Unexpected encounter is also a chance (part 1)

*chuu*

Medea kissed Zorivia's forehead as the exhausted girl fell asleep in his arms after emptying the entire glass pitcher of water to rehydrate.

The black-haired man gazed upon her flushed face, and despite his serious expression, the look in his eyes was one of gentleness and warmth.

He didn't want to leave Zorivia's side even for a single moment, but there were just so many things to do that such luxury wasn't one that he could afford.

Not yet, at least.

He didn't pick up the glasses he left on the nightstand and slid off the bed like a formless shadow, slipping out of the room through the window without being noticed by the two hired guards frantically patrolling the area entirely under it.

"...not in the toilet or something?"

"I told you I made sure to double-check! He's nowhere to be found! He must be trying to test us again!"

Passing by, the black-haired man overheard a fragment of a conversation the two had, both the white-haired man and the woman with a cross-shaped scar on her face were clearly on edge.

"Fuck...! We're done if he manages to slip by... we can't count on the guards at all; the one scout that showed up to check on the report almost shat himself when he learned the details.

"What else were you expecting? We're talking about a case involving a noble lady engaged to the first prince!"

Medea didn't even want to listen in to the pair's mundane conversation, but their hushed voices carried pretty well in the still night air.

"..."

Judging the security to be passable – barely – he ended up embarking on a small quest.

He began building up a certain reputation for Zorivia, and as such, he could not go back on the declaration made during the previous evening meal.

The security for the houses, the lousy general store, and the small smithy were all laughable and bypassed by Medea without breaking a sweat.

The black-haired man ended up dabbling in a little bit of pillage in case any sort of valuable caught his attention during his search, although it didn't amount to much in the end.

He didn't need any of those, mind you – nowhere near as much as the peasants who were peacefully sleeping while being robbed blind by him, that is.

In the end, Medea's initial suspicion was proven to be correct – the group of youths wasn't holing up within the village.

He already made sure that they weren't staying in the inn either, which left a few possibilities.

They had a camp somewhere outside the vicinity of the settlement, they went on their way to the capital, Startington, or Crownhorn farm... or they had some business in the warehouses that surface area has expanded exponentially during the past few years...

"..."

"...?"

Considering his options, Medea ended up breaking into a barn and approaching a confused horse that shook his head, not recognizing either the shape or the smell of the person that showed up at such a late hour.

"Hey there, old boy. Do you want to gallop around without the harness for a bit?"

"...~!"

Medea spoke in a serious voice while approaching the rather docile horse and asked while the animal let him pet him.

As if the horse understood the man's words, his ears wiggled, and he kicked the ground with his front right hoof two times.

"..."

Medea nodded with satisfaction before opening the gate and leading the horse out of his box while closely observing the animal's body, especially its firm legs.

That horse's hide was that of mismatched patches of dots, big brown spots, and rather murky white, making it seem to be trying to camouflage as a cow, while its mane was black and long overdue to shortening as it was getting mangled.

"...A mix breed, I see... Poor thing, you must have inherited the docile character of one side so you don't act up on the part that yearns for the wind..."

"Nfpsh...!"

Again, the horse acted just as if it understood the man's words and neighed softly while raising its head and shaking it in a very clear agreement with the statement.

Medea turned back and grabbed a piece of thick cloth that must have been used as a poor excuse for a saddle on rare chances that someone was riding the unassuming animal and put it on the horse's back before jumping on its back.

"...you good...?"

"...pshh..."

Medea positioned himself properly and grabbed onto the long mane before leaning to the side and asking the horse, to which the animal responded with a dismissive neigh and a shake of its head.

"Alright then. Show me what you've got."

"~!"

Medea nodded with approval and patted the horse's neck before lightly tapping its sides with his heels, making the animal start moving.

The initial tempo was rather slow and disappointing, but the moment that they passed the last building...

"NPSH!" *THUMP* *WHOOSH*

"!!!"

The horse raised its head for a confident neigh and kicked off, spraying the ground behind him, and the sudden acceleration almost threw Medea off its back.

During the twenty-minute ride that should have taken at least two hours – or four if talking a carriage – Medea didn't have to hasten his mount even once as the animal seemed to enjoy running faster and faster. It was even reluctant to slow down! In the end, the ride was over, and Medea jumped down the horse's back, safely hidden in the thicket a few dozen feet from one of the warehouses.

"Good job. But it better not have been like a burst of power at the end of your life because I will need you to carry me back, understood?"

"...pshh..."

The black-haired man nodded at the horse while massaging his numb thighs, to which the animal neighed and proudly raised its head despite steam rising from its body as proof of the great strain.

"Good. Wait for me. You have permission to kick and bite everyone and everything that dares to approach you and isn't me... except for a human woman who has my smell on her."

"Npshh...?"

Medea nodded, and the horse threw its head up with a short neigh.

"Yes, she is my female."

Medea confirmed the question that wasn't even asked and stealth his way from between the trees towards the first warehouse.

"...?"