taking.

As the Magic Tower Master said, they needed to make enough of the magic potion she was currently taking until they could obtain the cure, ‘Kelbarn,’ from Akrato Island around this time next year.

Fortunately, according to the magician Big, the ‘Yakante’ herb could be obtained from early spring to autumn, so if they knew where the herb grew, they could harvest it, and they could make a year’s worth of magic potion with a small amount.

In fact, he didn’t care at all whether Zelda’s burn scars were completely healed or even if he couldn’t make the magic potion because there wasn’t enough ‘Yakante.’

It wasn’t just vague confidence.

But Linell wanted to give her back the life she was supposed to have, the life that had been taken away from her, the life where she didn’t have to live being stared at by others.

Linell, who was riding alongside the emperors of each country, turned around as a habit.

It was to check if Zelda was doing well.

Even though she was skilled at riding, she kept worrying him like a child out on the water.

But unlike his worrying self, she was smiling brightly every time he looked back.

Her smile was beautiful even inside the Imperial Palace, but she shone even more in the forest.

‘There’s an old saying that the more radiant a wife is, the more her husband’s worries increase; I’m exactly like that.’

The Avatar exists within Zelda, and the wyvern that hatched after 300 years calls her Master.

Moreover, she wields a sword as well as a high-ranking knight.

Could there be anyone among the women from each country participating in the Continental Hunting Competition who could stand against Zelda?

‘Emperor Katria or Empress Elan, perhaps?’

That night when the banquet for the dignitaries was held. Linell returned to the main palace and pretended to be an assassin wearing a black mask, and he almost lost his vital parts to Zelda’s relentlessly charging knee.

He still shuddered in his lower body when he thought about that time.

Moreover, even though her feet kept slipping because she had applied a lot of scented oil to her body after the bath, her martial arts skills were not ordinary.

Linell’s worries began in earnest from that point on.

In fact, it was better than her not being able to wield a sword at all, but the problem was when an emergency situation arose.

Those who wield a sword instinctively often step forward without realizing it in dangerous situations.

That was what Linell was worried about.

That she might jump into a dangerous situation.

When he received the report that Zelda had asked Count Ethan for another sword, his worries increased even more.

“Why don’t you ride with her, Your Majesty?”

Prince Norton asked, teasing him.

The prince had already witnessed Linell looking back at Zelda whenever he had the chance.

“It’s a bit much from the first day; I’m thinking of trying it in a few days.”

Linell replied as if joking, but his eyes were sincere.

At that time, Emperor Katria raised his voice and shouted to the leaders of each country.

“It’s almost lunchtime, shouldn’t the main dish follow tradition?”

“Who will catch the first game of this hunting competition? Norton, raise the honor of the Patsha Empire for me, hahaha.”

Emperor Kalvin passed the burden on to his younger brother, Prince Norton.

“Well, I’ll try my best.”

Prince Norton replied indifferently and glared at the side of Prince Tesler’s face, who was sticking close to his brother and trying to please him.

Prince Norton wanted to draw his sword and aim it at Prince Tesler’s neck right away, but he hid his true feelings and continued the conversation with Linell.

“Your Majesty caught the first game at the last hunting competition, didn’t you?”

“I did. But I think I’ll yield to the other dignitaries this time.”

Linell replied with a relaxed expression, but his attention was already focused on the sounds coming from the forest.

The first hunt at the Continental Hunting Competition was important in many ways.

The quality of the first meal is determined by what animal is caught.

And the success of the first hunt was like a show of strength towards other countries.

“How about wild boar for lunch?”

Emperor Katria pointed to the forest at 10 o’clock [direction on a clock face] and got off his horse.

“Sounds good.”

Linell got off his horse for the second time.

In response, several dignitaries also got off their horses, carrying weapons, and lowered themselves into the forest at 10 o’clock.

“It seems like lunch will be held near here, so tell the cooking staff to prepare.”

Commander Macron also gave orders to his adjutant and got off his horse to enter the forest.

“Yes, Commander.”

The adjutant waved a flag at the knight following behind, and the knight who saw the flag signaled the knight behind him to stop, and the signal was passed on in a row.

As the order continued, the carriages and procession that followed gradually came to a stop.

***

A total of nine dignitaries entered the forest for the first hunt.

Linell, Prince Norton, Emperor Adrian, Prince Tesler, Emperor Katria and her consorts Deon and Clark, Commander Macron.

And me.

I watched the eight people chase the wild boar into the forest and deliberately moved a step late.

As I entered the forest, Commander Macron was standing alone.

I subtly approached where the commander was.

“Your Majesty?!”

Commander Macron recognized my aura and made a troubled expression.

“Shh, why are you lagging behind alone? Where did the wild boar go?”

“They went further inside… No, why did you come here?”

“I was curious who would catch the first game.”

“It’s not that Your Majesty is going to catch it, is it? That’s how I feel.”

“……No? I really just want to watch. His Majesty will hate it if I act up.”

“I didn’t expect you to appear from the first round……”

Commander Macron muttered quietly.

“Lead the way.”

The commander shook his head at my words.

Ah, did Linell tell the commander in advance to block the path in case I participated in the hunt?

So he was waiting here alone?

While I was wondering what to do, a white butterfly flew in front of me.

“Master, I’ll guide you. Moya wants to eat wild boar meat!”

Moya whispered in my ear and volunteered to be the guide.

I quickly ran towards where Moya was flying.

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty!”

Commander Macron called out to me desperately in a low voice.

As I went further into the forest, eight people were all aiming their bows at the excited wild boar under the tree, panting.

I pulled out the bow hanging on my back from a position about 5m behind them.

‘They’re going to miss like that.’

I quickly pulled out an arrow from the quiver and placed it on the bowstring.