Ever since his sparring match with Annie, Arthur had acquired the title of Demon King. His complete lack of gentleness toward girls had certainly reinforced many people's impressions of him.
Annie, however, did not seem to remain downhearted over her defeat. Most people who had been put through that would either fall out with their opponent or avoid them as much as possible, but Annie was different.
She still followed Arthur around as always, pestering him to spar with her, though her tone had become much more polite. Rather than asking for a match, she seemed more like someone seeking instruction from a master.
At first, Arthur found it troublesome and refused. Meanwhile, seeing Annie constantly trying to approach him, Mikasa stayed by his side every day as well. Arthur realized that Annie following him around was causing more and more trouble.
So he agreed to spare some time occasionally to teach her hand-to-hand combat techniques.
This continued for three months. Only when the hand-to-hand combat course finally ended did Arthur manage to free himself from Annie.
That day, the cadets assembled on the training grounds.
As always, Instructor Keith stood on the platform and announced their next course.
"Starting today, you will learn horsemanship. Horsemanship is a vital part of warfare. It determines whether soldiers can march swiftly, retreat across open ground, and fight."
"In a little while, each of you will choose a horse. These horses are all unbroken, of course, so they will be extremely temperamental. Dealing with that will be your responsibility."
Keith then began explaining the theory, including how to care for horses and develop a better understanding with them.
Afterward, Keith announced the start of practical training.
Everyone was assigned a horse. They were not particularly fine horses, but they were good enough for training.
When the horsemanship training first began, many cadets were so eager for results that they tried to mount their horses without first building any understanding or trust.
The outcome was predictable. Many were thrown straight off by wildly bucking horses. Fortunately, the ground was soft, or they would have suffered quite a few painful injuries.
Thud! "Ow!" Someone fell from a horse with a thud, then cried out in pain.
It was none other than the stubborn Eren Yeager. He believed that perseverance would surely tame his horse, yet he kept failing.
"Ptooey! I refuse to believe this! You think I can't handle you?!" Eren spat out the dirt and grass in his mouth, then glared furiously at the horse he had chosen.
Still refusing to give up, he tried to tame it again, only to be thrown off just as before.
"Snort, snort!" Eren's horse huffed as it looked at him sprawled on the ground, almost as though it were mocking him.
"Hahaha! Eren, stop wasting your energy!" Jean, who loved nothing more than opposing Eren, laughed at him while brushing his own horse.
"Shut up, Jean! You horse-face! You and your horse look exactly alike. We might as well call it Jean too!" Eren shot back without backing down.
"Huh?!" Jean immediately felt his pride had been trampled. How could he possibly look exactly like a horse?
"Hahaha! I think Eren's right!" Connie, who was always happy to stir up trouble, compared Jean with his horse and burst out laughing at the resemblance.
"Connie, you idiot, shut up!" Jean snapped in embarrassment.
"Hahaha! Horse-face Jean! From now on, I'm calling your horse Jean!" Sasha, the other half of their pair of geniuses, laughed while munching on a sweet potato she had obtained from somewhere.
"You shut up too, sweet potato girl!" Jean bellowed, his face red.
"Damn it! Jean, why are you calling me that again?!" Sasha was embarrassed and annoyed to hear him call her sweet potato girl.
"You certainly have plenty of energy. Hurry up and tame your horses. Don't forget that the credits for this course matter too." Reiner, the big brother of the group, felt a headache coming on as he watched them bicker.
"Mikasa, how's your horse coming along?" Armin asked, patting his horse's neck as he looked at Mikasa, who was already mounted.
"Pretty well. Arthur used to take me riding all the time, so I know a little about horses," Mikasa said, stroking her horse's mane.
"Yes, Arthur really can do everything. He was the first of us to tame his horse, and he's already started obstacle training." Armin looked toward Arthur, who was galloping across the training ground and jumping over the obstacles set out there.
"Arthur was clever even as a child. Whatever he learned, he picked it up on his first try. When my father taught him to ride, he got the hang of it in a single afternoon." Stroking her scarf, Mikasa smiled faintly as she watched Arthur gallop along with an utterly relaxed expression.
"Whoa!" After quickly completing the obstacle course, Arthur brought the horse he had named Earl to a halt.
"Incredible. This cadet has earned full marks in practically every training course. It's only the first day, and he's already completed every part of the test with a perfect score." The instructor in charge of horsemanship praised him as he recorded full marks beside Arthur's name.
"Yes. He's the finest cadet I've ever trained. I believe he'll become one of humanity's greatest assets." Keith watched Arthur, his face glowing with fondness.
It was not just Arthur, either. This class had produced many exceptionally talented cadets. Keith had a feeling that they might lead humanity to uncover the truth about the Titans, so people would no longer need to hide behind the walls.
"Arthur, how did you do it?"
"Arthur, could you teach me how to tame a horse? Mine won't listen to me."
"Arthur, do you have any tips?"
The cadets watching nearby gazed at Arthur in admiration after seeing him pass the horsemanship test with full marks on the very first day.
