To the Bicorn Sanctuary
Following Veronica, I left the village as dawn broke across the sky. Our destination was Quartgonia, the ancient underground city that lay beyond the sea after riding the teleportation circle in the Forest of the Sacred Tree.
The magic circle remains open for roughly one hour. Veronica spoke while running through the forest in her divine form. Accounting for the time difference, the total should be around two hours. I will handle the explanation regarding the curse removal. You need only select and take whatever catches your eye.
“That works. Two hours is still pretty tight, though.”
What of it? There is no need for haste. The sanctuary itself lies where the circle is inscribed.
“Oh. That’s a relief to hear.”
If it took two full hours just to browse and leave, it would have made more sense to explain the situation and come back another time. We ran hard until the trees of the Sacred Forest closed around us. In a place that had been dead silent during the night, a glowing magic circle now floated above the ground.
So this is the trace of that gray horse.
The eight-legged gray stallion I had seen in my dreams—Sleipnir—came to mind. He had acted with maximum politeness and familiarity, which somehow made him feel less majestic. But seeing the circle directly gave me an entirely different impression.
Isn’t this some insanely high-tier magic?
The patterns engraved into the earth carried a solemn weight that could impress even someone like me, who had zero romanticism about magic circles. The same way even an atheist can’t help but stand in awe inside the Vatican’s great cathedral.
Veronica ran her fingers across the glowing lines. It is now within the operable window. You did bring the imperial seal, yes?
“That’s the tenth time you’ve said that.”
It is only the sixth.
“Ugh… Whatever. I heard people from Germania have no sense of humor, and damn if it isn’t true.”
I pulled out the ogre relic while grumbling about national stereotypes. I had meant to hand it to Veronica so she could activate the circle, but a sudden worry stopped me.
“Hold on. The mana stored in these runes won’t get consumed for the teleportation, right?”
The mana within runes is not consumable. Saying so is no different from claiming one boils soup with oil.
“Then we’re good. Go ahead.”
Reassured, I watched as Veronica took the relic and poured mana into the circle. After several minutes her tightly pursed lips finally parted.
Observing it calmly, I understand. Nine runes’ worth of ancient god mana is the precise requirement to meet the circle’s activation conditions.
“How many did the ogre have?”
Roughly six, I believe? The ones it used against us were only half of its total. Even I possess few runes I can wield in actual combat. In any case, the mana contained in this relic should be more than sufficient for a round trip.
A low, resonant hum rose from the relic as mana surged out and poured into the circle. Once it had absorbed enough, the entire formation blazed with a clear, moonlight glow. Veronica returned the relic.
Mount me. And take care not to fall.
It sounded like the warning you’d hear before riding a roller coaster, yet there was nothing fun about this magic circle. A flash of light, the scenery changed, and that was all. Perhaps because of the sophistication of the spellwork, I didn’t feel the disorienting lurch I had experienced inside the Underground Tower.
The place called the Bicorn Sanctuary looked exactly like the grasslands I had seen in my dreams, with a dense forest visible far in the distance. I actually wondered for a second if the teleportation had succeeded.
Veronica!
There was no need for doubt. The instant I appeared, four men and women standing near the circle cried out her name. When I reflexively looked their way, they flared with light and transformed into horses at an absurd speed.
Umm! That one is human!
Bringing a human into the sanctuary—he must be the one Veronica spoke of? I still cannot believe… Wait, Veronica. Why have you not changed into horse form with a human standing right beside you?
Did you break the curse?!
The uproar exploded in an instant. It was inevitable. The moment the equation human nearby equals transform into horse kicked in, every Bicorn in the sanctuary began falling under the curse’s influence one after another.
It was a good thing Veronica had explained the situation beforehand; otherwise I would have instantly become the asshole intruder who violated their sacred ground. Still, the situation wasn’t entirely good. A whole herd of Bicorns came thundering toward us like a stampede of rhinos across the savanna.
Veronica has found a way to lift the curse!
The gods are withdrawing the punishment they placed upon us!
Hurry! Summon everyone from the other sanctuaries—
Enough!!
Veronica’s sharp shout cut through the chaos like a blade. The Bicorns fell silent at once, as if the tide had suddenly retreated from the shore. Was it fear? No, it felt more like genuine respect for her words. Her manner of speech was also different from the others. Perhaps Veronica held a high position among them. She wasn’t some kind of Bicorn princess, was she?
The curse has not been fully cured. I am attempting the removal method first, but progress stands at only half completion. It is still unclear what side effects may appear.
