I Became A Married Man in Another World
Chapter 91
091 Rudolph’s Ability
Rolling around on the ground with Oz, the bandit’s movements came to a sudden halt.
As Oz hopped away from him, the bandit’s face was revealed, frozen stiff. His mind seemed intact, but his body wouldn’t obey him. Only his eyes darted frantically back and forth. His neck and the backs of his hands were covered in strange patterns.
That was only the beginning.
One by one, the movements of the surrounding bandits stiffened, until men stood frozen everywhere like living statues.
Just like the man who had fallen, they couldn’t even move their lips; only their eyes rolled in their sockets.
In an instant, every single bandit had turned as rigid as a mannequin.
Juhwan turned to look at the Unicorn. The Unicorn’s white horn was flashing like a signal light, glowing a brilliant red.
“Did you do all those patterns?”
The Unicorn shook its mane proudly and looked at Juhwan. It seemed to be waiting for a compliment.
Juhwan turned his gaze back to the bandits. They couldn’t move an inch. From a single strand of hair to a single finger, they appeared completely paralyzed. However, their minds were clearly functioning, as their eyes were filled with terror.
“….”
He had heard that Rudolph was the one whose horn blinked and glowed red.
But he hadn’t heard anything about creating patterns like that, or being able to stop a person’s movements entirely.
No, more than anything, he didn’t understand why such a thing was following him. He already had a Rudolph named Oz.
“Zentangle…”
Suddenly, the image of the girl the Guild Master had brought along came to mind. She had said that strange word, Zentangle.
He hadn’t really understood what it meant back then, but looking at the bandits now, the term Zentangle fit perfectly. That girl had described it accurately.
What was drawn on the bandits’ bodies weren’t letters. They were simple patterns that seemed to have no meaning. Flowers, moons, stars, curves, straight lines, spirals, geometric shapes—these patterns were repeated over their entire bodies.
There were even patterns packed into narrow spaces like their eyelids.
‘Ah, is it that they can’t move only where the patterns are drawn?’
Is that why they can still move their eyes? It was somewhat eerie.
“But… you really helped.”
After confirming once more that none of the bandits were moving, Juhwan approached the Unicorn. When he stroked its mane and thanked it, the Unicorn tossed its head proudly.
“Anyway, what do I do with these guys now?”
Juhwan sighed as he looked at the bandits.
He couldn’t just leave them here covered in these bizarre patterns. Like this, it would be impossible to leave them tied up or notify the guards to arrest them.
Even to Juhwan, they looked grotesque. If he exposed the bandits in this state to the public, there was no telling what kind of rumors would start or how things might escalate. If things went wrong and a witch hunt started…
The thought was chilling.
As Juhwan stood there troubled, the Unicorn let out a whinny and looked at Oz. The way it shook its mane made it look as if it were saying something to the rabbit.
“Pee.”
Oz let out a small cry as if answering the Unicorn. Then, his fluffy body wiggled as he approached the bandit archer.
The archer was frozen with his bow and arrow in hand. His eyes rolled around frantically. Red capillaries had burst in his whites, making his eyes look bloodshot.
“Ah!”
Juhwan let out a small exclamation and checked the other bandits. Their eyes were all bloodshot as well.
Juhwan watched them for a moment. No one was moving their eyelids. They were all staring wide-eyed without a single blink.
“It even stopped them from moving their eyelids.”
Those bizarre patterns seemed to force even involuntary movements like blinking to stop. The bandits could neither close nor blink their eyes.
Right now, it had only stopped their movements, but perhaps it could control everything from nasal breathing to bodily functions.
If those patterns could be drawn on internal organs invisible to the human eye, then yes, it was entirely possible.
“….”
Come to think of it, he hadn’t heard a single sound since they stopped moving. Had it paralyzed their vocal cords too? It really could affect the inside of the body. He felt a shiver run down his spine.
He looked back at the Unicorn. The horn that had been glowing red had returned to its original color.
When their eyes met, the white horse’s face filled with joy. Even though it was an animal, he could read its expression. This creature truly liked him.
‘But…’
Was it really okay to keep this Unicorn with him?
It was fine while their relationship was good.
But what if Dorothy accidentally offended the Unicorn? Or if Riji upset it without knowing any better? What if this Unicorn felt something like jealousy? Would they still be safe?
Who could guarantee that the Unicorn wouldn’t harm Riji and Dorothy when he wasn’t looking? If patterns were drawn on their internal organs, Juhwan wouldn’t know until they were dead.
Could he allow a being that could drive people into such terror with such a beautiful face to stay by his family?
“….”
As if sensing Juhwan’s thoughts, the Unicorn shook its soft mane. It let out a series of soft, slightly sad whinnies. It sounded as if it were saying it would never go against Juhwan’s wishes.
