Simulator in Type-moon, Starting with becoming Morgan husband!

Chapter 45. If Only It Could Be A Little Longer

"Hmm?"

Artorius's words caused Ian to pause.

"You want me to ride the horse?"

"Yes." Artorius's voice was quiet but firm.

"Sir Ian, I hope you can ride."

Though Ian didn't need to turn his head, he could still be certain that Kay was staring at him.

"No."

"Artorius, I can't do that. Knights don't let others ride their horses during battle."

"But this isn't a time for battle."

Sitting on the horse, Artorius continued to try to persuade him.

"Sir Ian, don't you usually help those in need to mount a horse?"

"..."

Ian didn't know how to respond at first.

Seeing this, Artorius continued:

"Sir Ian, let's look at it from a different perspective—this is the first time I'm riding this horse."

"Just think of it as me getting acquainted with it!"

"..."

With the conversation reaching this point, Ian knew that if he refused again, it would seem a bit rude.

"Alright."

"Then I'll help you get acquainted with it a bit."

"Great! Thank you, Sir Ian!"

[To be fair, although Artorius and Morgan really have some similarities, you still haven't reached the point where you can't tell the two apart.]

[The only thing you enjoy holding when riding is Morgan's waist.]

[Therefore, even though you're sharing a horse with Artorius, you still keep a certain distance from him.]

[However, Artorius doesn't seem to want to maintain such a clear boundary with you.]

"Sir Ian?" Artorius turned his head, "Could you please sit a little closer?"

"Right now, it's a bit too far."

"This is enough."

"No!" Artorius shook his head, "Not enough!"

"I want to learn from you how to ride this horse correctly."

"..."

"Alright."

Ian felt a slight headache—he realized that solving the problem by handing the horse to Artorius wasn't as perfect as he had thought.

But it wasn't entirely useless—at least it was a good excuse.

He could use Artorius as a pretext to leave quickly.

"Then hold on tight, Artorius."

"I'll show you the magnificence of the warhorse from Britannia!"

"Mm!"

Artorius blushed slightly, his index and middle fingers like ants climbing a slope, carefully placing them on Ian's hand.

Seeing that the other didn't seem repulsed, he fully grasped Ian's hand.

"Your hand is so warm..." Artorius whispered, just loud enough for himself to hear.

"If only it could last a little longer..."

[You didn't hear Artorius's quiet prayer.]

[Taking the reins from his hand, all you wanted was to quickly escape Kay's watchful gaze.]

[In fact, you succeeded.]

[As a knight who had fought on the battlefield for many years, controlling a warhorse like this was not difficult, even with another person along.]

[The warhorse stepped through the small stream, crossed over the grassy patches.]

[You gave Artorius a thrilling ride and also escaped Kay's watchful eyes.]

The sound of hooves tapping on the ground echoed softly.

The warhorse's rhythmic steps on the meadow left long traces behind.

Artorius's face had turned as red as a ripe apple in the harvest season, showing clear excitement.

"Is this the limit of this horse?" he asked.

"Not really."

Ian tightened the reins a little more, slowing the horse down.

"My riding skills aren't perfect either. If a better knight were riding it, I think it would perform much better."

"Maybe that knight could be you," Ian said.

"Then Sir Ian..." Artorius looked at his hand holding Ian's, his lips slightly parted.

"Can I name this horse?"

"Of course," Ian smiled. "It's yours now."

"You can call it whatever you like."

"Then I'll call it Dun Stallion!"

"Nice name," Ian responded with a grin. "But Artorius, could you let go of my hand now?"

"Eh? Sorry!"

It was at that moment that Artorius realized Ian hadn't been unaffected—he simply hadn't said anything.

He quickly withdrew his hand, but his gaze lingered slightly—he truly liked the feeling of their hands together like that.

"Sir Ian…" Artorius carefully asked once again.

"What is it?"

"I… am I the first person to ride with you on the same horse?"

"Why are you asking that?"

"No, it's nothing!" Artorius quickly waved his hand, quickly explaining, "It's just that the feeling of riding this way makes my heart race."

"So I thought, have you ever done something like this before?"

"Riding at full speed with someone else?" Ian thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"No, never."

This wasn't to make Artorius happy.

Because when riding with Morgan on the same horse, Ian hadn't dared to gallop as they just did.

So, in some sense, Artorius was indeed the "first" to do this with him.

"Really!"

Artorius's eyebrows lifted slightly, and the Ahoge on his head bounced lightly—an authentic expression of joy.

"Am I really the first?"

"Sir Ian, then I must be so lucky!"

"Oh?" Ian gently patted the back of Artorius's head.

"But I think you might not be as lucky as you think, Artorius."

"Sir Ian, what do you mean?"

"Your hair's come undone again."

"Eh?"

Hearing Ian's words, Artorius reached his hand behind to check, only to realize that his hair had come loose from its tie during the ride and was now flowing freely like strands of seaweed.

The small cloth that had been used to tie his hair was nowhere to be found.

"This…"

Artorius looked a little embarrassed.

"Sorry, Sir Ian, I've made myself look messy in front of you again."

"Not really."

Ian released Artorius's hair, his tone still calm as usual.

"I just want to know why you still use that piece of cloth to tie your hair? Clearly… it's not really suitable for that, is it?"

"This…"

Artorius lowered his head slightly, his face turning a bit red.

"Sir Ian, after all, this is something you gave me. How could I just throw it away?"

"..."

Ian hesitated for a moment, as if making a decision.

"Actually, Artorius, you look quite good without tying your hair."

"Really?"

Artorius turned his head, his long golden hair shimmering and swaying like waves.

"Sir Ian, do you really think so?"

Ian nodded slightly.

"Yeah, it really looks beautiful."

"So, Artorius—"

"Are you… sure you're not a girl?"