I Start with a Bad Hand!

After a while, we both emerged from the bushes and lay sprawled out in silence, the atmosphere now somewhat awkward. As I lightly rinsed my mouth with water, I thought to myself:

‘This situation is really absurd…’

They say you laugh incredulously when something is utterly ridiculous. Involuntarily, a silly laugh spilled out from me. It was the laughter of madness.

“Huh…haha…”

As I laughed like someone out of their mind, he glanced at me briefly, then remarked bluntly:

“You seem to find it funny.”

Does this look like laughter because I’m enjoying myself? I held back my retort and said while staring into the distance, at a distant mountain, no, a distant forest:

“You… you were afraid of the bug.”

You’ve been on several monster extermination expeditions… I continued mumbling like a deranged vagrant, keeping my gaze averted because looking closely meant seeing… that corpse… ugh. He scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

“Well… encountering that kind of… that size of monster was a first for me.”

And the monsters I usually see are mostly mammals or reptiles… How exactly do they manage the hunting grounds… He mumbled like someone who had lost their mind. Seeing him in a new light, I stared at Icarus.

Leaning against a tree, he looked gaunt with his eyes closed. Maybe it was his expressionless and quiet demeanor that made him seem unusually childlike. Like a boy his age.

‘Come to think of it, he’s only 18.’

Stripped of all his titles, looking at him in this tranquil moment, it suddenly struck me. Just moments ago, Icarus was skillfully wielding a sword. And he’s only 18.

It seemed somewhat pitiful to me. Hoping my voice sounded neutral, I extended a polite word of thanks.

“…Thank you earlier. I owe you my life.”

“Do you really think so?”

He answered leisurely, still with his eyes closed.

“I only bought time. If anything, you saved me by jumping recklessly.”

So, I owe you my life. He turned his head towards me as he spoke, his voice tinged with playfulness.

Deep down, I partly felt the same. But it seemed too uncool to eagerly agree, ‘Yes. I actually thought so too.’

“Yes, it wouldn’t be polite not to acknowledge when the prince himself is being so humble. You’re right, Your Highness.”

You owe me a life debt. Ha ha!… My overly long and detailed explanation certainly made it less cool.

‘Just saying I thought so too would have been better.’

Fortunately, he chuckled softly at my words, which seemed to ease my tension further. As I straightened my legs, which I had been crouching on, a forgotten pain surged up. Involuntarily, I grimaced briefly.

“Ah, the painkiller must have worn off.”

Ugh. I gritted my teeth against the pain while cautiously standing up, still holding the leg where I had intentionally inflicted the wound. My hand was bloody from holding the leg. Swiftly, I wiped the blood on my pants, grateful that I was wearing black. Catching this, Icarus frowned and asked,

“Is your leg bothering you?”

“My leg’s always been troublesome.”

“That’s not what I mean….”

He said, coming closer. He knelt down and leaned in to inspect the injury.

“May I take a look?”

“Ouch, yes.”

As he slightly lifted my pants, the self-inflicted wound was exposed. Seeing it again, it really seemed like a foolish method. I had thought nonchalantly about treating it after receiving the prize money…

“Is the wound from walking? Or, did the monster…”

“I did it myself.”

“What?”

“How else do you think I caught the monster? I thought I might catch a boar by using myself as bait. I didn’t expect that kind of monster, though…”

I knew, but felt it unnecessary to say more. He sighed as he took a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wrapped it around the wound.

“That’s recklessly brave.”

“Call it daring, please. I didn’t even go home during the vacation because I was practicing to win the hunt.”

I had spent all day every day shooting arrows, and that’s why I caught that thing today. He glanced at me briefly then looked back down at my leg, continuing in a calm tone.

“Why didn’t you go home?”

“It’s too far… and traveling there and back would waste a month. I didn’t have time for that.”

“No time?”

I remained silent.

“Why go to such lengths?”

I didn’t respond.

“Eh?”

But he pressed for an answer, urging me as he applied pressure with the handkerchief to stop the bleeding. A groan escaped me along with my response.

