This horse was not just a menace it was a psychopath in disguise.
Earlier, before the class started, Eric went to the side, leaving Luke with the trainer. Meanwhile, the unfortunate victim, Luke, knew that the horse was a bad omen. He glanced at the trainer, unsure about the size difference.
"Is it fine that I ride this horse?"
The trainer gave him a reassuring smile. "Of course, Your Highness. This horse is just the right horse for you."
"It fits your temperament well." The trainer's tone carried a hint of mockery, yet his words were polite and soft like a lamb.
Luke immediately recognized the tone. It was so subtle, yet he could recognize it anywhere. This was obviously chosen on purpose. There must have been plenty of horses to ride, yet the trainer had chosen the most rabid horse for this little maniac.
"Is there any other horse more suitable?" Luke asked, his voice sounding slightly thinner than he intended. "I'm afraid the horse might break if I ride it." He continued making excuses, hoping to change the horse at the very least.
"Don't worry, it won't break. One horse is enough to carry a male adult. Even though it's quite small in size, it has proven itself capable before," the trainer explained.
"This horse… doesn't seem to like me, though."
"There actually aren't any other horses, my prince. The horses in the stable are afraid of you."
Curse you, OG Luke!
Racking his brain, Luke thought of a way to get out of this class. But horse riding was a way of transportation that he might need in the future. He couldn't really skip it since he really didn't know how to ride a horse.
He sometimes wondered how transmigrators suddenly knew how to ride. They were usually poor, had a hard time feeding themselves, a sad past… and then suddenly, they could ride a horse like someone with years of experience.
And as a transmigrator, he surely had plot armor to be the final boss. No way he was going to die because of a horse.
Whatever it's… YOLO.
Luke took a breath before putting his mask back on. He braved himself, his tone shifting to indifference.
"Very well then. I can't spend my time worrying about a mere pony."
As Luke approached, he could feel his earlier facade start to crumble. The horse just stared at him. In his real counterpart, he was always a coward the one who fled the fastest in the ghost house. When a cockroach flew toward him, he left the house for hours until one of his parents came home.
He could feel his heartbeat quicken. He mounted the saddle and waited for the worst.
…
Fortunately, nothing happened. Or was it?
Just as Luke thought he was safe, the rushing wind hit his face hard, almost slapping him. His body nearly tumbled backward. If he hadn't held the reins tight, he would have been flat on the field.
"AAAAAAAAAA! WHAT IS THIS?! HELP ME! I'M GONNA DIE!"
"Your Highness!" Eric's voice rang out again, panic threading every syllable. He looked at the trainer. "Shouldn't you have stopped this by now?"
"About that…" the trainer said. "Yes, but that horse is kind of… special."
"What kind of special?" Eric asked.
"He does what he wants."
Hearing that, Eric paled his gaze changed at the horse and then at the prince, who was hanging on for dear life.
Meanwhile, Luke forced himself to sit up straighter, trying to ignore the sweat trickling down his spine.
"It's fine," he muttered, though it sounded more like a wheeze. "I've… got this."
He had no idea what "this" was riding a horse, surviving a psycho-animal, or just keeping his dignity. Probably all three.
The horse started to accelerate, now trying to kick him off its back. Luke felt like an egg being tossed in a hot pan.
"This is definitely not fine at all!"
The trainer's voice floated from the side, calm but tinged with the subtle mockery Luke hated.
"Just relax, Your Highness. Let the horse guide you."
Luke glared at him, though the trainer didn't see it. Guide me? Guide me! The only thing this little thing would guide him to was his deathbed.
He tried to remember the basic instructions he had seen once in some story or another: sit up straight, heels down, hands firm but relaxed… He adjusted his posture, wobbling slightly as the horse shifted beneath him. Its eyes gleamed with something unholy, and Luke felt the weight of every previous fear every fall, every scare press down on his shoulders.
"Okay," he muttered. "Okay… just… breathe."
He tried a small trot, but the horse immediately veered slightly sideways, almost throwing him off. Luke's arms flailed. Okay… maybe not trot. Maybe… maybe just stay alive.
"Your Highness, steady!" the trainer called, though now there was a faint tremor in his voice. Ah, so now it was serious. Even the adults were nervous.
The horse suddenly bolted forward, faster than Luke expected, and he yelped, gripping the reins like his life depended on it because it did. Wind tore past his face, ears ringing. Why does it move like it's laughing at me?
"Whoa! Whoa!" Luke shouted, trying to control it, but the horse didn't seem interested in listening. Each jolt and buck made his stomach lurch. Eric's screaming sounded distant, like someone yelling through a storm.
Okay… okay… think, Luke… think!
He remembered one thing from the stories he had read: horses respond to confidence. Confidence, right… I have confidence… maybe? Luke straightened as much as his trembling body allowed. I am Luke Valenhart, transmigrator extraordinaire, final boss material… I can survive a horse.
The horse slowed slightly, as if testing him. Luke took a shaky breath and whispered, "Good boy… you're… a good boy… right?" The words sounded ridiculous, even to him, but it worked. The horse tilted its head, snorted, and, miracle of miracles, did not throw him off.
Okay… small victory… maybe I'm not dead yet…
But the horse, somehow irked by Luke, started throwing him down the field. Just before it wandered off, it kicked up dirt with its hind leg as if to bury… something.
On the field, Luke lay defeated by the horse, questioning his own life. Eric approached, concern etched on his face even though he didn't particularly like Luke.
"Your Highness… are you… okay?"
Luke felt grass in his mouth and spit it out before speaking.
"Fine? Do I even look fine to you?" he muttered.
He added quickly, "Ah… yes, I'm fine." He looked at Eric. "Anyway… do I still have class to attend?"
"Y-Yes, Your Highness," Eric replied, short and nervous.
On that cue, Luke fainted immediately. Not from the horse but from the class. His brain is like yeah sorry but nope.
"YOUR HIGHNESS HAS COLLAPSED!"
Horse: 1
Luke : 0