85_85536Miss Elise's hunting party was held in the Black Forest, northwest of the Barony of Hereford.

It is part of the Northern Wilderness. An abundance of fir and red pine trees make up the lush woodland. A large number of elk, rabbits, foxes and other wild beasts hide in it. I've never heard of anything too dangerous, a big beast. The roads are not very complicated, so it is suitable for activities such as hunting and safaris.

Speaking of this kind of hunting party, it originally had little to do with the nobles of the "civilized world". Deep in the interior of the Old World, the gatherings of the Gothic aristocracy were usually held in two large entertainments, one was a banquet and the other was a jousting tournament of knights.

Rather than chasing their prey on horseback and shooting them with bows and arrows, the Gothic nobles of the interior preferred to see knights in helmets and armor charging at them, poking their opponents down with their spears.

However, the Wende Kingdom, which is located on the edge of the border and can be said to be on the edge of the civilized world, stands out from the rest. The Wende nobles were still part of the Gothic Empire, but they were influenced by the local Slavits, the nomads of the Tartalya steppes, and the centaur tribes.

The nobility of the Wende Kingdom had a high acceptance of hunting, bows and arrows, and mounted archery, and were very different from the Goths in the interior in terms of the style of military warfare and the entertainment of life. They prefer to show off their prowess and show off their strength through hunting events rather than tedious and time-consuming tournaments.

William and John, along with the other retinues of the Barony of Hereford, rode on horseback, in the direction of the Black Forest. Because they set off late, it was already late in the evening when they arrived.

At the campsite on the outskirts of the Black Forest, bonfires are blazing. A group of two dozen aristocratic men and women were sitting around a bonfire. Loud laughter and occasional arguments, a few people gather in small circles and whisper about something.

However, whether it is a loud joke or a small quarrel, all the young aristocrats have one thing in common - that is the center. They are like the stars and the moon, with a young girl as the center. They talked, laughed, and talked in whispers...... This qiē was all to please the girl. And that girl was Elise Mikchendis.

The fifteen-year-old, Countess in her prime, watched this with a reserved look, and occasionally agreed to the words of the aristocratic young men who came around her. More often than not, though, her response is nothing more than silence and a smile. It's a smile that makes people feel ashamed of themselves and then retreat. It made the aristocratic boys who had come over from Baba more urgent, more eager to try, and more obsessed with retreating.

"It's boring, Amy, I just wanted to come here and get away from these men. But who would have thought that they would chase after them again. ”

In the middle of the conversation, Miss Count, who gently covered her mouth with a pink feather fan, whispered.

As she called Amy's female companion, a baroness in the neighborhood was stunned for a moment, and then replied in a somewhat sour tone: "This is also something that cannot be helped, Elise, you are the center wherever you go." Those boys are smitten by you. ”

"Is that so?" Miss Elise tried to make her tone look distressed and confused.

"That's it, like a moth in the night, it will pounce on the flames regardless of a single qiē. These boys will do anything for you. Miss Amy continued in a sour tone.

To be honest, her appearance is not bad. Usually around the territory, there is no shortage of suitors. It's just that compared to Elise this time, her little bit of appearance is not enough to see at all.

"You're exaggerating, Amy. Elise continued.

"I didn't talk nonsense, but behold, another moth that didn't know whether it was alive or dead flew over. ”

Following Amy's eyes, Elise saw William's group sweeping away the branches in front of her and leading the horse.

"Willem von Hereford?" Miss Elise recalled slightly. Then the name was uttered in an uncertain tone.

"It's him, Baron Hereford's son. I didn't expect him to come, which was really disappointing. Miss Amy said.

“...... Huh?" Miss Elise had met William before, but William's appearance was not very conspicuous. So it didn't impress her much. However, looking at Amy's attitude, it seems that this person is a pretty bad guy......

"What's wrong, Amy?" asked Elise.

"Nothing. It's just that this guy is too cowardly. Not at all like a man. Amy said, "You may not know it, Elise, but he is notoriously useless in our generation. It's already so big, but it hasn't done any knightly training yet. The character is also terrible, that is, cowardly and incompetent. His father had spoiled him for a long time. ”

"Is that so...... I don't think so. Elise replied casually.

William, who had just arrived here, had not had time to take a break when he immediately felt the contempt and unwelcome of this group of people.

"William, what is this kid doing here, neither riding nor swordsmanship, is he going to kill any enemy with his quill?"

Look at his little arms and legs like reeds. I'm afraid that with a little bit of effort, it will be broken. Someone like him wants to hunt too?"

Of course, such a whispered, private discussion is already polite. William noticed that several others were looking at him with unscrupulous, defiant eyes. One of them had already stood up and walked towards him.

"Hereford's, this is not the place you should be. The young man, who was almost a head taller than William, said condescendingly, "Go back to your father's domain, you useless waste." ”

This guy is the Barony of Corno in the territory next door to William, the eldest son of Baron Corno, Michael and a fifteen-year-old apprentice knight.