She spoke exactly as I had instructed her to beforehand. The warning was meant to keep them vigilant, and she had told me not to be offended by the bluntness. It was one hundred percent factual, but there is still such a thing as defamation by truth. Facts can still stab you right in the heart.
Surrounded by the horned horse herd, we stood in that sudden silence until one Bicorn gathered its courage and raised its horn like a student raising a hand.
Veronica. What does it mean that half the curse has been resolved?
The curse preventing us from revealing our divine forms in the presence of others has been lifted. However, the curse that causes rejection in the presence of the pure remains. …When the person in question is pure themselves, as I am, they cannot even maintain divine form.
Her last words were barely louder than a crawling ant, but it was the sanctuary of a divine race after all. Not a single Bicorn had bad hearing; every last one of them snapped their horns straight up.
Me! Me! Me me me me me! It has been over fifty years since I cast aside my purity! I can receive the removal! Being unable to touch pure partners is the same whether the curse is lifted or not!
Ssssssip!! Those of you with many years still ahead, step back!! Is it not proper that those of us who have borne this curse the longest should receive the removal first?!
Mane or tail, they all stink the same, so what’s the point of changing! If you’re a horse the signs of age show less anyway, so go play with the fairy folk in the forest!
What!!!
Ugh, tsk tsk tsk!! This is why the youth these days must have their habits corrected!
It is because those whose years have fully ripened wander outside! In my day we could not leave the sanctuary until we had lived three hundred years! Those who cannot properly handle rune magic cannot even take care of their own bodies!
…Hmm. Elder Otrt. Am I permitted to take that remark as being directed at me?
Veronica’s low question came in a voice identical to a human’s, completely unlike the whinnying of the other Bicorns. Perhaps because her vocal structure was different, even her quiet words cut clearly through the stable-like noise. As a result, the Bicorns shut their mouths once more. The one called Otrt—or was it Oatmeal?—began stuttering in the suddenly frosty atmosphere.
Uh, ahem. That is… I did not mean it in that way…
Of course. It had better not be. It must not be.
Veronica spoke to the Bicorn with icy dignity.
I left the sanctuary only after fulfilling the qualifications ordained since antiquity. Your statement could be interpreted as a challenge to the authority of the Prophet (Vǫlva).
Overstatement! Even if one voluntarily shoulders the role of Seeress, you cannot represent the will of the ascended ancestor you serve, Veronica!
An indisputable point. I have never once sought to falsely claim the title of Prophet. To set rules by age rather than ability and twist prophecy to suit one’s palate is an act of the most vulgar sort.
Krrng.
After verbally thrashing the Bicorn who had crossed the line, Veronica confirmed I was still waiting and spoke again.
As I told you before, I have brought this friend of another race to whom I owe a great debt. We intend to leave the sanctuary within two hours. After I depart, we will continue searching for the curse remover spoken of in the prophecy.
Two hours? You mean to leave before sunrise?
Correct. Any who have questions, come to me. I will answer until my friend departs. I have prepared responses for the obvious inquiries, so I shall recite them beneath the lime tree.
At Veronica’s signal, several Bicorns—or people—moved. They were her friends who had already been briefed before coming to meet me.
You. Follow them. I am obligated to explain matters to my kin.
“Got it. I’ll wait when you’re done. Come get me when you’re ready.”
There is no need. Ask Hildegard beside you. Simply tell her to come fetch me.
“Leave it to me.”
When I tactfully switched to the Germania tongue, the Bicorns scattered to listen to Veronica’s explanation.
Clip-clop.
A Bicorn with a distinctly feminine voice approached me.
I am Hildegard. Though we must part soon, I hope we meet again so you can remove my curse as well~ Human friend, what is your name?
“Norde. I met Veronica by chance.”
There are no such things as coincidences in this world, you know? In meetings and partings there exist only important inevitabilities and trivial inevitabilities.
The Bicorn Hildegard, whose horns were slightly trimmed, spoke with gentle wisdom.
Is this the fantasy version of “even brushing sleeves is fate”?
It felt completely different from the avatar of the sky god I had met in my dreams, so I tilted my head. It seemed every person—no, every divine being—had their own way of thinking.
Hildegard drew close to my side.
Norde, was it? You have experience with women. Mount me. The place where the rune stones are stored is quite far.
“Mount you? Is that really all right?”
I asked, half worried and half astonished. From what I could tell, Veronica considered her original horse form her true self. Even if she offered her back at my request, she would definitely hate it. I could sympathize; I wouldn’t want someone telling me to transform into a horse and carry them either. Besides, she looked like a foal—the size wasn’t exactly riding height.
