Resetting Lady

“So Xenon, you’re calling me stupid now, aren’t you? Why don’t you go ahead and call me Little Ray.”

“…I was presumptuous.”

“Still, don’t be so discouraged at your accelerating age since… Shh.”

Click.

Raymond loaded the gun.

BANG!

The birds’ wings loudly flapped as they flew away. Thud. The prey fell. It was a huge stag—its antlers were magnificent.

“I missed. I’m getting rusty.”

“But didn’t you hit it?”

“It wasn’t an instant death… Now, it’s just unnecessarily in pain.”

“It’ll die after you’ve shot it anyway. Why does that matter when it’ll eventually be meat that will be eaten?”

“I’ve really gone rusty.”

Raymond muttered to himself. He was preoccupied with thoughts other than the deer. Xenon could guess what it was.

“Isn’t this the first time you’re seeing a proper woman, sir? Hehe, all the girls you’ve been stuck with until now, and then there’s Lady Isella. They’ve all been no joke, really.”

“Proper woman?”

Raymond repeated Xenon’s words.

“I’m talking about Lady Carynne.”

“…Haha.”

Raymond turned to face Xenon. He looked at the other man squarely in the eyes. Then, there was a smile on his marvelous features. Evidently, it was not the same bright smile that he would show to Carynne.

“I-Is that not the case?”

Did he make a mistake? Xenon broke out in cold sweat. He couldn’t get a read on Raymond—he was always a decent superior, a decent aristocrat. But was that truly how he was?

“If that’s how you see it, well… I guess you’re right.”

“I apologize.”

“I didn’t mean to be angry. I’m just doing my best, is what I’m saying. Her, too.”

The two men approached the fallen deer. It was still breathing. The gasping deer’s big eyes was somehow burdening. Xenon took out a dagger.

“…I knew it, it’s still breathing.”

“Let me deal with it, sir.”

“No, let me. It’s my fault.”

“Yes, sir.”

Raymond approached the gasping dear and hugged its head. He held it close to his body, then he whispered.

“Shh… good boy.”

Craaack.

With a deer that size, a large amount of force would have been needed to do it in, but it took little effort on Raymond’s part to break the deer’s neck. The animal’s eyes rolled up, and after it convulsed for a few moments, it soon gradually settled down.

“Its fur and antlers are in a pretty good condition. Its head could even be used as a decoration.”

While appraising the deer’s antlers, Raymond asked.

“Xenon, is a deer head a good gift?”

“Do you mean for Mister Verdic?”

Raymond had already given that man so many things, so what else was he trying to give? Xenon felt disgusted just thinking about Verdic’s greedy smile.

These days, Verdic was obsessed with eating, and his personality was getting even filthier by the day. Xenon didn’t want Raymond to bow to him. That man wasn’t worth any respect.

“The meat should be enough for him.”

So was he saying that he’s going to cut this deer’s head and present it to his frail fiancée? Xenon shook his head. As expected, he’s still young, so he didn’t know the ways of the world.

“…I don’t think that’s a good idea. Fox fur might be a better gift.”

“The antlers are this huge though.”

“But it’s not fitting as a gift for a young lady. How about doing the same as you did before… just like with Lady Isella? It would be enough to go to a jewelry store and choose the most expensive item there. Or if it’s the most popular design, just give a bouquet of flowers along with it, then it’ll be perfect.”

Raymond tilted his head to the side. For some reason, he looked young at that very moment, so Xenon laughed. This clumsy side of him made him look a bit more human.

“I thought she’d like this kind of thing.”

“…Please don’t give that.”

He’s been good at picking out presents and good at acting according to etiquette thus far, but why was he doing such things for Carynne? Could this kind of behavior also be attributed to him being in love? Xenon wasn’t like this when he was younger. He scratched his head.

“Seems like you’ve really fallen in love, sir.”

It should be like that. So.

Laughing strangely, whispering to one another… and allowing her to get hurt?

Xenon shook his head and erased the fleeting thought from his mind. A squire must not have any doubts about his master. And Raymond had never let him down before. Surely enough, he’s thinking of everything.

“Shall I send a telegram back to the estate? Once you get married, the Lady would no longer be part of the Evans household.”