‘I suspected it before, but this creature really can read my mind.’
Even that felt chilling. It was different from how it felt with Oz. An inexplicable sense of unease seeped through his body.
‘Maybe it’s better to send it away…’
The moment he thought that, Oz let out a sharp cry.
When he looked at Oz, the rabbit stared at him with round eyes and twitched his nose. His ears were drooping slightly to the sides. He seemed a bit depressed.
’Now that I think about it, Oz can draw these patterns too.’
He could only make small circles for now, but as time passed, would Oz also be able to draw grotesque patterns over a person’s entire body like this Unicorn?
Perhaps the reason for his sudden gloom was the thought that Juhwan might hate him if he became like that.
“It’s okay.”
He reached out a hand to Oz. This little one was fine. Since Oz was always stuck to Dorothy, he wouldn’t betray them no matter the situation. He was his Rudolph. He had faith that Oz wouldn’t harm Riji or Dorothy.
Oz hopped over to Juhwan. He leaped up and snuggled into his arms. He seemed happy.
After twitching his nose and carefully observing Juhwan’s expression, Oz turned his head toward the archer.
“Pee!”
Oz strained his entire body and let out a loud cry. Shaking all over, he stared at the archer’s arrow. He flattened his ears against his back and glared at the arrow. His tiny body was stiff with tension, as if he were exerting every ounce of his strength.
“What are you doing, Oz?”
Did he want to mimic the Unicorn? Because it looked cool? Juhwan found it somewhat amusing to see Oz grunting and straining his whole body.
As Juhwan instinctively smiled, Oz’s horn began to flash with light. It looked almost like a Christmas tree.
“Pee!”
When Oz let out another forceful cry, several red patterns appeared on the bandit’s arrowhead.
They were round, spiral-like patterns, looking much like snails. They were very small.
The circular patterns quickly covered the arrowhead like morning glory vines. The entire arrowhead became covered in the round designs. It looked as if red ants had swarmed and densely covered the tip.
“What…”
Juhwan’s eyes widened.
The arrowhead, now covered in red patterns, seemed to tremble slightly before snapping and bending downward.
“Pee! Pee! Pee!”
As if delighted, the little furball shivered and wiggled. He rubbed his face against Juhwan’s arm. It was as if he were begging for a compliment.
“Oz, you…”
So the Unicorn could paralyze living things like humans, while Oz could bend hard objects like metal?
Juhwan looked at Oz, then back at the Unicorn. It might have been his imagination, but the Unicorn looked dejected. It seemed to feel that instead of getting the praise it expected, it had only instilled fear.
Juhwan looked at Oz and muttered.
“You can bend hard things.”
The place where Oz had created patterns on the Orthos was its teeth. Perhaps, even though it wasn’t visible on the surface, those patterns had appeared on the bones inside its body as well.
Juhwan gazed intently at Oz’s face.
‘Then the Screaming Carrots were…’
Ah, I see. Juhwan nodded in understanding. It didn’t matter if the object was inanimate like metal or teeth. As long as it was hard, even a plant, this little rabbit could bend anything. Though he didn’t know how, Oz must have touched the skin of those hard carrots and trapped magic inside them.
Oz twitched his nose. He tilted his head and looked up at Juhwan.
“Pee.”
Why aren’t you praising me? he seemed to ask.
Juhwan gently stroked Oz’s soft fur with his finger.
Feeling good, Oz closed his eyes and leaned into Juhwan’s hand. If he were a cat, he probably would have purred.
“…Right, so that’s how it is.”
Oz and the Unicorn were the same. They were the same kind of creature. It was just that the abilities they could use were different; both could read his mind and both wielded equally terrifying power.
The girl’s words echoed in his head again. She had said Rudolph is a Zentangle.
‘So that was it.’
Whether the girl understood it or not, the person who first attached the word Zentangle to Rudolph probably hadn’t done so just because of the patterns.
Since all Rudolphs manifest their abilities by drawing patterns, they are called Zentangles. However, their nature was likely different from ordinary beasts. They were entirely alien beings. So, encompassing both their personality and their abilities, the term was probably used to mean that a Rudolph is fundamentally different from any other animal. That a Rudolph is a Zentangle.
There was no difference. Oz and the Unicorn were the same kind of creature. Everything was the same. It was just that Juhwan felt safer with Oz; both were beings beyond human understanding.
He wondered if these thoughts were being transmitted to both Oz and the Unicorn. They probably couldn’t think exactly like humans. It was more likely that only his emotions were being felt.
Juhwan let out a small sigh.
‘…I’ll trust Oz.’
If Oz had accepted the Unicorn, there must be a reason. He didn’t know why Oz had opened his heart to it the moment they met, but if it were an untrustworthy being, Oz wouldn’t have let it into the family. Yes, surely.
