Chapter 17: The Hunting Competition

“Swish!”
An arrow shot through the forest, landing in the underbrush. But the sound that followed told everyone it had struck an animal, not the ground.
Before their eyes, a fallow deer leapt from the woods, the arrow’s fletching still quivering in its flank, blood trickling from the wound.
The knights erupted in cheers, spurring their horses toward the wounded deer.
Leo lowered his bow, exhaling deeply.
He’d somehow managed to hit the target.
Turning toward Matilda, he caught a glimmer of admiration in the duchess’s eyes.
In his previous life, Leo had practiced archery, but hitting that deer just now had been a stroke of luck.
“Sir Leo, your archery is quite impressive. Where did you learn?”
Matilda sat sideways on her horse, maintaining an elegant posture. Leo set his bow aside, hanging it on the saddle.
“I picked it up in Rome, just for fun.”
“Oh? Does the Roman Curia teach such things?”
Matilda glanced skeptically at Leo.
“I learned on my own,” Leo replied, avoiding her gaze. “I simply thought it was interesting at the time, so I practiced.”
Interesting. That sounded reasonable enough, though for a cleric it was a bit absurd.
But Matilda did not probe further, turning instead to watch her knights return. After a brief chase, they killed the deer with their lances and brought it back. The animal’s large antlers and dappled coat were strikingly beautiful.
The knights skillfully skinned the deer and began to dress it.
While they worked, Matilda suddenly spoke: “Knights, why don’t we hold a hunting competition here? What do you say?”
A hunting competition?
Leo was momentarily taken aback, but the knights were anything but confused.
They shouted with delight, waving their lances.
Knights of this era were not known for their virtue; their so-called chivalry was expertise in a hundred methods of pillage and violence. Primal, wild activities like hunting were naturally their favorite pastime.
“Let us see who can hunt the largest and fiercest beast, or who brings back the greatest number. The prize—one of my court’s Friesian horses!”
At the mention of the prize, the knights were ecstatic.
A Friesian!
This prized northern steed was the Maserati of the Middle Ages, the Ferrari every knight dreamed of.
Just then, Leo’s system chimed in.
[New Competition Quest Triggered: The Hunt of Emilia]
[Objective: Hunt the most dangerous animal possible and surpass all other competitors]
[Reward: Lesser Holy Relic]
At the sight of such a reward, Leo could hardly contain his excitement.
How could he refuse with a prize like that?
“I’ll join as well.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Leo took a lance and several javelins from Alberto’s packhorse and fastened them to his saddle.
His participation only heightened the knights’ interest.
“The lads are eager to best you,” Alberto remarked.
Leo glanced back over his shoulder.

Enrico and Corrado were flanking him—they would, of course, accompany him.
“No problem,” he replied, then turned to Matilda.
The duchess seemed genuinely curious, perhaps even surprised; after all, it was rare for a cleric to join a hunt.
“My lady, please wait a moment. I shall soon present you with my trophy.”
“Then I shall look forward to it,” Matilda answered, and began directing her servants to set up camp beside the road. Leo, meanwhile, wasted no time, leading Enrico and Corrado into the forest.
As the sound of Leo’s horse faded, the forest’s silence was gradually disturbed. Birds fluttered from the treetops; hooves splashed in a brook, sending up flecks of mud.
What kind of prey would truly impress?
It had to be something large and formidable—wolves or wild boar would be ideal.
As Leo pondered this, Corrado suddenly reined in his horse, bringing the group to a halt. Enrico followed suit, and Leo’s own mount grew restless, pawing the grass nervously, nostrils flaring with the scent of fear.
Corrado was the first to dismount, slinging his weapons over his shoulder. Leo copied him, handing his reins to Corrado—who promptly snatched Leo’s bow away.
“What are you doing?” Leo whispered. “That’s my weapon…”
“It’s useless. It’s a bear.”
With that, Corrado hung the bow on the saddle.
A bear—an actual bear.
Real bears weren’t like the ones in children’s stories. Even if European bears were somewhat smaller, they remained among the world’s most formidable predators.
Leo’s heart pounded with anxiety.
But the promise of the system’s reward steeled his resolve; gritting his teeth, he grabbed a javelin and lance and followed Corrado.
Unlike Leo, Corrado moved like a seasoned hunter.
He gripped two javelins in his right hand and a short dagger in his left. Silently parting the underbrush, he beckoned Leo over.
Enrico was about to follow when Leo pulled him back, moving quietly to Corrado’s side and crouching low.
A massive brown bear was feasting on the remains of some animal, its claws glinting menacingly in the sunlight. Every so often, the bear lifted its head, sniffing the air, ever watchful.
“Javelin—aim for the side, or the neck,” Corrado whispered.
No sooner had he spoken than the bear’s ears shot up.
It turned toward the brush where Corrado and Leo hid, nose and ears twitching.
Suddenly, Corrado drew his spear and charged, shouting wildly to draw the bear’s attention away from Leo.
As the bear turned, time seemed to slow for Leo.
He saw the beast expose its vulnerable flank.
Corrado’s advice echoed in his mind—aim for the side or the neck.
Raising his javelin, Leo felt the world fall silent, overwhelmed by the pounding in his ears. All that remained was the bear.
Adrenaline surged through him, giving him strength and a mysterious courage.
He hurled the javelin with all his might.

The weapon sliced through the air, followed by the dull thud of metal piercing flesh.
“Roar—”
The bear let out a terrifying bellow; though the javelin struck, it was not enough to bring the beast down.
It turned, charging at Leo like an unstoppable tank, intent on destruction.
“Go for the side!”
Enrico shoved Leo aside, sending him sprawling.
Leo scrambled away, gripping another javelin as Enrico bravely distracted the bear.
Wounded and enraged, the bear abandoned caution, lunging straight at Enrico and exposing its side to Leo and Corrado.
Neither man would let such an opportunity pass.
As Leo hurled his javelin, Corrado did the same, both weapons piercing the bear’s flank.
As for Enrico, he had no intention of facing the beast head-on.
Once the bear drew close, he dropped his spear and scrambled up a tree like a monkey, looking utterly desperate.
The bear prowled beneath the tree for a moment, giving Enrico his chance.
He drew another javelin from his pouch and hurled it downward, gravity driving the weapon into the bear’s heart and lungs.
That final blow sent the animal into a frenzy.
With three mortal wounds, the bear’s end was near. The three men kept their distance, following the dying beast as it stumbled away.
Soon, they found the exhausted bear collapsed and barely breathing.
Four javelins protruded from its body, some broken, but the heads still buried deep.
The three men stood watching until the bear’s chest stilled, and Leo stepped forward.
Corrado stopped him with a firm grip.
“Caution, my lord.”
He picked up a stone and threw it at the bear to be sure. Only when he was certain the beast was dead did Corrado approach.
“Look, my lord, what a magnificent bear,” Corrado said, patting its head.
Leo, still breathless, hadn’t yet processed what had happened.
It was his first time facing such a terrifying creature; even in victory, fear lingered. Enrico seemed equally shaken.
Only Corrado appeared unfazed.
“Let’s get this bear back quickly. Tie up the carcass—three horses can pull it just fine.”
Corrado gathered the javelins and fetched the horses.
Even as the animals neared the bear’s corpse, they trembled with fear, but Corrado soon soothed them. He and Enrico lashed the bear to the horses and began leading them out of the forest.
Leo glanced back.
With this bear as his trophy, how could he possibly lose the competition?