I Don’t Want to Be a Lady

I was troubled.

If I shoot the weasel, I have to deal with the wolf; if I shoot the wolf, the weasel will run away. I wished the wolf, startled by the gunshot, would run away, but I couldn’t be sure.

The long rifle, which was bought for hunting, was loaded with two shots each, so I could shoot two. However, I was worried because I couldn’t guarantee what kind of movement the animal would make when it was startled by the gunshot.

Should I shoot the weasel first to secure the honor prize, then deal with the wolf?

Or should I deal with the wolf first and then catch the weasel before it escapes?

It was a life-threatening act to deal with the alerted wolf.

So, could it be possible to shoot the wolf first, then catch that swift weasel? I couldn’t guarantee anything.

Eish! I have a goal to achieve today! Let’s shoot the weasel! I will be able to deal with the wolf with my skills.

Was it a joke from the fate the moment I made a decision in my mind? Just in time, the white weasel turned its head and made eye contact with me.

“…”

I couldn’t bear to pull the trigger when I met its black, tearful eyes. What? Does it know that I’m watching it? Why do its eyes become like that…

I was shaken by the white weasel’s pleading eyes for help. Tears appeared in its small black eyes.

Damn it!

It was a moment when the gun aimed at the white weasel pointed at the wolf, and I pulled the trigger.

Bang!

“Kaing!”

The wolf that had been shot let out a scream and then collapsed. It struggled, unable to get up. Since I had fatally wounded its abdomen, it wouldn’t be able to pursue the weasel and me.

“Ah~ That white weasel that I can’t even shoot… Eish!”

I sighed, thinking I should have caught the white weasel first and taken care of the wolf. But it surprised me when I saw the weasel, which I thought would run away immediately, was still there.

“Hey! Why aren’t you running away? You want me to catch you?”

I moved closer to the immovable weasel. However, the condition of that weasel was unusual. It was staring at the other side of the bushes as if wary of something.

“Don’t tell me…”

No way. It wasn’t what I thought, right?

“Grrrrr.”

I heard the sound of a beast growling low from the bushes.

Ah, that’s right! I forgot wolves lived in the pack.  I didn’t even want to imagine how many wolves were hiding in those bushes. Goosebumps ran up to the back of my neck.

Should I run away? No, wait… am I an idiot to do that? There was no way for humans to run away from a pack of wolves.

Then, let’s throw the white weasel as bait and run away! As if it had read my inner thoughts, the white weasel rubbed itself against my leg. It seemed to be saying, ‘Don’t abandon me,’ which made me go crazy.

“Hey~ What’s wrong with you~”

For some reason, I felt like I was going to cry. Usually, animals didn’t even come near me. It may have been because of the sharp aura that came from me, but animals had never allowed me to touch them.

I didn’t express it, but I, who liked animals deep down, wished they would come to me while looking at them with blazing eyes… but I didn’t know that my blazing eyes had a rather negative effect.  

Although I wanted so much to have contact with animals, this reality wasn’t that pleasant in the present situation. I was at the crossroads of choice whether to survive or to save the poor weasel.

“I just realized today that I’m such an idiot. Hey! You stay close to me,” spoke me to the weasel, who slipped behind me.

It said you shouldn’t turn your back on the beast.  Among the books I read at the mansion was a book about hunting. I had never hunted, but I read it with interest, as it was one of the things I wanted to do once I got out of the mansion someday. However…

The book only said not to run into the pack of wolves! I don’t know what to do when I run into them!

The book contained instructions on how to hunt bears, deer, and rabbits. Still, unfortunately, it didn’t include instructions on how to run away from the pack of wolves.

How many steps did they take? The bushes in front of me shook. Then, I froze.

Two wolves. I couldn’t guarantee my survival just by one wolf, but two appeared.

Did they rush to the person who was killing their member?

The wolves looked at their colleague lying on the ground and stared at me with fiercer eyes.

“Ah? That? So… It’s self-defense! I couldn’t help it. So don’t stare at it. Let’s solve it in a good way, okay?”

It was ridiculous to tell a lie when there was no way I could communicate with a wolf. But the situation was dangerous. And I felt like I had to do something.

