After I died, Everything Changed - Chapter 44

“When Grandfather was younger, he used to love throwing small feasts after hunting wild boars. If you could bring back that nostalgia for him, don’t you think he might actually like you a little more?”

“Oh?”

Nehrzhu’s eyes lit up.

He really was incredibly simple.

“And as it happens, wild boars have been coming down from the mountain lately, causing trouble for the locals. You might not be a national hero, but you could be the village’s hero at least.”

“A hero, huh?”

Excitement flickered across Nehrzhu’s face.

“That actually sounds like a great idea.”

A satisfied smile curled across his lips.

“Good luck.”

Well, that was easier than expected.
Looked like I had just resolved the household chaos with a few simple words.

I allowed myself a small, pleased smile.

Normally, I’m not the type to expect much from people.

This time was no different.

But even so… I’d never met anyone who could manage to mess up something this simple.

How do you fail at a task this easy?

I stared, at a loss for words, as Nehrzhu returned with a leg injury.

“Why on earth did you go out hunting and end up like this?!”

Chloe was horrified as she looked at the wounded Nehrzhu.

To be fair, so was I—though for different reasons.

More than anything, I was stunned someone could be this incompetent.

He had taken four professional hunters with him.

And still, he came back injured?

“I didn’t know wild boars were so vicious… Agh, what if I can’t use my leg anymore?”

Nehrzhu whimpered as he was carried on a stretcher, groaning dramatically.

“…”

“Oh my, look at all that blood. What if it’s broken? It really might be!”

Karlin, standing beside me, winced and cringed at the sight.

“Why on earth did you suddenly decide to go after a wild boar like some fool?!”

Even Chloe, normally the picture of refinement, was now shouting out in unfiltered rage.

“Irene said Grandfather used to like wild boar…”

“What?! You got caught up in her nonsense and ended up like this?”

Chloe’s furious glare landed directly on me.

Ah. So she knew I was standing here.

I tried to quietly look away, pretending I wasn’t part of this mess.

“Irene!”

But of course, my ever-gracious stepmother had no intention of letting me off that easily.

“I only made the suggestion in good faith. He ran off on his own, excited about the idea of impressing Grandfather. That was entirely his decision.”

“You pushed him into it! I’m telling the head of the house about this. You’ll take responsibility!”

“I’m not his guardian, so I don’t see why I—”

I tried to defend myself calmly, but one more word and I felt like Chloe really would tear my mouth open.

No matter how composed I was, I couldn’t win against the rage of a mother standing over her injured son.

“In any case… it’s unfortunate things turned out this way.”

To be fair, I did feel just the tiniest sliver of responsibility—maybe about the size of a fingernail clipping.

“They’re calling that wild boar the ‘murder boar’ these days. Apparently it’s really aggressive. A lot of people have already been injured.”

Karlin whispered next to me.

Maybe I should’ve thought twice about suggesting a hunt for something with the word murder attached to its name.

“At least it’s not a fatal injury.”

“Not fatal?! Can’t you see what happened to his leg?!”

“…”

Yeah. Maybe I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.

“I meant well. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”

“Meant well? You seriously thought that boar would be a good idea? Why don’t you go catch it, then?”

“…”

“What, you could suggest it to Nehrzhu, but not do it yourself?”

Well, that’s because I just found out it was nicknamed the “murder boar,” and I’d like to keep my limbs intact.

“My lady, no. You mustn’t agree to anything. Seriously. That thing is dangerous.”

Karlin pleaded in a whisper, eyes wide with alarm.

“Why aren’t you answering? Should I report your wrongdoing to the head of the house?”

“…Sure, go ahead.”

“My lady!”

Karlin cried out in panic at my calm reply.

“I’ll catch one and make sure it’s given to Grandfather—under Nehrzhu’s name.”

“Unbelievable.”

Didn’t he just suggest that himself? And now he’s acting shocked?

“Then that’s settled. Nehrzhu, take care of your injury. Your mother will see to your medicine.”

As if he’d trust anything I gave him.

At my words, Nehrzhu, still laid out on the stretcher, lifted his head.

