EP.14 Healing Trip -1
EP.14 Healing Trip -1
Clatter, clatter.
The train swayed as the scenery sped past outside the window, bringing a gentle smile to my face.
It had been a long time since a day started this pleasantly.
"Seon-juu...?"
"Hm? What's up, Kor?"
"If you're uncomfortable, should I hold Tia for you...?"
"I'm fine. Thanks for the consideration, I appreciate the thought."
On my lap lay a little girl, her eyes peacefully shut.
She was sleeping like a log, drool and all.
Then again, she'd been so excited about today that she barely slept last night, so it was no surprise.
I decided to just let her rest deeply.
"At times like this, I envy Tia. I'd like to use my dear husband's lap to sleep too."
"If you're talking about a lap pillow, I'll give you one later."
"Hehe! I can look forward to that, right?"
"As long as you don't suddenly turn your head toward my crotch and do something perverted."
"Oh-ho? Looks like my dear husband can see the future now, huh?"
"You always do that."
That prediction came from experience, not an ability.
After spending so much time with Yata, who turned everything lewd, I had learned to anticipate what she might try next.
Anyway, excessive public displays of affection was forbidden. That was my ruling.
When I thoroughly communicated this decision to Yata, her expression shifted.
Instead of a disappointed look, a joyful smile and a faintly flushed face appeared.
She seemed happy about the fact that she was receiving steady attention from me.
"Husband?"
"Ah—!"
A low word sent a jolt of electricity through my body.
I'd gotten on Miho's nerves again... Terrified, I carefully turned my head toward her.
There stood Miho with a fresh smile, offering me a citron drink.
Not a trace of murderous intent or coldness could be felt from the faintly lifted corners of her mouth.
Miho had just spoken to me out of pure goodwill. I must have been mistaken this time.
"I know you can't move a muscle because of sleeping Tia, but you still need to keep up your hydration."
"Ah... yeah, thanks."
She'd even opened the plastic bottle cap for me and personally placed the drink in my hand—such thoughtful consideration. It felt very gentle and warm.
The Miho who used to ignite with jealousy over the tiniest thing was different, at least today.
Yes. Today was a very special day. A day for keeping a peaceful, leisurely heart.
"...Peaceful is really the best, I think."
"Fufu, it is."
"By all means, peace is the best."
"I-I think so too..."
Just a few days earlier, when the Director had assigned me the mission of taking care of those cancerous lumps, I had refused. Then he offered me a reward I could not turn down: a reservation for a four-night, five-day stay at Ilgak Hot Spring Village on the eastern frontier.
One of the famous travel destinations everyone knew, the absolute No. 1 must-visit for a healing vacation.
But the village had only a single inn, so reservations were always fully booked.
A reservation at the Ilgak Inn was known to be harder than catching stars in the sky.
People considered themselves lucky to stay there for even one night, yet we had four nights and five days to relax...?!
It was a devilishly tempting reward I absolutely couldn't refuse. So, during the actual mission, I gritted my teeth and endured while thinking of it.
Anyway, now that the previous mission was fully concluded, I was traveling with my Companion Animals, laughing merrily.
I just prayed this vacation wouldn't turn out to be 4.5 seconds...
***
A vast wilderness, fragrant grass, chirping birds, and finally, a dreamy forest village.
Every last detail suited my taste perfectly.
"I'm so glad we came...!"
For someone like me who loved natural places as much as home, this village felt like heaven.
Minimal artificial atmosphere, maximum nature in its original form.
A space where I could escape the stifling city and regain stability.
The lack of liveliness on the village streets was a bit of a shame, but I let it slide.
"Husband!! Over here!"
"Yeah! I'll be right there!"
While taking in the streets, I arrived at the inn before I knew it.
The place that would be my sanctuary for 5 days.
A lodging known to provide service on par with the finest hotels.
The majestic wooden structures visible from the entrance made my heart pound.
Just what kind of happy events were waiting for us...
"We're terribly sorry, guest!!"
"Huh...?"
When I went to the counter to check in, the inn employee bowed 90 degrees in apology.
The innkeeper, who rushed over belatedly, also apologized to me respectfully.
"W-What is this all of a sudden?"
"You went through such trouble to reserve our inn and came all this way, but a problem has arisen!!"
"What do you mean...?"
"The truth is, since a few days ago, our inn... no, all the water in the village has stopped flowing!!"
-Clatter!
The sound of a shower basket hitting the floor.
My companion fox, who had anticipated the hot springs more than anyone, couldn't withstand the shock.
On the other hand, the crow was quietly nodding her head as if she already knew.
Watching Yata's behavior, Miho began to glare at her as if demanding why she hadn't said anything.
Kor hurriedly tried to restrain the fox.
