kscans

Chapter 32 - The Fleeing Horse and the Rider Mage

Being on horseback was higher than I expected. And up here were Cecily, holding the reins, and me, clinging to her.

"Make sure you hold on tight!"

Cecily shouted. I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind and held on for dear life. We were chasing after a runaway horse, galloping down a narrow path in the forest. We were moving at a considerable speed. The approaching trees were terrifying. It felt like a branch was going to poke my eye out.

"Y-You're too stiff. It's hard to move. Relax a little more and match my movements, but don't let go."

I knew that, but scary is scary. As we entered a corner, the centrifugal force nearly threw me off, and I hugged her even tighter.

"Honestly!"

"This is way too hard for a beginner!"

"It got scared and ran because you kept thinking 'I'm scared, I'm scared.' Your feelings were transmitted to it. ...Anyway, could you loosen up a bit? You know, in times like these, there's supposed to be a happening where you accidentally touch my boobs or something."

Cecily glanced back at me with a provocative smile. So, she wanted me to distract myself with lewd thoughts. I see. I lifted Cecily's robe and grabbed a firm handful of her crotch. I'd expected to feel her underwear, but she was wearing shorts.

"Gah! Where are you touching?! I can't concentrate! Go for the chest, do the chest!"

"You need to make a sexier sound than that! And how dare you deceive an innocent young boy! It's cheating to wear shorts under a robe!"

"Huh? You filthy old man! If I didn't wear shorts when riding, you'd see my underwear! Now get your hands off me, quick!"

Cecily yelled. I didn't want her to make a mistake steering, so I reluctantly gave up on her crotch and let my hands wander up to her chest.

"Hmm? Where are the boobs?"

I groped around.

"You little... But hey, you've loosened up. Good job. Don't forget this feeling when you're riding alone!"

She sped up even more. It looked like we were about to catch up to the runaway horse. It was terrifying, but I endured it thanks to Cecily's soft... assets. While I was at it, I wanted to confirm the location of her nipples. If I could make them hard, I probably wouldn't forget. But before I could locate them, the horse ahead gave up its escape and stopped. Unfortunately, the erotic—I mean, terrifying—chase was over. The reason I ended up on a horse in the first place dates back to this morning's breakfast.

We were eating breakfast. Bread and sausage, grilled tomatoes, beans, and a wild salad made of torn vegetables mixed together. Every morning, it was served on a single plate. I didn't know what kind of beans they were. They were simmered in a ketchup-colored soup, but it tasted salty, not like ketchup. Gathered around the table, starting from me and going clockwise, were Famu, Myra, Aira, Cecily, and Mizuki. It was my ideal setup, but being surrounded by this many women made me nervous.

"Are we going to the dungeon again today?"

Famu asked.

"Yeah, probably..."

"What about shopping?"

Mizuki chimed in.

"Yeah, probably..."

"A day off?"

Mizuki again.

"Yeah, probably..."

"Are you not feeling well?"

Myra looked at me with concern.

"A dungeon, huh... well, that's fine, I guess,"

Cecily said.

"Is there something you'd like to do?"

Myra asked.

"We're going to be escorting a caravan, right? Can you all ride horses?"

I see. Since we'd be guarding a wagon train, there would be opportunities to interact with horses. Myra shook her head. She looked around, and Famu shook her head too. So, Famu, Myra, and I were the novices.

"Mizuki, do you have any experience?"

"Yeah, but only a few times at a riding experience thing in elementary school, so please count me as a beginner."

She must have been quite the young lady. I'll have to ask her to do a rich-girl roleplay sometime.

"Actually, I had a chance to practice a little in my village. I don't remember much anymore,"

Famu said.

"I'm... not very confident either,"

Aira added.

"Is there any point in practicing now?"

Mizuki asked.

"Probably not. But if you learn the basics, you can get used to it while we travel, right?"

"Mash, what do you want to do?"

"Yeah, probably..."

"...Hey, Mash!"

Mizuki was getting angry.

"Sorry. Including today, we have four days left in this city. We need to practice fighting as a group of six, go shopping, take a day off, and... horseback riding? Is there a place that teaches it?"

