Raising the Princess to Overcome Death

Chapter 361: Lena - Scent

359. Lena - Scent

"Ray, when did you learn to hunt? Why are you so good at this?"

We had gone hunting—my monumental first hunt as an adult.

But hunting turned out to be vastly different from what I had imagined, and Ray was extraordinarily adept at it. With a sly grin, he replied,

"You just watch and imitate."

Though he made it sound simple, I knew how impressive that was. As expected, Ray could do anything. I struggled to hold back feelings of inadequacy.

I used to think hunting meant catching prey through sheer force with a weapon. However, hunting—though it might end in the use of a blade—required meticulous preparation.

You had to know your prey, understand the terrain, and set appropriate traps. Sometimes, hunters even left traces of their scent intentionally to restrict the prey's path.

I understood all this in theory, but standing in a snow-laden forest full of trees, I had no clue what to do.

For now, I just followed Ray, picking up on the simple tasks he assigned to me."Like this... Ta-da! I did it! I actually did it!"

"Wow! Great job, great job."

After much effort, I managed to set a single trap. It filled me with pride just looking at it, and when Ray patted my head and praised me, I felt my confidence soar.

Something was bound to get caught in it. Definitely. Wait...

Just then, I noticed what looked like drag marks in the snow. Unsure if I was imagining things, I called Ray.

"Ray! Look at this. I think there’s something down there. Ray? Come here and check it out."

"Huh? Oh wow, you're right. Have you noticed this? Amazing!"

Amazing? It was something anyone with eyes could see. Still, I didn’t mind his exaggerated compliment and smiled.

"Let’s go down and take a look!"

Judging by the marks, it probably wasn’t anything major. I secretly hoped otherwise, but as expected, what we found below was nothing more than a small fox cub.

Of course.

For a while, I thought my life was caught up in a grand whirlwind of destiny.

Thanks to old man Boris, who kept proclaiming I was fated to wield the divine sword, I wondered if my life would hold trials as significant as those faced by King Maunin and Queen Reti.

For instance, King Maunin and Queen Reti had both encountered ferocious beasts as children and survived near-death experiences. Meanwhile, I simply picked up the fox cub by the scruff of its neck and lifted it easily.

"What’s this little one doing here?"

"Look, Rera. Over there."

At Ray’s words, I turned my head to see a pair of foxes pacing nervously in the distance. Each carried a cub in its mouth.

"Oh, they were in the middle of moving their cubs."

Since the fox couple had three cubs, it seemed they had hidden one temporarily and intended to come back for it.

I placed the squirming cub back where we’d found it.

Though I was anxious about my lack of accomplishments so far... I had set a perfect trap earlier!

We quietly stepped back and watched the fox family disappear. When we returned, I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

So that’s what Ray had been doing earlier—he’d turned my trap around. I guess I’d set it up wrong, and he fixed it for me.

Acting as if he hadn’t done a thing, Ray feigned ignorance. Adorable. I pretended not to notice as we passed the trap on our way back and casually asked,

“Should we have three kids like those foxes? You know, when we get married?”

In the solitude of the forest, we shared our first kiss. My first hunt ended on an ordinary note, but I didn’t mind at all.

Ahem.

My name is Rera Ainar. That’s "Ainar" with a long "ei" sound, and I am a warrior of the Ainar Tribe.

In our tribe, becoming a warrior lifted nearly all restrictions.

A warrior could establish their own household, propose to someone they fancied, and even get married.

If I may boast a little, had I not been spoken to, there would’ve been no shortage of suitors eager to propose to me.

This was one reason Ray faced subtle ostracism from others our age.

In our tribe, we didn’t have the custom of betrothals. But Uncle Noel had swooped in and claimed me early, leaving many friends in the lurChapter Heh. Ray needs to realize how lucky he is.

Anyway, I’m a warrior now.

I have the freedom to come and go as I please, participate in tribal meetings, and speak my mind. I can venture outside the fortress freely, and, best of all, I no longer have to worry about my mother’s disapproval when buying drinks...

“No.”

Ray, ever the stickler, ruined my excitement.

“We need to train. We're still far from where we need to be.”

“What do you mean? Honestly, I think we're already on par with most knights...”

Gasp.

Ray didn’t bother arguing.

He simply drew his sword and delivered a clean vertical slash in my direction.

The blade brushed past the ends of my bangs and the tip of my nose. Even though he wielded the sword with one hand, the trajectory was flawlessly vertical. I could vividly imagine my body being split from crown to crotch.

Frozen in place, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, gasping for air.

“W-what... what was that...?”

“Let me rephrase. You’re still far from ready.”

Ray sheathed his sword and turned away, heading into his home as though deeply disappointed in me.

The empty clearing felt suffocating.

I sat down on a snow-covered bench.

Despite the cold seeping through my clothes, I lacked the strength to move even a finger.

"How is Ray even...?"

His swordsmanship was astounding.

Delivering a perfectly vertical slash was difficult enough, but Ray had done it with one hand while controlling the blade’s trajectory with precision. If not, my nose would’ve been cut.

Such insane control. I couldn’t fathom the level Ray had reached. At least I now understood how pitifully lacking I was.

