Chapter 97: A Horned Horse?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 97: A Horned Horse?
A unicorn.
A horned horse.
A unicorn!
Who wouldn't feel their heart flutter at the sound of those words?
Creatures resembling giant, leopard-spotted deer with necks over two meters long roamed freely, yet the cold reality was that there were no horned horses.
Mammals laid eggs, nursed their young, wielded venom, and had glowing hides, but unicorns did not exist.
But this was a world brimming with fantasy, where Spirit Beasts and Ancient Species coexisted.
Naturally, that meant horned horses existed too.
“A unicorn's horn is a precious medicinal ingredient. It's also something the previous King of Birds requires.”
The fact that its horn was a precious ingredient left no doubt that 'Unicorn' meant unicorn. Besides, she had already called it a horned horse.
Unicorn horns were said to have miraculous powers. The Snake Queen had said it wasn't an elixir, but if this was the unicorn horn I knew of, it was surely just as valuable.
“Finding a unicorn isn't that difficult, but strangely, I hear other Spirit Beasts can't even seem to catch a glimpse of one.”
Other Spirit Beasts.
So, despite appearances, she did interact with them.
Until now, all I'd seen of the Snake Queen was her lazing around this temple with Swish-Swish. It seemed she had queenly duties after all.
I suppose the Snake Queen must lead a very busy life outside my view. She had to keep the King of Birds in check, maintain friendly relations with other Spirit Beasts, and raise her princess well.
At first, I couldn't understand how she'd lost Swish-Swish, whom she cherished so dearly, but looking at it this way, I could see how it might have happened.
She must have painstakingly collected all the elixirs and rare artifacts gathered here. They were probably gifts from allies or items she'd collected to give as gifts.
…And she gave them all to me.
It made me realize just how incredible the Snake Queen and her daughter were for giving so generously to me.
“They're relatively easy for us to acquire, but difficult for others. Wouldn't that make it the perfect gift?”
In short, she meant she was going to go catch a unicorn.
Gekek.
I raised one of my forelegs. It was a universal piece of body language.
I have something to say.
“What is it?”
Ssssk.
The Snake Queen's coiled lower body shifted slowly.
Right now, I looked like a mouse caught by a snake. But in reality, I was Gomodo, the Snake Queen's companion.
Feeling the cool of her body, I confidently thumped my chest a few times.
Gek-gek-gek.
It meant, Leave it to me.
There were quite a few elixirs and inner cores in this temple.
They were probably meant for Swish-Swish or as gifts to foster friendly relations with other Spirit Beasts.
And I ate them all.
In other words, this quest for a unicorn's horn might be happening because of me.
Of course, because I ate those elixirs, the balance of power had undeniably shifted slightly in the Snake Queen's favor. But that didn't mean I had fully paid for what I'd consumed.
This wasn't usually my style, but I had to work to earn my keep.
Besides, if I helped the Snake Queen, I might get another reward out of it.
“Hoh. It seems you've taken an interest in the unicorn.”
And personally, I wanted to see a unicorn for myself.
How could I resist a horned horse?
Gek-gek!
I had seen dinosaurs, the objects of my admiration, and Spirit Beasts, beings from myth. Now, I had to see a horned horse.
“If you did that, it would certainly make things easier for me. But I worry it might be too great a burden for you.”
Nah.
What burden?
Gekek.
The Snake Queen was a good boss.
When I thought about it, the only thing she'd ever asked of me was to deal with the Cockatrice.
No, not even that. Her request was just to gather information on it. The mission was reconnaissance; I was the one who decided to fight it.
So, the Snake Queen's request had been trivial.
And what had I received in return?
All sorts of inner cores, a thousand-year Hwari, and thousand-year-old snow ginseng wine.
On top of that, because she'd taken me as her companion, I shared in her divinity and experience points. And because she introduced me to the Little Dragon, I was able to learn Miniaturization.
I had received so much.
If I were the Snake Queen, I would have listed every single thing I'd given and forced him to work. One elixir for one favor would have been a generous deal.
But she didn't do that.
How could I just stand by when she treated me like this?
Squeeze.
The bodies of the Snake Queen and Swish-Swish tightened around me.
An outsider might mistake this for a very dangerous situation.
But I knew what this mother and daughter were thinking.
This was a form of affection.
Piyaak!
See?
Swish-Swish was making a cute sound and nuzzling her head against me.
The Snake Queen wrapped her cool body around me while placing a hefty Internal Energy Pouch on my head.
“I seem to have found a good companion.”
I'm in your care, boss.
“Well, if I think of it as a wedding gift, I suppose there's no reason not to accept your goodwill.”
Right.
If she thinks of it as a wedding gift...
…Huh?
A wedding gift?
Hieeek...
Swish-Swish bent her tail into the shape of a heart.
She shook her head back and forth as if embarrassed.
That's not what I meant.
But, well, if you're happy, that's all that matters.
“Besides, the unicorn has a gentle temperament, so it won't be a very dangerous mission.”
A gentle temperament?
That's a little different from the unicorns I know.
Gekek.
I looked up.
All I could see was the hefty Internal Energy Pouch.
Yeah. Anyone would become gentle at the sight of this.
And if they saw the Snake Queen's true form, they'd become gentle in a completely different sense.
