Chapter 93: It’s Not That Kind of Guy

Chapter 93: It’s Not That Kind of Guy

Blue King.

This horse was exceptionally special.

Speed so incredible that it was hailed to be the incarnation of the legendary Chollima, steel stamina that never got tired, and tough skin that would deflect most swords.

Indeed, it deserved to be called the best horse in Lavaltor—no, on the continent even.

There was no other reason why this horse was the essential key in this Northern Expedition.

‘The only horse that can withstand the cold of the north.’

And that wasn’t all.

Blue King was the only horse that could jump over the rugged mountain range that other horses could not overcome. They were still on the entrance to the frontier of Bahara, so the air was warm. However, things changed once they crossed several mountain ranges and got closer to Balrog.

The wind would get so cold it could even freeze breath. And now, Ian had to go over that atrocious mountain path.

It was something unthinkable to do merely with horses with decent stamina.

That was actually the case in the Northern Expedition of his past life.

The other successors had almost reached Balrog, but the horses had all frozen to death.

It was much colder than expected, so the warming supplies they had thoroughly prepared couldn’t keep up with it.

‘Because of that, the supply was greatly disrupted, and many died under Bahara’s counterattack.’

Other successors had no other choice but to mobilize donkeys.

However, mere donkeys were no match for Bahara’s mountain goat cavalry. Naturally, they had to face a bitter defeat due to the lack of cavalry power.

Thus, bringing a horse with decent stamina to the mountains to the north was out of the question.

But the Blue King was different.

‘No, only that breed can do it.’

That was why all countries, including Bahara, coveted it. The strongest horse breed that did not even suffer from heat, let alone extreme cold—that was the Blue King.

However, after a few years, all the Blue King eventually died, and a new breed that succeeded them came out, which would be the Blue Army.

However, it was about the level of a top-notch warhorse at best.

It could never hold a candle to the Blue King.

‘Actually, in the Lavaltor duchy, compared to the Blue King, the Blue Army is nothing more than a porter horse.’

In any case, the Blue King was like the treasure of this continent.

The fact that such a great Blue King could not come out of the territory was no different from a curse.

It was a source of great concern in both Lavaltor and Kaistein. However, Ian knew why the Blue King would die once they came out of the Lavaltor duchy.Finnd new chapters on nove/lbin(.)com

And the secret to saving the Blue King was none other than this one thing.

Ian whispered to Fiosen.

“Is there any grass that only grows in the Lavaltor territory? The one with blue moss.”

“Ah, that one. That grass is all over the place. As far as I know, it doesn’t even have a name because it’s such a commonplace weed.”

“You can feed them that grass.”

“What?”

Fiosen couldn’t hide his puzzlement.

“Are you saying the curse will disappear just by feeding that kind of grass?”

“Yes. All you have to do is feed it.”

“...”

Fiosen was at a loss for words.

In fact, it was only natural for him to react as such. They had been searching for a way to lift the Blue King’s curse by pouring astronomical amounts of money.

Nevertheless, it was unbelievable how a simple grass could lift the curse.

But Ian didn’t think he was the only one to know this.

‘An unusual blue skin for a horse.’

That was the reason why its skin color was as unique as the characteristic blue hair of the Lavaltor family.

It didn’t even have a name now because it’s so insignificant, but it would be called this later:

Diamond verdure.

A kind of grass lined up with deep blue kernels. It made the horse’s skin blue and endowed it with special abilities. There was only one downside: the grass was like the fuel of the Blue King.

If they didn’t eat it continuously, they would die as if running out of fuel.

‘So, it’s not just that.’

Besides, it would have taken several years more than usual before they learned the secret. No, the diamond verdure was not spotted in Lavaltor for a while.

It was all gone, as if someone had deliberately taken it.

Due to this, numerous Blue Kings died, and Lavaltor learned the importance of the herb belatedly.

But it was already too late by then.

Because someone already preoccupied all the grass. No, it wasn’t just that; it disappeared as if the entire plant was dug out without leaving a single seed or root.

That was Garcia.

‘Come to think of it, it’s highly likely that Garcia knew the Blue King’s secret in the first place.’

At that time, it was said to have been collected as an antidote for the plague. No matter how much he thought about it, Garcia must have targeted the Blue King.

Well, in the end, everyone died and bad news piled up, and thus the Blue King was not to be seen anymore in Kaistein.

“Anyway, even if we just have to feed the grass, it’s not the end of the problem yet. It’s a common grass in Lavaltor, but it’s hard to spot it in other territories.”

“Ah! You mean the transportation problem?”

Transporting the grass without spoiling it was one thing, but supplying the required amount was also a problem.

It might be alright if it’s only for one or two horses, but if there were dozens or hundreds of them, the amount needed would increase.

It became too enormous an amount to supply one by one.

“As expected, the Blue King can’t be brought out of Lavaltor...”

But Ian smiled at his lament.

“Do not worry. I have already dealt with that part.”

