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74. Engagement – Black Horse Monster

Leo didn’t bother to dig into why there were no traces of Baron Agatha’s wife in the mansion. He had no time to worry about such trivial matters.

‘This is bad…’

It had already been two months since he arrived at Count Simon’s estate, and the scorching summer was nearly over.

Rena didn’t want to leave the Count’s place, which was good for training due to the many knights around, and despite Leo’s urging, she kept delaying, saying, “Just one more week.”

Then,

“What’s going on? You’re still here at the training grounds at this hour?”

“…!”

One day, he snapped back to reality.

He had been spending more time at the training grounds lately.

He had an excuse, stating that the knights from the Count’s estate challenged him to duels every day, but he couldn’t deny that the time he spent watching Rena was increasing.

Leo felt a crisis approaching.

Minseo’s influence was waning. No, it was even trying to blend into him, revealing the ‘real Leo’.

As obvious as it was, the Leos from each scenario had different personalities.

In the Childhood Friend scenario, Leo wasn’t very assertive and remained silent.

He was a dutiful young man, silently handling what he needed to do.

In the Beggar Siblings scenario, Leo was gentle. He was considerate enough to leave a message for Minseo, who made the mistake of using Rena’s looks to plead for her brother.

Neither of these Leos bore any hostility toward Minseo; rather, they showed understanding towards him.

On the other hand, Leo Dexter from the Engagement scenario viewed Minseo with disdain.

A self-loving Leo, deeply in love with Rena.

He felt disgusted in the eighth round at Minseo’s spirit, regarding it as ‘impurity’.

‘I need to go to Lutetia soon.’

It was already hard to keep my distance from Rena, and if Minseo’s influence disappeared, ‘I’ would… revert all the actions I’ve taken thus far.

Feeling impatient, Leo skipped over Rena’s question.

“Let’s go to Lutetia now.”

Accepting his silence without argument, Rena rolled her eyes, ready to train again.

“Is it that urgent? I still have dueling left to do.”

“If we go to Lutetia, I can duel with the knights of the Order.”

“…That would probably be more helpful. Alright. But give me exactly one more week. This is really the last time. This time, I even made a duel appointment with the captain!”

A week, huh…

Leo nodded.

“Fine. But we leave without fail next week?”

“Understood.”

Rena shot him a sharp look. Recently, while mingling with the Count’s knights, she seemed to regain her composure and was considerably brighter.

“Just wait a little. I will soon…”

She trailed off, glaring at Leo before turning sharply and leaving.

Leo hurriedly left the training grounds. He rushed to the butler, requesting to see Count Umberto Simon, and nervously waited in the reception room…

“Then, I believe the Count will take good care of you. I will also take it upon myself to look into it.”

An old voice. That wasn’t Count Umberto Simon’s, but soon, he heard a voice he knew belonged to the Count.

“Do not worry. As soon as that ‘special crop’ is found, we’ll start the construction.”

Count Simon was seeing off an elderly man dressed in tatters. He followed the old man respectfully, making some firm promises.

Leo caught a glimpse of the two as they passed through the open reception room door.

The old man had wrinkled skin and, despite his age, not a single hair had turned gray. He stood tall and walked slowly yet firmly.

It seemed he was a guest of the Count… but since it had nothing to do with him, he quietly maintained his place.

Eventually, as the Count finished seeing off the guest and returned, Leo was called to another reception room to meet him.

That room must have been where the guest and the Count had just conversed, as there were simple refreshments and cups laid out on the table.

But what was this clear water…?

The expensive-looking cups were filled with water, not tea.

“What seems to be the trouble?”

Count Simon, appearing a bit weary, settled into a long sofa in the reception room and inquired about his purpose.

Leo took his eyes off the cup and asked if he could get a letter of introduction to the royal knights since they were soon to depart, intending to use Tracking Skill to locate the prince in Lutetia, having come all this way to the Count’s estate for precautionary measures.

If the information about the prince frequently going hunting was just a rumor, it would be necessary to have a backup plan.

If worse comes to worst, he thought of applying as a royal knight to enter the castle, but he didn’t know when the Frederick Royal Family would recruit royal knights, so he would need to meet the knights of the Order for a recommendation.

Thus, this introduction letter was necessary…

“Why should I write you a letter of introduction, knight?”

Count Umberto Simon crossed his arms, displaying a negative demeanor.

[ Achievement: Noble Assassination – All nobles feel a mild fear towards you. ]

From the very beginning, the Count didn’t like Leo.

The aspiring knight gave off a rather ominous vibe.

If it weren’t for Agnes’ letter, he wouldn’t have accepted him at all.

Even that was not because the Count found his sister troublesome or had a special bond with her.

In reality, ‘Agnes Agatha’ was not a blood relative of the Count.

Agnes’ original name was ‘Agnes Agnak’, and she was the daughter of the Baron Agnak Family and a thorn in Count Simon’s side.

Count Umberto Simon reminisced about his sister Agnes.

It was a fond memory.

Even though their father had been furious, the young Umberto at that time felt sorry for Agnes ‘Simon’.

He often approached her, confined in the Count’s estate and spending her days in despair, to have conversations with her.

Yet, with the passage of time, that kind and compassionate Umberto had vanished. He had become a cold noble who calculated everything as he aged.

Count Umberto Simon said,

“I believe I have already provided enough for you.”

