Chapter 37: Wild Horse

The mercenaries were finally out of the mountains and had reached the plains. Once they stepped onto the flat grounds, they were able to release their tension.

“Duke Harmatti is currently ruling the Porcana Kingdom as a regent,” Phillion said to Urich.

“So, what you’re saying is that Duke Harmatti is the younger brother of the king and is currently ruling the Kingdom as its regent. Doesn’t that basically make him the king?”

“But the right of succession belongs to Varca Aneu Porcana—our prince. For Harmatti to officially become the king of Porcana, the prince must be removed from the picture.”

Pahell swallowed hard in anger as he listened to Phillion explain.

“That’s right. I am the rightful heir to the throne. Once I become of age, the traitorous Duke Harmatti has no choice but to cede the throne to me,” Pahell said as he gritted his teeth. He was filled with resentment toward his uncle.

“Righteous and whatnot, you use too many big words. Why doesn’t the strongest man just take the throne for himself?”

Urich couldn’t understand what all the complications were about. In his tribe, the strongest warrior naturally became the chief. Even the son of the chief had to hand over the position to the strongest warrior if he demanded it.

‘That’s why I was always getting into fights with the chief’s son back home... Even if I never wanted to become the chief, it was my fate as the best warrior, anyway...’

If Urich had stayed on his side of the Sky Mountains, he would have become the chief of his tribe by now. Even though he had been denying the position, he knew that it was his fate. He was a warrior destined to be the chief.

‘My fate changed the moment I stepped foot on the Sky Mountains.’

Urich believed that he was making up his own fate with his own power.

“Imagine the strongest man takes the throne whenever it becomes vacant. That would be terrible!” Phillion said with a shudder. Urich blinked in confusion.

“Why would that be terrible?”

“Because, then, every time a king dies, the kingdom would split into different forces. Any noble who thinks they stands a chance in taking the throne would demand the right and go straight to war with anyone who disagrees. That’s why there must be an heir to the throne—the blood heir that no one can dispute!”

Urich laughed at Phillion’s words.

“Then why don’t the nobles just go head-to-head with each other with their swords? Whoever wins can take the throne. What’s the big issue?”

The other mercenaries chuckled beside him.

“Maybe that’s how you lowly barbarians do it, but for our kingdoms, it takes more than just battle skills to be a good ruler and a king. A king must have the wisdom and knowledge to rightfully rule their kingdom,” Phillion exclaimed as if Urich’s inability to understand was bothering him. Urich looked at Pahell.

“This kid who pisses his pants has the royal wisdom to rule a kingdom? Hah!”

“H-how rude, mercenary leader Urich! I-I am...” Pahell yelled as his face turned red.

“’I am of royal birth!’ That’s what you were about to say, right?” Urich sneered, mimicking what had become Pahell’s catchphrase.

“I-if it wasn’t for the oath, I would have executed you for insulting the royalty right now!” Pahell blustered on.

“Urich, don’t tease the little prince too much,” Bachman said as he massaged his shoulders with his spear shaft.

The mercenary squad had regained their relaxation after returning to the flatlands. They were finally able to catch their breaths and release the tension of getting through the mountains safely.

“Duke Harmatti probably didn’t expect his men to fail. Even if there’s another chase party coming, it’s going to take them quite some time to catch up to us. Hopefully, this means that we can make it to the capital of Hamel without any more issues,” Phillion said as he looked back at the mountains that they had just descended.

“How long until the border of the Porcana Kingdom, Donovan?”

Donovan was in charge of the map. He unrolled the map scroll and eyed the distance.

“We still have about two days.”

“Let’s drop by a city after we get past the border. That should be okay, right?” Urich asked Phillion. During the last bout of their journey, the mercenary squad wasn’t able to visit any cities inside the Porcana Kingdom. Because of that, they weren’t able to replenish the supplies that were running out; no drinks to warm up the fatigued bodies, and there were the occasional complaints about not being able to bed a woman among the mercenaries.

“The duke’s influence only reaches as far as the border. Once we leave the kingdom borders, the job is practically halfway done. I do worry about the prince’s fitness. You mercenaries might laugh, but he truly is trying his best to keep up. He had never walked this much in his life, and yet he’s grinding his teeth trying not to fall behind,” Phillion said as he glanced at his young master who was struggling to keep up with the mercenaries. Urich smiled.

“Your master is quite persistent.”

“He takes after his father, the king. It’s just that his twin sister, Princess Damia, is a bit of a tomboy, so growing up with her tempered him a little.”

“Wait, so you left the kingdom without his sister? You left her behind? Isn’t that dangerous for her?”

“A woman cannot inherit the throne. Duke Harmatti has nothing to gain from doing anything to his niece, the princess.

When they were finally completely out of the mountains, they were faced with the plains where the grass was short.

“Horses!”

