Chapter 96: The Horned Horse
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 96: The Horned Horse
The picture was starting to form.
The King of Birds.
Bifang, the Rakshasa Bird, and the Jian Bird.
And to face them, the Snake Queen's forces.
The Snake Queen.
The former King of Birds and the pterosaurs under his command.
Perhaps old man Compy would join as well.
If that old man came, he could definitely take down one of the spirit beasts, or maybe even threaten the King of Birds himself.
But that wasn't all.
Because the mighty Gomodo-Lania was still here.
"Gekgek."
Listen to this valiant cry.
Even the Snake Queen was stroking my head with her tail.
...Which is to say, I was currently being held captive by the Snake Queen.
Her body was coiled around my torso, and Swish-Swish was wrapped around my arm, flicking her tongue with a satisfied expression.
It felt like hugging a cool bamboo wife on a hot day.
To be honest, I wasn't all that interested in the struggle for supremacy in this jungle.
I had come here in the first place to obtain the fortuitous encounter Baek Yeon-yeong had tipped me off about.
Then the King of Birds attacked me, I somehow survived, and I met Swish-Swish.
After leading Swish-Swish down the path of Gaegaek, I met the Snake Queen.
The moment I ate the Ten-Thousand-Year Golden Spirit Fruit, I had essentially achieved my original goal.
If I had just done that and escaped immediately, I would have considered it a win.
But look at my situation now.
Though it wasn't by my own will, by staying here, unexpected benefits kept falling into my lap.
A thousand-year-old snow ginseng, a thousand-year-old Hwari. I even fought against spirit beasts that were hard to come by and was able to hone various skills, including miniaturization.
I developed a mental cultivation method and even became capable of using a formidable technique called the Gaegaek Death Beam.
This jungle could be seen as a land of opportunity for me.
And I had received quite a lot from this mother-daughter snake duo.
Of course, I had a feeling I would be devoured by them in more ways than one later on, but that time hadn't come yet.
Shouldn't I at least work as much as I've eaten?
If I worked diligently for the Snake Queen, more perks would surely come my way.
And even if there were no perks, I couldn't bear to see the Snake Queen's side lose.
...Of course, it wasn't as if I had enough influence to sway the entire war.
Besides, I didn't like the King of Birds.
I didn't like him insisting that dinosaurs were birds, and I didn't like him firing a destruction ray without any warning.
The same went for his cowardly tampering with the Cockatrice's head.
And his recent attack using the Megatherium.
After being put through so much, I couldn't just let it slide.
"It's such a relief that the princess brought such a dependable companion."
The Snake Queen tickled my scales.
"Hieeek!"
As if not to be outdone, Swish-Swish nipped at my scales.
...Hey, I'm not into that kind of thing.
The Snake Queen continued speaking as she and Swish-Swish fiddled with my scales.
"To finish what I was saying, forming an alliance with the former King of Birds will be the most crucial step."
The Snake Queen was right.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as they say, but nothing was set in stone yet.
"I'm sure he'll readily agree if we talk to him, but it would still be best to bring a gift."
A gift, huh.
I looked at the Snake Queen with the eyes of Gaegaek.
"...What is it? What's with that look?"
If you have any more elixirs, give them to me instead of using them as a gift.
That was the shameless look in my eyes.
"Unfortunately, it's not an elixir. In fact, it's something that isn't even in my possession yet."
Oh, is that so?
You should have said so earlier.
Still, I was curious.
...Surely it wasn't a lizard-hating gift like cutting off my tail, right?
"A unicorn."
For a moment, I doubted my ears at the words the Snake Queen uttered.
"A horned horse would make a fine gift."
*
The buildings of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were not very tall.
It wasn't because of their beliefs or values, but a necessity due to their geographical location.
Situated at an altitude so high it was also called the Heavenly Mountains, they couldn't build tall structures even if they wanted to.
Taller buildings would attract the attention of other spirit beasts and could lead to unnecessary attacks.
For these reasons, the buildings of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were low.
The tallest building was a modest-looking structure of only two stories.
It was called the Black Lotus Hall, named after the alias of the current Cult Leader.
A clear voice echoed through the Black Lotus Hall.
"Cult Leader. May this girl ask a small favor?"
The Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Baek Yeon-yeong, looked at the speaker with an indifferent gaze.
"Is this a request from the Priestess, or a request from Seol-hwa?"
The speaker was the Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, Baek Seol-hwa.
"It's a request from the Priestess, and also a request from Seol-hwa."
Baek Yeon-yeong gave a small nod.
It was a signal to continue.
"There's an ingredient I need. Would you mind getting it for me?"
Though she used honorifics, her tone was less formal than before.
As she said, it was a request from both the Priestess and Baek Yeon-yeong's younger sister.
"What ingredient?" Baek Yeon-yeong replied in a dry tone.
"What else would it be? An ingredient for the ritual, of course. Thanks to someone, I can't even get a glimpse of a Chastity Mark, so I'll have to try and get a unicorn's horn."
Seol-hwa deliberately emphasized the words "Chastity Mark."
The Chastity Mark was one of the essential items for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
It was an ingredient for the Priestess's prophecies.
But these days, she couldn't even find a common lizard, let alone one for a Chastity Mark.
The reason was Yeon-yeong.
Ever since her trip to the Silver Dragon Cave, she had started what could be called a "lizard protection movement." When assigning missions that involved traversing the 100,000 Great Mountains, she would personally tell them not to touch any lizards.
