Chapter 19

"Alright, let’s go again. Get ready."

"You’re persistent, aren’t you? What are we preparing for?"

Though he grumbled, Lanken didn’t outright refuse Viretta’s command. She smirked slightly, pointing to the rear of the horned beasts’ herd.

"We’ll aim for the one at the very end. Iola, can you use magic to raise the earth and topple a tree?"

"Depends on the size of the tree and the soil conditions."

"What if it’s the tree Lanken is on, and we’re aiming to make it fall inward?"

"With some preparation time, I should be able to manage it."

The higher the level and power of magic, the more time it required to prepare the spell. Viretta nodded, understanding.

"Good. This will make things easier. Before the herd passes, I’ll separate the last one from the group. Then, Iola, you topple the tree."

"You're suggesting I split the herd with the tree?"

"And if possible, make it look as if the tree strikes the horned beast directly."

"But I’m not sure if that will be enough to bring it down."

The tree Lanken was on wasn’t particularly large. A horned beast might easily shake off a blow from such a tree.

"That’s why Lanken should jump off and drive his sword in as the tree falls."

"And that’s feasible?"

Lanken frowned, as if trying to gauge the plausibility.

He would fall along with the tree and leap off to stab the horned beast. The image played out vaguely in Viretta’s mind.

"In theory, yes."

The branch Lanken was perched on wasn’t too high. Even if he fell by mistake, it wouldn’t cause severe injuries.

"And what if I fall off the tree?"

"Then leave it to Iola to handle, just like before! And if it gets dangerous, I’ll rush in to help."

If the herd decided to charge Lanken, they could use the same strategy from earlier. There were risks, but solutions might arise as they went along.

Fortunately for Viretta, Iola calmly agreed to the plan.

"If things go awry, I’ll lift Lanken with the earth, so no need to worry. This plan has potential. But how do you intend to separate the rear beast from the herd?"

"Already started, have we?" Lanken muttered, drawing his sword and eyeing his position as if to mentally calculate his moves.

The success of the plan depended on how well they could isolate the last horned beast.

The herd of horned beasts moved in a straight line through the path below them.

When together, these animals moved as one cohesive unit. Any threat approaching close would be met with their horns, making it nearly impossible to approach just one.

But once separated from the herd, the front beasts would often fail to notice and would rarely turn back.

Falling behind in the herd meant abandonment. The beasts didn’t turn around to face a threat to a single straggling member—they moved forward as one for survival’s sake.

So, if Viretta could effectively isolate the last one, the rest of the herd wouldn’t likely return even if the tree fell.

Viretta curled her left hand into a scissor shape, with her thumb and index finger extended and the other three fingers folded. Pointing at the rear-most beast, she smirked.

"I may not be as skilled as Iola, but I can do a bit of magic too."

With that, she took a slim paper box from her pocket and threw it forcefully.

At the tip of her index finger, a small, rounded gust of wind took shape, shooting out like a bullet.

Viretta’s wind magic was limited to this—a small projectile of compressed air.

Its force was weak, barely enough to sting a person or tear thin cloth or thick paper.

The projectile struck in front of the trailing beast, tearing open the paper box, releasing a cloud of pungent spice into the air.

The box had been meant as a self-defense tool, and its contents spilled right onto the sensitive nose of the rear-most horned beast.

"Moooooo!"

Horned beasts had sensitive noses.

That was something Iola had told her.

The beast trailing the herd stomped and flailed, hindered by the sharp scent of spices.

Meanwhile, the rest of the herd continued forward, leaving it behind.

In seconds, the two-step distance widened to five steps. Observing the gap, Viretta called out in triumph.

"It worked!"

"Get ready!" Iola shouted, directing his words at Lanken.

The earth surged up from one side of the tree Lanken was on, tilting it sharply. The ground trembled enough to shake even the tree Viretta and Iola were in.

With a firm grip on his sword, Lanken jumped as the tree fell.

The tree crashed down onto the horned beast’s back, while Lanken drove his sword diagonally into the beast’s flesh—not in a vital spot, but enough to draw a significant amount of blood.

Though not a fatal blow, the force of his jump combined with the tree’s momentum left the sword embedded deeply, causing blood to gush. Even if the wound wasn’t fatal, such a blow left little chance for survival.

The beast’s legs wobbled, and it blinked slowly, but it was only a matter of time before it drew its last breath.

As soon as Lanken’s sword struck the beast, Iola led Viretta down from their tree. Shielding her with his arm, he approached the creature.

"Are you alright? We need to finish it off!"

As Iola raised his sword, Lanken, drenched in blood, let go of the hilt, his shoulders slumping. His voice trembled as he murmured.

"...What?"

"Well done. Now we just need to drag it away before the herd returns..."

"Did you see that? We got it!"

With a face bright as a child’s, Lanken lifted his head, breathing heavily, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

"Look, Viretta! We did it!"

His face was filled with pure joy. More than the pride of catching the horned beast, it was the thrill and exhilaration that radiated from him, glowing with excitement as if something extraordinary had just happened.

As Iola watched him in surprise, Viretta darted over to Lanken, bouncing with glee.

"You saw it! You saw it! I told you we could do it! I said we’d succeed!"

Grabbing Lanken’s hands, she joined him in a jubilant little dance, their faces both flushed with joy.

Viretta, her cheeks as red as a sunset, was practically overflowing with happiness.

"That was amazing! Incredible! We did it! We should tell everyone! Let’s send the horns to my father! No, let’s send the whole head!"

"Yes! My father will be thrilled! We caught such a beast! Not that there was ever a doubt—I’m Viretta, after all!"

The faces of the two positively bloomed with joy, as if reaching a peak moment in a grand adventure.

It was a success—a glorious triumph in their impromptu hunt for the horned beast, a victory no one truly expected.

For Viretta, whose past endeavors were marked by boasts and bluffs, this was a sweet taste of genuine success.

Viretta and Lanken were so filled with elation over their victory that they couldn’t hold back their laughter, even as the blood from the beast smeared their shoes.

"Isn’t it amazing, Iola? We did it! Can you believe it?"

Beside the two celebrating like children, Iola, in a tone of puzzled amusement, replied.

"Of course. You said you could do it."

Iola didn’t share in the jubilant cheers. For him, this wasn’t an insurmountable challenge or an unexpected success.

The moment Viretta had said, "We can do it," he’d already prepared himself to accept this outcome.

Instead of exuberance, Iola’s face reflected a deep, steadfast trust in Viretta.

"We’ll surely be able to hunt a dragon too!"

With a radiant smile, Viretta embraced him.

"Congratulations on the engagement."

"Thank you."

"Najin’s reputation is well known even in Fillian. Where is your valiant son?"

"Haha, he’s spending time with his fiancée somewhere else for a moment."

In reality, he was off hunting a dragon. Monain almost squeezed the life out of the hand he was shaking.

"Already so close, it seems! Blessings to the young couple’s future!"

The baron walked off cheerfully, unaware that he had narrowly avoided a broken hand. As soon as the formalities were over, Monain turned sharply to his subordinate.

"Any word from Iola yet?"

"None, sir."

"Damn it, what’s he doing? Who skips their own engagement ceremony? Are we certain Iola doesn’t have a secret lover?"

"He doesn’t, sir. If he did, he wouldn’t have hidden it."

"That’s the kind of man he is! So why on earth did he leave?"

The grand engagement ceremony was underway. The momentous event celebrating the engagement of Iola of Najin and Viretta of Medleridge was proceeding... without the couple themselves.

Despite Cadellen’s assurance that they’d return before the ceremony, there was still no word from them.