My Daddy Hides His Power - Chapter 49

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Father hides his strength.
Chapter 49
I looked forward again, gripping the reins tight, and clenched my teeth as I tried to sync my breathing with Zephyr’s.
“Ugh. Ahhh.”
But it wasn’t easy. We were moving as fast as a car, yet the ride was anything but smooth.
My body bounced violently up and down, and the wavering landscape made my stomach churn.
“Zephyr, Zephyr… I… ugh. I’m… dying….”
Though I’d spoken in barely a whisper, Zephyr seemed to understand.
The pace dropped sharply, as if he’d hit the brakes.
‘Wait—is this what Rapport feels like?’
I nearly teared up again. Once I’d caught my breath, I opened my eyes wide.
“I’m sorry, Zephyr. I didn’t know you wanted to run this fast. I should have trained more, should have practiced harder….”
Here I was, struggling just to hold the reins.
What a pathetic rider I was, unworthy of such a noble steed!
“I’m sorry….”
I could feel that he could gallop far faster if he wanted to, but was holding back for my sake. That made me sorrier still.
As we thundered along the straightaway for some time, another horse suddenly swept past us on the side.
It was Walter and Cheshire!
Cheshire glanced at me once with a worried look before pulling ahead.
“You’re doing great, Walter! Come on, Cheshire! You’ve got this!”
The moment I finished cheering carelessly, Course B began.
With two judges alongside, I could see red hurdles ahead.
“Whoosh! Ah!”
Zephyr began clearing the hurdles cleanly.
Though normally there would be the occasional touch, knockdown, and penalty deduction along the way.
‘Right—I’m the one who hasn’t practiced. For Zephyr, this course is probably second nature by now.’
If I actually placed, it would be deeply embarrassing. I wasn’t doing anything at all.
The running was Zephyr’s doing, and I was only staying safely in the saddle because of the enchantment on the Saddle.
“You really are amazing!”
As Zephyr wove left and right through the lineup of obstacles, his movements showed no hesitation.
How grueling must his training have been for every section of the course to be etched into his very body?
‘That’s kind of sad, actually….’
The moment the thought crossed my mind, the obstacles ended.
Next came the longest course—a gentle climb up a hill and back down, a winding stretch.
As we gained elevation, a Lake hidden behind the Mountain Ridge came into view. Its surface sparkled as it caught the morning sun.
“Wow.”
I gasped in wonder.
But there was no time to linger in leisurely sightseeing.
I heard hoofbeats overlapping behind me, and when I looked back, I saw Daemon riding hard, practically on my heels.
“Faster! Give it more speed!”
Daemon shouted at his horse with fury.
It looked like the poor beast was giving everything it had, yet it was still slower than Zephyr, who was taking it easy for my sake.
“You stupid thing! Lose to some cripple on a leg? On a course with no obstacles, and you can’t even manage this pace?”
“What?”
Did this guy hear himself talk?
I glanced around.
No one was watching—the perfect moment for a crime without witnesses.
“Look at that face! And here I thought you were going on about noble dignity, but the moment you start losing, all that comes out of your mouth is garbage.”
“……?”
Daemon’s eyes went wide as we rode neck and neck.
Then he looked at me as if his ears had betrayed him.
“What?! You broken little nobody!”
“W-what did you…?”
“All that horsemanship genius was a sham, wasn’t it? You’ve got no real skill—you won last year riding on Zephyr’s back, that’s all. Without Zephyr you’re hopeless. First place is already gone, isn’t it?”
I shook my chin mockingly, needling him. His face flushed red, then purple.
“You—you want to die?! You little runt!”
“Nope, you can’t kill me~? And you’re losing to someone riding for the first time~?”
“Shut up! Shut your mouth!”
“Nope, I’m not shutting up~?”
Watching Daemon’s face turn crimson with rage, my heart felt utterly satisfied.
We’d raced neck and neck only briefly before our gap widened in seconds.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
Behind me, Daemon’s roar erupted—fury he could no longer contain.
“Move! You stupid beast! Move! Run, damn it!”
Whinnnnny—!
The sharp crack of repeated strikes rang out, followed by the horse’s cry. Forced into speed, it surged forward to catch me again.
“You’re falling behind. Seriously!”
What was this? Daemon’s eyes were wild with fury—far more than just frustration.
He closed the distance, thrashing his arm through the air a few times before clamping down hard on my thigh.
That instant.
Snap—something felt unnatural.
‘Oh, hell.’
I understood immediately.
Daemon had dispelled the Anti-Falling Magic fastened to my saddle.
At once, my seat—pressed flush against the saddle—shifted and lifted, and the stirrups around my feet went slack.
“Kyaahhhhh!”
I’d been trusting Zephyr with my full weight, assured nothing could unseat me, and now I shrieked in shock.
Zephyr startled too and lurched to a sudden stop. But the hard braking made things worse. My body pitched forward, and my feet tore free from the stirrups.
“Ah, uuungh!”
My body, no longer gripping the reins, heaved upward—whoosh—and launched into empty air.
