TYND 85

TL: Motokare

 This is why people look down on mages.

Northerners scorned mages for chanting spells from the safety of the rear while knights got blood on their hands from thrusting their swords into fiends. Rivahn had hoped Lord Rothy would break down those prejudices, but now it seemed he’d only reinforced them.

His Grace should’ve stopped him. 

Rumour had it Lord Rothy was physically frail. The Archduke must’ve been unable to refuse, given how he doted on him. Rivahn was disappointed in both of them (Aeruhen didn’t count since he’d always been that way, and he was a friend) and entered the forest with all expectations abandoned.

The hunting tournament tallied scores by house, but joint hunting was forbidden. Those under thirteen could hunt with parents or adult relatives, but anyone thirteen or older had to hunt alone. Only animals like hunting dogs and falcons were permitted, though of course, one didn’t literally travel alone. A house attendant to provide assistance and a competition assessor to verify legitimate kills always accompanied each hunter. Rivahn glanced at the assessor and caught the sharp eyes behind spectacles looking back. He quickly looked away and scanned the undergrowth. His enthusiasm was gone, but he couldn’t return empty-handed on the first day.

Rustle

The small sound made him stop, and the attendant and assessor halted with him. Rivahn held his breath and waited. Hunting was all about patience. Finally, an adult deer peeked out from behind the bushes. 

That marking…! 

A cross mark sat on the deer’s forehead. Unlike real wild animals, the doll creatures had cross-shaped marks somewhere on their heads. It was marked deliberately to award more points for hunting one.

Wow, what the……? That’s supposed to be a doll?

Its eyes were pitch black and gleaming, the neck long and slender, and its red-brown fur rippling over defined muscles. White spots were scattered across its back, and its tail was short yet furry. 

Rivahn couldn’t believe that was a wooden doll.

Under foliage starting to turn crimson, this animal felt more ‘alive’ than any deer he’d ever seen. His lost enthusiasm came surging back with a vengeance. Rivahn crept closer, masking his presence. The deer’s ears twitched, its dark eyes swept the area warily. 

Bloody hell, it even has a scent. How is this possible?

His heart hammered. 

Crouching low, Rivahn quietly raised his nocked arrow. But maybe his excitement at the unexpectedly realistic sight got to him because he carelessly stepped on an acorn in the brush. The tiny crunch was barely audible, but the doll deer’s keen senses caught it instantly and looked straight at Rivahn. 

Their eyes met. The deer tensed its slender legs and bolt. 

“Oh, fu—…!”

Rivahn gave chase immediately. 

Since the hunting tournament banned horse-riding, losing a prey  meant it’d be nearly impossible to find again. Rivahn might dream of becoming a mage, but he was still a boy who received knight training. He vaulted over massive tree roots with his hands and raced across jagged rocks as if they were smooth marble. Even while pursuing the deer, he kept his bow ready as he watched for an opening, preparing to shoot at any moment. 

Finally, the deer’s path was blocked by a massive boulder. 

Rivahn raised his bow, but then—

“What kind of deer even is that…!”

The doll deer kicked off a nearby tree, leapt sideways, and cleared the boulder cleanly! 

That wasn’t all. 

Faced with a thorn thicket, it backed up a few steps, then let out a cry and took a great leap, jumping over it in one go. When it reached a gully littered with slippery rocks, it pawed the ground, scattering dirt over the stones before stepping over them before crossing. 

“How the hell is it this clever and agile?!”

What kind of deer could… Well, maybe if it was a deer that’d roamed the wild for a century, but how could a doll made less than a day display such intelligent and sophisticated movements? 

“Ah, damn and blast. I should’ve brought Leon with me!”

He’d left his hunting dog behind because he’d lost interest in the hunt, but now he resolved to everything he’d starting tomorrow. Wand, staff, all of it.

Rivahn pursued the doll deer nimbly. He thought it’d be best to rattle the thing, so he fired arrows as he ran. It wasn’t even a real animal, so he didn’t expect the threat to work, but the doll deer flinched, its pupils trembling as the arrows cut past. 

Finally, the deer’s stamina began to wane. Just as Rivahn was looking for his opening, a massive boulder appeared in their path. The deer hesitated but not Rivahn. He drew his bowstring.

Schwack!

