5 5. Buying a horse

With the click of his door, Ron opened his eyes. He opened the door with slow, lethargic steps, and it was the middle-aged shopkeeper with a small belly.

"Master Sorcerer, there is a mutant who wants to talk to you about your ad." Ron's attention had not gone unnoticed by the innkeeper's embarrassment and disgust, especially when he said the words "Mutant".

In Ron's thoughts, he wasn't exactly human either. He could have lived for almost countless years and would not have a single wrinkle on his skin. Moreover, like his colleagues in Aretuza, he was also against leaving himself barren. To him it was a blessing. Just as a wealthy upper-class person gives money to a beggar and does not expect anything from him, it was necessary that no reward should be given by giving you supernatural powers.

Of course, this situation was a little different for Witchers, also known as "Mutants". The mutagen given to him was not given by nature, but was created by alchemy as a result of the strict calculations of a Sorcerer like himself.

Maybe that's why, when there was a large group of Sahirs and the power that came with it. That's why witchers were single and no matter how strong they were individually, their place in society was just one click above the villagers.

Going downstairs, Ron noticed cat eyes with his attention focused directly on himself. The owner of the eyes, blond hair tied in a braid and attached to her chest. She was a woman with a slightly freckled face. The woman's gaze was perhaps the toughest gaze he had ever seen. Her lips were flat from anger or nervousness, her body was always on the alert, and it was obvious that at the slightest problem, her hand would immediately go to the sword on her back.

Ron walked casually towards the Witcher sitting at the table. He knew that although he was not physically stronger than her, she could also protect himself. He had put on hold an earth magic that would separate the two at any moment.

"Looks like you're the one who replied to the ad I posted, what's your name?" With standard etiquette, Ron opened his palm and waited for her to extend his hand, but when he didn't see a single gesture from her. She declined within a second.

"The offer you want is for me to travel with you, isn't it? I will travel with you to Novigrad and you will pay me 200 Crons."

Although he was surprised to get straight to the point, Ron nodded and confirmed the information. "It can be said, however, that you will be my bodyguard. If we encounter any possible creature or bandit, I will ask you to protect me. Also, we have a long way to go, and if you find a suitable contract in the campuses we are in, I will help you do it."

The Witcher raised an eyebrow, "Come on, you're on my own, so you're just looking for a temporary companion? Why doesn't a Sorcerer go straight to Novigrad using her famous portals?"

Ron blushed slightly at this question. Not expecting such a question, he tapped his finger twice on the wooden table. "I just graduated and this is my first time out of Ban Ard. If I opened my portal now, the only place I would go would be my school."

The witcher put a finger to his chin, showing a thoughtful expression. "This is the first time I see a Sorcerer who has just graduated. Don't you usually just hide in the corner until you become an old man in your forties? Whenever I saw a Sorcerer, she looked at least forty years old."

Ron waved his hand in exasperation, "Why am I stupid enough to age my body just because a bunch of idiots will consider me wiser, while my handsome body remains? Wouldn't beautiful women pay more attention to me the way I am?" He chuckled lightly at his last question and stared at the Witcher across from him.

He sighed when he didn't get a single reaction from the Witcher. "So, we got a deal? I want to leave at first light tomorrow morning."

The woman continued to stare blankly for a moment. Then she finally opened his mouth, "How about if I have a contract to get?" Ron pondered this question, obviously if he wanted a comrade, he would have to help him directly. Since his help made it clear that he had labor there, he had to get paid for his labor. All these thoughts formed the words "Simple, we will cut it in half" in his mind and lips.

The Witcher held out his hand, "Okay then, don't forget to find your own horse, my Karagül is too cranky to carry an extra one."

Ron shook his hand and then left with a standard salute. When he was done, he looked at the thick smudge on his hand, and it somehow disgusted him. When he got far enough away, he wiped his hand with a cloth.

Now he had two things left to do according to the plan in his head. The first is to equip yourself for the journey, and the second is to have a horse. Fortunately, Ban Glean was originally a city that produced commanders superior to warfare, and horses were plentiful here. He would have to hope that with his savings he could find a horse to lead him.

Finding horses in the city was actually quite easy. In the city of Ban Glean, there was no one among the shopkeepers who did not recognize the coat of arms of the Ban Ard school. This made it extremely easy to find the stud through a simple investigation among people.

