Brand glanced at his pocket watch, the edge of the watch reflecting a cold light.
"Why aren’t you talking?" He turned his head and saw Frey riding on her horse, her head down, silent, and looking uneasy. He originally wanted to praise her a bit as the people Frey had found and the horses she had brought had been a great help. He hadn’t expected to encounter so many refugees, and even more unexpectedly, so many people willing to follow him.
He looked back; the number of refugees had surged from a few dozen to two or three hundred. People have a herd mentality, the more people there are, the more they gather.
Frey was afraid her arbitrary decisions would displease Brand, yet she was too embarrassed to say anything. She originally wanted to surpass Brand, but now she wanted to perform better in front of him. This psychological shift was subtle.
"You, you don’t blame me?" The future Valkyrie looked up with wide eyes upon hearing Brand’s neutral tone. Her light brown eyes reflected the moonlight, exceptionally bright, and her surprise was evident.
"Why would I blame you? You did great."
"Plans are always flexible as long as you don’t exceed the limit. I was a bit late myself."
Both suddenly fell silent because that mercenary had walked up from behind. He respectfully saluted the young man on horseback—just as a civilian would salute a noble lord. Then he raised the reins of two horses and said, "Lord, mount up. It might be more convenient when we engage in battle later."
Brand looked at the guy, understanding his intentions. He lightly jumped off the carriage, took the reins, and asked, "Any tips for riding?"
The mercenary was stunned and immediately showed a mocking expression in his eyes. He thought, "If you don’t know, just admit it. Acting confident doesn’t mean you can learn riding in a day. In Vorn, it’s rare for nobles not to know how to ride. Especially in the eyes of soldiers, not knowing how to ride is very embarrassing."
However, to make Brand a laughing stock in front of Frey, he still provided detailed instructions. "Start by mounting from one side. Do you see the stirrups? For the first time, move a bit slower." He deliberately spoke very detailed instructions because he didn’t believe anyone could learn to ride by just a few words; otherwise, their riders might as well bash their heads in.
But as soon as he started speaking, Brand received a prompt asking if he wanted to spend 15 points of Skill Experience to learn riding. His first step on the stirrup was a bit clumsy, but by the next step, he had smoothly mounted the horse, as if he had been practicing for years.
Level 3 riding skill would allow for battlefield riding, costing a total of 45 points of Skill Experience. Brand had wanted to learn riding long ago, but he didn’t know Frey could ride. Now, he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic for the "Investigation" skill.
He turned to see the mercenary looking at him with a face of shame and anger.
"Wait," the Princess interrupted Ou Fawei’s description. "You said he was a newbie before mounting?"
"Indeed, Princess. If I’m not mistaken, his movements when stepping into the stirrup were very amateurish, just like many beginners," Ou Fawei replied respectfully.
"Can one really learn a skill in an instant?" The girl was somewhat incredulous. She prided herself on being smart, yet it took her nearly half a month to master riding. But once she did, she was as proficient as the best riders.
"Unless he was deliberately deceiving, otherwise, these are the facts," Ou Fawei also found it hard to believe but didn’t think the young man could fool his eyes.
"He must have done it on purpose. This person is truly a master of deception," the Princess muttered to herself.
Not necessarily, Ou Fawei answered in his heart but didn’t voice it out, continuing to narrate instead.
On the other side, Char also jumped off the carriage. He glanced sideways at the mercenary, took the reins from his hand, and gracefully mounted the horse. As a Mage Follower, riding was a compulsory skill. Though not exceptional, he was quite proficient.
Frey looked at the two of them and thought, Brand was great at everything except he loved to deceive people. The last time he sought her help with First Aid, she blushed just thinking about it.