Chapter 193: Please Give Birth to Many

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“My horn hurts…”

The weak tone of voice struck Sugar’s heart like an arrow.

Huh? What hurts?

“Ah… Excuse me… It’s like a physiological phenomenon… Anyway, you two are quite the unique case… Are those humans your friends?”

A short-haired figure with an androgynous, youthful appearance and a faint purple aura asked weakly. Leon and Ian nodded.

“Haah… You two, come here… Please stop that and come quickly…”

The words were sighed out like a lament. Sugar’s eyebrow twitched, but she had been called out for her actions.

Right, we were kissing just now.

Startled, she pulled away from her childhood friend and roughly wiped her lips. The remaining friend’s expression twisted slightly before glaring at the horned figure.

“U-um, Ian. Who is this person…?”

Meanwhile, Sugar, her cheeks flushed, cautiously approached like she was stepping on stones.

Ian, equally red-faced from witnessing the affectionate display, spoke up.

“A unicorn guiding us…”

“I am Harnielle…”

After introducing itself, Harnielle subtly covered its nose.

Sugar’s eyebrow twitched again.

“You want to enter the White Forest… But you can’t cross the bridge…”

“Yes. The footholds keep disappearing.”

Ian answered in Sugar’s stead, who had fallen silent.

“That’s simple enough… Both of you, take off your shoes and apply this ointment…”

Pulling out a brown glass bottle, Harnielle handed it to Sugar, careful not to let their hands touch.

“If you apply this to your feet, you’ll be able to cross the bridge…”

“…You’re allowing it more easily than I expected.”

“The descendent of the Saint and the Prophet requested it, so we must oblige… We owe our lives to the Saint of old…”

“Even though me and that blond over there are ‘impure’? You’d still permit us entry?”

Sugar’s question was sharp. She didn’t like the way its horn had been drooping sullenly since earlier.

“The energy around you two is murky, suffocating, and reeks… But you believe in the Saint, right?… Just finish your business quickly and leave…”

“…”

“Besides, to us, most outsiders feel ‘impure’ anyway… Let’s see… Ah, the sign must’ve blown over in the wind…”

It picked up a fallen plank from the ground and propped it up near the bridge.

‘You are not clean.’

‘Nine out of ten will fall.’

‘For suicide counseling, visit the nearest chapel.’

Sugar quietly sat down and took off her shoes.

Now I get why unicorn horn powder is so rare. In the original story, they just wandered around without a care.

“By the way, Harnielle. Does this ointment have to be applied barefoot?”

“It just needs to touch your skin… Absorption is all that matters…”

She asked because she didn’t want to remove her stockings. There was a carriage nearby where she could undress, but then her inner thighs would be exposed—still marked with vivid traces from two days ago.

Even now, hidden under the stockings, the marks were faintly visible. She’d debated covering them with bandages but decided against it, knowing they’d draw more attention.

Come to think of it, my fashion sense is pretty extreme…

A single pair of pantyhose drastically changed her exposure level. This was fashion influenced by Ian’s tastes—the same lower half Riley obsessed over.

Why is everyone around me a pervert? I even have a friend who goes, ‘Gender doesn’t matter if I like them!’

Ugh. Sugar sighed and let the liquid drip onto her soles.

The viscous fluid soaked into her small feet, darkening the fabric wrapped around them.

“Eek…”

The cold liquid made her shiver. A faint burning sensation followed, unfamiliar enough to make her wiggle her toes, ensuring every crevice was coated. As she spread it evenly, the dampness crept up to where her stockings gaped at the ankles.

This should be enough.

Thinking they were sufficiently soaked, she stood and took a step. The friction between wet skin and damp fabric felt bizarre—like wearing waterlogged socks.

“Ugh. Soggy…”

Squelching with each step, she turned around.

“Alright, Riley. Your turn.”

“…”

“Riley?”

“…”

Riley, who had been staring at Sugar’s feet since earlier, silently took the bottle.

.

.

.

The White Forest.

Or the Forest of the White Tree.

It was said that Saint Gabriel once promised this land’s safety, and in return, the elder spirit of the White Tree offered its oldest branch.

The Saint cherished it, fashioning it into a staff—the very Saint’s Staff now in Leon’s possession.

