Chapter 532

I carefully placed the saddle on the unicorn’s back and fastened the bridle and reins.

It seemed a bit annoyed by the items on its body, but since its owner had put them there, it didn’t try to bite or shake them off.

…It’s more obedient than I thought. I should try putting armor on it later. If it gets sent back, only the armor will remain, which might be a bit inconvenient to manage.

I didn’t put a bit in its mouth. Judging by its teeth, it would probably break the bit anyway, and since it’s quite intelligent, I figured there wouldn’t be much trouble handling it without one.

“Purrr…”

“Yeah, yeah. Just stay still like that.”

I gently stroked the unicorn’s mane and whispered softly.

“Don’t worry. If you cooperate, I won’t chop you up. See this fur? I could add a horn decoration to it.”

When dealing with beasts, it’s important to establish dominance. Even though I’m in a weakened state, I can’t let it look down on me.

“Ooh…”

I could hear the admiring voices of the paladins from a distance. Yeah, from afar, it must look like a mysterious scene of a delicate beauty communicating with a unicorn.

In reality, it was more like a butcher threatening livestock.

“Grrr.”

The unicorn snorted as if amused and turned its head, gesturing toward its back. It seemed to say, “If you want to ride, stop talking nonsense and just get on.”

…This brat, why does it have such expressive facial expressions? Is it because it’s a spirit beast?

I wasn’t entirely pleased with its attitude, but I couldn’t just not ride the unicorn I had summoned.

I lightly mounted the unicorn, which was lying on the ground, and placed my feet in the stirrups. As soon as I got on, it seemed to be in a much better mood, lightly shaking its body and standing up, then raising its head high and letting out a loud cry.

“…Impressive.”

Nigel, who had his hand on the hilt of his sword in case the unicorn went wild, looked at me with admiring eyes.

True to his obsession with “knightliness,” he seemed strongly drawn to the dreamlike sight of a legendary steed. Though he wasn’t at the level of Hersela, who was practically born to ride.

Maybe I’ll let him ride it later. He’d probably love it.

“That’s right. Even though it’s a perverted horse that only likes virgins, and the lady riding it prefers hunting cultists over attending social gatherings, it still looks majestic and beautiful enough to be painted on cathedral walls.”

Leonor shrugged and muttered jokingly.

“Calling your master a ‘bratty lady’ is a bit harsh for a knight, don’t you think?”

“But it’s true, isn’t it?”

“……”

I had no retort because it was true.

Cowardly throwing the truth in my face… where has the chivalry gone?!

—

The ride on the unicorn was more stable than I expected.

I thought it would be a bit stiff since its whole body was like steel muscles, but its hooves and leg muscles absorbed the shock perfectly, making it even more comfortable than riding a regular horse.

I could probably even sleep on its back.

The only problem was that while my body felt at ease, mentally, I was getting more tired.

“Look, look over there! A horse with a horn! A horse with a horn!”

“What nonsense are you talking about? A horse with a horn? Where would you even find such a… wait, what is that?!”

“A unicorn! That’s a unicorn! My grandmother told me about them! I heard they went extinct long ago…!”

Riding a horned horse down the main street, all eyes in the city were on me. Everyone was staring at me, unable to take their eyes off the horned horse. Yeah, it’s pretty amazing.

“That outfit… it’s a bit different, but isn’t that Median’s armor?”

“The Sword of the Starry Sky…!”

My identity was revealed in an instant.

Well, it’s more accurate to say I didn’t even try to hide it. I had my face covered with a thin veil according to Alhebron’s tradition, but the outfit itself was Ryu-rik’s fur leather with only the scale parts removed.

It was sturdy on the outside and warm and cozy on the inside, making it perfect for cold weather.

“Taming a beast and riding it around! Truly the Empire’s Greatest Sword…!”

“So beautiful…”

Judging by the reactions, the rumor of me riding a spirit beast would spread throughout the Holy City in less than a day.

Well, it’s a bit embarrassing, but it’s not a bad thing. This kind of thing can be considered a form of prestige, right? What knight these days can ride such a horse?

When you think about it, it’s similar to cruising around the city in a luxury supercar, so there’s no reason to feel ashamed.

At least, that’s what I thought.

“Uh…? Now that I think about it, isn’t that a bit strange? My grandmother clearly said… unicorns can only be ridden by pure virgins…?”

“That’s right! I’ve read that too! Apparently, if an impure woman gets close, it’ll stab her with its horn…!”

Huh. Wait a minute.

“Is that true…? Then maybe…?”

“Median…?”

The way people looked at me started to shift from simple admiration to something more… ambiguous.

