Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 138

* * *

It was in the emperor’s tent. The emperor pressed his thick index finger firmly on a spot on the map spread out in the center of the table. “Here.” The place he pointed to was a remote area in Zone 3.

 

Claude frowned as he looked at the map. “It’s a densely wooded area.”

 

At that, Emperor Ignasio burst into a raspy laugh. “I had it cleared, leaving only the trees along the perimeter intact.”

 

“Do you mean to say you chopped down the trees?” Claude asked back in surprise.

 

Ignasio nodded. “So, while it looks like a dense forest from the outside, there is actually an empty clearing inside.”

 

What is the emperor’s intention? Claude remained silent, waiting for Ignasio’s next words.

 

“What do you think I have prepared in that clearing?” Ignasio said, looking thoroughly amused.

 

Claude looked at Ignasio with questioning eyes.

 

“I have piled up pre-hunted animals there.”

 

“That means…!”

 

“They are all yours, Claude.”

 

Claude looked at Ignasio in astonishment.

 

“If you just take the game piled up here, beating Ludwig will be a piece of cake. I’ve made preparations to the point where it will be impossible for Ludwig to win, no matter how good a hunter he is.”

 

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Claude bowed his head in gratitude, but he couldn’t shake the cold feeling in his chest. He must have once cherished Ludwig deeply as his son. And yet, just because things went sour, he was going this far to crush Ludwig. Ignasio’s coldness and cruelty made him shudder. At the same time, his heart sank at the thought of what retaliation he himself might face if he ever fell out of Ignasio’s favor.

 

“There’s no need to be so grateful. You have prepared something for me as well, haven’t you?” Ignasio spoke, misunderstanding Claude, who couldn’t bring himself to lift his head.

 

Claude composed his expression and raised his head. “Of course. I have instructed the members of the group I lead to keep the crown prince in check.”

 

“Good, Claude. I’m counting on you.” The emperor’s hand lightly patted Claude’s shoulder. “If you handle today’s matter successfully, your position might change.” He whispered sweet words into Claude’s ear.

 

There was no change in Claude’s expression. I know at least that the emperor doesn’t see me as a replacement for the crown prince. He’s just trying to use Claude’s desires to suppress the crown prince. But Claude had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away today.

 

Besides, isn’t this a particularly treacherous hunting ground? Even if an unplanned accident happens, it wouldn’t be strange. If that happened, even the emperor wouldn’t have a choice. Because the only one left would be Claude Clementi, no, Claude Leopold, himself.

 

* * *

Ludwig was mounted on his horse, aiming his bow at a wolf. Claiming he was worried the unicorn’s avatar might get hurt, the emperor had forbidden him from bringing the avatar to the hunting ground. Fortunately, the horse he was riding now was also a fine steed that knew how to hold its breath while its master hunted.

 

Confident that he wouldn’t miss this prey, Ludwig was about to release the bowstring. However…

 

“Grrrrr!”

 

An arrow shot by someone else landed in front of the wolf, causing it to flee.

 

“Ah, damn it!”

 

Someone cursed and emerged from between the trees.

 

“Missed it again.”

 

The group of young nobles feigned disappointment, their tone light and playful. They were part of the group led by Claude.

 

“How unfortunate.”

 

At Ludwig’s voice, they belatedly pretended to notice Ludwig’s presence and bowed their heads.

 

“Your Highness, you’re here as well.”

 

“Ah, what a coincidence.”

 

Ludwig lifted one corner of his mouth into a smirk. “Truly surprising. Everywhere I go, you all seem to appear as well.”

 

“Indeed. Could it be that the prey I missed was also being targeted by Your Highness?”

 

“Come on now, as if. Would such a coincidence happen again? At this point, it’s practically fate.”

 

Hahaha! The young nobles burst into shameless laughter. They had been following Ludwig around for a while, deliberately sabotaging his hunt. They scared off the prey he was aiming for, making them flee. Count Argent had tried to intervene and stop them, but it seemed he wasn’t having much success.

 

Claude, you’re playing such petty tricks. Ludwig chuckled, then pulled his bowstring taut, aiming the drawn bow straight at them.

 

“Gasp!”

 

“Yo-Your Highness! What are you doing!”

 

The faces of the men who had been laughing and mocking him just a moment ago turned pale.

 

Still smiling, Ludwig spoke. “I can’t just return empty-handed like this. I have to hunt something, don’t I?”

 

“B-But Your Highness!”

 

“Su-Surely you don’t mean to hunt us, do you?”

