/
“…That’s…” The captain hesitated.
“The mercenary escorting me is an incredibly capable man; he’ll be able to solve any roadblocks caused by monsters. And, if something truly happened to the village, it’ll be best for someone like me, a pilgrim, to go and recruit help.”
The guard’s face brightened when Luisen hinted that he could seek help from the Church. Of course, the young lord had no intention of doing anything so bold and dangerous as that.
“There’s really nothing more I could ask for…” Since it was the captain’s discretion as to what should be done with a criminal’s possession, there was nothing wrong if he sold or gave the horse away. However, Zephys was an outstanding horse; it would fetch a lot of money–that he’d regretfully lose out on–with mercenaries or merchants.
However, even if the man disposed of the horse and placed a request at the mercenary’s guild, there was no guarantee that they had someone free to take the request. Furthermore, it seemed more reliable to rely on this seemingly good-natured pilgrim instead of a violent and unfaithful mercenary. Besides, the mercenary at the pilgrim’s side looked very strong as well. As the pilgrim said, he could borrow the Church’s power if enough justification was provided.
After weighing his choices, the guard captain finally made his decision. “Alright. I’ll hand you this horse. In return, I’ll place my business in your hands.”
“Please don’t worry.” Luisen took the reins from the captain.
Carlton leaned over to whisper in Luisen’s ear while the captain rushed to write a letter to his family. “Is this really okay? We’re in such a hurry that a day would be hard to spare… Are we able to go off and run someone else’s errand…?”
Though the mercenary had played along with Luisen’s performance, he was worried. They had a long way to go and were incredibly busy; could they really afford distractions like this? He was greedy for Zephys, but now he felt belatedly guilty that they would be waylaid by unnecessary matters.
“At least we now have a horse. Won’t we be able to reach the capital faster with this guy?”
“That’s true, but…”
“Then, even if we waste a day, we shall end up at the capital sooner. It’ll be fine. Besides… isn’t this horse special to you?” Luisen wanted to repay Carlton’s sacrifice by getting Zephys back. Didn’t they lose Zephys in the first place because of the young lord?
“Really…Thank you so much.”
‘So, Carlton knows how to say thank you normally.’ Startled, Luisen stared at Carlton. The mercenary’s eyes were as sweet as young spring fields. When they had first met, the man’s eyes were filled with contempt and disgust, but now the young lord couldn’t find any signs of those emotions in his pupils. Instead, he found affection and gratitude aplenty, outright and unhidden.
“What do you mean you’re thankful…” Luisen said. “You’ve done so much for me.”
“You’ve stepped forward on my behalf. No one has ever cared for me that way before.”
Carlton’s words tickled Luisen’s heart. The young lord shrugged, at a loss for words.
Carlton was already moved; when Luisen acted so cute, it tugged at his heart. He had the urge to grab the young lord’s shoulders–to grab that embarrassed, swaying golden head–and drag him into the mercenary’s embrace. For some reason, Carlton felt unfounded confidence that the young lord wouldn’t reject him now..
However, the delicate vibe that surrounded Luisen and Carlton vanished due to the guard captain’s intervening words. “Here’s my letter. Please deliver this well and return to me with news of the situation. I’ll entrust this to you, Revered Pilgrim. Now that you’ve listened to my troubles…I really have no one else to rely on.”
In other words, he’s beseeching them to keep their words and not abandon him after winning their quarry. Luisen smiled benevolently, as if he was ignorant to the underlying implications. “Of course. As a follower of God’s path, how could I abandon someone in trouble?”
Though his expression was hidden by the hood, Luisen’s words alone seemed trustworthy.
After stowing the captain’s letter safely away, Luisen left the donkey in the captain’s care.
Honestly, Luisen wanted to take it along since he had gotten attached to it during their time together, but he was forced to leave it in Confosse. The donkey would probably be unable to keep up with Zephys’ speed–and they had not yet decided whether or not they’d return to Confosse at all. Since they had decided to put off that decision until they’d gauged the situation in the guard’s hometown, this may be the last time the young lord would see the donkey.
Luisen looked at the donkey with eyes full of regret. Perhaps the young lord’s feelings weren’t properly conveyed, for the donkey had its usual easy-going expression.
“Please take good care of my donkey.”
“Yes! Of course.”
Luisen approached Zephys. He was able to solo-ride the donkey due to Carlton’s special training, but it would be a new experience to ride something so big like Zephys. Unlike the small and easy-going donkey, Zephys’ nose was incredibly high up–like its owner. Back when he had the chance to tag along on Zephys’ back, a while back, it was clear the horse hated ferrying the young lord.
