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Water Magician

Chapter 539: Horses

Editor: Tseirp

“I’ve never seen you this exhausted before, Ryo.”

“I-I’m not exhausted at all! Riding at an unfamiliar speed didn’t use up an absurd amount of stamina or anything! Even now, I could easily handle twenty hours of consecutive combat!”

“Uh-huh… so why are you trying to act tough? Even in peak condition, fighting for twenty hours straight is impossible.”

Ryo put on a brave front, while Abel sighed in exasperation.

The two of them were at Boago Central Port.

Since the governor had passed away here, Deputy Governor Fu Ten had come directly to this central port before entering the governor’s office.

Fu Ten was busy gathering information from various people.

“Oh! I just had a great idea!”

Ryo suddenly exclaimed, prompting Abel to look at him with suspicion.

He knew that Ryo’s ‘great ideas’ were usually nothing but trouble.

From experience.

But this time…

“If we’re traveling to the imperial capital by land, let’s go on horseback.”

“Horses?”

“Yes. We’ll buy two horses and ride them there. Once we reach the capital, we can sell them. It’ll also be good riding practice along the way.”

For once, Ryo had a genuinely good idea.

“That’s actually a solid plan… from you.”

Abel’s comment was brutally honest.

“What do you mean, from me?! I always come up with great ideas!”

“Yeah, sure. At least make your lies somewhat believable.”

Just then, Fu Ten’s conversation reached their ears.

“So, to summarize—the alchemy tool on the platform exploded right after the princess’s fleet set sail. She was originally supposed to be on the platform at that time, but since the schedule was moved up to early morning, she had already left. Instead, the governor, who stayed behind to see the fleet off, was caught in the blast.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

A guard confirmed Fu Ten’s summary.

He seemed to be in charge of the investigation.

“Would an alchemy tool normally be powerful enough to kill someone if it exploded?”

Abel whispered to Ryo.

“When I was learning from Kenneth, he told me that any alchemy tool using magic circles or formulas must always include a failsafe to prevent explosions. Apparently, every store-bought magic circles has one built in.”

“So normally, it shouldn’t explode?”

“Exactly. Unless it was an extremely faulty device. But considering this was meant for a grand event, it should have been well-made…”

“A sabotage attempt, then.”

Abel concluded.

“An attack targeting the princess, uh?”

Fu Ten murmured to himself.

He had reached the same conclusion as Abel.

“Continue the investigation.”

He ordered. Then, he turned to the two.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s head to the governor’s office.”

The Boago Governor’s Office was in chaos.

But the moment Fu Ten stepped in, the disorder rapidly subsided.

His sharp, rapid-fire instructions were precise.

Even from an outsider’s perspective.

“Wow, Deputy Governor Fu Ten is really impressive.”

“Yeah. He took control of the situation and stabilized everything immediately. His orders are spot on… but why is he only a deputy?”

“Oh, so you noticed too?”

Ryo shared Abel’s doubts.

Fu Ten had the composure and leadership of someone who was used to running an organization.

It would make sense if he were the actual governor.

But a deputy? That was hard to understand.

“It feels like a waste to have someone that competent as a deputy governor.”

“True, but it’s not something we can change. And with the governor gone, he’s effectively in charge of the city now.”

“Wait… what if the real goal wasn’t the princess, but the governor?! To eliminate the governor and install Fu Ten as the city’s leader—organized by a group of local supporters…”

“Yeah, no. That’s a stretch.”

Abel quickly dismissed Ryo’s wildly imaginative theory.

Just then, Fu Ten gestured for them to come over.

“Sorry, you two. I won’t be able to take you to the lord’s estate today. I’ll arrange for you to go tomorrow morning at nine.”

“Understood.”

Abel replied.

While Ryo nodded behind him.

“I’ll also notify the Adventurer’s Guild, so by this evening, you should be promoted to Level 7.”

“Oh!”

“As for your special reward… since I’m still officially just the deputy governor, I can’t allocate anything from the governor’s office funds. However… I can give you horses.”

“Horses?”

“The horses here belong to the deputy governor’s office. To the west of Boago, is the main breeding grounds for Southern Horses. Boago is one of the centers of Southern Horses, where many horses gather. And many of them are sent to the imperial capital. That’s why the deputy governor is in charge of managing them. Tomorrow, you’ll be riding to the lord’s estate on horseback, so you should each pick a horse to ride.”

Abel tilted his head.

“Not the ones we rode today?”

“No. Those are carriage horses. They’ll be sent back to Spring Village along with the soldiers. Tomorrow’s horses will come from the governor’s stables. And you get to keep them.”

“What?!”

Ryo gasped in shock.

“If I were to issue an official special reward through the guild, it would require formal procedures, which I can’t authorize yet. But giving you horses is no problem. You’ll need them for tomorrow’s mission anyway, so I can legally transfer ownership to you.”

Fu Ten smiled.