Exactly as much as the memories with sister Agnes.

“If you want an introduction letter, you’ll need to pay the price.”

“A price, you say…?”

Leo absentmindedly touched his pocket, where he had money obtained from hunting Aboandone.

Noticing that motion, the Count chuckled softly and waved his hand.

“The Simon family doesn’t require such petty cash. Ah, your sister’s letter mentioned that you hunted monsters. There’s a troublesome monster, the Black Horse Monster, that’s been troubling us. Would you be interested in eliminating that?”

The Count informed him about a monster called the ‘Black Horse Monster’ residing on the plains owned by the Simon family.

If he succeeded in hunting it, not only would he receive an introduction letter to the royal knights, but ample rewards would also be promised.

However, he did not mention that he would assist in the hunt. The Count’s attitude suggested he hoped Leo could handle it alone, and if not, it was no concern of his.

Leo accepted the proposal.

He needed the Count’s introduction letter, and hunting the monster would benefit him more than the Count anticipated.

*

Leo informed Rena that he would run an errand for the Count.

He re-emphasized they would leave in a week, rode out southward on horseback, searching for the monster the Count had mentioned.

After asking the peasant farmers of the Count’s estate, he finally discovered that the monster was a ‘horse.’

A smooth black horse that shone with a sleek luster.

The Black Horse Monster was far larger than ordinary horses, but still considerably smaller compared to Aboandone or the Old Phantom Fox, making it seem rideable.

Of course, it wouldn’t be.

After confirming the nature of the monster as a ‘horse,’ Leo felt relieved, thinking the hunting method would be simple. Given a horse’s nature, he just had to avoid a charge and be cautious of getting kicked from behind.

Anticipating an easy hunt, Leo approached the monster.

– Whooosh!

The herbivorous Black Horse Monster shook its head several times to express its displeasure.

Despite that, Leo did not stop his approach; as he got closer, the creature scratched the ground with its hoof, revealing its irritation.

– Neigh!

With a loud neighed, the Black Horse Monster charged at him.

Its hooves, the size of small wagon wheels, uprooted the earth as hot breath formed in waves behind it.

Leo rolled away to escape the monster’s path. He stayed alert, expecting an unexpected attack, but the monster couldn’t handle its own speed and merely ran far away, making a large loop.

‘Got it. I can catch this on my own.’

Leo’s prediction was right. The monster’s attack pattern was very simple. He confidently drew his sword, awaiting the next charge.

– Neigh!

In the blink of an eye, the Black Horse Monster charged down the distance of dozens of meters, seeming angry and shaking its head.

After a moment of its mane fluttering, it charged again.

Calculating the speed of its approach, Leo swung his sword horizontally to avoid the second charge.

– Neigh neigh neigh!

He struck its hind leg, but the blade didn’t pierce.

‘Tougher skin than I thought.’

However, that was fine. He could poke it. With each charge, he’d inflict little wounds to bind its feet, and that would be the end.

Gripping his sword tighter, Leo waited for the third charge.

Then,

– Whooosh! Whooosh!

The Black Horse Monster didn’t return.

It stopped, glanced back at Leo, and then bolted southward.

“Hey? Hey! Hey!”

The creature disappeared in an instant. Left standing alone in the plain, Leo was dumbfounded.

‘What… how can it run away?’

A monster that flees after being hit just once. It wasn’t even injured.

In his confusion, Leo finally realized why Count Simon had asked him to catch that monster.

The Count must have known what kind of monster the Black Horse Monster was.

Incredibly fast, easily escaping, and with vast plains to roam, it was almost impossible to catch.

He had been keeping it around. As an herbivore, the Black Horse Monster wouldn’t harm anyone and would just graze in the plains, so capturing it was desirable, but failing to do so was of no concern.

He must have been trying to wash his hands of the task by presenting an impossible mission just to avoid giving an introduction letter.

‘That Count, that bastard…’

Just as things were getting tough, knowing he had fallen for the noble’s tricks made him want to explode with frustration.

‘I will catch that thing if it kills me.’

Gritting his teeth, Leo steeled himself and got back on his horse, chasing after the Black Horse Monster. Although Tracking Skill doesn’t work on monsters, its large hoofprints made it easy to track.

However, ultimately, the hunt was unsuccessful.

He had planned to stab the monster’s leg with all his might at the first charge, yet as soon as it spotted Leo, it took off.

His plan to ambush it at night while it slept also failed.

After a hard struggle to find the Black Horse Monster under the moonlight, it turned out it slept ‘standing.’

Even amidst its sleep, it remained alert, detecting unusual signs and bolting away at once.

In the end, Leo gave up on the hunt.

He simply couldn’t catch it.

If he didn’t finish it off during that one initial charge, it would be a monster impossible to catch.

Disheartened, Leo turned his horse back north.

He wouldn’t be getting the introduction letter after all.

If the information about the prince hunting was mistaken, his safety net had vanished.

‘…No. It’s fine. With my skills and this Leo Dexter’s body, I could surely get into the knights or the royal knights.’

The problem was that there was no one to recommend him, and it would be troublesome if Rena passed the knight’s entrance exam and became a knight…

As he pondered this and was about to return to the Count’s estate, he spotted a merchant group heading toward the city in the distance across the plains.

Since they were heading in the same direction, he approached them, thinking he might just share a meal, and surprisingly, they were transporting ‘mushrooms.’