RGS Volume 1 Part 14

As the black hair slowly fell behind his forehead, a white face with big eyes was revealed. Abel soon met the motionless yellow eyes like glass marbles. The black pupils, like sharpened blades, stared at the other without emotion. There was no expectation in them. Abel smiled at the eyes that didn’t even radiate warmth.

“You’re hiding such beautiful eyes. Prince, since there’s no one in the forest, will you show them to me? Hehe, I won’t brag and keep it a secret.”

Despite the request and waiting for a long time, the prince showed no particular reaction. He just looked at Abel’s eyes for a while, then slowly turned his gaze away. He looked around, then looked at the sky, then looked at the opposite side.

A vivid green world was right in front of him. The sunlight was dazzling, and everything around him was so clear. And there were expecting eyes waiting for him right in front. The green eyes, like the surroundings, were as warm as the sunlight.

Those eyes had been like that ever since the first time he saw them. Different from others, both frightening and compelling. So the prince began to expect, just a little. Perhaps those eyes wouldn’t change. Expectation was always a blade that cruelly sliced through the prince’s heart, something he shouldn’t bring out, yet it emerged once again.

However, he didn’t know how to get rid of it. He was too young and hopeful for that. Much later, the prince nodded so subtly that it was difficult to notice. In an instant, Abel’s green eyes widened with joy.

“Wow― Prince, did you give permission? Hahaha― This is amazing! Abel is really happy, Prince!”

Abel started jumping up and down with the prince in his arms.

“I’m so happy that I feel like I could fly! Hahaha― I’m not even afraid if a wild boar appears now!”

Dancing and babbling, Abel spun around with the prince, but accidentally tripped over a tree root and stumbled. Fortunately, he didn’t fall and regained his balance, but a loud scream had already escaped his mouth.

“Oh no! Oh… Prince, are you okay?”

After confirming that the prince was not hurt, he burst into laughter again like a fool.

“Hahaha, oh dear, I made a mistake because I was so happy, please forgive me.”

Even as he asked for forgiveness, he couldn’t close his wide-open mouth. He lifted the prince high, sparkling eyes shining as if he could do anything.

“Hahaha, if this is how it feels, I feel like I can do anything.”

Thanks to Abel lifting the prince, the prince looked down at his face from above. Seeing him laughing and enjoying himself so much that his ears were red and he was out of breath, his heart raced again. But on the surface, the prince seemed emotionless like a doll. Abel laughed loudly at the sight of the prince.

“Hehe, it’s true, Prince. I’m really happy right now that even if a wild boar were to appear, I would greet it with a smile.”

Due to frequently encountering wild boars while searching for mushrooms, Abel considered wild boars to be the most dangerous presence in the mountains. Especially since the incident where he almost got his buttocks pierced by a wild boar, he never made any jokes about wild boars. But now, he felt like he could even wave at a wild boar if it were to appear.

“Wow, I would even share this joy with a wild boar…”

Thud.

Suddenly, a sound of a branch being stepped on came from nearby. Abel, who was happily chatting, instinctively turned his head towards the sound.

“….”

A wild boar appeared.

Rustle.

A huge wild boar, taller than Abel’s waist, turned its head towards Abel.

“Grr!”

“…Huh?”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Ashler had learned to pass the time as he waited. Abel and the prince would enter the forest and usually come out around sunset, but they still had to keep watch in front of the curtain of fog. So all he could do was stand there and practice his swordsmanship. As he had to prepare in advance for the upcoming swordsmanship competition within the knights’ order.

“Sir Ashler! Our team will fail without Sir Ashler!”

He had promised to go out as soon as he had the time and opportunity, in response to the whining of his subordinates who had come to the prince’s palace. Although he had never lost in swordsmanship, he felt that his hands had become dull because he didn’t have time to use a sword in the prince’s palace.

Swish – Swish –

He swung his sword in the air, but his gaze never left the forest. He had continued his training since Abel and the prince disappeared into the fog until now, with the sun still overhead.

Thanks to this, his upper body was soaked in sweat and the color of his clothe’s collar became darker. However, not even a rough breath came out of Ashler’s mouth. It was a natural everyday occurrence for him to swing the heavy black sword that he had held since he was a little boy and couldn’t even remember.

When the time for his meal, which was soon to be brought by his page, arrived, it would be the moment to lay down the sword. However, the sound that was heard was not from the direction the page usually came. No, it wasn’t the sound of footsteps, but rather, strange noises were heard.

‘…Ugh…’

Ashler stopped swinging the sword and looked up. What is this sound? He listened carefully, but the surroundings were quiet. Did he hear it wrong? Ashler tilted his head and tried to swing the sword again, but this time the sound was more distinct.

‘…Ughhh-‘

This was clearly the scream of someone familiar to his ears. Ashler turned his body towards the fog in surprise. Could something have happened to the prince?!

Ashler took a step forward with the sword tightly gripped, but a black figure came out of the fog at a faster speed. Abel’s voice also echoed through the air.

“Aaaahhhhh-!!!!!!!!!!”

“Abel? What’s wrong?! Did something happen to the prince….”

Ashler ran towards Abel, holding the sword, but before he could finish asking the question, Abel, who was holding the prince in his arms, shouted like crazy.

“Sir Knight, get out of the way!!!!!!!!!”

“What? What’s…. huh?”

Thududududu―

Ashler caught the sound of the ground shaking before his eyes. Of course, his eyes soon functioned properly and he discovered something approaching from the fog. No, the problem was that it was already within reach when he discovered it. Before Ashler could move, the wild boar greeted him first.

“Kkweeeek―!!!”

The story of a wild boar invading the palace was just a minor disturbance. So it was quickly buried in people’s memories. Even though it was a strange incident, there was no damage because a brave knight had easily killed the wild boar in one blow.