Ah, no! The peaceful vacation that was just beginning was already meeting its end like this...!!
"Could I get a detailed explanation?"
"Ah!! You're the person who was supposed to arrive today!"
"Yes? Y-yes... that's right. First, please explain the situation."
"Well, our village's hot spring water is a mix of water from the nearby volcano and the water from a certain lake in the Great Wilds, but..."
The innkeeper's story was this: they'd used a small amount of hot spring water from the volcano and a waterway connected to a lake in the Great Wilds to create the hot springs. But the problem started not long ago, when a Divine Beast living in the lake discovered this village. The Divine Beast was enraged that they'd been using the lake water as they pleased, since it was all hers. She hadn't caused casualties, but she'd blocked off the sole waterway connecting the village and the Great Wilds. Because of that, even the water needed for daily life became scarce, and the village was ultimately facing the crisis of being abandoned.
"This village has been passed down since my great-great-grandfather's time, and to have to leave so absurdly...! I truly cannot bear it!!"
"If it's been that long, did you never once consider that a Divine Beast might show up?"
"When my great-great-grandfather discovered the lake water and the hot spring water, it was known that there was no Divine Beast living in the lake at the time. We had no idea that a Divine Beast would be living there."
Well, the boundary between our country and the Great Wilds had only become clearly defined 150 years ago.
After that, civilians were prevented from approaching the Great Wilds, so naturally no one would know what was in the lake.
Anyway, a Divine Beast that had moved in later and was throwing its weight around...
Given that she hadn't directly harmed people, she probably wasn't violent, but she definitely seemed to have a nasty personality.
"If it's alright, could you tell me what this Divine Beast looks like?"
"Well... it was a pure white horse with a single horn on its head."
A horse with a single horn on its head... only one Divine Beast came to mind.
"A Unicorn?"
Yata sent an OK sign confirming it. As expected, Yata seemed to know the details.
I'd have to ask her about various things later.
"So, do you think you'll be able to help us?"
"...Excuse me? Help with what now?"
"Are you not the agent who came to help us?"
"Huh? H-How do you know that?"
"When we appealed this matter to the government, a reply came back saying they would help. They said they'd dispatch someone today, so we canceled all reservations and arranged today's booking in advance?"
"Ah...?"
Directorrrrr!!
Goddammit!! The thing I thought was a reward... turned out to be another mission assignment?! Oh, you son of a bitch!!
That damn Director!! He'd cleverly tricked me!!
"Ah?! Could it be you're not an agent? I assumed you were an agent and revealed all the information...!!"
No wonder he'd answered my questions so readily...
It'd be awkward to say no now.
"...No, I am."
"Then, do you think you'll be able to resolve this matter?"
"Uh, um..."
It wasn't that it couldn't be resolved.
All my companion Divine Beasts were gathered by my side, and I also had the entry permit the Director had previously issued.
Ah, now that I thought about it again, how infuriating. He sent me precisely because I had the entry permit, didn't he?
In any case, I merely disliked the request; it was not actually unreasonable.
However...
"Let's have horse meat sauté for dinner tonight!"
"M-Miho...? Please calm down first...!!"
"Kor? I am very calm, you know? So let go of this."
Our fox was extremely furious. It would be dangerous not to resolve this.
Miho absolutely loved bathing. To the point of using bath additives at home every single day.
So when I said we were going to a hot spring, Miho was the one who had beamed brighter than anyone.
After deciding on the hot spring trip, she hadn't gotten angry even once.
But now, with her hot spring dream shattered, she must have been unleashing all her pent-up anger.
"I-I'll resolve it."
"Ah!! Thank you! Thank you so much! Agent!!"
The innkeeper clasped my hands tightly and expressed his gratitude.
Receiving thanks was an unfamiliar experience, so it just felt awkward.
Wait... wasn't I not supposed to let on that I was an agent...?
But since that infuriating Director had dispatched me anyway, and this location was extremely remote, maybe it'd be fine?
"Haaah..."
I stopped thinking.
Just having to work at a place I'd come to rest at made me mad enough to die; I didn't want to rack my brain on top of it.
I just wanted to resolve things quickly and rest comfortably...
Ah, but if I had one wish, it would be to grab that Director who'd given me the big middle finger by the collar.
***
"Grrrr...!!"
On the path to the lake along the waterway, threatening sounds continued to be heard from this direction.
All of them were wild animals inhabiting this area.
In the north, the extreme cold meant few active animals, but this place was different.
The Eastern Great Wilds, where endless jungle and forest stretched out.
A world teeming with life and an endless law of the jungle.
Seeing what looked like easy prey, carnivores began gathering around me.
However, not a single animal tried to approach me, and the reason for that was...