There was only one bullet left in my long rifle. One of the two could attack first, so I faced them, aiming my rifle alternately at the two wolves. I was worried about what would happen if my hands got sweaty and made my hands slip when I pulled the trigger… Then she heard something cutting through the wind.

What is it? The wolf on the right collapsed before I could figure out the identity of the sound. And almost at the same time, the wolf on the left rushed toward me.

Bang!

My bullet slightly missed due to the wolf’s quicker movement. However, while the wolf, who suffered a gunshot wound in its left ear, faltered for a moment, I quickly took out my revolver from my thigh and shot it.

Bang! Bang!

The wolf limped and tried to run away as bullets hit its face and shoulder, but I had no intention of letting it go. The more I catch, the closer I get to winning.

Bang! Bang!

After shooting two more bullets, the wolf collapsed. When I looked around, I couldn’t see any wolves except the three that had fallen.

“Phew. I’m still alive.”

My legs gave away with relief, which made me slump on the spot. My hands holding the revolver were shaking. While I was smiling in vain, saying, “I managed to hit them with these trembling hands,” a white object popped up its head right next to me.

“What are you doing? You still haven’t run away?”

For some reason, the white weasel approached me without running away. Then it put its legs on my leg and eventually dug into my arms. 

“Are you thankful that I’m saving you?”

As if affirming my words, the white weasel raised its black and shiny eyes while facing me. Facing those pure and clear eyes, reached out and stroked the white weasel without even realizing it. The first animal I touched was… warm and soft. And…

“What the? You smell good too?”

Does a wild animal smell like luxury soap? Is the least weasel always like that? Well, it doesn’t matter.  

“Oh my, so pretty~ Did the crazy prince tie a golden ribbon on such a pretty animal?”

With my touch, the white weasel seemed to be in a good mood, so it wrapped itself in my arms and settled down. My hand, stroking the white weasel with a big smile, stopped for a moment. The white weasel raised its head as if sensing something and was wary of its surroundings.

“I heard gunshots around here! Quickly!”

Someone seemed to be coming after hearing the gunshot.

“This!”

I quickly untied the ribbon around the white weasel’s neck and kept it in my arms. With me hiding the golden ribbon, no one would know the identity of the special animal, and the weasel would be safe. I did it swiftly, knowing my chance to win could be taken away.

“This is the right place! Come here quickly!”

The main character of the voice was Drude. And the one who appeared next to him was Hulteban.

“Lady Arianne?”

They had an absurd expressions when they found me sitting on the ground.

“Did you catch all these wolves, Lady?”

“What nonsense is that? How can a woman catch three wolves alone?”

It seemed they couldn’t believe the current situation and didn’t want to believe it.

Drude once again asked me who was staring at them, “The wolves here, are you really the one who caught them?”

I didn’t feel the need to answer, but I responded sharply because I was offended by how they humbled me.

“Not all three, but I caught two of them. Then what?”

“Oh my, you’re talking nonsense, Lady Arianne. Hunting a pack of wolves is not something even two grown men can do. It looks like your family secretly attached someone. Where are they hiding?” said Drude, looking around as if his words made sense.

In hunting competitions, it was common to cheat by attaching someone to help them secretly. However, I was displeased with their doubts as I wanted to receive a fair reward on my own.

“I’m alone here right now. Which means I’m not lying about what I’ve caught. Right?”

Drude looked around and whispered to Hulteban, “I think what she said is true. Seeing that there are no people around, it seems that woman caught it alone.”

“Then, are you going to do it as planned?”

“Of course! Three wolves…. the winner of this competition would be me. So lucky.”

Drude, who was grinning and laughing, turned to Arianne, then spoke calmly, “Lady Arianne, you leave these wolves and leave.”

“What?”

I was dumbfounded. I thought I had already seen many ugly humans in this world, but these people in front of me seemed to be the worst type. The type that stole other people’s hard-earned achievements, let alone their own will and efforts.

Should I kill them? I felt my murderous intent welling up, but I had no intention of rationalizing myself. Who cares if these bastards were dead or gone?  Judging from what they did, it seemed their family didn’t care about them. The beasts would take care of their corpses.

