My Horn Hurts... (3)
My Horn Hurts... (3)
I barely survived the barrage of questions at the table.
- Young master, you should at least tell us where you're going, shouldn't you? Is it a secret? Do you really need to keep even this a secret from us? It's not like you're going anywhere forbidden.
- Do you know how it feels for a teacher to watch her beloved disciple leave and end up on the brink of death? Exactly which lethally dangerous place are you planning to stick your head into this time?
- For someone saying don't worry, the Sipnaha and China incidents were awfully big... Are you going to ram yourself into something like a 3rd-Rank monster again?
- Junior, you really mustn't go to another strange place... Okay? You'll get badly hurt and it'll be a disaster. Instead, why don't you come to our family estate and rest comfortably for a few days...
...Somehow, I got through it. The "Tower Master shield" tactic was quite formidable.
"Why did that little guy run all the way here? Isn't that a fair distance?"
[Even I'm not entirely sure about that...]
After that chaotic breakfast, I went out with Yeon-hwa and Seo-yul to see the unicorn.
The unicorn had settled in a spot since early dawn, but Yeon-hwa had been napping and only heard about it at breakfast without meeting it in person.
"Now that I think about it, all unicorns seem to like you, Ha-yul. Do you think this one came because it missed you? You did go see one recently."
Yeon-hwa had her hands clasped behind her head and tilted her head, puzzled that it would sprint all the way here.
"Dunno. Hup, there we go... My body feels refreshed but still kind of stiff."
The memory of last night surfaced at Yeon-hwa's shameless mutter as she gently massaged her shoulders.
An unspeakably mortifying memory. And instead of a lukewarm, picture-perfect rice cake dinner, it had been a feast that truly satisfied both heart and body...
The heat rose to my face on its own. Before it could spread fully, I turned my head and changed the subject.
"...Pathetic."
"What? No, that's..."
A crack formed over Yeon-hwa's playful expression. As if her pride had been wounded, the corners of her eyes quivered faintly before she started stammering excuses.
She'd taken the bait so easily. It was worth the effort to change the subject; the heat in my face subsided right away.
Honestly, this is mostly Yeon-hwa's fault for teasing me. No matter how much I ate, it never felt satisfying, so I'd swallowed my embarrassment and gone looking for her that night.
Suppressing the heat rising to my face, I tightened my grip on Seo-yul's hand.
[We're here]
We reached the spot where the unicorn was. Near a corner of the grounds, an area with more grassy meadow than flowers or trees.
- Prrr?
As we approached, deliberately making our presence known so as not to startle it, the baby unicorn, which had been lounging blissfully in the grass sunbathing, lifted its head.
Its bright, sparkling eyes calmly swept over us.
First, it made eye contact with me, then its gaze met the adorable, lovable Seo-yul who was clinging to my leg.
At that gaze, Seo-yul squeezed my hand tightly.
"A unicorn..."
[That's right. This is your first time meeting one in person, isn't it, Seo-yul?]
"Yes."
Seo-yul nodded. Curiosity swirled in Seo-yul's eyes, which had always seemed a bit mature for her age.
And seeing her five-colored wings flutter ever so slightly, I nodded to myself with quiet satisfaction.
"Wow, it really came? How did it even know how to run all the way here?"
That was the moment.
The baby unicorn's gaze, which had been studying Seo-yul, landed on Yeon-hwa.
- ...Prrr!
The baby unicorn, which had been blinking vacantly, suddenly sprang to its feet. At the same time, a rather fierce aura spread out.
"Wh-what the."
At the sudden reaction, Yeon-hwa flinched and blinked. Whooo! Pure white mana pulsed from the unicorn.
Its front legs, long for a young specimen, scraped the ground several times. An unmistakable prelude to a charge.
Wham! It didn't end as a prelude; the unicorn's body shot forward fiercely.
"Oh, for shit's sake, why is it always me, you little—!"
A frustrated shout burst from Yeon-hwa beside me. She began to draw up her mana to respond to the unicorn's charge.
Before she could, I stepped in front of Yeon-hwa.
- Thud!
A heavy impact reverberated through the ground. No small cloud of dust rose. My two legs planted on the ground didn't budge an inch.
The long horn, caught in my hand, trembled faintly. The baby unicorn had halted precisely right in front of my nose.
