NOVEL WEB Chapter 25 - Eating (2)
Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: TempWane
━━━━━━♡♥♡━━━━━━
I thought it would just be the two of us, but right before we left the castle, an additional person joined our group.
It was none other than Amelia, who had visited our castle a few days ago and had been staying here ever since.
Although it seemed like she could leave right away, Amelia kept finding excuses to stay with us at the castle. It was probably because she was worried I’d cause trouble again in front of the prince.
The prince seemed like he intended to stay for at least a year, but did Amelia plan to do the same? Doesn’t the Grand Duke’s daughter have a lot to take care of?
Well, considering the Grand Ducal House and the Barony of Delkis were within a day’s travel, she could come and go as needed.
*
“Have you also learned combat skills, Lady Amelia?”
The prince asked, seemingly surprised, as Amelia joined our party.
“I’ve learned a bit of archery.”
That “bit” was an understatement.
To avoid the doomed future awaiting her, Amelia worked diligently to learn how to fight—mostly focusing on ranged combat. In this world, there were plenty of enemies one couldn’t face with swordsmanship alone. It seemed her intention was at least to hold them back, even if she couldn’t defeat them outright.
As a result, the Amelia who was once portrayed in the original story as ignorant and arrogant had, by the time the novel began, become a multi-talented individual capable of shooting a bow and using magic to heal wounds.
It was this transformed Amelia who became an object of admiration for the story’s heroine, marking the beginning of the tale.
“Is it common for ladies in the North to learn how to fight?”
“Well, since there are still barbarians beyond the North who threaten this land, it’s somewhat necessary.”
“I see.”
No, that wasn’t the case.
For someone like me, a Delkis native, it might be necessary, but Amelia, the Grand Duke’s daughter, didn’t need to learn how to fight.
Not that she could openly say, “To prepare for the looming future.”
“Well, if the lady says so.”
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like the prince had requested the hunt as a way to spend time alone with me. His intentions appeared to be genuine, though I suspected my father might have encouraged him to “mistakenly believe otherwise.”
…Perhaps it was time to have an earnest conversation with my father. For now, I decided to focus on the matter at hand.
“So…what’s the plan? When scouting, do we walk?”
Yes, we walked out. And typically, we walked back.
Well, we ran rather than walked. For those with giant blood running through their veins, navigating dense forests was no big deal.
Most of them were tall with long legs, so their running speed was vastly different from what one would expect.
And if it got too tiring, they’d just catch a moose, ride it back, and be done with it.
However, neither I, the prince, nor Amelia could do that. None of us were tall enough, nor did we have the stamina of adults.
…Oh, I see.
Up until now, I thought my father had misunderstood my feelings and paired me with the prince. But on second thought, there was no one else who could properly take care of the prince. Even just walking would result in a significant speed difference, and without a saddle or stirrups, riding a moose wasn’t feasible.
Although there were always moose available for my father, the lord, those were strictly reserved for his use. Lending one out would hurt his dignity.
“Lady Delkis?”
The prince addressed me as I was silently reflecting, impressed by my own cleverness.
“Wouldn’t scouting take too long on foot? Do the people of Delkis have another method besides riding animals?”
When I turned to look at him, the prince asked earnestly. He seemed completely unable to imagine how the people of Delkis navigated the woods around the castle.
But…
“Haven’t you seen it before, Your Highness?”
“Hm?”
The prince tilted his head in confusion at my question.
“Didn’t you see what I rode the last time I guided you?”
That’s right. Though I didn’t ride the same mount as other Delkis people, the prince had already witnessed it.
He’d seen me riding a wolf.
“…”
“…”
Both the prince and Amelia stared at me in stunned silence.
“There’s no saddle, but if you hold onto the fur tightly, the wolf won’t let you fall.”
“W-wait a moment.”
The prince raised a hand to stop me and said,
“So, you’re telling us to ride on those giant wolves?”
Amelia, standing beside him, looked equally shocked as she stared at me.
Her expression seemed to say, “How could you even suggest such a thing?”
But honestly, I didn’t understand why they were reacting this way.
“All the wolves are well-trained, so there’s no need to worry. They won’t bite you unless I give them the command.”
“…Does that mean they would bite if commanded?”
“Well, yes.”
Not that I had ever commanded them to attack a person.
The only exception was when I told them to bite my arm, but even then, they didn’t because they recognized me as their alpha. Normally, they followed commands well, even if they couldn’t understand anything too complex. Their intelligence was comparable to that of a smart dog.
“I remember seeing that white wolf biting your head last time.”
Oh, that.
“That was just playfulness, a form of affection. I wasn’t hurt at all. Didn’t you see me biting the wolf back immediately after?”
“So you’re saying those wolves could ‘playfully’ bite us too?”
The prince glanced at the wolves sitting behind me. One of them yawned widely, exposing its sharp teeth and long tongue. The prince’s face turned pale.
“You don’t need to worry about that. They only play such pranks with people they’re close to.”
“Hold on.”
This time, it was Amelia.
“So…you’re aware that we aren’t close to these wolves, right?”
“Of course.”
Obviously, they’d only met the wolves once, so they weren’t close.
“And you still think it’s safe for us to ride on wolves we’re not close to?”
“It seems you don’t know much about wolf packs.”
I replied with patience.
“In a wolf pack, once someone is recognized as the alpha, the pack follows their orders. It’s similar to how domesticated dogs behave. However, unlike dogs, wolves may challenge the alpha’s position if they sense weakness. That said, I didn’t become their alpha through strength alone—I used my druid abilities to build immediate trust, so it’s a bit different.”
“What kind of trust does that ability create?”
“It reduces their aggression toward me when they first meet me. The trust I build afterward is separate.”
“So…without that ability, you could have been their prey?”
Why are they being so difficult about this?
I said I became their alpha by earning their trust and living among them for weeks. I’d endured their biting and wrestling to establish my position.
But fine, I admit it. Without my druid abilities, I wouldn’t have even approached the wolf pack. They probably would have been killed by my father instead.
“You don’t need to worry. I, as their alpha, guarantee your safety.”
I said firmly.
“…”
Seeing that the two of them still weren’t convinced, I turned sharply and stomped over to Gray. Placing my hands on my hips, I addressed him directly.
“Gray!”
At the sound of his name, Gray’s ears perked up.
Meeting his gaze, I commanded loudly,
“Don’t bite those two!”
Following my finger’s direction, Gray glanced at the prince and Amelia before resting his head back down onto his paws.
I confidently turned back to the two of them.
“See? You don’t need to worry about being bitten anymore.”
“…He looked like he didn’t care at all in what you said.”
What? No, anyone could see that he understood!
As I looked at their utterly unconvinced expressions, I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
This is why I can’t deal with southerners!