Though this was the birthplace of such legends, the beings here desired seclusion from the secular world, limiting contact with outsiders.

“Thinking about it, couldn’t Riley have just applied the ointment and carried me on his back?”

“That wouldn’t work… Each person must apply it themselves…”

“Ah.”

Sugar muttered to herself, annoyed by her clammy feet, and Harnielle answered from afar.

Currently, Sugar was crossing the floating stepping stones, shoes in hand, with brisk strides.

Each time her foot landed on the semi-transparent, glass-like platforms, a clear ding— resonated. With multiple people crossing, the overlapping sounds formed something akin to a melody.

“We could each take a part and turn this into a performance.”

“You’ll fall if you fool around.”

“You’ll catch me, then.”

Teasing Riley, who followed behind, she hopped across and soon reached the entrance of the White Forest.

True to its name, everything was white—trees tinged with hints of green, purple, and sky-blue, their leaves, even the grass underfoot. It resembled a snow-covered landscape, but far more vibrant.

“Wow…!”

Sugar, her white hair bouncing, skipped into the forest.

“You can put your shoes back on now… And please don’t get too close to me…”

Ignoring Harnielle’s words, she kept walking barefoot, thinking it added to the romance.

Suddenly, white fluffy creatures appeared in the distance.

Ian, who had been walking quietly, gasped, “So cute…!” and sped up.

“What are those?”

“Mirror rabbits…”

“Rabbits…?”

Sugar stiffened at the answer, as if she’d just asked a tour guide.

Rabbits? Rabbits?!

Meanwhile, Ian managed to scoop one up and returned, cradling it.

“Sugar, look. It’s adorable…”

Its round, translucent silhouette resembled a rabbit made of snow, with Ian’s hands faintly visible through it.

“A rabbit… So soft… Cute, right?”

“Y-yes… Very cute…”

“It’s so calm… Tiny and warm… And white, just like you…”

“…”

Watching Her Holiness gently pet the rabbit’s head, Leon smiled fondly while Sugar pressed her lips together.

“Riley, want to see it up close?”

“I’m fine.”

Ian tilted her head.

“I thought you liked rabbits?”

“I’ve seen my fill recently.”

“Oh? When was that…?”

“Just a while ago.”

Sugar pretended not to hear, fanning her flushed face. Just… why do I feel so hot all of a sudden?

Nearby, Harnielle staggered.

“Ah… I’m reaching my limit…”

Clutching its horned forehead, it leaned against a tree, looking ready to collapse.

Sugar’s eyes sharpened. She, too, was nearing her limit.

Though not an evil being, Harnielle had been grating on her nerves since earlier.

“Hey. Let’s talk seriously. What exactly is your problem with me?”

“How bold… You truly lack shame…”

The smooth reply made Sugar’s fingers itch to grab something—anything.

“Ah… Sorry… It’s not that I dislike you… It’s a unicorn’s physiological reaction, unavoidable… And there’s a slight dissonance…”

“What?”

The apology, followed by incomprehensible words, made Sugar blink.

“We sense the carnal desires humans harbor… But you… You’re too much… Too deep, too vast, too intense…”

“W-wait. What? Hold on—stop talking. Everyone can hear you!”

Sugar’s hissed warning went ignored.

“And your body is steeped in the scent of a man… Yet you remain chaste. That dissonance is… unbearable… Ah, focusing on it makes my head…”

“I said stop…!”

“But because it’s directed at just one person… A single man, that thick, unwavering desire… I can’t help but respect such pure devotion… You came for the horn, yes? I’ll give it to you myself…”

“Enough! Shut up!”

“Some humans misunderstand… Mere chastity achieves nothing… It simply fades… But when the chaste meet, love, and bear new purity as their fruit… Ahh… Nothing is more sublime…”

With effort, Harnielle snapped off its own horn and handed it over—not just powder, but the entire thing.

The others listened in silence. Even if they pretended otherwise, their focus was obvious.

“So, when you two marry, have many children… Especially girls…”

“…”

Harnielle, having unloaded its philosophy, gave a thumbs-up, grinning in satisfaction.

Sugar trembled, red from head to toe, and pulled out her wand. Tears welled in her eyes, ready to spill.

And thus, a storm of blood raged through the White Forest.