5 points.
What an ambiguous and meaningless score.
It’s not as full as 10 points, nor as empty as 0 points.
It feels like eating a steak that’s not fully cooked.
Some say beef is better eaten a little undercooked.
It’s not that it has no taste, but it feels like it has no taste.
Anyway, it was a very unpleasant feeling.
I could have tried to sugarcoat my archery skills, which only managed to score 5 points.
For some reason, my posture was good, but technically, it was like I was shooting a bow for the first time.
In fact, it was commendable for a beginner to score 5 points from a 50-meter distance.
“Your posture is excellent. Your score is 5 points.”
“…”
It’s just that my fiancée, who excels in every field, didn’t think so.
“Did you plan to participate in the hunting competition on my behalf with that level of skill?”
“…I don’t particularly have any intention of joining the hunting competition.”
It was true.
Although losing this archery bet would mean giving up on the hunting competition.
My main goal wasn’t to participate in the hunting competition in place of Rebecca, but to receive a handkerchief made by my beloved fiancée.
As I mentioned earlier, achieving outstanding results in the hunting competition and winning a prize was not my concern.
“Then why…”
Rebecca looked puzzled upon hearing that I had no interest in the hunting competition.
For Rebecca, who has the strongest competitive spirit in the empire, it might have been hard to understand. If there’s such a competition, she would definitely participate and aim for first place, as that’s her nature.
“Indeed. What do you think the reason might be, Princess?”
“…”
I didn’t want to easily reveal the reason for proposing this bet.
No, in fact, I had already revealed it.
Hadn’t I already blurted out, ‘What should I do? I really want to receive a handkerchief from my beloved fiancée.’?
“…”
It’s just that Rebecca thought I said that to tease her.
Even though I clearly stated it during the imperial banquet, my fiancée often still considers my words to be false.
So, now was not the time to inform her of that fact.
*Squeak-*
Leaving Rebecca, who still looked confused and unable to grasp the reason, I drew the bowstring again.
“…Are you going to shoot right away?”
Rebecca seemed surprised that I was attempting again immediately after my first arrow missed spectacularly, giving me a disbelieving look.
“I will shoot.”
I was definitely more confident than before.
They say humans learn success from failure.
It’s human nature to achieve better results the second time than the first, and the third time than the second.
I am also a growth-oriented human with such nature.
*Twang-*
“…”
“…7 points.”
It was only natural for me to achieve a better result than before.
The second arrow was closer to the center than the first.
Unlike the first time, when I only focused on aiming and the strength of pulling the bow, this time I paid attention to the wind direction and speed.
Although I can’t say I paid perfect attention.
This result was quite satisfying.
“…Not bad.”
Rebecca, who watched me, also seemed quite surprised.
It seemed Rebecca was quite amazed by my achievement of scoring 7 points in just two attempts.
Given that she rarely gives out sparing compliments.
12 points.
That was the total score I had achieved so far.
Since Rebecca, whose archery skills surpass those of most archers, couldn’t possibly miss a 10-point shot.
I needed to score at least 9 points on the next arrow to have a chance.
The secret move I prepared could only be used when Rebecca was preparing her last arrow.
…Although the secret move is quite obvious.
Anyway, I needed to score more than 9 points.
*Squeak-*
“I will shoot.”
“…Again, right away?”
And fortunately.
*Twang-*
“…”
“…9 points. Total of 21 points.”
Having completely grasped the feel with the first two arrows, scoring 9 points was easy for me.
“Princess, it’s your turn.”
Now, all that’s left is to pray to any gods that might exist and hope my voice sounds pleasant.
***
“Princess, it’s your turn.”
Albert’s face, as he handed the bow back to her, was truly triumphant.
A smug expression as if he owned the world.
An expression that, under normal circumstances, would have warranted a sharp retort.
“…”
But Rebecca couldn’t retort as usual.
Because, even to her, this situation was absurd.
When Albert first proposed the archery bet.
The first thing Rebecca felt was confusion.
The fiancé she knew would never propose a bet involving physical skills like swordsmanship, archery, or spearmanship.
Her fiancé, more cunning than anyone, would never propose a bet if he thought he couldn’t win.
Yet, her fiancé proposed an archery bet to her.
Although she couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had blurted it out in a moment of panic after being caught in some private thought.
Anyway, it was a proposal Albert would never make under normal circumstances.
– …Alright.
To her, it was an opportunity.
A chance to beat her fiancé purely on skill.
Rebecca, who had recently missed her first chance to win.
Although she succeeded in making Albert drink a truth potion that forced him to speak only the truth.
– So, our lovely fiancée should just quietly accept the food her kind fiancé offers.
She crumbled under Albert’s sentence filled with sincerity.
After that experience, Rebecca fully realized.
That trying to beat her fiancé with words was absurd.
