The Extra Wants To Live

The imperial hunting grounds were well maintained, down to every tree, so even though it was a forest, Carl could drive his horse comfortably.

Carl did not go too deep but rode the horse moderately and observed the surrounding atmosphere.

"I can't believe I did such a ridiculous thing…"

It is absurd to manage this huge forest as if it were a garden just for hunting.

"Anyway, how do you find your prey?"

"Usually, we set out the hunting dogs and search for them."

"Hmm…"

In response to Catherine's answer, Carl fiddled with the reins with his fingertips.

"Let's walk around slowly."

Without hunting dogs, there wasn't much else to do. Despite Carl's initial vigorous rush, he moved very leisurely and quietly.

It really felt like a walk. As he slowed down and moved slowly, he naturally encountered other people.

They glanced at Carl from a distance and then quickly walked away.

It was beneficial to exchange greetings with other powerful nobles at least once while talking to Carl.

It would be best if they were lucky enough to meet Azgoth and at least introduce themselves.

"Master Carl."

While moving for a while, Catherine whispered softly and pointed beyond the forest.

When Carl looked there, he saw a chubby squirrel under a tree frantically stuffing something into its mouth.

It was a rich autumn forest overflowing with food. The squirrel had gained so much weight it couldn't even control its body properly.

Carl quietly pulled an arrow from the quiver hanging on his horse.

The clever horse stood quietly and did not move as Carl placed the arrow on the string.

The distance was a bit far, and the target was much smaller than what he practiced with.

However, Catherine and Bilford believed that Carl would succeed in his first hunt.

This was because Carl already had the ability to hit the target with an arrow while driving a horse, albeit slowly.

Carl slowly raised his hand, then pulled the string in one go, aimed, and let go.

The arrow flew and hit the squirrel accurately. A short cry was heard, and the berries that the squirrel had stuffed in its cheeks popped out.

The squirrel that was hit by the arrow fell down, trembled, and then died.

Before Carl knew it, Bilford approached on horseback, pulled out the arrow from the squirrel's corpse, and wiped the blood with a cloth. Bilford handed the arrow and squirrel to Carl on the horse.

"… Are you just putting this in your pocket like this?"

"Yes, just put it in."

Carl frowned and put the bleeding squirrel into the pouch hanging on the saddle.

From the perspective of modern people with strict hygiene standards, it felt very uncomfortable to put an untreated corpse in one's pocket.

"You successfully killed the first game you saw with your first arrow. It is truly amazing."

"That… okay, thank you."

Carl couldn't bear to hear what Bilford said with a smile, saying, "It's a little too much to like something like this…"

Carl had already personally killed countless gnolls and even cut off the ankles of a 2.5-meter-tall gnoll and drove a sword into its back.

There was no emotion in killing just one squirrel.

Catherine and Bilford felt a little offended by Carl's overly calm attitude.

Even though he didn't jump up and down like a child, they honestly thought he would like it at least a little.

This was due to differences in perspectives on the act of hunting.

For Catherine and Bilford, hunting was both a sport and a hobby.

Even Bilford, who was a commoner, now thought so.

However, for Carl, who had memories of his youth, hunting could not be a sport or a hobby.

He didn't enjoy hunting at all. He wasn't in need of food.

"I caught it too early. Now let's take a walk, look at the situation, and decide our next move."

"… yes."

Even Catherine hesitated at Carl's harsh words.

Was he really planning to just kill a squirrel and be done with it? He wasn't even an 80-year-old man, but he was this aloof.

"Oh, would you like to catch something, Lady Catherine?"

"No, I'm fine."

She said it was okay, but it was a bit hard to ask her to do it.

Since Carl didn't have a hunting dog, he had no choice but to pretend to move quietly and quietly, and enjoyed a leisurely walk through the autumn forest while driving his horse at a leisurely pace.

He had been running non-stop for a while, but it wasn't a bad thing to be able to relax and spend time in nature like this.

"Lord Carl, there is a bird over there."

"Would you like to catch it?"

"I have now come as Carl's squire…"

Bilford also had a bow, but he only had it as part of his hunting attire.

If you hunt with excitement, won't your precious people have no one to catch?

"Then will Lady Catherine catch it?"

"I'm fine too."

"Then let's just ignore it."

Even if they were lucky enough to find prey, they just passed by on horseback.

"If there was a slightly bigger one, it would be worth catching…"

Carl muttered softly.

Although he was not interested in hunting, he needed to catch a reasonably large one to show off.

No matter how much he tried to catch a small one, it was useless. No, on the contrary, it might not be a bad idea to catch a lot of small ones.

"Still, I said I was catching it for Lilly, but catching just the little guy is a bit…"

Lilly would be happy with just one squirrel, but Carl wanted to catch and give her as big a squirrel as possible.

Hearing Carl's words, Bilford opened his eyes wide and looked around.

"After all, Lord Carl, men are men too! Of course you want to catch the big one, but you won't feel good when there are only small ones like that!"

Catherine didn't say anything and just quietly rode the horse next to Carl.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find any game worth catching, and after much thought, Carl hunted one more plump rabbit in preparation for winter and put it in his pocket.

He also told Catherine to enjoy hunting in moderation, but Catherine never shot a bow.