Chapter 44
Chapter 44
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Khan
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It was bewildering that the beast had carried him, but what surprised him even more was how stable the ride felt despite not holding onto anything.
It was as if his rear end was perfectly glued to the creature's back.
Moreover, its speed was incomparable to the others. The pursuers had vanished in no time, leaving only the fading sound of hooves.
After galloping for a good while, they reached the mountain summit.
As the black horse came to a stop, Arthur quickly dismounted. Then he stared intently at it.
The horse slowly walked off somewhere.
Arthur watched silently.
The black horse halted in front of a small grave and lowered its head.
It looked like it was paying respects to the grave.
The black horse glanced at Arthur.
'Is it telling me to come over?'
With a meaningful expression, Arthur walked toward the grave.
The black horse watched him approach without any sign of wariness.
Arthur's eyes flashed as he stood before the grave.
Buried in the ground was a suit of plate armor, inscribed with letters.
[For the golden glory!]
"This is!"
It was the motto symbolizing the Julius Count Family.
He never imagined he'd see those words here.
Someone from his family must have come first.
And the black horse seemed connected to whoever was buried here, but why it had brought him remained a mystery.
As Arthur gazed deeply at the black horse,
His necklace began to glow.
Then light emanated from the black horse's head as well.
"Huh?"
The lights pulsed as if they were communicating, and suddenly the black horse knelt on its forelegs and bowed its head to Arthur.
"......?"
As Arthur looked puzzled, a warm breeze blew in.
The piled fallen leaves scattered and flew away on the wind.
Once the leaves cleared, armor pieces from other parts of the body emerged.
"What?"
He approached the armor and saw more inscribed words.
[Karuda!
He was a devil in human skin.]
'Karuda?'
Arthur's eyes deepened as he moved to another piece of armor.
[I am Adam Julius.
I came here with him to create another world...
...excerpt...
I hope this helps even a little against that bastard.]
"Hmm."
Arthur's face hardened.
The one who left the message on the armor was Adam Julius, Tehran’s older brother.
A mage, he had come to this cursed land, known as forbidden territory, with Karuda to build their own domain.
During their magical research, Karuda learned black magic and, craving even greater power, was ultimately consumed by it and became a devil.
That bastard was the Demon King.
Karuda not only shattered Adam's magic circles to prevent spellcasting but also severed both his legs to stop him from fleeing.
Having witnessed Karuda's atrocities until the brink of death, he left behind this creature for Tehran—one born with only the finest traits of a unicorn and a Britannica.
Arthur asked the black horse.
"Are you Storm?"
Neigh~.
The black horse let out a pleased whinny.
Arthur was astonished to see it understand and respond to his words.
"You left behind an incredible beast."
His surprise was fleeting; what saddened him was that it had taken a century for him to find it.
If Tehran had ridden this beast against that monster, the outcome might have been different.
In any case, it had been conditioned to heed only the Julius Count Family bloodline, so from now on, it would follow him.
With a new master in place, he decided to rename it first.
"You're Khan from now on. If you understand, bow your head."
Storm just stared at Arthur, as if it hadn't comprehended.
'Did I expect too much?'
As Arthur awkwardly scratched his cheek, Storm raised its forelegs high toward the buried armor and cried out.
Neeeigh-!
"What's that about?"
Startled, Arthur stepped back.
Storm soon calmed and bowed its head to Arthur.
"What? You understood me?"
Neigh~.
"Really?"
Arthur looked amazed.
If true, its earlier action had been a final farewell to its previous master.
To confirm he wasn't imagining things, he tested it.
"Storm."
Storm showed no reaction.
Arthur smirked and called again.
"Khan."
Neigh~.
Storm bared its teeth in a cry that looked like a human grinning broadly.
"Ha......"
Arthur stared blankly.
Snapping out of it, he decided to properly inspect Khan.
Its back was level with his head, its muscle-bound legs evoked H-beams, and its body resembled steel plating—his jaw dropped.
It was as if it wore full ironclad armor.
Above all, it possessed immense strength capable of toppling a fully matured ogre with a single headbutt, and speed no one could match.
Everything about Khan was captivating.
Imagining rampaging across the continent on its back made his heart race.
As Arthur stroked Khan's red mane, he said.
"Let's get along from now on."
Neigh~.
Locking eyes with Khan, Arthur added firmly.
"Don't ever die on me."
...!
Khan's eyes flashed, and it slammed its front hoof down hard.
Boom!
Then it threw its head back and let out a mighty cry.
Neeeigh-!
Unlike its previous whinnies, this one carried a heavy resolve: it would never part from its master again.
"I won't abandon you either."
Neigh, neigh~.
"Shall we take a ride?"
