Then Suddenly, a Unicorn Appeared (3)
Then Suddenly, a Unicorn Appeared (3)
Hong Yeon-hwa had been through all sorts of things.
Most of them involved Lee Ha-yul, who was basically the Golden Child.
He had racked up quite a record of utterly destroying Hong Yeon-hwa's composure. A never-ending chain of incidents that would smash her spirits just when she'd barely managed to recover them...
Though she'd suffered a lot because of him, it had also served as an opportunity for mental growth.
Patience, to be specific.
Impulses that once would have made her throw a punch without a second thought, she could now suppress five times over and still hold back.
She hadn't stormed the horse-heads' habitat the instant she'd confirmed that Lee Ha-yul was safe.
With calm forbearance, she'd reported the situation. Only after receiving permission did Hong Yeon-hwa enter the unicorn habitat.
"It doesn't look like anything special. Is the area just partitioned off?"
"I'm not sure of the exact value, but the mana concentration is high. Looks like they released them to live on their own, just maintaining the environment."
Ellia and Baek A-rin accompanied her.
They'd been together when the incident occurred, so they'd received permission as well.
The habitat they entered under the administrator's guidance was separated from the outside by a barrier.
The inside of the barrier was a field covered with fresh green grass stretching beyond the horizon.
It was mostly flat with a consistent elevation, though occasional hills with a string of small mounds appeared.
"Do they not realize we might do something in here? Why isn't an administrator accompanying us?"
On the way to the location displayed on the hologram, Baek A-rin tilted her head, stroking her chin.
"They probably let us go since we got permission from the administration office, right?"
"Even with permission, they usually assign an escort. We do the same. Even without malicious intent, accidents can happen... and since they're monsters, that's normally the reason, for safety."
"Does A-rin's family raise monsters too?"
"Yes, yes. Since our territory is so vast and rugged, we train a lot of them for transportation. I used to ride them quite often."
The Changhae family also raised monsters. Many were kept for research, but most were used for transportation.
The interiors of dungeons and the Demon Realm had such harsh environments that even military transport vehicles were of limited use.
Mana wave disturbances—chaos itself—posed no issue, and if the monster's rank was high enough, they could scoff at any typical transport and outpace them with ease for a long time.
Furthermore, the family's domain was so expansive and dotted with rugged terrain that free transportation methods were essential.
"Ooh... I'd like to try riding one, too!"
"Come visit with Ha-yul later. I'll give you each one or two as a gift. Of course, keep in mind that it's a pretty cold region."
Chatting as they walked for a while, they soon spotted several unicorns in the distance.
They seemed wary of the group, but curiosity sparkled in their eyes, showing no intention of charging straight in.
"Tsk... you should've been like that earlier, too."
To Hong Yeon-hwa's eyes, that was deeply displeasing. She clicked her tongue openly and shook her head.
Why couldn't they stay quietly in the habitat like that, instead of suddenly escaping, biting someone, and running off like maniacs?
The only reason she was staying still was that Lee Ha-yul had said he had no injuries whatsoever. Had there been even a single scratch, she would've drawn a weapon immediately.
"Maybe it was a case of mistaken identity?"
"Mistaken identity how?"
As she grumbled, Baek A-rin sidled up next to her and spoke casually.
"About Ha-yul. Judging by his mana properties alone, he's even more so than the unicorns. So maybe they mistook him for one of their young."
"What mistaken identity? Even if they are horse-heads, that's still..."
Could it... be?
Hong Yeon-hwa cocked her head.
Lee Ha-yul's mana had recently changed.
Its color had turned a pure white, and its purity had risen far higher than before.
Frankly, it was to the point where it was hard to tell if it was mana or a lump of pure essence.
Exactly the kind of property unicorns would go crazy over.
There was no stretch in thinking they'd consider him their kin. Even if not that, it was plausible they thought of him as a similar type.
"...That might be possible?"
"His aura is pure, and his nature is innocent. His body is young and chaste, so he seems like someone a unicorn would have its eyes on and try to drag away."
"That's certainly... the hell do you mean chaste?"
Nodding with a puzzled face, Hong Yeon-hwa suddenly snapped her head up.
Baek A-rin tilted her head.
"Why the sudden temper? What is it this time."
"How the hell would you know if I did it or not."
"Huh? A body housing pure mana has no choice but to be chaste."
"...What?"
"What on earth were you thinking? Could it be... what I think it is?"
