Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy-Chapter 31: The Taste Of Kindness

“Kuooh–!!”

Clang-!

Bang-!

The Tusk Beast’s blows only hit empty air as the colossal monster became hindered by the length of its chains.

“Shit-! That almost got me!”

“Shut up! Now’s the time, let’s take this bastard down!”

When faced with death, the Regretful Trio who once pulled and shoved each other as they tried to escape, now collaborated as if they were comrades in arms.

In times of crisis, they band together better than anyone, however, when things get really dangerous, they become a disorganized mess.

They were indeed curious creatures.

No matter how large a monster was, when its limbs are chained, it becomes vulnerable to ranged attacks.

Especially a quadruped monster like this. It had become a big fat target.

Moreover, archery was a basic skill most nobles learned. And the Regretful Trio, who had passed the preliminaries that included an archery test, were now releasing a storm of arrows onto the Tusk Beast.

“Kuooh–!!”

Clang, Clang-!

The Tusk Beast trashed fiercely.

Yet, it couldn’t break the heavy chains that imprisoned it.

Then, the beast staggered as an arrow pierced one of its eyes.

If I had been the target of such a rain of arrows, my survival would’ve been nebulous at best.

The scene of people battling a giant monster.

Even though in reality it was more of a cowardly one-sided beatdown, I couldn’t help but be excited as I witnessed something I had only read about in fantasy novels.

Though watching a fight happen and being a part of the fight were two different things, my blood was already boiling, and the fighting spirit of a man hungry for adventures was blazing.

Indeed,

This monster seemed to be worth challenging.

Especially since Elden Raphelion was supposed to be a battle-maniac, if this body was properly trained, I could even hunt monsters like these in the future.

And,

If I cooked the monster right after slaying it...the meal would taste even better, right?

Yes,

Old man, your son will become the strongest adventurer.

As I continued to think about nonsense, I leaned against the tree.

Crunch-.

I took a large bite out of my fruit.

As the fight continued, the Tusk Beast gradually lost its strength under the barrage of arrows.

While this was happening, a single thought crossed my mind.

......Who would have thought that the confession note was actually a death threat, thank goodness I sealed it before its evil could spread.

Of course, it was unlikely that Elden Raphelion, the most physically able of the four, would suffer at the hands of a straightforward charging monster, especially one who was chained.

But, since my luck isn’t the best, who knows what might have happened.

Even a simple fall by tripping over a stone during a run might cause severe injuries.

And since this monster is huge, a single stomp of its hooves could easily crush a person.

Lumia probably wished to teach us about ‘fear’. Make us remember the torment inflicted on her and by facing a similar situation, repent the past actions.

While I understood where she was coming from, the method was undeniably excessive.

Truly, my withdrawal was a stroke of genius.

Given that there were no regulations concerning withdrawals in the Grand Ducal Betrothal Contest, my actions gave a lot of leeway to evade most of Lumia’s extreme methods.

Of course, one might argue that the chains halved the monster’s combat effectiveness, thus acting as a safety measure.

But to me, an ‘innocent’ bystander who just happened to be transmigrated into a villain’s body, Lumia’s methods appeared cruel beyond reproach.

She was using her status to extort what she wanted.

In the novel, her ‘revenge’ was supposed to be a way of guiding and enlightening the villainous quartet, but frankly, I couldn’t help but find her actions rather hypocritical.

Anyway,

That’s just another reason to not get involved with that troublesome woman.

Due to the sins I didn’t even commit, I could have been killed by a bitter heroine today.

So, my antagonistic feelings were natural.

This only strengthened my resolve to remain as a bystander. Since Lumia should want this Betrothal Contest to proceed as quietly and safely as possible, she could hardly harass a withdrawer indefinitely.

Craaaaash-!

At that moment, a massive thud echoed in the mountains, as the Tusk Beast collapsed.

There seemed to be at least 50 or more arrows embedded in its body.

Such was the sad fate of a giant target, it looked more like a giant porcupine than a Tusk Beast.

“Haah! Haah!”

“Huff! Huff!”

They seemed very exhausted from the fight, as some collapsed onto the ground while breathing heavily.

Truly, these guys owe their keep as the ‘Regretful Trio’.

Much like the aftereffects of an accident, the disarray and terror bestowed by the deadly game of tag seemed to have finally caught up with them.

“Gasp...Is, is she insane? A giant monster at a noble’s hunting event? Was she planning to get us killed?!”

And then,

The moment the immediate crisis was solved, their spirit of cooperation also suffered a swift death, as the fractures of their relationship led to another crisis.

For villains, a crisis is, after all, their raison d’être.

Deron suddenly stood up and grabbed Blund’s collar.

“Shut up, Blund! How dare you push me away and run?!”

“W-What? When did I ever do that?”

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“You fucker! Are you trying to deny it now?! The loyal mut has shown his true colors eh?”

“N-No, it’s a misunderstanding! I would never do such a thing!”

As Deron and Blund were too preoccupied with their heated spat.

Kyle, who had sneaked out of their sight, stealthily approached the Tusk Beast’s corpse, grabbed the Winterfell crest tied at its tail, and began his mad dash.

Thus, the second game of tag began.

“Kyle! you traitorous bastard! Stop right now-!!”

“We promised to offer the crest to Lord Deron, didn’t we?! Kyle! Hand it over now!”

Both Deron and Blund chased after Kyle, yelling at the top of their lungs.

Of course, Kyle used one of the most important skills as a Villain, running away fiercely.

“Didn’t Elden himself say that you guys can’t do shit after this contest?! That’s why! I shall become the son-in-law of the Grand Duke by any means necessary-!!”

