### Chapter Nine: Farewell (Part Two)
Cautiously tiptoeing to the side of the Horned Horse, I peeked through the gaps in my helmet to steal a glance at it.
It’s looking at me… I’m not nervous…
I raised my hand and tentatively patted its belly. After a moment, noticing it didn’t react much, I let out a sigh of relief inside.
It’s actually pretty well-behaved…
I jumped up to grab the saddle, stepping into the stirrups and swinging myself onto the beast’s back. The Horned Horse sensed the movement, its massive body began to sway ever so slightly, and I nearly yelled in surprise, clutching the reins for dear life.
Luckily, this was a trained mount, and it soon stopped moving. Once I was settled, I stretched my legs, swaying awkwardly as I reached for the stirrups on either side—one try, two tries… I even stretched my toes inside the greaves, but still couldn’t reach the stirrups.
I can’t reach the stirrups…
The giant beast began to wobble again with my attempts, and my face paled, body stiffening as I dared not look down. I was scared my helmet would fall off, scared I might fall off… scared… I didn’t even know what I was scared of, but I was definitely scared, and my heart was racing.
My legs dangled in mid-air… oh god, this feels so unsafe… I can’t do this…
Suddenly, I felt an overwhelming urge to jump off and run home.
Perhaps the soldier noticed my awkwardness, as he seemed to be adjusting the stirrups for me… I sat up straight, too afraid to look down, and all I heard was the rustling beneath me. But after a moment, I still couldn’t feel where the stirrups were.
“Miss Silvya… this… uh…”
The soldier’s voice was awkward; he seemed unsure of what to say.
Victoria next to me suddenly chimed in, “Just go; don’t waste any more time.”
With that, she gave the beast a gentle nudge, moving forward, and Margaret followed right after. The crowd’s cheers swelled in my ears again, and I felt parched, sweat beads forming on my forehead.
We’re leaving! We’re leaving! Oh no, I’m so nervous… I feel sick… how do I make it move? Do I just kick its belly?
So, I copied Victoria and lightly kicked my little leg against the beast’s belly, silently shouting “giddy-up,” and after a dizzying wait, I realized I hadn’t moved an inch.
…Hey, why not?
Did I kick too softly?
Seeing the distance grow between me and Victoria, I panicked and kicked again—this time with a bit more force. Suddenly, I felt myself j*rk backward, completely caught off guard, and I got launched off the saddle.
“YAAAAH—”
I screamed with my brain going blank.
What am I gonna do, what am I gonna do?!
My body instinctively reacted, I bent forward and gripped the reins tightly. Just as I regained my balance, the jolting force pushed my backside off the saddle, and for a moment, I was airborne, then crashed down with all my weight, and then I was airborne again… After a few wild bounces, I finally remembered to pull the reins.
With a powerful tug, my body jerked to a stop, and I heard the Horned Horse let out a loud neigh. Its front hooves rose high, and I uncontrollably tilted back.
Oh no, I’m gonna fall…
Instinctively, I released the reins while clinging tightly to the saddle, my body once more flying through the air, spinning in a confusing twist. By the time the Horned Horse steadied its front hooves back on the ground, I plopped back down on its back with a ‘THUD.’
Huh???
Did it stop…? Where am I?
After a brief moment of confusion, pain flared up from my lower region.
“Ugh… ow…”
My legs trembled, my body curling up.
I think… I hit a sensitive spot…
I felt a surge of bl**d rushing to my head, biting my lip to suppress a gasp, sitting on the beast, too fearful to move.
Cold sweat slowly soaked the thin fabric under my armor.
I’m done for, I’m done for… why does it hurt so much… so much pain!
The crowd’s shouting seemed to momentarily pause.
“What’s wrong with her…?”
“The Hero… seems to not know how to ride…”
“Is it Miss Silvya…?”
“I think… I heard her scream just now…”
They began to murmur, and I pretended not to hear.
“What the… my goodness.”
Victoria’s voice came from beside me.
That’s when I realized… I had somehow charged ahead of Victoria. She had caught up from behind and gently patted my back.
“Are you okay?”
“Don’t… don’t touch me… ouch—”
My legs were quaking so badly, trying to squeeze and rub them together was impossible. My whole body was tense, my toes curling up in my greaves.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… just… give me a moment…”
My voice trembled.
Victoria fell silent for a moment.
“Your helmet is crooked.”
Yeah, I know…
“Come over to my side.”
As soon as she finished speaking, a gust of wind rushed by, blowing through the cracks of my armor and sending chills down my spine.
Suddenly, I floated up and gently landed in front of Victoria, sitting on her Horned Horse.
Whoosh—
The crowd erupted again.
At that moment, the nagging pain had faded significantly. I shakily raised my right hand and straightened my helmet.