A smirk tugged at the corner of Baek A-rin's mouth.
Mischief, playfulness, caught you red-handed... the shift in her expression, laden with those sorts of emotions, made Hong Yeon-hwa, realizing her mistake, hesitantly step back.
Before she could, Baek A-rin's rebuke shot out.
"What a lewd... this girl has completely let loose."
"Urk..."
Reeling from the psychological shock, Hong Yeon-hwa composed herself and walked on.
The unicorn habitat was quite large. Only after some time did nests resembling dens become visible here and there.
Soon, a huddle of unicorns clustered together in the distance caught her eye.
"Wow... look how many there are."
"They've really formed a herd. It looks like there are way more unicorns in Siyoram than all the unicorns raised worldwide."
"He's over there."
Hong Yeon-hwa murmured, looking at the hologram. The red dot on the hologram was close. Lee Ha-yul was with that herd of unicorns.
'Haah...'
A unicorn kidnapping drama out of nowhere.
It was another incident that made her head spin, but surely it wasn't Lee Ha-yul's fault...
Probably.
- Prrrrrrr!
Just then,
a cry rang out from the direction of the unicorn herd, and something pure white shot high into the sky.
"What's that?"
Hong Yeon-hwa swallowed her bewilderment and moved her hand to her waist.
The subspace pocket attached to her belt. The instant she grabbed the hilt of the sword inside, her body froze stiff.
Hong Yeon-hwa's eyes clearly registered the white thing.
A unicorn. But its size was small.
An adult unicorn was a good three or four times larger than an average horse, whereas this one was small enough to be comparable to a pony.
Its horn was also much shorter and blunter compared to other unicorns, which could have no issue skewering ten people at once. It appeared to be a juvenile.
But the sight of Lee Ha-yul clinging to the back of that young unicorn forced her to stop moving.
"...What is..."
Hong Yeon-hwa murmured blankly. Baek A-rin and Ellia also blinked.
A hill brimming with blue life. A young unicorn bounding across it... and Lee Ha-yul holding on behind it...
Without any kind of saddle or fixing device, he somehow clung on snugly with admirable skill.
A few bounds from the unicorn quickly closed the distance.
At some point, the unicorn stopped leaping and approached busily with a clatter of hooves.
Hong Yeon-hwa held fast to her reeling sense of reason.
It was an unreal sight, but Lee Ha-yul was coming toward her majestically on a unicorn.
"...You were having fun, huh. Well... there's a lot to say, but for now, let's go back and..."
Hong Yeon-hwa continued calmly.
"Talk... about... it...?"
Her words cut off when she saw Lee Ha-yul.
Hong Yeon-hwa blinked.
She doubted her vision. There was no problem.
Was mind control at play? She drew up her Calamity Flame. It swept away every impurity in her body.
There was no mind control, either.
After completing her examination, Hong Yeon-hwa opened her tightly shut eyes.
Lee Ha-yul's surroundings were shining brightly. A vibrant aura, as if the sun were rising, dyed his vicinity.
The source of that radiance... was a horn sprouting from Lee Ha-yul's forehead.
'What the hell is that.'
Hong Yeon-hwa's consciousness snapped.
"Yeon-hwa!"
A voice full of happiness and joy.
It came from Lee Ha-yul's throat.
It felt awkward.
She hadn't heard Lee Ha-yul's voice for long, but she'd never heard such a lively, vibrant voice from him.
Lee Ha-yul then smiled brightly and waved a hand around.
His open gray eyes were fully visible.
"Yeon-hwa!"
An adorable, cute appearance, and speech and behavior as bright and lively as a child of that age...
"Ghk."
For Hong Yeon-hwa, the sight was too shocking. She clutched her chest and doubled over.
.
.
.
He just felt good. There was no other way to explain it.
Lee Ha-yul had attempted Homogenization based on the information of the unicorn's horn, and a horn had grown from his forehead.
He hadn't intended it. What he'd intended was to imitate the function, not the physical organ.
But a horn grew. Something sprouted from his forehead with a cracking, splitting sensation.
In that instant, along with the manifestation of a physical organ, one other function also manifested.
Innocence (純粹).
A simple and pure way of thinking, free of selfish or wicked thoughts... a shift.
Before he could even become aware of it, the innocence sleeping inside Lee Ha-yul surged up and devoured his reason.
Lee Ha-yul had no chance to resist.
