Ch.531The Beast of Possibility

I noticed the expression on my face turning into a frown, and the priest desperately tried to defend himself.

He explained he hadn’t meant to imply I was promiscuous, but since I was known to have a “close” relationship with Ceylon, he naturally assumed I couldn’t ride a unicorn.

Thinking about it, people who didn’t know the truth would certainly make that assumption. Since his words came from misunderstanding rather than insult, it was awkward to get angry or punish him.

So I just furrowed my eyebrows and emphasized that “that sort of thing” hadn’t happened.

“Ohhh… I see. I’ve committed a grave discourtesy. Both of you are renowned knights, so you’re maintaining your purity until after the wedding ceremony. That’s a rare virtue among today’s youth.”

The priest closed his eyes and nodded with brief admiration.

I’m not sure if this world has a tradition of premarital chastity… no, looking at Millia, I doubt it exists, but anyway, the fact that Ceylon and I “hadn’t done it” seemed to be viewed by him as praiseworthy moral integrity.

“Uh… something like that.”

Since there was no reason to object, I just shrugged slightly, deliberately ignoring Leonore who was silently laughing with an expression like she was about to suffocate.

To her, knowing the truth, this whole situation must have looked like the perfect farce.

And so, the sacred item keeper who nearly transformed from priest to corpse due to one slip of the tongue was able to safely go home today.

—-

After selecting all five sacred items, we left the Type 2 Sacred Item Storage Room and returned to the central area where Lacy and Hush were waiting.

On our way to the central area, the managing priest lectured us about the importance of sacred items, with an expression like a father watching his carefully raised daughter being snatched away by some blond thug.

There probably wasn’t much difference in reality.

Although they were rightful rewards, that was a judgment made by the upper echelons of the Holy State. From the keeper’s perspective, sacred items they had preserved with all their heart and soul were being handed over to outsiders.

It must be painfully regrettable.

Unlike magical tools, sacred items—except for mass-produced ones—were mostly one-of-a-kind objects in this world, and beyond their performance, they were artifacts with tremendous historical and religious value.

No wonder they were reluctant to distribute them even to the elites of each church order. If one were damaged in battle, a world cultural heritage would become broken trash.

Lacy, who was resting at the tea table set up in the central area, smiled brightly when she saw the sacred items we had chosen.

“You have excellent taste. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say these are the best choices.”

“Well, we picked only the cream of the crop. Better sacred items than these must be enshrined somewhere else like family treasures, because we couldn’t find any.”

I had searched thoroughly hoping to find a sacred item whose true performance might have been overlooked, but all I discovered was Saint George’s necklace that I gave to Demian.

Even that wouldn’t be significant until a dragon was slain to enhance it.

“Divine objects and valuable treasures are managed directly by the church orders. The sacred items available in the Type 2 storage room are limited to that level.”

“Treasures?”

Lacy put down her teacup and gave a detailed explanation to my question.

Sacred items secured by the Holy State are classified according to two main criteria. First, they’re divided into Type 1 and Type 2 sacred items based on usage restrictions, then further categorized into four types according to their origin.

Divine objects, treasures, sacred relics, and blessed items.

“Divine objects refer to weapons and such directly bestowed by the gods. They are relics of the highest rank among sacred items.”

Carlos the Great’s holy sword Joyeuse and my Durandal are typical divine objects. They’re items whose value can’t even be discussed, she said.

Treasures aren’t items bestowed by gods but have divine power directly imbued in them, while sacred relics are literally heirlooms left by ancient heroes of the Holy State who infused their own powers into them.

The Ring of Returning Seal I chose, the Holy Lance of Eberond that Nigel selected, and the Bow of the Divine Tree that Millia possessed were all treasures, while items with names like “Saint So-and-so’s Something” that Demian and Leonore took were all considered sacred relics.

Blessed items were closer to priestly versions of magical tools rather than relics, referring to mass-produced items like the Lapis Lazuli Dagger that could be made through consecration. They were created in attempts to replicate the powers of treasures or sacred relics.

Though inferior to the originals, their popularity stemmed from the advantage of being mass-producible and thus usable without concern.

The Lapis Lazuli Dagger was also a product of failed attempts to replicate the Moonlight Blade that Agnes possessed. Unlike the Moonlight Blade that could shoot moon-light slashes, it was merely a lantern-level item that emitted light.