It was clear he had thought carefully about what he could offer within his authority.

“I’ll inform the stablekeepers. By this afternoon, you’ll be able to pick your horses. In the meantime, go grab some lunch.”

“Yes!”

Of course, it was Ryo who responded energetically.

Looking absolutely delighted.

After lunch, at 1 PM.

Abel and Ryo arrived at the governor’s stables.

The facility was adjacent to the governor’s office and included a spacious training ground.

“I didn’t realize there was a place like this.”

“It’s hard to see from the front. A careful design.”

Ryo was surprised, while Abel admired the design.

Indeed, since the governor’s office had to keep soldiers, it was likely that commanders and captains frequently rode horses.

The presence of a stable made perfect sense.

Just as Fu Ten had said, it seemed the arrangements had already been made.

The two were welcomed warmly.

The stable master, who was in charge, guided them.

“The deputy governor has instructed that you may choose any horse you like. People and horses have their compatibility, so it’s best to look around and interact with them.”

“Okay!”

The stable master spoke with a smile, and Ryo responded with an equally cheerful expression.

Abel shook his head slightly.

“What is it, Abel? Are you saying that you’re so good at riding that compatibility doesn’t matter to you?”

“No, I didn’t say that. I was just wondering if there’s a horse that suits you.”

“How rude! I rode all the way from Spring Village!”

“While struggling.”

“Ugh…”

The stable master simply smiled and listened without commenting on their conversation.

Then, he took them around the stable for a tour.

However…

“Hmm…”

Ryo folded his arms and looked thoughtful.

“Didn’t find one that feels right?”

“I have some candidates. I do, but…”

Abel laughed, while Ryo closed his eyes and tilted his head repeatedly in thought.

Then, Ryo suddenly opened his eyes.

His gaze landed on a wide turf field…

And on it, a single horse was galloping.

“That one!”

He spoke without thinking.

“Oh, there are also some horses being exercised right now. Of course, you can choose from them as well.”

As soon as the stable master said this, Ryo dashed off.

He reached the fence.

Right in front of him was the horse he had just seen running.

“A white horse? No, an ash-gray coat…”

Ryo murmured, as the ash-gray horse turned toward him and approached.

Ash-gray horses appear almost gray.

Their skin is dark, but their coat is white, creating that appearance.

“Oh… in certain lighting, it even looks bluish-white.”

Ryo was mesmerized by the horse’s appearance.

The horse, now close, looked into Ryo’s eyes for a moment before rubbing its head against his chest.

“Oh…”

Surprised, Ryo gently stroked its head.

The horse seemed pleased.

The decision was made immediately.

“I’ll take this one.”

Ryo announced to Abel and the stable master, who had caught up.

“Ryo, that horse is…”

Abel started to say something.

“Abel! I chose this one! You pick a different one!”

“I wasn’t going to…”

Ryo quickly stepped between Abel and the horse as if to protect it.

Just then, the stable master looked slightly troubled.

“Stable master? Don’t tell me I can’t take this one?”

Ryo asked anxiously.

The horse also seemed nervous.

“Oh, no, no, that’s not the case.”

With those words, peace returned to the world.

“It’s just… I believe this one only arrived yesterday. We haven’t fully assessed its traits yet.”

“It just got here? Well… Ryo isn’t the best rider. Will he be okay?”

“How rude! This horse and I could even ride through hell together!”

The stable master explained, Abel expressed his concerns, and Ryo made an outrageous claim.

“There’s no need to worry. Only horses deemed fit for riding are sent here from the training grounds.”

Hearing this, Ryo grinned and stroked the horse’s head again.

The horse looked pleased.

Then, Ryo made another decision.

“Alright, your name will be Andalusia.”

He named the horse.

Andalusia happily rubbed its head against him.

“Oh, do you like it? Andalusia, you’re such a good boy!”

“I’m pretty sure it already has a name…”

Ryo beamed, while Abel voiced a reasonable concern.

“This horse’s name is Andalusia. Right, Andalusia?”

Ryo insisted.

Andalusia affectionately nuzzled him.

And with that, Andalusia became Ryo’s horse.

Nearby, a black horse approached them.

“Oh, this one is impressive.”

Abel praised the horse.

As a king, Abel had seen thousands of horses, but this one passed even his critical eye.

“Right? However, this one is quite proud… It doesn’t get angry or refuse to be ridden…but no one in this governor’s office has been able to make it give its best effort.”

The stable master said with a wry smile.

True. Some horses were like that.

Unless they recognized their rider…

“Hmm.”

Abel muttered as he effortlessly vaulted over the fence and walked toward the black horse.

The black horse watched him approach intently.

Abel did not look away either.

Then, as Abel drew near…

The black horse lowered its head and rubbed it against Abel’s chest.

“Oh…”

This time, the stable master was the one to express surprise.

Without a word, Abel stroked the horse’s head.