"Yukhoe... steak... shabu-shabu... bulgogi... meat jeon..."
It was Miho, walking at the head of the group and listing meat dishes one by one.
I wasn't sure whether that was aimed at the Unicorn or the surrounding wild animals.
But one thing was certain: she was radiating a low-pressure aura that was absolutely unapproachable.
"Seon-ju...? If you're uneasy, shall I clear out this whole area...?"
"No, there's no need for that."
"What worries me right now isn't the wild animals. It's..."
Miho. She was like a bomb, and I had no idea when she might explode.
I hoped the Unicorn would be a fellow who'd communicate smoothly.
"Yata."
"You want me to tell you about the Unicorn, right?"
"Yeah. Tell me everything you can, as much as you're allowed to."
"Alright. Then I'll tell you what my dear husband would be most curious about first."
"Okay."
"She probably won't be reasonable. That horse only likes people who are chaste."
"So the legend passed down really is true."
When you think of a Unicorn, the first thing that comes to mind is chastity.
A beautiful white horse bearing the alias of the Divine Beast of Chastity and Light.
Knowing she herself was pure, she extremely detested becoming dirty.
That Divine Beast, called borderline obsessive-compulsive, had one peculiar trait.
It was chastity detection. She could tell whether a target had ever mingled bodies with the opposite sex.
Frankly put, she determined whether one had engaged in sexual intercourse—if one was chaste, it was acceptable; otherwise, she abhorred them.
"A so-called virgin-obsessed freak, in other words."
"...Is it okay to call a Divine Beast that?"
"Well, what does it matter? It's the truth."
It wasn't wrong.
But as someone who also liked virgins, the sound of it felt a little... well.
"Anyway, in that sense, me, my dear husband, and that fox over there will be rejected."
"That figures, right?"
I had already taken both of their virginities, while Miho had forcibly taken mine.
In other words, all three of us were already sexually experienced.
The only people who could negotiate were Tia and Kor.
Tia was too young, so she'd be impossible, and I was worried because Kor's communication skills were a bit lacking.
That left no one particularly suited to negotiating a proper agreement with the Unicorn.
"You don't need to worry too much. There's a way."
"There's a way? What is it?"
"Sorry, I don't think I can tell you that. But just let me tell you in advance that all you have to do is trust me and wait."
"Trust you and wait?"
"Yeah."
What exactly to trust, what exactly to wait for. Yata's prophecies were always abstract on the important parts.
However, Yata's words had always been a cheat code. I figured I should just believe her this time too and quietly wait.
"Right on cue, here she comes."
"Hm?"
Clop clop, clop clop.
The sound of hooves kicking the ground could be heard.
Wild horses normally inhabited plains; they didn't live in forests thick with trees like this.
Yet the sound of hooves in this kind of forest meant our target had arrived.
"What's this, impure ones and pure ones mixed together?"
A feminine voice that sounded both coy and prickly.
Judging by the tone, she definitely wasn't welcoming us.
Anyway, when I quietly turned toward where the voice had come from, there stood a pure white horse without a single blemish.
On the horse's forehead was a single sturdy, sharp horn, and even the horn was spotless without a speck of dust.
Its body was so immaculate that the signature whiteness of a white horse shone and even created a halo.
The Unicorn was beautiful enough to leave me speechless. As I stared in fascination, the white horse glared at me and spoke.
"Human, aren't you going to lower your eyes? You filthy whore of a man. Where do you get off trying to eye-rape me with those disgusting eyes of yours?"
I'd just glanced at her for a moment, but I received harsh words from the Unicorn.
I'd known she'd abhor me, but I hadn't expected it to be this severe.
Honestly, I felt a bit choked up and hurt.
I still had to negotiate with her over the lake water, so I needed to keep her in a good mood.
So, the moment I decided to lower my gaze...
"Keheok?!"
"You crazy horse. Just let it go in one ear and out the other, husband!"
"For a mere horse, you sure run your mouth, don't you? Hey, are you crazy?"
"Crazyy! Crazyy!! Kyahaha!!"
Miho delivered a dropkick to the Unicorn's head.
Kor landed a low kick on the Unicorn's hind legs.
Tia threw out a mocking jeer at the Unicorn getting beaten up.
The Unicorn, hit by decisive blows from the front and the back, collapsed to the ground and began to be beaten by the two of them.
I could understand Miho, but even Kor, who normally restrained the fox, had joined in.
Kor's hair blazed red; the white horse's remark had clearly enraged her.
"Yata, was this what I was supposed to trust and wait for?"
"No. Not this... Just wait a little longer."
Just what I was supposed to wait for... I had no idea.
Still, if there was one thing I'd realized, it was this.
There would be no more peaceful time in this place.