Furthermore, it was just a guess, but Rudolphs seemed to understand each other. Before Oz bent the arrowhead, it clearly looked as if the Unicorn were encouraging him to do so.
Maybe it was teaching him how to use his power, or simply cheering him on to be brave. He didn’t know for sure, but he got the feeling that the Unicorn was like an older sister or a leader to Oz.
‘Who knows? Maybe the Unicorn is Oz’s mother.’
They were both Rudolphs, even if they were different species. Perhaps they could give birth regardless of species. Who was to say a Unicorn Rudolph hadn’t given birth to a Horned Rabbit, which then became a Rudolph itself?
The Unicorn let out a mournful whinny. He couldn’t tell if it was saying his guess was wrong, or if it was just sad that only Oz got praised.
When he approached and stroked its mane, the Unicorn rubbed its head against Juhwan’s body several times.
“….”
He could now understand why the Guild had made such a fuss about Santa’s Contractor and Rudolph. If there were creatures with these kinds of abilities, it was only natural they would be in an uproar.
‘Sigh.’
For some reason, there were two such Rudolphs.
Juhwan looked up at the sky. His mind was a mess. He worried that having these two together might just constantly attract trouble. He was already anxious about the future.
“….”
Anyway, he didn’t have time to stand around. He had to do something about these bandits. One sigh followed another.
The Unicorn gave Juhwan’s body a gentle nudge with its head. It seemed worried because he kept sighing.
After nudging him a few times, the Unicorn suddenly let out a whinny. Its eyes, which had been observing Juhwan’s state just a moment ago, were now sparkling. It would be an exaggeration to say it looked like it had a good idea, but…
Whinny. The Unicorn let out another triumphant cry, and its horn began to emit a faint light.
‘What now?’
Startled, he whipped around to look at the bandits just as they collapsed to the ground, one after another.
It happened in a heartbeat.
The dozen or so remaining bandits slumped where they stood, like cicadas shedding their skins, and stopped moving entirely.
When he approached to check, they were already dead, their eyes wide open. Every single one of them.
‘It didn’t even take a second.’
It was truly in the blink of an eye.
And as if their work was done, the patterns etched onto the bandits’ bodies began to fade away.
From their faces to their hands, the countless drawings began to disappear one by one, leaving empty gaps.
Finally, not a single one of the red patterns remained. There wasn’t a trace left. It was as if he had seen a mirage.
“….”
When he looked at the Unicorn, it had been prancing happily but suddenly stopped. It seemed to think it might have made another mistake.
The Unicorn lowered its head slightly and stole glances at Juhwan’s face, as if checking his mood.
It’s okay, you did well.
He muttered the thought in his mind.
Immediately, the Unicorn’s face brightened. Looking triumphant once again, it lifted its head and shook its white mane, which was as fine as silk thread.
It really could read his mind. However, it didn’t seem to sense everything Juhwan felt at every moment.
“….”
Juhwan walked to the carriage and knocked on the door.
“Riji, it’s okay now. But don’t open the door. I’d like you to look outside only after we’ve moved on a bit.”
He didn’t want to show his wife and child a scene filled with corpses. Just because they lived in such a world didn’t mean they had to see every gruesome sight. It was enough for them to know that the world outside was like this. They didn’t need to see exactly what Juhwan saw every single hour of every day.
Riji’s voice came from behind the solid door.
“I understand, Juhwan. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt at all.”
Oz hopped toward the driver’s seat of the carriage. As his small body slipped inside, he heard Dorothy’s voice.
“Oz! That’s dangerous. Dad told you, didn’t he? He said you shouldn’t go out! You’re only safe if we stay here together! If you don’t listen like that, you’re going to be a bad rabbit. Do you understand?”
“Pee.”
It seemed Oz was getting scolded by Dorothy after working so hard. Well, since Dorothy and Riji hadn’t seen the situation at all, it couldn’t be helped.
Thinking of Oz’s proud face after he bent the arrow, Juhwan let out a small chuckle.
Perhaps he had wanted to brag to Dorothy as well. He could hear the faint sound of the rabbit’s feet thumping against the carriage floor as if he were annoyed.
“Oz! That’s bad behavior! You’re hurting the carriage. Think of how sad the carriage must be!”
He heard Dorothy’s nagging again.
With a smirk, Juhwan went around collecting the bandits’ weapons. Not just the leader’s, but the other guys’ weapons were of decent quality as well. It seemed to be because they were marauders rather than typical bandits.
No one was wearing grand armor, but there were several sets of leather-vest-style armor. They wouldn’t fit the large-framed Juhwan, but weapon shops dealt in this kind of second-hand armor. Selling these would bring in some money.
After gathering all the weapons and armor, Juhwan climbed onto the driver’s seat and shook the reins. The rhythmic sound of hooves echoed through the mountain path.
