Chapter One: Riding Towards the Dawn (Pt.22)

"Huchi Nedval - "

"Understood."

Hearing my answer, deacon Hamel seemed to get a bit flustered, but still nodded his head. I said:

"Because I'm not a regular army, so this is not sending troops. Anyway for my age I can't even join the self-defense forces, so it's suitable to send me. That would be nice, because my father's affair is still hanging  there. If I get to know the truth, I will probably go to annoy you first, Mr deacon."

Deacon Hamel made a wry smile.

"Though you are arrogant, but you seems equally trustworthy."

I glanced at Tyburn. If he can go together, then there's nothing to be afraid of. Tyburn seemed to see through my heart and said:

"If the situation allows, honestly I would also like to go with you. However, this place really makes people worry. Huchi, you have to be careful and careful. Although you've already faced stone golems and ogres, those were just illusions. The reality is completely different. If you forget this, you're dead. Understand?"

"Understood."

"Don't worry about Jamini. I wouldn't let her to meet other guys..."

"Shut up!"

Karl smiled and said:

"So do two of you need any special preparation? No? Then we should start off earlier. Please make your preparation and come to my house tomorrow morning. I don't want the others finding my true identity, can you help me?"

Sanson is not quite sure what he was talking about, but still hurriedly nodded. Karl said:

"I will be responsible for meeting the King His Majesty, and the preparing the money. You two should discuss a bit, please help to handle the travelling things. Percival, please look into that how can we arrive the capital in the fastest way. If you want to make villagers feel easier you can spread the news that some of us are going to the capital, but please don't mention my name."

"No worries!"

Deacon Hamel stood up and walked to the desk, opened the drawer with a key, and took out a box and a wallet. He gave the wallet to Sanson, asked him to buy some items we'll need. Then he gave the box and to Karl.

"This is the seal and the appointment, and the Heltant Fief certificates, also the harvest right cerificate of all forest products and agricultural products. You are now the sole deputy of Heltant Fief.

"Sure."

Sanson suddenly stood up from his chair. Once I sat down he immediately pulled me up, he said:

"So we will be excused first, go for the preparation. Mr... Mr...."

"Just call me Karl as usual."

"Okay, Karl, you know riding?"

Karl smiled and nodded. But my face was twisted into a mess. Horse? I quickly turned my head to Tyburn.

"Wait a minute! Tyburn, you are a wizard right? Can you just cast a magic, and let us fly to the capital? Right! Teleport! Last time you called Balrog, that...That...What spell was that? "

Tyburn chuckled and said:

"Fool! Are you Balrog?"

"Huh?"

"It's very difficult to explain. Because I'm blind, so I can't correctly perform Teleport Wrap. But Balrog is a very powerful devil, so even I can only set the approximation coordinates, he can still cooperate with me and come. In fact, this is also related to that Balrog has the ability 'Gate'..."

"I won't understand even if you continue. Forget about that, stop."

Then Sanson didn't give me further opportunity to speak, dragged me out of the office. The remaining three people are like discussing some incredible things, but I won't understand anyway. Sanson hurriedly asked me:

"Hey, hey, Huchi, you didn't seem to be very surprised. Who is Karl actually?"

"Karl of coure is Karl. Otherwise who do you think he is?"

"Come on, Huchi, tell me."

"Didn't he just say?! ' My brother's seat when he's not here...' You still don't understand?"

Sanson said with a surprised expression:

"That he is the younger brother of the thane?"

"Correct. Half brother. So the age difference is quite big. "

"Ah!"

Karl is the half brother of the thane. His mother was a maid in the castle, so Karl has long abandoned the care of his own identity. He left the village and traveled around when he was young, after he grew up, he came back. Our too kind thane wanted to invite him back to home as a real brother, Karl declined, but requested to let him quietly live in the forest. Hence Karl lives his mysterious life in all the curious eyes. Hearing what I said, Sanson nodded.

"This time it's my turn to ask question. Do you want to go by horse?"

"Of course. Otherwise, such a long way, do you want to go on foot? It will be over five or six months for a round trip."

"Of course not, but also not riding."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know riding."

Sanson laughed.

"It doesn't matter. Who were born with riding skills? You will get familiar gradually."

"Ah..."

"I'll give you a suggestion. It is very important to let the horse know its master."

There is glow in my eyes, but Sanson didn't see.

Sanson and I went to the stables behind the castle.

The horse guard O'Neill in the stable heard that I have to ride to the capital, made a surprised face. Come on, this uncle, I am more surprised than you. He shook his head, and brought us into the stables.

Sanson has his own horse, so he has no problem. Coming here is to find the horses for me and Karl. O'Neill is telling us which trained horses have no master yet, and let me take a look to those horses. Even if he showed me the horses, does he want me to know how to choose one?

I said to O'Neill:

"Hey, if I ask you to choose between a pure wax candle and an admix candle, how would you choose?"

O'Neill laughed. He took a look at my physique, then helped me to pick one directly. The horse is chestnut-colored,  looks really handsome. Compared to Sanson's large horse 'Meteor' athough it looks small, I also don't like that kind of scarily large horse. I am quietly staring at the horse, the horse is also quietly staring at me. The eyes of the horse are very strange. The eyelids are round, looks like it's being scared, but still very ferocious and scary. I slightly turned my head, crossed my arms and gazed at the horse. The horse snorted at me. Neighhhhh.