Two bullets were left. I felt I would feel better after shooting their feet or foreheads. My hand that was holding the revolver twitched.

At that time, tak tak. The white weasel, quietly crouching in my arms, scratched my chest.

“Huh?”

The white weasel scratched my chest with its front paws as if it had noticed my thoughts.

“Haa. Yes, you were there… Alright, don’t worry. I won’t do that.”

Strangely, my anger and murderous intent subsided instantly. Only then did the white weasel stop scratching me.  I, who had been staring at the white weasel, thinking that it was a very strange animal, raised my head.

Drude and Hulteban, who had met Arianne’s cold eyes that contained murderous intent a moment ago, gulped down.

What kind of woman has those fierce eyes?

That woman. I’m scared…

Daring to think that woman couldn’t do anything, they tensed up at the warning sound from somewhere depths inside of them. But her cold, chilling eyes were gone when she looked up after a moment of lowering her head and muttering.

They breathed a sigh of relief, but this time she opened her mouth with an arrogant gaze, “If you take these wolves away from me, you’ll regret it.”

With Arianne’s arrogant tone, Drude and Hulteban got mad. It was also shameful that they were overwhelmed by a mere woman a moment ago, but they couldn’t stand being treated like that.

“It remains to be seen who will regret it. This a secluded place. No matter what we do, no one will know. So leaven when I let you go nicely.”

At Drude’s threat, I laughed. It seemed they wouldn’t come to their senses even after they died and woke up again. My bullets were too precious for those guys. If they won’t realize it even if they die… I’m just going to let them live and taste hell.

When Drude and Hulteban saw Arianne laughing, they felt the chills again.

Arianne rose from her seat, put the revolver in its place, grabbed her rifle, then disappeared. Unexpectedly, they had no time to do anything about her, who had quietly disappeared. They only stood there dumbfounded and soon began to move.

“I’m glad she just ran away. Come on, let’s get these wolves. Before other beasts flock at the smell of blood.”

“Ah… yes. But I think she was holding something a while ago… Did you see what it was?”

“I don’t care. I told you to move quickly!”

At Drude’s scolding, Hulteban hurriedly began collecting the wolf’s corpse.

Something looked like a white animal. For a while, this thought was buried in other thoughts.

He helped Drude this time with a deal that he would get help at the next hunting competition. He was always dissatisfied with being pushed behind Drude. Still, he endured it, thinking there was a difference in their family and there was nothing he could do. Hulteban comforted himself, telling him to be patient as it would be his turn the next time.

I, who was walking back toward the entrance of the hunting ground with a white weasel in my arms, stopped as I remembered what I had forgotten.

“Come to think of it, what happened to that wolf earlier?”

I tilted my head, stopped paying attention and continued my steps.

“I don’t know~ The important thing is that I’m the winner~ Fufu!”

On the three not far from where Arianne was, Paku let go of the bowstring he had drawn.

“What a spectacle. Not all men in the Harpion Empire are like that.”

Paku followed Arianne and settled on the tree. Then, when she was in danger, he shot his bow to help. To his surprise, Arianne’s marksmanship was unexpectedly good, and she even knocked down two wolves by herself. She was an unusual woman, including her movement, which had knocked him down before, as well as her marksmanship.

What the hell was she doing?

The behavior of woman from the Harpion Empire, who valued manners more over their life, appeared wearing pants and slumped down on the ground. She was obviously noble, but her behavior was not noble at all. Even the warlike and free-spirited women of the Kelteman Empire wasn’t like her.

His curiosity aroused. He wanted to watch her more closely. But didn’t the two men who appeared after a while try to take her hunt away from her? In that case, he drew his bowstring and aimed at the man to help her.

However, her reaction was strange. She thought she would get her share even if she had to fight off two men in a fit of rage, but why did she just give up her hunt and leave? She was a woman he couldn’t understand.

“Geez. If I don’t follow her quickly, I will miss her.”

Paku hurriedly prepared, came down from the tree, and followed the path that Arianne had passed. At the same time, Charter and Luiden entered the entrance of the hunting ground.