360. Lena - The Journey
"I’d really like to buy a horse."
Ray made this bold statent at the marketplace. My father, who was inspecting a magere (pack animal) nearby, looked a little startled.
"Huh? What? You want to buy what?"
He sounded bewildered. I pinched Ray’s side and whispered sharply:
"Hey! Do you have any idea how expensive a horse is? Just stick to the magere for carrying our stuff. It's already awkward enough asking for help..."
To participate in the Maunin-Reti Tournant, we needed to travel to Barnaul.
So, we had started gathering supplies for the journey. But how much money could two freshly minted adults possibly have? I had already spent most of the allowance I’d received last ti, and at this rate, we were facing the grim prospect of traveling as vagabonds.
Not that I was completely opposed to the romance of such a journey.
Draped in nothing but a cloak, trekking across vast, open plains, sharing every hardship with Ray under the sa blanket of stars... it had its charm. But honestly, it was madness.
At the very least, we’d need a tent. A person who sleeps exposed to the elents for days can’t even walk properly afterward.
To avoid the discomfort of the ground digging into our bodies, we’d also need a mat. Between a tent and a mat alone, my carrying capacity was already maxed out, as I also had to bring my sword. Anything beyond that would be impossible for .
That ant Ray would have to carry the rest of the load:
Provisions, water, water containers, a cooking pot, bowls, utensils, toiletries, spare clothes, undergarnts, shoes, blankets, flint and tinder, a whetstone, ergency supplies, and dicine.
We could skimp on spare clothes and toiletries if we were willing to look like beggars, but the rest was non-negotiable.
We’d have to hunt for food and cook it en route to the next village, so the cooking pot was essential. To avoid freezing to death, we’d need blankets, flint, and tinder. Ergency supplies and dicine were also critical—there was a good chance of injury from bandits or illness during the trip.
Maybe we could skip the whetstone since Ray’s and my swords were quite unique, but that was the only concession.
No matter how strong Ray was, it would be impossible for him to haul all of this on foot to Barnaul. He wasn’t a pack mule.
So, I turned to my father for help.
I asked him to buy the listed supplies and a magere to carry them. Since it was the offseason for hunting, I managed to drag him to the marketplace, only for Ray to blurt out sothing completely absurd.
Even after my sharp pinch and whispered warnings, Ray didn’t seem to get the ssage and repeated himself.
"If we’re going to buy sothing, it’d be better to get a horse. Magere are too slow."
"That’s true, but..."
But they’re way too expensive.
I could guess what my father was thinking. Even a magere was pricey, and when you factored in the other travel essentials, our budget was tight.
Plus, even though Ray and I were engaged, it wasn’t fair to expect my father to foot the entire bill. Shouldn’t we split the cost?
Then, Ray pulled sothing out of his pocket.
"This is money my father gave . Please use it to help buy a horse. We’ll manage the rest ourselves."
"What the—are you crazy?"
Before I could finish, Ray stepped on my foot, signaling for to stay quiet. My father accepted the money and nodded.
"That could work, but won’t you be short on travel expenses?"
"It’ll be fine. Lera and I saved up."
"Hmph. Is my daughter saving money? That’s unlikely. You must’ve had so savings. Fine, I’ll combine it with what your father gave you and get you a horse."
"Thank you. I think this one’s good—it even has teeth and a clean... uh, rear..."
This is dizzying.
I shouldn’t be the one saying this, but I never realized Ray had such poor financial sense. What will happen to our marriage and retirent at this rate?
After my father left, I turned to Ray, who seed elated with his new white horse.
"Have you ever heard the term horse-poor? People who ride around in fancy horses they can’t afford. Ugh, my fate..."
"Hahaha. Lera, it’s not like that."
"What do you an it’s not? I told you we were broke. And now you spent the money your dad gave you too? You said you only had seven silver coins left—that’s barely enough to buy a cooking pot. And it’d probably be a broken one at that."
"We don’t need to buy a pot."
"Excuse ? Do you think we’re just going to survive on dried jerky? Do you have any idea how far Barnaul is? You need hot food to have the strength to walk! Ugh. Even the magere is smarter than you."
Ray gave a look of exasperation.
What? That’s my expression! I glared at him, and he let out a small laugh before speaking.
"I was going to tell you later, but... co with ."
"What now? What is it?"
Ray led outside the castle. Since our castle, Avril Castle, was in the mountains, there was nothing outside but gorges and hills.
"What is this? Did you hide treasure out here?"
"No, not treasure, but..."
Ray let out a long whistle.
I watched, confused, until I heard the sound of hoofbeats. Wait—where? The horse we just bought was still here.
Whinny!
Turning toward the sound, I saw a massive black horse galloping across the gorge toward us. It stopped in front of Ray, snorting hot breaths.
"Whoa... wait, what is this?"
"My horse."
Ray bead proudly. He had tad a wild horse and even nad it Equus.
"Whoa, that’s... amazing. So if you whistle, it cos to you?"
"Yeah, it’s really smart."
"Do you think the one we just bought will do that too if I train it?"
"More importantly, Lera, now you know why we don’t need a pot. You’ll ride that horse. Riding will spare us from having to sleep rough and reduce the load we need to carry."
"Oh, I see. That’s great, actually. To be honest, I didn’t want to cook anyway."
I laughed and playfully smacked Ray’s arm. He flinched and froze for a mont, his expression turning strange.
"What’s with that face?"
"...Nothing. Ahem. But you don’t know how to ride, do you?"
"Ah! You’re right! I don’t know how to ride! Wait, how do we even do this? You don’t know either!"
"I do."
"Huh? How?"
"Riding is a basic knightley skill. I secretly learned from my father. Oh, and don’t go telling anyone about this. My dad taught using the horses at the lord’s castle, so keep it quiet."
