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The participants were draped in their finest hunting gear and gathered in a dazzling display of wealth and bravado, each one eager to claim glory—and maybe brag about it later at the banquet.

Vyan sat atop his horse, trying to look nonchalant while his brain did cartwheels. The reins hung loosely in his hand as his thoughts fixated on Iyana.

The bustling noise around him faded to a dull hum as he replayed her words. How easily she had slipped out a sheepish "just kidding" after nearly giving him a heart attack by casually mentioning her most precious possession.

Undoubtedly, if not a witch, that woman had to be an enchantress; how else could she lift him to the clouds with a couple of words and then slam him to the ground the very next second with another set of words?

Lost in his thoughts, he barely noticed the sharp, commanding voice that sliced through the din like a blade.

"Your Grace," Easton\'s cold, authoritative tone snapped him back to reality.

Vyan blinked, turning to see the prince on his steed, his expression a mask of icy disdain.

Easton\'s eyes bore into him, a challenge simmering just beneath the surface. "Do you remember our friendly competition?"

Vyan\'s lips curled into a smile that was about as genuine as the existence of unicorns. "Of course, I do. But, Your Imperial Highness, I must confess, I am not feeling very confident today. Me competing against you? Especially after seeing you at the equestrian display? It\'s like bringing a slingshot to a cannon fight," he said, laying on the faux humbleness thick.

"I truly am no match for you."

The prince\'s green eyes flashed with irritation. "Don\'t give up before you at least try. I know all you have in your arsenal are your archery skills and, well, not much else, but that shouldn\'t stop you. Miracles happen," he replied with a patronizing smile.

Though the words were polite, Vyan could clearly sense the bite and the sense of superiority behind them. Easton was essentially saying Vyan was actually no match for him, but hey, he still needed a good loser to solidify his victory.

It made Vyan\'s fist clench, but he kept his social smile and said, "Sure, I will still try."

As Easton rode away, Vyan gritted under his breath, "I may not win, but I will make sure you don\'t either."

Vyan had no plans to swoop in and snatch all the kills, suddenly emerging as a spectacular dark horse after pretending to be this fragile, orphaned boy with no exceptional power all this time.

But that didn\'t mean he was eager to watch Easton flaunt his victory like a peacock on parade.

"Can I help you with that?" Ronan\'s voice broke through Vyan\'s conspiratorial thoughts.

"Help me with what?" Vyan asked, surprised.

"Help you with, you know, what you just muttered," Ronan said with a grin.

Vyan blinked, dumbfounded. Ronan was usually the picture of kind-hearted niceness. Then why… "Have Katelyn and I finally corrupted you?"

Ronan let out a small laugh and shook his head. "No, no, that\'s not it. You could say," he shrugged, "I just have a little bit of a grudge against him."

Vyan could see the pain behind his smile, the suppressed hatred for Easton. It wasn\'t hard to guess the reason behind it. Easton\'s high-and-mighty attitude wasn\'t exactly winning any popularity contests.

"Well, welcome to the dark side then." Vyan shot him a grin and clapped his shoulder. "But whatever we do against your brother, let\'s stick together throughout the hunt, okay?"

Ronan nodded eagerly. "Deal!"

Their hunting ground was the higher-level one with the presence of B-grade monsters along with lower ones, so Vyan wanted to keep an eye on Ronan and keep him out of trouble.

There was another hunting ground for below E-grade monsters, open to women and men alike—because, of course, they still hadn\'t gotten permission for women to hunt the higher-class monsters.

However, the women who had taken the initiative to participate looked pretty excited either way and seemed relieved they wouldn\'t have to face any life-threatening peril. Small victories counted as well.

"Vyan," Clyde approached him, a hint of hesitation on his face.

Vyan glanced over, eyebrows raised in expectation.

"You are going to be fine on your own, right?" Clyde\'s voice was edged with uncertainty, a rare sight for someone usually so sure of himself.

Vyan nodded, though his confusion showed in his eyes. "Of course. Why?"

"Do you mind if I go off on my own?" Clyde asked, the reluctance evident in the furrow of his brow.

"Is it because of Thea?" Vyan\'s curiosity was piqued, a knowing smile tugging at his lips.

He had heard Clyde talk about Althea last night for hours; what started as a way to punish the trio of cousins ended with all of them feeling bad for this painful one-sided love.

Clyde pressed his lips into a thin smile and nodded. "Yeah, you know what I intend to do."

"Go ahead then." Vyan shot him an encouraging smile, full of genuine warmth. "Best of luck!"

Clyde\'s smile in return was faint, barely touching his eyes.

Vyan watched his friend\'s retreating figure, a pang of sadness tugging at his heart. He wished he could do more, perhaps work some magic on Althea\'s heart to ease Clyde\'s worries.

The signal to march rang out, a clarion call that sliced through the air, resonating with the thrill of impending adventure.