The mercenaries in the front of the line shouted as they spotted a group of horses.

“I’m guessing that they’re wild horses.”

The horses were grazing leisurely. They were wild beasts that had escaped the influence of men.

“We should capture that horse,” Phillion signaled the knights. They removed their armor and prepared the ropes to capture the wild horse.

“What are they doing? Those are wild horses. You can’t ride them even if you somehow manage to capture them,” a few mercenaries yelled to the knights. The knights lowered their stance and approached the herd of wild horses.

“Let’s just sit back and see what they do,” Urich said as he watched with interest. He had never ridden a horse, and using horses for transportation was something that he had never imagined until he crossed the Sky Mountains.

“We got one!”

One of the knights threw a rope around the neck of the horse. The captured horse struggled to break free, but the knights pulled on the rope from both sides of the horse. The other horses in the vicinity scattered and fled.

“Hey, now!”

The knights wrestled until the horse’s strength was drained. The black horse snorted and released a steamy breath through its nose as it struggled ferociously.

“Well done, Sir Lupin,” Pahell praised his knight’s effort and prepared the reins.

“You’re going to try to tame him and ride him now? You’re going to fall off, Prince.”

The mercenaries passing by said to the prince. Pahell scoffed at their warning and walked up to the horse.

“I bet a hundred thousand cils on him not being able to ride the horse.”

“Same here.”

“Hey, he’s doing it because he has confidence. I’m betting fifty thousand on him riding the horse.”

The area had quickly turned into a gambling pot. Urich looked back and forth between Phillion and Pahell and detected a strange confidence flowing between them.

“Three hundred thousand on him doing it,” Urich joined in on the bet. Bachman, who was acting as the money man, laughed.

“Urich, we’re not going to cancel your bet if you lose just because you’re our leader. Are you really going to bet three hundred thousand?”

“Yup,” Urich answered briefly as he crossed his arms. He closely watched Pahell who was walking up to the horse.

“Phew.”

Pahell approached the horse. The tired horse was breathing heavily as it glared at the prince. The horse was still being held down by the knights on both sides.

“Be careful, my prince,” one of the knights said.

“It’s alright.”

Pahell’s blue eyes shone. He slowly brushed the mane of the wild horse.

Neighh.

Although they were called wild horses, they were still horses that had been bred by humans. Since they weren’t truly wild, they retained the habit of submitting to humans. Taming them was the process of bringing that trait back out.

“Hey, now, it’s alright. You’re alright,” Pahell whispered to the horse. The horse blinked its large eyes as it kept its gaze locked on Pahell.

“Relax, we can be friends,” Pahell also locked his eyes on the horse’s. The ferocity in the horse’s eyes was gone, replaced by a gentle glow.

“You can let him go now,” Pahell ordered the knights, who released the ropes at the prince’s command.

“That’s Prince Varca.”

The knights remarked as if they were expecting this to happen. They knew their prince quite well.

“Look, he’s about to do it,” the mercenaries murmured.

“The prince’s love for horses is renowned throughout the kingdom. He even has his own stable with horses of all colors from black to white. From taming them to riding them, there’s nothing he can’t do with horses,” Phillion proudly said as if he was bragging about his own child.

“That’s impressive,” Urich was in awe. Seeing Pahell tame a wild horse with such ease made him look at the prince in a new light.

“I’m going to call you Kylios,” Pahell whispered in the horse’s ear. He slowly put the reins on the horse’s head and saddled him up. After mounting the horse, Pahell and Kylios started off with a slow walk, then picked up the speed to gallop around the mercenaries. Just like that, he had become one with the wild horse.

“Not even a stablehand who’d worked with horses all his life can’t do what our prince does!” Phillion boasted as he greeted Pahell as he returned with the horse.

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive, Young Master.”

“By the way you tamed that wild horse so easily, you shouldn’t have a problem getting by in life even if you don’t become king. At least you won’t starve to death!”

The mercenaries chattered as they distributed the betting money.

“Damn. Hey, Urich, what are you doing? Come get your money,” Bachman shoved the gold coins in front of Urich as he tapped on his shoulder, but Urich didn’t seem to hear a word Bachman was saying to him.

‘I never knew how cool horse riding could be!’

Urich looked at Pahell’s dismount with a blank stare. It felt like something was popping out of his chest. With Pahell, the horse wasn’t just a mode of transportation. Urich had witnessed a man and a horse establishing a bond to become one.

“Pahell,” Urich stood in front of Pahell.

“W-what do you want? Y-you’re not going to kill my horse again, are you?” Pahell was frightened. The earlier incident with Urich stuck with him as a deep trauma.

“Oh yeah, I apologize for that. I have a favor to ask you.”

“A favor?”

“Teach me how to ride a horse. There’s no one better than you at doing that.”

Pahell didn’t know what to do with himself at Urich’s pure, unfiltered compliment. He looked up at Urich in disbelief.