"Let's visit a knight I know. It'll be faster if you come too, Mash,"

Myra said.

"Alright. Today, horseback riding if possible. Tomorrow, shopping. The day after, the dungeon. And then a day off."

Everyone nodded in agreement with my words.

We all descended upon Myra's acquaintance, the knight. He was an old, retired knight. He seemed to be a devout follower of Laciel, because as soon as he saw my face, he arranged for an instructor and horses for us. We ended up practicing at a ranch on the north side of the city. Renting horses and getting lessons for a day must have been expensive. I had Myra ask, but he said he wouldn't accept any money. Things like this make me extremely uncomfortable. I'm sure we were being a nuisance. While I was thinking about that, they announced that Cecily would be my instructor. I didn't like the idea of being made fun of by her. But I couldn't say that to her face when she was so eager. I tried to decline, saying Famu could teach me, but she shot me down with a single, "Are you an idiot?"

And so, while we were practicing, my horse jumped the fence and ran off. It effortlessly cleared a fence as tall as a person. Seeing that up close made me even more scared of horses. Someone had to ride back with it to bring it home, so Cecily and I ended up chasing it on a single horse. And that brings us to the present.

"I'm telling you, you're just too scared."

This was the line Cecily had been repeating all day. There's an old ditty that goes, "The one who gets in the way of love's path gets kicked by a horse and dies."

I, who had interfered with Reed and Cecily's love path, might just get kicked to death.

"Your profession is actually the most suited for horseback riding, you know."

"Is that so?"

I didn't understand what she meant.

"...You really don't know anything, do you? My Mage class gets a large positive bonus to magic power. Mizuki's Swordsman class gets a positive bonus to swordsmanship, and so on. In exchange, other stats get a negative bonus. The higher your level, the stronger that effect becomes."

"I see. So there are 'bonuses'."

So a profession was a system that applied bonuses suited to that profession to a person's abilities. If that's the case, then one's base abilities become very important. Famu and Mizuki are young, so they'll grow, but wouldn't this system be harsh for the elderly? If your base stats suck, no amount of bonuses will matter. Or rather, they'll have less effect.

"Adventurer is pretty special. It gets a positive bonus to all stats. It's not a huge one, though."

"So, what happens if your first profession is Mage and your second is Swordsman?"

"The first profession's bonus is applied more strongly. The second and subsequent professions seem to get a small positive bonus. The Adventurer's bonus doesn't seem to apply, though."

"...I see."

"It's not 'I see'! You're an Adventurer, so your riding ability is boosted too!"

"Even if you say that..."

Scary is scary, and if my base skill is zero, it's going to stay zero no matter how many levels I gain.

"Oh, for goodness' sake. Just think of it as Mizuki."

"This thing is Mizuki?"

"Yup. A nice, pretty butt, isn't it cute?"

Cecily patted the chestnut horse's flank.

"I see, Mizuki!"

I am the man who tamed the wild horse Mizuki. If Mizuki is my opponent, I have confidence. Thinking that, its big, round eyes started to look cute.

"Okay, try getting on."

"Yeah..."

I mounted more smoothly than I had during practice at the ranch.

"Well then, since we're here, let's go to the pond up ahead. It shouldn't take long from here."

"Alright, let's go, Mizuki!"

I called the horse's name.

"That's a bit..."

Cecily, who had suggested it, looked completely taken aback.

I rode Mizuki—I mean, the horse—and headed for the pond. The forest path continued north. Now, I could make it trot lightly, walk slowly, and turn left and right as I pleased. The wind I felt at different speeds was pleasant. Cecily rode up alongside me.

"I thought you were a lost cause, but I'm glad you learned faster than I expected."

"It's thanks to your advice, Cecily. I was able to befriend Mizuki—I mean, the horse."

"I can't believe advice like that actually worked... Mizuki did tell me about some pervy old guy..."

Cecily muttered.

"Are you really sure about going to Miglutt?"

"Yeah. I knew I'd have to part with Reed eventually, so I think now was a good time."