“Please just don’t fling me off. If you drop me, the guard captain will be suspicious of us,” Luisen whispered into Zephys’ ear. Simultaneously, he tensed his body, ready to avoid the horse’s kick.
However, it was different this time. Zephys looked at the young lord and kneeled before him. It did its hardest to allow the young lord to climb onto its back easily. As Luisen sat in the saddle, the horse stood up.
From this high up, even Carlton looked small.
‘My word. It felt like just yesterday when I was carried like a pack on Zephys’ back.’ Luisen was deeply touched as he recalled the first time he rode on Zephys. His face had smashed into the horse’s buttocks and was beaten by its tail. Now, he couldn’t believe that he was proudly riding on its back!
Zephys was an incredibly clever horse. Carlton, as he clambered up, pretended to look inexperienced and hummed in discomfort. At a surface glance, Zephys seemed to follow Luisen’s orders and not Carlton’s–especially since the captain and the guard were unaware of the full situation.
“I’ll leave it to you!” the captain repeated as he saw the two off.
***
The Guard Captain’s hometown was located deep within the forest. The way there didn’t overlap at all with Luisen and Carlton’s original path. Therefore, visiting this village was a complete waste of a day.
They really didn’t have the time to help others. Honestly, the guard captain didn’t know Luisen and Carlton’s real identities, so there would be little trouble if they had just left. The mercenary had slyly floated that option; Luisen, though, refused because he was determined to not do anything that he couldn’t be proud of when he met the saint again.
No matter how urgent their matter was, it would be heartless and cowardly to take advantage of another’s desperation. Instead, he urged Carlton to go as fast as they could, without breaks. Though Carlton was feeling impatient, he did not insist on leaving since he had a conscience.
Understanding its owner’s impatient mood, Zephys galloped tirelessly. Even though it was carrying two adult men, it moved lively, as if the two weren’t heavy at all. As Zephys began to run in earnest, Luisen choked back some regretful tears. ‘I shouldn’t have said we should hurry. This is just too fast.’
The landscaped passed quickly before the young lord’s wide-open eyes; the blurry sight made him dizzy. The sound of rushing wind filled his ears. When Zephys’ taut legs struck the ground, Luisen’s body slightly floated upwards before falling back down on the saddle; tingles ran up his tailbone.
There ws no handle on Zephys’ saddle, so he could only reliably hold onto Carlton. He tightly grasped onto Carlton’s arms–at least he had these, what a relief. The young lord had never ridden so fast in his life.
He clung the length of his torso against the mercenary’s body and leaned his head against the mercenary’s bust. That wasn’t enough–the young lord also tightly shut his eyes. As he leaned into Carlton’s embrace, he could hear a pounding heartbeat from somewhere. ‘Wow–his heartbeat’s racing. He’s scared to death, too.’
How could the sound of his heart pounding be heard so clearly in his ear? It was that loud. Luisen shrank into himself even more; therefore, he couldn’t see Carlton urging Zephys with an uncharacteristically awkward expression.
They passed the hills and entered the woods. Their view was drastically diminished due to the shade of the foliage. Even on this narrow and rough road, untravelled by most, Zephys galloped fearlessly. Carlton remembered the guard captain’s directions and went exactly in that direction. Then, at some point, Zephys began to gradually slow down.
Then, Zephys suddenly stopped. Wondering if they were taking a break, Luisen finally opened his eyes. “Are we resting before setting off again?”
“Please stay still and don’t dismount.” Carlton descended from the saddle and unsheathed his sword. With a rigid expression, he used his sharp intuition to look around. Zephys also paced back and forth a few steps as well. Both horse and master warily looked in the same direction.
‘What is it?’ the young lord thought.
Ever since the sound of thudding hooves had stopped, silence flowed through the forest. The young lord could sense nothing–it was so quiet in the forest that it seemed like Carlton, Luisen, and the horse were the only living things there.
‘What’s this? Is something there? Am I the only one who has no idea?’ Luisen looked around blankly.
However, at that moment, something that seemed like a black blade came flying at the young lord. Before Luisen could even realize the danger, Zephys nimbly stepped to the side and avoided it. At the same time, Carlton intervened and brandished his sword.
Clank–!
The sound of iron meeting iron rang out. Whatever it was, it slithered away after failing in its attack. Only then did Luisen see what had attacked him.
A huge centipede.
TL: Noooo The donkey T_T I’m so sad that they had to leave it behind.
I imagine that Zephys is a draft horse. Medieval warhorses (or Destriers) aren’t actually that tall, apparently. This is a draft horse:
That’s gigantic!