The Wrath of the Pure One
Following Nunyes into the back of the tavern, a narrow staircase came into view. As we climbed up, we entered Nunyes and Jane's private space, completely cut off from the rowdy atmosphere below.
"Come on in."
The house was small and modest, but it felt cozy with touches of careful affection everywhere—neatly arranged furniture and cute knick-knacks, warm scents and a homely vibe wafting from every corner. It was like they had no intention of hiding that this was a newlywed home.
"First time for a housewarming, right?"
While Vanessa and Calix looked around the place, Nunyes brought over some simple snacks and a bottle of liquor, setting them on the table. We naturally took our seats, ready for the conversation to begin.
Calix spoke first.
"Before we get into it, Vanessa... don't you have something for me?"
"Yeah."
Vanessa pulled out the note she'd received earlier from the scout named Himenes and handed it over.
"..."
Calix unfolded it and slowly read through the contents. For a while, he traced the words in silence, a heavy shadow passing over his eyes. Then, a low voice emerged.
"How was his end? Did he leave any last words?"
Vanessa closed her eyes briefly before opening them, answering as calmly as she could.
"He said he'd completed the mission... that he was glad, and then he closed his eyes."
"I see..."
Calix lowered his head, steadying his breath with his eyes shut. A heavy, silent tension filled the room.
A moment later, he spoke again.
"Anything you want to ask? I'll answer as much as I can."
As if she'd been waiting for those words, Vanessa fired off her question.
"They were holding a slave auction at that theater, right?"
"Yeah."
"Wasn't the slave trade abolished in the Tarssen Kingdom?"
"On the surface, sure."
"On the surface?"
Vanessa's gaze sharpened with suspicion.
"It's illegal, but it's tangled up in all sorts of corruption and loopholes in the regulations. The law might as well be meaningless. They don't parade slaves around openly, but in the underworld, it's rampant."
"If it's illegal, can't they be punished somehow?"
"Even if they're caught, if nobles or the elite are involved, punishment gets brushed off easily. At best, it's a slap on the wrist or a fine. The enforcers, the judges... they're all in on it."
Vanessa's lips trembled, fury flashing in her eyes.
"When they deserve the harshest penalties... and they just pay some money to get off scot-free?"
"Of course... it's not pocket change."
"That's only a fortune to regular folks like us. To rich nobles or slave traders, it's chump change."
Nunyes shrugged and chimed in, and the two of them took turns explaining the situation to Vanessa, the conversation flowing naturally.
"The kingdom abolished slavery under pressure from the Church and neighboring countries, but up until recently, human trafficking was legal here."
"Among nobles, plenty think the abolition was just church and superpower bullying—they don't even see buying and selling people as a sin."
A dark shadow fell over Vanessa's face as she listened.
"I thought abolishing slavery would fix everything... but it's not like that at all. I had no idea this place was that rotten."
"Yeah. Rotten to the core."
Calix's eyes grew distant, his voice hesitating before he pressed on with resolve.
"If you don't cut out a rotten abscess, the body dies. Same for a nation or a city. We're going to carve out this city's rot."
The air in the room grew heavier, and Vanessa asked cautiously,
"So, what's the plan?"
"You know about that incident a month ago? The Hero's party wiped out a bunch of slave traders and their associates in the eastern region."
"...Huh?"
She clearly had no idea.
"What, Carlos didn't tell you?"
"Uh..."
Nunyes smirked and teased her.
"When you're with us, you're always talking about the monastery kids and Carlos, but you barely chat with him? Do you two even keep in touch?"
"Th-that's...!"
As Vanessa bristled, ready to snap, Calix quickly intervened.
"It's not widely known, but there's more to the story."
"More to it?"
"After that, the Hero headed to the capital. She turned the palace upside down and threatened the king. Said that if human trafficking was still rampant next time she visited Tarssen, there'd be no kingdom left—no king, either."
"She... Reina."
A bitter yet oddly satisfying smile tugged at Vanessa's lips.
"New laws on human trafficking are coming to Tarssen soon."
"The Hero's threat worked?"
"Various circumstances, but Carlos pressured the king through the Church too."
Calix took a breath and continued.
"We've been gathering intel. On the day those laws pass, we'll wipe them all out."
Silence fell, and Vanessa asked quietly,
"But something went wrong, right?"
