On the black soil by the lake, two people were sitting quietly, looking at the devastating scene before them.
Some rotting bodies of beasts filled the once clear and beautiful lake.
They were just sitting there staring at the heart-shattering sight with stiff expressions.
"Brian. You protected me.
You protected everyone.
You... are a hero. At least for me.
Thank you."
Her voice was filled with gratitude and, he may not get it but there was... love.
"Don't say it like that.
I would always protect you," he replied while still looking forward.
The voice that escaped his mouth was filled with relief and sadness.
From what she knew him, he loved nature to some extent.
Seeing this scene wasn't pleasant for him, nor for her.
Those low-rank demonic creatures didn't even know how to spare nature.
Well, in a way, nature was their enemy so... it was normal.
"Can't we do something about this?" I asked looking at the other side of the lake.
The lake was big, but not so much that we can't even see the other end.
"We, as humans, can't," he was certain as he said that.
For humans to pull out the purification of this much wide area, at least twenty high holy power users would be needed.
And... that may still not be a lot.
Maybe even after that, some parts would remain polluted with this negative energy.
He sighed and looked kept forward.
She turned her head and looked at him.
His face wasn't covered with a mask so she could see his face clearly.
Those sad eyes, those tightly shut lips, and that face that seemed hopeless.
But suddenly, he narrowed his eyes and tried to look closely.
He blinked a few times in utter disbelief.
This was the first time I had seen him behave like this.
Surprised, I looked forward to seeing what he was gawking at.
And, as soon as I looked in that direction, my eyes froze on a single thing.
In this disgusting, horrible, and unsightly place, there was something on the other end of the lack.
A VERY large shinning figure of a creature.
A bright, pure white light with some blue mixed in it.
A very, very... very large horse was standing there, gracefully.
Its long silver-blue hair danced with the slow breeze of the afternoon.
Sun was about to set down and it was almost twilight.
With a somewhat dark sky, I could clearly see the horse-like creature's eyes.
Its eyes... they were deep, filled with unparalleled wisdom.
Filled with the knowledge that none could possibly understand.
They were as blue as the sea and... they sparkled.
Just like stars, something was twinkling in them.
And the most unique thing about it was definitely... the horn.
A pure white horn-like feature was visible on its forehead.
As I looked at it, it also glanced back at me.
Those unique eyes met mine.
I felt like someone was seeing the depths of my soul. Checking everything, seeing everything about me.
This eye contact lasted for just a moment but I felt like a long time had passed in that short moment.
After that moment, I looked at it again.
It somewhat smiled and shook its head. As if it had missed a chance.
Then, it glanced at Brian beside me.
He flinched just like me. That feeling was really weird.
It took him longer to come back from that blank slate.
Maybe he also felt just like me... like someone has seen every inch of your soul.
Then, we both looked at it again.
Now, it had a sad expression. Almost of pity.
It blinked its unique eyes as if expressing its sorrow.
Taking a step back, it somewhat nodded.
It was a very giant creature and we both knew exactly what it was.
And... we still couldn't believe our eyes.
A small white light appeared on the horn of the [Devine beast] in front of us.
It looked in our direction one last time and blinked.
It felt... warm, somehow.
The small light on its horn flew in the sky and... the 'horse' disappeared.
Silence once again filled the surroundings.
Our eyes followed the small light flying in the sky naturally.
In the high sky, it stopped and started expanding.
The small light turned into a big, bright ball of light.
Then, after a moment... it exploded!
One turned into many and... brightened the sky.
Like fireworks, the white light filled the entire sky above the lack.
This scene was... breathtaking.
As the white particles of light from these fireworks touched the polluted ground, it... turned back.
The black plants returned to their original form.
Trees started growing back as leaves sprouted all over them.
Water started clearing up, returning to its former, clean and sparkling state.
I felt a warm touch on my right hand and turned my gaze to my side.
Still staring at the sky, Brian said in a clear small voice, filled with... love.
"Miss Nolen, I think I'm... in love with you."
My eyes widened in surprise.
My heart skipped a beat as a single drop of tear escaped my right eye.
I had waited a long time to hear that and finally... the time had come.
My time... had come.
In such perfect time, place, and way too.
In the twilight of dusky sun and rising moon, white explosions filled the sky.
The harmony of everything was just... perfect.
I smiled warmly, facing him and looking into those clear red eyes, I smiled warmly.
His face turned rose-red as he looked back into my eyes.
"Yes~. Of course, you love me..."
Leaning forward, I closed my eyes and... kissed this fool.
He was surprised but then, gave up after I wrapped my arms around his firm neck.
There was no way this cutey could win against me.
============
"Mom and dad saw a REAL [Unicorn]?!"
Eon shouted, jumping from his seat between us.
Brian looked embarrassed but, looking at his genuinely shocked son was far more interesting.
He was quiet and normal throughout the whole story accept some particular parts.
This indeed was the most interesting story he had heard.
It was already late night and we had set up a bonfire in the backyard.
Chicken stew was being cooked on the other side of this outside camp.
The mouth-watering aroma was just that awesome.
Right now, I could practically read the complex mind of my little son from those cute expressions.
'They have actually met a [Divine beast]!
They had actually seen a unicorn!
They even saw a [Divine skill]!
They are AMAZING!!!'
He was looking at us with sparkling, respectful eyes.
It was very fun to see him actually act like a child.
A burst of warm laughter escaped my mouth as I looked at both of them.
My two little, dumb, sweethearts.