YLTESCIA: A Reincarnator's Tale in the Lands of Merusia (3)

Chapter 480: Conquering Fears (pt. I)

It was a beautiful morning, the sun rising over the horizon and the clouds drifting ever so slowly. The tiny birds zoomed through the city, perching on the roofs and tweeting a couple of times before flapping their little wings once again.

Everyone was busy and occupied with their daily work, some just going to bed after working all night and crunching through the hours. The morning may be noisy, but they just want to drift to dreamland, sleeping like a log soon after.

As for our main characters... Well, they are a different story... It was still early in the morning, yet they were already exhausted and stressed out, walking sluggishly along the streets and groaning ever so subtly as they took their steps.

"Uuu... Are we really doing this... I hate it..." ［Yuna］

"Well, we have no other choice. We did make a promise." ［Grey］

"Uuu... I just wanna go back to bed and sleep all day. Let's just cuddle." ［Yuna］

"I'd also love that, but we can't be having that, My Dear. Look, we're almost there already. It would be a shame to turn back now, wouldn't it?" ［Grey］

"Fine... Let's just get this over with..." ［Yuna］

The reason for such was the promise they made with the children already. They are to learn horseback riding and sign up for the horse racing competition later on. Though, there is a qualifier round beforehand, so they might lose even then.

They said it in the spur of the moment and prompted by the children's pleas, but a promise is still a promise nonetheless. Just remembering how sparkly and excited their eyes were is enough to make them choke.

"Can't we just join the race without horses? We're much faster, right? We're also more agile! That should amount to something, right?!" ［Yuna］

"Yuna, don't be unreasonable. It's called a horse race for a reason." ［Grey］

"Tch. I hate how sensible you are sometimes, Grey." ［Yuna］

"And I love you very much, My Dear. Now, stop pouting and head inside. The earlier we head inside, the earlier we finish. Let's quickly get this over with." ［Grey］

Neither Grey and Yuna have good memories with horses, and neither really wants to see the stables once again, and yet, here they are, standing before the place where all nightmares began... They just don't want to see the children dejected.

With no other choice left, Grey and Yuna soon entered the stables, and sure enough, a large open area greeted them. It wasn't a race course to say the least, but it was spacious enough to have a few horses trot and gallop around.

The horses themselves are resting in their own horse pens and chewing on some hay. There were all sorts of colors and patterns on their hides, their manes looking smooth and silky, only showing how much the workers cared for them.

There also weren't just horses from the stables, but also some rare breeds from the people who arrived yesterday. It seems like the stables are offering a rental service for their pens and taking care of their customers' horses for them.

"Hohoho! I didn't think I'd meet you here, Your Highnesses." ［???］

"Oh, good morning, Mister Logan. We're here to rent some horses." ［Grey］

"I did hear from His Excellency. You are learning to ride horses, yes?" ［Logan］

"Well... One thing led to another, and now we have to try and enter the competition. Though, we might not even get past the qualifiers." ［Grey］

"That's quite the high hurdle, isn't it?" ［Logan］

Grey and Yuna were greeted by a man in his early forties. He was short and wide, looking quite adorable with his bouncy cheeks and his gentle voice. He was the owner of the stables and also a knowledgeable man about horses.