I narrowed my eyes and let my presence flare.
[No!]
- Prrr...
The baby unicorn, stopped with its horn caught in my hand, let out a whimpering sound.
It sounded like it was whining. But I didn't relax my sharply narrowed eyes.
[Ah-ah! No means no! Why would you try to gore someone!]
It wasn't an exaggeration; this was something that required a stern scolding.
It had tried to charge and ram into a person. Someone could get hurt or even killed if things went wrong.
Even though this unicorn looked cute and was a young specimen, the power it possessed could easily slaughter dozens of people.
Of course, it's understandable to show hostility and wariness toward people who barge into their nest. After all, the common sense of humans and monsters is different.
But isn't the situation the opposite right now? The baby unicorn hadn't had its nest invaded; it was the one who had come to the mansion where Yeon-hwa lives.
- Whine...
[Enough! Whining won't get you anywhere!]
I scolded the unicorn sternly, its horn still caught in my hand.
One might ask what good scolding does to a monster, but fortunately, the message got through.
Partly because unicorns have outstanding intelligence, and above all, because I always have the Confession Necklace on by default.
The Confession Necklace had started showing changes a while ago.
When I examined it properly, I realized my mental images had begun seeping through. It was similar to a flame-type unique ability—the meaning was conveyed directly without being processed into text.
Thanks to that, I could transmit my thoughts even to monsters with whom I shared no language.
Of course, if I didn't have the Confession Necklace, I could just imitate a flame-type unique ability through Homogenization.
- Prrr...
After the brief discipline ended, the baby unicorn sat down on the field with a deflated air and rubbed its head against me.
Only then did I loosen the corners of my eyes slightly and carefully stroke the baby unicorn's mane.
Even this only ended with a stern scolding because the baby unicorn's actions lacked any bloodlust.
Even if it had actually rammed me, I'd just have been sent flying far away; its horn wouldn't have gored me. But since it was still a matter warranting a scolding, I scolded it.
What if there had been bloodlust toward Yeon-hwa?
I'm sorry to the baby unicorn, but it wouldn't have ended with simply restraining it.
[Yes, that's right... You mustn't charge at people for no reason]
- Prrr...!
[?]
[You had a reason?]
Anyway.
As the whimpering baby unicorn rested its head on my thigh, snorting softly, Yeon-hwa, who had been holding Seo-yul in her arms, blinked and plopped down beside me.
"Sheesh, why does this one hate me too?"
[I wonder...?]
"I mean, spirits, whatever—why does everyone dislike me? I didn't do anything... Our daughter thinks so too, right?"
"Gyaaaah!"
"...Is it really something to freak out over that much?"
For once, Seo-yul, who had been sitting quietly in Yeon-hwa's arms, flinched violently and had a fit at Yeon-hwa's joking words.
At the extreme reaction, Yeon-hwa opened her mouth, looking dumbfounded.
"Uuu... Daddy. Hug me please."
[...Okay, come here]
Seo-yul wrapped her arms tight around me and clung closely, rubbing her skin against mine. She settled her bottom on my free thigh and burrowed into my embrace.
"......"
While doing so, she kept glancing at the baby unicorn resting its head on my other thigh, then gently reached out a hand and softly stroked its pure white horn.
- Prrr...
The baby unicorn's tail swished thump, thump, thump. It was a reaction like a puppy's. I wasn't sure if that was a positive reaction, but the feeling I sensed was definitely positive.
'Seo-yul is a fairy, so is she showing friendliness?'
As a fairy entrusted with the stewardship of nature and someone whose mana is close to purity like mine, it wasn't strange at all for a unicorn to show her friendliness.
- Poke, poke, poke!
"Hey, why do you keep sneaking in pokes."
- Prrr...?
...But maybe because of the Calamity Flame's influence, it didn't seem to like Yeon-hwa that much.
It kept hovering around Yeon-hwa with a displeased air and poking her with its horn.
It wasn't poking to cause injury; it seemed more like sulking, so I just left it alone.
Fire is ultimately part of nature and does play a role in restoration, but among flames, the Calamity Flame is specialized in destruction and annihilation.
It would be hard for a race belonging to nature to like it unconditionally.
"......"
Still, I was watching Yeon-hwa and the unicorn bicker and play around when suddenly, Yeon-hwa's earlier comment came to mind, and I stroked Seo-yul's back as she nestled in my arms.
