The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 160

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The eve of the Blessing Festival sacrifice hunt.

“Annellia, how are you feeling today?”

Dimas asked in the banquet hall where the evening feast would be held.

I let out a deep sigh.

“…Not great.”

Dimas’s eyes widened.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

Without answering, I fixed my gaze on the table.

This event was a large-scale affair with 150 participants alone.

The tourists who flocked to watch this event numbered ten thousand.

Since the Blessing Festival itself hadn’t been held in a long time, it was natural for such crowds to gather, but still…

‘This is trouble.’

The thought of Tian’s martial arts skills being exposed in front of so many people filled me with worry.

“Sigh…”

When I sighed again, Dimas tilted his head.

Armin, who was beside me, asked in a playful voice.

“Annellia. You’re going to burn a hole through that table.”

“Armin doesn’t understand anything. I’m not in the mood to joke around right now.”

“Why? Are you nervous about spending a few days in the forest?”

I glared at Armin with a sullen expression.

“Don’t worry, okay? With my brother, me, and even Awin there, what’s there to worry about?”

“That’s right, Annellia. Don’t worry too much. If your leg hurts, we’ll take turns carrying you, and we’ll catch your share of prey too…”

“The distinguished guests are entering!”

At that moment, a servant standing at the entrance of the banquet hall shouted.

When I turned my head, I saw the participating nobles entering.

Among them were Lambert Longton, Hiana, and the three princes.

“Lady Julian is entering!”

“Marquis Spencer and the young marquis are entering!”

“Baroness Vanessa and the young baron are entering!”

Nobles whose faces I already knew from seeing them several times.

And nobles I was seeing for the very first time.

The procession of entering nobles seemed endless.

“What? There are more people our age than I thought?”

Armin muttered with interest.

Dimas shrugged and answered.

“Karin Empress sent each household a weapon made smaller than adult-sized ones.”

My eyes widened.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said. She sent weapons that children aged 10 to 15 could use. What do you think that means?”

“…She wants the children to participate in the hunt too.”

I secretly frowned.

It made sense for me to participate since I’m the Duke of Abner’s daughter, but…

‘Why would she want children to participate in a hunt that even adults find difficult?’

While I was pondering this, the banquet hall became busy again.

“Crown Prince is entering!”

The wide-open entrance.

Tian was entering, escorted by Imperial Guard knights.

The nobles filling the banquet hall parted like the Red Sea.

“We greet Crown Prince.”

“We greet the Empire’s little sun!”

Amidst the bursting praise, my eyes met with Tian’s as he leisurely passed through the crowd.

‘Annellia.’

I read Tian’s lip movement and gave him an awkward smile.

‘It’s really been a long time.’

This was the first time I’d seen Tian since Karin’s pregnancy celebration banquet.

Armin and Dimas muttered beside me.

“His face is pretty decent, just like I heard.”

“More than decent, isn’t it? Is he even human?”

Meanwhile, Tian moved toward the inner part of the banquet hall.

And he took his seat on the slightly elevated dais.

Then finally, the last person entered the banquet hall.

“Duke Abner is entering!”

It was Grandmother, wearing leather pants, a leather vest, and even a bear fur cloak that she only wore when hunting.

“I greet Crown Prince.”

Grandmother first went to the front of the dais and knelt on one knee to greet Tian.

Then she turned to face the distinguished guests.

“Welcome to Abner.”

Grandmother’s voice carried a low dignity.

“This feast is to commemorate the eve of the Blessing Festival sacrifice hunt. After the feast ends, everyone will move to the central base in the Northern Forest of Abner.”

This sacrifice hunt was planned to last about a week.

If the sacrifice wasn’t caught even after a week, there was a possibility of extending it a bit longer.

“During the hunt, everyone will stay at the central base and cannot freely leave or enter.”

Once the hunt began, participants absolutely could not cause any major disturbances.

This was because the beasts could flee at even small disturbances.

Moving to the base in the middle of the night was also for this reason.

If they caused a commotion from early morning, they might miss hunting opportunities for the entire day.