Like the vast majority of the aristocracy of this era, as a neighbor, Baron Corno had a rather poor relationship with Baron Hereford.

In order to fight for some disputed border territories, the two sides once quarreled all the way to the Archduke of Mazovia. And of course, because of the ambiguous attitude of the Grand Duke of Mazovia and the mud, the two sides did not hesitate to fight.

The outcome of the war ended in the victory of Baron Hereford. After his army landed at Corno Castle, Baron Cornow was forced to recognize Hereford's ownership of the border territory and pay Heriford a large sum of money.

And so it ended, but the hatred passed on. Baron Corno spent half his life teaching his son Michael only two things, one was to fear the Lord of Radiance, and the other was to hate the Hereford family.

In such a case, at the activities of the surrounding nobility, at the party. As soon as Michael and William met, the former would inevitably do his best to make things difficult, insult and provoke the latter. And spreading rumors that are unfavorable to William also makes Michael happy.

The old version of William has a more cowardly character, and when facing the strong Michael Khair, he is always powerless and cowering. This intensified Michael's arrogance. He was now eager to take the leap, fantasizing about another war with William after inheriting the baron's title and domain. He believed that this time, he would never fail.

"Yes...... What?"

Michael's rhetoric and attitude were no different from those of previous aristocratic gatherings. The only difference is that the person he is dealing with has changed. William smiled nonchalantly. Didn't take Michael seriously. This made Michael feel a little embarrassed.

"Can't you understand what I'm saying, the slugs of the Hereford family?!" he said in a loud voice. I just hope that William will show a scared look like before, so that he can take this opportunity to laugh at him again.

"I'm sorry. Borrow it. ”

What Michael didn't expect was that William was still afraid or flinching. It's just that there is more disgust in his expression.

"You-"

"—You are not the initiator of this hunting party. Isn't it?" William interrupted Michael as he was about to get angry.

"......" Michael didn't expect him to say that, and was stunned for a moment.

"And this forest, I remember it vividly. This is the rightful fiefdom of House Hereford, and this has been recognized by your father, the real Baron de Corno, Mr. Michael, and you should know that, right?" went on William.

"That's—" Michael was about to say, "this is what you took from my family." But then he shut his mouth and said no more—the war lost to the Hereford family was something the Corno family was ashamed of. In any case, Michael should not have spoken out about it himself.

"So, Mr. Michael. William smiled, "The organizer of this hunt is Miss Elise, who has received permission from my father. Then, the forest was owned by our Hereford family. And what about you, Mr. Michael. You are neither the host of the event nor the owner of the venue. In what capacity and what reliance do you have to expel me?"

"You, you—" Michael's face flushed with anger, but he couldn't find the words to refute it. After a while, though, he smiled again, "I didn't want to do anything, William. He smiled and said:

"I'm here for your own good, and I don't want you to make a fool of yourself in the next hunt. ”

"yes, thank you so much. William casually agreed, then turned away. Leave Michael alone in place.

"Hmph. Whatever, hunting isn't something like you can do anyway. It's not bad to let you stay, and then be embarrassed in front of Miss Elise. Michael thought to himself.

After this, Miss William Elise met. After saluting each other and saying hello, William said directly: "It's not early, then, I'm going to rest." Please. "That's the case.

This surprised Miss Elise slightly.

"Looks like you're wrong, Amy. Elise whispered to her companion, "This one doesn't seem to be a moth to a fire." ”

"It's just pretending. Amy whispered, "Those boys are always clever and do strange things to attract the attention of others." I'm sure he did it on purpose, just to make you strange and get your attention. If you're really curious, you're fooled. ”

"That's what you say...... It seems to make sense. Elise nodded.

In this way, William made a slight appearance at the bonfire, and then hid in his tent. Little John felt very strange about this: "Young master, are you not going there, going to be with Miss Elise?"

In the tent, little John couldn't help but ask.

"Why should I be with her?" asked William rhetorically.

"Ah, that, don't you like her?" said little John.

"Young Master, I don't like her now. Hurry up and get this done. Then go back to the house. In the future, I will not participate in this kind of thing. So be it. ”

Yes, that's it, William's idea is to just mess around these days. Peace and stability are the best. When he went back, he reported to his father that his heart was already cold, and that in the future, Miss Elise would ignore her. That's it.

Next, let's talk to John. After chatting for a while, I heard the voices outside the tent gradually decreasing. It should be that those teenagers and girls are also tired and ready to sleep.

But William still had no intention of sleeping. It may be because you sleep too much during the day. William didn't feel sleepy at all.

"The best place for such hunting gatherings is not in the forest, but in the wilderness, in the grassland. In that kind of open area, there are enough deer, bison, sheep and wild horses. It was only in that kind of place that the knights could gallop to their heart's content.

