Chapter 232
Chapter 232
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 232
Chapter Title: Those Who Left, Those Who Returned (7)
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Louis was not fully recovered.
But the mere fact that he was walking around unscathed with a body that had been as good as dead was astonishing in itself.
Even though he was using crutches, Louis was managing to get around on his own without any help.
“What did they say at the temple?”
“I might have to live as a cripple.”
“I see.”
Had that attack pierced straight through his gut and barely grazed his spinal nerves?
A cripple—for Louis, one of the Imperial Knights’ finest, that was a pretty cruel fate.
“No need to worry. With steady rehab, it’ll get better for sure.”
Louis spoke with a voice full of conviction.
Yeah, that confident attitude was way better than giving up listlessly. Both physically and mentally.
Just as Louis said, diligent rehab would surely improve a lot of things.
Maybe he’d even end up walking around like nothing had happened.
“How’s your father doing?”
“He’s come to. But he’s still frail. They say it’ll take some time before his soul and body reconnect fully like before.”
Ah, he’d already regained consciousness?
For an ordinary person, just coming to could take over a month, but the Corin family was clearly tough.
For a lord of his age to snap out of it already...
It felt like the same level of shock as Louis walking around.
Every one of them had such robust constitutions... Must be in their blood.
Enviable.
Anyway, if Lord Corin had already regained consciousness, it probably wouldn’t take long for him to recover fully.
Once he did, the Corin territory’s situation would stabilize quickly.
Of course, until then, Lady Corin and Louis would have to look after him.
And I’d help out as much as I could spare the time!
“You’re really selling the horse...?”
“No joke. Recovery could take years. Keeping the guy cooped up in the stable that long would be cruel.”
“You’re right.”
“He’s a fine one. If I hadn’t ordered him to flee, he would’ve fought to the end to protect me.”
If he’d coordinated with Louis like that, he had to be something special.
Even during the raid, he hadn’t bolted first.
Horses are skittish creatures.
It’s rare for them not to run from danger.
“Hmm...”
“What? Tempted?”
Louis asked playfully.
To be honest... yeah, of course I was.
A top-notch horse like that was hard to come by unless you got ridiculously lucky.
On top of that, El was gazing at me with sparkling eyes, clearly hoping she might get a horse of her own.
“...”
But regrettably, I wasn’t looking for a horse for El.
The reason I was interested in Louis’s horse was...
‘Kallisto doesn’t have one either.’
Right. Kallisto had no horse.
Since he was an elf, superior to humans in every way, it hadn’t been an issue so far, but going forward...
Wait.
Did I just think ‘going forward’?
‘Kallisto himself has no idea what I’m thinking.’
Rushing ahead like this on my own could lead to something embarrassing!
Like him saying, ‘Oh, I never planned to party with you.’ That’d hurt.
But I’d already shown plenty of interest, so no helping it now.
I’d casually probe Kallisto by pretending to ‘compensate’ him, and if he refused...
‘Then I can give it to El.’
Yeah, it wasn’t a dead end.
Just a bit awkward, that’s all.
“Louis. If you’re okay with it, I’ll take that horse...”
Louis, fully aware of my interest, flashed a suspicious smile and spoke in a tone laced with amusement.
“But Claudia has a nasty temper, so I’m not sure you can handle her.”
Ho ho, this guy.
Daring to test a druid?
I grinned back at Louis.
He cocked his head, still wearing that playful smile.
“Fine. How’s this? If you can tame Claudia properly, she’s yours.”
“Haha. You sure? You said you were ‘selling’ her to raise funds.”
“If problems crop up later and you try to dump her back on me, that’d be a hassle.”
“I’ll make sure there are no hassles.”
He was talking tough, but I caught his drift.
He wanted to hand Claudia over to me for free.
Just needed a plausible excuse.
To send her off from a master who couldn’t ride anymore, without burdening me...
Sneaky bastard.
“Shall we go, then?”
“Better stay on your toes.”
“Naturally.”
We all headed to the stables together.
The well-kept spacious stables housed several horses, but Claudia stood out with her sleek build.