The fact that the wild boar came from Dragon Forest was also kept a secret. There had never been an animal sighting in Dragon Forest, so it was a strange occurrence, but Truyde and the attendants who received the report did not take it seriously. Truyde even laughed out loud.

Truyde opposed the idea of forbidding the prince from going into the forest for the sake of his safety. The reason was that he had learned from a report a few days ago that the prince no longer asks for Abel’s guidance, so if there is any effect, he cannot stop here. So the only person who got angry about this was a brave knight who killed the wild boar with a single blow.

“What would have happened if the prince had been injured? Huh? If you had carried the prince and tried to escape, he might have been harmed before you, Abel! “

As Ashler’s voice grew louder, Abel’s shoulders slumped more and more. However, Ashler, who had encountered the unexpected boar and had to greet it, did not bat an eye at Abel’s discouraged appearance.

“If you had discovered the boar first, you should have quietly retreated! What were you thinking, provoking the boar to chase after you? Seriously!”

“I didn’t provoke it.”

When Abel defended himself in a mosquito-like voice, Ashler raised an eyebrow.

“So you’re saying the boar chased after you for no reason?”

“Yes!”

“……”

“It’s true….”

“I can’t believe this.”

Ashler firmly denied it and narrowed his eyes.

“Clearly, you must have provoked the boar by laughing or making noise loudly in the forest.”

That’s the correct answer. Abel’s expression froze in astonishment. Ashler’s eyes narrowed even further.

“I, I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”

Abel apologized and glanced around nervously. Eventually, Ashler sighed.

“Fine. Since you, Abel, are reflecting on your actions, let’s just let it go this time.”

When Abel was forgiven with an unwilling voice, he tearfully thanked Ashler and bowed his head. Then, hesitatingly, he followed Ashler’s eyes as if he had something to say.

“Why are you looking at me like that?

“Then, excuse me.”

“Speak.”

“Who eats wild boars?”

Clang. Ashler responded by drawing his sword.

After the boar incident, the following days returned to a quiet routine. Ashler resumed his daily wait while looking at the foggy forest, and Abel, although momentarily discouraged, immediately returned the next day, acting as if nothing had happened, and took the prince into the forest.

Apart from causing Ashler’s anger, there was nothing special. Moreover, Abel’s spirit was only dampened by not being able to eat the wild boar, which later raised Ashler’s blood pressure.

It was a few days that seemed to have no significant changes, but Abel, who took the prince into the forest, had a strange feeling.

For a few days, Abel and the prince chased animals with footprints and excrement. It was not easy to find footprints unless it was a snowy field in winter or wet ground after rain. However, it was not difficult to find excrement.

“Excrement in the shape of pellets is mainly from animals that eat grass. It’s probably from a deer.”

Abel squatted down with the prince and explained the excrement they found, looking around.

“Deers tend to favor the areas where the forest meets the grass. There’s plenty of the grass they like around here. But I wonder if there are any fawns?”

Abel looked around and then looked down at the excrement. And he pointed to a place a little further away with a branch in his hand.

“That one far away is also excrement, can you see that it’s gray? The excrement of fawns that drink milk is that color. But deers are cautious and their feet are very fast, so it’s difficult to see them up close.”

After explaining, Abel stood up from his seat, and the prince stood up as well.

“Hmm, but the most difficult animal to see might be a bear. Bears are not very numerous, and they mainly live in forests connected to mountains rather than forests like this plain. Oh, by the way, did I tell you about the time I met a bear? Hahaha― It was really scary! It gave me chills all over my body the moment I saw the wild bear! It’s true, Your Highness. It’s also big, this―――big, no, much―――bigger than this! It’s as big as a house!”

Abel not only raised his arm but also raised his heel and exaggeratedly mixed in his gestures.

“If you really see a huge one, Your Highness, you might open your mouth wide and faint……”

Thud.

A bear appeared.

“……”

Thump.

The bear, as big as a house, took a step towards Abel and opened its mouth.

“Grrrr―!”

“Huh……?”

⊹˚. ♡.𖥔 ݁ ˖

Is it almost time to go to the swordsmanship competition?

As Ashler pondered this, he recalled his subordinate who had come in tears, and remembering the humiliation he faced. With a swing of his sword, he aimed at the empty air. Among the contenders for the championship was a knight who had never been on good terms with Ashler. His taunts about him being a country bumpkin lingered in his mind, fueling his determination to flatten his arrogance in this competition. With him in his thoughts, Ashler swung his sword even faster.

Swish- Swish-

The sound of cutting through the air resounded refreshingly. And it should have continued to be heard, but no more sound came out. It was because Ashler, who had been making the sound, stopped moving and turned his head. He was staring with his eyes wide open in the same posture as when he swung his sword in the air.

He felt like he heard something a while ago. It was like the scream of Abel being chased by a wild boar not long ago. However, even when he listened carefully, he couldn’t hear the scream. Well, it’s not like Abel would be chased by a wild boar again. As Ashler considered it as his hypersensitivity reaction and was about to raise his sword again,

“Ah-!!!!!!!!!”

Abel, who’s carrying the prince, appeared through the fog. When the same scenery as a few days ago unfolded before his eyes, Ashler doubted what he was seeing. What is this?

“Ah!!! Sir Knight! Move aside!!!!!!”

Abel shouted frantically, waving his arms that were not holding the prince, telling him to avoid it. Ashler involuntarily frowned and muttered.

“What?! Again, you…”

There’s a bear.

“……”

The bear, who was only focused on Abel, changed it’s direction towards the frozen Ashler, expressing joy.

“Kuwoowoak―!!!!”