Vyan straightened in his saddle, his focus sharpening to the task ahead.

Before them, the forest loomed, a vast, dark expanse brimming with mystery and danger. He cast one last glance at the horizon, a silent wish forming in his mind, I hope nothing goes wrong.

With a decisive flick of the reins, Vyan urged his horse forward. The thrill of the Monster Hunt surged through his veins, readying him to face whatever awaited in the depths of the forest.

———

In the heart of the forest, the air was thick with the scent of pine and the sounds of distant roars and rustling leaves.

Vyan and Ronan moved with ease, their eyes scanning the underbrush for any sign of movement.

"Another one for the tally, Ronan," Vyan said with a smirk, nudging his partner as they spotted a low-ranking beast lurking behind a thicket.

Ronan normally was a mountain of a boy with a heart softer than a marshmallow, but today, he was playing a different game. So he nodded enthusiastically and charged forward.

With a swift motion, he dispatched the creature with his crossbow and added it to their growing collection of kills.

Easton, who had also been tracking the same beast, emerged from the shadows, his face twisted in frustration. "Hey, that was my kill! Are—" he was about to protest, only to stop once he recognized the thieves. "Your Grace and Ronan?" He furrowed his brows in confusion.

Ronan\'s lips shaped into an apologetic smile. "Oh, pardon us, Easton. Was it your target? We didn\'t see you," he let out, sounding truly sorry.

"Right, Your Imperial Highness. We should have been more careful," Vyan added, mimicking Ronan\'s smile.

"I see," Easton mumbled, eyeing Ronan, who was always the epitome of sweetness. Even if he didn\'t trust Vyan, he did trust Ronan. "It\'s okay. Be careful next time."

Vyan and Ronan flashed him a matching set of unsuspecting smiles.

As Easton attempted to move past the debacle and set his sights on new prey, he stumbled spectacularly. Every monster he aimed for seemed snatched away by some unseen force, as if he had a magnet for being thwarted.

No matter how swiftly he drew his bow or how meticulously he lined up his shots, another hunter swooped in at the eleventh hour, claiming victory with the flair of a seasoned show-off.

Arrows zipped like lightning, spells boomed on cue, and daggers appeared from the shadows—each time, his target slipped through his fingers like a greased eel at a butter festival.

Easton\'s frustration mounted with each botched attempt.

He could practically sense the smirks of his competitors as they toasted their effortless triumphs. His hands shook with anger as he reached for yet another arrow, his vision blurring with the sheer force of his vexation.

It felt as though some mischievous deity had taken a personal interest in making sure he ended up empty-handed and seething.

"Whoever it is, do you think you are clever? Do you think you can win by such cowardly techniques?" His voice echoed through the trees, met only by the mocking silence of nature. Feeling a bit foolish for shouting at thin air, he couldn\'t help but suspect Vyan and Ronan, whom he had spotted earlier.

"Your Grace Vyan, Ronan, is it you guys? Are you the ones taking my kills?" he shouted, swiveling his head around, trying to find them.

"Oh, no, he is onto us," Ronan muttered, hunkered down on a distant tree branch.

"Still, let him grumble over how we are stealing his kills," Vyan snickered lowly. "He is not going to find us."

He had cast an invisibility spell on them, so nobody should be able to see them. After all, using magic was fair game in this hunt. Even if it wasn\'t, Vyan didn\'t care to play by the rules either way.

However, despite the protection of an invisible veil, an arrow shot through Vyan\'s cheek, missing his skin by a mere inch.

Ronan was startled at the sudden attack, and he slipped off the branch, breaking the spell.

In a haste to catch him, Vyan tried to grab his hand but ended up missing. So, in a matter of seconds, they were slammed on the ground, both groaning in pain.

"Are you okay?" Vyan asked, rubbing his shoulder.

"Yes," Ronan nodded, dusting off his elbow.

Thank goodness, the tree wasn\'t too high, or else, they might have broken a few bones.

"Who was it that shot the arrow, though—" Ronan started to ask, only to be interrupted by the sight of Easton towering over them.

"It wasn\'t me who shot the arrow, but I am grateful to that person," Easton let out. "What are you two trying to pull here?" he demanded, his arms crossed over his chest.

Vyan and Ronan exchanged glances, and Vyan decided to own up to it rather than faking his way out of it.

"Well," he stood up, dusting off his clothes, "I wanted to make the hunt more enjoyable and difficult by snatching others\' kills so that, you know, it\'s not so easy to earn them," he stated.

"No, it just seems to me like you are trying to sabotage me," Easton let out, his jaw tightened.

"Haha, no way. This is just the way the hunt is organized for everyone," Vyan smoothly lied.

Easton narrowed his eyes and asked, "Is this about Iyana?"

"Pardon?" Vyan cocked an eyebrow, challenging.

Easton didn\'t back down and faced him, demanding an answer, "Aren\'t you trying to sabotage me because you are jealous?"