Volume 2, Chapter 19 – Hunting Festival (2)

◆ Lumia POV ◆

“I hereby declare the 37th Hunting Festival officially open!”

Cheers erupted throughout the venue.

For the first time since being freed from slavery, I was acting on my own.

That said, Onee-sama and Chris-san were in the audience, while I was a participant in the festival.

So, it wasn’t like I was completely alone.

I wore a hood to hide my Elf ears, but since I was much smaller than the other participants, I stood out.

Because of that, people kept pestering me.

“Hey now, you really think you can draw a bow with a scrawny body like that? Why don’t you go home and drink some more of mommy’s milk!”

“…”

“Hey, you ignoring me?”

There was no point in arguing with him, so even though he was annoying, I tried to ignore him.

Onee-sama had warned me to do exactly that.

People like this never dared approach me when I was with her, which made me realize just how incredible a Saint she really is.

“And for this occasion, we are honored to have the presence of Saint Fiene Argentata!”

Onee-sama appeared, waving her hand.

The cheers were immense.

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I really think I was saved by an amazing person.

There’s still the matter of my father, and I’m worried since my little sister is still missing, but thanks to Onee-sama and Chris-san, I’ve been able to travel properly.

They even helped me search for my mom.

To be honest, I’m still a little scared of humans.

But I have Onee-sama, and even among humans, Chris-san is a good person.

That’s why I want to win this, if only to pay them back a little. I’m sure Onee-sama and Chris-san would be happy if I could get them some delicious meat.

“And now, let us have the Saint ring the bell to signal the start of the competition.”

Onee-sama struck the bell with a hammer, and a dry clang echoed through the venue.

“The competition… starts now!”

I left the venue and entered the forest. Once inside the woods, I wouldn’t lose to any human.

This was the debut of the bow Onee-sama bought me.

I couldn’t afford to look pathetic.

“Hey, brat. You listening? You’re in the way, so get lost—”

So persistent. What is with this man who’s been obsessively picking on me for a while now?

I ignored him and dove into the brush. I’m still inexperienced, but I am an Elf.

Inside the forest, I can speak with the spirits that dwell there and borrow their strength.

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Water Spirits, Wind Spirits, Earth Spirits, and even the spirits of grass and trees—the forest is home to many.

——Everyone, please lend me your strength!

Several spirits responded to my call and lent me their power.

Thank you , I whispered in my heart, and using the spirits’ strength, I accelerated instantly.

“Ah, hey! Wait!”

The persistent man was still saying something behind me, but I didn’t care.

I sprinted deeper and deeper into the forest to put distance between myself and the other participants.

I think I’ve made it pretty deep into the woods now.

The other humans probably won’t find me here, so it’s about time I find some good prey and catch it.

According to the spirits, Potopoto Birds inhabit this forest, so I definitely want to catch one of those.

As the name suggests, the Potopoto Bird is one of the forest’s top-tier prey, so delicious that your cheeks practically “drop off” ¹ ポトポト (potopoto) is a Japanese onomatopoeia that describes liquid dropping continuously, such as water dripping from a leaking faucet or sweat rolling down your skin. while eating it.

If I bring one of these back, victory should be guaranteed. Following the guidance of the spirits, I climbed a forest tree and hid myself.

Now, all that’s left is to wait patiently. The championship will be mine.

◆ Protagonist POV ◆

About two hours had passed since Lu-chan entered the forest.

The hunting time was just about halfway through.

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As for me, I was lying on the sofa in the VIP room, resting.

To put it simply, I had collapsed from Magical Power Depletion, so I was focusing on natural recovery.

Why did this happen, you ask?

It all started when I had finished browsing the food court stalls and was about to head back to my seat.

“U-um, Saint-sama. Please give a b-blessing to my Moo-chan.”

When I turned around, a little girl was holding out a reindeer plushie with a bright red nose.

Ugh. This is…!

This is bad. If I performed an Enchant in a place like this, I felt like it would definitely cause a panic.

However, this child was looking up at me with incredibly sparkling eyes.

W-w-w-what should I do?

“Now, Fiene-sama.”

Even Chris-san was looking at me with that look.

Dammit. At this point, I have no choice but to do it.

“Alright. So this little one is called Mu-chan. May you and Mu-chan be friends forever.”

I applied Purification Magic to the plushie’s nose and returned it to the child.

“Thank you, Saint-sama!”

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With a beaming smile, the girl returned to her parents.

Yes, so cute.

And then, a line of people wanting “blessings”—otherwise known as Enchants—formed in front of us.

◆ Lumia POV ◆

In the end, I caught three Potopoto Birds.

I can’t wait to go back and be praised by Onee-sama and Chris-san.

I began walking back toward the venue in high spirits.

Then, I caught a whiff of something bloody in the air.

This might be bad.

During the briefing, we were told that monsters live in this forest.

If even I can smell it, there’s a risk it might attract carnivorous beasts like wolves or bears, or even monsters.

If a monster shows up, I don’t stand a chance.

But even so, I feel like I can’t just leave it alone, or the monsters might end up reaching the town.

Alright, I’ll just check the situation and then head back.

Using the help of the spirits once more, I headed toward the source of the scent.