One of Elliot's pastimes in his previous life had been riding. He had no particular gift for horsemanship, but it had been something he genuinely loved, and over more than twenty years of steady effort he had kept at it. As a result, his skill in the saddle was considerable.
"Ha!"
Elliot laughed out loud as he rode, the open plain stretching wide before him, and felt the tension of recent days dissolving with each stride.
Endairon. If you would.
Of course!
With Endairon's help, a thin layer was formed between himself and the saddle, cushioning the ride and protecting his body.
Good. Got the feel of it.
Ridil was a formidable artifact on its own, but how it was used made all the difference in what it could accomplish. In that regard, Elliot was a master of Ridil. Surviving the war against the demon race had demanded that he stop complaining about the talents he lacked and find a way to work with what he had. And at that time, Ridil had been his most powerful asset.
Naturally, I became desperate about getting the most out of it.
In the beginning he had been able to do nothing more than release its power in a raw, undirected burst. Over time, he had learned to apply it to far more than simple combat. Without Ridil, Elliot would have been finished long ago.
"Huff, huff."
"Ha, phew..."
Elite as they were, soldiers were still soldiers. They could handle mana instinctively to a degree, but that was the limit of it. Every one of the cavalry was beginning to sound the worse for wear, breathing in short, labored pulls.
This is brutal.
The knights, who refined their mana into aura, were not in dramatically better shape than the soldiers. They were somewhat less strained, but tired and aching all the same.
How is he doing this?
And yet not a single person in the party said anything to Elliot about stopping to rest.
The soldiers lacked the standing to speak up, and the knights had their pride.
Is he really sixteen?
Elliot, who by all accounts had led a life entirely free of hardship, was the most lively rider of the entire group. After some time had passed, he glanced around subtly and brought his horse to a stop.
"Whoa, whoa!"
That should be enough to put any dismissiveness to rest.
"Shall we rest for a bit? The horses seem to be tiring, and it is about time for a meal. The spot looks suitable enough."
The soldiers made no effort to hide the relief in their heavy breathing. The knights showed nothing on their faces, but inwardly they were overjoyed.
"You there."
"Sir!"
"About five minutes east of here, there should be a small stream. Take the horses over and let them drink. And beside it start getting a fire ready. And also..."
Elliot issued orders and divided responsibilities with an ease and confidence that left everyone watching in quiet bewilderment. Liam had been staring blankly, and only snapped back to attention with a start. The sheer exhaustion had caught him off guard, and while he had been recovering, Elliot had already moved on to directing everything around him.
Young master Elliot is technically the one in charge here, but acting like this without running it by me first is... wait.
Everyone had assumed that while Elliot held nominal command, Liam would handle the actual direction of things. It had simply not occurred to anyone that Elliot had any experience with this kind of thing.
What exactly has this person been doing with his life?
It was why the duke had taken Liam aside before departure and asked him to teach Elliot what he could along the way. And yet Elliot's command was so clean and precise that there was nothing to correct. There were none of the mistakes a novice would be expected to make.
"Young master."
"Yes, go ahead."
Liam asked carefully.
"Have you done something like this before?"
"Something like this?"
"Outdoor activity of this kind."
"No, this is my first time."
There had been plenty of it.
But since returning to the past, this was indeed his first time.
"Your first time?"
"Yes. Was there something I did wrong? I learned it from books, so if there was an error, I will correct it."
Liam found himself at a complete loss for words.
From books?
How on earth did someone learn this kind of thing from a book.
"No, not at all. You did well. There were no mistakes."
"That is a relief."
But Liam was in no position to argue with Elliot that none of this made sense.
If he had made a mistake, I might have something to say.
And then something else caught Liam's eye.
Hm?
Elliot was too composed. Even the knights who wielded aura were sweating and fatigued, and yet Elliot was more or less exactly as he had been before they set out. And the most striking thing was how fresh his skin still looked.
He has not sweated at all?
Elliot caught Liam's scrutinizing look and smiled.
"Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no. Nothing at all."
"I would ask the knights to work out a rotation among yourselves and maintain a watch on the perimeter."
"Understood."
The truth was that Elliot had done it deliberately. He had wanted to project an air of mystery, as though there was more to him than met the eye, and so he had used Endairon to regulate his perspiration.
And beyond that, there is simply no reason to be soaked in sweat if it can be avoided.
It was an uncomfortable state to be in unnecessarily. And showing a degree of ability at this level was not something he needed to conceal. Hiding it indefinitely would only create complications.
If I intend to operate openly going forward, there are things that are better revealed sooner rather than later.
Once all his instructions were given, Elliot stretched and settled himself comfortably on the ground. Liam watched him with poorly suppressed curiosity, studying him the way one might study something that defied explanation. At that moment, Endairon caught the atmosphere and addressed Elliot in thought.
Um, Elliot!
Yes?
Can I go and explore a little?
Of course. But come back immediately if I call.
Okay!
The journey continued along similar lines. The pace of the riding was somewhat easier than in those first moments after leaving the gate, but it was still a demanding march, calibrated with deliberate care against the endurance of both horses and soldiers.
Pushing much harder would mean trouble tomorrow. It is a little early, but we should start thinking about making camp.
Elliot looked around as he rode, and as he did he said:
"We will stop here for the night. If you go into the forest over there, there should be a small valley inside."
The weather gave no sign of rain, and the trees offered reasonable cover against any unexpected monster activity.
"A valley, young master?"
And now that Liam thought about it, earlier had been the same.
The stream. He told the soldier where to find it without even looking.
This was supposed to be Elliot's first time traveling this route. Unless he had been born and raised somewhere in this area during his time as a commoner?
But even that would not explain knowing the terrain this precisely.
They had passed through several small villages during the ride. Even if Elliot had grown up in one of them, the things that defied Liam's understanding were too numerous to count.
"Yes, approximately five minutes to the west. No, accounting for the forest, closer to ten minutes, I would say."
How could someone speak with that kind of precision. Liam stared at Elliot with something approaching the expression one reserves for the inexplicable, and asked:
"Did you perhaps grow up somewhere near here?"
If so, he could at least force himself to accept it.
"No."
But the answer that came from Elliot's mouth was the exact opposite of what Liam had been hoping to hear.
What?