Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 46 - Departing Once More

"Well then, we're off."

"Mm! When you get to the guild over there, remember to write and let us know you arrived safely."

"Got it."

Early that morning, I said my farewells to Paul.

As for why Aisha and Eris weren't there, I honestly have no idea.

Aisha woke up and immediately dragged Eris off to retrieve the carriage we'd left behind. The public safety in this country really is something else.

Maybe settling down here after we find Mother wouldn't be so bad.

......

Outside the city gates, Aisha and Eris were already waiting on the carriage.

"Brother! Over here~"

Aisha waved at me from the driver's bench.

When I reached the carriage, Eris had apparently fallen asleep — she'd woken up too early and just knocked out on the spot.

"Aisha, why don't you get some sleep too?"

"Mm~ I'm not sleepy. I want to keep Brother company for a while."

She said it quietly, then lay down right in my lap.

"Mmh? Won't this make it hard for me to handle the reins?"

"No way! It's very well-behaved. Even if Brother doesn't steer, it'll stay on course by itself. When I went to get it this morning, it recognized me right away."

"Is that so? Quite perceptive for a horse."

"Yeah! So I gave it a name. Want to hear it?"

"Not really."

"Brother really knows how to kill the mood! Its name is Domi!"

Domi. That's exactly the kind of pet name you'd give something back in my previous life.

"Mm... why that name? Shouldn't a horse's name be a little more imposing?"

"Domi's not going to war~ And it's pretty small anyway."

I took a closer look. It really wasn't that big.

Come to think of it — is this a pony? We used a pony to pull the carriage? I was in such a rush when we bought it that I never bothered to check.

"So, is there a story behind the name?"

"I just thought it works so hard... And Brother's going to sell it once we reach our destination, right? I hope that with its next owner, it can eat lots and lots of food and stay just as healthy as it is now."

What a sweet reason.

I thought about it for a moment. I would indeed have to sell Domi before heading to the Red Dragon's Lower Jaw. It's too cold there, and red dragons pass through the skies without warning. Bringing something like a horse would be asking for trouble.

But selling it outright... mm. That felt too cruel to say out loud.

Come to think of it, didn't some places offer horse-delivery services? I was pretty sure you only needed to pay the round-trip fee.

Domi couldn't come to the Red Dragon's Lower Jaw directly, but it could take a different route — an extremely long one, but still.

I reached out and patted Aisha on the head.

"I won't sell it. When the time comes, I'll find a good horse market and board Domi there. Once we've settled down, I'll have it brought over."

"Really!?"

"When have I ever lied to Aisha?"

"Brother clearly wasn't planning on bringing me along just yesterday!"

Aisha puffed her cheeks and threw a straight punch at the sky from her spot in my lap.

"But I still brought you, didn't I? So it doesn't count as a lie."

"Eh~ Brother has an excuse for everything."

"It's not an excuse. It's just the truth."

I was just about to form my hands into fists and grind them against her temples when she sat up from my lap.

"Domi, did you hear that? Brother says he'll bring you to wherever we end up settling down."

Domi's ears perked straight up. Then it whinnied twice.

Watching that, I found myself wondering if horses in this world were a little different. They seemed... surprisingly smart.

Then again, I'd never really studied horses in my previous life either. They'd been one of humanity's most important companions throughout history, so their intelligence probably wasn't as low as I'd assumed.

"Brother, look at this!"

I turned. Aisha was holding up a bag of carrots.

"Those aren't great eaten raw, you know."

"As if I'd eat them! They're for Domi. I noticed it seems to prefer carrots over grass."

"Isn't that a bit unhealthy?"

"Brother's so naggy."

Eh? That counted as naggy?

I shut my mouth.

I watched as Aisha climbed onto Domi's back and fed it carrots one by one. When the bag was empty, she hopped off and settled back in beside me.

She leaned against me like that for a full hour. Her state reminded me exactly of how I used to be in class in my previous life, clearly so drowsy her head could drop at any moment, yet stubbornly refusing to go under.

Mildly entertained, I watched her. Curious how long she'd last.

About five more minutes passed. Then Aisha muttered, half-asleep:

"Brother... I'm sleepy~"

"Then sleep. You really did wake up way too early."

"Mm~ Okay, I'm sleeping."

She said that, and lay down in my lap.

I smiled despite myself.

Lively, cute, clever, and full of compassion. Truly a perfect little sister.

Full of compassion, huh.

➤ Next: Turning Point