Fiosen looked at Ian suspiciously.

Ian would never say anything that would harm Lavaltor, so it wouldn’t be a lie, but...

‘It’s a secret that neither Lavaltor’s scholars nor stablemen have uncovered yet.’

As if reading his thoughts, Ian smiled.

“Someone told me.”

“Yes? Who?”

“You will find out soon.”

In fact, it was someone from his previous life who uncovered this secret. And in this life, he succeeded in making him come up with the solution.

‘Good thing I listened to Fiosen when we were hunting the dragon and gave him instructions in advance.’

Back then, Fiosen brought up the Blue King in front of the broken bridge. He said he’d be able to make it in time if it’s a new breed.

Especially the leader who led the group had such a wild temper that even Duke Lavaltor could barely get its acknowledgment.

‘Not sure if it’s the Third Prince, though.’

The Seventh Prince could never deal with them.

Of course, Duke Lavaltor seemed to be of a similar mind.

“That’s something he has to figure out for himself. All I allowed was to lend the Blue King for a while. How to deal with it, his skill will tell.”

“All right, Your Excellency.”

Duke Lavaltor gazed across the river, his eyes filled with curiosity.

As if wondering how Ian would face it.

If it were truly the Seventh Prince who dealt with the Blue King and succeeded in the Northern Expedition of Bahara.

‘At that time, I don’t even know if I should really recognize him as someone I will serve.’

Duke Lavaltor, a knight among knights.

He served only one man, King Eloin. And he never cared about politics, only guarding the northern wall.

But if Ian succeeded in all of that.

The story might be a little different.

***

Whinny!

The giant horses raised their hooves. Their appearance was similar to that of a huge mountain lifting its body.

The Blue King was certainly unlike any other horse.

“These... these scoundrels. Stay still, can’t you!”

“Somebody please give me a hand! Hey! Hold it here!”

Those horses reduced the knights to such a sorry sight.

Even the stablemen, who had been dealing with horses for decades, did not know what to do with that violent spirit of theirs. This included Galon or Nathan, who were considered veterans when it came to handling horses.

“Whoa, whoa, calm down there. This is a safe place.”

“Seriously, these punks! Be still!”

They were at a loss to do with the Blue King.

Luckily, other nobles and factions had left. They almost showed an unsightly spectacle from the get-go.

The same was true for Fiosen, who was practically the owner of the Blue King.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. These fellows are so wild. Actually, if not with my father, we can’t handle them well either.”

To be more exact, one of the Blue Kings.

Controlling them was a lost cause to begin with unless the leader leading them bowed its head first. Not to mention, this was the first time they came out of the Lavaltor estate.

They were so excited that they were quite a handful to deal with.

But right at that moment.

“Your... Your Highness!”

Ian walked up to the leader of the Blue King without a word. Compared to the biggest among the giant horses, Ian was like a weed on the roadside.

“Your Highness! It’s dangerous!”

The excited horse lifted its legs.

Neigh!

It looked dangerous as if Ian would be trampled by the horse’s hooves at any second. Alarmed, Galon hurriedly drew his sword.

But Ian raised his hand to stop the others.

“Wait.”

“B... but, Your Highness—!”

“I told you to wait.”

All the knights stopped in their tracks at Ian’s firm gaze. Even the other soldiers gulped nervously.

But Ian smiled at the horse.

“You are the leader of the Blue King, so should I call you Blue Emperor? Or... since you will be my horse in the future, should I call you Blue?”

Fiosen winced at those words.

This was a horse that even his father had to wrestle with just so he could barely ride on.

“Your Highness, this one won’t do. It’s an aggressive punk who hates people...”

But it was then.

The leader of Blue King suddenly lowered its legs and stared at Ian with serious eyes. It was as if it understood what Ian was saying.

No, it definitely recognized Ian.

Seeing this, Ian smiled.

“Indeed. You seem to know that I am the one who lifted your curse.”

It was information that Ian also knew from his previous life.

The Blue King was not just any horse; it was smart and wise enough to be called the leader of horses.

Then an incredible thing happened.

Neigh!

The Blue King, no, the one called Blue Emperor slowly lowered its head.

It was like a knight saluting his lord.

It wasn’t just him.

Neigh!

All the Blue Kings began to bow their heads deeply toward Ian. Everyone dropped their jaws at the unbelievable sight, and Ian smiled at its courtesy.

“Thanks, bud.”

And then he climbed right on top of Blue Emperor.

The sight astonished the knights and Fiosen.

“On top of that violent bastard...!!”

“No, that’s strange? It’s not that kind of guy...?”

Ian immediately grabbed the reins and looked at them.

“What are you doing?”

“Y-yes?”

“You should hurry up and get on. Those who can’t ride will return their titles.”

“!!”

Ignoring the knights’ faces turning increasingly paler, Ian grinned and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“All troops forward! To the heart of Bahara, Balrog!”

Everyone cheered at the sight.