She even gave a specific order not to attack a handsome lizard with teal and black scales, even if they encountered it. If it attacked first, they couldn't help it, but she recommended avoiding a fight and leaving the area instead.
The phrase "handsome lizard" didn't make much sense, but this wasn't the first or second time the Cult Leader had behaved eccentrically.
Seol-hwa just decided to let it go.
The problem was that she couldn't procure any lizards.
Therefore, she couldn't make a Chastity Mark.
"You want me to bring you a unicorn's horn. Is that what you're saying?"
A unicorn's horn could produce an effect similar to a Chastity Mark.
No, it might even be superior.
Considering that catching a unicorn was far more difficult than catching a lizard, it was perhaps only natural.
Seol-hwa's point was valid.
It was a solution that also respected Baek Yeon-yeong's wishes.
"To me, the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?"
Of course, since she was the one telling the Cult Leader to go in person, it was a fair question.
"Isn't it about time you ditched your duties and went wandering off anyway? You'll probably start whining about how you want to see that handsome lizard."
"Hui."
"Pardon?"
"It's not a lizard, it's Hui."
Good heavens.
She'd even given it a name now?
Seol-hwa was aghast.
Next, she'll be saying she taught it martial arts herself.
The thought crossed her mind, but she quickly shook her head, thinking she had gone too far.
"A-anyway, you're going to enter the 100,000 Great Mountains to see Hui, aren't you?"
"I have no such plans for the time being."
"What? Really?"
She's finally come to her senses and is going to act like a proper Cult Leader!
But before she could be moved, she remembered they knew each other far too well.
"...Are you hiding something?"
"Nothing at all."
Suspicious.
Come to think of it, hadn't she been going back and forth to the annex recently?
And with a "Guest Repelling Plaque" hung up, no less.
As if she were hiding someone.
It made no sense for the great Baek Yeon-yeong to be staying put so quietly.
"And why are you asking me to do such a thing? Isn't this a problem that can be solved by sending someone else?"
Uncharacteristically, she was changing the subject.
It was highly suspicious, but Seol-hwa decided to focus on the present.
"Even so, how could I possibly order around the precious followers of our cult as I please?"
Did that mean the Cult Leader wasn't precious?
Baek Yeon-yeong swallowed the words she was about to say.
"That's part of it, but besides you, Cult Leader, who else could find a unicorn?"
Seol-hwa was right.
Unicorns were classified as a type of spirit beast.
Unless one was like Baek Yeon-yeong, who had wandered the 100,000 Great Mountains and memorized the geography, or someone with exceptionally developed senses, they wouldn't even be able to find a trace of a unicorn.
"There is one other, is there not?"
Baek Yeon-yeong stared intently at Baek Seol-hwa.
"...Cult Leader. Surely you're not telling me to go?"
Someone with exceptionally developed senses.
The Priestess of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult would surely be able to find a unicorn.
"Is there any reason you can't?"
"I may not look it, but I am the Priestess of this cult. How could I possibly enter the 100,000 Great Mountains, which is teeming with all sorts of spirit beasts?"
Sending the Priestess to such a place. Are you in your right mind?
That was what she was implying.
"Hmm... Even a spirit beast would be scared out of its wits and flee at the sight of the Priestess's face. What's the problem?"
She was only insulting herself.
After all, Yeon-yeong and Seol-hwa looked very much alike.
"I am afraid. How could I possibly travel to and from the 100,000 Great Mountains with this frail body of mine..."
Baek Yeon-yeong stared at her with a look of disbelief.
The current Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was Baek Yeon-yeong.
Baek Seol-hwa was her younger sister.
Though not her equal, Baek Seol-hwa's skills were formidable.
Most spirit beasts wouldn't even be able to meet her gaze.
Yet here she was, feigning weakness.
As Baek Yeon-yeong stared holes through her, Seol-hwa's pale face began to turn red.
She knew she was being shameless.
"No, but still. How can the Priestess leave her post?"
She decided to brazen it out.
"Is it acceptable for the Cult Leader to leave her post?"
"Th-that's..."
Baek Seol-hwa had never expected to hear such a thing from Baek Yeon-yeong.
"What if someone looks for me while I'm away?"
It was the best excuse she could come up with, but it was ineffective.
"Who has the authority to summon the Priestess?"
"The Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult...?"
"And who else?"
"Um... no one?"
"Good. As long as you understand."
When facing the Cult Leader, what more needed to be said?
Baek Yeon-yeong's word was the doctrine of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
At this point, there was no reason for the Priestess not to go.
But there was a reason she was resisting so stubbornly.
To be precise, a reason she wanted Baek Yeon-yeong to go and take care of it.
It was because she found it extremely bothersome.
"...If you put your mind to it, it wouldn't even take a day. Go get some fresh air for a change."
If Baek Yeon-yeong went, she could bring back a unicorn's horn in less than two hours.
But she had decided to fix her younger sister's bad habits.
Though their faces were identical, their body types were different.
Look at that large chest.
That must be a symbol of laziness.
It wasn't that she didn't work, but Yeon-yeong knew she hated physical exertion. She believed that was why her chest had grown so large.
"I will assign the Left Guardian to escort you. You pinpoint the unicorn's location, and the Left Guardian can hunt the creature. Is that not sufficient?"
Now stop making excuses and go for a hike for the first time in a while.
That was the underlying message.