Nevertheless, small sighs could be heard from various places.

Grandmother lightly ignored them and continued speaking.

“A feast like this will also be the last for today. So please enjoy yourselves.”

“Damn.”

Dimas muttered beside me.

Startled, I looked to the side to see Dimas gripping his fork tightly with an excited expression.

“Really, really…”

“…”

“This is going to be really fun.”

I let out a deep sigh.

After finishing the feast and arriving in the forest, it was the middle of the night.

I opened my mouth in amazement at the base site, which was larger than I had expected.

The base site was created by partially clearing trees beside the downstream of the river.

Forty tents were installed there, forming a wide semicircle and occupying the space.

“Annellia. Are you done unpacking?”

Awin approached and asked casually.

I nodded.

“Awin, you’re sharing a tent with your teacher, right? Who else is there?”

“Sir Wendel and two other knights.”

“Wow, won’t it be uncomfortable with five people?”

“The tent is bigger than expected, so it should be fine. It seems like Armin and Prince Dimas are sharing a tent between the two of them.”

I nodded.

“Actually, I’m also sharing with Grandmother, just the two of us.”

“How nice, you’ll get to spend some quiet time with His Grace after so long.”

I nodded with a dazed expression.

Then I suddenly stopped and looked toward a certain spot.

The red flags of the Blessing Festival hanging from the tops of each tent, or more precisely, slightly above them.

“Those are visual orbs, right?”

Small magical devices glinting at the tops of the flagpoles caught my eye.

“Yeah. Seeing the lights on, it looks like they’ve started operating? They broadcast in real-time to the Imperial Capital and all of Abner Territory.”

I nodded with a serious expression.

Since the Blessing Festival was such a major event, the ritual hunt was scheduled to be broadcast throughout the Empire via visual orbs.

“Brother Awin. Uncle Wendel is sharing a tent with you, right?”

“Yeah. Why do you ask?”

“Would archery practice inside the tent be a bit awkward?”

“Archery practice?”

“Yeah. There’s someone who absolutely needs to learn archery from Uncle Wendel, but I’d prefer it not be caught on the visual orbs if possible.”

Awin looked puzzled.

“If you want to avoid the visual orbs, you’d have to practice inside the tent. But wouldn’t that be difficult, realistically speaking?”

“I suppose it would be…?”

Just as I was hanging my head with a dejected expression.

“Really? They’re having an archery contest by the riverside?”

“That’s right! Between the Prince Marcs and His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Two young ladies who looked three or four years older than me hurried past us in their cloaks.

I stared at them with wide eyes.

“It seems the Prince Marcs challenged him to a contest. Let’s hurry, quickly!”

As I mulled over those words, I gasped and covered my mouth.

“Oh no, this is terrible.”

I had hoped it wouldn’t happen, but…

It seemed Dimas and Armin had finally caused trouble.

‘I thought they seemed wary of Tian from the start. What’s this archery contest before the hunt even begins!’

I quickly grabbed my outer coat from the tent.

“Brother Awin! Let’s go!”

“Annellia?”

“We have to stop His Highness Tian from competing!”

“What are you suddenly talking about? Why?”

“Because His Highness Tian is…!”

Based on my always correct and rational deductions, Tian was terribly untalented at martial arts!

After running down the slope for some time, I could see people gathered in a circle by the riverside.

I hurriedly pushed through the crowd toward the center.

And finally, I was able to spot Armin.

“…Wow, this is really ridiculous?”

But Armin’s expression was somehow strange.

“Let’s do it again.”

That expression that definitely seemed angry, or rather, burning with competitive spirit.

Meanwhile, Tian on the opposite side…

“If you wish, then let’s do so.”

Had a completely opposite expression from Armin.

At his feet were piles of small targets about the size of apples.

Judging by the magic stones attached to their backs, it seemed he had floated them in the air with magic and hit them.

Tian slightly lowered his head and lightly kicked the dirt with his toe.

Then he naturally nocked three arrows simultaneously on his bowstring and said.

“Though I don’t think you’ll win even if you try again.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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