Embracing Magic - E.M Chapter 12 (Part 2)

The next day, the horsemanship and military life classes began.

The afternoon military life class taught everything needed for living in the military.

How to maintain weapons, shields, and armor.

How to set up and take down tents in mountainous and rough terrain.

How to start a fire.

How to take care of horses and their gear.

How to distinguish between plants that horses can and cannot eat.

How to cook with local ingredients.

How to perform first aid on injuries.

There were many areas covered, but each was shallow. Most topics were completed in three to five days of instruction.

The problem was the morning horsemanship class.

“This is driving me crazy.”

“You’re going to fall off at this rate.”

Hedler asked worriedly as he watched Rodin struggle to stay on the horse.

Rodin had always excelled in his classes.

Common Continental Language, math, etiquette, tactics. Even the recently started military life class.

Whether he liked them or not, there was no subject Rodin couldn’t handle.

But Rodin faced a major challenge with the horsemanship class. Even with his sharp mind and athletic skills, there was no easy solution.

“Hey! Easy, easy now.”

The horse Rodin rode was not particularly wild or unmanageable. It was well-trained by the instructors and followed commands well.

But Rodin’s small stature was the problem.

Being young and small, his whole body shook with the horse’s movements.

“Hey, be careful.”

“Oh, oh.”

The slight increase in speed caused more vibrations. Rodin’s body was lifted off the saddle.

Thud!

“Argh!”

“Rodin!”

“Number 108!”

An instructor quickly grabbed the reins and moved away. There was a risk of getting trampled by the horse’s hooves.

At the same time, another instructor came to check on Rodin.

“Where does it hurt?”

“My arm, my arm…”

“Tsk. Healer! We have an injured one here.”

“Yes.”

Rodin could barely stay conscious from the excruciating pain. He instinctively knew his arm was broken. He had raised his arm to protect his head when he fell, and the weight had snapped it.

“Number 108.”

“Ugh, yes.”

“Brace yourself. You’ll bite your tongue.”

“What? What do you… Argh!”

Before Rodin could finish his sentence, the healer twisted his arm. The broken bone was set back in place.

“Wizard.”

“I’ll take over now. Shatriona Habira Akans…”

One of the people in the back approached and used healing magic on Rodin’s arm.

His name was Trin, a second-circle wizard dedicated to healing.

“Ugh.”

“Does it hurt?”

“I’m… fine.”

“Tsk, you’d better not ride for three days.”

The healer had set the bone, and the healing wizard had fused it back. If this had been a battlefield, this level of treatment would have been enough to send him back into action.

But this wasn’t a battlefield.

Since he wasn’t fully healed, he needed to rest when necessary.

“I’m fine.”

“I’ll decide if you’re fine or not. For the next three days, you’ll just observe the horsemanship classes.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rodin glared fiercely at the horse that threw him off. But soon, he sighed.

“It’s not your fault. It’s my small size that’s the problem.”

The horse had simply responded to the reins. The problem was that Rodin couldn’t withstand the vibrations.

“This won’t do.”

In truth, it wasn’t easy for other children aged nine or ten to ride horses either. They gripped the reins tightly, using all their strength to barely hang on.

But Rodin couldn’t even manage that.

In a few years, he would be able to ride like the others, but unfortunately, the horsemanship test was only two months away.

“There must be a way.”

Inadvertently given a break, Rodin had the opportunity to closely observe the movements of the horses and riders.

“It’s not just the up-and-down vibrations that are the problem. The side-to-side shaking is also an issue.”

He didn’t know exactly how the horsemanship test would proceed, but it wouldn’t be just straight lines. There would be turns and possibly obstacles. Considering everything, he needed a more stable way to secure his body to the horse.

“I’ll get scolded if I ask to be tied down, right? Maybe I should try adding weights?”

It was an impossible idea. The instructors would never allow it.

It was a matter of fairness.

“I need to find a way to secure myself to the horse on my own.”

As he pondered, he carefully observed his peers.

He didn’t need to worry about Hedler and Lant.

Both had excellent athletic abilities and were very strong.

They were also big enough that they didn’t need to worry about being thrown off by the horse’s movements.

“How big is Lant going to get?”

In the past four months, all the children had grown a lot. They had grown taller and gained weight from eating well.

Among them, Lant was the most prominent.

He had long taken the title of “tallest” from Hedler, and now there was a clear difference. He had gained so much weight that he was a “giant.”

From behind, Lant looked like a shorter instructor.

Sometimes, his size made him look more intimidating than the instructors.

“Who would believe he’s only ten?”

Last month, Lant and Cory had turned ten. Next month, Hedler would also turn ten. Rodin would be five years younger than them again.

“Cory is… barely making it.”

Cory had grown a lot over the past four months, but he was still small and light. His body shook roughly with every movement of the horse.

“But I don’t need to worry.”

The knight exam was two months away. By then, Cory would be bigger and more stable on the horse.

“Now that I think about it, the kids are all using their bodies well.”

Not just the peers in Room 301, but the other children were also good at physical activities. Only five failed the etiquette exam, indicating their physical proficiency.

“But their minds seem lacking overall.”

All five who failed the etiquette exam had failed the theoretical part. None were pointed out for practical mistakes.

“So I just need to do well.”

Horsemanship had no theoretical class.

At this rate, it was possible that all 51 other children would pass in two months.

“Sigh, finding a way to secure myself to the horse without any tools. It’s not impossible.”

He had already thought of a way as soon as he saw the others riding. If he could implement it, he would pass the horsemanship test.

“The problem is whether my lower body can endure it.”

The method was simple: using his lower body to grip and hold on. If he could clamp down tightly, he wouldn’t fall off again. But he needed strong lower body strength to support himself on a running horse.

“I need to strengthen my legs.”

He brainstormed ways to strengthen his lower body, discarding those that required tools or complex methods.

“Two months. Can I do it in time?”

The thinking was over. There was no more time to waste.

Rodin stood up and slightly bent his legs. Thanks to his regular morning runs and exercises, it was bearable despite being a tough position.

“I need to do this regularly.”

With limited time, he had to incorporate exercise into his daily routine.

During class, while walking, eating in the cafeteria, or reading in the library, he needed to focus on his lower body.

“Rodin! Watch this!”

Hedler, who was excitedly riding his horse, waved his hand. He was riding well, holding the reins with one hand.

“You’re naturally athletic.”

If Lant was a powerhouse with his size and strength, Hedler was an all-rounder. He wasn’t much weaker than Lant, but he was also quick and agile.

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