Morning, Vintermoor's Main Street
That morning, Vintermoor's main street was bustling with activity. A large banner reading "Hunting Game Registration Open" stretched across the center of Vintermoor's Central Market. Hunters from various regions, including participants from other kingdoms, began filling the registration area, carrying their weapons and equipment.
The sounds of conversation, footsteps, and calls from royal officials could be heard throughout Vintermoor's main street.
Damian, Liam, Tessa, and Rin stood in one of the registration lines, observing their surroundings.
Liam glanced to his right, his eyes sparkling. "Master Damian, look at that! There's a man carrying a bow almost as tall as he is!"
Damian glanced at him. "Are you sure that's a bow, and not a spear?"
"That's a bow..." Liam said with certainty.
Tessa shook her head slowly, while Rin smiled slightly at their antics.
Shortly after, a royal official ascended the small stage, carrying a scroll of announcements. "Attention, all participants!"
The atmosphere on the main street immediately grew quieter.
"According to the rules of the Vintermoor Kingdom Hunting Game, only male hunters are permitted to participate in the competition. Female participants are not permitted to compete and will be assigned as official observers in the royal observation area."
A few seconds of silence fell. Then...
"WHAT?!" Tessa's voice echoed throughout the main street.
Several birds perched on the city towers immediately flew away in surprise.
"What kind of rule is that?!" she snapped. "Women can hunt too!"
The royal official reading the announcement immediately turned around, his face panicked.
"T-This has been a royal tradition since the first Hunting Game, Miss…"
Rin quickly grabbed Tessa's arm. "Tessa... calm down."
"I'm calm!" Tessa replied quickly. "I just can't understand. What's the difference between men and women if they can both fight?"
Several participants began to look in their direction. Damian sighed softly.
Damian then looked at Rin and Tessa in turn. "You can still help."
"How do we do that?" they asked.
"You can observe the Hunting Game from the spectator stand. From there, you can monitor the competition and gather information. If our target is really in the Hunting Game, you'll likely see something Liam and I can't." Said Damian.
Rin nodded slowly. "Damian is right. I think that's our best option for now, Tessa."
Tessa took a deep breath before crossing her arms. "Hmph... fine."
She glanced at Damian and Liam sharply. "But if you two lose... don't expect me to show mercy."
Damian smiled faintly. "Deal."
Liam nodded confidently. "Don't worry. We'll win."
Tessa immediately gave him a flat look. "Now I'm hoping you guys get eliminated quickly."
Damian and Rin chuckled, while Liam just scratched the back of his head with a grin.
Amidst the bustling main street of Vintermoor, Hunting Game registration officially began. Their journey to the competition had finally begun.
Team Registration
After the announcements were over, Damian and Liam walked to the participant registration desk.
A royal officer greeted them, opening a large book on the table.
"How many team members?"
"Two," Damian replied curtly. "Just the two of us."
The officer nodded and began taking notes. "Okay. Before you register, I'll reiterate the main rules of the Hunting Game."
He pointed to a large board beside the desk.
"First, each team can consist of one to four people."
"Second, each team is free to choose their hunting area in the Snow Forest."
"Third, every monster they hunt must be brought back to the main post for assessment. A body part of the monster is enough for the verification."
"Fourth, each monster has a different point value, depending on its danger level."
The officer paused for a moment before continuing.
"And finally… teams are allowed to attack and take the spoils of other teams' hunts."
Liam immediately smiled broadly. "Wow… so it's not just about hunting monsters."
The officer nodded. "Right. Therefore, besides being strong against monsters, you must also be prepared to face other participants."
He closed the registration form. "The competition lasts two days. The team with the highest points will be crowned the winner of this year's Hunting Game."
Liam's eyes lit up. "Two days in the Snow Forest… this is going to be exciting."
Damian picked up a pen and signed the registration form.
"Damian Kade and Liam Ashveil, from Zephyrus Academy."
The royal officer read the names several times before raising his head. "Zephyrus Academy…" He seemed to recognize the name. "Your school's name has been on the radar a lot lately."
Damian smiled slightly. "We will do our best to uphold the good name of our school."
The royal officer nodded in satisfaction before handing over the two participant badges.
"Good luck."
