360. Lena Ep – On the Journey

“I want to buy a horse if possible.”

Ray said at the market. Dad, who was watching Magere beside him, seemed a bit taken aback.

“Huh? What do you want to buy?”

He babbled. I pinched Ray’s side and whispered.

– “Hey! Do you know how expensive horses are? Magere is more than enough to carry our stuff, so just stay quiet. You’re already drawing attention as it is…”

To participate in the Maunin-Letii Tournament, we had to go to Barnau.

So, we started preparing for our journey, but as newly grown adults, how much money could we possibly have? I had almost spent all my allowance from last time, so it was looking like we might end up homeless.

Of course, I didn’t have zero romantic notions about such a trip.

Just throwing on a cloak and trudging across the vast plains.

Walking with Ray while the wind serves as our blanket sounded nice, but honestly, that was sheer madness.

At the very least, we needed a tent. Anyone would be unable to walk after a few nights of dew soaking their body.

To prevent us from sinking into the dirt, we needed something to sleep on, but just a tent and this was already more weight than I could carry. I needed to take my sword, so anything beyond that was out of the question.

That meant Ray would have to carry the rest of the gear.

Food and water, water containers, a pot for cooking, bowls, cutlery, toiletries, extra clothes, undergarments, shoes, blankets, flint and tinder, whetstones, emergency tools and herbs.

If I resigned myself to becoming a beggar, I could do without extra clothes and toiletries. But the rest were items I couldn’t afford to forgo.

We’d need to hunt for food on the way to the next village, so a pot was essential, and to avoid freezing to death, we definitely needed blankets, flint, and tinder.

Emergency tools and herbs couldn’t be cut either, since there was a significant chance of getting hurt fighting off bandits, and the odds of falling ill on the journey were quite high. Herbs were necessary as well.

At least we could do without the whetstones since Ray’s sword and my sword were a bit peculiar.

Still, no matter how strong Ray was, carrying all that to Barnau would be impossible.

After all, he’s not a pack horse.

So, I asked Dad for help.

Just buy a Magere to carry those listed items. It luckily happened to be after the hunting season, so I dragged my dad to the market…

Then Ray suddenly said something ridiculous.

Despite me twisting his side and warning him to keep quiet, it seemed he didn’t get it and said again.

“I think it’s better to buy a horse. The Magere is too slow.”

“That’s true, but…”

It’s too expensive.

I could guess what Dad was thinking. A Magere already comes with a pretty hefty price tag, and considering all the other travel supplies, the budget was tight.

Moreover, even though we were technically engaged, wouldn’t we have to split the costs?

At that moment, Ray pulled out something from his pocket.

“This is money my father gave me. Please use this to buy a horse. We’ll handle the rest ourselves.”

– “Hey! Are you freaking crazy…”

This time, Ray stepped on my foot. Just stay still. Dad accepted the money Ray handed him and nodded.

“Well, that would work, but… won’t travel expenses be tight?”

“It’s okay. Lera and I have been saving some money.”

“Hm. I can’t believe my daughter has saved money… So you must have had some savings. Alright. I’ll buy the horse with the money your father gave you.”

“Thank you! I think this one is good. Its teeth are well-formed, and its rear is clean…”

This is dizzying.

I can’t even begin to fathom why Ray would be so reckless with money! I started to worry about our future marriage and retirement.

Dad walked off, and I shot a remark at Ray, who was happily grinning about the new white horse.

“Have you heard of being horse-poor? People who buy horses without knowing their limits, riding around in style… Sigh. Just my luck.”

“Hahaha. Lera, it’s not like that.”

“It’s just like that! I clearly said I had no money. What are you going to do when you spend the money you got from your dad? You said you only have seven silver leaves. With that, you can only buy a pot—if you even manage to get an intact one!”

“You don’t need to buy a pot.”

“Oh sure, you’re thinking of preservation food like jerky, but do you think Barnau is just a day or two away? We need warm food to keep our strength up for walking. Ugh, it’s ridiculous. Magere might be smarter than you.”

Ray made a face of disbelief at that moment.

Good heavens. That’s a face I should be making. When I glared back at him, Ray chuckled and said,

“I was going to tell you later… Follow me.”

“What? Why? Where?”

Ray led me outside the castle. Our Abrival Castle was on a mountain, so all there was outside were cliffs and hills.

“What is it? Did you hide treasure somewhere?”

“No. It’s something else…”

Ray let out a long whistle.

What the heck is he up to? Then I heard the sound of hoofbeats. The horse is just standing here, right?

– Neigh!

Looking towards the sound, a massive black horse galloped over the canyon. It reached Ray and blew hot air.

“Wow… No way. What is this?”

“It’s my horse.”

Ray proudly said. He had tamed a wild horse. Its name was even ‘Kus’…

“Wow! How did you do that? That’s impressive! So, if you whistle, it’ll come running?”

“Yep. He’s really smart.”

“Then if we tame this one, will it come like him?”

“More importantly, Lera, do you understand why we don’t need to buy a pot now? You’ll ride that one. If we travel on a horse, we’re highly unlikely to end up homeless. Our burden will lighten significantly.”

“Yeah, yeah. I get what you mean. That’s good. To be honest, I didn’t want to cook anyway.”

I excitedly hit Ray’s arm. Ray flinched and stiffened. His expression was odd.

“What’s up with that face?”

“…Nothing. Just clearing my throat. But you don’t know how to ride, do you?”

“Whoa! You’re right! I don’t know how to ride! Now that I think about it, how do we even get on? You don’t know how either.”

“I know how to ride.”

“Wait, how?”

“Riding is a basic trait of a knight, isn’t it? I secretly learned from Dad. Just so you know, don’t go spreading this around. My dad taught me using the horses at Lord’s Castle. And don’t tell him I learned.”

