Chapter 50: Lesson One
Chapter 50: Lesson One
It was evening, the sky painted with a reddish-orange hue.
The air felt chilly as the trio stood at the entrance of the palace, waiting for their carriage to arrive.
They had already said their goodbyes to the princess and the queen.
Kaisen was in high spirits.
He had promised the princess that he would return and bring her a souvenir from their travels, although she vehemently opposed the idea, insisting he shouldn't come back at all.
He knew that meant she was secretly longing for his company.
"Man, we really are stuck here, aren't we? The maintenance or bugs or whatever it is fucked us over greatly. How long till they fix it."
Llyod shook his head, looking up at the evening sky, the wind caressing his short brown hair.
"I have a feeling it won't be soon."
Alice stated, looking down, her hand behind her back.
"Well, at least we get to explore the world. And it's not like we'll die in real life if we die here, right? I mean, we're just unconscious."
Lloyd stated optimistically, gazing at the horizon.
"I highly doubt that. There's something wrong with the game. I mean, there are beings from other worlds who have the same game with slightly different lore. Like..."
Kaisen interjected, his tone tinged with uncertainty.
Despite enjoying his time here and having everything he wished for in his life, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
"Like beings from other worlds. Another freaking world? Can you believe it? This game is how we discovered there are aliens living outside our world."
Kaisen exclaimed, frustration evident in his voice as he kicked a small rock, watching it tumble across the ground.
"Yeah, aliens with their own cultures and societies."
Lloyd added, shaking his head in disbelief.
Alice remained silent, lost in thought.
"Hey, aren't Maximus and Sable late or something?"
Lloyd asked, as if the thought had just occurred to him.
Suddenly, as if on cue, hooves thundered behind the trio, and they turned to see black stallions racing towards them... but without any carriages in sight.
"Where's the other half?" Alice asked, shading her eyes with her hand to see more clearly.
Maximus and Sable rode on two stallions, both of them clad in full cloaks that covered them from head to toe.
Kaisen couldn't even catch a glimpse of Sable's boobies bouncing up and down while riding, thanks to the loose cloak.
Behind them, about five smaller stallions, most likely horses, trotted along, following their lead.
"Hey, don't tell me..."
Kaisen's voice trailed off, a sense of foreboding washing over him as he watched the cinematic scene unfold.
The black horses thundered towards them, their riders clad in full cloaks, while the setting sun cast a dramatic glow behind them.
A moment later, Sable's stallion lifted its legs and let out a loud neigh before coming to a stop in front of them.
"Hop on, kids, let's take a ride through the fields and enjoy the beautiful evening."
Sable said, as if she really expected them to know how to ride a horse.
The trio just stared at her and the horses, the stallion Sable was riding appearing larger and more majestic than the rest, with its powerful muscles and legs.
Just one kick from it could send Kaisen to five months of bed rest.
He gulped nervously, feeling a sudden rush of anxiety.
"Ah, between you and me and these kids, somebody seems scared, and I know it ain't us, honey."
Maximus chuckled, observing the children staring at the horses with awe.
"Ara ara... looks like it's true, honey. Are you scared of little horses, kids?"
Sable mocked, leaning forward and resting her arms on the saddle.
"W-what are you talking about, Sable-san?"
Lloyd asked, puffing out his chest in an attempt to look brave.
With a swagger in his step, he sauntered over to a pale brown horse standing behind the knights.
His companions watched with bated breath, their eyes wide with anticipation.
As Lloyd approached the horse, he tried to maintain his cool demeanor, but his nervousness was evident in the way his hands shook slightly.
The horse, sensing his unease, snorted and began to prance around, its eyes locked onto Lloyd's every move.
"This will be interesting. By the way, this will be your first lesson, kids."
Maximus said, twirling his mustache mischievously as he steered the stallion to get a better view of Lloyd.
"First lesson on horse riding: Don't let fear take the reins. When a horse senses your fear, it'll react accordingly."
Sable instructed, her voice authoritative yet reassuring.
She guided the stallion around and leaned more into the saddle.
This time, however, Kaisen couldn't help but notice the fabric of her cloak stretching under her, accentuating the curves of her buttocks.
'Noice.'
The moment she said that, the brown horse kicked Lloyd with its back leg, sending him flying several feet away before landing in the mud with a resounding splat.
"Oops."
Sable commented nonchalantly, not even flinching to help poor Lloyd.
Maximus, on the other hand, laughed maniacally at the fall, as if he hadn't seen such a sight in years.
Both Alice and Kaisen looked at each other, their eyes wide with shock, and gulped nervously.
"Next."
Sable announced, whipping her head towards the duo, her smile taking on a seductive edge beneath her cloak.
"Oh, shit."
Kaisen muttered under his breath, feeling the weight of Sable's gaze on him.
"Haha, come on, Kaisen-kun, you've got this."
Alice encouraged, giving Kaisen's shoulder a reassuring pat.
Kaisen responded with a look that clearly conveyed his exasperation: "Why me?"
"Fuck you, Alice-san."
Kaisen cursed under his breath before striding towards another horse.
This time, a black one.
Not as majestic as the stallions, nor as imposing in size.
'Dammit.'
The horse glared at him, its dark eyes drilling into Kaisen's soul as it squared up, clearly wary of his approach.
Taking a deep breath, Kaisen slowly extended his arm towards the horse, adopting a non-threatening posture.
"Come on, horsey. Come to papa. Aren't you a good girl?"
He cooed softly, coaxing the horse with gentle words as he extended his hand further.
However, the horse only squared up more, its demeanor still guarded.
'Fuck me.'
Suddenly, Kaisen's mind conjured images of the horse charging at him like a bull, trampling him under its hooves.
Ignoring the nagging fear, he continued to coax the horse.
"Come on, horsey, papa won't hurt you."