Arthur mounted Khan.
Just like before, his rear stuck perfectly to its back, drawn like a magnet.
This seemed another of Khan's special abilities.
First, he needed to check if the search party had safely exited the area.
"Take me to the western cliff."
Neeigh!
Khan charged downward with vigor.
***
"It's gotten dark."
Mulran looked at Dark with a stiff expression.
Since arriving at the cliff, Dark had been staring fixedly at the vine entrance.
'Captain......'
Helot approached, huffing.
"No matter how I think about it, just waiting here isn't right."
"What do you plan to do?"
"We've waited an hour with no sign of him—something must have happened! I can't wait any longer. I'll send the nimble ones, or go myself."
"Hmm."
Dark pondered carefully.
They might have encountered monsters on the way back.
It didn't seem right to just wait for Arthur to appear.
"Understood! We'll go."
"If you find him, report immediately!"
"Yes."
As Dark signaled to the Devil Squad members,
Clack! Clack!
A sound echoed.
"What's that noise?"
Everyone tensed and looked toward the source.
The sound grew closer, and suddenly a massive shape burst through the vines.
At the same moment, Helot shouted.
"Monster!"
The knights drew their swords in unison.
The Devil Squad raised their weapons, ready to attack.
The enormous figure leaped over the search party and landed before the cliff.
"What is that?"
"What kind of horse is that huge!"
"Britannica!"
Helot's face darkened rapidly.
Not comparable to an ogre, but powerful enough to kill even an orc warrior in one hit.
"Someone's riding it!"
One knight pointed to the Britannica's back.
Its sheer size and unexpected appearance had left no room to notice the rider.
Amid the dark Britannica's back, a golden glow pierced the gloom.
Everyone recognized who it was at once.
"Young Master!"
"Captain!"
They cried out joyfully.
Khan snorted hot breath and turned around.
As expected, it was Arthur.
Arthur silently surveyed the surroundings. Their numbers had dwindled more than expected.
"How many did we lose?"
Helot bowed his head.
"......Seven."
Arthur asked with a hardened face.
"Why haven't you headed back? Why are you still here?"
"We couldn't leave you behind, Young Master."
"You idiots......"
He wanted to smack their heads, but he knew it stemmed from concern for him.
Even he would have made the same call, so he couldn't bring himself to rage.
"I'll let it slide this once. But there won't be a second time."
"We'll remember that!"
Helot replied respectfully.
Arthur continued, looking over the search party.
"We're returning to the castle."
"You're coming with us, right, Young Master?"
Arthur shook his head at Helot's question.
"I'll finish the search and come back."
"Young Master......"
Helot looked on the verge of tears.
"Don't worry. With this guy, there's no danger."
"True, but if we run into another ogre......"
"It didn't even think of chasing us."
"Really?"
Helot's eyes widened.
"So head back and wait. I'll be there by sunrise at the latest."
"The captain won't let me off easy."
"In a situation like wartime, what happens if you disobey my orders?"
As Arthur aimed his dagger's tip at Helot, he swallowed hard and fell silent.
"Dark."
"Yes!"
Dark stepped up beside Helot.
"The moment we return, tell Ban to find a way to wall off the western cliff with you."
"Yes."
"And inform Skevin that we need reinforcements."
Finally, Arthur addressed the search party members.
"See you later."
Arthur kicked Khan's side, and it nodded before bolting off like an arrow.
It effortlessly vaulted the vines and vanished.
Everyone gaped at the sight.
A strong question arose in their minds.
"How did he tame a Britannica......?"
***
"Hmm."
With Khan's help, Arthur roamed the area.
Though it was a dark night, raising mana brightened his vision.
He could see as clearly as daylight, with no discomfort.
During the search, he encountered numerous monsters.
But they only growled at Khan, not daring to attack.
Khan held a high place in the monsters' food chain.
So he roamed freely without concern.
Then he spotted a river.
Several hundred meters wide, and beyond it were the beasts.
Their heads were visible atop massive trees.
Ogres.
Nearly twenty of them—and something he should never have seen.
Red horns sprouting from their heads!
Kadrajin!
It had fully matured too.
Realizing further searching was pointless, Arthur decided to return to the territory.
He raced across open plains with Khan, cleaving the wind.
After a long ride, Grada Territory came into view in the distance.
'We made it, but......'
Slowing Khan, he glanced back.
Moments later.
Billowing smoke rose.
Thud thud thud thud—
The ground shook as dozens of Britannica appeared.
They had followed Khan.
"Well, now."
Neigh~.
Khan seemed to plead for them to join the family.
Exactly what he wanted.
With them, his forces would surge.
Arthur yanked the red mane and shouted.
"Yeah! Let's go together!"