Farewell to the hero! chapter 21

* * *

I glanced at the black mane visible over Kaindel’s shoulder.

“What’s its name?”

“It doesn’t have one.”

I found it odd that he didn’t call the horse by a name. Sensing my confusion, Kaindel elaborated.

“It’s going to die and be replaced on our journey anyway. Giving it a new name every time would be a hassle.”

“……”

“So, it doesn’t have one.”

The simple, unremarkable reason—laziness—stuck with me.

I could agree that it might be hard to get attached to something knowing it won’t last long. But casually mentioning death like that caught me off guard.

Suddenly, I remembered Kaindel stomping on a letter that notified him of someone’s death.

I also recalled him standing there in a daze after reading it.

For some reason, my hand reached out and landed on his head. I think I felt sorry for him.

Kaindel, startled by my touch, blinked in surprise before smiling faintly.

He then lowered his head slightly, as if to savor my hand’s presence, his long lashes standing out clearly.

My hand, which had been stroking his silky blonde hair, slowly moved down, tracing the line from his ear to his chin.

Just as my hand touched his cheek, Kaindel caught it.

“You’ll be riding it soon, so it wouldn’t hurt to get acquainted now.”

He interlocked his fingers with mine, speaking with a quiet chuckle. His grip was firm, refusing to let go.

Caught off guard, I looked up at him.

It was a signal for him to release me, but his clear eyes shone brightly, revealing a depth I hadn’t noticed before.

As Kaindel stepped aside, the horse, which had been waiting patiently, thrust its face toward me.

Its large, gentle eyes fixed on me.

…I never realized horses could look so gentle.

My hand, which had been squirming to free itself from Kaindel’s grip, stopped moving.

The horse blew softly, as if asking to be petted, and suddenly it seemed adorable.

I had assumed its large size would mean it had a fierce temperament, but I had been wrong.

“Of course, we’ll be riding together.”

Together?

As I absentmindedly patted the horse, I shot Kaindel a glance when he continued in a low voice.

He was watching me closely, observing how I interacted with the horse, and when our eyes met, I swallowed hard.

“Won’t it be a hassle?”

“Not at all.”

It was a question I’d asked with difficulty, but Kaindel answered without the slightest hesitation.

Then, still holding my hand, he brought it to his lips and smiled.

His eyes, folding gracefully, drew me in like a lush summer forest that couldn’t get enough of me.

With every breath that warmed the back of my hand, a tightness formed below my waist.

Meanwhile, my mind grew heavy with deepening thoughts, even as my body responded in ways that I couldn’t control.

This was why Ruen looked down on me.

If I didn’t want to be treated like a burden any longer, I needed to learn how to ride and handle weapons as soon as possible.

Only then would I be able to hold my own.

I couldn’t keep relying on Kaindel forever.

---

“Tell me if it’s too hard.”

“Okay.”

I nodded and hugged Kaindel’s waist tightly.

I had thought that riding a horse was just a matter of sitting on its back, but it seemed every muscle in my body had to be used.

Leaning my head against his back, I came to a new realization.

The raw sensation of it all helped me understand why Kaindel hadn’t let me ride alone.

The rhythmic sound of hooves blended with the sunset landscape.

As we moved forward, the path organized by human hands came to an end, and a vast field of reeds appeared.

Under the orange sky, the reeds swayed in the direction of the wind, forming gentle waves.

I stared blankly at the reed field and then glanced back, peeking between Daniel and Owen, who were riding behind us.

Luther Village, now half a day away, had become a distant memory, its shape barely discernible.

Before leaving, I had thought I was leaving something behind in the village.

I believed that once I was gone, I would miss it.

But now I knew.

The wind blowing outside that small village was free, and the landscape was expansive.

Even without Kaindel, I would have had to leave eventually, whether it was to the capital or elsewhere.

“I think I made the right choice to leave.”

“Don’t you think so?”