"Daddy?"
Seo-yul tilted her head adorably at my touch. Why did her pronunciation, as precise as reading a textbook, feel somehow awkward?
Seo-yul, the child who calls me Daddy.
But had I ever called Seo-yul my daughter?
Honestly, I didn't need to ask myself—I'd deliberately avoided it. I couldn't stop Seo-yul from calling me Daddy, but I had always referred to myself as her guardian, not her father. I called Seo-yul a child I was responsible for, but I couldn't bring myself to call her my daughter. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fulfill the role of a parent, not just a guardian. If I called her my daughter, I'd be consumed by guilt over all the things I couldn't do properly for her.
In the end, it's all just excuses.
And now, those excuses are meaningless.
I've done this and that with Yeon-hwa. The others? I'm a greedy person, and I'll never let any of them go.
Having formed—and intending to form—such deep connections, it's ridiculous to push away my relationship with Seo-yul because it feels burdensome.
[Seo-yul]
"Yes, Daddy."
Seo-yul answered with a bright smile at my call. Even through the information I perceived with Observation, I could tell how lovely that smile was.
The fairy knight race already has a short childhood to begin with, and I was just sorry I couldn't spend that time attentively with her.
[Daughter]
"Yes, Daddy."
Seo-yul answered out of habit.
"...Huh?"
A few seconds later, her eyes blinked vacantly, as if she'd realized something was strange. At that unbearably cute sight, the corners of my mouth lifted on their own.
How sweet and delicious a parent's attention is to a child. I, who have only ever felt deprivation and never been fulfilled, know that well myself.
So I always thought that if I ever had a child, I would shower them with love.
I brushed up her soft bangs and gently pressed my lips to her exposed forehead.
- Smooch
At the small sound, Seo-yul's eyes went even rounder. I smiled brightly and rubbed cheeks with her.
[Daughter, how about we go on a picnic together before vacation?]
Seo-yul stiffened like a rock as our cheeks rubbed together. After staying that way for a few minutes, she gradually softened back into tender skin.
"...Yes! Yes, yes! I want to go!"
Eventually, once she'd thawed completely and was bouncing up and down happily in my arms, Seo-yul's appearance drew a warm smile onto my face unbidden.
"Ha-yul, why did you bring me here just to leave me out?"
"That's not it..."
In the middle of it all, Yeon-hwa, ignited with jealousy, subjected me to some affectionately tinged torment.
* * *
That night. Hong Yeon-hwa—thanks to the privilege of the first night?—was able to hold Lee Ha-yul in her arms and fall asleep again tonight.
"Who did you call pathetic? Huh?"
- Pop!
"Heuek..."
Because of that, the gazes from those around her were a little fierce. Tonight, Lee Seo-yul's gaze was especially icy.
But with vacation starting soon, there was a chance they might not see each other for a long time, so she wanted to monopolize him at least until tonight.
"Suck..."
[Satisfaction]
[Sweetness]
[Savory]
"Haa... Yes, that's right... good."
After a relatively short bout of pleasure, Hong Yeon-hwa lay on the bed with Lee Ha-yul in her arms and let out an exhilarated breath.
Fortunately, she'd figured out a little of Lee Ha-yul's approach today, so she avoided the disgrace of fainting in a pathetic state.
Honestly, she couldn't even call it a strategy. Before things got serious, Lee Ha-yul was endlessly soft, and no matter what, if you gave him milk, he'd nod his head yes like the easiest child in the world.
Anyway, should she say she'd salvaged some pride with that little trick?
Though even with that, if Lee Ha-yul hadn't held back, the one sprawled out like a dead frog would have been Hong Yeon-hwa...
"Sheesh."
As Hong Yeon-hwa was savoring the sweet emotions, a thought suddenly came to her, and she swallowed a sigh as she looked down at Lee Ha-yul in her arms.
This kid is saying he's going to wander around somewhere again during vacation.
But he won't tell her exactly where, and he's using the Tower Masters as a pretext to hide it as much as possible.
'Can I dig it out of him?'
Getting Lee Ha-yul to open his mouth isn't easy. Also, if she tried to force his mouth open, he might suddenly spit up a fountain of blood and collapse like last time.
Lee Ha-yul was also a ticking time bomb that was hard to handle carelessly.
