97

Dragon Hunting Begins

"Shouldn't they know? How else could they?" Bart couldn't help but ask, "Didn't Hermond discover the giant dragon? Is there a traitor among us?!"

Hela didn't elaborate, simply stating, "It doesn't matter. What matters is that Skadi knows the giant dragon's location."

"So what follows isn't just about hunting the dragon—it's a battle for the dragon itself. Everyone knows the rules of the Hunting Festival. Hunters can only harass each other at most; they cannot steal another's prey, and no harm should come to anyone."

"Maintain restraint and avoid initiating conflict," Hela warned. "Our every move is under Lord Uller's scrutiny, so we must tread carefully."

Bart's eyes gleamed as he patted Forseti on the shoulder. "Hey, Forseti, don't you have that middle-finger spell? I recall it's harmless, right?"

"Such a spell exists?" Hunters unfamiliar with Forseti were surprised.

Forseti didn't say much, simply nodding. "I'll do what I can."

Meanwhile, on the other side, Skadi's hunters sat discussing when Roxas suddenly spoke up, "That dwarf with the warhammer seems to have a trick for causing a stir. Your Highness, we should keep an eye on him."

"What kind of trick?" Skadi inquired.

Roxas shrugged. "Not sure. It was mentioned in passing."

Skadi pondered briefly. "Any aggressive act will lead to consequences. If that dwarf prefers mischief, let him have his fun. If he makes a misstep and harms our people, victory will tilt heavily in our favor."

"In previous festivals, the one who strikes first often loses," Skadi remarked.

While the discussion ensued, Shilut sat quietly behind Forseti, munching on stones, one by one.

After the discussion, as everyone settled down, Hermond pointed at Shilut. "Forseti, where did you find this little creature?"

"I found him in a heap of rubble," Forseti replied casually.

"In a rubble heap?" Hermond raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Initially, I thought he might be Kronan, but Kronans don't eat stones... This is the first time I've seen a stone-eating creature."

"He eats this much every day?" Hermond gestured towards the pile of rubble.

Forseti confirmed, "Yes, I have to break a large stone every day for him to consume. Luckily, stones are his food; otherwise, feeding him would be quite a task."

Hermond teased the little stone creature, pulling out a ruby and dangling it before Shilut.

Upon seeing the ruby, Shilut's eyes lit up.

He fixed his gaze on the gemstone, dropping the stone he held as drool trickled down his chin.

"Want to eat it, little one?" Hermond teased, swinging the gem enticingly.

"Hey!" Shilut jumped up excitedly, attempting to reach for the gem.

After a moment, Hermond grew weary and sighed, "One thousand runes."

With that, he tossed the ruby to Shilut.

Before Forseti could react, Shilut swallowed the ruby whole, then rolled contentedly on the ground, uttering a satisfied "Hey..."

Forseti was aghast. "A thousand runes?!"

Hermond chuckled. "It's from my father's collection. I 'borrowed' it from home. A thousand runes is a conservative estimate."

Hermond's father, Ullr, was a prominent figure, and acquiring such a gem was within his means.

Forseti sighed in relief. "How much is that worth?"

"I'm not sure," Hermond admitted, scratching his head. "But it shouldn't be exceedingly valuable. I have a box at home, and I took a few."

With that, he produced a few more rubies identical to the first and tossed them to Shilut. "Here, take them all."

Ecstatic, Shilut lay on the ground, scooping up the gems with both hands and devouring them gleefully before rolling about joyfully.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

Forseti muttered to himself, "..."

Unexpectedly, as Shilut rolled about, he suddenly froze, motionless and silent.

Forseti was alarmed and rushed to check on Shilut, lifting him up to inspect. Shilut seemed to have fallen asleep.

This was unprecedented; Shilut had never shown signs of needing sleep since birth. Forseti wondered if this was normal.

Hermond, too, looked puzzled as he observed Shilut's sudden stillness. "Could it be poison? But that doesn't seem likely."

Forseti frowned. "I'm not sure... This creature is unlike anything I've encountered before; I don't understand its life cycle."

After a moment's pause, Forseti's brow furrowed. "Let's observe him tomorrow. I hope everything's alright."

Night passed.

Early the next morning, at the rendezvous point, hunters from both Skadi's and Hela's groups woke and prepared to depart.

Forseti rubbed his eyes, waking from sleep, and glanced at Shilut beside him, giving him a gentle pat.

"Hmm." Shilut stirred, blinking around in confusion.

Relieved to see Shilut awake and seemingly well, Forseti noticed something peculiar—Shilut appeared slightly larger than before.

He had eaten countless stones without change, yet after consuming those gems overnight, he had grown?

Did this creature need gems to grow?

As Forseti pondered this, a sense of impending doom—specifically financial doom—loomed over him.

But now was not the time for such thoughts. Hela had begun rallying the team, and more than a dozen hunters from both groups had assembled. Forseti hurried to join them.

Skadi's group, similarly prepared, gathered with over a dozen hunters.

Tension hung thick in the air as the two groups eyed each other, waiting for the impending clash.

"...We're halfway through the Hunting Festival. Historically, this is when victory is decided," Hela remarked, casting a final glance at Skadi before commanding, "Let's move out!"