Chapter 8 — The Crown Prince's Letter
—Bayul, is it that kid? The weird-haired one who's been messing with your head?
The first riding lesson of the second semester began with posture correction. It was training held in preparation for the riding competition held at every autumn festival, and at the same time a selection process for the first-year athletes.
Under Professor Jennet's orders, four or five students demonstrated their skills from mounting through walk, trot, and canter, exactly as they had been taught. Bayul, who had not yet been called, was sitting in the shade of a tree resting with his friends.
—Should I just blast him off into the distance?
The spirits who resonated with Bayul's emotions had known since the day before that his mind was unsettled. Among them, Tempesta had tagged along to the riding lesson, insisting there would be plenty for him to do, and that was how he'd spotted Lokha. Once Bayul glanced at him with uneasy eyes, there was no pretending not to notice.
No, Tempesta. Don't do anything.
This was riding class — mounted time. It was the kind of lesson where even the smallest mistake could lead to a serious accident. If he set Tempesta loose freely in a place like this, there was no telling what sort of catastrophe the boy might cause.
—Why not? Don't you dislike that guy, Bayul?
It's not that. I just... have some things to think about.
Tempesta had apparently misread Bayul's discomfort.
—Thinking about what? All I can feel is that you're anxious.
He'd been told he was going to die soon — if he acted exactly the same as always, that would arguably be the bigger problem. But if he'd told Tempestra the truth about yesterday, the spirit would have thrown a fit, no doubt about it.
Exams are coming up soon, you know. And there's the festival, too. So there's just a lot on my mind.
—Are exams really that worrying?
Bayul had improvised whatever excuse he could think of, and Tempesta turned grave at once. If this was his chance to keep the boy quiet, Bayul couldn't let it slip by.
If you fail your exams, you might get held back a year. To avoid that, you have to do well.
—Got it! I'll keep my head on straight today too!
Every time Bayul mounted a horse, Tempesta helped him more than words could express. The boy clenched both fists and made his vow with great resolve.
Thank you, Tempesta. I'm counting on you again today.
Still, thanks to Tempesta steadily practicing with him and supporting him from behind, he no longer lived in fear of falling like he used to.
"Whoa — what is with Lanasa?"
"...Hm?"
Bayul, who had been secretly conversing with Tempesta, snapped back to reality at Aidan's words.
"Look over there."
Bayul followed the line of Aidan's chin, and his gray eyes went wide.
"Lanasa's going to Lokha?"
"Yeah — she's holding her hand out."
That meant Lanasa had asked Lokha to read her palm.
"She was interested in stuff like palm reading? Why am I so surprised?"
"It is a little unexpected."
When Quinn agreed, Logan silently nodded along beside him. Only Eli, who had Magic Department classes, was absent and couldn't weigh in — but he likely wouldn't have disagreed.
"I suppose even Lanasa has things she worries about."
Lubinsky was glued to her side. Ever since they'd accompanied the imperial delegation together, the two of them seemed to have grown quite close.
"What do you think she's asking about?"
"Who knows..."
Moments from his past encounters with Lanasa surfaced in his memory one by one, but Bayul didn't voice them. Whatever her circumstances, they were hers to carry, and prying into them could itself be an act of rudeness.
"Doesn't seem like a pairing that fits at all, huh? Which, somehow, makes me curious what they'd even talk about."
"Then go over and find out."
"Are you insane? Go listen to some guy spout nonsense about me dying and coming back to life?"
"...Actually, I've been thinking about that a lot," Logan said quietly. "What if it wasn't a warning that something dangerous will happen, but an implication of it?"
"An implication?"
At Logan's sudden theory, not only Bayul but Aidan and Quinn all frowned.
"I'm not saying we should trust this Lokha boy's words completely. I just wondered whether the fortune might have been misread somehow."
"Logan. I get that you're worried about Bayul, but if you're going to waste time on pointless speculation, go study for exams instead. This semester the top spot is mine, all to myself — so look forward to it!"
Even with the second semester underway, Aidan's competitive fire toward Logan hadn't cooled one bit. Frankly, Bayul wanted to ask why he disliked Logan so much. But the boy would obviously blow up if he did, and just when things had gotten to the point where they could all be comfortable together, he was afraid that dredging it up for no reason would sour the friendship — so once again, he had no choice but to stay silent.
"Bayul! Aidan! Logan!"
That was when Professor Jennet's call rang out. Perhaps she'd noticed the three of them sitting together, because she called all three at once.
"Let's go — our turn."
"Bayul, don't be nervous. You'll do fine."
To Aidan and Logan, riding was something they could do with their eyes closed, as easy as play. Bayul, on the other hand, had Tempesta's help, sure, but now that the moment had actually come, he was a little nervous. The greatest comfort was the certainty that at least he wouldn't fall off.
"When you're ready, mount up."
At Professor Jennet's command, the three swung up onto their horses with vigor. Watching their movements flow as naturally as water, admiring murmurs rose from the observing students.
Of course I had to be sandwiched between Aidan and Logan.
The thought of being measured against those two left Bayul privately conflicted.
—Bayul, you've got me! You've got this!
Tempesta came swooping down and hovered in midair, cheering him on. At his friend's unwavering encouragement, a smile crept across Bayul's face before he knew it.
