We must have been spending our money all on the food without realizing it. I chuckled as I reached for the pouch that he was holding to try to enlighten the mood. I guess as the woman in the family, I must find a way to earn quick money. Actually, I realized this was also a great chance for me to excuse myself and sneak into the hunting competition without them knowing.
"Don't worry, I'll find a way to earn money here. So, you can go ahead and explore more while I look for a quick job in here," I said, and let my eyes wander around our surroundings. Pretending to look for a job here.
"Ah no! Let me do it, dear." Archer quickly stopped me.
"Mother, it's fine. We can just buy a toy next time." Felipe, who was still eating his food, bashfully grabbed my clothes to stop me too, while Felix didn't care at all and continued eating. This brat.
"Calmed down. It'll be fine, besides, it won't take long and this is my reward for the twins. I also want to buy something for my husband." I smiled brightly. Archer's face flushed as he quickly grabbed the twins' shoulders.
"Just--just don't take too long and come back safely." Archer said, averting his gaze at me. I lowered my body down and faced the twins as I caressed their soft hair. "Behave yourselves and stick to your father to avoid getting separated. If something bad happens, quickly ask the knights for help. Mother will be back later, alright?"
Third Person's POV
Lorelai quickly went to find the guild as instructed by Sir Richard. Holding the badge of the guild, he sighted a pavilion tent with the guild's emblem hanging at the top. It was filled with women preparing their armor and their own beasts. Walking straight to the entrance of the tent, a large woman in her armor suddenly blocked her way. The woman flushed a silencing glare and was slowly drawing out a sword behind her. Lorelai instinctively put her hands in the air to instantly surrender.
"Steady on now, Lea. And you, where do you think you're going, kiddo?"
She heard a woman's voice chime out behind her. Lorelai turned to see a red-haired woman approaching. She looked so mature but attractive, and she looked to be about thirty. Despite wearing a dress, the woman radiates confidence and authority like a knight. She, like the woman behind Lorelai, is a large, well-built woman.
"I was told to find Madam Rowena, Sir Richard's older sister. He told me I could join the guild's hunting and earn bronze," Lorelai said as politely as possible, and handed him the badge.
The woman studied the badge before commanding the woman behind Lorelai to leave them alone. Without taking her eyes off of Lorelai, the woman named Lea draw back her sword and walks away.
"How may I address you?"
"Please call me Lore, madam."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lore. I am Rowena Will, captain of the Chard Guild and the woman you met a while ago was Lea Bailey, my brother's husband." She said, while pointing at the woman, who was still glaring at her from afar. Feeling uneasy, Lorelai avoided the gaze and focused on the person in front of her.
"She must have been confused as to why you're carrying his wife's sword," Rowena added.
Surprised, she lifted it up and asked, "This is Sir Richard's sword?"
"Yes, and do you even know what it means when a young man hands a woman their own personal sword?"
"I'm not entirely sure about that," Lorelai answered. The Captain let out a soft chuckle before handing her another sword.
"How naive of you, remember, when a man who owns a sword gives his sword to you, a woman, it means that he accepts your marriage proposal and will wait for your return to marry you."
Lorelai's expression turned to one of deepening concern. Dumbfounded by the revelation, "Marriage proposal?!"
"Yes, therefore, I am giving you this sword instead. My brother is a little too playful. I apologize on behalf of him. Now, give me that sword and follow me. I'll let you know more about the hunting competition." Rowena spoke as she entered the tent. Lorelai followed her inside and was welcomed by the intimidating auras of the people inside. Their attention went to her and observed her closely. Lorelai tried to ignore their gaze and followed the captain quietly.
"Have a seat while I look for a map in a second."
Lorelai only nodded in response and sat in the chair. Her gaze wandered at the place. She was astounded by the variety of weapons dangling above the tent. The pavilion may look simple from the outside, but it was actually quite extravagant on the inside. The ground was covered with a thick red carpet, and there was a lot of furniture, such as couches, chairs, tables, and even a bed. Rolled papers and books were all over the place as well.
"Here, take this with you. This is the map of the Red Forest, and I assume you are not that familiar with this forest." Captain Rowena said and handed her a map. She nodded and took the map. Lorelai spread it out on her lap and studied it carefully. It was way more complicated to her surprise.
"Yes, thank you very much, Captain," Lorelai said.
"No need to thank me, for this is what the master provides for his servant."
"Listen well, Lore." She said, her voice firm.
"I believe that you've already had experience hunting wild animals."
Lorelai nodded.