The arrow flew towards the deer at tremendous speed. He could tell from the release whether the arrow would hit or not. Judging by the shot, it should pierce cleanly through the deer’s flank. 

“Bloody hell!”

But the doll deer leapt straight into the air and dodged!

The arrow! 

The arrow that was as swift as the wind! 

What kind of crazy doll was this?! 

He was dumbfounded, but at the same time, a smile curved the corner of his lips. Rivahn may be young, but he was a hunter. The harder the prey, the fiercer his competitive spirit burnt. 

The doll deer bolted again. Rivahn kept chasing, firing more warning arrows as he ran. 

Crash! 

The doll deer tumbled on a steep slope. The incline was so sharp that even Rivahn lost his footing. But he used his forward momentum to roll once, found his footing immediately, and drew his bow.

Brwaaaaaar!

His arrow pierced straight through the deer’s neck! The thing gave a strangled cry and went limp. Rivahn rushed breathlessly to the carcass and jammed his flag into the body and turned around. The assessor who’d witnessed the whole chase checked the kill and gave a nod. He gestured something into his communication device before putting it away. Rivahn couldn’t hear it from where he was, but he knew a horn had sounded back at the checkpoint. His attendant finally caught up and gasped in awe.

“That was incredible! Both the deer and you, young master, were magnificent! I was standing there with my mouth hanging open the entire time. Honestly, this was the most intense and thrilling hunt I’ve ever seen!”

Everything about the attendant’s expression and voice radiated genuine awe.

“Haa……”

Only then did Rivahn’s legs give out, and he sank to the ground. His hands wouldn’t stop shaking and his heart hammered so hard he thought it might punch through his ribs. This rush was incomparable to any he’d felt before. 

So this is why the doll animals are worth more points than the real ones…!

The dolls were way harder than the real thing! They were way smarter and ran much faster. Look at how it dodged those arrows. Even aura users would struggle to dodge an arrow like that! 

What a vicious bastard it was. But…

I brought it down!

He’d succeeded in the hunt! He’d succeeded in hunting down a tricky creature that could even dodge flying arrows! Rivahn clenched his fist. He couldn’t wait to tell this to everyone: to his father, his mother, his siblings, his cousins, his friends, even the professors at the academy. He wanted to tell him how hard this hunt had been, and how brilliantly he’d overcome the challenge.

One isn’t enough!

Rivahn sprang to his feet and brushed off the dirt. 

Next one’s going to be bigger!

The boy who’d sneered that doll hunting was pointless had vanished, replaced by a boy with eyes burning with hunting fever. Right now, all across the forest, every participant was feeling the same pounding, heated emotion. The wooden doll animals ran with intelligence far beyond real animals and moved with dazzling agility, forcing hunters to chase them down through brutal effort and skill. 

The rush of that moment was indescribable! 

The achievement and euphoria that made your body tremble created the illusion that your skills had improved tremendously. It made you think ‘I was amazing just now!’ and made you want to catch more, to accumulate more tales of glory.

“I caught those rabbit dolls, but it was hell dragging them out when they burrowed underground.”

Even though they were nobles who cared about appearances, their faces flushed with excitement as they boasted about their exploits to one another. Their steps quickened as they headed back to the outpost, eager to brag to family and friends. The adults at least maintained some dignity, walking with quick but measured steps, but youngsters like Rivahn ran ahead like children.

Theon watched them and strolled back to his outpost at his own pace.

“I’m telling you, the thing wasn’t a bloody bird, but it kept taking off! Jumping from tree to tree!  I never knew snakes could fly. I’d shoot an arrow and it would dodge mid-air! Bending its body like a wave and dodging everything! So you know what I did? I worked out the snake’s pattern and climbed up a tree where I knew it would go. Bloody clever, right? I’m probably the only one who got a snake doll. And I ran into a deer doll too and this mad thing just leaped over rocks in one go—”

When Theon arrived at the outpost, Aeruhen was in full bragging mode. He was so excited he didn’t even notice Theon’s arrival. Normally Theon would’ve scolded him, but today he decided to let it go. 

Rothy caught Theon’s eye while listening to Aeruhen’s boasting and gave him a quiet nod.

Theon smiled back.

That smile that also celebrated the complete success of their plan.