Sword, Tiara and High Heels

Seletina was rushing swiftly toward the courtyard in the freezing cold while deftly avoiding people’s eyes.

She rubbed her frigid, thin fingers together and let out a white, smoky breath, moving across the residence with the agility of a little mouse.

As she approached the courtyard, she caught a glimpse of the silver pocket watch she had tucked away in the pocket of her thick winter robe and noticed that it was precisely six o’clock.

Seletina peered about, and when she noticed that no one was in sight, she sprang into the courtyard.

Where is brother?

She quickly spotted him after scouring the area.

Yennis, his hair unkempt and looking like a golden chestnut, was hiding behind a flowerbed and beckoning with his hand.

“Right on time,” he said as Seletina ran up to him.

“What exactly are we doing here, Brother? And what’s up with all of that luggage?”

With an uneasy expression, Seletina asked, pointing at Yennis’ luggage.

On his back, Yennis had two kid-sized bows, a quiver, and a sizable, bulging leather sack—likely containing a variety of items.

“I’ll explain later.
We don’t have time now.
Let’s go.”
“W-Wait!”

After saying that, Yennis grabbed Seletina’s hand and made her walk after him.

After leaving the courtyard, Yennis led Seletina directly to a big stable that was located some distance away from the residence.
When the kids reached the stables, they discovered a number of carriages parked there.
After that, Yennis walked over to a covered wagon and hopped inside.

“Help me,” Yennis said, as he opened a large wooden box, which appeared to be the cargo of one of the carriages, and began emptying its contents.

So that’s his plan.

Seletina thought as she helped Yennis.
There were numerous clothes in the wooden box.
Nevertheless, Seletina’s condition made the work appear arduous, and by the time they had emptied the box, she had become drenched in sweat.
In order to prevent any problems later, the youngsters then hid the clothes in barrels that were placed nearby.

“Hop in.”

Yennis said after getting inside the box.

As instructed, Seletina entered the wooden box, which was larger inside than she had anticipated and had more than enough room for two kids to fit inside.

She had anticipated that after Yennis shut the lid, the interior of the box would be completely black, but light was able to enter through cracks in the wooden planks, making the inside of the box surprisingly bright.

“This carriage travels to and from town every morning.
We’ll use it to sneak into town.
Great idea, no?”

With a smile, Yennis reached inside the large leather bag and withdrew two loaves of bread, two apples, and two water bottles, giving Seletina one of each.

“And why are we going to the town?”
“Strictly speaking we’re not going to the town.
We’re going through it to get to the mountain.”
“The mountain?”
“We’re going on a wild boar hunt.”

Wild boar hunting.
　
The nobility enjoyed hunting and it was an important part of their culture, yet even for adults, boar hunting was one of the most challenging.
One ran the risk of getting hurt or even dying if one underestimated the ferocity and agility of the boar1.

Additionally, the wild boars of the Aldelight area were notorious for their enormous size and fatness, making them particularly challenging to hunt.
However, if one were to succeed, one would undoubtedly be the talk of the town.

It was an endeavor that called for a great deal of confidence and experience and was surely out of the question for youths.

As such the frown on Seletina’s face was understandable.

She was now little more than a weak young child, despite having formerly been a renowned knight.

“Isn’t hunting dangerous? Going alone with just the two of us without any supervision is reckless…”
“You’re right.
It’s dangerous.
But hunting a wild boar is an achievement like no other.
And imagine if it were done by just two kids.
Everyone would be shocked.
Mother and father will have no option but to reward you with candy, a knighthood, or anything else you choose with this level of accomplishment2.”

Yennis spoke up eagerly, while Seletina kept quiet.

It was clearly reckless to go on a hunt with just two children.
It was unquestionably a foolish idea.
Seletina knew that very well.

The only reason Yennis had proposed it was because he was still a child.
He could disregard the possibility of death and come up with such a careless strategy simply because he was still young and naive.
Seletina on the other hand had the calm mind of an adult.

But if…

Seletina remained silent.

She was aware that if she let things be as they were, she would remain a caged bird.
She sensed from what had happened last night that her wish to become a knight would not come true.

For better or worse, Yennis’ suggestion of a boar hunt will undoubtedly aid me in overcoming my current predicament more so than simply sitting put.

Seletina got lost in her thoughts.

But can I really drag Yennis into this? What if something happens? Who’ll take the blame then? For starters, can two kids even hunt a wild boar? What about traps? How many arrows do we have? Is there really no better way for me to become a knight?

While Seletina pondered, the covered wagon shook.

Yennis smiled as he spoke to the horrified Seletina,

“We’re off.
Let’s hunt that boar!”

As she watched Yennis take a big bite of his apple, Seletina heaved a deep sigh of resignation.