From the moment Arthur arrived at camp, he had made the devilish Keith behave completely differently than usual. He had then earned perfect scores in the physical fitness, academic, and Omni-Directional Mobility Gear tests.
The word "genius" had become inseparable from Arthur's name, and he had quietly gained many admirers.
"There's no secret. It's just practice. I've been around horses before, so that's why I'm so comfortable with them. Practice more and build trust with your horses, and you'll reach my level soon enough," Arthur explained before leading Earl through the crowd.
"Arthur!" Hearing someone call him, Arthur turned toward the voice and found Christa waving to him, with a somewhat impatient Ymir beside her.
"What is it, Christa?" Arthur led Earl over to Christa, ignoring Ymir.
"Arthur, you're amazing! You finished the training in such a short time," Christa said admiringly.
"Haha, it's nothing. I used to go hunting in the mountains with my uncle, so I already had some riding experience. That made it easy to pick up." It was the first time a girl other than Mikasa had admired him like this, and Arthur felt a little shy.
"Hey, what are you blushing for?!" Ymir felt thoroughly put off at the sight of Arthur's reddening face.
"What's it to you, tomboy?" Arthur retorted.
"What?!" Ymir had not expected Arthur to call her a tomboy, and she was furious.
"Arthur, Ymir, please don't be like this." Caught between the two, Christa did not know what to do about their clashing every time they met.
"Tch." Looking at Christa, Ymir held herself back and let the matter drop.
Arthur also stopped there. It was only their usual bickering, after all, and there was no need to make their relationship so strained.
"Um, Arthur, I called you over because I wanted to ask you for some training tips. Rose and I get along pretty well now, but I still have some trouble guiding her," Christa said, looking a little embarrassed.
"Oh, so that's it. Don't worry, that's easy enough. When you're going over an obstacle, all you have to do is..." Arthur waved a hand to show it was no trouble, then began explaining the techniques patiently and earnestly.
Like a schoolgirl listening to her teacher, Christa took out a little notebook and carefully recorded Arthur's advice. Her serious expression and occasional nods were quite adorable.
At first, Ymir dismissed Arthur's explanations and paid them no attention, staying only to keep Christa company. Before long, however, she could not help getting drawn into the wealth of knowledge.
I guess he's not so annoying when he's explaining techniques, Ymir thought, and began considering how to apply his advice to her own horsemanship training.
When the people nearby realized Arthur was explaining horsemanship techniques and sharing his knowledge, they were drawn over as well.
Soon, Mikasa, Eren, Armin, Jean, Reiner, Bertolt, and even the unsociable Annie had gathered around Arthur to listen to his experiences and advice.
Seeing the growing crowd and their eagerness to learn, Arthur patiently explained everything without tiring of their questions.
He also had cadets who had failed to tame their horses bring them over for practical demonstrations. He showed them how to build trust, determine what their horses liked and disliked, and understand their individual temperaments.
His explanations covered such a broad range of knowledge that even the horsemanship instructor found himself absorbed. It was the first time he had heard such a comprehensive analysis of horses.
The matter even caught Keith's attention. After listening in, he declared that Arthur's knowledge could undoubtedly improve soldiers' chances of survival and their combat effectiveness on the battlefield.
He immediately had Arthur write it all down to submit to his superiors. In an unprecedented move, he also appointed Arthur, a mere cadet, as horsemanship instructor for all the soldiers.
It was the first and last time in the Training Corps' history that a cadet was made an instructor.
Arthur had never imagined that he, a soldier, would have the chance to become an instructor. Still, he carried out his duties conscientiously, since he had already completed his own horsemanship training anyway.
Thus, he spent the remaining days teaching the others.
Under Arthur's instruction, most of them completed their horsemanship training successfully and earned the credits for the course, apart from a small number who truly had no aptitude for it.
The horse-related knowledge Arthur had compiled was also extremely valuable, and it caused a sensation as soon as Keith reported it to his superiors.
The higher-ups had never expected such extensive knowledge from a cadet who had joined the Training Corps less than a year earlier. Their first step was to compile Arthur's notes into a training manual and distribute it for study.
Commander Dot Pixis, the highest-ranking officer in the Garrison, even visited the Training Corps in person to commend Arthur. Upon learning of his accomplishments, he expressed his amazement again and again. In front of all the cadets, he even offered to let Arthur join the Garrison immediately and serve in his personal guard.
Despite the generous offer, Arthur refused outright. He still needed to stay with Mikasa, Eren, and the others, so how could he leave the Training Corps so soon?
Pixis had not expected Arthur to turn down his offer, but rather than being displeased, he held him in even higher regard. Before leaving, he declared that whenever Arthur wished to join, the Garrison's doors would always be open to him.
From then on, Arthur was thoroughly famous throughout the Training Corps, becoming a star and an unparalleled genius in many people's eyes.
After this little interlude, Instructor Keith announced the successful conclusion of their horsemanship training. He also shared some good news: to relieve the strain of their intensive training, all the cadets would be given three days off.
Everyone was delighted to hear the news. At last, they could enjoy a long-awaited break.
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