•?••? ? ?••?•

Even though Ray stood eye-to-eye with Claude, the prince’s authority made him feel looked down upon.

“You can’t just stand by and watch.”

Because they knew each other so well, they also knew each other’s weaknesses.

After pondering for a moment, Ray looked straight into Claude’s eyes and responded. 

Something fierce was burning within Ray’s brown eyes, and Claude could see it too.

“Yes, I’ll take the bet.”

* * *

At the forest’s entrance.

“Chase, did you prepare different colored markers?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ve prepared a red marker for Captain Ray and a blue one for you.”

The two men, who had always prepared for their hunting training together and had always taken care of each other, now stood apart. This was the first time they had prepared different markers.

From a distance, the tension between the two was palpable, so Chase just did as he was told.

“You have 45 minutes. I’ll signal the end with the sound of a horn. Please, ensure neither of you get hurt.”

“Haha, Chase, it seems we might not be able to avoid injuries today.”

“Pardon?”

“Prepare the medical team in advance.”

“Both of you? Why are you acting this way today…”

“Chase, begin.”

At Claude’s firm command, a flustered Chase gave the signal.

From atop a tower, Vice-Captain Hans, who had been waiting, blew the horn with all his might.

Bwoo-

Without a word, the two men took their arrows and headed into the forest.

* * *

“Ugh! Just a little further, I can reach it!”

Crouching low, the knight hurriedly crawled forward, reaching out for the red flag wedged between tree roots.

Just as his fingers were about to grasp it…

Swoosh!

“Ugh!”

An arrow flew and struck him in the side, startling him.

“How did they even see me?”

Disappointed at missing the flag right before him, the knight stood up, his face clouded with regret.

He then tied a white cloth around his arm, a sign of being ‘caught’, and looked at where he’d been hit.

“Damn, I thought it was blood.”

Red paint had smeared the spot. Momentarily taken aback by this unfamiliar color, different from the usual blue, he sensed a powerful presence swiftly approaching.

“C-Captain?”

“Out.”

Ray, with an intensity as if genuinely hunting, readied another arrow.

“Captain, aren’t you taking this a bit too seriously?”

“Too many numbers to track, just leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

He felt like a herbivore in front of a predator, so he closed his mouth in submission. Ray immediately concentrated, searching for other signs of movement.

The tension was reminiscent of real battlefields. At first, the thoughts of Claude’s marriage proposal made his grip too tight.

The arrows, heavy with emotion, often missed their mark, letting several knights escape.

Every time, as if waiting for such moments, arrows painted with blue would fly, striking down knights.

Each time a knight was taken down by Claude in front of him, it felt as if Iva was being taken away, increasing his anxiety.

“Damn it.”

Feeling like he would lose miserably at this rate, Ray struck his fist several times against a thick tree trunk to release the tension from his hand.

Once his strength was tempered, Ray’s true hunt began.

Drawing on instincts honed in the battlefield, he sensed movements, even scaling trees to gain an advantage. 

He moved more fiercely than in any previous training session.

For the remainder of the time, he dashed madly through the forest, seeking out knights and letting arrows fly.

Swoosh-

“How did he see me? I was perfectly hidden.”

Whoosh-Whoosh!

“Captain… I thought it was a real arrow.”

“Out.”

As he worked swiftly to bridge the gap from the early setbacks—

Crunch-!

He heard the sound of someone stepping on a tree branch from behind.

Instantly, Ray turned around, drawing his bowstring taut.

“Unfortunate for you. I’m not a knight.”

There stood Claude, smiling. Recognizing the source of the noise, Ray relaxed and lowered his bow.

It was the first time they’d come face-to-face since the hunt began.

Claude, having run around earnestly, had dirt smeared across his training clothes.

“How much time is left?”

“About 3 minutes.”

“Already? Time flew by.”

Ray felt the same. He had been so engrossed that he hadn’t realized how much time had passed.

“Ray, how many have you caught?”

Instead of answering, Ray sensed the presence of the knights. He didn’t want to reveal to Claude if his count was lower.

“You don’t want to talk to me now?”

Claude, evidently fatigued, snapped back with an edge in his voice.

“…27.”

As proof, Ray shook the tags he’d collected, each one representing a captured knight.

“Haha. This turned out to be quite the challenge.”

Claude similarly showed his tags.

“I’ve got exactly 27 too.”

Had Ray not struggled in the beginning, he could have easily beaten Claude.

Cursing his inability to control his strength earlier, he clenched his fist. Claude eyed the hand with a cold gaze.

“If it’s a tie, how about we both approach Young Lady? It’d be fun if we both ask her to become the Princess Consort.”

His tone was playful, but his expression was earnest.

Listening silently to Claude’s words, Ray suddenly aimed his bow at him.

“…Ray, what are you doing?”

Ray had his bow pointed directly at Claude.

•?••? ? ?••?•