I Start with a Bad Hand!

Holding my rattling head, I thought, ‘If Irene were born in a different time and environment, she would have become a biker.’

Irene, racing against the incoming horses from the Sereti side, didn’t slow down even at the corners. When her black horse leaped over a fallen tree and landed, I couldn’t help but feel for my skull to ensure it hadn’t detached from my spine.

“Dietrich, we’re heading to an open field soon!”

The moment we shatter the magic stones, they’ll know we’re here, so we need to shoot the next arrow right away. 

I nodded at Irene’s urgent shout. She released one hand from the reins and gripped my waist tightly.

‘I don’t know if I’ll be able to hit it with this crappy bow and paint-tipped arrows.’

When the horse leaped and landed again, we emerged from the forest and stood behind the elephant. Up close, it was evident this was a hologram-like construct made of magic stones. The giant body of the elephant was partially transparent, showing the foliage behind it.

‘Magic stone, where is the magic stone.’

I searched for the solid part within the translucent body of the elephant. The spot that didn’t reflect the background was right in the center of the forehead. It looked like a decorative piece, but it was clearly where the magic stone was.

“I found it, Irene! Slow down a bit!”

At my words, Irene slowed the horse even more, bringing us closer to one of the elephants. I drew the arrow with all my strength. When I released the arrow,

“Wow…”

As the magic stone that formed the Oliphant shattered, small lights like fireflies rained down into the forest. The sparkling lights drifted down on Irene and me, making time feel as though it were moving slowly for a brief moment.

But there was no time for sentimentality.

‘Damn it, it broke after just one shot.’

I quickly grabbed another bow from the side of the horse. Only two were left.

‘This time, I’ll control my strength…’

However, the second bow also broke with a crack when I hit the fourth elephant. Suppressing the rising curses, I pulled out the last bow.

‘These are like disposable items. How can they break every time I shoot?’

I can’t afford to break this one too. At that moment, the sound of a horn trumpet started again from afar. Damn it, with our numerical disadvantage, it was only a matter of time before they caught up.

I couldn’t afford to think about the future. I had to focus on the target in front of me.

I aimed the last arrow at the magic stone of the final elephant with all my strength.

With a snap, the fifth arrow was released, and the last bow broke.

I glanced back at the approaching students of the Sereti Empire and thought, I should have brought more bows. Without a bow, it was impossible to counterattack.

‘Is it even possible that all five broke after just one shot each?’

How could anyone think of distributing such equipment? Are they joking? I pulled my hood deeper over my face to shield myself from the branches whipping past. After I hit the magic stone on the last elephant, there was a moment of silence, then the horn sounded again. This time, it was short, rapid bursts. Listening carefully to the rhythm, Irene dismounted and said, “Dietrich, switch places.”

“What?”

“Give me your quiver too. Hurry!”

We switched positions quickly and started heading back to our camp, but it didn’t take long for us to be pursued. Through the densely packed trees, the Sereti Empire students began to appear, and Irene glanced sideways, picking up speed.

“There they are, catch them!”

Unlike their usual loose robes, today the Sereti students were clad in black armor, pursuing us with fierce determination.

“Lower your head!”

I ducked instinctively at Irene’s urgent shout. Looking back, I saw the Sereti students chasing us through the tree branches, their expressions unchanged even as they collided with the foliage. Their eyes were wild.

More and more people were joining the chase. Irene started to dodge at the last second, changing directions sharply to shake them off. From behind, I could hear the shouts and grunts of frustration.

“It’s only two of them, don’t let them get away!”

Clinging to Irene’s back like a cicada, I couldn’t help but think, ‘Is this really worth it?’

Was this really something we had to do, even at the risk of our lives? At a fork in the path, Irene turned left at the last moment again. The students chasing us collided, and their horses whinnied in distress.

“Damn it!”

With a curse, the horn sounded again. Beep—beeeep. As Irene prepared to change direction again,

“…!”

A Sereti student suddenly emerged from the bushes and swung a wooden sword at us. I reflexively recalled a conversation with my senior from the archery club.

“Senior, we just have to shoot arrows and hit the target. How do the swordsmanship club students attack their opponents to take them out of the match?”

“They make the opponent unable to fight. For example, by breaking their wooden sword…”

The senior had trailed off, then continued with a meaningful smile, “…or by truly rendering them unable to fight.”