“Ugh, I have some matters to attend with a high priest. But to meet a priest with enough divine power to be of help, I need to make a significant donation.”

“To go to such lengths just to meet a high priest?”

Fearless, he commented as he tightened the knot with force.

“Why wouldn’t I be afraid? There’s plenty to fear in this world.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Bears and many-legged bugs.”

“Bears and…ugh.”

It wasn’t even a joke. Having said that, he finished applying pressure and flopped down next to me, a bit closer than before.

“You don’t know the fear of bears. People who live in the mountains and encounter one in the woods know there’s nothing as terrifying as a bear.”

Terrifying… such a… being. I tried to clear my vision, wiping my eyes with my sleeve.

But then,

Such a being was now standing in the distance. As I paused, looking over his shoulder, he followed my gaze.

‘Is that a bear? It must be, right?’

“Huh.”

His reaction seemed to confirm it. He watched the bear, then turned back to me with a smile pulling at his lips.

‘Smiling?’

We were in potential danger, and he was joking? However, he gently pushed me back against a tree, stood up slowly, and then drew his sword.

“I’ve said before, if a beast shows up, I’d sacrifice myself to let you escape.”

This time I’ll show you if that’s true or not. With that, he stood in front of me. From beneath his shadow, I glanced at the quiver beside me. I had used up all the arrows with artifacts, but there were still regular arrows left. I struggled to get up while leaning against the tree, responding to his words.

“Escape? Just because I’m scared doesn’t mean I won’t fight when confronted.”

And how could I run away alone, abandoning loyalty? As I grunted trying to stand, he hesitated for a moment then extended his hand to me. I also hesitated, but finally took his hand and stood up.

I drew the bowstring, eyeing the bear that was watching us intently from a distance. Being in a standoff twice in one day made my neck stiff with tension.

I glanced at him briefly. Although I couldn’t see his face since he was standing in front of me, there was still a playful tone in his voice.

“Thinking that a candidate for the hunting contest champion is behind me is quite reassuring.”

It seemed like he was making a joke. Yet, his relaxed demeanor somewhat eased the tension in my shoulders.

“I am indeed honored to have Your Highness’s support.”

I’ll show you how much I practiced at the academy during the vacation. I maintained my stance as I continued speaking. He chuckled softly, and just then, the black bear charged at us aggressively.

Thwack!

The arrow flew lightly from my hand, striking precisely in the black bear’s right eye. I was more stunned than expected.

‘I didn’t think I’d hit it so accurately.’

The bear, now with a pierced eye, roared as if in agony and charged towards us. However, after facing a many-legged bug monster, honestly, a furry four-legged beast seemed more manageable.

Icarus blocked the bear’s raised paw with his sword and nimbly dodged its ferocious onslaught. He seemed quite skilled at deflecting the attacks but strangely…

‘It looks like he’s holding back.’

Rather than aggressively attacking the bear, he seemed to be subtly steering it away from me. Catching on to his intentions, I took another arrow.

“Your Highness, duck!”

Firing an arrow straight into the roaring beast’s gaping throat seemed honestly one of the easier tasks I’ve encountered.

The bear staggered and fell from the rapid succession of arrows. I maintained my stance, then approached the downed bear a bit closer. One last arrow remained in my quiver.

A confirming shot.

I fired the last remaining arrow. With the bug… no, the monster and the giant black bear taken down, it seemed like winning was no longer a concern.

I lay back on the grass, exhausted, clutching the bow. Icarus, who had been flicking blood off his sword, hurried over and crouched beside me. As I looked up at him with wide eyes, he laughed as if in defeat.

“I thought you’d collapsed.”

“I’m genuinely exhausted now.”

Icarus also flopped down beside me, catching his breath before whistling long and melodiously.

Whistle―

Watching him, I felt compelled to say something I hadn’t managed to earlier.

“There’s something I didn’t get to say earlier because things were hectic…”

“What is it?”

“It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

He looked at me with a stunned expression before breaking into a broad, untroubled smile.

“Of course.”