Kaindel, who had heard my mutterings, chuckled.

His laughter, delicate and fleeting, matched the beautiful scenery perfectly.

I wanted to smile back at him, but my strength was gone.

I bit the inside of my cheek.

In truth, I hadn’t told him, but my back and hips were starting to hurt.

My thighs, tightly pressed against the horse, ached from the prolonged tension.

If I dismounted now, I wouldn’t be able to walk properly.

I thought changing my posture might help, but my already stiff legs wouldn’t improve.

The more I moved, the worse the pain got.

My shoulders began to droop.

What should I do?

Everyone else seemed fine, so I hesitated to speak up.

We still had a long way to go, and it felt selfish to ask for a break just because I was struggling.

I didn’t know how far Kaindel and Sehir intended to travel today, but it certainly wasn’t here.

I wanted to rest only after they had reached their goal for the day.

I can endure this.

I barely managed to stifle a groan.

Suppressing the nausea and wiping away the tears that blurred my vision, I chanted to myself, ‘It’s okay. It’s okay.’

I needed to be helpful somehow.

I couldn’t afford to complain.

While I was trying to strengthen my resolve, Sehir, sensing something was wrong, checked on me.

“Isa, are you okay?”

“…I’m fine.”

“You look pale. Are you sure?”

“I’m really fine.”

“Your eyes are red, Isa.”

Sehir pointed out, his voice filled with concern, that my eyes had turned red.

At that moment, all the horses came to a halt, including the one Kaindel and I were riding.

I could feel Ruen’s sharp gaze scanning me, and suddenly, I wanted to cry.

This is exactly why I was trying to hide it.

For the first time, I resented Sehir for caring too much.

“What should we do? We still have…”

Just as Sehir was about to speak despite the chaotic atmosphere around him, Kaindel turned to face me.

“Are you in pain?”

Hearing my conversation with Sehir, Kaindel glanced back at me.

He scrutinized my pale face and let out a quiet sigh.

The sigh contained a mix of reproach and concern aimed at me, for not saying a word while my body had deteriorated to this state.

“You should’ve told me.”

“I can bear it. I’m really fine.”

“You don’t look fine at all. Come down.”

“……”

“Hurry.”

I looked down at Kaindel, who was gesturing for me to come down.

I hesitated to move at first, but ignoring his persistent urging from below was impossible.

In the end, when I cautiously dismounted, Kaindel lifted me onto his back.

I certainly wasn’t light, yet he held me without any sign of struggle, supporting my thighs with one arm.

With his remaining hand, Kaindel grabbed the reins of the horse and looked at Sehir.

“Sehir, is there somewhere nearby where we can rest?”

“There is. Just past this reed field.”

Sehir’s gaze briefly flickered over me.

His eyes were filled with a strange mix of surprise and intrigue.

Only then did I become aware of how I was being carried by Kaindel, and I pressed my reddening earlobes to hide them.

I wanted to escape the attention being drawn to us, but my legs were too exhausted to obey.

I’ll stay like this just for a while longer.

Once I feel better, I’ll get down.

I decided this inwardly and rested my forehead against Kaindel’s shoulder.

It’s important to know when to be stubborn and when not to be.

This was one of those times not to.

If Sehir hadn’t noticed my poor condition, I might have tried to endure it.

But since I was caught, resting was the wiser choice.

This wasn’t the only day we’d be traveling; if I didn’t want to be a burden, I had to conserve my energy.

Kaindel pulled me closer to him and spoke in a rough voice.

“Let’s rest there for the night.”

“So soon?”

He glanced at the sky in response to Sehir’s question and tightened his grip around me.

“I’m tired too. It’ll be dark soon.”

Kaindel smiled faintly, his soft tone contradicting his claim of fatigue.

He didn’t look tired at all.

Noticing this, Sehir gave him a weary look before tucking the map he had been holding into his cloak.

It was a silent agreement.

* * *