Sanson laughed and said:

"Huchi, you and this guy should try to adapt to each other today. I'll prepare the other things for the trip."

I nodded, Sanson drove his horse and left.

O'Neill smiled, and then brought a saddle and other harnesses in front of me. I am standing there confusedly and watching, so O'Neill demonstrates to me how to plug the bit, how to pull the tape on its head, how to tie the tape under its chin, and how to put on the pad before putting on the saddle, how to tie the tape on its chest and stomach. It looks not difficult at all. O'Neill slowly showed me his every action, then untied all of them, asked me to try.

Fine, I'll try.

I picked up the horse bit, wanted to put it into horse's mouth. But what happened? The obedient horse of O'Neill , when I get close to it, it shakes its head and begins to move back. I looked at O'Neill with my suspicious eyes, but he just smiled.

I snapped my fingers. Didn't Sanson say that we have to let the horse know its master?

"Well, anyway, I have to ride you. If you resist less, the two of us can have a more pleasant relationship. Understand?"

O'Neill watched my serious face, and began to laugh. I grunted, then use my arms to entangle the horse's neck.

"Ahh!"

I grabbed the horse's neck tightly under my arm, and then used another hand to push the bit into its mouth, O'Neill saw this and made a fainting expression. The horse also wants to resist, but what am I wearing on my hands? Aren't they OPG? I continued to push the bit into the proper position, and then tied the tape on it. Then I moved back a little, in order to let it see that I want to put the saddle on its back.

"Come, now should be its turn. If you dare to resist, I'll make you kneel before I tie it. Understand?"

The horse didn't even give a glance to my words, directly ran away. Gosh, I'm going crazy.

※ ※ ※

After some wrestling, the horse seems to know that I am its master. Of course, before that I suffered a lot. I got kicked by the horse's hind legs several times, I also kicked the horse several times. O'Neill nodded and said:

"The is the first time I see such a matching horse and master."

Anyway, now it stands obediently, allows me to tie the things on it. Let it bite the horse bit, tie the tape on its head, then the chin. Put on the pad, then the saddle. Then tighten the tape on the stomach and chest properly. It's very difficult to do it 'properly'. I asked O'Neill how tight should it be, but he said just properly tight, I really don't get him. But in fact, after thinking carefully, if someone ask me what level of fire should they use to cook the candle wax, I will probably also can only answer him 'proper level'.

"Can I ride it now?"

I've learned how to equip the harness, and it's already afternoon. However because we have to depart tomorrow, so I don't have any other time. O'Neill guided me how to climb on the saddle. This guy is now very obedient, so it's very simple to learn that.

O'Neill tied a long rope on the horse bit, then asked me to try to run.

"Hey, you have tied up the horse, how do we run?"

"Circles."

So the horse and I make O'Neill as the center, began to circle. So I am not learning how to manipulate the horse, but how to stay on a horse. I said that, O'Neill nodded.

"Ah. It's better for you to start from learning how to not fall from a horse."

Then O'Neill suddenly issued some kind of instructions. Although I don't understand what he said, the horse immediately began getting faster and faster, and I immediately got shaken faster and faster. I am very afraid, so I released the rein, grabbed the horse neck. O'Neill couldn't take this and said:

"Harden your legs, relax your upper body, and gently shake."

Harden my legs? Relax my upper body and gently shake? I straightened my waist up, my feet began to step on stirrup heavily. It feels more comfortable, but now I look like a scarecrow, seems to make O'Neill want to laugh.

Anyway, after I fell down two or three times, I finally realized the trick. I must make the impact on my foot disappear at my waist. So the important parts are my feet stepping on the stirrups and my knees, they must move gently and rhythmically.

Once I got to such a degree, O'Neill began to teach me about the rein. This is very simple. Just pull the rein in the direction to go, and then give the horse a little signal with heel. If you want to stop, just move the center of gravity backward, then pull the rein up. If you want to speed up, move the center of gravity moved forward, then kick the horse's stomach with the stirrup.

Don't know if O'Neill has decided to make me a crash course, I've ran like this for a hour, he did't even let me take a rest, and finally untied the rope and let me casually ran. Once the rope was untied, the horse seemed to restore its nature, (Frankly it's that I was just sitting on the horseback, and what the horse did, was completely out of my hand) began desperately resisting. In order to make it know that resistance is useless, I kicked its stomach heavily.

Gosh! The horse suddenly gone mad, and began to rush. Oh right, kicking the horse means Go! Then what means Stop? I don't know what to do! Although I finally found ways to make it stop, once the horse stopped, my whole body flew forward.

 "Uhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

※

Late in the afternoon, Sanson who came to watch my progress shook his head.

"Did you fight with the horse?"

I nodded, Sanson showed a even more surprised face. O'Neill told him to see the horse I rode. The entire horse body is smoking bubble-like sweat, it's panting. Sanson is surprised and widen his mouth:

"Then make its name Jamini!"

Horse and I glared at each other with abominated eyes, while O'Neill and Saon is mutually patting their shoulders and laughing.