Horn Magic
The horn's magic. "G-go, cat..." Jung Yuna's pupils trembled. For some reason, she kept repeating the word "cat." Had she fallen into a panic? Just as worry began to creep in, Han Yeoreum lightly patted Jung Yuna's back.
"Snap out of it."
Smack—! With a sharp sound, life returned to Jung Yuna's eyes. The pain seemed to have steadied her mind.
"U-uh, sorry." Jung Yuna rubbed her back with a slightly furrowed brow. It felt as if her pain was being transmitted to my own back. 'Doesn't it hurt?' If I had been the one hit, I would've been rolling on the floor. On a whim, I put some distance between myself and Han Yeoreum.
"You shouldn't hit my back..."
"Th-then! Why did you hit Winter, unnie!"
"Yes. I just don't like being hit..." Was there something odd about what I said? Han Yeoreum let out a grunt and stepped back.
"Right, who in the world likes being hit? That was my mistake just now." Han Yeoreum rubbed Jung Yuna's back with a sheepish grin. Maybe my unnecessary words had embarrassed her. She was kind enough to let it slide; if it had been any other adventurer, I would've gotten smacked on the back of the head right there. I quickly spoke up to her.
"But hitting as a joke is fine."
"R-really? You don't mind even as a joke?"
"I don't mind. It's not the hitting itself I dislike, but the atmosphere that comes with it."
"Atmosphere..." Gulp. Somewhere, someone swallowed hard. I couldn't tell whose it was.
"People who bully others have a certain vibe. Like the way they glare... that's really hard to endure..."
"Ah..." Han Yeoreum nodded with a stiff expression. Had I brought up too dark a topic? I decided to lighten the mood with some playful banter.
"If it's just a joke, you can hit me. Want to try hitting me once?"
"Wh-what?!"
"Just for fun..." Why was she so startled when I was offering to play around? Without realizing it, my words trailed off.
"Winter, unnie won't hit you even as a joke."
"Mm... okay..." If that's what she wanted, then so be it. Feeling awkward, I wrapped my tail around my hand and spun it. It was then that Jung Yuna spoke up.
"Winter, that wasn't directed at you earlier, right? There was just a really bad person, so..."
"Yes." I knew it hadn't been an insult aimed at me. It seemed my attempt to cheer her up with a joke had caused a misunderstanding.
"There was a really bad person, so I got a bit angry."
"They must've been really awful."
"Yeah. Really..." An awkward smile and a pitying gaze. Jung Yuna and Han Yeoreum looked at me with those expressions. Was it someone connected to me? What on earth had happened to make them react like that? Just as I was about to ask for the reason, Chae Juyeon came stumbling toward us. She had been hidden behind Han Yeoreum and Jung Yuna, but I could tell from the sound of her footsteps and her distinctive scent.
"Ugh... Shall we look at the remaining memories after a short rest, or tomorrow?"
Memories? What memories was she talking about? I poked my head out from beside Jung Yuna and asked.
"What memories?"
"......!" Startled by my sudden appearance, Chae Juyeon choked on her coffee and started coughing. Even skilled adventurers cough up tears when they get something down the wrong pipe. It was a moment of newfound common sense.
"Um, are you okay...?"
"I-I'm fine. I had something to discuss about adventurer work."
"I see."
"Y-yes, that's right." Chae Juyeon's gaze, which had been rambling, shifted to my stomach. Reflexively, I looked down at my belly, but there was nothing there.
"......?" The people around me were acting strange today. What on earth had happened? I turned to look at Sofia, who had been quietly standing behind, but she merely shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. 'What is going on?' She seemed to know something but wasn't telling. Only my tail, filled with questions, floated a question mark in the air.
**
I had the task of managing the park's pond. In exchange, I could eat fish for free. Managing it wasn't much of a hassle, really. The item took care of purifying dust and other pollutants. All I had to do was pick up large pieces of trash. Today, I felt like eating mackerel for the first time in a while. As I picked up trash, I wandered around the park.
"King!" Levinas waved her hand from the grassy field near the tent. The place where she stood was known by the alias "The Strongest Tomb." It wasn't anything special; it was just where the boss Horned Rabbit's magic stone was buried.
"What are you doing, Levinas?"
"I came to check on the Strongest Horned Rabbit!"
"I see." There was no particular reason for burying the boss Horned Rabbit's magic stone. It was because Levinas had wanted it buried. Though it was a valuable magic stone, none of the guild members had objected.
