Chapter 353 – Escort
“Welcome, Artemis.”
Rose places one of her arms diagonally across her chest, like her governess.
She bowed her head to me and then took three steps backwards. The way she turned 180 degrees and left was a perfect ritual.
Chrollo, Rose, and Kids always make room for Artemis when she appears.
Not taking her generosity for granted, but maintaining her original intention and being grateful. This would be possible because it is a machine that is not bound by habit or forgetfulness.
Artemis approached and stroked her horse’s face.
Hee!
The guy who was bothered when I pet him becomes happy when Artemis touches him.
“What’s going on here?”
“I was just wandering around wherever I could.”
If you are in a position as high as mine, there is nothing special to do unless there is a special incident.
The AI assistants have handled the internal affairs perfectly, and Seyoung is doing her best to deal with people on the outside.
If this were to happen in a normal organization, it would quickly collapse due to embezzlement and corruption, but for my women, there is no need to worry about that.
“The manager is very leisurely.”
“To the subject who always sings about living like a pillar.”
“Hehe, since we’re already here, shall we run together?”
Artemis handed over the reins of the horse she was stroking.
“Running side by side is fine, but that’s for next time. “I will be your escort today.”
“Escort?”
Artemis listens intently to her.
“You ride on a horse like a young lady from a noble family, and I lead from the front like a knight.”
“That’s a good idea!”
Artemis jumped up in place. I think it was a proposal I quite liked.
Although she is a woman, she also has girlish sensibilities.
A scene from a romance movie we watched together a while ago, where a knight leads a horse riding a noble lady.
I clearly remember Artemis looking at it with envious eyes.
“Okay then, let’s go up.”
The body of the horse she brought with her was turned and prepared to mount Artemis.
“That kid is okay. Because I have my own horse.”
Artemis pursed her lips and then she whistled. A clear sound like a bird chirping crosses the meadow.
Afterward, a white horse came running from the other side.
Her body has graceful curves and her muscles are sleek and not clunky. Perhaps because it is brushed every day, its white fur is clean and free of any tangles.
It looked at us calmly with golden eyes like its owner, and it was unusual for it to stand calmly and not even glance at it.
“Your name?”
“It’s Stella.”
Artemis’ white dress, standing next to her horse, was blown by the artificial wind.
Two beautiful white beings interacting side by side. It made my heart beat like a scene from a myth.
“Sit down.”
I said as I approached Stella.
But the horse just looks at me with a look of ‘What should I do?’
“What are you doing now?”
“The horses here kneel down when a person tries to ride them…”
“That’s just normal words, right? Stella is special? “You shouldn’t kneel down and get this fine fur matted.”
“Then how do you ride it? “Let’s just jump like this?”
Stella was bigger than an ordinary horse. It doesn’t seem easy to climb on one’s own.
Instead of answering, Artemis pointed her finger at me and then at the ground.
“If you were my driver, you would know what to do, right?”
“You will understand.”
She knelt down on her left knee in front of her. She clasped her hands together and turned them over so that her palms were facing up.
Place it on her right knee and your instant riding foot is complete.
“Hehe, isn’t this an escort?”
Artemis brushed her hair behind her shoulder in a smug manner.
She steps on my clasped palm. I felt the infinitely soft touch of the soles of her feet and her warm body temperature.
“I’ll go up.”
A pleasant weight rested on her palm. Artemis’ other leg rotates gracefully and drapes over her horse’s back.
“Great job. You can wake up now.”
“Then shall we go?”
She got up, took the reins, and went ahead, her white feet sticking out from behind her vision.
“There is no need for that.”
She grabs my shoulder with her paw and pulls me to her side.
“How smart is our Stella? Right, Stella?”
As I said, the white horse walked forward at a pace that matched my pace.
It’s as if the two of you should just enjoy a walk in the meadow without worrying about yourself.
“Hmph~ hum~.”
Artemis hummed her tune, the corners of her mouth rising. Is this trivial date really that pleasant?
“Wouldn’t it be dangerous if there was no saddle?”
“It’s a pity to be put in an uncomfortable and stuffy harness.”
“And if he goes on a rampage.”
“This kid doesn’t do that. Also, my legs are pretty strong? It will never fall.”
A snap!
The pure white legs exposed thanks to the short dress press tightly against Stella’s torso.
The act of kicking the torso while riding is a signal to ‘run!’, But Stella, who is quick-witted, kept her pace calmly.
Artemis’ legs were pulled from where they were attached to her horse’s body. Even if you apply a moderate amount of force, she won’t budge.
“I’m sure it won’t fall at this level.”
“Have you forgotten that you rode the rodeo machine at the upper cultural facility the other day?”
“Ah, it was great back then.”
The sight of him riding the bull statue with his silver hair flying in all directions like crazy was full of wild beauty.
Actually, even when we sleep together, the strength of the legs that wrap around my waist is not normal.
As I walked through the wide underground meadow, I occasionally encountered horses grazing. When Artemis beckoned her, she came closer to her and stroked her head once.
It’s amazing to watch from the side.
“Is this also the result of training?”