And now this season is actually not too suitable for hunting, the best for hunting is in autumn, when the weather is high and cool. At that time, the animals are at their fattest after a summer of foraging. At the same time, the fur of the animals is also the thickest and best for winter.

It's summer, summer, and early summer. Not long after the animals have recovered from the cold winter, they don't have much meat and their fur is not good—and in order to resist the summer heat, the animals lose their hair at this time. Hunting at this time is simply nonsense. One is to do more with less, and the other is to do more with less. Smart people should know how to choose. ”

William combined the memories of the old version of William, plus the experience and insight of the new version of William, whether it was right or wrong, the clouds and mountains blew up. As he spoke, he talked about this hunt, and then he had the above remarks.

- Then, Miss Elise's face outside the tent turned red and white.

Although he agrees with Amy's words such as "William is deliberately attracting himself, and if you are curious, you will lose". But Miss Elise couldn't help herself, and wanted to come and see what William was doing.

And that's what she heard. Although William didn't say it explicitly, she still heard it, and the other party seemed to think of himself as a fool.

When all the other boys circled around her, all flattered and praised her, William said that about her, and of course Elise would be uncomfortable. Very, very unhappy.

Although the rationality in my heart is also in my own body, I said, "What he said seems to have some truth." But a woman is still a sensual animal after all. Miss Elise was angry, so she couldn't help but say through the tent: "So, Mr. William knows a lot about hunting, and his hunting skills are also very good?"

"Young Master...... It's Miss Elise, what should I do with this......" After hearing the voice, little John was full of excitement.

It's not terrible to gossip behind your back, it's terrible to be caught gossiping behind your back. These two points add up to almost human deaths. Even though John wasn't the victim, he instinctively felt very, very embarrassed, very, very nervous - until he found out that the real person involved, his young master, Wilhelm von Hereford, had nothing to do.

"Less, young master?"

After seeing William's calm appearance, John couldn't help but panic, and was only surprised. There was only one thing on his mind: "Why isn't the young master afraid?"

William was certainly not afraid, because William did not like this woman, and since he did not like her, there was no need to please her, and there was no need to care about her perception of himself. It's as simple as that.

After this, William shrugged his shoulders and exclaimed, a little reluctantly, "Is that Miss Elise?"

"It's me, Mr. William. Across the tent, Elise replied, "Just now, Cousin Michael has gone too far, and I apologize to you on his behalf." ”

"Thank you for your concern, Miss Elise. William replied: "I have not taken Mr. Michael to heart, and there is absolutely no need for you to apologize for him." It's not too early, and I think you should rest too. We'll meet again tomorrow, shall we?"

Elise was thinking about what to say to get a city back, but she didn't expect William to directly issue an eviction order. She was angry - this man had been desperately trying to invite me to his little ruined castle the other day. Why did you change your tune all of a sudden, as if you wanted to drive me away as if you were annoying?

So Miss Elise spoke again, and of course she did not follow William's advice, but on the contrary, "Wouldn't you like to invite me in and sit down, Mr. William?"

William was a little helpless. But since the other party said so, it was naturally impossible for him to refuse. "Come in, then, Miss Elise. ”

It's just that then, Little John nodded and frowned, and hurriedly ran out, leaving only the two of them, which made William feel a little unhappy.

"Tea, do you want a drink?"

When Miss Elise was seated, William asked. After receiving an affirmative answer, he retrieved an unused teacup and handed over the freshly brewed tea. Miss Elise looked at the cup of tea without milk or sugar. After thinking about it for a while, I still didn't dare to drink it. Seeing the way William looked at herself, Miss Elise immediately diverted from the topic:

"Listen to what you just said, are you good at hunting?" said Miss Elise.

"Pretty much. Anyway, it's going to be a little bit. William nodded—he had spent two months in a primeval forest without supplies when he was serving in the Experimental Response Force. That's a bit of a humble.

"Really? This seems to be different from what I've heard. Elise continued.

"There will always be some gap between rumors and reality. William said.

"Well, then, I'll see, Mr. William. I wish you a good result in tomorrow's hunt. ”

"I lend you a good word. William said this as he brushed the lid of his cup over the tea leaves floating on the water, and took a sip - of course, there is no such thing as serving tea to guests in another world, and Miss Elise just admired him very much, and he could drink such bitter tea.

"Why do you ...... What if you don't add some milk and sugar?" asked Miss Elise.

"The taste is different. William said: "Pure tea does have a bitter taste, but if you taste it carefully and patiently, you will find that there is a fragrance in it, which is not found in the kind of rich black tea with milk and sugar, and it has a connotation, an aftertaste, which is enough to make people intoxicated." ”

"Yes...... Is that so?"

"That's right, yes, trust me. ”

William's gentle, smiling expression made Miss Elise involuntarily choose to believe what he was saying. After that, she almost cried when she left William's tent with a bitter mouth...... If the group of half-grown children who were fascinated by her saw this scene, then William's few more lives would not be enough to pay