By the small lake—.
A table decorated with flowers, colorful cloths, and ribbons.
On it sat cakes and food prepared with far more care than usual.
And….
'…A bear?'
It wasn't a joke. It was a real bear.
Not some metaphor—a real bear walking on all fours.
Impossible to mistake for a decorative doll,
a massive bear was sniffing around the birthday table I had so carefully set up.
"...."
"...."
An utterly unexpected uninvited guest.
Ruena and I stood at a safe distance, watching the scene unfold.
'I shouldn't have put honey in the cake!'
The bear's enormous bulk was inching closer to the birthday table.
The ribbons and flower decorations were getting mussed,
and the moment the cloth draped over the table was trampled underfoot—.
Rather than despair, an inexplicable sense of wrongness flashed through my mind.
'…Wait. Are there bears around here?'
Something felt off.
True, the area was surrounded by forest,
but just a little further down was a busy forest path frequented by people.
It was closer to human territory than true wilderness.
Not the kind of environment where wild animals would casually wander in.
Especially not something as large and dangerous as a bear—.
I had of course investigated the area thoroughly for the perfect birthday party.
This region was a residential and specially managed zone.
Dangerous creatures were captured in advance or kept out entirely.
At least according to my research,
no such beasts came down here.
There were no reports of hikers or locals encountering danger,
and above all, no sightings of hazardous wildlife near the village for years.
'So how?'
Too incongruous to call it coincidence or mere bad luck.
Survival came before the birthday party, though.
I motioned for Ruena, behind me, to fall back further.
Then I whispered very softly.
"Slowly…."
"Okay."
Her usual curt reply.
In moments like this, Ruena's calm demeanor was a blessing.
Any other girl would have been screaming and crying in terror by now.
Fortunately, the bear showed little interest in us.
Mindful not to make a sound with my feet, I moved slowly, extremely cautiously.
All the while keeping a close eye on our uninvited guest.
'This is weird….'
The longer I observed, the stronger the sense of wrongness grew.
Wild animals usually have matted, dirty fur.
But this bear's coat was sleek and glossy, with hardly any dirt or debris.
As if someone had groomed it.
'No way… Is it a trained bear?'
Ridiculous even to me.
Yet in this situation, it was the most plausible explanation.
Whoever the lunatic raising a bear was could be dealt with later.
'Even so, a bear handled by humans might be a bit tamer?'
I'd heard stories like that.
Royalty in some foreign lands kept fierce beasts to flaunt their power.
I'd never seen one myself, but looking at the bear now, it seemed possible.
'They usually trim the claws and pull the teeth on those….'
Plus, human handling dulled their wild instincts considerably.
No room for complacency with a beast like this,
but in this absurd situation, it offered a sliver of comfort.
At least the odds of it immediately tearing us apart had dropped a bit.
The bear continued prowling near the birthday table.
Sniffing slowly,
looking around leisurely.
Repeating motions like it was searching for something.
'…But it's still weird.'
Its movements were profoundly unnatural.
Every action was unnaturally slow and jerky.
As if invisible strings were yanking it into turns.
A chill ran down my spine at the eerie sight,
but I counted it as luck and retreated carefully.
With movements that sluggish, we could escape with our lives.
'My blood, sweat, and tears poured into that birthday table will be sacrificed, though.'
But life was more precious than the table.
Comforting myself like that, I took one step, then another, widening the distance from the bear.
"?!"
Until a noise came from the bushes where we were.
The bushes rustled.
A small bird burst out, then flapped away into the sky in fright.
'That damn bird!'
The bear snapped its head up and looked straight at us.
My breath caught.
Ruena must have felt it too; tension radiated from behind me.
'What do I do?'
I glanced back briefly.
Ruena was holding her breath, staring at the bear.
The heir to House Eliad, boasting the kingdom's finest martial prowess.
But heir or not, Ruena was only nine.
A precocious nine-year-old couldn't fight a bear.
Neither could I.
No, I wasn't even an heir—just a worthless Noir, optimized for thieving over fighting.
It would be an insult to compare myself to Ruena, who'd had at least basic combat training.
Damn it, the bear's gaze fixed on us.
