Chapter 192: Horn Ache

Rea​d on​ KatR​eadingC​afe​

As soon as they stepped out of the carriage, a strange sight greeted them.

A sheer, circular cliff. At the center of its hollow, a round, isolated white forest sat like an island.

Between the forest and the cliff lay only a bizarre void—a shifting, unfathomable abyss with no discernible end.

Long ago, the saint Gabriel had twisted space with his own hands to create this place.

Sugar, who had been staring intently at it, muttered under her breath.

“…Donut.”

“Huh?”

The forest occupied the hole of the donut, while the abyss took the place of the pastry itself. The snack-like association slipped out, prompting her childhood friend beside her to tilt his head in confusion.

“Ah, no. I mean, the ground is weird. This is ‘Spatial Entanglement,’ right?”

The very same phenomenon plaguing the single-occupancy floors of Steele’s male dormitory.

A phenomenon where, in a multidimensional overlapping space, a misaligned force causes specific dimensions to react and fold. No one could say what lay within—space here was literally tangled and knotted.

Above this unsettling void, a floating stepping-stone bridge hovered weightlessly. Translucent as glass, it blended fantastically with the white forest beyond.

Sugar and her group stood before it, taking in the scenery.

“I heard there was a bridge, but… seeing it in person is surreal.”

“Is this the only way in?”

“Yeah. A barrier prohibiting flight covers this entire area.”

At Ian’s answer, Sugar’s curiosity flared. She picked up a pebble from the ground and hurled it toward the white forest.

The stone shot forward—only to hit an invisible force midair and plummet straight down.

“…So flying’s completely out of the question.”

An isolated, circular forest, a cliff with no guarantee of survival if one fell and an anti-flight barrier. All of it was designed to keep intruders out.

Yet Sugar boldly stepped forward.

She wasn’t here with ill intent. She’d enter properly, through the official route, and make her request for materials.

Nothing to fear when you’re upright.

With that resolve, she took her first step onto the floating bridge.

“Whoa. Weird sound.”

A clear, resonant ding echoed as her foot met the glass-like surface.

Heart fluttering, she brought her other foot forward.

Then—

The foothold vanished.

“GYAAAAH—!”

Literally, the ground beneath her disappeared, and the sensation of falling—like her guts were being yanked out—

Snap.

A hand caught her arm before she could plummet.

Haaah. She exhaled in relief as she was set back on solid ground. Riley released her with a deeply serious expression.

A tense silence followed.

The air grew strange.

Leon and Ian turned eerily quiet stares toward Sugar.

And then—Riley’s accusatory glare joined theirs. This was the main event.

Sugar broke into a cold sweat.

“L-Look, everyone, just hear me out. I don’t get why you’re all looking at me like—”

“I knew this would happen.”

“Should’ve asked before we left…”

“No! What the hell do you even think this bridge is?!”

The sole stepping-stone bridge leading to the forest where unicorns dwelled. A bridge rumored to filter out the impure.

And when a woman stepped onto it, it disappeared. The reason why? Their minds all converged on one inevitable conclusion.

“That’s just a fake bridge! Everyone, try it! Go on, step on it!”

The woman shrieked desperately, demanding proof. It’s not what you’re thinking. Absolutely not.

Hesitantly, Leon was the first to carefully place his foot on the now-reappeared platform.

The bridge held.

Next, Ian stepped forward after him.

Again, no disappearance.

“AAAAH! STOP MOCKING ME! WHY CAN’T I GO?!”

Sugar flailed in outrage at the absurdity, only for a world-weary sigh to sound behind her. It carried the weight of a crumbling universe.

“Hey.”

“…Riley?”

“Who was it?”

An arm hooked around her from behind, seizing her neck. Magic prickled against her skin like static.

“R-R-Riley.”

“Which bastard—?”

“NO! Don’t jump to weird conclusions!”

The hand lingering over her choker-clad throat radiated murderous intent. Sugar flailed like a cornered animal.

“Y-You try it too! Step up and prove your purity! Then we’ll talk!”

“…”

‘Huh? Wait, so it wasn’t both of them?’ Bewildered, Leon and Ian each took a step forward. Meanwhile, Riley—looking ready to slaughter someone, unicorns be damned—moved onto the bridge.

Then—

The foothold vanished.

Sugar’s face drained of color.

“…You… You’re the one who…”

“What the hell is this…?!”

“I knew it. I knew it. No wonder you’re so damn good with your hands—what kind of filthy bitch was it? Someone you met outside? Name, address, spit it all out. Or—wait, don’t tell me it was that damn knight—”

“Shut your damn mouth. If we’re going there, how many times did you get passed around to be this sensitive, huh? Goddammit—”

“You trying to deflect? You wanna see me lose it?”

“I’m the one about to lose it!”

While the two were tangled in their venomous drama, Ian alternated between staring at his own feet and Leon. Both of them stood perfectly fine on the bridge, untouched.

Heh. A sly smile crept onto her face.

Meanwhile, Leon, sweating bullets, shouted over the chaos.

“Hey, lovebirds! Calm down for a second. Maybe it’s not about purity!”

“…What?”

The two, who looked ready to rip each other’s clothes off in rage, turned their glares on Leon. The sheer intensity of their jealousy and hatred was suffocating, but he pressed on anyway. Sugar muttered, “We’re not a couple,” but he ignored her.

