Chapter 36: Heading to the Hunt
Spring. A cold wind that still carried the remnants of winter blew in through the entrance of the chapel.
Ren, now nine years old, watched from the shadow of a pillar slightly apart from his family as his younger brother Yuan and younger sister Yona underwent their “Blessing Ceremony.”
Yona was called first. Wearing an ivory knee-length dress with delicate embroidery at the collar, Yona seemed somewhat tense with nervousness. After glancing at their parents’ faces as if to confirm something, she pursed her lips tightly and stepped forward.
“Skill: ‘Water Magic'”
After Yona was enveloped in soft light, the priest announced her skill name. Their parents looked relieved. Their mother opened her arms wide to welcome Yona, and Yona jumped into her embrace. Their father stroked Yona’s hair. A smile of relief appeared on Yona’s face as well.
Next, Yuan was called.
“Skill: ‘Swordsmanship'”
When the priest announced Yuan’s skill, a moment of breathless silence was followed by the chapel being wrapped in a whirl of joy. Yuan had obtained “Swordsmanship,” the most desired combat skill. Though still somewhat nervous, his eyes shone with pride. Their father leaned forward excitedly, his voice cracking as he shouted. Their mother covered her mouth with both hands.
As Yuan returned to where the family was, his parents and siblings surrounded him, offering congratulations one after another. Ren suddenly shifted his gaze to the small box in his hand. The palm-sized box wrapped in faint light seemed to flicker, that soft light appearing to watch over Ren gently.
He tried to step forward, but stopped his foot. Looking once more at his family, he smoothly turned on his heel.
Exiting the church, he looked up at the clear sky. The cold wind brushed his hair.
A thought suddenly struck him, and he turned his eyes toward the forest visible in the distance.
“…That’s right. I’ll hunt horn rabbits.”
Ren broke into a run, heading down the path toward the forest.
Arriving at the gate near the forest entrance, he found young adventurer boys just exiting the gate. Ren followed them out, then watched their retreating figures. They appeared to be around the age of newly registered adventurers, heading toward the forest.
“Are those people okay going into the forest…”
Ren had been told “the forest is dangerous,” so he had been careful not to enter it. He only used the outermost trees of the forest when he wanted to use branches. The interior of the forest visible through the gaps between trees looked dim and eerie.
However, watching the young adventurers chatting as they entered the forest made him think that perhaps he could enter too.
Ren was currently nine years old. Next year, he would be old enough to register as a proper adventurer.
“…Maybe I should look into the forest a bit.”
Though his interest in the forest had grown slightly, he didn’t consider entering it immediately on impulse. He made a mental note to gather information at the guild’s archives.
Leaving the path toward the forest entrance, he headed for the grasslands. The cold wind brushed his cheeks as he looked around, searching for horn rabbits.
“If it’s a celebration for both Yuan and Yona, it would be better to have plenty of meat…”
The dinner on “Blessing Ceremony” days was always slightly more extravagant. He had seen scenes where whole roasted chicken was placed at the center of the table. On Ren’s “Blessing Ceremony” day, there hadn’t been a meat dish, but he felt the soup had more ingredients than usual.
“Haa…”
Standing in the grasslands, listening to the sound of the wind, he took a deep breath.
Then, he nocked an arrow. His fingertips naturally found the string, pulled back powerfully. The bow bent. He aimed at a corner of the bushes and held his breath.
Rustle
A horn rabbit’s ear moved in the shadow of the bushes. In that instant, Ren narrowed his eyes slightly and released the string.
Whizz
“Kyii!”
As the arrow flew straight through the air, a shrill, short cry rose up.
“Alright…”
A smile appeared at Ren’s lips. He gripped the handle of the knife at his waist, drew it, and broke into a run.