Translator: Nox

Chapter 14

“Off to the market~.”

Finally, Bunny arrived at the exit, gave her greeting, and passed by leisurely. Only then did the guards jolt in surprise and look at Bunny.

“The market…? W-Wait a minute. What market…?”

“Going to buy ingredients.”

“Ingredients? Ah… Whose errand are you running? But who would send such a tiny child…?”

The two guards whispered to each other, but seeing Bunny grin cheekily, bow her head, and start walking again, they couldn’t bring themselves to stop her.

Of course, Bunny didn’t know the way.

“Hewwo~, pwetty uncle. Whewe’s the mahket?”

“Big sis ovew thewe, how do I get to the mahket?”

“Ovaw hewe, the mahket’s this way?”

But what did that matter?

Bunny was cute, and all the adults were kind to her in their own way.

Some even personally guided her when she said she was running an errand alone.

‘Bunny, you’re a genius after all.’

The brilliant genius Bunny made it safely to the market all by herself.

* * *

Thud!

The rabbit backpack on Bunny’s back looked bulging and rugged, unlike when she’d arrived at the market.

Whatever she’d stuffed it full of, the rabbit backpack was packed so tight that its legs were sticking straight out, on the verge of touching the ground.

Having finished her errands, Bunny entered the last shop, the one with a book illustration on its signboard.

Tinkle—

“Welcome.”

The owner, who had turned at the sound of the door opening and closing, paused when he saw nothing.

“Huh?”

The owner looked around puzzledly left and right, then poked his head out from behind the counter and startled, jumping to his feet.

And well he might, for a pitch-black, burly rabbit was staring straight at him with its head held high, backing away.

‘M-Monster…?’

The shop owner grabbed a wooden club from nearby and swallowed hard. To report to the guards, he had to go around the counter and out the door first.

It was just as the owner, tense as could be, took his first step.

“This isn’t it…”

He paused at the lispy, childish voice.

“Bunny… can’t wead letters…”

The one who should buy books can’t…

The owner paused at the voice thick with sorrow. Only then did he realize the menacing-looking rabbit wasn’t moving at all, just swaying up and down occasionally.

And between the rabbit’s legs peeked tiny legs, and between its ears a little head.

The shop owner awkwardly set the club down.

“Little one, here on an errand for your mom?”

When he asked in a gentle voice, the black rabbit whirled around.

A child with soft skin and rosy cheeks stared up at him with a tearful face.

“……”

Overcome with embarrassment, the man unwittingly tossed the club he was holding behind the counter and smiled as kindly as he could.

“What are you looking for?”

“Who awe you?”

“Uh… the shop owner?”

“Ah! Do you have books fow babies too? Bunny… doesn’t know any letters at all…”

“Letters? Ahh, looking to study reading? Of course we have them. But do you have money?”

“Yeth! Bunny is a supah wich pwerson.”

Bunny giggled and, thumbs up at the man, rummaged in her burly rabbit backpack and pulled out a jingling cloth pouch.

The man chuckled and took out a book for learning letters and a picture book for young children.

Bunny proudly pulled out a handful from the cloth pouch and set it down.

The man eyed the coins and smiled awkwardly.

“Little one, what should we do? You can’t buy a book with 1500 rosts…”

Rumble—

Flash!

Boom!

Thunder crashed, lightning struck, and a massive boulder fell over Bunny’s head.—Or so Bunny imagined.—Bunny plopped down on the bookstore floor.

“Bunny… total fail…”

No money means no studying…

That day, Bunny learned a lesson about life.

* * *

Chop chop chop chop.

The kitchen knife moved swiftly. Luca, the apprentice cook of the duke’s household who had been trimming and chopping the mountain of ingredients, was shedding tears while slicing onions.

“Sniffle.”

Even amid the pain of tears streaming down, realizing there were still tons of onions left to chop, Luca let out a deep sigh.

He’d studied hard to become a cook in the duke’s household, but the work of an apprentice cook and the kitchen’s youngest was far too grueling and exhausting.