Instinctively, Irene blocked the wooden sword with one arm. When the sound of the sword hitting echoed through the forest, it was clear the impact was severe enough to suggest a fracture.

‘Unable to fight… Is it really nothing to get injured or to injure others like this?’

Friendly games between allied nations. Just how far does this go? While I stood there, unable to keep my mouth shut from the shock, everyone else wore indifferent expressions.

Despite the sudden attack, Irene didn’t let out a single scream and simply stared at the Sereti student. Then, she threw the broken bow she had taken from me to the ground. By now, the Sereti students had surrounded us in a circle.

“We knew there were two of you, but we didn’t expect it to be two girls.”

“……”

“If we had known, we wouldn’t have used such force to subdue you.”

A whistle sounded from somewhere, as if praising his lousy chivalry. At that, Irene’s previously expressionless face twisted in contempt.

“We’re in a bit of a bind ourselves. The Oliphant was our secret weapon against ‘that person.’ We didn’t expect all the magic stones to be shattered within 20 minutes of starting.”

Wouldn’t it be a hassle to leave such a skilled person alone?

The Sereti student laughed hollowly and asked for our agreement, but I was caught off guard by the term ‘that person.’

At that moment, Irene, who had remained expressionless despite her injuries, responded.

“…Send the signal.”

The Sereti student shrugged and pulled out a horn from inside his clothes, blowing it briefly to produce a specific tune.

Irene handed me the quiver she had been carrying. The Sereti students’ gazes turned to me. Meeting their eyes without flinching, Irene spoke in a calm voice.

“This is my rider. She’s been designated as a non-combatant.”

So, don’t touch her and let her go.

It was only then that I realized Irene’s intention behind switching places and carrying the quiver herself.

‘So that’s why she switched places and insisted on carrying the quiver.’

Irene had anticipated that once I fired the last arrow, a relentless pursuit might ensue, making escape impossible.

‘She pretended to be the one who fired the arrow, so if we got caught, she, as the designated non-combatant, would become the target, allowing me to escape…’

Indeed, they showed little interest in me. Then, Irene spoke to me in a cold tone.

“Get off.”

“…What?”

“I’ll ride the horse, you walk.”

“What?”

Laughter erupted from the Sereti students surrounding us, amused by the harsh command. But, under the stern gaze sending me a signal, I simply nodded obediently.

“…I’ll make sure to properly organize and bring the remaining equipment.”

Even though the bows were all broken… I could probably borrow a spare bow as I moved around. Irene saw my determination and nodded, mouthing “Be careful” before riding away, her expression becoming unreadable as soon as I dismounted.

“We’re leaving too.”

With a whistle, the student who had broken Irene’s arm led the Sereti students as they dispersed. I watched them leave, knowing I now had a more urgent reason to take this insane competition seriously.

‘I need to act like a non-combatant. Wandering around without a bow or a horse shouldn’t be too threatening. I need to find the archery club members and get a bow…’

But first, there was something else I needed to do. I felt the ground beneath me, trying to steady myself as the nausea I’d been holding back surged. It felt like the connection between my skull and spine had loosened.

Just for a moment… I need to lie down for just a moment.

And so, after that 20-minute sprint, I had to lie down for two hours.

***

“Hey, what the heck?”

I raised my head slightly from where I was lying at the sound of the scream. A Sereti student, looking down at me from his horse with a surprised expression, stared as if he had seen something he shouldn’t have.

“Are you okay?”

Without answering, I simply gave a thumbs-up.

“Why are you lying here? You scared me.”

I waved him off dismissively, and with a grumble, he rode away. Several students from both camps passed by me as I lay there. It felt like quite a while had passed. Despite several flares going off and the sound of horn signals echoing multiple times, the competition had yet to end.

The grass swaying in the wind tickled my cheek. Shimmering particles of light still floated in the air. The tiny lights that had poured down when the magic stone of the elephant shattered were gently drifting down onto me.

‘Maybe because I’m lying in a sunny spot. I’m feeling sleepy.’

Just as I was about to close my eyes again, feeling as though I’d been trampled by a hundred invisible horses, I heard a voice calling my name urgently.

“…Dietrich?”

Footsteps approached rapidly.

“Dietrich!”

Before I could properly see who it was, someone lifted me up from where I was lying. I felt the trembling in his hands and looked up at him.

“…Your Highness.”