Ride Your Steed, Knightly (6)
They were the kind of graffiti you'd expect to find scrawled across some famous tourist destination. Except this was no tourist spot. This was a remote plateau where human footsteps never fell—and a place where, years ago, the demonkin had been slaughtered for reasons unknown. Judging by the cheerful tone of the messages, they hadn't been written by demons, at least.
"The Ultimate Special Task Force was here!"
A Special Task Force. That would be the human alliance that had stood against the Demon King's army.
"Commemorating the Founding of Horn-Head Cemetery"
So this Special Task Force were the ones who had slaughtered the demonkin that came here to capture the wild horses.
"Our friendship, forever!"
They must have been incredibly close.
"Linus ♡ Celine — please get married!"
What was that supposed to mean? Had there been people in the Special Task Force who were in love with each other? But those names looked awfully familiar. Linus, Linus, Linus...
Wait—could it be Sir Linus, the Hero of the Continent who slew the Demon King?!
It wasn't a dragon. Sir Linus was the one who came here!
That would explain everything. If it was Sir Linus, of course he could have unilaterally massacred the demonkin like this.
"Professors, look at this. Here—!"
"Shh! They're here!"
Just as Knightly was about to tell the professors what she'd discovered, Professor Orendi raised a hand. There, at the dark forest bordering the grassland and the mountain range, the wild horses of the Brun Plateau emerged.
Knightly forgot all about the famous Hero Party's graffiti. Her mouth fell open.
The wild horses stepped into sunlight that poured through a break in the low-hanging clouds, and the sight of them was a painting unto itself. Muscle rippled with raw power beneath sleek coats that seemed to shine with their own light. Their long, straight legs struck the grassland with an effortless grace, as if they could run forever.
There were about thirty of those beautiful horses—roughly matching the number the Academy needed.
Knightly had been captivated by their elegant movement for some time before she snapped back to her senses. A sudden, pressing question had struck her.
"But... how are we supposed to capture them? You're not planning to recycle this wagon, I hope?"
"I'm not that out of my mind."
Dian laughed, and Knightly pressed on.
"There are three of you professors, so let's say you somehow drag them back to the Academy. Then what?"
Dian gave her a questioning look, and Knightly continued.
"Training a true wild horse to accept a rider is an incredibly brutal process. Take racehorses, for example—they have to go through a procedure of getting used to tack from the time they're foals."
At the mention of horse training, Combat Horsemanship Professor Anna's eyes began to gleam.
"If you just hop onto a wild horse without any of that, it'll thrash and fight you so hard you can't possibly handle it. And our students aren't professional grooms or trainers—using wild horses for practical exercises?"
"G-go on, Knightly..."
Professor Anna urged her forward as if she'd just caught a whiff of something delicious off an undergraduate.
"The common-sense approach is to catch a foal and train it professionally for its intended purpose. An animal that's grown up without training is unusable. Horses are incredibly stubborn, and once a habit sets, it's nearly impossible to break."
When she finished, Professor Anna drew in a long, appreciative breath and smacked her lips.
"You... know an awful lot about horses...? Have you always been interested in this...?"
"I picked it up from the stablehands while learning to ride as a child. I have absolutely no intention of going into this field."
"Ah, I see... But there's one thing you're overlooking..."
Looking disappointed, Professor Anna hunched her shoulders again.
"The wild horses of the Brun Plateau are a bit different from ordinary horses..."
"Different how?"
"They live in tightly knit herds centered around a lead stallion... The bond they share, and their obedience to the leader, is beyond imagination... Probably because they had to survive in such an isolated, barren environment...? Anyway... that's actually why they're relatively easier to tame compared to other wild horses... Because..."
Hearing this, Knightly offered her own guess.
"Don't tell me—if you subdue just the leader, the rest fall in line?"
"Th-that's right...! But the fact that horses of this quality are still living in the wild despite that..."
"Because the effort of coming all the way up here to subdue the leader is just too great."
"Eek?! You really might have a talent for this—after graduation, maybe..."
"Is that the leader over there?"
At that moment, Orendi stretched out an arm and pointed. Among the wild horses, a single stallion stood tall, white as eternal snow. Its frame was vastly larger than the others, and its long, flowing mane looked like a crown permitted only to the king of horses.
"That's the leader."
Professor Dian, peering out from between the wagons, spoke up.
"Bring that one to its knees and the rest will submit on their own."
"But that won't be easy, will it? If that thing kicks you, you're dead on the spot. Good lord, how is a horse that big?"
Looking at the leader standing proudly, commanding its herd, Orendi asked,
"Should I try using magic?"
"That won't work... The horse could get hurt, and more importantly... you have to pin it down with raw physical strength, body against body..."
"Then I suppose it's time for Professor Anna, our combat horsemanship expert, to step in."
"No. Knightly's doing it."
At Professor Dian's words, everyone's incredulous gazes snapped toward him.
"I beg your pardon?"