No matter how hard she studied, no matter how many books she read to expand her vocabulary.
The moment Albert’s words containing ‘love’ and ‘beautiful’ reached her ears, the game was over.
Her heart, which resided within her but never followed orders, and her cheeks, which only knew how to turn red, would surely go wild.
Engaging in a war of words was madness.
She didn’t know why her body wouldn’t obey her commands.
Perhaps, the thought she had always dismissed as nonsense, ‘that she had fallen for her fiancé,’ might be true.
Otherwise, her heart and cheeks wouldn’t be acting like a lovesick girl.
However, even if the truth was that she had come to like her fiancé.
She could never easily admit it.
What was lacking.
What was lacking for her, the only daughter of the great Valencia Duchy, who had grown up hearing she was pretty and a genius.
What was lacking for her to fall for the always teasing, annoying Albert.
This was a fact she could never admit.
That’s why she had to win this bet.
Because she had a bad feeling that as time passed, her chances of beating her fiancé would gradually disappear.
…Because she had an uneasy premonition that she might really fall for her fiancé, which she didn’t want to admit.
She had to win in archery, a sure-win event.
But the situation didn’t go as planned.
*Squeak-*
Albert, drawing the bowstring, looked every bit the archer.
He was clearly her fiancé, who had said he was holding a bow for the first time today.
That’s why she was confident of winning this bet without any issues.
But now, the situation was strangely unfolding.
She began to feel like she had been tricked by her fiancé again.
*Twang-*
Fortunately, Albert’s statement that it was his first time shooting a bow seemed true, as his first arrow only scored 5 points.
*Twang- Twang-*
But the following second and third arrows scored 7 and 9 points respectively, bringing the total score to over 20 points.
Total of 21 points.
A score that couldn’t be caught up with even by scoring two perfect 10s.
Although she, who prided herself on having some skill in archery, didn’t think she would miss a 10-point shot from 50 meters.
“…Why are you looking at me like that.”
She still couldn’t let her guard down.
Because it was impossible to predict what tricks her cunning fiancé might pull.
Hadn’t she lost embarrassingly in a swordsmanship duel due to overconfidence?
She couldn’t be fooled twice.
*Squeak-*
Receiving the bow from Albert, she hesitated not a moment before drawing the bowstring.
*Twang-*
She immediately shot the arrow.
The result was, of course, a 10-point hit without needing to check.
“Wow…”
Even though Albert’s admiration was heard from the side, she tried her best not to pay attention.
She had to win this bet before her fiancé did something strange.
*Squeak-*
*Twang-*
The second arrow also landed a 10-point hit.
Current total of 20 points.
Since Albert’s score was 21 points, she only needed to score 2 more points to win the bet.
“…Princess.”
“…”
It was then that the soft voice of her fiancé, which she desperately hoped not to hear, reached her.
“Don’t talk to me.”
A thorny remark reflexively sprang from Rebecca’s lips.
If she lost again to the same trick, she would be no different from a fool.
*Squeak-*
Before Albert could open his mouth again, she drew the bowstring.
“Aren’t you curious why I, who have no interest in the hunting competition, proposed this bet?”
“…What’s the reason.”
And then, foolishly, she didn’t shoot the arrow.
If she had shot the arrow towards the target right then, it would have been her victory.
But Albert’s whisper, offering to tell her the reason for proposing this unfair bet she was sure to win, froze her hand as if it were the whisper of a devil.
“It’s simple. Because I want to receive a handkerchief from you, Princess.”
“…That’s it?”
Her fiancé, who had no tricks up his sleeve, had proposed this bet simply because he wanted a handkerchief from her.
It was absurd.
She felt like a fool for freezing up just from hearing his voice in the past.
If he really wanted a handkerchief, he could have just asked for one earlier. It’s not like handkerchiefs are that expensive.
“If it’s a handkerchief you want, we have plenty at our mansion. You can take one later…”
“Unfortunately, you’re mistaken. The handkerchief I want is not an ordinary one.”
“…”
It was then that a sense of unease washed over her.
The unease that, upon hearing Albert’s next words, the situation would unfold as it always did.
*Squeak-*
That unease moved her stiff hand to draw the bowstring.
“The handkerchief I want, as I mentioned earlier, is ‘the only handkerchief made by my beloved fiancée.'”
“…”
Unfortunately, words are faster than actions, and that’s a very obvious fact.
“So, for the sake of your poor fiancé who has never received a heartfelt gift from his beloved fiancée, won’t you concede defeat?”
“…How can I refuse when you say it like that…”
Very unfortunately, she had no means to refuse her fiancé’s earnest request.
With her face and ears dyed bright red.
“Thank you, the most merciful fiancée in the world.”
“…”
She could only listen quietly as her fiancé whispered into her ear.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