“Are those things considered sacred items too?”

“Not all light is brilliantly bright. Even if it’s just a faint, dim afterglow, if it can illuminate darkness, it’s still a form of light.”

Though she spoke indirectly, she was saying that mass-produced sacred items are still classified as sacred items because they contain some holiness.

Well, even if their purpose is similar to magical tools, they can’t be called sacred tools like a mage’s magical tools. That would bring to mind tools with a completely different meaning.

—-

Right after leaving the storage room, I had to summon the unicorn to show everyone, unable to resist the passionate encouragement of my companions.

In front of the managing priest who had casually joined us saying he’d never seen a real unicorn before, and the guard paladins who were casting interested glances, wondering if unicorns were actually real creatures.

The method of summoning the spirit beast contained in the Ring of Returning Seal was simple. There was no need for grand spells or rituals; just rubbing the sacred letter engraved on the ring while pressing it firmly was enough.

“Like this?”

As I rubbed my thumb against the index finger wearing the ring like a flicking motion, the sacred letter engraved on it began to glow, and a circle of light appeared on the ground before me. It was an extremely simplified summoning circle.

– Whoosh!

The next moment, thousands of threads of light shot up from the summoning circle, intertwining with each other to form the shape of a horse.

It’s actually more impressive than I thought.

“Oh…!”

I wasn’t the only one who thought so; the paladins watching also let out exclamations of admiration.

Nigel, Lacy, and Leonore watched with interest as the unicorn’s form took shape beside me, while Millia and Hush were watching from a distance.

I had unintentionally revealed my companions’ experience status, but… that’s still better than being stabbed by the horn of a rampaging unicorn, right?

Nobody had expected Millia or Hush to be inexperienced anyway. Hush was a former prostitute, and Millia was practically living with her fiancé.

“Hihihihihing!”

Before long, a white horse with a horn appeared before my eyes.

Its slightly translucent form revealed it was a summon rather than a physical entity. Its skin and mane were pure white like a snow field, and its eyes were pomegranate red.

The skin with its distinct muscle definition looked as hard as armor, and its face was somewhat pointed.

It was showing its teeth through its slightly open mouth, but the tooth structure was different from an ordinary horse.

Unlike regular horses with large protruding front teeth and small molars, it had sharp fangs arranged in rows and interlocking with each other—a dentition more suited to carnivores.

So this spirit beast is carnivorous rather than herbivorous.

Since it’s a summon, I wouldn’t need to feed it unless I kept it summoned for a long time, but if I did have to feed it, it would need animal meat instead of grass.

“It really… has a horn.”

Nigel murmured, pursing his lips in admiration. It was certainly impressive enough to admire.

The long horn growing prominently between its eyes. Slightly curved upward like a scimitar, it was as sharp as the lances of knights, and given the beast’s size, its length was nearly that of a one-handed sword.

[What a magnificent horse. Its size rivals even the Black King… and that horn. I thought it would be merely like a goat’s or deer’s horn, but that’s practically a lance.]

‘Black King?’

[Orhan’s steed. They say it has spirit beast blood mixed in… I don’t know if that’s true, but it’s a fierce and savage horse, enough to spark such rumors. It likes to crush the heads of warriors who opposed Orhan by chewing them alive.]

…That’s what your horse often did in the original work. Did you steal it after killing Orhan?

[Honestly, I coveted that horse and planned to take it someday, but seeing this unicorn, I have no more reason to be jealous! Just by looking, it’s clearly a superior steed to the Black King!]

Hersella exclaimed with praise in a voice as excited as if she were in the midst of a bloody battle.

True to her horse-loving heritage, she couldn’t contain her excitement at seeing a horse close to a divine steed.

“Prrrr….”

The summoned unicorn seemed to recognize me as its summoner, turning its head slightly toward me and looking at me askance.

I took a step toward the unicorn with the saddle Nigel handed me. It was time to prove my purity.

“Prrrr…. Sniff, sniff….”

The unicorn brought its muzzle toward me and sniffed.

Wait, I thought it had some power to detect purity as befitting a spirit beast. But instead of that, it distinguishes by smell…?