"Knightly is going to subdue that lead stallion. That's today's private lesson."
"C-Chief Professor... that's far too dangerous..."
While the professors panicked, Knightly herself could only stare at Dian, unable to speak.
"I... have to ride that...?"
"That's right, Knightly. You're riding it."
"But that's..."
Knightly looked past Dian's shoulder at the lead stallion again. A massive wild horse incomparable to any other, looking as if it were a crossbreed with an ogre or a troll. Her lips trembled, then she cried out in a low voice.
"There's no way I can just suddenly ride something like that!"
"You've already mastered the fundamentals of horsemanship. You said you wanted to become a Special Task Force operative, didn't you? In the field, depending on the situation, you might have to steal a horse and ride it—or capture a wild one, like today."
Dian spoke with genuine seriousness.
"If you can subdue that leader, you'll be able to ride any horse in this world. Think of it as that horse becoming your personal steed."
"But..."
At Dian's words, Knightly lowered her head.
"It's too much... I can't..."
"I'll be right there watching. That should be enough, right?"
"No..."
Even Knightly, with all her pride, had no confidence this time. If she fell and got trampled by those massive hooves, her entire body would be crushed. If she was lucky, she'd die. If she was unlucky, she'd live the rest of her life as a cripple.
That's too terrifying.
"I think it's noticed we're here."
At Orendi's words, they turned to see the lead stallion staring in their direction.
"If you're not going to ride, go home, Knightly."
At Dian's firm words, Orendi looked at Knightly.
"Knightly. Think about why you came here. You wanted to learn the advanced course, didn't you?"
"But..."
Watching the hesitant Knightly, Dian turned his gaze to the professors.
"Anna, Orendi. Let's get ready."
"Understood."
While Anna pulled a rope from her bag and coiled it, Orendi and Dian quickly discussed a plan to blink-teleport Anna onto the lead stallion. Meanwhile, left alone, Knightly sank into a crushing sense of self-loathing.
She'd talked a big game, but she'd never dreamed it would be something like this. She should have seen it coming after last time, when he'd shoved her into that insane night infiltration...
As she bit her lip, the graffiti from earlier suddenly entered her field of vision. The scrawl left by Sir Linus's Hero Party. The stories of heroes she'd heard from her older brothers as a child—stories that had made her heart race and planted the dream of becoming a Special Task Force operative.
If I give up here... I'll be nothing.
I might end up as some mediocre civil servant, living an ordinary life, and eventually go back to my family.
Anything but that.
I can't run. I can't run. I can't run...
"I'll ride."
When Knightly spoke, the professors who'd been busily preparing turned to look at her.
"Fine. Let's give it a shot."
"Listen carefully, Knightly... The moment you get on its back, loop the rope around its neck..."
Anna handed Knightly the rope as she explained.
"That's your lifeline... If you can, it'd be good to loop it under the belly too, but that'll be hard... For now, loop it around the neck, tighten it, and stay glued to its back as much as possible... Just hang on and don't fall..."
"Got it."
"The Chief Professor will get a lasso around its neck and wear it down, but you're the key... You absolutely have to stay on its back... That's how a Brun Plateau wild horse submits..."
"I'll hang on."
While Anna was earnestly briefing Knightly, Orendi asked Dian worriedly.
"Is this really going to be okay?"
"It's fine. She's not the one bringing the horse to its knees herself—just hanging on. Knightly can manage that."
"But if she happens to fall, it'll be a disaster."
"It should be over in about ten minutes, so that won't happen."
Anna cut in at that.
"How can you be so sure...? It'll take at least an hour..."
"Call it a veteran's instinct. I've crossed the line between life and death more times than I can count. Let's begin."
Once all preparations were complete, Orendi raised blue mana in both hands.
"Knightly. On the count of three, you'll drop right onto the horse. There's no time to brace yourself. You have to act the instant you land."
"Understood."
"Good. Here we go. One, two, three!"
Suddenly, the horse's huge white back appeared right in front of her.
Knightly immediately uncoiled the rope, looped it around the horse's neck, and clamped her legs tight around its torso. At the sudden boarding, the lead stallion screamed and began bucking mercilessly, front to back. Horses were powerful creatures to begin with, but with a stallion of that size going all out, Knightly looked as if she were being whipped through the air.
As the lead stallion went berserk, the rest of the herd fled in terror, hooves thundering away. Dian just stood there with his arms crossed, watching Knightly.
"Chief Professor! What are you doing! Throw the lasso!"
Anna and Orendi shouted at the sight, but Dian remained motionless, the lasso still slung over his shoulder. Knightly clenched her teeth and plastered herself against the lead stallion's neck and back.
That damn professor! Why isn't he throwing the lasso already!!
What?! He said he'd help? Then why the hell is he just standing there with his arms crossed!!
"Hurry up, Professor!!"
"Hang in there, Knightly~~~!"
That insane bastard!!!!!!
I'm the idiot for falling for it twice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!