Absolute chaos unfolded.

This was the typical end of a group united solely by [Self-Interest].

Once the profit is made, and a greater opportunity presents itself, a group without any sort of loyalty would inevitably stab each other in the back.

As such, while these villains continued to participate in the second round of the game of tag, I jumped down from the tree.

“Sigh-.”

Now that this situation is over, it should be a good time to head down the mountain.

With a leisurely pace, I made my way towards the starting point.

As I walked, I grabbed another fruit and took a bite out of it.

Then, when I reached the starting point,

Kyle was kneeling on the ground with a vacant expression, picking up the pieces of something broken on the ground,

Lumia and Gelwood were nowhere to be seen,

Only a chilling silence remained in the desolated venue,

Whoooooooo-.

A cold breeze blew.

Crunch-.

Taking a bite from my delicious fruit, I looked at Deron and Blund who also seemed to be frozen in place, and asked,

“Something happened? The mood here is rather off.”

**

The blazing sun soared across the midday sky.

Growl-.

‘......’

Outside the carriage, Rachel stroked her empty stomach.

She had forgotten to bring some snacks.

For Escort Knights of nobles, sometimes it wasn’t possible to have timely meals.

They were tasked with ensuring their master’s security at all times, as such, most favored light snacks as they waited for their masters to return home, so they could temporarily switch with another guard and eat.

Thus, on days her master ventured out, Rachel would always carry some snacks.

It had been a practice for years, and unless an urgent situation arose, she never forgot.

But today, she had absentmindedly left without them.

Of course, skipping a meal was common and a mere hunger pang wouldn’t impact a bodyguard’s duties, but today, the hunger felt particularly severe.

Perhaps, it was because lately she had been managing to eat regularly since her employer, Elden, had emphasized that a well-fed escort performed better.

Breakfast and dinner were no issue since she could manage those alone in the annex.

The problem was lunch, especially when taken with Lady Ariel.

In the Grand Hall, it was considered improper for an escort to eat together with their master, so Rachel had planned on making a quick meal in the annex and returning, but as the saying goes [ A Villain’s actions were unpredictable.... ] and Rachel found herself joining their table.

Even Lady Ariel herself had told her ‘You can sit next to me!’ as she pulled a chair and patted the cushion with a starry look in her eyes.

Because of this, Rachel had grown accustomed to eating all her daily meals on time.

It was indeed an ironic situation.

To think that she would forget her long-standing habit just because she managed to eat on time for a few days.

Gurgle-.

At the entrance of the snowy mountains, a total of four carriages were stationed.

They all belonged to the four finalists, and each one of them had a couple of Knights as an escort.

As lunchtime passed, they began to pull out snacks one by one to sate their hunger.

They ate dried meats, fruits, small candies, and all manner of light snacks.

As she watched this scene, Rachel couldn’t help but feel her own hunger deepen as she looked towards the mountains.

Squinting her gaze, Rachel then spotted Elden descending the mountain path.

Scrunch, Scrunch-.

With brisk steps, Elden soon reached the carriage.

“Welcome back My Lord. You must have worked hard.”

“Hah? Working Hard? Let’s just go, Rachel.”

“As you wish.”

As she raised her head in response to his call, something flew towards her.

Thump.

She caught it.

It was a fruit that contained a deep red color.

“......?”

With a puzzled look, Rachel glanced at Elden, who was casually chewing on the same type of fruit he had thrown at her.

“You must be hungry, so eat this. They are quite tasty.”

“...My Lord, did you bring this especially for me?”

Rachel couldn’t help but ask as she looked at Elden’s retreating figure.

“Well, I noticed you didn’t have your snack pouch. And what good is a Knight who’s too hungry to fight? Besides, who knows what might happen on our way to Winterfell...”

“......”

Rachel looked at Elden with a bewildered expression.

What was her Lord planning?

Why would he do such a thing?

Lately, he seemed to be acting strangely, and now, he was even showing care for the hunger of a low-born Knight.

Usually, her Lord wouldn’t even bother with wild fruits, even if he was hungry.

And he would never care for her needs.

Elden was an individual whose own needs always came first and above all, he was someone who didn’t know the meaning of ‘caring for others’.

Wasn’t there a saying - When a person starts doing things they have never done before, their days must be numbered...

Could it be that he’s received some terminal diagnostic...?

Dismissing such thoughts, Rachel looked at the fruit in her hand.

It was a familiar fruit to her, who had fought numerous battles in the northern territory.

This fruit was known as [ Roseapple ] and it only grew in some parts of the northern mountains. From what Rachel remembered, the fruit had a sweet and juicy flesh, that was both firm and soft.

Crunch-.

As she bit into it, she experienced something long forgotten.

During those dark times, the wars always brought a wave of famine, and these Roseapples not only quenched her hunger but also washed away the deep fatigue she had with their refreshing and sweet taste.

Of course, the experience of eating such fruits at the brink of starvation was something incomparable, so Rachel chewed on the Roseapple without much expectation.

However,

“So? How does it taste? Do you like it?”

Strangely, it tasted exactly the same as those she had eaten back then.

It tasted just like what she had during those periods of dire hunger.

“...It’s delicious.”

This had been the first ‘taste of kindness’ this lone Knight had experienced in her life - Though Rachel herself didn’t realize it.

After her father’s death, Rachel had only known difficulties and ridicule.

“Well? Don’t just stand there. Since the contest ended early, we should get some training done, Teacher~”

“Ah...Yes.”

Thus, the carriage carrying both student and teacher returned to the Grand Duchy.