From the start, I knew someone was lurking behind the door, so I quickly reached out and grabbed the gleaming horn. Looking down, I saw a baby unicorn dangling from my hand, its horn firmly in my grasp. It stared at me with wide eyes, and soon, tears began to well up.
“Long time no see.”
“Neigh, neigh, neigh!”
I greeted it lightly, but the baby unicorn responded with a series of distressed cries, flailing its legs wildly in the air. Its energy was so intense that I bent down and set it on the ground. Almost immediately, I regretted it.
“Neigh! Neigh, neigh, neigh!”
“Hey, hey.”
“Neigh, neigh, neigh? Neigh, neigh, neigh?!”
“Alright, alright. Hold on… Hey, hey!”
The baby unicorn’s antics were nothing short of astonishing. As soon as it hit the ground, it began to run around me in circles, leaping up and down as if it thought it was a puppy. It poked me with its horn and kicked at me with its legs, eventually collapsing onto the floor in a fit of playful thrashing.
It was like watching a child throw a tantrum.
“What’s gotten into it?”
”…It’s probably just excited to see you.”
I looked up at the gentle voice and saw Baek Han-gyeol standing there, looking a bit shy. When our eyes met, he gave a soft smile and continued in a cheerful tone.
“It barely ate while you were away. Seeing you safe and sound must have been a relief. That’s probably why it’s acting like this.”
Listening to Baek Han-gyeol’s explanation, I glanced back at the baby unicorn, which was now panting heavily, sprawled out on the floor. I reached out and picked it up, and it finally calmed down, nuzzling into my arms. I gently patted its soft, warm back.
“Neigh… Neigh…”
“Oh… It really seems to like you.”
“So cute! Uni, I’m here too…”
“Ahem. Let’s head inside.”
Feeling my face heat up from the affectionate gazes around me, I calmly walked into the clan house.
As I passed through the garden and reached the lobby, I noticed that the clan house was just as it had always been. It was a testament to the fact that it had been well-maintained in my absence.
Satisfied, I was about to suggest heading straight to the meeting room when I noticed the hopeful looks on everyone’s faces. They all seemed exhausted, clearly in need of rest.
Though I wanted to jump straight into a strategy meeting, I decided to hold off. The three who had escaped with me from Mule needed rest, and the remaining clan members had likely been through a lot, enduring a week of grueling work. Even I felt a bit tired, so I could only imagine how they felt.
‘Let’s deal with the immediate issues and give everyone a day off.’
With that thought, I turned my attention to the vagrants the clan members had brought in.
“Everyone looks tired, so I’ll keep this brief. Let’s take the day off. For now, leave the vagrants in the lobby. Once Go Yeon-ju returns, I’ll handle them personally and plan to confine them in the underground training hall for the time being.”
Relieved by the prospect of a break, the clan members began to set the vagrants down, their faces showing signs of life. Although the vagrants were no different from ordinary people now, having had their magic circuits damaged, I planned to take basic precautions just in case.
But that would have to wait until Go Yeon-ju returned, and I couldn’t forget to keep an eye on the elder and Shin Jae-ryong.
“And what about the elder and Mr. Shin Jae-ryong? Would you like a simple meal or a tour of the clan house…?”
Both of them shook their heads immediately. Since it was a routine question, I instructed Lee Yoo-jung and Shin Sang-yong to guide them to temporary accommodations.
Eager to finish their tasks and rest, the clan members sprang into action as soon as I gave the orders. Watching them, I slowly reclined in a chair in the lobby. Suddenly, a wave of fatigue washed over me.
The next morning, after a full day of rest, I entered my office and immediately summoned Vivian.
There was a mountain of tasks to tackle, and I needed to prioritize them. The most pressing issue was dealing with the vagrants. Vivian had been so confident on our return journey, so I was curious to hear her plan.
Handle Baek Seo-yeon and the vagrants (information, trial).
Construct a temporary prison in the underground training hall (if not possible, make it easy to dismantle).
Inventory the vagrants’ equipment (distribute to clan members after inventory).
The elder, Shin Jae-ryong (meet with the elder, propose recruiting Shin Jae-ryong after a meeting).
