Chapter 133: Cheer Up, Dorothy! (5)

Fortunately, Dorothy did not end up having to attend remedial lessons.

This was because the teachers monitoring the progress of the class had witnessed her efforts firsthand.

Even if they didn’t know her exact score, they were certain she hadn’t gotten a zero.

After all, the rule that “students with zero marks must attend remedial lessons” existed to encourage participation, and Dorothy, who had worked so hard, didn’t deserve to be punished.

That said, her shattered pride didn’t show any signs of recovery.

Counting from the midterm exams, she had now suffered two consecutive defeats.

She needed a chance to turn things around—a move that could prove she was undoubtedly better than Sion.

“And that’s why I’m here today!”

The day after the joint class, Dorothy shouted confidently in front of the stable doors.

Her voice was unusually energetic and cheerful, as if trying to make up for her crushed self-esteem.

“That kid’s first accomplishment at this school was taming the disobedient unicorn!

I’m going to do the same! Every great journey begins with a single step, right? I’ll start by making a name for myself with this!”

“Oh… So that’s what you dragged me out of bed for at this ungodly hour,” Philia replied, yawning with a sleepy face.

“So, do you have an actual plan? Like, what exactly are you going to do once you go in there?”

“Huh? Plan? Don’t I just give it the fancy carrots I brought?”

“That’s it?”

“? Is there a better way to bond with an animal? They always follow you if you feed them.”

“……”

Philia squinted her eyes.

“You’re really out of the loop when it comes to school rumors, aren’t you, Master? That unicorn hasn’t been picky about virgins for a long time—ever since the Hero paid a visit.

Now, it’s said that even a married woman with three kids can approach it, and it’ll quietly have its meal. That’s how much it’s changed.”

“What?! For real?”

“Yes.”

Dorothy’s expression turned grave.

If that were true, simply showing she could bond with the unicorn wouldn’t earn her any recognition.

After all, anyone could do that now.

She needed to take things a step further—something even Sion, the Hero, hadn’t achieved.

After a moment, Dorothy clapped her hands as if she’d just had a great idea.

“Ah, I’ve got it! What if I ride it around the school? Sion didn’t go that far, did she?”

“She didn’t, but…”

Philia responded with a reluctant face.

“You’re seriously planning to wake up an animal you’ve never met before and go for a ride on its back first thing in the morning? The unicorn’s probably going to be completely bewildered.”

“So what?! It should be honored to carry someone like me! I’m a dragon, after all—letting me ride its back should feel like a privilege!”

“…Okay.”

Philia decided to give up on arguing. It wasn’t worth the trouble.

At this point, she just wanted the ordeal to end quickly so she could go back to sleep.

Resigned, she shifted the conversation to a more fundamental question.

“By the way, Master, are you even eligible to ride a unicorn?”

“? What’s that supposed to mean? You think I can’t ride a horse?”

“That’s not what I mean… To put it bluntly, Master, are you a virgin? Even at your age?”

“!?”

Dorothy’s face turned beet red in an instant—half out of anger, half out of embarrassment.

“Wh-what do you mean by ‘at my age’?! What’s wrong with my age?!”

“I mean, you’re already 496 years old. Are you seriously saying you’ve never had any experience with men?

You polymorph into a human and visit human society all the time—what have you been doing all these years?”

“!!”

Dorothy flinched, overwhelmed by Philia’s brutal honesty. She turned her reddened face away and muttered under her breath.

“…It’s not like I can help it.”

“Sorry, what?”

“I said I can’t help it because I’m scared of men! Pay attention when I’m talking!”

She kicked a nearby rock in frustration.

The stone flew like a comet and smashed into an innocent tree trunk, leaving a large dent.

Even after causing collateral damage, Dorothy continued to fume.

“That bastard Sien Lenos! What he did to me was so traumatizing that I can’t be near men anymore! If they come within a meter of me, my fists fly out on their own!

That’s why I’ve never had a proper boyfriend! What, is that funny to you?! Do you have a problem with that?!”

“…Goodness.”

Philia covered her mouth with one hand, her expression one of utter shock.

“Then, does that mean… when you saved me from slavery ten years ago…?”

“Yeah! That guy touched my shoulder, so I put a hole in his stomach! After I impulsively did that, I panicked about what to do next and ended up finding you!”

“This is… shocking. I’m disillusioned. I quit being your fan.”

“Hah, as if you were ever my fan to begin with! Shameless brat…”

Dorothy spat angrily on the ground.

“And what about you, huh? Don’t act like you’re any different from me! You’re probably a virgin too!”

“Well, my case is different. I’m only 18, after all. I’m in the prime of my youth, with plenty of time to spare.”

“I’m in my prime too, by dragon standards! Stop picking on me because of my age—it’s annoying.”

“Yes, yes.”

Philia nodded and stepped back, deciding she’d teased Dorothy enough.

Dorothy, watching her with a grumpy expression, snorted and turned away.

“Anyway, just open the door. Nothing you’re worried about is going to happen.”

“Understood.”

Philia walked to the stable, unlatched the door, and opened it.

The morning sunlight spilled into the space beyond, illuminating the scene with a soft glow.

The interior of the stable was no different from any ordinary stable.

It wasn’t particularly more luxurious or cleaner just because a unicorn resided there.

However, as soon as the door was opened, a soft and comforting scent flowed out, enveloping the two of them.

It made one wonder if the title of being the upper echelon of unicorns was not just an empty boast.