“……”

My cheeks flushed for no reason.

It was something I hadn’t considered, but riding a unicorn was essentially advertising to the world that I was a virgin!

I unconsciously hunched my shoulders. It was like walking around with a “virginity certificate” stamped on my forehead. It wasn’t exactly humiliating, but it sure felt that way.

…I should’ve just taken a carriage.

I returned to St. Eluniel Cathedral under countless curious and admiring gazes. Thank goodness I was wearing a veil, or my bright red face would’ve been fully exposed.

—

[By the way, now that you have such a fine steed, shouldn’t you give it a name?]

‘A name?’

While I was packing up the saddle and reins after dismissing the unicorn, which had gone from being a spirit beast to a nuisance in just thirty minutes, Hersela suddenly brought it up.

A name, huh…

‘Well… I’ll think about it.’

Since it’s not a disposable item but something I can reuse as long as the ring isn’t broken, giving it a name like a pet didn’t seem like a bad idea.

[If you want, I can name it for you.]

‘No thanks.’

With your naming sense, you’d probably come up with something like “Invincible Under Heaven” or “Wind and Cloud Rider.” Or maybe “Heavenly Demon Horse”? Whatever it is, I doubt I’d like it.

[Hmm… Well, it’s your horse, so it’s only fair you name it. So, what name are you thinking of?]

‘Well, what would be good…?’

I fanned my flushed cheeks with my hand as I pondered a suitable name for the unicorn.

‘Cascador or Recycle…? Aegis would work too.’

[…A playboy, recycling, and a shield? I see exactly what you think of this horse. Don’t complain if you get impaled by its horn—it’s just karma.]

Is that so…? I thought it was pretty intuitive.

‘What were you thinking?’

[Baekchu. It means “white awl.”]

…Surprisingly, for Hersela, it was a rather decent name.

White awl—it’s a fitting name for a unicorn, and it even has a simple coolness to it. It seemed like there couldn’t be a better name.

Which is why I don’t like it.

‘I’ll just go with Cascador. It’s too good a name for a perverted stallion that only likes virgins.’

[…Do as you please. The one who’ll feel embarrassed is you, not me.]

Hersela surprisingly backed down. Though she did mutter one last complaint.

…It’s just a silly name for a horse. How embarrassing could it be? I’m already riding around on a virginity certificate—how much more embarrassing can it get?

—

As they say, rumors spread faster than horses.

The old saying holds true—within less than an hour of me riding the unicorn around, the rumor had spread throughout the Holy City.

While I was resting on the bed in the hospital room, Leonor came to see me with a big grin and told me all the stories circulating in the city.

I don’t know where she heard them, but she even brought back some juicy gossip I’d never heard before.

To go to such lengths just to tease me… I think I might’ve chosen the wrong person as my knight.

The public rumors were mostly about how majestic and holy it was, or how a famous painter planned to paint it and donate it to the cathedral.

However, the gossip in taverns and dark alleys was a bit more… explicit.

They said I should be called the “Sword of the Holy Virgin” instead of the “Sword of the Starry Sky,” that Seilon’s greatsword was so big it didn’t have a proper sheath, or that they felt a kinship with fish in a tank…

There were even rumors that the Golden Seilon’s sword had broken under the pressure of the Empire’s Greatest Sword.

Given Leonor’s personality, she probably toned it down a bit, but the actual words used were likely much more vulgar.

“I want to lock them all up…”

I sighed and blew out a puff of cigarette smoke.

…Talking behind my back like that. Well, it’s my own fault, but it’s not exactly a pleasant topic to laugh off.

“Some of them might be in the basement here. We caught the ones who crossed the line.”

Leonor smirked and pointed to the floor.

“Wait, you actually caught them?”

“Even though you’re lenient about these things, there are still lines that shouldn’t be crossed.”

From the sound of it, she had tracked down and arrested those who had spread the more… inappropriate rumors.

I thought she had gone off to train since I hadn’t seen her after returning to the cathedral, but she had been running around the city doing this instead.

It was less impressive and more just… baffling. Both the people who made the jokes and Leonor for actually arresting them.

And why are you telling me these jokes if you arrested people for saying them? Is it because only you can tease me?

Between Freide and her, all my acquaintances seem to have weird personalities. It’s enough to make me sigh.

—

Fortunately, the rumors about the unicorn died down after two days.

In a way, Lacey helped me out. She caused a major incident that overshadowed my chastity issues.

The night after I returned riding the unicorn, Lacey led her faction of the church order and paladins in a raid on the Keres Church Cathedral.

It was a bold ambush that no one saw coming.