Kasha took a deep breath of the forest air she hadn’t experienced in a long time.

Arkin, the capital of the Aranias Empire located in the center of the continent, has distinct four seasons. The vegetation was completely different from the northern forests she was familiar with.

She observed with curious eyes the large leaves of deciduous trees that completely covered the sky, the hanging green vines, and small animals blinking their eyes here and there.

Throughout all this, she felt a presence behind her, but didn’t bother to turn around.

Leon Aranias.

It was obvious that he was still wary and suspicious of Kasha.

‘Yet he stood up for me in front of those ladies.’

She rather liked the shade provided by the hat he had put on her.

‘But why is he following me now?’

She had intended to hunt alone to avoid difficult-to-explain situations for him.

However, she didn’t actually dislike him chasing after her.

Even though it was bright summer daylight, the forest was dark, and wildlife was everywhere.

It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous at all. In fact, she might have felt relieved that he followed. For the first time, she realized how reassuring it feels to have someone watching her back.

Do others grow up receiving such protection from their parents or siblings from birth? Is that why they all so confidently demand and casually claim things?

‘I could only become this brazen after dying once.’

Rustle.

Suddenly, a small noise came from the bushes across the narrow forest path she was passing.

She quietly stopped her horse. Then she slowly reached for the leather case on her shoulder.

Rustle.

At that moment, a pair of twitching ears appeared above the loosely woven grass. A small crown with brown base and white vertical stripes was also visible.

‘It’s a deer.’

Confirming that it wasn’t a dangerous animal, Kasha removed her hand from the leather case.

Just then, she suddenly heard Leon’s presence behind her.

Turning around, Kasha saw Leon stretching his arm long to draw his bowstring. It was a beautifully efficient motion. The magically imbued arrowhead glowed bright blue. Kasha found herself shouting loudly without realizing.

“No!”

Scamper.

At the same time, she heard the sound of the deer hiding in the grass running away.

Confirming that the deer had fled, Leon lowered his bow with an incredulous look at Kasha.

“…What is the meaning of this?”

Kasha looked at his furrowed brow and instead put on a resolute expression.

“We only need… one. Let’s not… take unnecessary lives.”

“Just one?”

“The biggest and most ferocious… gray bear in this forest. That’s what… we’ll catch.”

“You’re going to catch that man-eating bear? …With that?”

Leon narrowed his eyes in disbelief.

What he was looking at was the magic tool Kasha was carrying.

Since Kasha, with her not-so-sturdy shoulders, had been carrying it all this time, it was small and light. It would undoubtedly look amateurish compared to the hunting magic tools on the market so far, including the bow he was carrying.

“Have you… actually seen a bear before?”

He asked incredulously. Kasha, in turn, spoke to him as if admonishing.

“Doubt all you want. Just don’t… be surprised later.”

“……”

Leaving Leon at a loss for words, Kasha turned her horse’s head again.

It might be a kind of hypocrisy to participate in a hunting competition and then say she dislikes taking lives.

However, that was Kasha’s true feeling.

‘Too many have already died because of me.’

Although it was before the regression, although everything had been reversed, Kasha still remembers.

The tears and pain of those who lost their families because of her.

‘Die! Die! Die!’

That fiery anger that poured out towards her.

She doesn’t want to add even a little to the weight of innocent lives.

The sound of Leon riding his horse again and following at a short distance was heard.

Given Leon’s character as a righteous holy knight, he probably couldn’t leave Kasha alone in the dangerous forest.

Kasha spurred her horse on with a sigh born of an emotion that was either relief or resignation.

How long had she been riding?

The path gradually became steeper. Her whole body’s muscles seemed to be screaming from the tension of carefully controlling the horse.

The horse, too, apparently displeased with her novice riding skills, kept acting up and causing trouble. Then suddenly, as if it couldn’t take it anymore, it started galloping down a steep slope.

The hat Leon had given Kasha flew off in an instant, carried away by the wind.

“Be careful!”

Leon’s urgent shout was heard from behind.

Kasha pulled on the reins with all her might, tensing her thighs.

However, the horse, displeased with something, showed no signs of slowing down.

‘Oh no…!’

Kasha desperately clung to the horse’s back.

At that moment, she felt the reins she was gripping slip away.

“…!”

She gritted her teeth, using all her strength to not lose the reins.

It was then. The sound of fast and precise hoofbeats approached her side.

“Whoa, whoa.”

A firm and reassuring voice soothing the horse was also heard.

Raising her eyes while lying on the horse’s back, she saw that Leon had somehow grabbed the reins of her horse and was calming the rampaging animal.

“Easy.”

He pulled on the reins of Kasha’s unruly horse, subduing it with force. His skill in handling two horses simultaneously was admirable.