 

“Why? Is that not allowed?”

 

“Yo-Your Highness!”

 

At Ludwig’s words, laced with a hint of amusement, the men let out terrified screams. Ludwig coldly stared at them as he drew his bowstring.

 

“Uaaah!”

 

“Aack!”

 

The young nobles shrank back pitifully, screaming in fear. Whoosh— Thud! The arrow released from the bowstring flew past the cowering men and struck a deer standing behind them. Realizing the situation belatedly, the nobles turned around with dumbfounded expressions.

 

Ludwig walked past them leisurely and spoke. “To be so afraid of hunting. Anyone would think you’re the prey, not the hunters.” Though his tone was playful, there was an unmistakable warning hidden within. If they interfered with him again, he would really shoot them next time.

 

Terrified, the nobles couldn’t move until Ludwig disappeared with the deer. It was only after a long while that someone finally spoke.

 

“I-If it comes to this, we have no choice but to use the last resort.”

 

“But didn’t Duke Clementi say to use that method after sunset?”

 

“Either way, the crown prince is done for once we use it. Is there really a need to wait until sunset?”

 

“Yeah. Are we supposed to wait around after nearly getting killed by the crown prince?”

 

The opposing opinion was quickly buried by the majority.

 

The one standing at the forefront of the group pulled out a large wolf claw from his pocket. It was a claw engraved with numerous magic spells.”

 

“From this moment… it begins.”

 

At that moment, the black spells carved onto the wolf claw turned red. Count Dominic Argent watched the scene anxiously before hurriedly turning his horse around to chase after Ludwig.

 

* * *

With the young nobles no longer in pursuit, the only sound around was the rustling of branches in the wind.

 

“Grrrr…”

 

Before long, a menacing growl filled with bloodlust echoed. A massive brown bear blocked Ludwig’s path. A gigantic body, cruel eyes, sharp teeth, and claws. For an ordinary person, their legs would have given out in fear. But Ludwig only smiled.

 

“As expected of Zone 3. Now this is what makes the hunt exciting.” He pulled out a special arrow he had prepared for moments like this. It was a magic arrow. When it hit, it had the ability to temporarily paralyze the beast. I’ll paralyze it with this first, then cut its neck with my sword.

 

“Grrr!” The bear started charging at Ludwig.

 

Ludwig calmly drew his bowstring.

 

“Graaaa!”

 

A howl from another beast came from behind him. Ludwig quickly turned around. A pack of wolves, numbering in the dozens, was glaring at him. Where on earth did they come from all of a sudden…?

 

Reddened eyes, dripping saliva, and a claw-shaped brand stamped onto their foreheads. Ludwig instinctively realized. Claude’s trick.

 

Ludwig released the bowstring and spurred his horse at full speed toward the bear. The pack of wolves chased after Ludwig like mad. Just as the bear raised its front paw high to strike Ludwig, he sharply pulled the reins to the side. As the horse and Ludwig veered off, the wolves and the bear, charging from opposite directions, collided into each other.

 

“Grrrrr!”

 

“Graaaaa!”

 

The beasts clashed, biting and tearing into each other, turning the scene into a blood-soaked chaos. Ludwig turned his horse in the opposite direction from them and glanced back. No matter how strong a bear might be, the opponent was a pack of crazed wolves under a spell. The wolves tore the bear to shreds in an instant. And then, they began chasing Ludwig again.

 

Ludwig smirked. “Yeah, come on. Follow me.”

 

He deliberately kept the distance between himself and the wolves dangerously close. The wolves snapped their jaws, trying to bite the tail of his horse. It was then. Ludwig pulled the reins, making the horse leap high into the air.

 

“Graaaa!” The wolves tumbled into the trap that had been lying in wait where the horse had jumped over.

 

Dismounting, Ludwig peered down into the pit. “Looks like I’ve caught plenty of prey.” It was at that moment he felt a chilling bloodlust from somewhere.

 

“Grrr!”

 

A wolf lunged at Ludwig. It was one he had missed, hidden away. He reached for his bow too. Instinctively, Ludwig knew it was too late. Damn it, to end like this…

 

Whoosh— Thud! It happened in an instant. An arrow shot from somewhere pierced through the wolf’s eye.

 

“Graaa!” The wolf let out a scream and fell into the trap with a dull thud.

 

Startled, Ludwig looked in the direction the arrow had come from.

 

“Your Highness, are you okay?”

 

Standing there was Epirosa.