"Why's that?"

"You know, right? He's a noble. I'm just a commoner. He'll eventually return to high society. We can't be together. He tried to hide the fact that he has a fiancée, but I already knew. Aira seriously thinks they can get married, but I was already over it."

"You're a slave now, you know,"

I pointed out, just in case.

"Ugh."

The walls between social classes in this world are high.

"I was the first one he dated, you know."

"Really? Did you meet Aira later?"

Cecily shook her head.

"The opposite. Aira and I have always been friends. We met Reed while exploring a dungeon. At the time, Aira had another boyfriend. While he was dating me, he started making moves on her behind my back."

What a tangled mess. A classic pretty-boy move. A guy like that deserves to be locked up.

"He must have a lot of stamina..."

"Huh? You mean at night? He was taking stamina enhancers."

"Seriously?! They have that stuff?! Does it make you gush?!"

"...It just turns one round into two, at best. You can make it from monster drops on the 12th floor. Want me to make you some?"

"You have a compounding skill?"

"Yeah, my second profession is Apothecary, level 10. I used to help my parents all the time when I was a kid. So, you want some?"

"Are there any side effects?"

"Never heard of any. But maybe he took too much and ended up like... that."

"Please!"

I pumped my fist mentally. With this, I'll be fine even if Myra comes. I'd had a negative impression of Cecily, but now I loved her. I felt terrible for saying she had no boobs. I am a man who dearly loves small chests.

"I can also make aphrodisiacs for girls, you know."

"...You've lived a decadent life, haven't you?"

"Wh-what! I only made them because people asked me to, because it made money! And for the record, I've only ever been with one person!"

I was curious, but I didn't want to hear it. So Reed had taken her first. What a shame.

"Is it the same for Aira?"

I didn't want to know, but I asked anyway. Just to be sure.

"I don't know, but probably three... no, four people. All of them were people I fell for..."

Aira seemed like she'd have less experience. I guess no one can resist the gravitational pull of big boobs.

"Do you always fall for the same guy and fight over him?"

Are they constantly waging fierce battles over boyfriends? See, I told you it was decadent.

"I'd fall for someone, and when I'd tell Aira about it, the next thing I knew, she'd be dating him."

"And you let that happen?! How can you still be friends?!"

"Yeah, whatever. We fight about it at the time, though."

I don't know about 'whatever'.

"...Are you two really friends? Should I get you separate rooms at the inn?"

My approval rating for Cecily was on the rise.

"We don't need to. I don't think it's a good idea to leave her alone right now."

Cecily shook her head. Maybe she was just a naturally caring person. It seemed they had a bond that only the two of them could understand.

"So, you want the aphrodisiac?"

"I don't need that one."

It was tempting, but I'm the type who prefers to enjoy genuine reactions.

"Right. I hear they can be addictive and have side effects, too."

Is it like a drug? I wonder if they're regulated.

"Have you ever used it?"

"I've had it used on me a few times. It's definitely habit-forming."

I see. Cecily really is a lewd one.

"I want to go to Miglutt and relearn magic."

"Can't you just level up in dungeons instead of going to school?"

"Even if you can use magic, it's useless if you don't know the basic techniques, applications, and combinations. The effects are completely different."

Come to think of it, the beginner magic for Adventurers was like that too. At first, I thought it was garbage.

"True. Fire magic is useless."

"Huh? Fire magic is supreme. You can just roast all the monsters! Earth magic is the useless one!"

"What did you say?! I'll launch a rock sphere at you!"

"Hey! We're on horseback! You're a beginner, so focus!"

She scolded me. She had a point. I gripped the reins again.

"Listen. During this caravan escort, you are absolutely forbidden from using magic, a bow, or a sword while on horseback. You're a beginner. You'll just fall off and cause trouble for everyone."

"Got it. Sorry."

Cecily was right.

"Hmph. Your willingness to apologize is commendable."

Cecily struck a teacher-like pose and smiled.

"Miglutt has a big academy. I'll be older than the other students, but they have a general division too."

I see, so institutions like that exist. I'd love to headhunt some horny mages.