Monitor the situation (continuously).
I twirled the quill in my right hand as I reviewed the records on my desk, a habit whenever my mind was cluttered. I needed to resolve these issues to plan our next steps, so I resolved to address them during the meeting with Vivian. Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Kim Soo-hyun. I’m coming in.”
The door swung open with a familiar, clear voice. I looked up from the records to see Vivian walking in gracefully, her expression full of confidence.
“Vivian La Clacidas. It’s been 30 minutes since I called you. Why are you so late?”
“Oh, calm down, Kim Soo-hyun. I had a feeling I knew why you called, so I had some preparations to make.”
“What kind of preparations?”
“I needed something from the storage. But I can’t access it, can I? So I had to ask Go Yeon-ju for help, which took a bit of time.”
Now that I looked, Vivian was holding something in both hands. I gestured for her to sit on the sofa by the table, and I got up from my chair to join her.
Once we were seated across from each other, I got straight to the point.
“Let’s cut to the chase. You said you had a plan last time. Tell me about it.”
“Hmm? Well, hold on. First, take a look at these.”
Vivian tilted her head slightly, then began to lay out items one by one on the table. As I looked at the items she placed, I frowned slightly. There was Mavolo’s assistant’s journal, a set of Mavolo’s potions, and a rotten Yggdrasil fruit. These were items we had acquired during the expedition to the magical city of Magia.
Vivian finally summoned the Order of Harmony and tapped Mavolo’s assistant’s journal with the end of her staff.
“All the answers are in here.”
“What answers? Stop teasing and just tell me.”
“Hehe, you’re in such a rush. I’ve written something in the book, so take a look… Oh, can you read our language?”
Vivian teased with a mischievous smile. She seemed to enjoy the fact that she could flaunt her knowledge in front of me. I licked my lips and picked up the book. Vivian hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the opposite side of the book.
“Can you read it? Can you?”
“No, not all of it. Just give it to me. Even if I can’t read it, I can at least see what you’ve done.”
To be precise, it wasn’t ‘all’ but ‘most,’ but I mixed in a little lie. Given that I had brought the book, she should have known, but Vivian looked uncertain as she let go of the book.
She claimed all the answers were in here. With a sense of anticipation, I opened the book. Vivian had marked many sections, but one page was folded in half, catching my eye.
I opened it to find a page filled with round, playful handwriting. It was clearly different from Mavolo’s writing, unmistakably hers.
‘Hehe, this should be interesting.’
With a fluttering heart, I began to decipher it, starting from the top…
[Kim Soo-hyun ♡ Vivian]
’…….’
I closed the book immediately. I couldn’t bring myself to read any further, and somehow, it felt like I shouldn’t.
Vivian was biting her nails nervously. For a moment, I considered hitting her over the head with the book, but I took a deep breath and managed to speak.
“Vivian. Let me ask you something.”
“Uh, uh? Uh… Go, go, go, go ahead.”
“You wouldn’t… by any chance…”
“Uh, uh, uh, uh, yes.”
“You wouldn’t be thinking of training Baek Seo-yeon, would you?”
In that moment, a myriad of expressions flashed across Vivian’s face. She blinked in confusion for a moment, then quickly composed herself and replied.
“Phew. No, that’s one way to do it, but it’s a difficult path. I think there’s an easier way.”
‘An easier way, huh.’
The moment Vivian spoke, I felt a surge of intensity in my gaze. Reflecting on it, she had always been a clan member who exceeded expectations and never let me down. As the fading excitement reignited within me, I quietly watched her.
“So, tell me for real now. What’s your plan?”
Sensing the sincerity in my tone, Vivian swallowed hard before slowly parting her lips.
“Alright. I’ll get straight to the point. I can brew a potion that can shatter the mind of that woman, Baek Seoyeon.”
“A potion? You can make something that affects the mind?”
“Of course. But hold on. Let me be clear—human mental resilience isn’t something to be underestimated. A single potion won’t solve everything. Keep that in mind as you listen.”
I hadn’t expected a miracle, but the idea of an ‘easy way’ was too tempting to ignore, so I listened intently.
