The next day.
At the edge of Howling Wolf Forest.
The thin morning mist was gradually fading.
Sunlight passed through layers of branches and leaves, breaking into tiny pieces of golden light that scattered across the damp moss and fallen leaves.
The air carried the earthy smell of wet soil.
A gray rabbit quietly crouched in the grass, nibbling on the fresh green blades beneath its feet.
Its ears turned left, then right.
Its wet nose twitched gently as it sniffed the air.
Only after confirming that the only sound around it was the rustling of wind through the treetops did it lower its head again.
Clearly, the slightest disturbance would make it flee immediately.
Whoosh!
The sound of a bowstring suddenly rang out.
An arrow shot from the bushes like a venomous snake.
Its sharp arrowhead cut through the air with a faint whistle.
The rabbit immediately sensed danger.
Its ears shot upright, and its body leaned back as it prepared to leap away.
Unfortunately, the arrow was simply too fast.
Its hind legs had only just pushed against the ground when—
Thud!
The arrow pierced straight through the center of its forehead.
It came out through the back of its skull, carrying a trail of bright red blood droplets with it.
The rabbit fell onto the ground.
After twitching for a few moments, it stopped moving completely.
Two figures then emerged from the bushes.
One was a tall and handsome young man with black hair.
The other was a slim brown-haired youth with a stern expression and a lean face.
The moment the brown-haired youth saw the rabbit lying on the grass with an arrow through its head, the cold expression on his face disappeared.
It was replaced by complete shock.
“My lord... have you perhaps received the blessing of the God of Storms and Hunting?”
Berg asked in disbelief.
As a hunter, he naturally understood just how difficult it was to train a skilled archer.
It required more than just exceptional eyesight and mental control.
More importantly, it required countless hours of repetitive and boring practice.
Even Berg himself would never have developed such accurate archery if his father had not trained him from a young age.
And yet his lord—
The man who had just fired that almost miraculous arrow—
had undergone such an incredible transformation in only one day.
It was almost as if...
he had become a completely different person.
“I was merely a little more serious than usual.”
Xia Mingyu’s eyes gradually returned to normal as he held the bow in his hand.
His tone remained calm.
Although Berg was already his retainer, Xia Mingyu had no intention of telling him about his ability.
After all, Xia Mingyu understood very well that the more secrets one revealed, the easier it was to make a mistake.
Tap, tap, tap.
At that moment, another rabbit suddenly jumped out of the grass.
It sprinted toward the bushes ahead.
Absent-Minded Wandering, activate!
“Xia Mingyu” reached toward the quiver on Berg’s back and smoothly pulled out an arrow.
He placed it on the bowstring, drew the bow with practiced ease, and released.
Every movement was smooth and natural.
There was no hesitation.
No stiffness.
Whoosh!
The arrow flew forward.
It accurately entered the right eye of the running rabbit—
and burst out through its left eye with a spray of blood.
A perfect kill!
After returning to his senses, Xia Mingyu stared at the dead rabbit on the ground.
Perhaps, in many situations... consciousness itself is what holds the body back.
He silently sighed in his heart.
Meanwhile, Berg, who had witnessed the entire process, was completely frozen in place.
He had trained his archery day and night for more than ten years.
And yet his lord had caught up to him in only a single day!
For the first time, Berg suddenly felt completely useless.
...
“My lord... am I useless?”
On the way back to the village, Berg carried the two rabbit corpses while speaking in a depressed voice.
Xia Mingyu smiled slightly and patted the young man on the back.
“You are my loyal retainer.”
“You are also one of my most precious treasures.”
“Believe in yourself.”
He had only wanted to show off a little.
He certainly did not want one of the strongest people on his side to lose his fighting spirit because of it.
Berg’s eyes immediately brightened.
“Yes, my lord!”
“I will never disappoint the family name you bestowed upon me!”
“One day, I will become a dragon slayer just like that Lord Chu from your homeland!”
The young man, who had never been sweet-talked and encouraged like this before, immediately regained all his fighting spirit.
Xia Mingyu gave a dry chuckle.
“Hehe... I believe in you.”
The two gradually disappeared into the thin mist of the forest.
...
At the entrance of Fruit Basket Village.
“Your Highness Mingyu, on behalf of my lord, Viscount Cullen Hughes, I offer you his greetings.”
As soon as Xia Mingyu arrived, he saw Knight Solin—the same knight who had previously come to collect taxes—kneeling respectfully on one knee before him.
The sight made Xia Mingyu slightly nervous inside.
However, his expression remained calm and indifferent.
He spoke in a detached voice.
“Why have you come?”
Knight Solin lowered his head respectfully.
“My lord has already heard of Your Highness’s arrival.”
“He considers your presence in his territory a great honor.”
“Therefore, he wishes to personally come and pay his respects to you this afternoon, bringing a modest gift with him.”
“He hopes Your Highness will grant him permission.”
The moment Xia Mingyu heard those words, his heart began pounding rapidly.
He knew very well that a nobleman who belonged to the kingdom’s ruling class would not be as easy to fool as the villagers of Fruit Basket Village or ordinary knights.
If he made even the slightest mistake...
his true identity might be exposed.
And if that happened, there was a very real possibility that blood would be spilled on the spot.
Still, Xia Mingyu’s face remained calm.
“Very well.”
“I am also looking forward to meeting your lord.”
Although he was extremely nervous inside, Xia Mingyu still calmly agreed.
After everything he had experienced since being transported to this world, he had already understood one thing.
Constantly avoiding problems would never improve his situation.
Sometimes, taking the initiative and moving forward boldly was the only way to find a way out.
Of course...
The biggest reason was that he understood something very clearly.
Although the lord sounded extremely polite through Solin’s message, this was ultimately nothing more than courtesy before force.
Coming personally to meet Xia Mingyu was a sign of respect.
But if Xia Mingyu refused...
then the next person coming to Fruit Basket Village probably would not be Solin alone.
It would be a squad of well-trained soldiers prepared to kill.
Knight Solin’s face immediately lit up with joy.
“Your Highness, thank you for granting us this honor!”
“My lord will absolutely not arrive even a moment late!”
Solin slowly stood up and bowed respectfully.
Then he quickly mounted the tall horse waiting nearby and galloped toward the place where Viscount Hughes was temporarily staying.
He could hardly wait to deliver the good news to his lord.
Berg watched the knight disappear into the distance.
Then he turned toward Xia Mingyu with admiration.
“My lord, you really are incredible.”
“Even Viscount Hughes himself has to come personally to pay his respects to you.”
To everyone living in the villages, Viscount Hughes was an almost legendary figure whom ordinary people rarely had the chance to see.
Throughout Black Wolf Territory and several surrounding territories, people often spoke of Viscount Hughes’s bravery and kindness.
Some said that he cared deeply for his people.
The taxes he imposed were said to be among the lowest in the entire Kingdom of Soxia.
Others said that he was an incredibly powerful warrior.
During a past war, he had fought several enemies alone and personally killed multiple knights.
That was how he had earned the famous title—
“The Wailing Wolf.”
Yet even such an important man was personally bringing gifts to meet Berg’s lord.
What an incredible honor!
Berg suddenly felt that becoming His Highness’s retainer was the happiest thing that had ever happened in his entire life.
It was enough to make all the suffering he had experienced in the past feel worthwhile.
He looked at Xia Mingyu with an incomparably loyal gaze.
Feeling the young man’s almost burning stare beside him, Xia Mingyu gave a bitter smile inwardly.
If I had known things would turn out like this...
I should’ve studied acting instead of psychology back then.
