Chapter 49

The horse, named Han Hyulma for the blood-red sweat it shed, was a noble steed renowned even in the Central Plains. That very horse now appeared before Tang Yuwon.

‘And not just any Han Hyulma — it’s a Red Hare (赤兎馬).’

Yuwon’s discerning eye could not be deceived. He did not know how the creature had ended up here, but it was undeniably a Red Hare, a breed of the Han Hyulma line.

‘They say, “Among men, Lü Bu; among horses, Red Hare.” This is the one.’

If there was Lü Bu among men, there was Red Hare among horses — so the saying went. Though Yuwon had never been one to covet horses, the moment he laid eyes on the Red Hare, desire sparked in him.

“This one. I’ll take this one.”

“P-Pardon? What?”

The stable master gaped at Yuwon’s firm declaration.

No one had time to stop him. In one swift motion, Yuwon leapt over the stable fence and landed inside.

“Y-Your Highness! Please come out of there! It’s dangerous!”

The stable master flailed in panic, nearly falling over himself. Terrien was just as surprised by Yuwon’s sudden action, but he did not waver. He simply rested his hand on his sword hilt, prepared for anything, silently standing guard.

Prrrrrrr—!

Yuwon’s sudden intrusion disturbed the horse. The Red Hare snorted violently, its irritation clear as it glared straight at him.

‘As expected, this one’s as temperamental as they say. That look in its eyes says everything.’

One could not truly read a horse’s expression like a human’s, yet Yuwon could tell it was furious. He stared right back, unflinching.

The horse seethed with anger, while Yuwon radiated calm confidence. That composure only seemed to further provoke the beast, its nostrils flaring with sharp snorts.

Words were useless — after all, it wasn’t a man he faced, but a beast. The standoff didn’t last long. The Red Hare made the first move.

It reared up on its hind legs, threatening Yuwon, its neigh splitting the air.

Hiiiiiing—!

The creature was already larger than most horses — by nearly a third.

Rising onto two legs, it struck downward with its hooves in a fierce attack. Yuwon, of course, dodged effortlessly, not even using any real strength.

“Oh-ho, you dare raise those filthy hooves that have rolled through dung at me?”

The attack wasn’t even worth dodging seriously, but filth was another matter. Yuwon had intended to handle the beast peacefully, but its reaction made it clear that would be impossible.

“I heard you’ve beaten more than a few men bloody — arrogant beast. I’ll fix that insolence today.”

That was as far as the horse got. Yuwon moved at once. Perhaps enraged that its first strike had missed, the Red Hare lunged again with terrifying force. Man and beast clashed.

“Heup-cha—!”

Yuwon leapt high, dodging cleanly. Jumping at least two meters into the air, he landed squarely atop the Red Hare’s bare back.

Puhiiiing!

The Red Hare bucked wildly, desperate to throw him off.

“Oh-ho, stay still now.”

Yuwon gripped its mane tightly and locked his legs, securing his seat. When he didn’t fall, the horse went mad, thrashing even harder.

And so began the battle of endurance between Yuwon and the beast. The Red Hare raged, doing everything to throw him off, while Yuwon only clung tighter the more it struggled.

After three long minutes of chaos, the one to yield first was the Red Hare. It stopped fighting and stood still.

“There we go. Finally ready to listen, are you?”

Or so Yuwon thought — but a legendary steed was not legendary for nothing.

Cunningly, the Red Hare feigned submission, then suddenly threw itself backward. If it fell like this, Yuwon would be crushed under its massive weight!

“Whoa—!”

“Y-Your Highness! Look out…!”

Thud—!

A tremendous sound echoed, befitting the horse’s massive body. Then came Yuwon’s triumphant voice.

“You sly creature, aren’t you?”

Yuwon had his hand around the horse’s neck.

The beast, pinned firmly under that powerful grip, flailed helplessly on the ground.

The attacker had been the Red Hare — yet it looked as though Yuwon had slammed it into the earth himself.

Several minutes passed like that. Even pinned down, the Red Hare refused to yield. It kept struggling to break free from Yuwon’s grasp.

‘Should I call it a noble steed or a stubborn fool? Such spirit. If force won’t work…’

Yuwon began to draw out his aura — not mana, but a different, feral kind of energy.

From deep within, the savage force he had long restrained surged forth like a storm.

It was sharp as a honed blade — a murderous will, not unlike the energy he’d wielded in his past life. Then, something else joined it — the power of the Black Serpent.

‘Hmm… this is…?’

Yuwon sensed the change.

From within his pitch-black heart — long corroded by venom until it had become poison itself — the coiled serpent stirred. Its baleful energy naturally merged with Yuwon’s own aura.

Just as the serpent’s venom had once blended with his inner strength, now its ferocity flowed into his spirit.

‘Very well. I’ll accept your help.’

Yuwon did not refuse.

After all, his opponent was a horse that had already harmed men.

A beast that couldn’t be reasoned with needed to have its spirit crushed.

Kugugu—

A formless energy shimmered around Yuwon like rising heat.