“Let’s go, okay?”
Victoria’s cool voice was right there, close enough to touch.
I took a deep breath, feeling somewhat deflated, and replied, “Okay…”
Thud, thud…
The Horned Horse started moving again, its neighing clear amidst the crowd’s roaring like crashing waves. As I felt the jolting motion, my body tensed up once more.
“Don’t be scared, it’s not far.”
“…Oh.”
My breathing gradually steadied.
The clothes under the armor were drenched, and my hair stuck to my forehead.
It truly felt… like I was having a near-d*ath experience…
“Miss Silvya, you don’t know how to ride?”
Margaret couldn’t help but ask from beside me, but at that moment, I didn’t feel like talking; I just waved her off gently.
The Horned Horse walked slowly.
The clerics carrying the coffin were probably following behind. I couldn’t turn around to look, so I kept walking forward, feeling weakly towards the swaying horns in front of me, a surge of impulse bubbling up inside me, wishing I could just rip them off right then and there.
I, Miss Silvya, will never again ride this cursed thing, not even if you paid me…
After vowing with such fierce determination, when the pain finally subsided, I lifted my head and glanced at the crowd on either side… huh?
I suddenly noticed a section not far to the left, seemingly cordoned off by the soldiers. There stood a crowd of students clad in Royal Academy uniforms.
So many students… didn’t everyone have class today?
I quickly spotted a few familiar teacher faces among them, standing closer to the front. The petite Grandma Bersa was also there, now wobbling as she waved at me. Realizing my gaze, she broke into a smile.
Did they bring all the students here…?
Sarah and the others must be here too…
With fear and trepidation, I continued forward.
With Victoria here, I finally felt a bit more at ease; at least I wasn’t as terrified as before. We safely crossed three major streets, the crowd around us thinning out.
“Hero!”
“Hero—!”
Suddenly, I heard kids calling out, instinctively turning my head in the direction of the voices.
There were a bunch of scrappy little creatures, boys and girls alike, clearly all from poorer backgrounds. They were bouncing along the roadside, their beaming faces full of innocent adoration for the hero.
“Ah! The Hero is looking over here!” one of them shouted.
The other kids squeezed through the crowd and quickly gathered close, forming a crooked little line.
The shouting child barked another command.
“One, two, three—get ready~”
“Salute!”
The kids stood tall, pounding their fists against their chests in a haphazard yet exaggerated way, striking poses that were slightly ridiculous and guaranteed to draw laughs.
I saw the sparkle in their eyes, pure enough to touch.
“What adorable kids,” Victoria remarked suddenly.
“…Yeah.”
The Horned Horse lumbered slowly past the kids.
In a daze, I caught a glimpse of Lucas’ face.
He stood right in the midst of those kids, not moving an inch. He wore a stubborn smile, and his eyes seemed to say: Ice Girl, you’re something else! I’ll definitely come to you for help next time.
Silent Abe stood next to Lucas, holding the hand of a younger girl whose face I couldn’t make out. He was happily waving along with everyone else.
Charles, that fellow from the faculty, stood quietly behind the group of kids.
When he saw me looking over, he lifted his round top hat and bowed deeply, with more grace than the nobles back in the royal city.
A breeze whisked across the pavement.
I blinked, but they were gone from my view.
“Sniff—”
My nose felt a bit sour.
Soon enough, we turned a corner, and those kids were out of sight.
The farewell wasn’t long. By the time we turned the fourth street, the Shaber River, flowing through the entire Royal City, came into view.
“We’re here,” Victoria said.
The Horned Horse stopped at the riverbank crowded with soldiers. Victoria dismounted first and then extended her hand to me.
I shook my head.
Then bent down, pressing my chest against the horse, slowly shifting my weight to find the stirrup with my right foot, clumsily climbing down. The moment my feet hit the ground, a rush of safety flooded over me.
I let out a long breath.
Finally, it’s coming to an end… in every sense of the word.
Before me, the river sparkled in the sunlight, the waves rippling gently. A small wooden boat was docked at the bank. Standing afar under the trees, Victoria and I watched the clerics move the coffins onto boat after boat before pushing them into the water.
Margaret began to pray. The clerics clasped their fists to their chests and began to chant a hymn.
Their voices reached us from afar.
“Oh valiant warriors, save us from evil, now you journey home. May the great Deity light your way, your soul shall be redeemed, resting in the Deity’s embrace. May you find your wishes fulfilled in this life, and may your path in the next life remain bright. Kingdom, power, glory, wealth, these shall accompany you until forever…”
The soldiers lit arrows and pulled back their bows, countless arrows with a whistling sound igniting the boats drifting down the river.
This is the resting place of the Ethanbel warriors.
Their souls would flow along the river to the ocean, reaching the distant skies, to be with the Deity.
