Chapter 92: The Unicorn's Blessing
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 92: The Unicorn's Blessing
Karami craned his neck and looked up at the sky.
A new challenger appeared, its entrance as dramatic as a cataclysm. For a yokai to reveal itself in broad daylight meant it possessed immense confidence.
The horse-like yokai was one of the Twelve Zodiac Spirits.
Like the Fallen Monk, she was one of the great yokai summoned by Rin's misfortune, bound by the Mandate of Heaven to suppress her. When the Fallen Monk failed his mission, she had taken over and come here.
As one might guess from the name, she was a yokai derived from the Twelve Zodiacs, representing the Horse (午) among the twelve animals.
She, too, was a yokai that fit the theme of Vestia, the land of beastkin, quite well.
Which animal appeared was random. The most difficult opponent was the Dragon (辰). The others were all of similar difficulty, so the Horse was a manageable draw.
Although its timing is unexpected.
The Horse of the Twelve Zodiacs had appeared out of nowhere, right in the middle of his confrontation with Hilde. At the appearance of a yokai on par with a calamity, the ordinary citizens prostrated themselves, trembling in fear.
Sensing the danger, the composure vanished from Hilde's face.
"Tsk. That thing is beyond the level of simple misfortune."
Karami wholeheartedly agreed.
If that thing was classified as 'misfortune,' then getting hit by bird droppings from the sky wouldn't even register as bad luck.
"Right? Even for a pink fox, how could she summon a monster like that? It's not our Rin's fault."
"If she's not a pink fox but a gumiho, that's a different story."
"That's true."
The atmosphere was such that everyone had already decided Rin was a gumiho, so Karami didn't bother denying it anymore. It wasn't like they'd believe him anyway. Fortunately, Hilde was in a position where she couldn't focus solely on Rin.
Hilde's head was throbbing.
The recent plague incident had convinced Hilde that the pink fox was no mere pink fox. She was a gumiho. She'd wondered why that old fox, Yuhwa, had been so vague. Turns out, she was protecting her own kind.
She had come to hunt the gumiho before it was too late, only for the Horse of the Twelve Zodiacs to show up as well. Facing one was overwhelming enough, but now there were two great yokai.
Could they stop them even with the kingdom's full military might? Vestia was on the verge of fading into history, regressing to the age of beasts.
While Hilde glared at the Horse Spirit, the yokai paid her no mind, focusing all her attention on Rin.
"Gumiho, I bear you no personal grudge, but I ask you to understand my position. I cannot defy the Mandate of Heaven."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Rin retorted sarcastically, conjuring flames as she took a battle stance.
A three-way battle.
Tension seized the air. It was a hair-trigger situation, a battle ready to erupt at any moment.
Whoooosh!
Suddenly, a whirlwind blew in from nowhere. Objects tumbled violently, and people shielded their faces with their arms. The dark clouds vanished as if sucked into the sky.
"This place is nothing short of a den of yokai."
Landing as lightly as a feather on a rooftop was a fox wearing a wide-brimmed hat with a perception-distorting veil.
Ordinary citizens could barely even perceive her, but those who knew her could see her true identity. It was the Celestial Fox, Yuhwa.
"Yuhwa...!"
Hilde's eyes blazed as she glared at Yuhwa. After a steady exchange of gazes, Yuhwa simply gave a slight nod. It was the bare minimum of courtesy.
"Celestial Fox, why do you defy the Mandate of Heaven?"
It was the Horse of the Twelve Zodiacs.
Suppressing the gumiho has traditionally been the role of the Celestial Fox. Yet, despite the gumiho being right beside her, all she did was spare it a glance. This was a defiance of Heaven's Mandate.
"Step aside. If you will not do it, then I shall do it in your stead."
"I cannot allow that. If you creatures run rampant here, innocent citizens will be harmed. Is it not the role of the Celestial Fox to protect the mandate of the innocent?"
"None of this would have happened if you had suppressed the gumiho sooner."
"This, too, must be the flow of fate."
"..."
The Horse Spirit scanned the ground below. Two yokai foxes, plus Vestia's soldiers. Hilde's aura, in particular, was not to be ignored.
Retreating seemed the wisest course of action. But...
"I will withdraw for now, but you would do well to remember this. This time, I came alone. Next time, the other yokai will be with me. And it will not end with mere words then."
"Hmph."
Engulfed in a sudden burst of flame, the Horse of the Twelve Zodiacs vanished without a trace. Wary of a potential surprise attack, those in the standoff remained vigilant, their eyes on the sky.
Once she sensed the Horse Spirit's presence was completely gone, Hilde glared back and forth between the two yokai foxes. Her face flushed red and purple as she ground her teeth.