“Geez, you’re such a cheater.”

“Sorry. But I’ll teach you how to ride on the way to Barnau. Okay? It’s a promise. A secret?”

“…Got it.”

Ray has definitely changed.

When did he become so talented? I thought he was a goner except for swordsmanship like me…

I felt a bit disappointed, yet also proud thinking, ‘That’s Ray! My man should be like this!’ I didn’t like feeling behind, but he always pulled me along, and that was impressive.

Right. I should also get my act together.

I need to be impressive too.

─ I returned home, repeating the same resolve as always. To become someone as impressive as Ray…

“Ha!”

Is there more to it than just swordsmanship for me?

I raised my proud sword, Abota. This absurdly long sword felt heavy just holding it, and it was hard to find my balance.

“First, one.”

I barely managed to control Abota and lifted it above my head. It couldn’t compare to the cut Ray showed me, but I swung it down neatly.

Just keeping the blade above ground felt like my grip was about to burst.

It’s tough, but that means it’s a powerful weapon. If I could handle this with ease, how proud would Ray be of me?

Even just imagining it sent a thrill through me, and I ended up smiling. I raised the sword again, only to be interrupted by a voice from behind me.

“Ah, young people sure choose to suffer.”

It was Uncle Noel.

I’d heard that lecture more times than I could count, so I was going to ignore it, but I shot back a line.

“I didn’t expect that from you, Master.”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“Nothing at all!”

He was teaching Ray how to ride and left me out? Hmph! I promised not to say anything, but… just wait ‘til you get old and sick, dear father-in-law.

Time is on my side.

I’ll just have to mess with him! ─ I’ve already booked my revenge for the distant future while Uncle looked confused.

*

A while later, we were on our journey.

Including Mom and Dad, everyone who came to see us off worried about how modest our luggage was, but I believed Ray when he said we’d buy more along the way. People tended to believe his words utterly while my words hardly mattered.

Such foolish mortals.

As we got a bit farther from the castle, I looked at Ray with eager eyes. When he whistled, the black horse I had seen last time came galloping over the mountains.

Eek! Oh, how delightful.

So now, can we just ride our horses? I was thinking that when Ray grabbed me and said.

“First, we have to find our rhythm; let’s ride together. Get on. I’ll hop on behind you.”

“Whoa, is that okay?”

“Of course.”

Ray spread his palm near Kus’ back and waited.

He meant for me to step on his hand; I couldn’t help but feel that this was so charming and cool that I couldn’t stop my lips from curling up.

“It’s probably heavy…”

I mumbled whether I was talking to Kus or Ray as I placed my foot on Ray’s hand. Oof! When I got on, a gasp escaped me.

My view shot up.

I could feel the horse’s warmth against my thigh, the flexing muscles beneath me, and the thrill of it feeling like it could take off any moment was electrifying.

I was a bit scared… But before I could dwell on it, Ray climbed up behind me. With his hands on my waist, all my fear vanished.

“Watch how I do it, and follow later. Hold the reins like this. Don’t let it be too loose with your index finger and thumb. If you want it to go forward, wrap your legs around its belly, but right now, since we’re both on it, it might be a bit confused. In that case, just click your tongue like this.”

“Whoa! It’s moving!”

“Yep. Let’s go forward, right? Then that means it understands me, so give it praise. Just like this. Gently loosen the reins you were holding.”

“Hmm? It can understand a little loosening of my fingers?”

“Yep. The better the horse, the more sensitive it is. That’s why you have to handle the reins carefully. If you hold them recklessly, the horse won’t know what commands the rider is giving and might go wild. If you’re unsure, just set it down and only pick it up when you need it. Now, let’s turn to the side. When you want to turn left, tug the reins…”

Ray had me riding and adjusting back and forth. When we finally returned to our starting point, I somehow felt exhausted and sank down in the bushes.

“Ouch! My waist and legs…”

“It’d be a bit more comfortable with a saddle. But don’t worry. You’ll get used to it soon. Let’s rest a bit and try riding again.”

I started to manage the horse according to what Ray taught me. Having Ray circling around was a huge help.

It seemed my horse realized that it needed to follow Ray’s horse because soon I didn’t need to give it commands anymore.

As I got the hang of riding and was galloping along, Ray yelled, “Pull on the reins!” and suddenly stopped. A pair of Eracht dashed past us at full speed.

Well, it wasn’t anything major.

In fact, Ray’s concern about whether I was alright felt like overkill.

After that, we continued our travels on horseback.

With winter gone, the sky had dramatically cleared up, and the spring breeze pushed us along, the vast fields glistening with melted snow.

Feeling utterly liberated, I shouted.

“Yahaa— Ho!! This feels amazing!”

Just then, a herd of reindeer joined us.

Hundreds of reindeer traveled alongside us for a moment, led by a staggering male with blue antlers.

So cool! So awesome!

It was nothing but splendid and happy days. Each village we passed had its own charm, and it seemed Ray knew all about them.

When I asked him how he knew about such a wonderful hot spring village, he said it was because he’d visited his uncle’s house several times, so it stuck with him.

Did Ray have an uncle who lived in Barnau? It didn’t feel like I’d heard that before, but when I pressed, Ray asked if I didn’t remember going with him last time, so I just pretended I knew.

People forget sometimes, you know.

So sensitive.

And then, on a day warm enough to take off our outer clothes, our wonderful journey came to an end.

Before us stood the bustling capital, Barnau, majestically developing, with countless warriors gathering to participate in the Maunin-Letii Tournament.

The real fun is just about to begin! I strolled through the streets of Barnau, bubbling with excitement. But then…

“Ah!”

A gold nugget came flying and struck my forehead.