Riding the Unicorn

Ignatius reached out and ruffled Shen Xinghui's head, as if to comfort him.

For some reason, it made Shen Xinghui feel a little lonely.

"Xinghui, you're strong."

"Strong?"

"Never mind. Now I understand why your cooking tastes so good."

"Huh?"

"Because it tastes like happy memories and love."

Shen Xinghui blushed at Ignatius's straightforward words.

It was incredibly embarrassing to hear something like that.

He couldn't even look Ignatius in the eye anymore.

Feeling his face turned red, he looked down, and Mr. Bruno, seeing his discomfort, chuckled and bought him another drink.

With the cooking done and everything ready, Shen Xinghui and Ignatius made their way to the stables.

According to the information, the place sold horses but also offered rentals.

However, as expected in another world, these weren't just any regular horses.

Shen Xinghui had imagined a thoroughbred, but what he saw was far from that.

The horse's body, legs, and neck were thick and sturdy.

Its short, white fur gleamed, and in certain lighting, it even appeared to shimmer with an emerald green hue.

And it was huge!

Even though he was of average height in his world, the saddle was positioned at the top of his head.

But the most unusual feature was its horn—a golden, glowing horn that protruded from its forehead.

In addition, there was an eerie, greenish aura emanating from its feet.

"I'm glad it's a unicorn."

"A unicorn?"

Apparently, that was the creature's species name.

In any case, it seemed that riding it was possible.

At Ignatius's encouragement, Shen Xinghui tried to mount the two-person saddle.

However, he couldn't quite manage it.

The stirrup was positioned slightly above his waist, making it practically impossible for him to get his foot in.

He struggled, feeling like there was no way he would be able to ride it.

Just as he was about to give up, he was unexpectedly lifted from behind.

It felt like being picked up as someone would lift a cat—Ignatius had slipped his arms under his body and hoisted him up.

"Can you get your foot in the stirrup?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure."

Shen Xinghui placed his foot in the stirrup and reached for the saddle.

He barely managed to reach it, but with a firm push and using his arms to help, he finally managed to mount the horse.

"Unicorns are too big for humans."

The one who laughed heartily was the stable owner.

He was a burly and muscular man with sun-tanned skin, he looked like in his fifties.

He flashing a wide and white grin as he laughed loudly toward him.

"Well, dragons can't ride regular horses, so it's not surprising."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. Horses get scared away and won't let them ride it."

That made sense, considering dragons, despite their humanoid appearance, were still dragons.

Shen Xinghui found himself oddly satisfied by the explanation.

By the way, there were plenty of regular horses in the stable as well.

"This one's name is Clarion. Beautiful, isn't she?"

"Yes, very much so. Clarion, nice to meet you."

Since he was positioned in front of the saddle, Clarion's neck was within easy reach.

Shen Xinghui cautiously extended his hand to touch it, and Clarion didn't seem to mind at all.

The warm, silky fur felt pleasant to the touch.

"Then, I'll take you to the capital."

"Please do."

With that, Ignatius skillfully mounted the horse by stepping into the stirrup and taking the reins.

The stable owner spoke to him, and slowly, Clarion began walking.

The view was incredibly high.

Of course, it was—he was riding a creature that was taller than he was.

Although Shen Xinghui wasn't afraid of heights, the real height made him feel strangely unstable and uneasy.

"Have you ridden a horse before?"

"No, this is my first time. Uh, how do I balance?"

"Squeeze with your inner thighs to stabilize your body. If it feels difficult, you can lean on me."

Following the instructions, Shen Xinghui was able to maintain his posture a little better, though just a little.

The muscles he wasn't used to using were tiring quickly.

It felt like he might get sore soon.

"Come on, lean on me."

Ignatius's free hand, which was holding the reins, gently pulled Shen Xinghui's body slightly back.

With Ignatius's arm around his waist, pulling him just enough to steady him,

Shen Xinghui felt a sense of relief.

"Uh, this is a little bit uncomfortable, and I don't want to be a bother..."

He could feel his body pressed closely to Ignatius's.

His well-toned abs were pressing against his back, making Shen Xinghui's heart race a little.

"This isn't uncomfortable for me at all. Worst case, I can control the horse without the reins."

"You can do that?"

Shen Xinghui was surprised, recalling scenes from movies where characters fought while holding reins loosely.

"Anyway, I'm glad we got such a great unicorn. This is a fine horse."

Ignatius said this with satisfaction, looking calm and content.

Shen Xinghui had to agree.

Clarion was indeed a beautiful creature: with its shiny coat, emerald eyes, and gentle face.

"I'll be relying on her all the way to the capital."

"After riding Clarion to the capital, will we return her to this town?"

Shen Xinghui suddenly voiced the question that had popped into his mind.

After all, since it was a rental, shouldn't they have to return the horse?

Ignatius shook his head in response.

"No need. Clarion was originally rented by someone from the capital's stable and brought here. We'll return her to the original stable in the capital."

"So, we're the ones returning her?"

Shen Xinghui was taken aback.

Was this the norm in this world?

"Most stables are privately owned, but all stables in the country are part of a guild and connected. No matter which stable you rent from, if you ride a horse to your destination, it's not the rider's job to return the horse to its original stable. The stable staff takes care of that after a set period of time."