‘She’d pair perfectly with Kallisto.’
Claudia was a mare with a white body and cloud-like dark patches on her back.
Her long, sturdy legs hinted at her blazing speed.
All the more perfect as a match for the elf Kallisto.
Louis explained that he’d named her Claudia because she ran like she was galloping on clouds, then led her out.
Emerging with graceful, noble poise, Claudia haughtily surveyed us like a noble young lady, then abruptly turned her head away.
‘Like owner, like horse.’
Folks unfamiliar with horses might not know, but they were beasts with loyalty rivaling dogs.
Smart, too, with solid base attack power from their massive frames.
Build a good bond, and they could be reliable partners watching each other’s backs.
But like fiercely loyal dogs, horses didn’t take kindly to hands other than their master’s.
Unless trained to carry multiple riders.
Especially with a one-on-one master-servant bond...
‘Just look at Storm.’
No matter how the carriage thieves whipped him, Storm didn’t budge.
Because he had no intention of obeying anyone but his owner—me.
Claudia was no different.
She’d built a deep bond with Louis over a long time.
Winning her favor on the spot was impossible without investing ages.
But.
Who am I?
A druid.
A *druid*.
I’d tamed the wild stallion Storm—who nearly sent a bunch of stable hands to the afterlife—with a single touch.
No matter how finicky Claudia was, she was just a pampered horse raised under a noble master, handled by various people.
Way easier than Storm, who roamed forests and plains, treating humans like dog shit.
“So, what do you think?”
“Magnificent. But as you said, she’s got no interest in strangers.”
“She’s been like that since she was a foal.”
“Ah.”
I smiled faintly and took a step toward Claudia.
She retreated a step, like a noble lady encountering a commoner, but sneaked a curious glance at me too.
Figured.
She’d never met a druid before either.
I steadied my breath quietly and took another slow step.
Fortunately, Claudia didn’t back away this time.
Louis’s eyebrow twitched in surprise at that alone.
“Mind if I touch her?”
“...Watch out she doesn’t bite. People have lost fingers.”
“Haha. Child’s play against a steed this fine.”
I reached out without hesitation.
Claudia hesitated briefly, but I placed my hand on her muzzle without missing a beat.
She seemed flustered but stayed put, intrigued by the pure ‘forest’ scent wafting from my hand.
And seizing that moment...
“Good girl.”
“Wait, Claudia doesn’t take sugar lumps or...”
“Aww, such a good girl.”
Feed her a sugar lump and activate [Affinity]? Game over.
I was over level 40 now, and basic skills like [Affinity] grew terrifyingly potent with levels.
I could stroke a feral bear’s belly freely at this point.
So for Claudia...
*Prurrrruk!*
Predictable.
Louis, who’d been about to say she didn’t eat trivial snacks like sugar lumps, gaped speechlessly.
He’d clearly expected Claudia to hold her ground, so the shock hit hard—he flapped his open mouth like a fish.
I ignored him and kept petting Claudia.
She seemed to love the novel taste of the sugar lump, gently nuzzling my palm with her lips.
“My god.”
“Pretty shocked?”
“Is this the power of a druid?”
“Well, you could say that.”
I grinned mischievously and stroked her nose bridge.
Louis shook his head helplessly, then smiled with a mix of relief and regret.
“...Yeah, I can entrust Claudia to you. Honestly, I half-expected this. Wasn’t really testing you. Just... bittersweet.”
Louis glanced down at his braced ankle, then back at Claudia.
She gazed at him with clear eyes.
“Theodor will let you run free, Claudia.”
Affection dripped from Louis’s voice.
He stroked her nose once, then patted the back of my hand.
“Louis. I’ll pay for her.”
Louis shook his head.
“Making sure she can run free is payment enough.”
This must be what it means to truly cherish family.
Letting them go for their happiness.
“Take care of her, Claudia.”
*Prurrrruk!*
Claudia shook out her well-groomed grayish-white mane and stamped her hooves a couple times, eyes locked on mine.
Vigorously, as if making up for her master’s share too.