Yet here was Hildegard proactively offering her back. No wonder I was surprised.
Hehehe. Only children like Veronica feel resistance toward their horse form. Those who live exclusively in human shape inside the sanctuary usually retain an aversion to horse form for an average of one hundred years after going outside.
“One hundred years?”
The time scale was ridiculous. As expected of a divine race—their counting system started at three digits. Fuck. First outing and overnight trip at three hundred years old? Was this a sanctuary or hell? Just like how the guy who attends the loyalty mart every day isn’t actually loyal to the country, maybe it was only a sanctuary in name.
Slap.
Hildegard struck her own back with her tail.
Hurry and mount. Did you not say we only have two hours? It is a waste of time to stand here.
“Huh? Are there really that many rune stones?”
Oh my. You did not know?
In the form of a majestic warhorse, Hildegard declared:
Veronica alone possesses more than forty rune stones.
I felt bad complaining when she was giving me a ride, so I kept my mouth shut. But honestly, Hildegard’s speed was comparable to a cheap city bike and the riding comfort was fucking terrible.
Still, asking for a saddle would be too much, right?
With a clear conscience I had climbed on, yet it felt like my spine would snap. My fourth vertebra seemed ready to issue a mayday and eject. The pony’s back bent like a vase.
Time to activate Beast Regression.
I couldn’t endure anymore and called forth my soul brother to protect my waist. The Bicorns’ eyes changed. They seemed quite startled to see me using ancient god mana.
Clip-clop-clip-clop!!
Now far more comfortable, I clenched my legs and took in the sights of the Bicorn sanctuary. It was a vast grassland that felt exactly like the paradise described in ancient faiths. The air filling my lungs was so pure and refreshing that even nature lovers might want to settle here forever. So this was the origin of the phrase “the air tastes good.” My throat felt crisp, the same way it does when you drink peppermint tea on a cold day and whistle sharply.
Perhaps thinking it was fine to speak now that I looked comfortable, Hildegard said,
Veronica is a divine being who carries on the prophecy left behind by a famous seer from the mythic age.
I nearly bit my tongue and clenched my teeth. It felt like riding a roller coaster at two hundred kilometers per hour with no saddle. In terms of sensation, it was exactly that.
I traced the rune Ansuz in the air with my finger and activated the magic. Since it was a mana-rich voice message, it couldn’t be used when stealth was required.
So it’s a special bloodline?
…You used Ansuz? So a human who has truly overcome the curse has appeared.
Hildegard answered my question with something completely unrelated. The other Bicorns following behind also clicked their tongues.
I believe in Veronica, but I cannot tell whether this is a good omen. The punishment that lasted thousands of years ends without us doing anything at all.
A two-hundred-year-old showing off. After thousands of years they must have decided we have repented enough.
Another Bicorn scolded the first.
The “young” Bicorn who had lived six times longer than me muttered,
If it is forgiveness, that is good. But it could also be disappointment. There is nothing more terrifying than indifference from the one you wish to serve. You all know that well.
Fuck, this guy was deep in his edgy adolescent phase. Interrupting the adults’ conversation and ruining the mood like that.
I changed the subject so the talk wouldn’t die.
The successor of the prophet sounds like an official position, judging from what Elder Otrt said earlier.
Ah, yes. That is correct. It is a self-imposed… sort of ascetic practice. Like the ascetics of Romania. Do you know of them?
Yes, I do.
Was it like taking on the squad leader’s chores? Since the person in question wasn’t present, asking for more details felt tactless, so I let the topic drop. If they volunteered information I could listen and cut it off naturally, but pressing them would look like I was conducting a background check. The stomach-churning silence that followed fortunately didn’t last long.
Here we are.
The sudden stop nearly threw me off. We stood before a cave. A signpost written in both runes and the Germania tongue announced that this was Veronica’s altar. Hildegard dispelled the barrier as casually as entering a friend’s house password.
Go inside. We will wait here.
“Huh? Shouldn’t you come with me? What if I steal everything in sight?”
It was strange not to be suspected, and there were definitely people who would use any excuse to start trouble. That was my reasoning, but the other Bicorns shook their heads.
It is a place Veronica holds dear. We have decided not to enter. We will wait, so take your time.
“…Understood.”
I could feel their deep respect for Veronica in their attitude, so I had no choice but to nod.
“I’ll pick what I want and come right out, so wait for me.”
I slid down from Hildegard’s back and stepped into the cave.