Kyle was marked as it's prey and no one else came close to him.
The giant rabbit's muscles tensed as it locked eyes with Kyle.
Kyle's first instinct was to counter immediately—to drive his blade into the beast's skull and end its life in a single, clean stroke.
But something caught his senses.
A faint glow, barely visible beneath layers of thick fur and muscle.
Kyle's eyes narrowed.
A core forming inside a creature of this level meant it was in the process of evolving, mutating into something far beyond a mere oversized rabbit.
If Kyle killed it now, the core would be useless to him.
But if Queen absorbed it instead…
His familiar would grow stronger.
'Perfect. Looks like my luck is as great as ever. I will need to be a little delicate this time.'
Kyle sidestepped the rabbit's attack, his movements as smooth as flowing water. The beast's claws ripped through the air, missing him by mere inches.
Before the rabbit could recover, Kyle whistled—sharp and piercing.
The call of a predator.
Queen responded instantly.
From above, the hawk dived like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Its talons glowed, mana coating them in a razor-sharp aura.
With terrifying precision, Queen's claws sank deep into the rabbit's back.
The beast shrieked in pain, its massive form thrashing violently.
Crops were crushed beneath its weight.
Dirt flew into the air as powerful legs kicked out wildly, uprooting plants and trampling rows of vegetables.
The villagers—watching in horrified silence—cried out as their fields were torn apart.
"Careful! If we lose too much, we won't be able to pay tribute to the Grand Duchess this year!"
Kyle ignored their shouts.
His focus was locked onto his prey.
The rabbit, wounded and desperate, tried to flee—
But Kyle wouldn't allow it.
With a single, fluid step, he closed the distance.
He made sure to avoid the core, striking just enough to end the rabbit's life without damaging his prize.
The rabbit barely had time to react.
Then, in a single violent shudder, it collapsed.
A heavy silence followed.
The only thing left—aside from its lifeless body—
Was a small, glowing core.
Kyle crouched down and plucked it from the remains.
Queen landed lightly on his shoulder.
Its sharp, golden eyes flickered toward the core.
Without hesitation, Queen opened its beak and swallowed the core whole.
The hawk tucked its head against Kyle's neck and closed its eyes.
'It'll need time to absorb that.'
As Kyle stood there, absentmindedly stroking Queen's feathers, the villagers finally approached.
At first, their expressions were awe-struck—
Mouths slightly open, eyes wide with a mixture of admiration and disbelief.
They had witnessed him take down the beast with ease.
"The young lord actually did it…"
"He's… stronger than he looks."
But admiration soon gave way to something else.
It started with a single whisper.
"…That monster destroyed our crops."
"This was already a bad year for us… but now it's even worse because of him."
The shift in their demeanor was immediate.
Gratitude faded from their faces, replaced by calculating expressions.
The complaints began.
"Young lord, you have no idea how much we've lost."
"This was our entire livelihood! Without these crops, our families will starve."
Kyle remained unfazed.
The timing of their words was suspicious.
The way they spoke in sync, feeding off each other's grievances…
It was too well-rehearsed.
One designed to guilt-trip a noble into paying for their losses.
To any soft-hearted aristocrat, this would have been an impossible trap to escape.
But Kyle wasn't soft.
He noticed how their eyes flickered toward his belt, where his coin pouch rested.
He caught the way they exchanged subtle glances, prodding each other forward.
They were testing him.
Seeing if he would fall for it.
Kyle's lips curled into a smirk.
This was almost amusing.
Because if they thought he was an easy target…
They were about to be severely disappointed.
The villagers kept talking, their voices growing louder and more desperate.
"Young lord, surely someone of your status wouldn't let us suffer !"
"Our fields are ruined because of that monster—you must take responsibility!"
Kyle stood there, expression utterly blank.
But the more they went on, the more obvious it became that Kyle wasn't listening.
His gaze drifted, watching the sky, then flicking toward Queen, who was still resting on his shoulder. His fingers idly stroked the hawk's feathers, looking bored out of his mind.
The villagers began to notice.
Some of them hesitated.
Something felt wrong.
But at this point, they had already committed.
Backing out now would make them look like liars.
So instead of stopping, they doubled down.
"Young lord, please, if you don't help us, we'll starve this winter!"
"Just a few coins! That's all we ask!"
It was not a kind smile.
The kind of smile that made people's stomachs twist.
And when Kyle spoke, his voice was calm, almost mocking.
"Oh, I see. So what you're saying is… you were all planning to just let that monster keep destroying your crops until some poor, kind noble came along to fix your problems?"
He said, nodding slowly.
One of the older men cleared his throat and tried to recover.
"N-No, of course not, young lord! We just—"
Kyle raised a hand, cutting him off.
His mana flickered—just the faintest bit.
Enough for the villagers to feel it.
A subtle pressure settled over them.
Their knees felt weaker.
Their mouths, suddenly dry.
Kyle tilted his head.
"You keep saying I should 'take responsibility.' And yet, I was never responsible for your pr
oblems in the first place. Don't you think it's unfair to me?"
The villagers exchanged nervous glances.