The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

Thanks to my strong insistence, the hunting mission was changed from an elephant hunt to a lion hunt.

The target was an old lion that had been wandering near a residential area, and unlike the elephant, this one was a genuine threat. It was massive, almost monstrous, with thick, frozen fangs—a unique trait for a lion—and it had been attacking livestock near the village.

Moreover, it had reportedly attacked people on several occasions. Though those people had managed to hide in a car before the lion broke through the windows, they narrowly escaped when a group of hunters arrived and scared it off.

"According to reports, this one is a tricky prey," I explained.

Because the lion recognized guns, we couldn’t take heavy firearms. The elephant hunt had been chosen for my firepower test, but we had to be more cautious here.

It seemed to distinguish between men and women as well. While it hadn’t eaten anyone, the lion had attacked while a man was away, targeting a woman and two children returning from the market. Though an elderly driver was present, he wasn’t exactly a match for a lion.

The lion had waited, hidden, until they opened the car door to step out, then pounced. Fortunately, they managed to retreat back inside the vehicle in time.

"So, you’re planning to stand alone?" Alice asked, skeptical.

"Yes."

I answered firmly.

"Wouldn’t it be better if someone stayed with you—?"

"The others here can’t completely conceal their presence, so it won’t work," I interrupted.

I had a point. While I lacked the talent for intimidation, my sword-wielding companions had an aura that could overwhelm enemies with sheer presence. Against someone of equal or greater skill, it might not work, but it was certainly effective against humans.

However, dealing with an animal was a different story.

Especially an experienced, old lion—it wouldn’t likely attack someone like Leo.

Of course, I couldn’t send Roti or Lily Baker out there either.

It wasn’t a matter of doubting their skills. It was for my own plan.

"Alright," Alice nodded.

"But if things get even slightly dangerous, we’ll abort the mission and all rush out."

"Understood."

I had no intention of risking my life, after all. If things went south, I could always rewind time and pretend this never happened.

*

...Wow, it’s huge.

The lion was enormous, its eyes nearly level with mine even as it stood on all fours.

To the lion, did I look like a tasty meal?

It probably thought so. One swipe of its claws, and I’d be sliced in half. To the lion, I must’ve looked like a soft pudding.

Of course, I had no intention of going down that easily.

As the lion moved three steps closer, I discreetly pulled out the revolver hidden behind my back.

The lion seemed to recognize the gun.

It tensed momentarily, then charged at me.

Did it think it could withstand a handgun? Or did it decide it was better to attack than to run?

How unfortunate.

The gun in my hand wasn’t just any revolver; it was my old revolver, slightly larger in caliber than the automatic pistol I typically used.

It was loaded with .455 Marmaros rounds.

These incendiary rounds worked particularly well against creatures with cold auras.

Besides, no matter how fast that lion was...

I’d once hit someone as fast as Lucas, after all.

Bang.

One shot.

One shot was all it took.

The bullet hit the lion square in the face, exploding on impact and engulfing it in flames, slamming the beast to the ground.

It skidded across the ground, flailing, and I fired a few more shots.

Bang, bang, bang.

Honestly, I was running at a loss here. Even if I sold the lion’s pelt and refined the Marmaros, it wouldn’t cover the cost of the ammunition I’d used.

Still, better that than dying.

The lion skidded to a stop right in front of my feet.

Alright. At least now I knew I could handle this alone if needed.

Again.

*

The process repeated itself.

But this time, there was a different condition.

Bang!

This time, the bullet wasn’t as powerful as before, and didn’t knock the lion back.

It was no surprise; this time, I’d loaded regular rounds.

Only the first two rounds.

To be precise, the cylinder was loaded in the same order as before: four incendiary Marmaros rounds and two regular bullets.

All I’d done was rotate the cylinder to change the sequence.

But the result was entirely different.

The lion flinched as it was hit, blood splattering slightly, but it didn’t drop mid-charge like before.

Bang!

I fired another regular round.

The lion still seemed keen on making a meal out of me.

I pretended to panic, stepping two paces to the right before collapsing to the ground. From a distance, it would look like I’d tripped.

Bang!

A loud gunshot echoed—not from my gun, but from the distance to my right.

On the open plain, a lone tree stood tall.

Glancing over, I saw a flash—the glint of Roti’s rifle scope reflecting the light.

I’d positioned Roti and Lily far enough away that they’d barely be able to sense any presence. However, Lily’s view was a bit precarious. If I moved to the right, I’d end up nearly overlapping with the lion in her line of sight.

Rena was here as well, but equipped only with a pistol and submachine gun, neither suited for this range.

I hoped Roti didn’t see the satisfied grin on my face as the lion fell—

"Wait—"

But in the next moment, I was forced to react. While I’d intended for the lion to fall at a certain angle...

Its front paw, far larger than I’d anticipated, was coming down right over me.

"Ugh."

Fortunately, we were far enough away that no one heard me make that noise.

*

"Sylvia!"

I heard Alice’s voice, almost a scream, a little later.

Watching my group rushing towards me, I pushed the lion’s paw off me, as if it were a blanket.

I hadn’t suffered any major injuries. The paw hadn’t struck me hard; it had merely fallen on top of me.

I might bruise a little, though.

I was lucky the claws hadn’t scratched me.

"I-I’m so sorry!" Lily ran up and bowed deeply.

"When you ended up in line with the lion—" She clapped her hand over her mouth, realizing that might sound like she was blaming me.

"Don’t worry too much. It was my fault for falling," I reassured her.

As I spoke, a cool sensation spread through my side. I looked over to see Mia Crowfield pointing her staff at me, a faint blue light shimmering around it. A healing spell, perhaps.

When I nodded toward Mia, she averted her gaze slightly.

Past Clare and Alice, who were fussing over me with concern, I spotted Roti approaching quietly.

"Roti."

I called out to her. She stood nearby, hands folded respectfully.

"Thanks to you, I wasn’t seriously injured... In fact, I’d say you saved my life. Thank you."

"No... I was merely doing what was expected."

Jake, observing our conversation in silence, narrowed his eyes slightly.

"No," I replied to Roti firmly.

"Let’s not forget, I am a princess of the Empire. I can’t just overlook the fact that you saved my life."

Roti’s face was impassive, but she looked slightly flustered, her gaze lifting to meet mine.

Alice, who had been fretting over me, also had a curious expression.

A look of understanding crossed her face, and she brought her hand to her forehead.

Exactly.

The best way for a commoner to ascend was by earning merit. The higher the status of the person they aided, the greater the reward.

As Jake’s expression shifted into a faint smile, I simply shrugged.