His eyes gleamed — sharp and cold, like those of a venomous snake. His icy-blue irises pierced through the Red Hare like winter seas. Behind him, the shadow of an enormous serpent took shape.

A colossal black serpent, vast enough to swallow even the mighty Red Hare whole, opened its maw wide and roared.

Kyaaaaak—!

The serpent’s menacing bellow reverberated through both Yuwon’s and the Red Hare’s hearts.

That heavy pressure! That overwhelming fear!

As the Red Hare locked eyes with Tang Yuwon, it flinched in terror and averted its gaze.

The proud beast that had refused to bow even under Yuwon’s strength now had eyes filled with fear.

‘So, it works.’

Sensing the creature’s agitation, Yuwon intensified his aura even further.

The Red Hare, which had struggled so stubbornly even when physically restrained, suddenly lost all strength. Its body stiffened like a log.

Hiiing—!

Even its cry changed.

Terrien and the stable master, watching from outside, both widened their eyes in shock.

‘As expected, His Highness knew exactly what he was doing.’

“Uh… is that horse actually frightened right now?”

Since Yuwon deliberately didn’t release his aura toward Terrien or the stable master, they couldn’t feel it.

The Red Hare, on the other hand, felt as though an enormous serpent had coiled tightly around its body.

No — perhaps even more than that. Being a beast, it could instinctively sense the terror even more vividly.

Its primal instincts, carved deep into its being to detect predators and threats, screamed that the man before it — Tang Yuwon — was a terrifying monster.

Barely a minute passed. The stable master, who had been holding his breath the entire time, carefully spoke up.

“Y-Your Highness… I think that’s enough now….”

Just minutes ago, he had been worried about Yuwon’s safety — but now, he was worried about the horse.

Grrrk—!

And no wonder. The Red Hare’s eyes had rolled back, its tongue lolling out as foam frothed from its mouth. It lay on its back, unable even to control its body.

“Hmm, yes. That should do.”

At the stable master’s plea, Yuwon assessed the Red Hare’s condition and immediately withdrew his aura. Rising first, he gave the fallen horse a light nudge with his foot.

“Come on, up you get.”

Whoosh!

The Red Hare, which had seemed unconscious, sprang up instantly. Yuwon patted its flank approvingly.

“Good. That’s better. Finally willing to listen.”

Something unthinkable only moments ago — the Red Hare now stood as meek as a lamb.

“What in the world…?”

The stable master’s jaw dropped. Thirty years of working with horses, since childhood — and he had never seen anything like this.

‘Well, well… That stubborn beast, tamed in such a short time… They say a fine horse recognizes a hero — and His Highness the Fifth Prince truly lives up to his reputation.’

Yuwon broke the man’s reverie.

“Ugh, filthy thing. I’ll need to have it washed before I take it. I’ll leave that to you, all right?”

“Ah, yes, of course! But… will it be safe for us to touch it?”

Yuwon smiled faintly.

“Oh, it’ll be fine. If it’s not — well, tonight’s dinner will be horse meat.”

Perhaps it understood his words, for the Red Hare shuddered all over. Yuwon pretended not to notice and laughed it off.

The next day, near noon, the stable master visited the Fifth Prince’s Palace. In his hands were the reins of the Red Hare and the horse Terrien had chosen.

Yuwon, who had been overseeing Terrien’s training in the private sparring chamber, came out to meet them.

“Here it is, Your Highness. From today, this horse is yours.”

“You’ve worked hard. Thank you.”

“Hard work? Not at all — I should be the one thanking you. That troublemaker finally has a master.”

“Haha, yes. It’s a beast that’s caused enough trouble for many.”

“Indeed. But I still can’t understand how Your Highness managed to tame that unruly, accident-prone creature so easily. To think I’ve spent decades in the Imperial Stables, yet couldn’t do what you did… it’s enough to make me ashamed.”

Yuwon smiled good-naturedly.

“Well, let’s just say I got lucky.”

“Lucky, is it? Regardless, you’ve gained an extraordinary steed, Your Highness. From what I can tell, even the horses His Majesty rides couldn’t compare.”

“Really? Well, it does suit me perfectly.”

Yuwon feigned ignorance, but he knew the truth — few horses in the empire could rival the Red Hare.

‘Well, being the Emperor, he must have a mount on par with the Red Hare of this world.’

“Then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll take my leave. Please take good care of him. Ah, and I wish you success in the upcoming subjugation, Your Highness.”

“Ah, thank you. You may go.”

After the stable master returned to his work, Yuwon took the Red Hare’s reins and gently patted its cheek.

“Let’s do well together, all right?”

Hiiing!

“You answer well enough.”

At that moment, the Hatchling of the Dragon-Scaled Serpent peeked its head out from Yuwon’s breast pocket.

Mimicking what Yuwon had shown it yesterday, it let out an adorable roar.

Kyaook—!

Fwoosh—

A tiny flame, no bigger than a pinky nail, flickered briefly and vanished.

Seeing this, the Red Hare stepped back as if it had seen a ghost.

‘Already trying to establish dominance as the new junior, are you?’

The sight was so amusing that Yuwon couldn’t help but chuckle.

Before he knew it, the day of departure was just around the corner.