Chapter 105: The Huntsman—, Attack Aurora?
From a distance, the huntsman gazed at the two children sitting by the brook, chatting as the gentle sound of flowing water filled the air. His eyes locked onto the golden-haired, blue-eyed girl—the child he had been ordered to kill.
His heart clenched.
He thought of his own daughter.
"My daughter… she's about the sa age as this girl nad Aurora, isn't she?"
"A child this young… what cri could she possibly have committed? She must be innocent!"
For a mont, the huntsman hesitated. A flicker of guilt welled up inside him, and he considered abandoning the mission.
But he shook his head violently, forcing himself to suppress the pang of sympathy.
"No. No, I can’t afford to waver. I need this money too much. What happens to soone else’s daughter has nothing to do with —my adoptive father and my own child depend on this reward!"
He was too poor to afford compassion.
Years ago, when the ruler of the White Kingdom married the current Queen—a woman of peculiar temperant—he beca completely infatuated with his new wife, neglecting state affairs. As a result, what was once a prosperous kingdom fell into decline. Many people were now impoverished, holess, and struggling to survive.
At that mont, Aurora and Rhine noticed the huntsman watching them.
"Hello, Uncle! You've been looking at us for a while—do you need sothing?"
Aurora waved at him cheerfully, her movents graceful yet still carrying a childlike innocence. She looked so well-mannered and adorable, the kind of child anyone would instinctively like.
The huntsman gripped his knife tightly, his palms drenched in sweat.
"It’s just a single mont. All I have to do is close my eyes and thrust the blade into the girl’s heart."
The thought crossed his mind like lightning, and in the next instant, the huntsman sprang into action.
With a ferocious roar, he launched himself forward like an arrow released from its bowstring, charging straight at the golden-haired girl.
"I'm sorry… Goodbye!"
He drove the blade toward the girl's chest with ruthless precision!
At the very mont his knife should have pierced her heart, the huntsman squeezed his eyes shut.
In his mind, he had already envisioned the scene—the splash of warm, crimson blood against his face; the girl's lifeless body collapsing to the ground; the silver-haired boy beside her crying in horror at the sight of his fallen companion. ŘＡΝỒ𐌱Ë𐌔
And after that, all he had to do was squat down coldly, carve out the girl's heart, and ignore the silver-haired boy's anguished screams.
—Clang.
A shower of crimson sparks burst into the air.
The huntsman staggered back several steps, reeling from the imnse recoil. His right hand, still clutching the knife, went completely numb, and his palm split open from the impact, blood seeping from his wounds.
"What… what just happened?!"
For a brief mont, he wondered if he had stabbed a rock by mistake. He quickly opened his eyes.
The girl stood there, perfectly unhard.
"What… what is this?"
Panic surged through the huntsman.
Had he missed?
"Why are you attacking ?" Aurora asked, tilting her head. "I don't believe we've t before, Uncle."
The huntsman took a deep breath, steeling himself. He gripped his knife once more and swung it at Aurora’s neck.
She didn’t dodge.
She simply let the blade strike her fair, slender throat.
—Clang!
The tallic clash echoed again. The knife was sent flying from the huntsman's grasp, his fingers searing with pain. His palm throbbed as hot blood dripped from the wounds.
anwhile, Aurora remained completely motionless. She hadn't even flinched. Her sharp gaze locked onto the huntsman.
"A-A-A MONSTER! SHE'S A MONSTER!"
The huntsman nearly fainted on the spot. His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed onto the ground, shaking uncontrollably.
This ti, he had seen it clearly—his attacks hadn't missed. And yet, this seemingly delicate little girl was completely unscathed.
"Speak. Why did you attack us?"
Aurora took a step forward, pressing her foot into the ground. The earth beneath her cracked beneath the sheer force.
The sight of the breathtakingly beautiful girl advancing toward him made the huntsman feel as though he were staring into the eyes of the world's most terrifying beast.
"Yeah, go on. Who sent you after Aurora?" Rhine asked.
Given that they were in Snow White’s holand, Rhine had a pretty good guess about the mastermind behind this, but he wanted to hear it from the huntsman himself.
The huntsman trembled all over but clung to the last shred of his rationality.
"This girl… her skin is harder than steel, and she can crack the ground with a single step… She’s definitely so kind of monster. My god… The Queen never told I’d be dealing with sothing this dangerous!"
His mind raced, weighing his options.
"I definitely can’t fight them. But even if I die, it’s only my life that’s lost. If I reveal the Queen as the one who hired … my entire family will be dood!"
He lowered his head and clenched his jaw, refusing to answer.
"I’m sorry, but I can’t say anything!"
His eyes shut tight, his expression resolute. He was prepared to die if it ant keeping his family safe.
"If I talk, my whole family will be dragged into this!"
Rhine chuckled softly and pulled out a crystal ball that glead with a ghostly blue light.
Then, the boy cast his gaze upon the trembling huntsman curled up on the ground—a gaze that seed to pierce through his body and soul.
After a few seconds, Rhine calmly recited:
"Angus. Huntsman of the White Kingdom. Age 43. Orphan. Wife deceased. Only remaining family: an elderly adoptive father, a 10-year-old daughter. Let’s see… they live…"
Since the target of his divination wasn’t a figure of great power or destiny, there was little resistance, and the information flowed to him with crystal clarity.