When Ron arrived in front of the stud, he took a moment to talk to the groom's head. During this time, he looked around and scoured around to find a suitable horse, but no matter how many horses he looked at, he did not have the proper eye to tell which was the best, and could only be struck by the beauty of the horses.

"We have a guest- Master Sorcerer, how can I help you?" Ron was amused when the head groom, who promptly corrected his tone, greeted him with an appropriate greeting. "I'm here to buy a horse, I've come to see if you have a suitable horse for me."

"Of course, we have the best horses to please the Master Sorceress. So, what kind of horse are you looking for? To pull a heavy load? Or for a trip?"

Ron thought about this for a while, engraved this feature in his mind as he would have many belongings of his own in the future. "For now, I just need a horse that can go a long way."

The groom nodded as if he understood, "If you have a long way to go, there are only two horses I can show you, sir. They're both quite vigorous and vigorous, especially Groove, almost as fast as the winds are staring behind their nymphs."

The two of them began to move through the stud and see the horses. As Ron looked at the horse Groove, the groom looked at him curiously. Throw; His eyes were almost dead and his legs were shaking constantly. There was no way this horse could be fast, but that's what the groom's head was saying.

"Master Sorcerer, how did you like the horse? I assure you won't find anyone faster than him." He continued to stare at Ron with an over-perfect smile on his face. Ron was disturbed by the expression of this groom's head, and began to read the other person's thoughts with a simple telepathy method.

"Once I sell this horse to this kid, I'll have enough money to buy Krist. After I buy it, I will send my son to school to be trained as a knight. He will definitely get the best training with the horse."

When Ron heard the sentences, he could only sigh. Even though the person's thoughts were bad for himself, their purpose was somehow good. Taking a deep breath, Ron dismissed the person, saying, "It doesn't look very good, let's take a look at that other horse."

The expression on the head of the groom's head crumpled for a very brief moment. He was pretty sure he would have missed this phrase if Ron hadn't been paying attention, "As you wish, Master Sorcerer, this way please" Ron was quite intrigued as they got to the part where the other horse was. The horse's entire body stood before him with majesty. Its healthy legs seemed ready to leap forward, and those healthy and sharp eyes were drawn to him. He knew that the horse in front of him was the right one and that his supposed name was "Krist".

"Sir, this horse is still quite young, only two years old. Not recommended for long trips, being very young, overly curious and perfect for getting into trouble. Please think again about your choice, think again about the Groove I showed you earlier."

Ron couldn't help but read his mind once more, stopping for a moment when he heard a series of curse words said to him in his mind. He felt an indescribable urge in his body to leave the man in front of him on fire.

"After all, thoughts are personal and they haven't left your lips yet..."

"I have made my decision. I will take this horse. Let's talk about the price" when he read his mind again, he heard the other person say 500 Cron. "Sir, although I called you naive before, I must confess that; this horse is the closest to perfection among all the other breeds, so I have to ask you for at least 2,000 Crons."

Ron raised an eyebrow as the groom looked at his head, feeling that the more he chatted with this man who was determined to rob him any way today, the more nervous he felt. His hands were constantly contracting and loosening so as not to summon the fire, and he could not contain himself at any moment. "I don't think it will cost more than 300 Crons."

"Master Sorcerer, are you trying to rob me? The cheapest horse I have is already 300 Cron and it has been bred to be used as a pack mule."

Ron took a deep breath, "You're going to send your son to school to become a knight, right?" he asked directly.

"What? I-I didn't tell you that from where…"

Ron took a step towards the man. "It is none of your business how I learned it, this horse is worth 500 Cron at most, and you have been trying to rob or swindle me from the moment I arrived. I'm Ron Aydesson from Ban Ard, am I a mouse for you? Don't think that someone who looks young is stupid. Or I'll show you what it's like to anger a Sorcerer in such a way that even if you summon a Witcher, they won't be able to bring you back, do you understand?"

The groom-to-be simply nodded and looked at the heavy pouch held in his hand. He was pretty good with money, and he knew there was about as much money as the Sorceress had said. He looked at the horse with sad eyes, but it was clear that the horse did not understand this one bit. "Why are you still standing, bring your groom's harnesses so I can ride my new horse."

Words could not express how heavy those words were for the groom. He reluctantly nodded and set off to fetch the harnesses.

Ron was still staring at the horse he had just bought, a look of satisfaction on his face, wondering how much fun it would be to ride it to the inn.