Chapter 72.

“Ho……”
A sharp intake of breath came from nearby. For a different aura than last year’s folly?
“You go call them, huh?”
Just as if they wanted to go and call the guards right away, the panicked maids didn’t move a muscle. The silence of the woods was silent.
The clicker …… slowly moved its finger, making the sound of fumbling with the trigger.
“No, male maids! In that case ……”
Miss Kaylin called out to me sharply.
‘The Duke’s mad dog really wants to kill.’
Only now sensing some gravity, the pupils of the ever-calm Kailin were filled with fear and shook violently.
And then, completely. No matter who heard it, the sound of the trigger being pulled seemed loud.
“Pfft ……”
The women, including Ms. Kailin, squeezed their tired eyes shut. At that moment.
“Bang.”
I made a sound that mimicked a shot. Of course, no beads were shot.
“I’m kidding.”
I grinned cheekily and lowered the stone bow I was aiming at.
“Hiccup!” Miss Aris, who was sitting across from me, hiccupped. The face that was filled with scorn and ridicule just a moment ago was unconsciously flooded with deep fear.
I’m really a born evil girl.
Rather than being pitiful that way, it was worth looking at.
“What are you afraid of?”
“It’s not loaded yet, guys.”
I held up the stone bow with one hand and pulled the trigger twice, to show that it was safe. Suddenly slender shoulders quivered.
I wrapped the stone bow around my back and looked around like nothing had happened.
“Relax your expression, huh?”
It’s like seeing a not-so-good reaction after a prank, pouting like a teenage girl.
“Everyone’s reacting like, I’m the evil girl who ruined the tea party, but I was obviously invited.”
“Is that so, Mrs. Dorthea?”
Asked the organizer back, and she suddenly flinched in place.
“Yes, yes, yes, Duchess!”
She shouted in a panic as she quickly came back to her senses.
“Ah, everyone, smile. It’s rare that the male daughter makes such funny jokes just to make us laugh, isn’t it?”
But no one dared laugh at the prank.
“I really have to go hunting now, so I’ll go first.”
I came around from behind the chair. Because I had a stiff atmosphere, shouldn’t people who cause trouble leave their seats?
When I was ready to leave, I added with a regretful expression.
“Unfortunately, I can’t see hitting the target. It’s because I don’t have arrows in my stone bow, but beads with magic.”
“I’ll make sure to show everyone next time if I get the chance.”
The moment he turned around to leave.
“Right.”
As if forgetting to convey something, he stopped, turned his head, and returned to the table.
“I’ll tell you in particular what magic everyone might want to know about ……”
“The beads in my stone bow exert a magic that turns whatever it shoots into an idiot.”
Telling the lie with aplomb, sweeping through the people one by one, starting with the main culprit who made it up.
“Thanks to some people, I hadn’t hunted in a year and my hands were itching. In order to catch large amounts of prey, we made beads like these individually.”
Finally, fixing his eyes on the blue hair. I smiled sweetly and said something striking.
“Of course, it’s just beads, it won’t kill you if you hit it.”
“I’m also kind of curious if magic works on people too.”
With Kailin-sama’s purple-tinged face as the backdrop, I turned around. It was a threat to the girls to watch what they said. Just as I stepped onto the path to the center clearing, a sudden light appeared before my eyes.
[System] Evaluation down, reputation -10 [TOTAL: 80]
Reputation dropped. I brushed it off, no big deal, and went through the system window. Reputation is not the same as favorability, it won’t kill you. Even if it dropped, I wouldn’t care.

“Hello, where should I go in the animal hunting area?”
I stopped a passing guard to ask for directions. Upon hearing the answer, moved my feet for the imaginary goal of the morning. After passing the initial entrance to the hunting grounds, I took the fork in the road to the right.
“What to catch for you?”
I remembered the gray eyes of the inorganic mass and walked briskly down the forest path. But that path didn’t lead to the noisy hunting grounds I wanted.
‘What is this?’
I looked at the endless trees and grass.
I was thinking about how, to make the experience easy for beginners, the squires gather the animals, build a fence over a certain area, and lock it up.
“This is not a place where children can catch animals. Isn’t this the forest?”
It is. This is just the forest. Look around and you can’t even see the animals. Using the fork in the road as a starting point, separating the large animals from the small ones seemed to be just roughly adjusted to the composition. There are very few parents with children anyway, and female nobles are not involved.
“…… Ha, this game is weird.”