The main estate was a pipe dream, and every day it was preparing massive quantities of food in the kitchen of the House of Trials, processing ingredients to send to the main estate.

Starting at dawn to prep ingredients, and still prepping them long after everyone else had gone home—he’d barely gotten six hours of sleep a day lately.

The onions stung, and his own plight was so pitiful he couldn’t tell if the tears flowing from his eyes were from sorrow or irritation.

Sniffle.

“Sniffle.”

Sniffle.

“Sniffle.”

Luca, wiping his runny nose diligently and squinting through blurry eyes to chop onions diligently, unwittingly stopped his knife work.

It was because of the sniffling that echoed as if resonating from somewhere.

“Sniffle.”

Sniffle. Sniffle.

“……?”

Luca looked around left and right.

‘What is it? What’s that sound?’

This was the kitchen in the House of Trials, so there shouldn’t be anyone but Luca, making the sound eerie.

Looking around in bewilderment, Luca spotted a pale little creature clutching something to its chest and sniffling.

It was an adorably plump child who looked like a finely crafted doll.

Their eyes met—pink pupils brimming with tears.

Drip drip.

Splash splash.

Tears began streaming down steadily, and Luca’s mouth fell open.

“Waaah… Bunny can’t see in fwont…”

“Uwaaah!”

Luca yelped in panic at Bunny’s nonstop tears, grabbed a damp towel, tucked Bunny under his arm, and bolted from the kitchen.

Sniffle, sniffle.

Bunny, with snot streaming and her face soaked in tears, finally peeked her head up after crying far longer than she’d wanted.

“A-Are you okay… miss?”

“Yeth…”

Bunny, her nose red, answered bravely.

Luca unwittingly gaped at her unbearably cute expression, then snapped his mouth shut.

“Cook uncle. Luri said, when chopping onions tong tong tong, to keep chili away and wet the kitchen knife with watew… Othewwise, supah sad…”

Bunny sniffled, her eyes red and puffy.

“Uh… yeah?”

Luca, squatting beside Bunny, sniffled back.

“Yeth.”

Bunny nodded, sniffle-sniffling too.

After sniffling back and forth like a howling duet for a while, the two looked at each other’s puffy eyes and burst out laughing.

“Hahaha!”

“Hee hee.”

Luca glanced at Bunny and rubbed his nape.

“What brings you to the kitchen? Lost your way?”

“Nope, Bunny has a wequest.”

“A request?”

“Yeth.”

Bunny stood before Luca with her puffy eyes and grinned.

Luca found the child puffing up proudly before him utterly adorable and turned his head, chuckling.

Then Bunny cleared her throat with “Ahem!” placed both hands on her hips, and opened her mouth.

“How long are you gonna just tong tong tong onions, soldier?”

“Pardon…?”

“Don’t you wanna be wich? Don’t you wanna be a supah big chef?!”

Bunny wagged her finger side to side and shook her head.

Luca unwittingly nodded at the somehow intimidating, arrogant attitude.

“How about becoming a supah stwong supah big chef with Bunny?!”

“Super strong… super big chef…?”

Of course! He’d want to be a super big chef.

With Bunny, it’d be super easy!

‘Bunny really is a genius…?’

Heh heh.

Bunny’s nose stuck up proudly. Her shoulders puffed out, and her chest thrust forward proudly.

“What’s that…?”

“Huh?”

At Luca’s puzzled question, Bunny’s puffed-up shoulders deflated like a punctured balloon with a whoosh.

Her upturned nose came down, and her thrust-out chest melted limply back into her body.

“Um… So, is there something I need to help you with?”

“Yeth…”

The instantly deflated Bunny held out what she’d been hugging to her chest toward Luca.

“Bunny, pwease fwy this.”

That was it.

Bunny could cut ingredients with a children’s knife and cutting board, but she couldn’t fry them.

Because Luriel had said that if a child uses fire, the red dragon hiding in the flames comes out and eats the child, so an adult must always be there when using fire.