Evening – Vintermoor Lodge
Damian and Liam's room was filled with hunting gear. A heavy coat hung near the door, while a gun belt, knife, rope, and survival gear were neatly arranged on the table.
In the corner of the room, Liam was doing pull-ups on the exercise bar in the room.
"One hundred... one hundred and one... one hundred and two..."
"One hundred and three..."
"One hundred and four..."
"Argh... almost failed."
Damian, who was doing push-ups on the floor, glanced at him. "Are you showing off, Liam?"
"I'm not showing off!" Liam got down from the bar, wiping off sweat. "I'm just warming up."
Damian nodded slowly. "Yeah... warming up."
Liam narrowed his eyes. "Is Master Damian jealous? Because I can do more pull-ups."
Damian stopped his push-ups and stood up slowly. "If you keep talking..." He turned toward the window. "...I'll pick you up and throw you out of there."
Liam immediately took a step back. "Hehe… I was joking, Master Damian."
A few minutes later, their training session was over. The two of them sat relaxed on the edge of the bed, rechecking their equipment.
Liam fastened his pistol belt. "So tomorrow we're heading straight to the Eastern Forest, huh?"
Damian nodded. "According to the information we gathered, that area has the highest monster population. That means the points are also the highest."
"Right." Liam smiled enthusiastically. "If you want to win, you have to go to the most dangerous place."
Damian stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly. "It's fine to chase victory, but don't forget our main objective."
Liam's expression immediately turned more serious. "Searching for clues about the Demon Lord."
Damian nodded. "Granholm is just one small part. The person behind all this is probably also in Vintermoor."
Liam holstered his revolver. "I know."
Then his smile returned. "But… there's no harm in enjoying the competition too, right?"
Damian chuckled. "Yeah… I guess you're right."
Outside the window, snow was falling slowly again. Tomorrow morning, the Hunting Game would begin, and with it, their new mission in the Kingdom of Vintermoor would officially begin.
Nighttime, Women's Inn
In the next room, the atmosphere was much quieter. Rin sat at the table, enjoying a cup of warm tea. Tessa, on the other side, leaned against the window, watching the snow still fall.
"So… they're leaving early tomorrow morning," Rin said, breaking the silence.
Tessa nodded slowly. "Yeah."
Tessa took a deep breath before continuing. "Honestly, I'm still upset that I wasn't allowed to participate in the Hunting Game."
Rin smiled slightly. "Me too."
Tessa looked out the window again. "But… if they don't win…" she said quietly. "I'm still proud, as long as they get back safely."
Rin glanced at her, then smiled mischievously. "That sounds like someone waiting for someone important to come home."
Tessa immediately looked away. "Huh?! What do you mean?"
"Nothing." Rin held back a laugh.
"I was just kidding." Tessa's cheeks began to redden.
Rin laughed softly, then looked back down at her teacup. "Come to think of it… Damian is a strange person."
Tessa nodded absentmindedly. "Yes."
"Sometimes stubborn. Sometimes too much of a hero. But…"
This time they both fell silent.
A few seconds later, Tessa sighed softly. "I don't know why… whenever there's a problem, I always feel like everything will be fine as long as he's around."
Rin smiled faintly. "I always feel that way too."
She slowly swirled her teacup. "He never judges people by their background. He doesn't care whether someone is noble or commoner. He treats everyone the same."
Tessa stared at Rin for a moment. "So… you feel that way too?"
Rin was silent for a moment before finally nodding slightly. "Maybe."
Her answer was brief, but enough for Tessa to grasp her meaning.
Instead of being annoyed, Tessa smiled slightly. "Funny, huh?"
"What?" Rin said, confused.
"We're talking about the same person." Rin smiled back.
A few moments later, they both laughed softly.
"The person we're talking about is probably busy training in the next room," Rin said.
"Or Liam's complimenting him again," Tessa added, shaking her head.
Rin immediately laughed. "One's too serious. The other's too loud, but... they really are a good pair."
Tessa nodded slowly. "Yes, that's completely agreed upon."
The room fell silent again. No one spoke anymore.
They simply sat enjoying a cup of warm tea while watching the snow continue to fall outside the window.
For the first time since leaving the Zephyrus, the two of them could enjoy the evening without having to think about the battle or the threats that awaited them.