“No, this is separate from training. “Isn’t it about recognizing someone precious?”
A considerable area of grassland is needed to raise horses, but there was no problem.
This is the lower part of the shelter originally built to accommodate a town-sized population.
Now that the population has been reduced to a few hundred people and transformed into a machine kingdom, there is enough free space to enjoy such spatial luxury.
The grasses in the meadows are all GMO crops and have a significant air purifying function, so it is not just a luxury.
“At first, I thought it was using too much space, but it was nice to see it completed and walk around. “It feels different from the garden.”
There is something about a wide-open green meadow that puts a person’s mind at ease just by looking at it.
“But it’s a bit disappointing to see lumpy structures wherever you look.”
“There’s nothing you can do about it. Because there are space limitations.”
“Then how about riding a horse on the coast? “Run along the sandy beachside by side while looking at the horizon.”
“Is that really a good idea?”
Artemis’ eyes sparkled.
“Not right away, but when the weather gets a little cooler. “If you go out now, you won’t be able to last even 5 minutes, and you’ll be stretched out on the horse.”
“Ugh.”
Artemis wrapped her arms around him, probably remembering the scorching heat outside.
Afterward, we talked about where we could run together besides the beach.
Such as the field leading to the Metacraft Research Institute, which was the first expedition site, or the Honam Plain, which will soon be filled with golden rice.
Artemis was very happy, shaking her legs each time.
From Stella’s perspective, it felt like she was being kicked in the stomach, so she could have been irritated, but she stayed calm.
“It’s all good, but this is a bit uncomfortable. Because I hear a voice from above my head.”
“Isn’t it just right? I give orders from above, and you look up from below.”
She said arrogantly.
Because Stella was tall, only the raised corners of her mouth and downcast golden eyes were visible.
Right next to it, there is a white bare foot shaking near the shoulder.
“It’s because my throat hurts.”
“Then you can just talk to my feet.”
Knock.
Artemis’ big toe tapped my cheek playfully.
“I am honored that you dare to face my feet.”
Instead of answering, I lunged at him like a crocodile.
“Kwaaaaang!”
“Where?!”
When I tried to bite him, she quickly took her foot away.
Then, perhaps because she thought it was her owner’s crisis, Stella started running.
“It’s okay, Stella! Are you okay! Don’t run! We didn’t fight!”
Artemis stroked his horse’s neck and soothed him. It somehow looks like a mother trying to stop her crying child after watching a couple fight.
Purr!
Stella snorted as I approached, her eyes clearly wary.
“I guess they see me as a threat.”
Her loyalty to her mistress was commendable, but she did not want to end their intimate time like this.
“If we show that we are good friends, won’t it be resolved?”
“Uhm…”
I raised both hands and approached cautiously. Then Stella changed her angle so that her hind legs were pointed towards me.
As soon as it got closer to 1 m away, it started kicking the ground. It is the will to attack if you get closer.
“Are you ready for a back kick?”
“This distance is enough. Come on!”
Artemis extends her white legs towards me. I held my wife’s feet like her treasure in front of Stella.
Side!
Kiss the beautiful insteps sincerely.
“Now, are you watching, Stella? “I love you so much, master.”
Purr!
Despite my appeals, they still look suspicious. As smart as he was, he was also suspicious.
Side! Side!
Only after expressing affection to Artemis’ ankles and legs as if serving a libation jar did Stella turn her head.
When I look up, I see the smiling face of Artemis.
“It feels like something was done to me.”
“It’s my mood.”
She looked very happy as she patted my shoulder with her foot.
* * *
Time goes by.
A colony of infectious agents that threatened people disappeared from the Korean Peninsula.
The food supply and demand problem, which was like a war, is gradually being resolved through farming in the granary area.
In this peace, I feel like time passes quickly as I spend today like yesterday and tomorrow like today.
The summer, which was hot enough to bake the world, ended and cool winds began to blow.
But the wind is not the only thing that comes down from Siberia.
Russians with bright eyes, or would it be better to call them Slavs now that the Russian government is gone?
One by one, they began crossing the former North Korean border.
The images were captured one after another by the high-magnification lens of the drone carrier launched for surveillance.
In Vladivostok, Russian merchants head to Polis by pulling carts or trucks.
The Russian hunters, who seem to have slowly grown fat, travel all the way to North Hamgyong Province in pursuit of their prey.
Russian explorers launching a boat and setting up camp on the Yalu River.
They were not a lump, but appeared in different circumstances. Sometimes they even pointed guns at each other and argued.
As expected, there was only one heterogeneous group.
The ridge of Gaema Plateau.
Three horses come over there, foaming at the mouth and on the verge of collapsing.
On top of the saddle of the lead horse is an unconscious man, with three huge scars on his back. Even thick winter clothes are torn and scarred in one go.
The two horses that followed behind him were also not in normal condition.
One had nothing on its back. Only one severed leg is hanging in the stirrup.
The other has a torn body hanging over her chest.
Looking at the dried blood on the wound, it seemed like she had died a long time ago.
Their death seemed to have started in the north, much further north.