“Just because it’s called ‘the bridge that filters out the impure’ doesn’t mean it’s about that kind of impurity. Maybe it’s literal—like, ‘impure’ as in tainted. The Spatial Entanglement and the anti-flight barrier were all measures the saint took to protect the white forest from evil, right? The bridge is the same.”

“So you’re saying…”

“Sugar’s unintentionally tied to heretics, so she might count as ‘tainted.’ And Riley, well…”

Leon trailed off. He knew something.

The grimoire.

He’d probably seen Riley holding it in his dreams. And in reality, he must’ve noticed it too.

But Riley hadn’t told Leon or Ian about the book yet. It wasn’t something to blurt out, so he swallowed his words.

“Anyway, yeah. You’re close with Sugar, so let’s just… go with that.”

“…”
“…”

Sugar and Riley fell silent. The remnants of their rationality accepted Leon’s explanation, and the fight died down—though the glares didn’t.

“Then… those of us who can step on the bridge will go ahead. We’ll try to persuade whoever’s inside to let you two in. His Holiness is here, so maybe it’ll work…”

“More likely to work if it’s you and not me.”

“We’ll see.”

The prophet and the saint—technically, the holy maiden—crossed the bridge.

The two “impure” ones left behind could only watch.

The sharp-faced Evil God’s saintess sat on the cliff’s edge, hurling rocks like throwing knives. Hwip, hwip. Taking out her frustration.

Beside her, the grimoire’s owner sat down.

“…”
“…”

“…Riley. We’re impure, huh.”

“No surprise there.”

A short exchange, then silence.

In the distance, their friends stepped off the bridge and into the white forest.

Watching them stirred complicated feelings.

Of course it did. Her most cherished friend—practically a little brother—had been branded “impure.” Who wouldn’t feel bitter?

And this friend wanted to be there with them. But if he could go, then being left behind alone would’ve been worse.

The frustration was there, but so was the bittersweet relief of not being alone.

Sugar sighed.

“I blew up again…”

That earlier drama.

If she’d just thought for a second, she could’ve reasoned it out like Leon did. But no, she’d let her emotions explode. Ugh.

And the things she’d said—how pathetic did she sound?

Now that she’d cooled down, the memory of her actions made her curl up, hugging her knees and burying her face in shame.

The more she cared for Riley, the more she wanted from him.

She wished she could just feel the first part—pure affection—without the second. But it kept creeping in, making her childish. She couldn’t be the mature older sister she wanted to be.

And this situation? Hoping he was inexperienced too? Ridiculous. Who was she to—

…But Riley was the same.

Not trusting her. Misunderstanding. Obsessing.

Hmph. Not just her, then.

Sugar pouted.

“…”

Then sighed again, long and deep. Look at me. Still acting like a kid.

As she stewed, the boy who’d been silent finally spoke.

“Sorry for snapping earlier.”

“…”

Sugar lifted her face from her knees. Hesitantly, she met his eyes.

His hand reached out, tangled in the same mess of emotions as hers. She took it.

“I’m sorry too… for not trusting you.”

After the apologies, Riley patted his thighs. Sugar hesitated, then climbed onto his lap, sitting facing him with her legs spread over his.

“…But you really didn’t, right?”

“Wanna fight again?”

Riley’s deadpan reply made her huff.

“I’m just curious.”

“As if I would.”

They held each other’s gaze, eyes level, until the tension melted into something warm and pointless.

Two people who adored studying the depths of each other’s pupils broke into quiet laughter.

“But… why were you even curious about that?”

“Because if unmarried men and women did that, they’d be ruined. As an adult, it’s my duty to instill proper morals in you.”

Riley had no retort. It was the most absurd thing he’d ever heard.

Wordlessly, he cupped Sugar’s chin, and she flinched but didn’t pull away.

The kisses that followed were light—peck, peck—like raindrops, soft and fleeting.

After a while, Sugar paused, hesitating before murmuring:

“…I want a proper one.”

“Friends and family don’t do that.”

“S-Some people do! You’re just too young to know.”

“Oh?”

Her cheeks burned as she spouted nonsense, eyebrows pinched in protest. Riley humored her.

“Mmm… nn…”

Then their tongues met, gentle and slow. A reconciliation, after the fight. The slide of warmth, the quiet friction, until their heads spun and their bodies melted. It wasn’t just physical—it was the dizzying satisfaction of being woven together, like they could dissolve into one.

If they did become one, there’d be no more fights, no misunderstandings, no jealousy, no worry.

“Hah…”

Sugar exhaled, pressing closer, eyes shut, lost in the floating sensation. When Riley’s hands wandered, she let him, trembling but leaning into every touch.

Is he manipulating his blood flow right now?

The idle thought flickered. She cracked her eyes open, half-regretful—

—and froze.

Eek.

Eyes. Eyes. Eyes.

On the bridge, their friends had returned—and were watching.

The black-haired boy glared like he’d been personally offended. The platinum-blonde girl (disguised as a boy) covered her face, but her fingers were spread wide, pupils glued to the scene.

They were friends, yes, but Sugar had never let them see this.

Aah… Aaah… AAAH.

Her mind short-circuited. Then, beside their gawking friends, a stranger stepped into view.

Androgynous, with a single horn jutting from their forehead.

But then—the horn drooped. Their expression soured.

And their mutter cut through the air, crystal clear:

“My horn hurts…”