"Yeah."
Calix's expression hardened.
"That elf you helped earlier... she was actually one of ours, infiltrated into the auction."
"...That's why you asked for help."
Vanessa seemed to piece it together but still tilted her head uncertainly.
"But... why cause all that commotion?"
"Well..."
A brief silence hung, tension thickening the air.
"...Something's up, huh?"
"Yeah. The problem is her identity."
"Her identity? She wasn't just some ordinary elf?"
"No. Her real name is Ariandel... the elf princess."
Vanessa's eyes widened, shock spreading across her face.
"Wait... the elf princess? Why?! No, have these lunatics lost their minds?! Disguising an elf princess as a slave to infiltrate?!"
Before she knew it, her hand was gripping Calix's collar.
"We only found out after she'd already infiltrated."
"But why?! Why would the elf princess do that?!"
"From what we gathered, her goal was a unicorn horn up for auction."
"Unicorn horn?"
"She came here tracking two missing unicorns."
"And when she confirmed one unicorn's horn was auctioned off... that's what sparked this mess?"
"Exactly."
A whirlwind of thoughts raced through Vanessa's mind.
"...Hold on. If I hadn't rescued her... this could've been a real disaster!"
"Probably."
"You bastard! Can't handle your own jobs?!"
"That's all in the past. Now for the main point."
Calix paused, nodding calmly before continuing.
"The one you saved declared war on us and headed back to her homeland."
"What...?"
She couldn't even finish the sentence.
"...For real?"
"Yeah."
Vanessa held her breath, mulling over the gravity.
"War over one dead unicorn? That's insane."
"It's not just revenge for the dead one."
"Then?"
"Confirming one dead means the missing one's safety isn't guaranteed. She insists on finding it, no matter what."
"Even if it means war with us?"
Calix nodded quietly.
"That's why we need your help."
"My help? Oh, I get it. Find the poachers who took the unicorn and track it down?"
"No, we already caught them."
"What? Then... don't tell me the last one's already..."
Vanessa leaned forward tensely.
"Not that. We interrogated them—they lost the last one near Dublin and haven't found it yet."
"Near Dublin?"
"That's what we need from you. Find the lost unicorn around Dublin."
Vanessa blinked in disbelief, mouth half-open as she processed it.
"Me? Catch a unicorn?"
"Yeah."
"Me?"
"You're probably the only one who can."
Her expression grew complicated, suspicion and tension mixing.
"Why me?"
"Unicorns hide or disguise as other creatures by default. Only someone with spirit affinity can spot them."
"Sorry, but my spirit affinity is negligible. No way I could pierce a unicorn's camouflage."
"Even if you spot it, only you could chase down a fleeing unicorn."
"...Hm, even I can't guarantee I'd catch one."
"And most importantly... you're the only one pure enough for a unicorn to approach willingly."
"What does that mean?"
"The poachers said unicorns are super skittish and wary—no method works to catch them. Except one: lure it out with a pure woman, then snag it when it's off guard."
"A pure person?"
Vanessa eyed Calix skeptically.
Calix averted his gaze, stifling a chuckle.
"...Khk, kuh... heh..."
Nunyes snickered beside him.
"...Pure? Wait... no way...!"
Finally realizing what he meant by "pure," Vanessa's face flushed red.
"Pure means virgin?!"
Nunyes burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Puhahaha!!!"
"You think I'm a virgin?! What if I'm not?! Have you seen proof?! How would you even know?!"
"Hahaha! But you are."
"S-sorry... Vanessa..."
Calix forced back his laughter, continuing awkwardly. He clearly believed she was one too.
"...I-I wasn't teasing. B-but right now, we need your... v-virginity... Pfft!"
"Don't laugh!"
"Puhaha, haha!! At your age, how many virgins are left besides you?!"
"I'll kill you all! No, really kill you! This whole serious story wasn't just to mess with me?!"
"S-sor... ry. But everything we said is true."
"You laugh in a situation this grave?"
"...S-sorr... Pfft! Haha, sorry... really wasn't my..."
Ignoring Calix's struggle to hold it together, Vanessa stomped hard on Nunyes, who was rolling on the floor clutching his sides.
"Puhahaha... Gah! Aaaah!! W-wait!!"
"Then... just die for real."