I grumbled, walking along the thick forest. Luckily, the path was already paved, so I wouldn’t get lost.
But even after a long walk along the path, I doubt I’d be able to catch a free agile animal, no, I’d be able to spot one.
‘Now that we’re here, let’s go for a walk.’
I gave up hope of a dry hunt and took a walk along the road. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that giving up was too rash.
”Whoa! It’s a rabbit!’
Snow-white rabbits hopped around not far from me. Wasn’t a lot of them released, not just one, but four.
‘Cute ……’
In fact, I saw animals other than puppies and cats for the first time since I was born. I had never been to the zoo once because people said they were tired of going there.
Therefore, even when I found the long-awaited prey, I couldn’t think of grabbing it right away.
”No! Don’t go!’
During the delay, wit the sight of humans, a group of rabbits quickly ran away.
I resumed my journey sullenly. Soon, once again, what had just happened was repeated.
Squirrels, beavers, raccoons, chickens, and fawns. It seemed to walk into the area where the animals were released. Merely moving their pace, they came across prey.
Sadly, just ‘face to face’. While viewing or picking up a rock bow, the prey quickly escaped.
Ah …… what an obvious novice hunter ……
Luckily I was the only one around. It would have been close to a big deal if I had followed the duke to officially participate in the hunt for no reason.
Half relieved in the face of the feeling of shame that welled up, I simply walked in a position where I could just shoot a stone bow.
Was entering deeper and deeper into the forest. I found prey that weighed more than all the animals I encountered.
‘Earned it!’
It’s a gray-furred fox with a similar color to Ikris’ pupils.
‘That’s the one!’
It was instantly certain that that was the prey I was going to catch and take today.
The gray fox washed its neck by the stream at the bottom of the slope. It was probably a rare species, different from the other prey, and there was only one.
There would be nothing left if I missed it!
I moved cautiously. A tree on the slope subtly obscured the fox’s angle, so it was necessary to get a little closer.
Moving carefully so as not to make a sound, I reached the target tree in no time. Half-hiding myself in the tree, I slowly turned the crank.
At that moment, the fox’s ears twitched. But, I don’t know if it sensed the movement or if it was drinking.
Puff – Finally, the protracted battle was over. I slowly raised the stone bow and bowed. As the bow was aimed squarely at the target’s neck, the fox that was leisurely drinking water suddenly raised its head.
Then ran at the same time I pulled the trigger.
Splat–
The bead that was fired a second short of the trigger fell out, and the distance between it and the fox that detected the danger instantly widened.
‘Miss it and it’s gone!’
The prey that was about to be caught escaped in front of my eyes, is that how the hunter’s mind works as well?
I ran after the fox. It’s too bad that I didn’t make it to the last second, getting anxious.
‘I’ll catch you again soon!’
Unfortunately, that was my arrogance. The fox was fast. How did that petite body do that? I can’t believe that kind of speed and stamina could occur.
The desire and urgency to run after it, but the cowardly body couldn’t run very far and soon got tired.
“Ho, ho ah ……”
I end up missing the fox. But the fox wasn’t the main problem now. Because I was chasing after my prey, I wasn’t paying attention, so I entered the depths of the woods.
‘Where the hell is this.’
Looking around, I couldn’t even find the repaired road.
“Ha…… where the hell is this.”
It was said to be the woods, but it was actually still in the palace. There are probably markers set up in places you don’t know about to prevent getting lost.
I stumbled in my steps and failed completely at hunting. Luckily, I found the golden cloth tied to the tree.
‘Thank goodness ……!’
I breathed a sigh of relief, now follow that and I’ll be able to meet the others, or get out of the woods.
But I blundered and couldn’t remember what the eye color of the marker meant.
“Ho, ho, ho ……”
Soon I’ll be able to see a prey. No, the host and guest had changed to an animal that could treat me like prey.
“Ho-ho!”
“Ah! What!”
Without prior notice, I suddenly saw the giant bear that popped out from over the bushes. I opened my mouth wide.
I remembered. The golden markings indicated the area where fierce beasts like lions and tigers were released.
That instant.
[System] A sudden event has occurred! Excited giant brown bears appeared! Will you hunt down the [Giant Bear] and lay the foundation for the [Hunting Queen]? (Time limit: 30 seconds, Reward: Giant bear skin and gall bladder, Fame +50, Male lead favorability +5%)
[Acceptance\Rejection]
This crazy game, why is it unfolding like this!