“Mm… Right. That’s bound to happen over time.”

“His Lordship the Baron is ill, so he would be looking forward to your marriage, Lord Raymond.”

“That person? I’m not so sure about that.”

“It’s because of your siblings, sir.”

Awkwardly, Raymond swept a hand over his face. Then, he stroked his chin.

“Goodness, sir, it really seems like you’ve truly fallen for her. But it's better to be more forthright with women, it wouldn’t do you any good to wait or hesitate. If you act like a man—”

“You said it’s better to be forthright.”

“Yes, sir.”

As Raymond continued to contemplate, he also looked as if he was feeling a bit awkward, so Xenon turned his head to the side. Damn, he took it too far. As he looked away, he saw the horses tied to a tree some distance away. It’s going to be troublesome to go back that way.

“But sir, why did you come all the way out here to hunt? We’ve gone a long way.”

The hunting grounds they were in right now was quite far from the Evans family’s villa. It was summer, so the deer were heavier these days. Even so, this place wasn’t a particularly good spot compared to the hunting grounds near the villa.

Why on earth did he choose to come here? Raymond kept talking about incomprehensible things while Xenon over here thought that he was giving some love advice.

Tired of walking on eggshells, Xenon sighed and complained to Raymond.

“We’ll have to lug this back such a long way ahead, but the amount of money it’s worth wouldn’t cut it.”

And, only one deer was caught. Xenon swallowed back these last words. Having only hunted this much, this was a disastrous turnout for Raymond. He woke up at the crack of dawn to go hunting today, and he went from this place to that place all day as well.

“…There’s something I need to confirm.”

Raymond continued to walk through the woods, stepping on the grass as he carried his rifle with him. It seemed like he was looking for something, but he wouldn’t say what it was.

Xenon agonized over the reason why he was here all day. Was this, too, something that happened when a man falls in love?

“Is this related to the Lady? …Huk.”

Xenon stopped breathing.

As soon as the fishy smell in the air hit him, he saw it.

However, it wasn’t a prey that Xenon’s master had caught beforehand. IT was a red-headed woman, lying on the ground.

Neither Xenon nor Raymond drew in closer than a certain distance—even if they went closer, the woman was already far beyond saving. The smell of blood was strong, but the smell that permeated the air wasn’t just its metallic smell. It smelled disgustingly rotten.

It was a dead body.

“Urk.”

“It smells terrible. How long do you think it’s been?”

“At least three days, sir? A doctor should be consulted, but I believe it hasn’t been more than three days.”

“…I see.”

Raymond approached the corpse cautiously, then using his gun, he flipped over the woman’s body.

Wriggle.

“T-That—”

“Calm down, Xenon.”

The woman’s mouth was ripped open. This was obviously a case of murder. Her eyeballs were also gone. Her clothes were soaked entirely of blood. Of course, it was because her stomach was also completely torn open.

Wriggle.

The corpse’s mouth dragged open.

“W-What?”

Through the corpse’s mouth, a squeak could be heard, and a mouse popped right out.

Fwick.

Raymond picked up a rock and threw it at the mouse. The mouse screeched out as it died. It seemed to have devoured the woman’s tongue.

Xenon’s stomach turned.

“Xenon, hand me your notebook.”

“The hell, this—”

“Calm down. It’s what we’ve always seen.”

“But that was.”

That was on the battlefield, not here. This should be a peaceful place.

But the scariest thing was—

“…Ah.”

—it’s as if Raymond already knew that the corpse was laying here.

Why the hell did the knight in front of him come to this place? What did he know?

“Xenon, what was it that you said earlier?”

“P-Pardon me?”

“About Miss Carynne Evans.”

“Y-Yes.”

Raymond slung his gun on his back again. This action alone made Xenon realize that Raymond was looking for this all along.

But then, the most unexpected words left Raymond’s lips.

“Seems like I’m in love.”

“It, it seems so.”

While packing up the deer, Raymond spoke to Xenon.

“So, let me be forthright. Don’t come anywhere near her.”

Xenon might have joked and said, ‘Will you be jealous, sir?’ but then the expression on the man’s face would not have made it possible.