"Wow. And you didn’t teach ? That’s so unfair."
"Sorry about that. But I’ll teach you how to ride on the way to Barnaul. Okay? Promise. And keep it a secret."
"...Alright."
Ray had definitely changed.
When did Ray beco so capable? I used to think he’d be as good as dead without swordsmanship, just like …
I felt a mix of disappointnt and pride—Of course, it’s Ray! My man should be like this! I hated feeling like I was falling behind, but I admired the way he was always leading from the front.
Yes, I had to step up, too.
I needed to beco amazing myself.
─ As always, I repeated my resolve as I returned ho. To be soone as impressive as Ray…
“Alright.”
What else could I rely on but swordsmanship?
I hefted my proud sword, A’ bota. This absurdly long blade made my arms ache just from lifting it, and it wasn’t easy to maintain its balance.
“One at a ti.”
I barely managed to control the A’ bota and raise it above my head. It wasn’t nearly as clean as the slash Ray had shown , but I brought it down with so precision.
Keeping the sword from touching the ground made my hands feel like they were about to burst.
It was hard, but that was proof of how powerful this weapon could be. If I could master it, how proud would Ray be of ?
The thought alone thrilled so much that I couldn’t help but laugh. As I lifted the sword again, a voice interrupted from behind.
“Good grief. Youths buy hardship—they say it builds character, but is that the way to do it?”
It was Uncle Noel.
Having heard that sa nagging line a hundred tis before, I was about to ignore him but decided to retort:
“I had higher expectations of you, Master. I’m very disappointed.”
“Hmm? What do you an?”
“Nothing at all!”
So, he taught Ray how to ride a horse behind my back? Hmph! I wouldn’t bring it up since I’d promised not to, but... Father-in-law, just wait until you’re old and frail.
Ti is on my side.
I’ll make sure to harass you! ─ I reserved my revenge for a distant future, while Uncle Noel just looked bewildered.
A while later, we were on the road.
Including my parents, everyone who ca to see us off was worried about how light our luggage was, but they trusted Ray’s assurance that we’d buy supplies along the way.
People tended not to believe but took Ray’s word as gospel.
Foolish masses.
Once we had traveled a good distance from the castle, I looked at Ray expectantly. At his whistle, the black horse I’d seen before ca galloping over the mountains.
Eek! I loved it so much.
I thought we’d each mount our horses, but Ray pulled close and said,
“You should get a feel for it first. Let’s ride together. Climb up; I’ll follow.”
“Huh? Is that okay?”
“Of course.”
Ray held his hand out near Kus’s flank, waiting for to step on.
There was sothing about this gesture—so cool and reliable—that made my lips curl into an unstoppable smile.
“It’s going to be heavy...”
I muttered, not sure if I was talking to Kus or Ray, as I placed my foot in his hand. With his help, I climbed up, letting out a gasp of awe.
The view jumped dramatically.
I could feel the horse’s body heat through my thighs, the subtle movents of its muscles, and the exhilarating tension of its readiness to sprint.
Just as I began to feel a little scared, Ray climbed up behind . His arms wrapped securely around my waist, and all my fear lted away.
“Watch what I do, then try it later. Hold the reins like this—not too loose—with your thumb and the middle joint of your index finger. To get him moving, use your legs to gently press his sides. But since we’re riding together, he might get confused. In that case, just click your tongue like this, tch-tch.”
“Whoa! He’s moving!”
“Yeah. See? When he obeys, praise him. Loosen your grip on the reins a little, like this.”
“Huh? He understands just from that tiny adjustnt?”
“Yep. A good horse is highly sensitive. That’s why you have to handle the reins carefully. If you grip them aimlessly, the horse can’t understand your commands and will panic. If you’re struggling, it’s better to drop the reins and only use them when necessary. Now, let’s turn left. To do that, pull the reins like this...”
Ray guided , moving the horse in various directions. When we returned to our starting point, I climbed down and collapsed onto the grass from the strain.
“Ow, my legs, my back...”
“A saddle would make it easier, but you’ll get used to it quickly. Let’s rest for a bit, then try again.”
Following Ray’s instructions, I gradually got the hang of riding. His close supervision was a big help.
My horse seed to understand it only needed to follow Ray’s horse, which made things much easier.
As we rode on, Ray suddenly shouted, “Pull the reins!” and abruptly stopped. A pair of eracts darted across the path ahead.
It was nothing serious.
If anything, Ray’s concern felt exaggerated.
After that, we continued our journey on horseback.
The sky, now free of winter’s grasp, stretched higher. The spring breeze pushed us forward, and the vast plains, cleared of snow, opened up endlessly.
I felt a surge of emotion and yelled out at the top of my lungs:
“Yaaah-ho! This feels amazing!”
At that mont, a herd of reindeer joined us.
For a while, we traveled alongside hundreds of them, led by a magnificent buck with blue-tinted antlers.
It was so beautiful!
Our days were filled with awe and happiness. Each village we passed through had its own unique charm, and Ray seed to know all about them.
In one village with a stunning hot spring, I asked how he knew about such places. He said he rembered them from visits to his uncle’s ho in Barnaul.
Had Ray’s family always visited his uncle in Barnaul? I didn’t think so. But when Ray pressed , asking if I had forgotten about his last trip, I pretended to rember.
Hey, it’s normal to forget things sotis.
Touchy much.
Then, on a warm day when we no longer needed jackets, our grand journey ca to an end.
Before us stood the majestic, bustling capital of Barnaul, teeming with warriors gathered for the Maunin-Reti Tournant.
The real excitent was just beginning! I walked down Barnaul’s main street, thrilled—
“Ah!”
Only to be struck on the forehead by a flying gold ingot.
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