"Don't get too close. Something's wrong."
The witch spoke to Shade. In fact, the unicorn was also stopping them. Once they approached, it stood before them and refused to let them go any farther.
The nearby area seemed unremarkable. The color of the snow and the sound of the wind were both perfectly normal. But both Shade and Miss Benanis's sixth senses detected that something was amiss. Shade bent down, packed a snowball, and tossed it into the woods ahead. Nothing happened.
"It's too quiet."
The witch softly said to Shade:
"Even in the depths of winter, the earth has sounds. But I can't hear anything. It's as though the land ahead is already dead."
She frowned slightly:
"Stay here. I'm stronger than you, so I'll go take a look."
"No, no. This isn't about who's stronger."
Shade hurriedly stopped her. Then he noticed that the little beast standing before them did not shy away as he approached. Clearly, the unicorn had also mistaken his gender:
"Is something wrong up ahead?" (Ancient Elvish)
Shade asked. Miss Benanis looked at him in surprise, not quite understanding what he was saying.
The young unicorn was evidently confused as well. Shade was quite certain that it had not yet been born when Ancient Elvish was still in use, but according to the information mentioned in "Elven Knowledge," unicorns possessed an extraordinary capacity for understanding this peculiar language.
"Is something wrong up ahead?" (Ancient Elvish)
To make sure his accent was not the problem, Shade repeated himself. This time, the pure-white little beast clearly understood. It happily let out an "Aang~" and began circling Shade with delight. As Miss Benanis bit her lip, Shade raised a hand and stroked its forehead. Thanks to the technique he had developed from petting cats, the unicorn seemed