That innocence was, in the first place, Lee Ha-yul's innate nature (天性).
He had been born with that disposition from the very start.
But an unfortunate life had forcibly suppressed his innate nature. To survive, he had overlaid it with pessimistic and critical thinking.
But the horn's function drew out his original nature.
[Happy!]
[Clouds Floating]
[Joy!]
[Relief]
[Gladness!]
[Welcome!]
Lee Ha-yul had become like a child without any filter.
The Confession Necklace clicked without pause, laying bare its wearer's inner thoughts.
A remarkably adorable... festival of infantile language.
Alongside a purely smiling face devoid of any worry, and the act of tumbling around in the grass playing with the baby unicorn.
It was clearly an abnormal state.
And also... an incredibly stimulating and endearing sight.
Thus, Hong Yeon-hwa could not hold out long and collapsed, leaving two people standing.
"Ha-yul? Will you come here?"
Ellia smoothly wiped the strange expression from her face and called out to Lee Ha-yul.
Lee Ha-yul's ears perked up.
Lee Ha-yul, who had been clinging to and tickling the baby unicorn, lifted his head with a start.
Then, without a moment's consideration, he scampered over and arrived in front of Ellia.
His eyes had closed again, but seeing him lift his head to show his face, Ellia crouched down in front of Lee Ha-yul.
She then reached out and stroked Lee Ha-yul's cheek.
Lee Ha-yul accepted Ellia's touch without any resistance.
Instead, he let out a purring sound and pressed his cheek into Ellia's hand.
[Like Touch]
[Happy]
[Pet Me More]
[Knead Me More]
[Warm]
[Soft]
The necklace also clicked continuously, candidly revealing his unfiltered, happy innermost feelings.
At the unbearably cute reaction, Ellia's eyes curved beautifully.
"Our baby, what's got you so excited?"
[I'm Just Happy!]
Lee Ha-yul answered with a bright smile.
[Feel Good]
[I Like Ellia Too!]
Lee Ha-yul poured out his answers in a torrent, then hopped right into Ellia's arms.
Having caught the suddenly flying Lee Ha-yul, Ellia widened her eyes in surprise.
Soon, a warm heat and ticklish sensation rose from within her embrace.
Looking down, she saw Lee Ha-yul burying his face in her chest and nuzzling around.
The horn on his forehead was poking into her chest. Blunt and cute, but a horn nonetheless. Strangely, however, there wasn't the slightest bit of pain.
"Oh my..."
She didn't know the reason, but seeing the child who was usually so shy clinging to her so enthusiastically was truly delightful.
Ellia's expression melted. With a face dripping with affection, she hugged Lee Ha-yul tightly as he buried his face in her chest.
[Eeeing]
"Ah, sorry. Did it hurt?"
[Ticklish]
[Tingling Feeling]
When she fiddled with his horn in the middle, he let out a snarl and roughly rubbed his buried face against her chest.
[Chest?]
[Squishy]
[Warm and Toasty]
Then it happened.
Lee Ha-yul suddenly tilted his head and pressed down on Ellia's upper chest with his palm.
"Ehehe. That tickles."
Ellia giggled and twisted her body. Soft hair poked at her skin, and deeply exhaled breaths beat against her cleavage.
[Chest is Huge]
[Like a Dairy Cow]
Like a dairy cow.
It was a remark that could be seen as lewd, but Ellia paid it no mind and patted Lee Ha-yul's back.
There was no lust to be felt from Lee Ha-yul.
Just a pure reaction like a baby.
The simple logic that her chest was big, therefore like a dairy cow.
Ellia smiled sweetly and placed her own hand over Lee Ha-yul's hand which was pressing into her breast. With a mischievous face, she tapped the back of Lee Ha-yul's hand.
"A dairy cow gives milk, you know? I don't produce milk yet. Am I still a dairy cow?"
[You Don't Have Milk?]
[Then You're Not a Dairy Cow...]
[I Like Milk]
[It's Delicious!]
[But Right Now It's Not Delicious...]
"Hm? It's not delicious now? That won't do... I'm going to feed you lots and lots later, so you can't leave any behind then..."
As if troubled, Ellia kneaded Lee Ha-yul's cheek and mumbled.
"...There's something odd about that statement."
Baek A-rin, who had been listening beside them, shook her head for a moment, then tapped Ellia's shoulder.