"AAAAHHH!"
The huntsman’s eyes shot open in terror.
"What the hell?! How do you know all that?!"
"Not only is this golden-haired girl a monster… the silver-haired boy is one too!"
Having thoroughly enjoyed his little "magic trick," Rhine crouched down, staring at the petrified huntsman.
"So, it was the Queen who sent you?"
The huntsman flinched. "H-How do you know?!"
"Ah, so I was right." Rhine smirked, his suspicions confird.
At that, the huntsman finally abandoned any hope of keeping the secret.
"Yes! Yes! It was Her Majesty, the Queen! She ordered to kill that girl, Aurora! If I had known you two were this powerful, I NEVER would have co! Please, let go! I have a family to take care of—an elderly father, a young daughter!"
Tears stread down his face as he begged for rcy.
"Relax, we’re not going to do anything to you." Rhine reassured him. "Alright, you’re free to go."
"Huh?"
The huntsman blinked in disbelief.
"Just like that? You’re letting go?"
Shaking with gratitude, Angus hurriedly grabbed his now-bent hunting knife and scrambled to his feet, preparing to flee.
"Wait a mont." Rhine suddenly called out.
Angus froze, his fear returning in an instant.
"W-What is it?" He turned back hesitantly, praying they hadn’t changed their minds.
Rhine casually tossed him a large, flawless pearl.
"Sell this. It’ll be enough for you, your adoptive father, and your daughter to live comfortably."
The huntsman stared in disbelief at the priceless pearl in his palm.
It was even larger than the one embedded in the Queen’s crown!
"T-Thank you! Thank you so much!" he sobbed with gratitude, bowing repeatedly before finally leaving.
The pearl Rhine had just given him was, of course, from the vast treasures of the Sea King. In the Sea Kingdom, pearls like this were so abundant that they were practically worthless.
As the huntsman disappeared into the distance, Rhine suddenly remarked:
"We should visit his ho soti."
During his divination earlier, he had sensed sothing unusual about the huntsman’s adoptive father, the old carpenter.
That ant the old man was either soone of great hidden significance in the world or a Child of Destiny—soone with a special role in a fairy tale.
At that mont, an astonished voice suddenly rang out behind them:
"Oh my gosh, you two are amazing! We thought that girl was about to be in serious danger, and we were about to help!"
Rhine and Aurora turned around.
"That girl’s skin could withstand a blade!" ca another exclamation.
"And she’s ridiculously strong—one step cracked the ground!" a third voice added.
"That boy’s crystal ball glowed!" a fourth voice chid in.
"And he knows so much!" said a fifth.
"And he has a kind heart—he gave away a gorgeous pearl!" a sixth voice added.
"Ahhh! Yeah!" The seventh voice struggled for a mont, unable to think of anything to add—so they just yelled along with the others.
"Huh?"
Aurora turned her head and saw seven small figures peeking out from behind a large tree.
It was the Seven Dwarfs.
"Of course… we’d run into them here." Rhine thought.
The Seven Dwarfs jumped up and down excitedly.
"You guys are amazing! We've never t such incredible people before! And you’re both good-hearted!"
"Our cottage is just nearby. Co visit us! We’ll cook you a delicious al!" they added enthusiastically.
Unlike humans, the Seven Dwarfs had a simple and pure-hearted nature. Rhine recalled that in the original fairy tale, it was these kind dwarfs who took in Snow White when she was in danger.
"Sure! We’re actually quite hungry. We’ll gladly accept your invitation."
With that, Rhine—dragging a very confused Aurora—followed the dwarfs toward their cottage.
"Wait, hold on… what are these small, human-like creatures?!" Aurora muttered, still baffled.
anwhile…
The huntsman returned ho and handed the priceless pearl to his adoptive father.
Then, he sat down, lost in thought.
"How am I supposed to report back to the Queen?"
After much contemplation, he decided on a plan.
He found a wild boar, carved out its heart, and brought it back to the Queen.
At the Queen’s Castle
When the Queen opened the box and saw the bloody heart, she smiled with satisfaction.
However, just to be sure, she returned to her magic mirror and asked:
"Mirror, mirror, tell —who is the most beautiful person in the world? No, wait… who is the most beautiful person in the White Kingdom?"
To her shock, the mirror replied:
"Beyond the mountains, beneath the shade of the green trees, inside a small house built by seven dwarfs—Aurora, who is far more beautiful than you, still lives."
The Queen's smile instantly vanished.
Her face twisted in fury.
"You dare deceive ?!"
She turned to glare at the huntsman, who was now trembling violently.
"I knew this would happen. You must have thought of your daughter and let Aurora go out of pity, didn’t you?"
The huntsman flinched.
…Yes, he had thought of his daughter.
But more than anything, he had been terrified that those two terrifying children would kill his entire family if he tried anything.
"I… I did think of my family. But—"
The huntsman tried to explain, but before he could finish, guards seized him and began dragging him away.
"Throw him in the dungeon!" the Queen ordered coldly.
Then, she strode back into her chamber.
This ti, she would take matters into her own hands.
Using her limited knowledge of magic, she crafted three deadly items infused with black magic.
"Hmph. That fool of a huntsman let his emotions cloud his judgnt.
But I… I will not."
Reviews
All reviews (0)