Chapter 17
A whip…?
Realizing what had happened, I stared at them in horror.
These idiots—could it be?
In that moment, the Pegasus folded its wings. When I saw the device attached to the saddle on its back, preventing its wings from fully spreading, my suspicions turned into certainty.
These people must have a death wish.
They were trying to tame the Pegasus. Using the most ignorant method possible.
Only then did I notice the Pegasus’s face—it was pacing frantically within the enclosure, its expression one of fury.
“Hey, hey, move aside!”
Just then, someone leaped into the enclosure. At his gesture, the three men who had been sprawled on the ground barely managed to get to their feet and stumble out.
“Go for it, Young Master Deecan!”
“Be careful, Louie!”
People shouted at the man who had just appeared.
As I squinted at his somewhat familiar face, I realized he was the tall man who had been with Balthazar at the banquet the other day.
‘He’s the third son of the Marquis Deecan.’
It seemed Balthazar’s wrath had only reached Damon Gideon and Bartol that day—Louie Deecan still wore his usual smug and arrogant expression.
“In the end, it’s just a wild colt, right? I’ll tame it.”
He twisted his body side to side in warm-up stretches and then began charging toward the Pegasus from a distance.
“Hiyaa!”
Just as he leapt to mount the Pegasus’s saddle, the Pegasus took a quick step forward.
“W-whoa?!”
Louie, caught mid-air, lost his target, and the Pegasus, as if reading his position, lifted its hind legs.
Thud.
“Argh!”
Louie screamed as he was kicked squarely by the Pegasus’s hooves and sent flying backward, landing with a splat in the same spot where the previous three men had been lying.
Neighhh—!
The Pegasus shook its mane in displeasure toward him.
Louie clutched his chest and panted before finally scrambling out of the enclosure.
“Ah, Louie failed too!”
“I heard the Young Master of Deecan is an excellent horseman, even among knights…”
“That’s the tenth person now? No—eleventh.”
The man and woman standing next to me shook their heads in disappointment.
I let out a deep sigh.
This was madness.
The situation was obvious. The Morin family had probably spent several days trying to ride the Pegasus. And when the creature stubbornly refused, they resorted to taming it by force.
The Morin family’s method was simple:
Get on its back and endure.
Eventually, the horse would tire and give up, accepting the rider and following their commands.
“Well then, who was it that bet the Young Master of Deecan would succeed?”
A young man standing right beside me opened his palm. A man and two women across from him dropped a few gold coins into his hand, looking regretful.
“What, are you really taking everything?”
“A bet is a bet, is it not?”
“You’re so mean! You won’t even go on a date with me.”
“How could I forget a date with a beautiful lady? I even looked into opera performances to enjoy with someone who has such musical taste. I’ll spend this money on that day.”
“Hey! Weren’t you going with me? I told you I’m beautiful too. I won’t give up.”
“You’re both dazzling. I’ll make it a time you’ll never forget.”
I turned my head at their rather provocative exchange and looked at the man’s face.
The young man, with striking pink curly hair, wore a bright smile. His soft, baby-like skin, long eyelashes, and delicate yet handsome features drew the eye despite his not-so-small frame.
“Oh, Lady Iris Apellemeon?”
He greeted me with a cheerful expression.
“You know me?”
“I never forget the face of a charming woman.”
His eyes curved like crescent moons as he smiled. The two women he had spoken with earlier stared at him, enchanted.
“Do you know the legend of the Pegasus, my lady?”
He asked.
“The legend…? Do you mean the one about Emperor Bakenon riding a Pegasus into battle about a hundred years ago?”
I replied, and he nodded.
“There’s a buzz in the Morin estate that the legend is about to be reenacted. That one over there was discovered by shipwrecked sailors on an island in the Northern Sea. Count Morin paid a fortune to bring it here.”
“…It must’ve really been a fortune.”
I could imagine how thrilled Count Morin must have been.
Only a very few in history had ever managed to tame a Pegasus.
Not only were there very few Pegasi to begin with—being practically mythical creatures—but they couldn’t be approached using normal horse training methods. Apparently, no one here seemed to know that.
“Anthony, when’s your turn?”
“I’m far down the list. Why are you in such a rush?”
I heard voices from the other side of the enclosure. When I turned, I saw Anthony Morin chatting with a group of people.
Most of them looked to be around twenty years old, but standing right next to Anthony was a child, about ten, who resembled him.
Not far from the child stood Demeyra, hesitating as if she wanted to get closer to him.
“You’re going to end it anyway, aren’t you? Why not just do it now before more people get hurt? If you had gone first, I wouldn’t have bruised my arm falling off that beast.”
The man speaking sighed heavily, and Anthony laughed as if amused.
“Well, it’s a difficult horse, after all.”
“Oh, come on, you’re confident, aren’t you? You have a plan, don’t you?”
“Well… I did prepare something.”
Anthony responded casually, but I noticed his hand, behind his back, tapping something at his waist absentmindedly.
Even from a distance, it looked like a vial filled with red liquid.
He has some knowledge, huh?
“Do you also think Young Lord Anthony will win, my lady?”
“Hm?”
The pink-haired man spoke to me again while I was lost in thought.
“Win? Is this a competition?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? Whenever the Morin family brings in a new breed, they host a small contest. This time, they’re offering fifty thousand gold to whoever tames the Pegasus.”
My eyes widened slightly at his words.
“That’s a huge prize for a ‘small’ competition.”
“Indeed. But Count Morin doesn’t worry. The prize never leaves the family.”
“If it doesn’t leave the family…”
My gaze shifted back to Anthony.
“Does that mean the Young Lord always wins?”
“Exactly. No one’s better than Anthony at breaking in wild horses.”
The pink-haired man looked in Anthony’s direction with admiration.
“It’s the first time with a Pegasus, but I heard that red vial on his belt contains a drug to calm it down.”
He whispered.
“…You know a lot.”
“My information is accurate.”
I listened to him while glancing between Anthony and the Pegasus.
That red liquid was probably merowflower extract. It was nearly impossible to find—he had managed to obtain it somehow, but whether he knew how to use it properly was another matter.
“Brother, brother.”
Just then, the child next to Anthony tugged at his trousers.
“What is it, Nael?”
Anthony asked with a sigh, annoyed.
“Peggy is so pitiful. She hasn’t eaten for five days now.”
“I told you not to give it weird names. And so what?”
Despite Anthony’s disinterested tone, the child didn’t back down.
“Please, just let her drink some water. Peggy is suffering.”
“That’s my order. It has to suffer to surrender, right? Judging by how energetic it still is, maybe I should’ve starved it more.”
Anthony replied with a mocking sneer.
“But Peggy…!”
“Shut up!”
Anthony shouted harshly.
“If that beast serves me as its master—then I’ll ride it into battle, and…”