"I need to see if the Horned Rabbit is doing well!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud—! Levinas began digging into the tomb like a horned rabbit. I squeezed my eyes shut against the flying dirt and dust.
"L-Levinas, you shouldn't dig up graves so carelessly."
"But it's the Horned Rabbit, though...?" Levinas looked up at me and tilted her head. Faced with that genuinely puzzled expression, I could only press my lips together.
"Hmm... I wonder if the Horned Rabbit is okay...?" Was the Horned Rabbit different somehow? Since I had just been pondering the lack of common sense, I found it hard to stop her outright.
"Yeah! The Horned Rabbit is fine!" Levinas started digging into the ground again. Thud, thud, thud—! Her digging speed was unmatched in the guild. Maybe it had something to do with her plant growth ability. 'Is Levinas an earth attribute?' She was good at digging and growing plants. It wasn't impossible. I'd have to ask the guild members about it later.
While I was lost in thought, Levinas suddenly plunged her hand into the ground.
"Found it!" It was the boss Horned Rabbit's magic stone she pulled from the earth. A new kind of energy I'd never felt before flowed out from the white, transparent stone. 'Huh?' The boss Horned Rabbit's magic stone was supposed to perfectly block mana, so why was this radiant energy leaking out? Just as I cautiously approached the stone, light began to pour out from it. It wasn't an ominous light, but a brilliant beam as if an angel were descending.
"Eek!" I shielded my eyes with the back of my hand against the bright light. I wondered if I should rush toward Levinas, but decided to stay still. It definitely wasn't an ominous energy. Having touched an evil spirit's magic stone before, I could tell for sure.
"Uwaaaah!" Levinas's awestruck scream and the gentle, enveloping mana of the light. After everything ended, the now lightless magic stone and Levinas appeared.
"L-Levinas...?" What on earth had just happened? I furrowed my brows against the light and checked on Levinas's condition.
"Uwa?" Fortunately, Levinas looked the same as usual. Except for one thing: a white 'horn.'
"Levinas, a horn grew...?" The long, pointed horn was larger than an adult man's finger. It was sharper than the horn of the Horned Rabbit that had pierced my stomach.
"The boss Horned Rabbit bestowed a blessing upon Levinas...!"
"A blessing?"
"Yeah! Levinas's horn got bigger! Levinas is now a magnificent Horned Rabbit!" A magnificent Horned Rabbit, huh. It did look somewhat impressive. The problem was that with the bigger horn came various troubles.
"Can't you make Levinas's horn small again?"
"Why make it small?! Levinas likes having a big horn!"
"Yeah. Big horns are cool, but you can't hug anymore." Levinas loved burying her face in someone's arms for a hug. But with the current size of her horn, it didn't seem possible at all. If she tried to hug carelessly, that big horn would pierce right through someone's stomach. The memory from the past made my body shiver.
"Hic...!" Levinas's face turned to shock. She poked at her own horn with her fingertip, then her mouth fell open.
"Wh-what do I do? Levinas doesn't like big horns anymore...!"
"Don't you know how to make it small?"
"I don't know! King! Save Levinas!" Not being able to hug was enough to beg for help. Indeed, for Levinas, it was a huge problem that affected her entire life.
"Try thinking about making Levinas's horn small."
"Small?"
"Yeah. Last time, your horn got small and blunt too."
"D-did it?" Was it something she did unconsciously? Still, the only thing we could rely on now was Levinas's control ability. Realizing this, Levinas clasped her hands together as if in prayer and tightly closed her eyes.
"Imagine your horn getting smaller."
"Imagine it getting smaller!"
"Or imagine the horn running out of energy by spewing it all out."
"Imagine the energy draining out!" Levinas's fine eyebrows twitched. All I could do was hold her hand. Would that insignificant touch help?
Whoosh—! A powerful energy began to erupt from Levinas's horn.
"Uwaaah!"
"Agh." Mana flowed out along with light from Levinas's horn. It was a warm mana that felt pleasant. What on earth was happening to Levinas? I closed my eyes and waited for the mana to disappear. In that short span of less than ten seconds, all the mana drained away, and Levinas's horn shrank.
"King, what was that just now...?"
"W-well..." Relieved that Levinas's horn had returned to normal, I noticed something out of place. The carrot planted next to the tent had grown larger. So large that its stem was taller than the tent's ceiling.
"Huuuuh!" Levinas let out a scream of shock. Her fur stood on end as if she had goosebumps.