As the horse’s speed began to slow a bit, he performed the amazing feat of holding the reins of both horses in one hand while removing the glove and ring from his other hand.

As he reached out and stroked the head of Kasha’s horse, golden light poured from his hand.

At the same time, the horse began to calm down surprisingly quickly. Its damp skin became dry, and its rough breathing eased.

Soon, the now-calm horse nuzzled Leon’s hand as if showing affection.

“Whoa, whoa.”

After confirming that Leon had completely calmed the horse, Kasha sat up.

Her startled heart was still beating rapidly. Her hair was a mess, and every muscle in her body was screaming.

“Th-thank you.”

When she said that with hollow eyes, he handed her the reins without hiding his exasperated expression.

“Let’s go back. This ravine is dangerous. If a bear really does appear, the horse might abandon you and run away.”

Hearing his words made her a bit scared.

She should have practiced riding more before coming.

There hadn’t been time to prepare for that due to the rush to complete the magic tool.

But she couldn’t turn back after coming this far.

Kasha sighed with a slightly tired face.

Then a gentle shade settled over her sweat-soaked hair. Looking up, she saw the brim of Leon’s hat.

‘How did he catch the flying hat?’

It was truly remarkable reflexes and athleticism.

When she lifted the hat brim slightly, she saw Leon’s amethyst eyes looking down at her.

“I’ll finish the hunt. If you must catch a bear, I’ll catch one and return, so you go back and rest.”

Please.

The word seemed to be heard like an auditory hallucination.

However, Kasha stubbornly shook her head, still covered in sweat. Seeing this, Leon furrowed his brow as if angry.

“Why are you being so stubborn?”

Kasha replied only in her mind.

‘First, to free you from Odette’s grasp.’

On this day before the regression, Leon was attacked by a gray bear at the hunting competition, injured, and his curse worsened. And then, in an unstable state, he was forced to proceed with the marriage talks with Odette due to pressure from the Grand Duke.

Of course, many things have changed now due to Kasha’s appearance, but Odette will not easily give up on Leon. Kasha planned to use today’s hunting competition to put an end to that situation.

‘And the second reason is because I have to show them. That they can’t take anything from me.’

Simon and the mastermind behind him will try to take her magic tool technology. If she continues to refuse, only God knows what methods they’ll use.

She intended to openly demonstrate her abilities to the world before the mastermind could act.

Once her magic tool crafting ability was revealed, her calculation was that they couldn’t openly try to forcibly take the magic tools.

‘And thirdly, I must catch that bear myself.’

Kasha thought, biting her lips.

It’s not that she wasn’t afraid of that terrifying beast.

However, that beast was none other than the ugly fruit born from the seeds Kasha had sown.

‘Even if all this looks like childish stubbornness to you, that’s why I must go.’

She brushed back her sweat-soaked bangs and bowed her head politely.

“I’m sorry for… causing trouble. But I must… continue on, so… don’t follow me anymore.”

“What?”

He asked in disbelief.

“Don’t follow me… anymore. Earlier… at the opening ceremony, you fulfilled… the contract by being with me. There’s no need… to accompany each other to places… where people can’t see, making us both uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable, you say?”

Leon repeated Kasha’s words as if dumbfounded.

“Yes. Of course, I know… you’re trying to help but… it’s uncomfortable.”

It would be impossible to make Leon understand what Kasha herself was trying to do anyway. Without being able to make the absurd confession of returning from death, expecting complete understanding from him was nonsensical.

So even if it seemed a bit ungrateful, it was right to do this alone, separating from him.

She tried to start her horse, pulling herself together despite her overwhelming feelings.

That’s when Leon, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

“Why are you so desperate?”

“Pardon?”

“Back then in the library, and now too. Why are you so desperate to push yourself to such unreasonable limits with such a weak body in the first place? A bear, you say. Saying you’ll catch that man-eating bear. Are you not afraid of dying?”

He said this while looking straight at her.

Eyes of violet light more delicate than amethyst. Marveling anew at their beauty, Kasha confessed.

“I’m afraid.”

“……”

At Kasha’s honest confession, Leon stared at her intently.

“I’m so afraid, that’s… why I’m doing this.”

Kasha whispered, swallowing a sad smile.

‘At least it’s nice to be able to say one thing honestly.’

This is probably the only truth we can share.

As Kasha thought this and started her horse again, it happened.

“Ahhh! Help!”

From down in the ravine, someone’s desperate scream rang out.

“B-bear! Ahhh!”

Kasha’s eyes sparkled. Without hesitation, she gripped the reins and spurred her horse.

“Hya!”

The horse, having regained its condition, shot forward at high speed.