Our images were clearly reflected in its round black eyes.
My heart plummeted.
'Run for it? No, no way I can outrun a bear. Or distract it so Ruena can escape….'
Sacrificing myself alone wasn't an option.
It'd be meaningless without her.
If we survived, it had to be together.
'If I go back alone, I'm dead meat anyway!'
House Noir would exile me,
and House Eliad would hunt me down relentlessly.
Might as well die screaming here.
'But before that….'
I clenched my fist.
I'd fight with whatever I had, even if I died.
At minimum, I had to get Ruena out safely.
'Saved the Eliad heir, became bear chow—the third son of House Noir. Not a bad epitaph.'
I crouched and grabbed a couple of rocks from the ground.
They wouldn't subdue the bear,
but thrown nearby, they'd definitely draw its attention.
As I carefully stood, I spoke without looking at Ruena.
"Ruena. When I give the signal, run like hell."
"...What?"
"It's fine. I'm pretty nimble."
The truth was far from fine.
My hand gripping the rocks was shaking.
My heart pounded wildly, cold sweat pouring down.
I'd never let pride allow me to show it, though.
Holding my breath, I watched the bear intently for an opening.
It kept staring at us.
One step, one step.
Approaching at a very leisurely pace.
This bear was definitely off.
Its movements,
its lifeless eyes.
All of it seemed artificial, not of its own will.
'Lucky or unlucky?'
To draw its focus, I edged toward the bear bit by bit.
Slowly,
very carefully,
so it wouldn't notice me closing in.
'Who knew Noir stealth would work on bears too.'
Whether it didn't notice or its patterns were predictable, it worked.
What a relief.
We Noirs didn't train in combat like the Eliads,
but we were masters of stealth, infiltration, and masking presence.
Closing distance silently was second nature.
Like now.
I glanced sideways briefly.
Fortunately, I'd reached my target spot safely.
'Please work…!'
I hurled a rock at the bear's head with all my strength.
It hit with a dull thud and fell away.
The bear's roar echoed through the forest.
Its gaze flashed toward me with the bellow.
I sprinted full tilt to a tall tree on the opposite side and scrambled up.
"Now—!"
I shouted the signal to Ruena.
At the same instant, the bear roared again and slammed the trunk where I'd climbed.
Its previously dull eyes brimmed with chilling killing intent.
Legs trembling at that glare,
but on the other hand, I was relieved its full attention was on me.
A few more impacts, and the trunk creaked ominously.
'Good thing I brought this…!'
I pulled a portable special wire magic tool from my pocket.
A birthday gift from my sister last time.
I'd wondered what the hell it was for, but today it was the best present ever.
Made me feel a tiny bit guilty for complaining about it.
'Gotta grovel to Sis later. …If I survive.'
I hurriedly hooked the wire to the opposite tree and swung across.
Then I grabbed another rock from my pocket and threw it at the bear.
"Over here!"
Another roar, and the bear whirled around.
It charged at terrifying speed—far faster than before.
'This is way scarier than expected?'
I quickly unhooked the wire and latched it to another tree.
As the bear lunged, I zipped to the side tree.
In the direction opposite Ruena.
I had to draw it away from her somehow.
Until Ruena escaped far away, I couldn't let go of this pissed-off bear for even a second.
Thankfully, it was fixated solely on me.
More fiercely by the moment.
More threateningly.
Trees began toppling under its overwhelming power.
Each thud of its blunt, menacing claws sent dirt and leaves flying.
I'd distanced it from Ruena's escape route,
but the longer I held its attention, the fewer places I had to flee.
And the magic tool's remaining mana was running low.
'Damn….'
I couldn't keep running forever.
Time to choose.
Die like this,
or think of something else.
I hooked the wire to a tall, thick dead tree and launched myself.
The bear charged viciously again.
Its massive body crashed into the trunk, but it held—for now.
'Good…. Let's think of a plan while I buy time….'
I desperately racked my brain, scanning the surroundings and the bear below.
Its speed and strength,
the terrain I could use.
And….
'Wait. What's that…?'
Another violent crash.
In my shaking vision, something shiny caught my eye.
The key to turning this situation around.
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