Come to think of it, with the boy's help, he could fly through the sky these days. When the ice mine had collapsed, he'd endured three whole hours in the saddle without a single break. That had been thanks to Tempesta, admittedly — but Bayul hadn't been entirely without improvement of his own.
Yeah, I'll do my best. Thanks as always, Tempesta!
As Bayul steeled himself with spirit, an energized Tempesta shot up into the sky.
"Walk."
Professor Jennet nodded, apparently satisfied with their mounting posture, and called out for walk and then trot in quick succession. Last came the canter, which required them to circle the riding grounds in one grand loop.
The three friends, moving at a brisk walk, leaned forward and broke into a run. Bayul bent his upper body as low as he could and cut through the wind. Whenever strength began to slip from his legs and waist, Tempesta would catch him without being asked, and as a result he crossed the finish point with hardly any difference from his friends.
"Woooooah!"
As if on cue, the moment the three finished, the students burst into applause and cheering. Aidan and Logan's riding had been flawless from the start. Bayul guessed the two had performed beautifully this time as well, and broke into a wide grin.
"Bayul."
Professor Jennet approached as they dismounted.
"Yes, Professor?"
I don't think I made any mistakes... so where did I go wrong?
Bayul had assumed he was about to be corrected. But what came out of her mouth was entirely unexpected.
"Your riding has improved enormously over the past few months. You must have practiced over the break?"
"...I'm sorry?"
"Your mounting posture, and your walk and trot are both remarkably steady. Your canter form was especially good. A little more practice, and you'll be able to charge ahead of the pack."
Bayul was dumbfounded by the professor's out-of-the-blue praise. Hearing this with Aidan and Logan standing right beside him made him feel strangely awkward.
"Which is why — how would you like to compete in the riding tournament at the autumn festival as a class representative?"
"...You mean, me?"
"Do you have some other commitment?"
"No, nothing like that yet... but Aidan and Logan are competing too, so why me...?"
Aidan was a born Tamer with an innate gift for communing with animals, and Logan was a master who had learned to ride before he'd learned to walk. To Bayul, the idea of himself entering a competition over two such men was hard to accept.
"Ah, Aidan and Logan will naturally compete as well — and Lanasa too. They're the very best of the first years; of course they can't be left out. It's simply a different event."
"A different event?"
"That's right. The riding tournament doesn't have only one discipline. What I'm recommending you for is the race. The speed event. In racing, harmony with your horse matters, of course, but physical ability and posture matter above all — and it seems to me I've just discovered a talent for it in you."
"Professor, I want to enter the jumping event," Aidan cut in.
"I know, Aidan. Logan will be the same, I take it?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Show jumping was both the most difficult and the most popular discipline in riding. To clear obstacles alongside your horse over a long course and reach the finish line demanded not mere talent, but absolute skill.
"You heard her? What do you say, Bayul? Will you give it a try?"
Bayul was still bewildered by Professor Jennet's sudden offer. Unlike Aidan and Logan, this wasn't something he'd earned through his own strength alone, and part of him felt uneasy about that. Whether his face betrayed it or not, the professor smiled and said:
"I'm not asking you to decide right now. I'll give you time to think — let me know after you've considered it properly."
"...Yes. Thank you, Professor."
"The tournament can be a valuable experience in many ways. I do hope you'll make a good decision."
Having offered her final advice, Professor Jennet called out loudly for the next students.
"Bayul, what was that about? Don't tell me it was Tempesta...?"
"Yeah, more or less."
At Bayul's admission, Aidan and Logan chuckled as if they'd known it all along — and that was the moment.
"Bayul."
Lanasa, who had been having her palm read by Lokha, suddenly approached them. More precisely, she came to a stop directly in front of Bayul.
Though they had traveled together to the imperial court as part of the Academy's delegation, the two of them had never once held a proper conversation. The first time, he'd caught her crying by chance on the train and she'd turned as cold as ice; the second time, she had taken her inexplicable anger out on him.
What's going to happen this time?
Just as Bayul found himself tensing up without meaning to, Lanasa spoke.
"You ride well."
"...Huh?"
"Far better than before. It wasn't even comparable."
"Ah... thank you."
Flustered by her out-of-nowhere compliment, Bayul struggled to regain his composure.
"You must have learned over the break?"
"Hm?"
"From Duke Randert, or the Full Moon Knights."
"Ah... well, yes, I suppose."
Since he couldn't mention Tempesta, Bayul had no choice but to fudge the answer.
But in that moment — or had he imagined it? — a flicker of something like envy crossed Lanasa's face.
"Our previous class was history. Professor Rothius asked me to see him after class. I came to pass that along."
"Professor Rothius is looking for me?"
"Yes. It seemed like something important."
Something important?
Could it be — has he found more books about the spirits?
The thought struck Bayul all at once. And if it were true, there wasn't a moment to waste. He would have to run there right this instant.
"Well then — see you around."
After giving them a courteous farewell, Lanasa walked away from the group.
"What's gotten into her? Did she eat something bad?"
"They say people who change that suddenly are dangerous..."
"More importantly, isn't the urgent thing right now that Professor Rothius is calling for you? It sounds like he's found something."
"You mean something like the Guide to the Great Path, like last time?"
"I certainly hope so."
If only he could unravel every last mystery surrounding the spirits, it felt as though he might finally be able to forget the memory of that grim palm reading as well.