The source of the scent—or rather, the “culprit” behind it—was the unicorn, who opened its drowsy eyes and stood up the moment the door creaked open.

“Heeheehee…?”

Its voice was low and feeble, as if it was still recovering from some previous “shock.”

In contrast, Dorothy, upon seeing the radiant and noble creature, lit up with excitement and exclaimed with a grin:

“Hoho, good, good… With a coat like this, you’re more than worthy of carrying me.

You little creature! I now bestow upon you the honor of becoming the steed of a king—consider this a glory you’ll never have again in your lifetime!”

“…..?”

The unicorn tilted its head, snorted, and appeared to have no idea what she was saying.

From the side, Philia chimed in.

“It can’t even understand human speech. What’s the point of striking such a pose, Master?”

“What? That’s not true! This one’s smart enough to understand! You don’t know anything!”

“Well, I don’t know… It seems to me it has no clue what you’re saying, judging by its expression…”

“That’s just because it just woke up and is still drowsy!

Once it fully wakes up, it’ll snap to attention and recognize exactly who I am.”

Dorothy snapped her fingers as she spoke, murmuring under her breath.

“Frightful Presence.”

Boom.

At that moment, an ominous and terrifying wave swept through the entire stable.

Even the Twilight Unicorn, as well as Philia, who had been by Dorothy’s side for a long time, instinctively bristled at the overwhelming chill.

Heart rates quickened, blood pressure surged, mouths dried, and cold sweat formed behind ears.

Every fiber of their beings screamed a warning to flee from this place immediately.

The abrupt shift in atmosphere made their earlier banter feel like a distant memory.

“…Ugh.”

Philia silently took a deep breath and placed a hand on her chest, steadying herself against the suffocating pressure.

It was easy to forget, given how often Dorothy showed her carefree and weightless demeanor, but Dorothy was a dragon.

Not just any dragon, but a fully grown, mature one.

If she reverted to her true form and swung her claw lightly, someone like Philia could easily be squashed like minced meat.

The only reason Dorothy didn’t do such things was due to her unexpectedly generous and sentimental nature, contrasting her outward appearance.

Otherwise, Philia wouldn’t have been able to tease her so freely.

“Oh, my bad. I forgot you were standing nearby. I’ll lift it right away~”

Dorothy dispelled her aura, and the oppressive weight vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

The world returned to its original colors, and Dorothy awkwardly scratched the back of her head.

“Ugh, it’s been so long since I used this power, I’m trembling a bit myself.

I should practice turning it on and off more often to get used to it.

You okay? No heart attacks or anything?”

“….”

Philia steadied her still-trembling body, adjusted her posture, and raised her head.

Pushing up her glasses, she replied with feigned nonchalance:

“Did you do something? I was so busy thinking about what to have for lunch that I didn’t notice anything.”

“Oh, is that so? Then why are your legs trembling?”

“That’s because I’ve been practicing tap dancing lately.

I must have subconsciously let it out.”

“Really? Then why is your face so pale?”

“It’s morning.

It’s chilly, no matter how warm May gets.

Especially right after sunrise.”

“Geez, you always have a convenient excuse for everything.”

Dorothy chuckled lightly.

“Well, if you’re fine, that’s all that matters.

Next time, I’ll give you a heads-up to move further away before I do that.

But with this, the hierarchy should be clear now, and that unicorn should—wait.”

Dorothy’s words trailed off as she turned to look at the unicorn.

Her eyes widened with surprise.

“Huh? Hey, wait, why are you—”

“Pffrrrh!!”

The unicorn, standing before Dorothy, was trembling uncontrollably, far more than Philia.

It repeatedly exhaled sharp breaths through its nose, visibly agitated.

Dorothy was clueless about what had transpired.

She didn’t know about Sion’s so-called “unicorn taming” and what it truly entailed.

The world believed the unicorn had calmed down and become gentle, moved by the holy soul of the hero.

But that was an outright lie.

Their interactions were far from beautiful and pure.

Instead, it was a series of torturous and painful experiences so harrowing that even seasoned interrogators would have been shocked.

During that grueling process, the unicorn had engraved something into its memory: the chilling, overwhelming presence of the self-proclaimed hero.

A suffocating aura that alone was enough to make one’s breath hitch—a charisma that inherently demanded submission from all living creatures.

Although Dorothy’s use of Frightful Presence was unintentional, it had inadvertently triggered the unicorn’s deeply ingrained trauma.

Memories of those torturous three days, the ones it wished to never recall, surfaced with painful clarity.

The unicorn, driven mad by fear, reached its breaking point.

With a deafening crash—

Bang!

“Heeiiiiiing!!!”

The unicorn bolted out of the stable, slamming the door wide open.

Without hesitation, it charged at Dorothy, its sharp horn aimed directly at her.

To the unicorn, eliminating the source of its terror seemed like the only rational decision.

Fortunately, even in her polymorphed state, Dorothy’s skin was as resilient as a dragon’s, so she wasn’t injured.

But the sheer force of the impact sent her flying, becoming a distant star in the sky.

“Waaaahhhhhhh!!!???”

“Master?!?!”

Philia, genuinely flustered, ran out in pursuit of Dorothy, who was spinning wildly in the air.

From her vantage point, she caught a glimpse of her master’s chaotic flight path.

In the aftermath, Dorothy’s reputation spread far and wide throughout the academy, just as she had hoped.

But the title that accompanied it?

The rather infamous “Second Flying B**ch.”