“I never should’ve listened to you!”

“That’s why it’s always good to think twice before taking someone’s word for anything.”

“You conniving little—!”

Thanks to Nehrzhu, I now had a new headache.

One that felt like it was only going to get worse.

I have to admit—now that I think about it—Duke Lahan might be a bit of a prophet.

“Who knew I’d end up using these boots this much?”

“My lady, with everything you’ve already got going on, are you seriously going hunting? Just send the hunters!”

“Of course I won’t be the one doing anything. I mean, I can’t. But if word gets out that I didn’t even go along, my stepmother will throw a fit.”

Karlin’s anxiety was reaching new levels.

“Why did you even agree to this?! They’re calling it the murder boar! Murder!”

“Whoever came up with that name was oddly creative. It’s very… vivid.”

“This is not the time for jokes! Even climbing the mountain in your condition is risky—ugh…”

Sorry, Karlin.

I could’ve just rolled my eyes at Nehrzhu’s failure and moved on.
Maybe even gotten a laugh out of it.

“Yeah… maybe I should’ve just done that.”

But some temporary satisfaction wasn’t worth ruining the banquet.

If I stirred up drama now, I’d only be making myself a target again.

“My health has been steadily improving, hasn’t it?”

“Sure… but you’re not exactly in wild boar-fighting condition yet!”

“I wonder if Elliot’s heard about this yet…”

My ears started itching.

That was a bad sign.

“My lady!”

As expected, Elliot burst through the door.

“What are you wearing?!”

“Hunting gear. Cute, right?”

I posed slightly, showing off the leather pants, sturdy boots, and a practical shirt.

“You’re seriously going to hunt that thing?”

“It’s just a wild boar. You’re all overreacting.”

“Nehrzhu has a fracture in his shin.”

“…”

Karlin and I went silent.

“And he needed thirty stitches.”

“Thirty… that’s about this big?”

I held out my hands, estimating something the size of a melon.

“If the stitching was tight, maybe smaller?”

“Like… this much?”

“More like… this?”

Karlin and I tried to picture the size of a thirty-stitch wound, using our hands like kids playing charades.

Elliot sighed heavily.

“I’ll get ready to go with you.”

So, he was coming too.

I really didn’t want to double my death glares today.

“And forget sneaking out. Not happening.”

Of course, he could read the room better than anyone.

“Aaaah! My lady!!”

“Run, Karlin! Just run!”

We had four experienced hunters, plus Elliot, Karlin, and me.

I honestly thought that with this kind of group, we could take on anything.

“Don’t run in a straight line—zigzag!”

“Higher ground! Climb up!”

We’d already taken down two boars.
Easily, even.

So I’d thought everything would be fine.

That was before we ran into the real one—the alpha.

Oh no. The ones we hunted must’ve been her babies…

Maybe that explained why she was so vicious. She was protecting her young.

“I’ll try to stop it!”

Elliot finally drew his sword—after we had run out of escape routes.

“Elliot, unless you’re ready to sacrifice your ribs, I don’t think that sword’s going to do much against those tusks.”

“It’s not like I have anything else. All I’ve got is a sword and an axe.”

“Wait, I have a bow!”

The same bow I’d complained about carrying earlier now felt like my salvation.

I grabbed it quickly.

Karlin, bless her, rushed to pull an arrow from the quiver and handed it to me.

I gripped the bow tightly and pulled the string back.

“Oh no. It feels like the ground’s shaking—wait, that’s just my arms.”

I was shaking like a leaf.

“It’s coming! It’s charging straight at us!”

The boar saw its moment—and lunged.

Thwip!

The arrow flew.

Tap.

It landed just a few steps in front of me.

Right up until then, I’d had big dreams and high hopes.

“Run!!”

Yeah. Running was definitely the better option.

The three of us took off again.

“This way—climb up!”

Karlin spotted a massive boulder—at least two meters high—and dropped to one knee to give me a boost.

“Hurry, my lady! Go!”

But running wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Today, I truly learned:
Four legs move a lot faster than two.

“Aaaaaaaah!!”

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