Chapter 35

The next day, since I had the day off from work, I visited Mr. Miles' house with Nonna. Mr. Miles was in the garden.

"Hey, is that your kid?"

"Yeah, sort of."

Nonna wasn't paying attention to our conversation. She was staring at my horse, Allegro, and murmuring "huhuhuhu" to herself. She was so excited that her walk was jerky.

Mr. Miles approached Nonna and spoke to her.

"Pretty big, huh?"

"Big! Beautiful!"

"Aren't you scared?"

"Not scared. I want to ride right away!"

"That's great to hear."

Mr. Miles gave Nonna some instructions on riding a horse: not to go around to the back, not to startle the horse with loud noises, to match the horse's movements, and not to be afraid.

Nonna and I decided to ride Allegro right away. Both Nonna and I were wearing pants similar to riding pants, and we had shoes that were close to real riding boots.

I let Nonna sit in front of me and slowly walked Allegro. Allegro is a smart horse and was walking more carefully than usual. Mr. Miles had a great eye for horses.

"Would you like to ride with us?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to. If you know any good spots, let me know."

So, the three of us set out on horseback. Mr. Miles rode his horse next to Allegro, matching our pace.

"By the way, what's your horse's name?"

"Knight. He was called Nightmare in the military."

"Nightmare? Was that a name given on the battlefield?"

"He used to compete on horseback with his comrades when he was young. That's when he got the name."

To be named Nightmare. Mr. Miles and Knight must have been very strong. I wish I could have seen them in their prime.

We continued riding leisurely and entered the northern district of the capital. The northern district is known as the industrial area, with woodworking shops, sawmills, furniture workshops, and weaving mills lined up. Beyond this area, there was a gentle slope leading to a forest. It was a place I had never been before.

We rode leisurely and eventually stopped for a break.

"It's about time."

I wondered what time it was, but Mr. Miles dismounted at a place where several large chestnut trees stood. Nonna and I also dismounted and let the horses roam freely.

The ground was covered with chestnut burrs that had opened. The chestnuts were quite large.

"I'm going to pick chestnuts. You can do whatever you like."

"I'll pick them too!"

Mr. Miles and I stepped on the burrs with our boots to open them wider and picked the chestnuts inside. Mr. Miles threw me a cloth bag with a "here you go." He had even prepared a bag for me.

We spent about an hour picking chestnuts, while Nonna watched Allegro and Knight nearby, sniffing their noses as they stretched their necks.

"Don't touch the horses without permission."

"Okay."

Eventually, our bags were full of chestnuts, so we mounted our horses again. Allegro, who was still young, snorted a few times and looked back at me.

"It seems he wants to run. What do you think? Should I take him?"

"Nonna, would you like to ride with Mr. Miles?"

"Umm..."

"Nonna just started riding today, so she can't ride Allegro at full speed. She needs to get more used to horses."

Nonna reluctantly nodded, and Mr. Miles reached out and lifted her onto his horse, holding her firmly with his left arm.

I sent a signal to Allegro's belly. Allegro started running as if he had been waiting for it. I controlled Allegro while matching his movements. The feeling of being one with the horse, where we can sense each other's thoughts, was something I hadn't experienced in a long time.

Eventually, Allegro seemed to have had enough. I gradually slowed him down and stopped next to Mr. Miles and Nonna, who had been watching.

"Vicky, you look cool!"

"You're good. I'm impressed."

"Thank you. Let's head back now."

We returned via the western district, avoiding the crowded southern district, and passed by the castle before heading to the eastern district. I gave Allegro some water, brushed him down, and thanked Mr. Miles before parting ways. We circled around the district and arrived at Lady Yorana's property.

"Vicky, if you jump over Mr. Miles' fence, you'll see the main house right away. You can see the roof."

"That's true, but we don't usually do that. Let's walk, okay?"

"Can we jump over when it's not usual?"

"Only when there's real danger. So, we never jump over the fence normally. Let's walk, okay?"

"Okay."

Back home, I immediately started peeling the chestnuts with a small knife. I told Nonna, who wanted to help, "It's too early for you to handle chestnuts," and gave her chestnuts that I had mostly peeled. Nonna was in charge of removing the nuts from the peels. There were many chestnuts, and by the time we finished, my shoulders were sore.

After finishing the household chores that had piled up during my day off, I made a stew with pork belly and chestnuts, put a little in a dish, and delivered it to Mr. Miles' house. Nonna said she would stay home.

"Good evening. I made a dish with today's chestnuts, so I brought you some."

"Hmm. I only know boiled chestnuts."

"I cooked them with pork belly. They might be a bit rich, but they go well with alcohol."

Mr. Miles, who had been walking slowly toward the entrance, suddenly threw something at me as he reached into his pocket.

I instinctively twisted my upper body to avoid it and got ready for the next attack.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have tested you. I threw a wooden toy. Don't worry. You said you're just a civilian, but I can see through that."

"I said I learned to ride from my brother in the military, didn't I?"

I gently placed the dish of pork belly and chestnuts on the small table by the key rack.

"You almost ruined a good meal. Really."

I glanced at the thrown object for a fraction of a second. It was a tiny bird carved from wood.

"Mr. Miles, I didn't expect you to play such a mean trick."

"You try to hide that you're an expert in such things, but you can't hide it completely. When you handed the child to me today, I understood that you weren't targeting me. But it was careless to leave the child with me."

Mr. Miles offered me a chair and turned his back to make tea. He's showing his back?

"I noticed you because of how you handle horses, not your riding skills. Your riding is decent. You always keep me in your peripheral vision. Even when I try to get into your blind spot, you subtly move to keep me in sight. It's become a habit, hasn't it?"

I see.

"So? Are you going to do something to me now?"

"No. I saw today that you're raising a child who clearly isn't related to you. That child must be a stranger, right?"

"Yes. I found her where she had been abandoned."

"Taking in a child like that is quite careless."

"I don't regret it. Thanks to her, I can live a more human life."

Mr. Miles served me tea.

"Sorry about earlier. You're a very interesting person."

"Let me remind you again, I'm a civilian raising a child."

"Got it. I'll leave it at that. But let me say one thing. If you ever need help, come to me. I can at least buy you some time."

"Why?"

"You're clearly a former professional living among ordinary people and raising a child. I won't ask why, but as a retired old man, I want to help. Children are the treasure of the country."

I showed him an innocent smile, as described in the organization's manual.

"Ordinary civilians don't have enemies. I can ask for your help with my horse."

Mr. Miles picked up a piece of the dish I brought and popped it into his mouth.

"Wow, delicious."

"Thank you. It was a pleasure to have your tea."

As I was about to close the door, I turned back.

"Thank you for the advice."

"You're welcome. Be careful when you encounter someone skilled in the future."