‘Is… is this really happening?’
For a moment, my vision slowed as if in slow motion.
The brilliant sky.
The glimmering lake.
The verdant sweep of the mountain ridge.
Crash—!
“Ughh.”
I landed on my right arm first and tumbled, rolling across the ground. Sharp stones scattered, stinging my cheek.
“Ah… ahhh.”
My whole body screamed in pain, though not enough to rob me of consciousness.
I moved my limbs at once. Nothing seemed broken.
“Wow. Wow. The guy’s character really is rotten….”
I clutched my throbbing right arm and stared blankly after Daemon’s retreating horse and Zephyr.
No matter how angry he was, to commit a blatant foul like that.
No—a foul wasn’t even the word.
It was grounds for outright disqualification, and at worst, a scandal between the houses.
“That bastard… the championship’s gone now….”
I stumbled to my feet.
I had to turn back and report what happened to the judges.
Thud-thud-thud.
Then, hoofbeats suddenly sounded. I turned—
“Z-Zephyr?”
—and Zephyr had returned.
‘How is that even possible?’
Could a racing horse, eyes fixed forward, truly stop on its own when riderless and then reverse course to come back?
Thud-thud-thud—bewildered, the mysteries of horsemanship deepened.
“Zephyr, how did you even come back? My, how loyal you are.”
I stroked Zephyr as I spoke.
“Let’s go back and tell the judges that Daemon used a foul. He’s completely idiotic. Why commit a crime he’d obviously be caught for?”
I truly couldn’t understand it.
“We were the only two who entered the C Course together, and the magic on my saddle was dispelled—but I still can’t cast magic. I couldn’t have undone it myself. So even if no one saw….”
As I chattered away, turning back, something gripped the nape of my neck.
“Huh?”
Zephyr had my collar in his teeth.
He seemed to be speaking with his eyes alone.
[Keep running.]
So it was.
“Y-you’re serious? I can’t….”
I couldn’t recast the Anti-Falling Magic.
To keep running, I’d have to rely on my strength alone.
“I can’t. I’m scared. I can’t….”
As I shook my head, Zephyr’s blue eyes met mine directly.
In that brief moment, his gaze spoke volumes.
The desire to run.
The will to win.
I’d thought the grueling training and abuse had beaten it out of him—that he no longer wanted to run….
‘No, that’s not it. You want to run.’
Unlike me, who had no competitive spirit to speak of.
“…okay. Let’s do this.”
Whatever comes, comes. We’ll see it through.
I took a deep breath and hoisted myself back onto Zephyr’s back as he lowered himself to help me mount.
“I won’t let go, I promise. And you—you need to run carefully so I don’t fall, alright?”
A low, resonant whinny.
[Trust me.]
His cry seemed to say exactly that.
“Let’s go!”
Zephyr began to run again.
The saddle, now free of its magic, was precarious, and I had to brace myself with all the strength I could muster—nothing like before—but
‘So this is real Horseback Riding.’
I understood it clearly now.
An awakening.
Like the moment I’d first succeeded in riding a bicycle.
‘If I’d kept casting magic the whole time, I never would have improved at all!’
And so I learned as we galloped.
How to breathe in rhythm with the horse.
How to surrender my body naturally without forcing it.
“…why are you doing this?!”
We entered the D course where the obstacles began again, and I spotted Daemon.
For some reason, Daemon’s mount had stopped short before the hurdles and stood there, snorting with agitation.
‘Yeah, with a rider like that, I’d want to strike too.’
I clicked my tongue in sympathy.
“Huh?”
Just then, Zephyr—who had been running smoothly—didn’t jump the obstacle. Instead, he stopped beside Daemon in an elegant pose.
‘Why did you stop?’
As I wondered, I realized.
‘Ah, is this your way of saying you want one more round?’
I grinned and thrust my chin toward Daemon, calling out:
“So much for being an equestrian prodigy~? Can’t win even with Fouls~?”
“Eeee!”
And with that, Zephyr resumed jumping the obstacles as if he’d been waiting for exactly those words.
Ah, so this was Rapport.
It was beautiful.
“Haha! Zephyr, you’re the best!”
We cleared the obstacle course smoothly and entered the final straight stretch.
Wind rushing past as we flew.
Cool air rushing deep into my lungs.
‘Am I actually an equestrian prodigy?!’
I couldn’t even feel the ache of my battered body anymore.
The Finish Line appeared in the distance, beyond the crowds that filled the Ceremony Grounds.
The Finish Line….
‘Wait? The Finish Line?’
Cheshire had been leading by an overwhelming margin, yet somehow the red line of the Finish Line hadn’t been crossed yet.
‘Where is Cheshire? Oh, there!’
I spotted them soon enough.
Walter was standing still for some reason, circling around, while Cheshire—glancing over and meeting my eyes as we sped past—broke into a smirk.
In the confusion of it all,
Zephyr kept running with all his strength,
“Wahhhhh!”
and we crossed straight through the Finish Line.
A roar like thunder erupted from the crowd.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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