I looked at the unicorn, which had started searching for the scent of virginity in me, with an indescribably subtle discomfort, like seeing the large private parts of a pet dog I’d just bathed.

If it had been able to tell through some power, I would have accepted it, but since it was sniffing, it felt too blatant—like being toyed with by a mere horse.

“Prrrrrng…?”

But the unicorn’s reaction was strange.

“Sniff, snort. Prrrrrk?”

The unicorn that had been sniffing me opened its mouth and tilted its head greatly, then began circling around me, continuously sniffing.

What’s with it?

It was a perplexing reaction. According to the priest, it should lie down on the ground with its belly as soon as it confirms virginity, as if inviting one to mount it, but instead of sitting down, it was just staring at me with eyes full of suspicion and confusion while sniffing.

Why is it acting like this… wait a minute.

Could it be because of me? Because I was originally a man?

…Surely not. I shook my head inwardly. No matter how much of a spirit beast it is, it couldn’t possibly distinguish such a thing just by smell. Right?

“Hihing? Hihihihing?”

I looked at the unicorn with cold sweat, but the beast was only proving that it could express interrogative sentences even with horse sounds.

“What’s wrong? Aren’t you going to ride it?”

“This is strange. Perhaps it’s a spirit beast with more wariness than the legends suggest…?”

My companions also seemed to notice that the unicorn’s behavior was unusual and began to look at me suspiciously.

“Or maybe…”

Since it hadn’t swung its horn yet, they were just suspicious, but as time passed, their doubtful gazes gradually changed to looks mixed with understanding and conviction.

Especially the managing priest’s gaze was exactly like someone who had discovered that a devout woman claiming premarital chastity was actually utilizing the back door.

Don’t… don’t look at me like that…!

—-

My eyeballs trembled as if experiencing an earthquake. I turned only my gaze to alternately look at my companions and the unicorn colt, soaking my back with cold sweat.

“Miss, could it be….”

Leonore covered her mouth with her right hand, her eyes wide open. I was filled with indignation.

What do you mean “could it be”? I’m not your mother, how could I have been doing such things?

[You, you, you… don’t tell me, while I was asleep…?!]

Hersella interrogated me in a voice full of shock, as if she had witnessed Orhan in women’s clothing. It was the first time I’d heard such a surprised voice from her since jumping off the Wall of Berengaria.

‘I didn’t!’

[Then why is this spirit beast acting this way?]

‘How should I know!’

I couldn’t say “I was actually a man before,” even if my lips were torn apart.

That was a secret I would carry for life. Given Hersella’s personality, if she found out that the person who had taken over her body and touched it all over was a man, she would throw an absolute fit.

‘Aren’t you the one who lied to me? Maybe you and Jahan weren’t just like siblings, but had a much deeper relationship…!’

[How could that be! The very thought is disgusting!]

Judging by her reaction, they really were like siblings. I tried to deflect the arrow toward her, but it seemed I only provoked her anger.

“Prrrrrr….”

In the end, I could only glare at the unicorn that had caused this unexpected situation, grinding my teeth without being able to make any excuses.

Damn virgin-detecting stallion. If my strength had been intact, I would have pinned it down long ago. It was utterly frustrating that I couldn’t.

Once I regain my strength, I’ll have to chop it into pieces at least once. I can summon it again anyway.

But for now, the priority was to somehow make this horse sit down and prove my innocence.

“Good boy…? Would you please sit down? …If you don’t want to die later.”

I quietly threatened the unicorn in a whisper. My threat, weakened as I was, probably wouldn’t work, but… you never know.

If it’s a spirit beast, it should understand human speech, and if it recognizes that what’s draped over my shoulders is the hide of the Were King, it might realize that my strength isn’t limited to what it currently appears to be.

Come on, if you don’t want to become horse meat, bend your knees now.

I desperately glared at the unicorn’s back with an intensity that could pierce through its hide. It was a different kind of desperation than when fighting demons.

Back, look at the back…!

Show your back to prove my purity!

“Prrrrrk!”

Whether my desperate persuasion worked, or it had decided after deliberation that I was indeed a virgin, the unicorn finally snorted as if willing to go along with it and lay down on the ground with its belly.

Relief washed over everyone’s faces. Including mine.