The Extra Wants To Live

"Sorry. I didn't even think about it."

"No, it's too much for Lord Catherine to worry about that."

Carl smiled and shook his head at Catherine's apology. There was a servant, Harman, but it was definitely strange that the knight, Catherine, managed Carl's schedule and took care of such matters.

"A practice bow for young squires of the Imperial Knights." Catherine handed Carl a bow that was relatively small and had low tension.

A knight does not only handle spears and swords. Battle is nothing but a collection of variables, so you never know when you might lose your weapon and end up with bare hands.

You must be able to use almost all commonly used weapons, as you will have to deal with dropped weapons or your opponent's weapons at any time.

However, in most cases, bows were practiced for hunting.

This is because it is a loss from a tactical point of view for a knight to shoot a bow.

"When hunting, you have to ride a horse and shoot a bow. Of course, it's much more difficult. But first, you have to learn the basics, so I will teach you how to shoot a bow from the ground."

Carl followed Catherine's lead and took a stance with his left foot forward.

"Great. As expected, you learn quickly."

"Isn't that just barely standing?"

"A person who holds a bow for the first time should start by determining the distance between the feet and the direction. Lord Carl has talent, so you will quickly learn how to use a bow."

"Both Bilford and Lady Catherine only say things that are very nice to hear."

Catherine was about to say something, but she knew that Carl wouldn't be upset anyway, so she decided not to waste time on unnecessary things.

"This is how you hold the bowstring."

"Uh… Is there anything stuck in your hand?"

Since many modern people remember seeing it somewhere, Carl asked something pointless.

"Yes. Unless you have a particularly strong bow, you don't need gloves. Of course, it will be somewhat painful until calluses form."

Catherine said so calmly and raised her bow. After confirming that Carl was imitating the posture, Catherine spoke.

"You can't just protest just because you want to protest. You must forcefully push out the left hand holding the bow and hold on until you let go of the bow."

After saying that, Catherine pulled the string as nicely as a picture. Instead of letting go of the bow, she raised it again and returned to the initial position.

Catherine repeated the pose several times, and Carl followed Catherine and demonstrated…

"Hmm!"

"…"

"Hmph!"

"…"

Carl was unable to draw the bow.

Even though it is intended for young squires of the Imperial Knights, it has enough tension to be safe for use in actual combat.

Even if he had learned some swordsmanship and spearmanship, there was no way that Carl, who had been training for a little over a month, would be able to draw the string of a bow.

"Uhm…"

When Carl let out a slightly dejected sigh, Catherine hesitated a bit and spoke.

"How about getting a bow with less tension?"

"Lafy Catherine, I have no money now and I don't know where to get a bow."

"Yes, I will save it."

"Thank you."

After introducing the Mold family, Catherine seemed to care much more about Carl, and that very day, she sent Bilford to get a 'children's bow.'

Thanks to this, with four days left until the hunt, Carl had the experience of pulling the string of a bow with his own hand for the first time.

"Great. As you gradually become more familiar with it, you will be able to handle bows with stronger tension."

"I guess we should start by shooting arrows."

Hearing Carl's words, Bilford handed Carl an arrow.

"Can we let the protest go this time?"

"Of course."

When Carl asked while nocking an arrow, Catherine answered.

If you release the bowstring without an arrow, the force is transferred to the bow. If a shock is transmitted to a bow that is tense due to too much force, the bow may shatter.

"Whoa…"

Carl took a deep breath, as Catherine had taught him, and immediately pulled the string.

Widely! Crash…

The arrow missed the target and hit the ground in the distance. The sound of the arrow bouncing on the floor and moving away was pathetic.

"I let it go too quickly. Let's aim a little more carefully."

Bilford, who was used to teaching Carl, spoke without realizing it.

No one thought anything was strange, so naturally, Carl put the arrow on the string again and pulled it.

"…"

Carl recalled the trajectory of the first arrow and moved his aim slightly to the left.

Tick!

"Ah!"

The arrow hit the end of the round target, changed its trajectory, and flew to the side.

And when he saw the person standing at the end, Carl made a sound without realizing it.

Widely!

"…"

"…"

Carl's eyes met the man who caught the flying arrow with his bare hands. The sun-colored eyes, shimmering with that sweet and gentle light, narrowed and smiled beautifully.

"You're working hard, Carl. However, if you hold out for too long, your strength will be lost and it won't work."

"… brother Adrian."

Unlike when it was in Carl's hand, the arrow in Adrian's hand gave off an eerie feeling of fear, like a snake with its head raised. But it only felt that way to Carl.

Only to Carl, who knew the existence of Adrian.

Adrian smiled like an angel.

Adrian was now very interested in his young, weak, unfamiliar younger brother.

So much so that he took time out of his busy schedule to come visit him in person.

So much so that he observed him more carefully than Nero.

So much so that he was more alert than Aric, who was let down.

Adrian, who already had enough power to kill a lion, thought that a young snake that might contain some kind of poison was more threatening than a powerful lion.