Chapter 47
Chapter 47
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Chasing the Ability Thief #04
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...Haa."
Eating the steak and pasta I'd brought back to my room for dinner, I let out a long sigh.
Shaomei had bought me a premium full-course meal, insisting I needed something hearty to recharge, but it just wouldn't go down. Was I thinking too much?
'I did put off the talk with Violet for later...'
Shaomei had seen my hair starting to thin and promised to speak with Princess Agnes ahead of time, telling me not to worry and to postpone my appointment with Violet. That obvious act of gentle consideration only stabbed at my heart even deeper.
"Why the endless sighing? If you're not gonna eat it, this one will gladly take it off your hands!"
Unicorn, munching beside me, couldn't read the mood and was already eyeing my meat before she'd even finished chewing her own.
"Touch one piece of my meat, and I'll tan your ass like a drum. Your call."
"Eek! As expected of a filthy non-virgin, lusting after this one's body! Should've worn something thicker if I'd known! This one can't become a bicorn!"
I stared pitifully at Unicorn as she flinched and clutched her chest. She'd picked out that thin t-shirt herself—why blame me?
"Not stopping you, so go change right now. Don't, and you're out of the room."
"Y-You're really kicking me out? Thick clothes are hot! This island's too humid and sweltering for a noble divine beast like this one!"
My head throbbed at the white chimp in human form. Worse, I was getting used to these headaches, which pissed me off even more.
"Just shut up and eat. One more word about non-virgins, and I'll really spank you."
At my icy warning, Unicorn finally nodded excessively and started meekly shoving meat into her mouth.
'Keep that mouth shut, and she'd make a fine decorative pet. But open it...'
Her mysteriously shimmering hair—like it was dyed with the Milky Way—was too eye-catching, so I'd made her change it to white first. Still, I kinda liked those starlit strands. Maybe because I enjoyed stargazing back in my old life?
Her healthy, glamorous figure would be a total asset if she weren't Unicorn. When I'd first paraded her around as my servant, the guys' reactions—and Jorba's—had been quite the sight. Jorba flirting? Priceless.
Of course, I'd had to embellish for Jorba: she was really a student council plant keeping an eye on me. Agnes had even forged an official document to fool the guy who knew my situation inside out, and it worked.
"Hey, Unicorn. Don't you usually polymorph into a little kid form?"
The Unicorn I remembered had an even more infuriating loli look. This was an early-twenties beauty; back then, it was barely-teens brat territory.
"Mmgh... gulp. How do you know that?"
Unicorn tilted her head curiously after swallowing a carrot.
Of course I shouldn't know in this timeline. But...
"Didn't you hear me and the kids talking about memory regression?"
Last time with Kaiyen, she'd been right there chugging carrot juice. What was this now?
"This one knows nothing of that! Last time was just fun people-watching a spat! Ow! Why hit?!"
"Call it extreme medicine for a low-focus unicorn."
Flicking her forehead made her crumple, face scrunched in tears. Seeing that always lifted my spirits.
"Anyway, the kid form's what our unicorn clan shows contractors. Ancient tradition!"
"Tradition? Why turn into a kid?"
First I'd heard of it. Why hadn't she told me, her contractor?
"Contractors see our beautiful forms and demand sex or fall in love! Elders made the rule after too many unicorns fell to mortal flings, turning bicorn."
I was speechless at the shocking reason. Unicorn sex? What the hell?
"Contractors wanting to fuck a horned horse? They into bestiality or just desperate?"
Most unicorns bonded with elves, and elves weren't beast-fuckers, were they?
"Horned horse?! Unicorns possess divine power and noble dignity beyond such crass words! Virgin humans especially can't appreciate our subtle charms—that's why this one hates them!"
Unicorn ranted for fifteen minutes on unicorn allure while I stuffed steak in my mouth. Hard to relate.
'Divine power and mana aside, the glowing white mane and curly tail hair as selling points?'
Fuck, anyone into that has issues. Her human form's just pretty, so they slapped on excuses.
Elves here were beauty-obsessed. In round two, Kaiyen and I infiltrated elf lands; I got a pass as unicorn contractor, but he got one for being "too handsome."
Yeah, I remembered them saying my frame looked immature—not their taste. Definitely polymorphing young to fend off elf pervs.
"No tail now, but wag it prettily like this, and divine beasts would swoon and propose!"
Mid-rant, Unicorn dropped to all fours, shaking her ass in demo. Like an AV actress begging for doggy straight out of my old world.
My little Arthin stayed dormant, naturally. Plenty of good women out there—pride wouldn't let me get horny for Unicorn, human form or not. Maybe a full aphrodisiac shot...
"Enough. Clean up and eat."
"Eek! Have you no kindness?!"
I booted her plump ass and pulled out my portable alchemy kit at the desk.
"Ow... What's that? Magic tools?"
"Gotta catch a thief. Making polymorph-release potion."
"What? You can make something that advanced? Liar! Can't even do hair growth!"
Fuck. Hair again? Another smack?
"...Shut up and go play. Need to focus."
I shooed her away, lit the lamp, and unpacked alchemy ingredients from the shopping trip with Shaomei.
This polymorph-release solution was advanced—seventh-level alchemist stuff. Time to concentrate.
I slapped both cheeks and started prepping materials.
Even for me, whipping up advanced potions in a basic kit wasn't easy. Off by 0.1 grams or three degrees boil temp, and it'd be fancy trash.
Everything from prep to simmering had to be under my control. Good thing it was my strong suit. The feel for advanced alchemy I'd practiced thousands of times lingered in my regressions.
Slice. Slice.
"Mandragora root? Nicely acquired."
"..."
I'd told her to leave, but Unicorn hovered, watching intently.
Ignore her. Just watching's fine.
"Peel it like that?"
"Mana cling trimmed that way? Sure?"
"Basilisk core? As vassal to the prairie king, how..."
"That branch turns orange when boiled? Mistake?"
"Mandragora not peeled like that, right...?"
"Heard frostwind herb good for hair loss."
"I! Said! Be! Quiet!!"
"Ow! Hurts! Stop! Stop hitting!"
I paddled her backseat till it blazed—even a divine beast would feel it, mana-infused with pain-spread technique. After twenty, she slumped over my lap.
"Huff... huff... You piss me off."
How could she backseat for twenty straight minutes? Teeth grinding. I tossed her onto the bunk bed, returned, cooled off, and began simmering the prepped ingredients one by one.
Not mad about the hair loss bit, for the record. Frostwind herb's useless—I tried it.
"...Fuck."
My heart just ached.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Deep into the night, when faint predawn moonlight hid behind storm clouds.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
Claws raking bark relentlessly—a frail human boy's nails peeled away, replaced by sharp black beast talons. He peered intently through a window.
"Hee hee, hee, 2 a.m. and still up? Studying hard? Hardworking boy-clothes girl. Can't hold back. Kee hee."
From a tall tree a bit away from Bronze Dorm, the ghoul had been spying on Arthin Ludwig's room since evening.
"What's with the white girl? Huge tits, pretty... Roomie?"
The ghoul suddenly recalled his blond roommate. Name escaped him, but the boy with tender flesh had smiled warmly even at his gleaming eyes. He'd held back to hide his nature, but the urge to chew that meat was rising.
"Devour Arthin... devour the white girl... both in front of my roomie."
What faces would they make? Scream for mom in terror?
"Hoo, hold it... Strike when they sleep. Savories taste best savored slow..."
Once the room light died, it wouldn't be too late. Otherwise, all this restraint wasted, the ghoul reminded himself, suppressing desire.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The clawing grew louder.