‘This is my chance to show this damn barbarian who I am! What kind of person I am!’

Pahell’s eyes slowly narrowed as he covered his mouth and chuckled.

“Of course, I’ll teach you. But I’m warning you, my teaching is very strict. You better brace yourself.”

* * *

“Why are you so slow? And you call yourself a warrior? Huh?” Pahell scolded Urich. He took some time before dinner to teach Urich how to ride a horse.

“I’m not slow, it’s just that this horse keeps pushing me away,” Urich, who was on the ground after falling, glared at the horse.

“Hey, this horse has a name. Call him Kylios. They have ears just like us, you know?” Pahell crossed his arms and continued to scold Urich. His grin never left his face.

‘Someone like you could never learn how to ride a horse this quickly.’

Pahell thought that it would take Urich ages to learn how to properly ride a horse.

‘He’s too fierce and aggressive.’

Urich was a man who intimidated others with his presence alone. The sharp and ferocious aura exuding from his body was extraordinary.

‘It might help him in battles, but it won’t do him any good when he’s trying to ride a horse.’

Horses were sensitive animals. Intelligent, too.

‘Unless he finds a way to calm his aura down, he’ll never be able to mount Kylios. Maybe a horse that’s been tamed a long time ago.’

Pahell soothed Kylios and looked at Urich.

“You should just give up. You’re too slow and dull to ride a horse.”

“You’re joking, right? I’m slow and dull?” Urich laughed in disbelief. He glared at Kylios again.

‘This goddamn animal. You let that noble on your back but not me?’

His pride was hurt, and his competitive side was showing.

“Alright, watch me. Just mount him like... this, and give him a few good taps. Who’s a good horse? Well done, Kylios.”

Pahell nimbly mounted the horse. He brushed Kylios’ black mane and poured his love and affection out onto him.

“Purr.”

Kylios skimmed the ground with his front hooves to show that he was happy. It was hard to believe that the two of them had only spent a day together as they already seemed inseparable. It was Pahell’s natural talent.

‘Why? Why is it so obedient to Pahell?’

Urich couldn’t understand it at all.

“We’ll end it here, Urich. Maybe if I tame him a bit more, he might let someone slow and dull like you on his back, too.”

Urich was boiling with rage and frustration. Pahell looked at Urich’s sagging shoulders and laughed. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

“Fuck, damn you, you stupid beast!”

After returning to the mercenaries, Urich bounced around in frustration. He couldn’t get what he wanted.

“It’s not surprising that a beginner couldn’t tame a horse that was roaming in the wild just this morning. It’s just the way it is, Urich,” Sven tried to cheer up Urich as he shifted to make room for him.

“That young noble does it just fine. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t be able to.”

In whatever he did, Urich was always the best. He had never experienced being bested by someone in what he wanted to do. His physique was a blessing.

“Urich, you are strong and agile. You are a natural-born warrior. Has anyone ever looked at that and said, ‘I can do exactly what Urich can, too!’? Everyone is born with different gifts and talents. There’s no point in being jealous of someone’s natural talent,” Sven said calmly. He held a hot meatloaf in one hand and a knife to cut it with in the other.

“But I want to ride a horse, too,” Urich whined like a child.

“Skill doesn’t come overnight, and I’m sure you know that better than most people. Did you gain your skills as a warrior in a day? No, you gained it by slaying through countless men.”

Urich was speechless. There was nothing to say.

‘Maybe I rushed it.’

Urich subconsciously looked down on Pahell. He considered him a lesser man than himself.

‘I thought there was no way that I couldn’t do what Pahell could.’

Looking back, he realized that it was his arrogance.

‘Did I think that Gottval was a lesser man than I am just because he couldn’t fight? No, I didn’t.’

Urich pondered as he stared into the crackling campfire.

‘Sven is full of experience. His words are cautious and are always backed. But as a warrior, he’s got more fire than anyone else. He’s a warrior equipped with both fiery battle spirit and cold logic.’

‘Bachman has a silver tongue, and he can read the room like no one else can. He can sway the people, although his fighting is average.’

‘Donovan has the nastiest personality, but he looks after his own people. He has that ex-military experience so he’s good at commanding our squad. He’s helpful in battles.’

Urich looked at Pahell. He was resting in his seat after tying the horse to a nearby tree.

‘Pahell... can’t fight, has a disgusting personality, has no experience, and isn’t cautious. But... he sure can ride a horse.’

Pahell sensed Urich’s gaze and looked back at him with confidence.

“What, you want to give up on horse riding already?”

Urich smiled and shook his head at Pahell’s words.

“No, I’m going to keep trying. By the way, Pahell, you’re an amazing horse rider. How do you ride a horse so well? I guess you really are of royal status.”

Even after hearing a compliment, Pahell somehow felt offended.