Baron Gill walked up to an elevated position. The buzzing hall fell silent as all eyes focused on the man. He was accompanied by his wife, a beautiful woman who would have made a great pair for him if not for the staggering age difference. No trace of nervousness could be seen on his face even when being the center of attention among all the peers that had gathered. The baron exuded a comforting sense of confidence as he gave a speech thanking all the attendants. Though he addressed the crowd for quite some time, the contents were anything but important.

After the flowery speech laced with unnecessary remarks ended, one guest after another presented their gifts. Beautiful jewels, exotic craftworks, celebrated weapons and various extravagant goods made their appearance one after another amidst the dramatic introduction by the person presenting the gifts. It almost seemed as if the guests were trying to outdo each other. It was shocking to see so many exorbitantly valued goods presented as gifts, it also added a sense of excitement to the already lively atmosphere. The happenings today would no doubt, be talked about for quite a while and no one wanted to miss this opportunity to put on airs.

Vincent was rendered speechless by the time everyone was done. It was finally their turn. Thankfully, Nathan would be the one addressing his father for all of them combined or else, Vincent might really have messed up. Nathan took a deep breath and spoke a few words to the servant who had been standing by him for a while. The latter nodded and hurriedly went away. Nathan slowly approached the center of the hall and clapped his hands.

Eight strong men carried a flat cot about four meters long and three meters wide into the hall. A cloth covered the content but the huge mound roused much curiosity. Nathan spoke in a solemn but loud voice, "Felicitations, beloved father. May I present the body of a Scarlet bear. I hunted it with my friends just yesterday."

With that said, he removed the cloth revealing the carcass. A sword was driven in on the spot where Nathan had pierced it and a battle axe was lodged in its hind leg. The burn marks from Vincent's spells were also made to seem more impressive. Vincent had no idea how Zach had done it, but the body was made to look like it had been through a much harsher battle.

The crowd gasped at the sight of the hulking bear. Zach seemed satisfied at his handiwork as he watched the animated expressions on the faces of people present. The intended result had been achieved and they had managed to snatch the attention of most of the guests.

Though the existence of warriors and wizards made hunting magical beasts possible, hunting a predatory beast was a risky task to undertake. Not only was it extremely dangerous, it didn't yield as much as the effort and resource one had to put in as well. It was after all, the norm to use the hide and any other parts from a magical beast that was passive and tame. That way, it was much safer but just as profitable. In the end, the skin, flesh and bones were just as valuable because of the dense energy on them. It didn't matter whether it came from a rabbit or a lion.

Rarely did anyone ever hunt predatory magical beasts and in the infrequent instances that they did, it was mostly because of the creature venturing too close to human settlements. Even when prepared, the hunters would often suffer tragic consequences when attempting to subdue the beasts. More often than not, the game would also flee successfully, rendering all the effort and expenses useless. Such being the case, the carcass was a rare sight for everyone present.

The bear was already menacing and with Zach's personal touches, the product could only be described as a creature from stories told to children. The crowd couldn't take their eyes off it and began talking about it. Baron Gill too, was quite surprised at the sight. He had been far too busy lately as he had to arrange for the celebration and hadn't learned of the hunt yet. One could tell that the fight had been hard fought just by looking at the cuts and burns in the bear's body. Adding Casper's broken arm on top of that served to make it seem even more so. While he was a little worried about the unnecessary risk his son had taken, he had to admit that it was quite a spectacle and that it added to the atmosphere of the banquet. He maintained his signature smile and spoke, "I see that one of my sons has joined the ranks of the brave Esterin warriors. That adds to another cause for celebration. Everyone must be hungry, let us feast first."

Servants set the tables in a orderly, practiced manner and brought in items in waves. Various delicacies were brought in one after another. Pleasant aroma filled the entire hall, whetting the appetite of all those present. Vincent felt his mouth watering as he looked at the tasty treats. It had been a while since he had had a decent meal and the sight of properly prepared food had him raring to go.

Nathan and Casper were soon surrounded by a bunch of youngsters hungry for the details. Nathan happily started narrating the story they had all prepared beforehand receiving much admiration from the listeners. Casper stood by his side and added a word or two to make the story more exciting. Vincent felt a bit awkward mixing in with the group and moved away silently. Zach joined him and put his arms around Vincent's shoulder. The latter was surprised finding the social butterfly with him in a corner instead of mingling with the guests.

Almost as if reading Vincent's thoughts from his face, he spoke in a grim manner. "I like to stay away from the bustle sometimes too. You don't have to look at me like that. Come let's go grab something to eat. I am starving."

Vincent didn't believe the young man. He was sure that even if Zach enjoyed some quiet, he would definitely not miss such a chance to socialize. But that didn't matter at the moment, the thing that required his attention right now was his grumbling stomach. Nodding to his companion, he accompanied the other to satisfy their cravings.

The duo grabbed whatever they felt like eating. Their plates were filled to the brim with all sorts of delicacies. Baron Gill had spared no expense for the banquet. One could eat their fill with food that they would usually only have at special occasions. Vincent and Zach found a quiet place on the lively hall and began stuffing their face. It was an odd sight in the vibrant place full of people talking and laughing while barely paying attention to the food.

