Seeker 221

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Chapter 221. Unicorn

-Wait, don't attack. I'm not your enemy.-

In the forest, there was something akin to a sense of holiness. 

From the mouth of the unicorn, which exuded the same sense of sanctity, words familiar to the people of this world were spoken. 

The forest was tranquil, and apart from the one-horned white horse, there was no visible threat.

"What should we do, Daichi-kun?"

Kazane-san turned to me with a perplexed voice. It was understandable. I was also hesitant to make a judgment.

Can we trust what that one-horned white horse is saying?

Among the stories we heard from the townspeople was one that said, "Good-natured monsters that can understand human speech live in the World Tree.". 

At the time, it seemed doubtful when I heard it. 

I had never heard of monsters that spoke human language. 

However, now that it had appeared before me, there was no room for doubt.

The question was whether the tale of them being good-natured was true.

Well, in the first place, I don't think you can definitively say whether someone is good or evil just by looking at them.

The unicorn remained in its place, a few dozen steps before us while continuing to speak. It seemed to be observing our actions.

"Yuzuki, what did the [Monster Appraisal] show?"

"The monster's name is Unicorn, and its classification is Sacred Beast. It's the first time I've seen a monster in this category. Its stats are about the same as the Chimera we fought earlier."

"Do you remember if it was in the Monster Encyclopedia?"

"No, I'm pretty sure it wasn't listed. If something like that was in there, I wouldn't forget."

"That's true."

The fact that we could identify its stats with [Monster Appraisal] meant that it was definitely a monster. 

If it wasn't in the Monster Encyclopedia, it was probably a rare monster.

There had never been a situation where monsters weren't hostile to us, except for Griffin we had tamed.

However, in the original world, I had never heard of such a thing. 

But then again, I had never heard of monsters that could understand human language.

That one-horned white horse was clearly an irregular existence among monsters.

By the way, if its stats were on par with the Chimera, it shouldn't be too difficult to defeat.

If we prioritize our safety, it might be less risky to attack it.

"Alright, we won't attack. Let's talk."

I released the preparation for magic and lowered the spear I had been holding, signaling to the one-horned white horse that we had no intention of fighting. 

Kazane-san and Yuzuki followed suit, showing relief.

It would be uncivilized to launch an attack when the other party shown no intention of attacking.

-Great, thank you. I appeared before you because I knew you were good-hearted people. You see, I can tell such things.-

The one-horned white horse, the Unicorn, responded with friendly words.

However, "good-hearted people"...

I didn't know what the basis for that statement was, but when the concept of good and evil was emphasized so strongly, it raised some questions.

Nonetheless, in a broader sense, I also felt a sense of holiness and goodness from the monster in front of me. 

It was a deeply intuitive feeling, so I couldn't rely too much on it.

"It's great, senpai. Even you, who loves lewd things, were recognized as good-hearted."

Yuzuki said that and laughed mischievously.

You're the one who called me evil in the first place.

"I told you before, lewd things aren't evil."

"That's right. Naughty things aren't bad. Love is important, after all."

"Today, you're really fixating on that, huh?"

"It's because you, out of character, started saying that being sexy is evil."

"What do you mean 'out of character'? You caught a pure-hearted idol like me. Hmph!"

-Um, can I get a little closer?-

As we were acting out our usual comedy routine, Unicorn let out a perplexed-sounding voice.

Yeah, sorry about that. We tend to quickly get into our world.

I gave the unicorn permission to approach. 

Unicorn trotted over and, at a distance of about ten steps, sniffed the air as if trying to catch a scent. 

Then it looked at Kazane-san and Yuzuki and let out a deep sigh, shaking its head sadly.

"You may be good-hearted, but it seems you're not pure, innocent maidens. What a pity."

Both of my girls' foreheads twitched.

"What...? What's with that horse brat? Should I pull that horn out and shove it up his..."

"Daichi-kun, can we just tear him apart after all? It's okay, right? He's asking for a fight."

"St-stop, both of you!"

As Yuzuki started preparing for magic and Kazane-san tried to draw a dagger from her waist, I quickly held them back with my arms, trying to calm them down.

They were huffing and puffing, but gradually, they settled down in my arms.

-S-sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. I was careless. Please forgive me.-

There was no room for sympathy, in my opinion. 

That was definitely a full-blown insult.

"Okay, as long as you understand. It's one thing to call Daichi-kun impure, but saying he's outright tainted is a bit much."

"That's right. I admit that senpai's heart is pretty dirty, but saying he's impure is going too far."

"Um...? So, the 'impure' he mentioned is about me? Is that a confirmed fact among you two?"

Well, in terms of connotation, it does come off that way.

But let's stop dragging this discussion any further. It's futile.

I directed a question at Unicorn, partly to change the topic.

"So, do you have something to ask of us?"

-Oh, right. I appeared here because I have something I want to request of you.-

Unicorn nodded as if it had remembered something and changed its direction.

We were heading toward the World Tree.

-You came here, which means your goal is World Tree, right? If that's the case, I can guide you. Follow me, and we can talk as we walk.-

Then Unicorn slowly moved deeper into the forest.

We looked at each other and then nodded in agreement, following Unicorn.