"Ellia, Ellia. I'd like to hold Ha-yul too."
"Ha-yul?"
Ellia blinked, then looked back and forth between Baek A-rin and Lee Ha-yul.
"Hmm..."
After a moment of what seemed like deliberation, Ellia gently detached Lee Ha-yul from her embrace.
[Eeek]
[I Don't Want to Let Go!]
Lee Ha-yul resisted fiercely.
After a short struggle, including him grabbing onto her breast insisting he didn't want to let go, Lee Ha-yul was lifted into the air by his armpits.
[Pff...]
Dangling in midair, Lee Ha-yul swallowed air and puffed out his cheeks hugely.
At this blatant sign of sulking, the corners of Ellia's mouth twitched. In her heart, she wanted to bite down hard on those puffy cheeks.
"Ha-yul?"
[?]
Lee Ha-yul, who had been voicing his discontent, turned his head at the voice calling him.
Within the still-active range of Observation, he sensed Baek A-rin wearing a strange smile.
"Will you come here?"
Baek A-rin spread her arms wide. Her full chest was stretched out by the motion. Her words and actions indicated she was offering her embrace.
But Lee Ha-yul, who had readily thrown himself into Ellia's arms, stopped in place.
[Coldness]
[Chill]
[Cold Aura]
"Hmm?"
A chilly cold aura was drifting out.
Both Observation and Mana Detection gave the same impression.
Approaching her seemed like it would make him freeze solid.
It was a kind of repulsion.
He hated the cold so much. He had a terrible aversion to body heat fading away into chilliness. He liked the warmth of a person's body heat.
He also felt repulsion at Baek A-rin's cold energy. He felt fear toward Baek A-rin who had stabbed the player in the original work.
But did he dislike the current Baek A-rin?
Lee Ha-yul's purity-soaked mind started to turn.
He traced back his memories from after coming to Siyoram. He pulled out all the times he had received help from Baek A-rin.
They were countless.
- Oooong...
The horn throbbed. The Innate Talent manifested from the horn that vibrated with a tremor.
The unicorn's horn instinctively discerns the other's disposition and makes its own evaluation.
"......"
Lee Ha-yul, who had been hesitating for a moment, moved.
He softly walked up and hugged Baek A-rin.
A chilly but voluptuous mass of flesh pressed firmly against his face.
With a strange expression, Lee Ha-yul buried his face into the fleshy mass.
"Oh?"
Baek A-rin, who had been waiting for Lee Ha-yul's choice, let out an exclamation.
It seems that, somehow, they were now even managing to embrace.
With a bright smile, Baek A-rin placed her hand on Lee Ha-yul's head.
.
.
.
[A-rin, Don't You Have Milk Either?]
"It might come out later, you know?"
* * *
"...Junior, did something happen?"
Lee Ji-yeon, looking plainly bewildered, examined my complexion and asked a question. I shook my head frantically.
[No]
[I'm fine]
[Nothing happened at all]
[Nothing]
[For real]
"Ah, yes... I understand."
Lee Ji-yeon nodded awkwardly at the vehement denial.
Her expression showed she didn't believe a word, but I forcibly twisted the subject of our conversation.
What happened, you ask?
I touched my forehead.
There was nothing. No trace of anything.
I never originally had a horn. A person... even a fairy doesn't naturally have an organ called a horn.
So nothing happened.
- Ha-yul? Did you sleep well? Here, have a glass of milk.
Nothing must have happened...
- This? It's top-grade milk. I'll give it to you with rice cakes, so enjoy it at lunch, okay?
These memories absolutely cannot be real...
- ...Ha-yul, you can't do that to other people. So just wait a little. Okay?
I lowered my head with a deathly pale complexion.
I really hated myself.
- Slurp...
I opened the bottle cap and let the contents pour into my mouth.
A pure white liquid trickled into my mouth.
It was warm.
* * *
[Player Correction System: Measurement]
▶Mental State
「Denial」
「Self-Hatred」
「Despair」
「Desire」
「Impulse」
「Fear」
...
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Ellia Srade
●●●●●●●●○○(81▷82/100)
「Affection」 「Gratitude」 「Dairy Cow?」 「Chick」 「Regret」 「Guilt」
Lee Ha-yul → Baek A-rin
●●●●●●●○○○(69/100)
「Cold Aura」 「Affection」 「Question」 「Confusion」 「Dairy Cow?」 「Guilt」