". . . Get your filthy hooves off me. I don't belong to you."
Donkey was pushing the traveler away.
"Go ahead and show us the sign."
"Yes, sir!"
We started following the traveler, going around the right side of the mountain.
What happened to Seraphine and Mortar? I remember seeing them spinning through the air and...
"I'll protect you. No demon will touch your breasts, Kaela."
"But you're touching them."
"Don't confuse me with inferior beings."
"Hey!"
That idiot is going to get lost running ahead of us.
Ah, today marks four days since I was reborn in this world.
"I hope you're not deceiving us. The last person who lied to me ended up as a carpet."
"For a donkey, you're pretty violent."
On my first day, after appearing in a stable, I encountered a naked god sitting on a toilet, looking like he had been beaten up and hadn't showered in two months. I believe even a homeless man would look better.
"I'm not a donkey. I'm a pure-blooded horse, sensitive to manual labor."
When he told me he was going to give me a new life, I celebrated, since my previous life didn't exactly have a good track record.
But...
"It's the first time I've heard a donkey claim to be a horse."
"I am Altus Pervertus, the venerable archmage of the hundredth and eighth celestial spheres!"
"Don't bite me!"
When that mongrel god said that, I saw a donkey laughing. At that moment, I understood what was happening.
Who could take a god sitting on a toilet reading hentai seriously?
And worst of all, he gave me this body.
"AAAAAHHHHRG!"
An enemy?
"Kaela, you stepped on Mortar's legs."
Ah, what a scare. I can't deal with another mess in such a short amount of time.
If there are body parts lying around here, Seraphine is probably nearby.
"We're here!"
What was that noise?
"Someone, please hold this donkey."
"Ploft!"
The traveler fell over.
"Never doubt my lineage again."
"Yes, sir!"
". . ."
"Thank you for helping me get back up. Where did you find this heartless beast?"
"You don't want to know."
I don't see any sign here, only this damn mountain.
"Sniff-sniff!"
"What are you doing, Lyra?"
"I'm trying to sniff out the sign."
Silence.
"Donkey, do you see any sign?"
"No."
My friends looked everywhere but couldn't find even a trace of the sign. There were only trees and rocks.
"Old man, you tricked us."
"Ow!"
"Ploft!"
I can't believe I would rather look for a sign that doesn't even exist than search for Seraphine.
"I've finished digging the hole."
"Hole?"
"To bury the body."
Good job, Lyra.
"Kaela."
"Donkey!"
Without a word being spoken, Donkey and Dorian understood what I wanted.
"Hee-haw! Hee-haw!"
Donkey scraped his hooves against the rocks as if sharpening a knife.
Lyra cleaned the dirt by spitting on it.
"It won't hurt at all."
The traveler's head was placed on a rock.
"For the sake of all horses who hate working, this is the end for you, old man..."
With one hoof, Donkey held the old man's head down while the other moved like a knife.
"Stop! Are you all blind?"
"Fff-fss!"
"Careful, Donkey. He's going to grab something."
I tried to stop him, tripped, and scraped my knees.
"Fff-fss!"
Leaves scattered...
I wanted it to be a lie.
I wanted all that effort we put into climbing the mountain not to have been for nothing.
It was there, written perfectly.
Word for word:
"Easiest path to the right."
". . ."
"Nooooo!"
We all screamed together, a symphony of pain and anguish that moved the entire forest.
Several animals appeared: lions, giraffes, squirrels, and birds, all coming to witness our suffering.
Dorian, who had only been paying attention to Mortar, stopped for a few seconds to wipe my tear with his shirt, which was torn and soaked in sweat.
Thank you.
Our outrage wasn't because the sign existed.
"Hahaha, I told you the sign was here."
You bastard!
Our outrage was because the sign was the size of a...
"Bar of soap!"
"You can kill him."
"PAF!"
"AAAAH, stop!"
"How did you expect us to see something that small?"
I can't believe there really was a sign.
"Bite him, Donkey."
"Chomp!"
"Aaaaah!"
Nice bite.
"How dare you force all my brothers to pull a cart?"
"What? I only know you, you compassionless beast."
"PAF!"
"Oww!"
Lyra kicked the old man in the groin.
Ouch. That must have hurt.
Today, I learned an important lesson: never irritate Donkey.
". . ."
"Pant... Forgive me, and thank you for sparing my miserable life."
I have nothing to do with this.
"Are you comfortable?"
"Yes, Dorian."
"My friend, if you want something to drink or eat, just ask me."
"Okay!"
This is barbaric.
"Donkey, I've already hung the sign on this demon."
I don't know where to hide from the embarrassment I'm feeling.
"Now, forward! Take me to Asterium."
"Yes, sir!"
The roles had been reversed.
One day you're the hunter, the next you're the hunted.
But this time, someone was carrying Donkey on their back.
It was a completely disturbing sight...
"Kaela, I managed to find all of Mortar's body parts."
Then let's go. I never want to see this place again.
". . ."
"Who is the pure-blooded horse?"
"You!"
They shouted!
"Who is the smartest?"
"You!"
They cheered!
Then, let us sing...
"The greatest horse in this land, he doesn't like to work. Those who force him are severely punished."
"Yeah! Yeah!"
"Don't wake him before noon because he needs plenty of rest."
"Yeah, yeah!"
What an embarrassment.
A woman passing nearby with a child whispered:
"Look, Mom. How funny. A man carrying a donkey on his back."
"I'm sorry!"
The closer we got to the city, the more people watched the arrival of the lunatics.
"Who are those people? Are they from some circus?"
"I'm sorry!"
The animals in the city ran away in fear, especially the dogs.
"Kaela!"
"What is it, Donkey?"
"Please, give my donkey some grass."
"I'm not an animal!"
We're attracting way too much attention.
People started following us.
Every time I looked back, they looked away.
What will happen to us when we reach the city?
"Mortar, my love, have you seen Seraphine?"
That's right. I forgot...
Suddenly, I saw Seraphine sitting on a bench, eating.
"What are you doing here? We've been looking for you."
I'm sorry, Seraphine, for leaving you alone.
"I was thrown far away and started heading toward the city, so I found this food in the trash and stopped to eat."
I'm sorry, Seraphine...
"Why is Donkey sitting on that animal?"
"It's a long story. I'll tell you later."
And that's how we reached the city gates.
A crowd followed us all the way to the entrance.
Many people watched us through the windows of their houses...
"Lyra!"
"Yes."
"Crack!"
"Aaaaaah, my back!"
I'm sorry!