"Ray’s been holding back for my sake. He’s warning me not to grow complacent just because I became a warrior."

It was his way of saying I couldn’t stand by his side as I was. A reminder that our relationship had been forged through swordsmanship.

"That’s right. I’ve never beaten Ray—not even once since that time long ago."

It was when we were children.

At the time, I underestimated Ray, who was a scrawny scholar-looking boy, and ended up getting thoroughly humiliated.

I’d been confident in my weapon skills among my peers, but as expected of a knight’s son, my crude hand axe was shattered to pieces, and I burst into tears in front of that fragile-looking boy.

It’s a memory I doubt Ray even remembers now. I thought I had forgotten it myself, but maybe it was me who had pushed it aside all along.

A droplet fell from my eyes. What the heck. If I’m going to be stupid, I might as well just sniffle. What’s there to cry about, seriously?

“Darn it... sniff... darn it!”

That day, I sat on the bench and cried stupidly. Actually, let’s be real—I wasn’t crying, just cold enough to have a runny nose. That’s the kind of tradition we Ainar tribe folks have.

Ray, you civilized types wouldn’t understand. Not in a million years.

I didn’t drink a single drop of alcohol all winter.

I’d heard rumors about a merchant caravan led by a father and son passing through, but I didn’t bother to go out and see it. As always, I spent my time swinging my sword in the clearing, and before I knew it, spring was upon us.

***

"Now I can’t possibly handle the two of you together."

One day, Uncle Noel remarked. I replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Now? You’ve already lost to us at least twenty times.”

“Hmph. It’s never easy for one person to face two opponents, especially when the two of you work so well together... Rera, you’ve improved your weapon skills quite a bit.”

“Heheh. Wow, a compliment for once?”

“But.”

Uncle Noel’s tone grew serious.

“I still think you should switch weapons. Of course, I’ve told you this countless times, but today I’ll give you some earnest advice.”

“What is it?”

“You should change your weapon. It’s too big for you.”

“Ugh—I said no!”

I hugged my sword tightly. When planted upright on the ground, the blade reached my shoulder. Sure, it was big, but it wasn’t unbearably heavy.

I couldn’t swing it with arm strength alone—I had to throw my entire body into it—but that much was manageable.

My attachment to the sword wasn’t just because of old man Boris’s nonsense (where has that guy gone these days anyway?) but because it was my late grandfather’s heirloom.

The day I returned home bawling after losing to Ray, my father handed it down to me.

Even now, it’s big, but back then, it looked enormous.

The blade’s snowy-white color, as if stained with blood, captivated me. I believed that once I could wield it proficiently, I’d finally be able to make Ray kneel.

Of course, that was just a childhood fantasy.

Still, I’ve worked hard to master this sword. Recently, I’ve even started developing my own style, laying the groundwork for a unique swordsmanship. What’s the point of switching weapons now?

Uncle Noel sighed and said,

“If not for that sword, you’d have likely created your own swordsmanship by now. The path ahead is long, but since you insist, so be it. For what it’s worth, I think you should approach weapon skills from a different perspective because of the sword’s size and weight.”

“For example?”

“For example... Hmm, perhaps you could take inspiration from axe techniques. I haven’t thought it through in detail, but treating it solely as a sword might limit you.”

“Hmm~ Axes, huh... I’ll think about it. The weight is similar, I suppose.”

An axe? For someone aspiring to be a knight?

Honestly, I was a bit annoyed, but I responded positively because I knew Uncle Noel wasn’t mocking or belittling me just because I was a native.

“Ray has now fixed all his bad habits, so there’s nothing more I can teach him. My son, it’s time for you to descend the mountain! Hahaha!”

“You’ve worked hard, Master.”

Ray smiled warmly and exchanged jokes with Uncle Noel. Though I knew Ray’s skills were far beyond what he showed, I kept quiet since he seemed intent on hiding them.

Glancing briefly at me, Ray spoke to his father. Uncle Noel seemed to sense what Ray was about to say.

“Father.”

“Yes? Do you need me to write you a recommendation letter?”

“No, I don’t need a recommendation. Just write a letter of introduction to the knight commander. I’d like to meet him.”

“Very well. And?”

“I think our training has reached its conclusion. I’d like to participate in the Maunin-Reti Tournament this year.”

His words about the training being complete thundered in my ears. Ray was still looking at me, meeting my gaze as he finished his statement.

“With Rera.”

My lips quivered. I turned my head to hide my expression, and Ray probably knew exactly how annoyed I was.

Hmph.

Still feigning irritation, I decided to focus on training. But as the warm spring sunlight grew stronger, a large shadow suddenly enveloped me from behind.

Alright. Hurry up. Let’s see.

Ray didn’t disappoint. The scent wafting from behind, the way his arms wrapped around my waist—I gave in and turned my head slightly.

“Let go. I’m still mad.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“What do I have to do for you to forgive me?”

“Hmm... What should I do with this bad guy who... ah! Mm—”

Here’s another secret only I know: Ray is really good at kissing.

For the effort, I’ll forgive him this time, too. (smirk)