A pretty girl dressed in a refined manner approached the two. She looked at the pair greedily eating while disregarding everything else and frowned. "I see that you are still in the mood to eat Zach. And the way you eat indeed suits you. Did nothing bad happen to you recently? You don't seem worried at all. You have no idea about your situation do you? No, you probably do but choose to turn a blind eye to it because it is scary. Just like how an ostrich buries its head on the sand and thinks that its safe as long as it can't see the predator. I must say, it's indeed befitting of someone like you."

Vincent had been starving and the appetizing aroma had fueled the fire of his hunger a step further. Joining Zach who was similarly being bothered by his belly made him forget about the place. Now that the girl pointed it out, he felt a bit embarrassed. Cautiously, so as to not disturb Zach and the girl he shifted his position further away. Furthermore, it looked like the girl had a bone to pick with Zach. He was also curious about their relationship. Judging by the girl's tone, she seemed quite close to him. In the end, he moved to a place where he wouldn't intrude but would still be able to eavesdrop on them.

Zach didn't seem to care and looked at the girl. There could only be one girl in the entire world who would talk to him like this. The girl with the poisonous tongue, his fiancée Elaine. She had golden hair and blue eyes. Her dainty face was adorned with a sharp nose and thin lips. Everybody praised her beauty but Zach would never do it. In his eyes, she was nothing but a troublemaker.

"Oh my.... if it isn't lady Elaine Burns. The one named after her beauty, said to be as dazzling as the sunlight. Isn't it ironic? Whenever I meet you, it's as if my world gets eclipsed by dark clouds." Zach replied sarcastically while ignoring all the scathing remarks she had thrown his way.

She had just learned that he had been removed from his position as the heir to Rolft viscounty. Though they exchanged hurtful words every time they crossed paths, they had known each other since they were still young and she cared about him. Even as she spoke harshly, she was worried. Listening to his retort that seemed no different from his usual self, she grew restless. Her emotions that she had been bottling since learning of the news exploded. "How can you still be so carefree? Aren't you aware that your life will be turned upside down soon? Have you made plans about what you are going to do?"

"What do you mean by carefree? Can't you see that I am eating instead of joining the other guests. If I were carefree, I would be talking with all the people over there. I am incredibly worried right now."

Elaine had never expected that the stubborn guy would actually admit his weakness. She had been waiting for his usual answer full of air and confidence. The stark contrast in his character worried him even more. It seemed like the situation was worse than what she had learned. The sharp tone from her voice vanished and a gentle one replaced it. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Make a mercenary band. Travel south and distinguish myself. Once the war starts, neither my half brother nor his grandfather will be able to pay attention on me. I will be safe then." Zach answered monotonously, almost as if the matter didn't concern him at all.

"What about our marriage then?" Elaine asked with a shaky voice.

"Huh? Did you have too much to drink? You were engaged to the heir of Rolft viscounty. Since I am no longer the heir, it will probably be your family that annuls the engagement and sets you up with my half brother soon. But it's probably better for you. Didn't you say it was embarrassing being engaged to a useless wizard who got injured on his first hunt? Now you don't have to worry about it."

Tears filled her eyes as she listened to him. It had been nothing more than the usual sharp words she had exchanged with him. It was just some casual teasing. She hadn't expected him to get angry over it and say that he would kill the Scarlet bear and bring its body back. The Zach she knew would have just retorted or ignored her words, little had she expected that he would react so strongly. The tears spilled out of her eyes and streamed down her face. The cakey make up came off with the tears and the ticklish feel from the stream made her realize that she was crying.

Zach was going to have another bite of his food but watching the girl cry shocked him. He didn't think the girl would actually cry as he was only trying to act like he usually did. A great sense of unease came over him as he gazed at her. He was dumbstruck, he didn't have even an inkling of how the situation came to be. Just as he was going to ask if she was okay, Elaine ran away while wiping her tears.

Vincent was trying his hardest to act as if he didn't hear anything. He felt like he had done something bad and he felt stupid for letting his curiosity get the best of him. He sneaked a peek at Zach only to find him staring at the running girl's back with a stupefied face. Zach turned his head around slowly and his eyes met with Vincent's.

Realizing that he forgot to act natural and that Zach probably found out he had eavesdropped, Vincent awkwardly smiled. Zach on the other hand, was even more embarrassed after finding out that Vincent had witnessed the exchange between him and Elaine. The situation was mortifying for both the parties and Zach slowly approached the other. "Vincent... what do you think? The poison tongued woman actually cried and ran away after finding out that our engagement will be annulled. Do you think I've turned into a prince charming after slaying the Scarlet bear? I knew that women like men who have experienced adventure and danger, but who knew it was to this extent."

Zach felt like sewing his mouth shut after completing his sentence. He was just trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere, but now, he had no idea how it had come to this. Not only did he fail to dispel the awkwardness, he managed to make a fool of himself as well.

'F*ck! Must be because that vixen cried. I was too flustered and embarrassed myself further. I need to calm down.'

Vincent was preparing to forget about the event and never bring it up. That way, both him and Zach would be able to avoid the unpleasant situation. Little had he expected that Zach would sabotage their only chance and say something so ridiculous. He felt his mouth twitch uncontrollably. Trying his best to maintain his poker face, he smiled and replied, "Probably?"