“Then, shameless as it may be, I'll ask this of you. Unicorns are indeed gentle, but I hear they sometimes charge at others with their horns turned black. Our goal is the horn, so there's no need to kill it, but if it attacks first, that's a different story.”
Unicorns are guardians of purity.
Their horns turn black when they see someone who is not pure.
“In that case, do not hesitate to finish it off. Running will be meaningless against it in that state.”
The Snake Queen offered her advice.
But I didn't think I needed to worry about that.
As a three-month-old lizard, I was purer than anyone.
Gekek.
A balanced diet and a wholesome lifestyle.
I imagined the unicorn might even start following me around.
The mission was set.
I had to find the unicorn and acquire its horn.
From what the Snake Queen said, it seemed there was a way to cut the horn off or have the unicorn remove it itself.
As a pure lizard, all I had to do was approach it, and the mission would be an easy success.
Right, shall I get going?
Gek-gek!
…But if I'm going to leave, I think you'll have to let me go.
Squeeze.
The grip of the Snake Queen and Swish-Swish tightened.
“Even so. Would I send my companion away right after he's returned?”
Piyaak!
Swish-Swish and the Snake Queen flicked their tongues.
Gek-ge-gek!
Help!
*
After the reward from the Snake Queen and Swish-Swish—that is, their massage—was over, I was finally able to get free.
Of course, I couldn't leave right after the massage ended. A ritual of eating the food prepared by the Snake Queen and Swish-Swish awaited me.
This time, the prepared food was deer meat.
I wondered how any deer could have survived in a jungle where dinosaurs and Spirit Beasts ran rampant, but I didn't give it much thought.
Once again, the snake mother and daughter served me, splitting a large deer and a small deer between them.
Worried that one would be disappointed if I ate the other's first, I forced myself to stuff both deer meats into my mouth at the same time.
I was clearly receiving lavish treatment, but for some reason, I felt exhausted.
The Sword Dragon loitering around the temple was startled to see my haggard face after I finally escaped.
It's nice that they like me, but sometimes it feels a bit excessive.
Is it because I still have human values?
For snakes, coiling around a lizard's body and flicking their tongues might just be normal behavior.
Thinking of it that way made me feel a little better.
It was probably similar to how the spiders presented their rears to me.
It was hard for my mind to comprehend, but from a spider's perspective, it probably wasn't strange at all.
Or was it?
Maybe it's strange even for a spider.
I'll have to ask my three spider sisters when they become beautiful Arachnes.
…Come to think of it, I wonder how they're doing?
It seems to be taking longer than I thought.
Of course, I have things to do, so I can't go see them right away, but Baek Yeon-yeong is different.
If she wanted to, she could be dangling from my tail right now. The fact that she hasn't shown up yet must mean Nephila's treatment isn't finished.
I hope nothing's wrong.
I should check.
【Gaegaek Cult】
A religion of the Monitor Lizard class.
A religion whose doctrine is the Gaegaek Faith, believed in by those who serve Gomodo.
Its members are very diverse and their faith is devout.
Related Faiths: 【Gaegaek Faith】 【Snake Queen's Faith】【Little Dragon's Faith】
Members
First Follower: 【Attercopus LV29】
Second Follower: 【Anthracomartus LV29】
Third Follower: 【Tang Soyeong】
Fourth Follower: 【Ball Python LV22】
It was a shame I couldn't check on Nephila's status, but seeing that Tus and Pus were fine, she was probably doing well too.
Look at that, already level 29...
Huh?
What the heck, you two.
When did your levels get so high?
Did Baek Yeon-yeong only feed them good food?
Their levels were rising at a frightening pace.
No, this was a speed that couldn't be explained by good food alone.
It felt like they were filled with some kind of fierce resolve.
Come to think of it, the status window hadn't been sending me messages lately. I guess that was proof that Tus and Pus were extremely focused.
I didn't know what it was, but gaining strong motivation was something to celebrate.
When we meet again, maybe they'll have transformed into Arachnes with solid Internal Energy Pouches.
Now that I'd checked on the spiders, it was time to get to work.
Finding the unicorn was incredibly simple.
Unicorns like the pure.
In other words, simply by having the very pure Gomodo-Lania walk around near its habitat, I should be able to summon it.
…But it didn't work.
Is it because I'm male?
Still, it was too early to be discouraged.
I had one more ace up my sleeve.
Tied to my tail was a gourd bottle, and inside was the Snake Queen's blood.
The Snake Queen was Swish-Swish's mother, but she hadn't given birth to her.
In other words, she could be considered a pure snake.
If I sprinkled the blood of a pure maiden, it was sure to appear in a frenzy.
Splaaash!
I sprinkled the Snake Queen's blood.
One might worry that other beasts would be drawn by the scent, but who would dare rush toward the smell of the Snake Queen's blood?
The only creature that wouldn't flee from this scent would be a unicorn, crazy for pure maidens.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
A cloud of dust rose in the distance.
The Snake Queen's blood, as expected.
The effect was incredible.
Just in case, I backed away slightly.
The legendary Spirit Beast, the unicorn, was charging over in a frenzy.
My heart pounded.
I was finally going to see it.
A horned horse.
Whooosh!
The dust cloud cleared, and the creature's form was revealed.
【Elasmotherium LV40】
“Grrrrrrrawr!”
No, my unicorn