“Do you see it?”
Kael whispered lightly as he crouched low behind a thick bush, his eyes fixed on the clearing ahead, where a 4-meter-large, horned beast stood near the edge of a stream, drinking water. It had glowing red markings along its back and thick scales covering its body.
[Name: Unnamed]
[Race: Forest Wyrn]
[Rank: Common]
[Age: 68]
[Level: 42]
[Strength: 84]
[Agility: 74]
[Speed: 71]
[Stamina: 75]
[Defense: 91]
[Mana: 130]
[Intelligence: 110]
[Charisma: 80]
[Strengths: Strong defense, immense physical power, ground-shaking attacks.]
[Weaknesses: Slow movement, low mana, struggles against aerial enemies.]
…
Kael silently observed the beast’s strength.
It wasn’t a particularly strong beast, Kael knew it as well, but he also knew that in the forest, it was never about a beast’s individual strength. The forest was Magic Beasts’ territory.
They knew the terrain, they could escape through places humans wouldn’t know about, they could also call their allies. A hunter here could instantly be surrounded and be hunted.
Hunters had to be extremely careful in the forest.
Kael, who was trained by Veylara, knew all this and was doing exactly what he was taught. Even though the Forest Wyrn was weaker than him, he was still careful.
He studied the creature’s movements. With Imperia’s help, he made sure that it was alone, but it was still not an optimal target. Its group was close by. If it called, they would come here within 30 seconds.
Usually, Kael would have skipped this target because he knew how efficient his Imperia was. She could easily find a better, more isolated target. The problem was that they didn’t have much time.
The sun was about to set, the clouds above were getting denser and denser. He needed to deal with this one, and he needed to do it in a way that wouldn’t attract more attention.
The good thing was that its guard was slightly down. However, Forest Wyrns weren’t stupid. Kael knew rushing in would be a mistake. He wanted to wait, follow it from a distance, track its patterns. Sooner or later, it would lower its guard or wander into a trap. That was when he would strike.
Kael also wanted to use this chance to teach Lavinia. She was a princess, she had lived a sheltered life, so she didn’t know a lot about hunting and traveling in the forest, but Kael knew she would learn. She was a genius, after all. It would also make things easier for him if she knew the basics.
The woman in question stood silently behind him, watching. Again, she hadn’t said a word since they left the hut they had found.
“We need to be careful. Do not make any sound.”
Kael whispered lightly.
“If we alert it, it’ll bolt or worse, call others.”
He looked at her.
“We’ll wait for an opening, then—”
But before he could finish, Lavinia raised her hand.
Flicker
A soft light flickered at her fingertips and suddenly, the light spread all over the place. Kael’s eyes widened in surprise. The light would have definitely alerted the beast. He turned around, wanting to end this quickly, but then suddenly, Lavinia moved.
But soon, Kael noticed something strange.
Her feet…
They weren’t making any sound.
She walked confidently. The grass beneath her feet bent slightly, but not a single leaf rustled. It almost felt like she was a ghost that didn’t make any change to her surroundings.
Kael stared at the scene in silence.
The princess continued and appeared right in front of the Forest Wyrn, alerting it in an instant.
Kael held his sword, prepared to intervene the moment something unexpected happened, but then, before he or the beast could react,
The ground beneath the Forest Wyrn shook. The earth cracked open just enough beneath its front paw, causing the beast to lose balance and stumble with a grunt. Before it could regain its footing, thick vines shot up from the split ground, wrapping around its limbs and taking away its movement.
The creature roared in anger.
Or it tried to…
But no sound came from its mouth. To Kael, it looked like the darn thing was yawning.
Lavinia, on the other hand, used this chance to shoot a small spark of flame right into its open mouth.
Boom
The flames exploded. The Forest Wyrn shut its mouth instinctively, not daring to open it again. Smoke came out from its teeth. Its mouth was burned. It was hurt.
Bzzz
And as if all that wasn’t enough, a bolt of lightning struck right on its chest. The shock froze its body for a split second—then its heart gave out, unable to take so many things that were happening.
Thud
Just like that, the Forest Wyrn fell.
“…”
Kael stared at the sight in disbelief.
The whole thing had lasted less than three seconds.
Lavinia turned around, walking back as if nothing had happened. Her calm and cold expression remained the same from the beginning to the end.
“What… in the hell…?”
Kael blinked, still processing what he had seen.
Lavinia didn’t say anything. She just waved her hand, and her steps started making sounds again.
Kael glanced at the poor beast. Not a single drop of blood was spilled. Not a single trace was left behind. The cracked ground, the vines—everything had disappeared like they were never there to begin with.
If it wasn’t for the dead Forest Wyrn, Kael would have thought that it was Vitaria playing tricks on him.
“I told you I would not hold you back.”
Lavinia spoke in a light voice.
‘So much for wanting to teach her how to hunt…’
He muttered inwardly. On the outside, he just laughed.
“That… was terrifyingly efficient.”
Lavinia nodded, and then,
“Your Bonds are still growing. This much won’t be enough for them. They need to eat till they are full. Let’s hunt a little more.”
She spoke.
Even though she had become cold and distant because of everything that had happened to her, her heart was still pure.
Her love and care for Bonds, even though they weren’t hers, hadn’t disappeared. Heck, even killing a Magic Beast pained her, and she made sure the entire process was as quick and painless as possible.
That was the type of person the Princess of the Strongest Kingdom was, and Kael…
He simply stared at the woman who was doing everything for his children with a bright smile on his face.
“Yes.”
He nodded as he stood up.