Santa’s Contractor
Because of the name horned rabbit, people often misunderstand something.
When they are young, these creatures do not have horns.
Their skull only bulges slightly. You can feel it if you touch it, but it does not stick out of the skin.
A young horned rabbit looks exactly like a normal rabbit you can find in the mountains.
Leonard carefully hid his expression and glanced at the rabbit on the child’s head.
He drank the stew in one gulp.
Normally, he liked this stew. But right now, he couldn’t taste anything.
All his attention was focused on the horned rabbit.
No matter how he looked at it—
It was definitely a horn.
This made no sense.
Why does this young horned rabbit already have horns?
And on top of that—it was calm.
The child occasionally fed it meat from her hat, and it quietly accepted it, sitting still like an ordinary rabbit.
Sometimes, the woman beside the child gently patted it.
The rabbit lowered its ears calmly.
Sometimes it even closed its round eyes, or made a small “pii” sound like it was acting cute.
“A magical beast…”
Leonard narrowed his eyes.
This was strange too.
A magical beast, being so tame around a weak woman and a child?
“Strange… very strange.”
Most magical beasts follow hierarchy.
They submit to the strong and dominate the weak.
That’s why some rare cases exist where they can be tamed.
If a trainer raises them when they are young and weak, and makes them believe the human is stronger, they sometimes obey.
But even then, the relationship can reverse later.
There was another problem.
Magical beasts are omnivores.
They eat animals… and humans.
Some only eat certain things, but most don’t care.
From what Leonard knew, horned rabbits were also omnivores.
And unlike their cute appearance, they were actually quite aggressive.
He once heard of a trainer who lost a finger after being bitten by one.
Because of this nature, magical beasts can attack people if they are around many humans.
If the trainer is strong, it’s manageable.
But if the trainer becomes weak—or the beast realizes it is stronger—
The relationship can flip.
And sometimes, the trainer ends up being killed… or eaten.
Magical beasts are not normal animals.
Even if they seem tamed, they never fully submit.
That is why beast trainers are so rare.
Leonard spoke to the child.
“Can I touch that magical beast?”
Dorothy tilted her head.
Then she looked up.
Oz flattened himself against her hat.
“Oz, will you be a good rabbit?”
“….”
Oz didn’t move, but Dorothy nodded on her own.
“Okay. You have to be gentle. You’re Dorothy’s horn, okay?”
She looked at Leonard.
“Only a little. Oz is my horn.”
Leonard didn’t fully understand, but he smiled.
“Alright.”
He stood up and walked closer.
He knelt down in front of Oz.
The rabbit stayed still.
But Leonard didn’t relax.
Horned rabbits could leap suddenly without warning.
He knew this well from his hunting days.
“It was quite profitable hunting them.”
He smirked slightly and placed one hand near his waist, ready to draw a small knife if needed.
Then he reached out.
But nothing happened.
The rabbit calmly accepted his touch.
He felt the horn, confirming its shape.
Still no reaction.
But when his hand moved lower—
“Pii.”
The rabbit made a sound.
Dorothy looked up at him.
“That’s enough. You can only touch the horn a little.”
“I see. Thank you for letting me.”
Leonard immediately pulled his hand back.
Dorothy went back to eating and occasionally fed Oz small pieces of meat.
Leonard returned to his seat and got another bowl of stew.
He drank the warm soup slowly.
Warmth spread through his body.
There are only a few known types of magical beasts.
Even Leonard, who had hunted many, didn’t know everything.
Maybe this was a completely unknown species.
But—
There was one case he knew of.
Only one.
When a magical beast grows horns early like this—
It means the owner is Santa’s contractor.
“…Who is it?”
The child seemed like the most likely master.
But it could also be the mage… or the woman.
Since earlier, he had felt the gaze of the large healing mage.
The man was watching him quietly with black eyes.
He wasn’t showing hostility.
But his gaze was direct.
Cold.
Dangerous.
His instincts as a hunter whispered: That man is dangerous.
It felt like wherever the mage looked, his skin tingled slightly.
Like invisible sparks were touching him.
A strange magical beast.
And a mage with black eyes.
He had seen similar-looking people before—foreign mercenaries.
But—
“If he has a beast like that… he’s not ordinary.”
Leonard suddenly remembered a rumor.
A hero who appeared in another country.
Similar race.
Maybe this man was related.
Even if not—
“He must be Santa’s contractor.”
After finishing his meal, Leonard stood up.
There were guild messengers traveling with the merchant caravan.
When many adventurers gather, the guild sends messengers for communication.
Leonard went to his wagon and wrote a short letter.
He sealed it with wax and stamped it.
Then he called a messenger.
“Deliver this to the Bern Adventurer Guild master.”
“Yes, sir.”
After the messenger left, Leonard glanced back.
The meal was ending.
The child was talking happily.
The mage and his wife were smiling.
“No one knows yet… but soon, everyone will.”
There were many people who understood magical beasts.
Word would spread quickly.
But Leonard decided not to interfere further.
“Going too deep without being asked will attract the guild’s suspicion.”
He smiled slightly.
“What an unexpected gain… meeting Santa’s contractor.”
He walked around his wagon, checking surroundings carefully.
No suspicious people.
No new faces among the merchants.
Far away, he saw the messenger riding off.
The message he sent had only one word:
[Rudolph]
That was enough.
Only Santa’s contractor could create such a magical beast.
“I wonder what it will become…”
He felt a strange excitement.
The first day passed quietly.
Red Sword decided to take turns in pairs for night watch.
Juhwan’s party didn’t need to stand guard.
They were healers.
They were told to conserve mana.
But honestly—
Healing magic felt easier than fire magic to Juhwan.
“Maybe healing suits me better… even if it doesn’t match my appearance.”
Lizzy, who had been tense at first, finally relaxed by night.
She had been worried about the job.
As the sun set, the caravan stopped.
Campfires were lit everywhere.
Not just for warmth—
But to keep wolves away.
Sometimes, people disappear at night.
This world was harsh.
Juhwan noticed something strange.
Even though there were fire mages—
Everyone used flint to start fires.
He asked Jessie.
“Don’t fire mages help with this?”
Jessie replied quietly:
“No adventurer works without payment.”
“Mana is like stamina. It takes time to recover.”
“Even for small things, mages don’t use it for free.”
She glanced at the fire mage.
Her eyes were filled with something mixed—
Fear… and hatred.
Dinner was the same as before, with dried herring added.
Juhwan looked at it.
“Isn’t this just like gwamegi?”
It looked oily and chewy.
Others didn’t eat it.
Lizzy and Dorothy ignored it too.
Juhwan tried it.
It wasn’t bad.
“If only there was some seasoning… and soju…”
He smiled slightly.
Lizzy refused to try it.
Dorothy covered her nose.
“Strange… it’s good though.”
After dinner, everyone prepared to sleep.
Juhwan made a campfire beside the wagon.
Then Marie from Red Sword approached nervously.
“Can we sleep nearby?”
“Of course.”
She looked relieved.
Juhwan looked around.
Some men were staring at them.
Then he understood.
“Ah… night attacks.”
Without him, Red Sword probably wouldn’t sleep peacefully.
They set up a small tent.
Too small for three people, honestly.
Juhwan sat quietly by the fire.
Karin sat across from him.
A wolf howled in the distance.
After a long silence—
Karin spoke.
“Thank you.”
Juhwan smiled lightly.
“It’s nothing.”
Karin stayed silent for a moment, then returned to her tent