Vivian cleared her throat a couple of times before diving into her explanation, which was undeniably intriguing.
For instance, if we assume the average mental strength of a human is 100, each person has a breaking point. Some might crumble with a mere impact of 10, while others withstand up to 50. In short, mental resilience varies from person to person, and so does the threshold at which they break.
“I see. So, the game I played with the vagrants was like a mental blow?”
“Exactly. According to my explanation, yes. There are many ways to deliver such a blow. For example, the training you mentioned is one method. Do you remember when I was a spider?”
“Yes. Are you talking about Jeong Ha-yeon’s brother?”
“Right. He barely held on when faced with monsters, but lost his mind the moment he saw the ship carrying the spider eggs.”
Vivian glanced around to ensure Jeong Ha-yeon wasn’t nearby before continuing.
“But as I said, human minds don’t break easily. There’s something called resistance. If Baek Seoyeon is as strong as you say, she might endure a lot. Whether it’s through games, force, or physical torture, the impact diminishes over time.”
“Wait. So, wouldn’t the potion be the same?”
“Exactly. That’s why I set the stage earlier.”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
Vivian paused, pointing to Mavolo’s potion and the fruit of Yggdrasil. I had already gathered information on them. Simply put, the potion served as a catalyst in alchemy, while the fruit was a poison that muddled the mind and eventually led to death.
“Ah.”
A thought struck me. Vivian had mentioned brewing a potion. That meant…
“Are you saying you can make the potion you mentioned with these two?”
“Precisely. The fruit of Yggdrasil is the key ingredient. Whatever Mavolo did, the decayed fruit has lost its original potency. Anyway, the recipe is in the book, and the results are documented.”
“And how did it go?”
“Mavolo used only four out of twelve pieces, splitting each in half for eight uses. He combined it with other methods, but it played a part in breaking the mind of the fairy queen, who had maintained her purity for centuries.”
I calmly picked up the fruit. With four pieces used, eight remained. Silence lingered for a moment, but then Vivian’s quiet voice filled the room.
“By splitting the eight pieces, we can make sixteen vials of potion. Kim Su-hyun, what do you think?”
”…”
“Aren’t you curious what would happen if we gave all sixteen to Baek Seoyeon at once?”
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
(Sorry, due to today’s vote tally, the reader comments will be combined with the next chapter. Thank you for your understanding.)
Oh dear. It took a while to tally the votes. ㅜ.ㅠ
First, here are the quick results.
Ansol: 55 votes (1st place. Congratulations, Ansol!)
Lee Yoo-jung: 8 votes (Haha. This is about average.)
Unicorn: 50 votes (2nd place. I didn’t expect this much popularity.)
Kim Su-hyun: 8 votes (Main character. Sorry.)
Jeong Ha-yeon: 22 votes (4th place. Is it the power of the first girl?)
Han So-young: 5 votes (Han So-young. Hahaha. Phew.)
Vivian: 31 votes (3rd place. First in popularity poll!)
Kim Yoo-hyun: 4 votes (Didn’t expect Kim Yoo-hyun to appear.)
Kim Han-byeol: 1 vote (Sorry, Han-byeol.)
Group shot: 4 votes (This is a bit difficult. ㅜ.ㅠ)
An Hyun: 1 vote (!)
Seraph: 2 votes (This exists!)
Ro Yumi: 2 votes (……. Bang! Bang bang!)
Go Yeon-ju: 1 vote (This exists too!)
Chaos Mimic: 1 vote (Wow.)
Vivian (Spider): 3 votes (Wow?)
Baek Han-gyeol: 1 vote (I’m a bit intrigued by a female Baek Han-gyeol. Haha. Just kidding.)
Kim Su-hyun pierced by a horn: 1 vote (…….)
I initially planned to exclude those who mentioned more than two names, but there were too many, so I just divided them up. Haha.
If you see anything strange below, yes, it’s an illusion. An illusion indeed. :D
Anyway, I’ll try to reach out to Ansol. Due to some circumstances, it might be next week before I can update you.
I’ll keep you posted on the progress!