"You fucking fox bitches... How dare you mock me...!"
"It's a misunderstanding, Princess."
"A misunderstanding?! When that gumiho bitch is brazenly roaming my kingdom?!"
"Please calm your anger, Princess. Allow me to escort you to the Celestial Pavilion."
Her anger refusing to subside, Hilde's shoulders heaved as she seethed. Then, she glared at Rin and Karami as if she could shoot lasers from her eyes.
As if branding them. As if to say they could never escape.
Only then did she stomp away, her feet pounding the road as she disappeared in the direction of the Celestial Pavilion. With a deep sigh, Yuhwa gave Karami's group one last look before vanishing as well.
The citizens, unable to process what had just happened, milled about in confusion. Amid the chaos, Karami also slipped away.
He walked for a good while, not slowing down until he reached a place untouched by the commotion. Karami strolled slowly, lost in thought.
First, Hilde.
'Now that she knows Rin is a gumiho, she'll come to kill her in earnest.'
He didn't know what Yuhwa would say to Hilde, but he was certain she wouldn't join forces with the princess to capture Rin.
As long as that didn't happen, Karami figured he had a fighting chance.
And second, the Horse of the Twelve Zodiacs.
It was a huge relief that it wasn't the Dragon, but the Horse was still not an opponent to be taken lightly. As one of the Twelve Zodiac Spirits, she was powerful enough to be considered a lesser version of a god.
Fortunately, when fighting the Twelve Zodiac Spirits, there were ways to gain an advantage against each one. The information still existed in Karami's database.
With that in mind, Karami paid a visit to Vestia's Grand Cathedral.
In Vestia's Grand Cathedral, which was home to various races without discrimination, there was one particularly unusual beastkin.
Priestess Iris.
Iris, who wielded holy light with abandon, had long, pure white hair that shimmered with rainbow colors when it caught the light.
Above all, her most striking feature was the long horn protruding from her forehead.
She was a unicorn beastkin.
If the Horse of the Twelve Zodiacs was a mythical horse of the East, Iris was her Western counterpart: the mythical unicorn.
From Iris, one could receive a blessing—a buff—that granted additional damage against horse-type monsters.
However, as befitting such an overpowered effect, the blessing couldn't be obtained through ordinary means. Even a massive donation wouldn't work.
Only those chosen by Iris could receive her brilliant blessing, and the minimum requirement was to maintain one's purity.
Unicorns were known for their cantankerous personalities, but they were exceptionally kind to pure maidens. If a master and their slaves all maintained their purity, Iris would be moved and grant her blessing.
Aside from the bonus damage to horse-type monsters, the basic enhancement effect was also substantial, so players often used it before tackling difficult dungeons or bosses.
But not many players could use it. Most couldn't overcome their lust and would end up fooling around with their slaves.
'But not me.'
Karami had never once had sexual relations with a slave. It was to the point that he had never even fully liberated a succubus slave.
Karami cherished his slaves and would never lay a hand on them. How could he do such a thing?
He was certain of it.
"Ugh. That disgusting smell... Get away from me."
He was certain, right up until Iris wrinkled her nose as if looking at a piece of filth.
Karami was completely taken aback by Iris's devastating insult, which was utterly unbecoming of a clergy member.
"Wait a minute. What are you talking about? Where in the world would you find someone as kind and pure as me?"
"What are you talking about? You reek of a female's scent. Guards, get these filthy things out of here."
He was given no time to explain or figure out what was happening. The guards dragged Karami out of the cathedral.
He tumbled to the ground and couldn't even think of getting up. He lay sprawled out, dazedly replaying her words in his mind.
'A female's scent...?'
Karami could swear to God that he had never had sex. Not on Earth, and not here. But Iris, who could discern purity, had scorned him as filthy. There could be no clearer proof.
In that case, there was only one possible explanation.
'That bastard, Karami!'
This wasn't self-loathing. He was cursing the original owner of the body.
The body he had possessed, Karami's body, had been defiled long ago. He never stood a chance of being chosen by Iris.
How could life be so unfair?
He wouldn't even be this upset if he'd at least gotten to enjoy it.
As Karami lay there, dumbfounded, Rin hesitantly approached him.
"I'm sorry, Master. It's because of Rin..."
Rin blamed herself, her expression downcast. She seemed to think it was because of her misfortune. Sigh, this kind-hearted girl.
Karami forced a smile and soothed her.
"It's okay. This has nothing to do with you, Rin."
What did you do wrong?
It's all the fault of this guy and his promiscuous, debaucherous lifestyle.
Thanks to him, I'm stuck with the responsibility without any of the pleasure.