"Ha-yul, what are you planning to do during vaca..."
Hong Yeon-hwa swallowed a sigh and murmured vacantly.
It wasn't a question she asked expecting an answer. If she'd wanted an answer, she would have asked when he wasn't asleep.
[Plans during vacation, Primary Objective... Measure the entrance to the Reverse Side]
"Huh?"
In the silence-filled early dawn, an answer came back alone. Hong Yeon-hwa's eyes went round at the sudden voice.
The source of the voice was a familiar place. It was the Confession Necklace that Lee Ha-yul wore even while sleeping.
A bewildered expression formed on its own.
Lately, perhaps because its proficiency had increased, the necklace's security had become quite solid, so seeing it casually answer all on its own could only flabbergast her.
"This is insane."
At the same time, a chill went down her spine.
The necklace had drawn out Lee Ha-yul's thoughts, and if she wasn't careful, he might have answered something he must not disclose because of that... curse or whatever it was from that time.
What if that had happened? Just imagining it made her head spin, and her face turned pale white.
"...Can you hear me?"
[Affirmative]
"Are you awake?"
[Negative]
"...What do you think of Hong Yeon-hwa?"
[Love]
[Affection]
[Milk]
[Dairy Cow]
[Gratitude]
[Warmth]
[Stability]
[Soft]
Click, click, click... At the series of sounds ringing out, Hong Yeon-hwa's expression became bizarre.
"What do you mean, dairy cow... Your thoughts really are transparent."
At some of the rambling answers, Hong Yeon-hwa's cheeks flushed a faint pink.
...Actually, when she glanced down at her chest, it did seem like he was treating her somewhat like that...
"Ahem."
Anyway. Hong Yeon-hwa reined in her bizarre expression. There were slightly dangerous parts to it as a tease, but there was something she'd been curious about since earlier.
'Is it okay to interrogate him about this?'
A small hesitation caught at her ankles. Whatever it was, it was a part Lee Ha-yul was hiding—was it all right for her to probe into it as she pleased?
'...No, rather than letting him ram himself into something alone and come back more dead than alive...'
Even that was an optimistic prediction. What if he set foot in a truly dangerous place and the worst-case scenario happened?
"Urp..."
Just from imagining it, nausea rose, and her Calamity Flame swelled wildly on its own.
A decision was made.
Hong Yeon-hwa swallowed dryly and carefully asked a question.
She didn't hope for much. She wouldn't touch on embarrassing secrets, only just... where in the world he was planning to wander off to during vacation.
"What is this Reverse Side you just mentioned? If it seems like it might cause a problem, absolutely, absolutely do not answer."
- Click
The Confession Necklace shifted in succession.
[Reverse Side]
[Traces that remain unhealed as spatial rifts have been opening for hundreds of years]
[Traces that were once mere rifts begin to exceed a certain scale and function as a single sub-dimension]
[However, since the Reverse Side is a part of the world that cannot exist independently, at a certain point it will inevitably rampage]
...
[Examples]
[1st Iteration, suppression failed, entrance unidentifiable. Central Russia area demon-realmified]
[2nd Iteration, suppression failed, entrance in Australian mainland. Mainland demon-realmified due to demon realm rampage]
[3rd Iteration, suppression failed, entrance in Belarus region. Large portion of Europe demon-realmified...]
[4th Iteration, suppression failed...]
...
[8th Iteration, suppression succeeded...]
...
[11th Iteration, suppression succeeded...]
[12th Iteration, demon-realmification progression and corresponding demon realm domination succeeded]
...
* * *
[Player Correction System: Affection]
Lee Ha-yul → Lee Seo-yul
●●●●●●●●○○(89/100)
｢?｣ ｢Guilt｣ ｢Sense of Sin｣ ｢Self-Reproach｣ ｢Sorry｣ ｢Embarrassment｣ ｢Anxiety｣ ｢Worry｣ ｢Agony｣ ｢Bitterness｣ ... ... ... ... ...
▼Dramatic Change▼
●●●●●●●●●○(95/100)
｢Daughter｣ ｢Affection｣ ｢Family｣ ｢Self-Reproach｣ ｢Sorry｣ ｢Embarrassment｣ ｢Anxiety｣ ｢Worry｣ ｢Agony｣ ... ... ... ... ...