"Good, then all you need to do is to simply follow the red marks on the map and come back here exactly in that yellow mark, where we are currently. All you need is a sword, a map, and this magical pouch. Make sure you don't get spotted by monsters or, worse, large wild beasts. I apologize, but, you don't appear to be capable of dealing with them. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Captain," Lorelai immediately responded. As much as she hated being underestimated, Captain Rowena was right. She may have experience of hunting, but it is not enough to save herself from an actual beast or monster.
"Do you have a family, Lore?"
"Yes, I do."
"Then make sure you come back unscathed."
"I will," Lorelai answered as she rose from her seat. Adrenaline was rushing through her system. It has been a while since the last time she went for an actual hunt all alone. Ever since she entered the Red forest, something had already stirred in her system, like an excitement to finally let out something she had been hiding all this time.
As soon as they set foot in the forest, Lorelai quickly went in the opposite direction from the other troops of the guild. She may look like an inexperienced hunter, but because of her life experiences back in her world and the memories of the original Sein, she is confident enough to go for a quick hunt all while looking for the blessed knights.
Checking her surroundings, Lorelai decided to change her clothes. She wore pleated pants and a linen shirt under a waistcoat. In order to fully conceal her identity, Lorelai wore a worn-out cloak and a mask.
Sein Lorelai had been silently overthinking what had happened to her arms that night when she was fighting the MC. Her skin turned completely into metal, and her entire arms formed a knight's armor.
"How do I let it out?" She wondered, recalling the incident.
Taking the map out of the magic pouch, she tracks down her location and the possible location of the troops. On the map, areas that are marked red are where the wild animals inhabit, yellow marks are where the people of the empire reside, and green marks are where monsters or beasts dwell.
"I only have a map of the Red Forest, so--"
Lorelai paused for a second, frozen at her feet, loud footsteps could be heard afar. She unleashed both of her swords and held her breath to avoid making any sounds. She felt hollow as she listened to the footsteps getting closer. She lowered her body and let out a silent long breath to ease her nervousness as she tried to hide quickly in the bushes.
"Arghhh! He--help me!"
A shiver ran down her spine when she heard the scream. The screams continued and made her unable to move. She hasn't even been that far from the camp, but she's already about to witness a horrifying scenario. So this is how dangerous and vicious the forest is. She tried to take a peek slowly and witness a man being eaten alive. She gasped in shock and quickly hid behind the bushes. She stared at her trembling hands. Lorelai examined her entire surroundings, while coming up with a plan.
A wild animal? A beast from another empire? A monster? Which one is that?
Her movement suddenly made a sound. A black and gigantic fox-like stag began to suspect its surroundings. With its senses that are ten times stronger than an ordinary dog, the stag easily senses another prey nearby. Leaving the dead body behind, the fox sneakily walked in her direction.
"I've died once, so f*ck it." Lorelai sputtered and jumped out of the bushes.
She felt overwhelmed, as she stared at the gigantic stag in front of her. She clutched the two swords tightly, trembling in fear. Lorelai is already regretting her life decisions. But in a situation like this, she felt a strong sense of déjà vu.
The beast in front of her reminds her of Sabrina, the main character, who was a monster behind an innocent face. She is well aware of the fact that her new life will always be in a life-or-death situation. However, she is confident enough to survive in the world of novels with her advanced knowledge.
Sein stepped closer. "Look, the biggest animal I've ever hunted was a bear and a stag. So, let's just say you're a combination of the two?"
Fake it till you do it. She hyped herself up.
The stag growled loudly and jumped at her with its sharp, bloody antlers. She quickly laid her body down and rolled away to avoid the stag. Sharp antlers almost cut her mask in half, but luckily she avoided it enough to just leave a scratch on it.
She did not waste time and turned to face the stag, chasing her breath. Before the stag could attack her, she threw one of her swords up above and charged at the fox. She swings the sword to block the antlers and slides herself down. She sliced the abdominal part of the stag. Wincing in pain, the fox jumps away from her. The stag screamed awfully, Lorelai could feel the rage of the stag. She picked herself up from the ground and glanced above. The stag grabs the opportunity to sneakily attack her. The stag runs fast and jumps in the air, aiming its antlers at her.
"Fool."
Lorelai runs at full speed towards the antlers and before the antlers stabbed her, she tried to grab them. When she managed to grab it, Lorelai took the opportunity to pull down the stag with all her strength to allow herself to reach for the sword. The black stag could no longer control its movement, its antlers went straight to the ground. And as soon as Lorelai reached the sword, using both of her hands, she immediately charged the sword down as they both landed on the ground piercing the stag. She quickly let go of the sword that had pierced the back of the stag down t its heart. She rolled down to the ground to avoid the stag's reflexes as it screamed in pain.