The villain's ending is only death Chapter 74
Beyond the tall man, the countdown had finally ended.
〈SYSTEM〉 Due to the time limit being exceeded, [Callisto] has appeared and eliminated [the Giant Bear].
〈SYSTEM〉 [Hunting the Giant Bear] quest failed!
'Damn it, was the time limit until the male lead appeared?'
I panted shallowly and glared at the white square window that had popped up beyond the crown prince.
“What are you staring at so dumbfoundedly?”
The crown prince, who had finally reached me, spoke, then twisted one corner of his mouth and smiled.
"Why. Did you suddenly fall for me again?"
I finally snapped out of it and frowned.
"Even though I saved you, you're disappointed, princess."
The crown prince said this with a completely unbothered expression.
For some reason, my rapidly beating heart slowly calmed down at his mocking tone.
'...Damn. I really thought I was going to be beaten to death by the bear.'
The groove empty of the bead and the giant bear's front paws roaring as they approached.
Recalling that heart-stopping moment again made my legs tremble and my vision blur.
I slowly took a breath and patted my still thumping chest.
Thinking about it, it was more natural that failing a sudden quest didn't lead to death.
This was true for both normal mode and hard mode.
I didn't die just because I failed the [Watching the Festival with Derrick or Leonard] quest.
Since the 'Hunting Contest' is one of the main episodes in the game, it was only natural to be involved with one of the male leads in a critical situation like 'Failing to Hunt the Bear'.
I bowed my head, hiding my crumpled face under the guise of a greeting.
And I forced out a grateful response.
"......Thank you for saving me, Your Highness. Thanks to you, I was able to avoid the crisis."
"Truly brave to think of wandering around the wild beast area alone."
Clap, clap, clap. The crown prince unexpectedly clapped his hands in response to my gratitude.
"I'm curious what thoughts entered your head."
"But no matter how crazy the princess gets, a woman can't catch a bear of that size alone."
His tone, as if lecturing a naive child, made me feel wronged.
'Do you think I wanted to? The quest told me to, the quest!'
I wanted to bang my chest and shout, but the [12% Affinity] above his head stopped me.
Instead, I replied with a sullen voice.
The crown prince shrugged and exaggeratedly acted surprised.
"Oh, so you knew and still did it. Did I interfere unnecessarily and take away the princess's prey?"
"It wasn't something I intended to catch...!"
I was about to retort sharply at his annoying tone but held back again.
"......Suddenly, the bear appeared and I was startled."
"I was originally chasing a fox and got lost...," I muttered with a gloomy face.
I ended up losing the fox I was chasing.
Not only did I fail to hunt, but I almost died trying to catch a rampaging bear, and now I've met the No. 1 target of the hunting contest.
How could I not be depressed?
'This is all because of that audacious Eclis.'
Trying to gain some affection from that damn guy, what kind of hardship is this?
Swallowing the tears that were welling up, I lamented my situation.
"Anyway, I am extremely grateful for your rescue, Your Highness. Then I'll be on my way."
Regardless of whether my affinity had moved away from death, there was nothing good about being involved with the crown prince.
Just as I was about to leave after a hasty bow.
The crown prince tightly grabbed my arm.
I looked at him with a puzzled face.
The crown prince, who had let go of my arm, strode over to where the dead bear's body lay.
He grabbed the hilt of the long sword embedded in the bear's thick neck and pulled it down with all his might.
With a terrifying sound of bones breaking, the bear's head was cleanly separated from its body after a moment.
I stared blankly at the incredible scene with my mouth agape.
The crown prince shook the blood off the sword and put it back in its sheath.
Then, he walked over to me, holding the bear's large head with one hand.
Fresh blood dripped and drew dotted lines on the ground.
The crown prince suddenly handed me the monster bear's head.
I looked at what he offered with trembling eyes.
The bear's head, which he had killed without even closing its eyes, seemed to still be alive and glaring at me fiercely.
'Is this... some kind of duel request method not explained in the game?'
If not, there was no reason to cut off the head of a killed animal.
I tried to recall the game's scenes, but I couldn't remember seeing anything like this.
I looked at the crown prince with renewed surprise and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Forgive me, but I don't have a sword right now..."
Without a sword, I couldn't duel with him.
But the crown prince said something completely unexpected.
"Since you don't have one, I cut it off for you."
"You need to take it to prove that you caught the bear yourself."
My eyes widened in shock.
'If I take it, it will prove that I caught the bear myself?'
I repeated this in my head for a while and realized he was offering me the prey.
"I... I don't really need to..."
I was so surprised that my voice came out uncertain.
"I don't really need to, and I don't want to think it was something I caught."
"Why is it mine? It was caught by Your Highness, the Crown Prince."
"You almost exhausted all your energy, and I just finished it off. So it's as good as you catching it."
'Is this guy speaking normally...?'
I looked at the crown prince with even more surprise than before and politely refused.
"It's fine. I appreciate your kindness, but I really don't need it. I don't even want to think it was something I caught."
"Then consider it a token of gratitude for the gift you received earlier."
Just as I was confused by his sudden talk of gratitude,
- As a token of gratitude, I will personally catch a suitable prey for the princess.
I remembered the words he said while taking the amulet from me.
I forced a smile despite my frowning eyes.
"It's worth much more than that silly fox. Don't be stubborn and take it."
"It's not stubbornness... Hey, be careful!"
Seeing that I wouldn't accept it, the crown prince seemed annoyed and stiffened his expression.
He grabbed my ear and shook it, trying to force it on me as he took a step closer.
Fresh blood splattered everywhere.
I frowned and quickly stepped back.
"The blood is splattering on my clothes, Your Highness!"
"A hunter should be proud when blood gets on their clothes."
"I don't need that kind of pride...!"
"Are you afraid of blood? That's unexpected."
Before I could answer that it wasn't,
He grinned and deliberately shook the head of the corpse he was holding.
I let out a short scream and backed away from him.
Even though I dodged quickly, blood droplets splattered onto my shirt under my jacket.
The stench hit me. I had a very weak stomach.
It wasn't just the blood; the animal's head itself, which he was holding, was both disgusting and terrifying.
I looked at him with a face full of shock.
Unable to bear his crazy act of shaking the head again, I finally panicked and ran away.
When I had put some distance between us and hidden behind a tree,
A low laugh came from behind.
Turning around, I saw a smile on the crown prince's lips that looked genuinely amused.
At that moment, a sparkle appeared above his head.