Translator: Nox

Chapter 22

“I won’t throw you away. Why do you think I’d throw you away, my dear girl…….”

Kiriel Yudia spoke with rare firmness as he scooped Bunny up and settled her on his lap.

Bunny’s eyes went wide.

Kiriel Yudia rubbed the child’s startled cheek once, then chuckled softly.

“That’s because…….”

Bunny blinked.

Because Bunny was a demon, and Kiriel Yudia hated demons.

Recalling the contents of Luriel’s Notebook, Bunny blinked her eyes a couple more times.

But to become an adult, she had to stay as a young lady of the ducal family.

She didn’t know the reason, but Luriel had told her to. And to do that, she had to be useful……

“Bunny isn’t useful right now…….”

Rarely so dejected, Bunny muttered glumly, and Kiriel Yudia rubbed her tear-streaked cheeks a couple of times with his palm before opening his mouth.

“You don’t need to be all that useful. In this house, even if you’re useful…….”

Kiriel Yudia trailed off slowly, then let out a short sigh.

“Anyway… I won’t abandon you. I’ve already taken you in, so I’ll take responsibility.”

“Until Bunny becomes an aduwt?”

“Yeah.”

At Kiriel Yudia’s words, Bunny’s eyes flew open wide. Gazing at her sparkling eyes, Kiriel Yudia smiled faintly.

He slowly turned his head to look at Allen. Their eyes met, and Allen flinched, quickly averting his gaze.

“You too, Allen.”

“……!”

Allen’s eyes widened at the added remark, and he clamped his mouth shut tight.

The carriage moved forward in silence.

* * *

Knock knock.

At the faint knock that seemed about to fade away, Rudbride sprang up from his seat and swiftly opened the door.

“Hewwo!”

“Oh, you’re here?”

Bunny bowed politely with an energetic dip, and Rudbride’s stern lips softened gooey, a delighted smile spreading across his face.

Who would believe it?

That this iron fortress of an old man was grinning ear to ear.

With every movement Bunny made, the cheap coins clinked together: jingle jingle.

“Bunny came to buy howy powew stones.”

“Is that right? Come pick one. There are plenty over here.”

Clutching the jingling elephant piggy bank to her chest, Bunny toddled over and plopped down on the sofa Rudbride guided her to.

Having snagged a well-processed Holy Power Stone for just 1500 rosts, Bunny had shrewdly mastered the art of buying them. Thanks to Kiriel’s introduction.

“So, what’ll it be today?”

Rudbride watched, lips twitching upward, as Bunny gravely contemplated the array of colorful Holy Power Stones with utmost seriousness.

He’d heard from his utterly un-cute youngest son Kiriel—passed on with brazen audacity—that some bastard had dared deceive his granddaughter right here in Yudia Territory. Sold her fake Holy Power Stones, no less.

And swindled every last bit of the hard-earned, snot-smeared coin she’d made with her own two hands.

Of course, Rudbride had handled it personally.

The guy was just one of the drifters shoved into Yudia Territory. Daring to pull funny business there had been his first fatal mistake.

Yudia Territory was shielded by the strongest holy power.

Even the capital wasn’t as safe.

Rumors swirled that when the capital fell, the emperor’s final sanctuary would be Yudia Territory.

Especially since Rudbride was born, the crime rate had plummeted below 1%.

And for good reason. Rudbride’s summoned partner—his divine beast, Pegasus—possessed the ability to track whatever its master desired and ferret out anything hidden.

Whether sniffing out Yudia bloodlines or hunting down humans who’d committed crimes, it was no great feat for Pegasus as long as traces remained.

“Gwamps, how much is this one?”

At Bunny’s serious question, Rudbride cleared his throat with an “Ahem” and glanced at the Holy Power Stone.

“Let’s see… it’s big, so about 2500 rosts. That’s 25 coins.”

58 million rosts.

The real price flitted through his mind, but Rudbride brushed it aside lightly.

‘It’s all to hatch that divine beast.’

Rudbride nodded to himself.

The egg Bunny had summoned was growing like a weed on a diet of Holy Power Stones. Word was, it had swelled up as big as Bunny herself.

‘A divine beast stuck in egg form… a first.’

From what he’d seen of the living thing, it seemed more divine beast than holy relic. Devouring Holy Power Stones like candy had him more than a little curious about what would emerge.

Holy Power Stones were practically priceless, after all.

Just having one warded off minor ailments and purified foul energies.

What’s more, they could deliver fatal blows to demons or demonic beasts, making them prime material for weapons.

Processing them was notoriously tricky, which was why the Yudia Ducal Family held a near-monopoly on almost every Holy Power Stone mine.

“I’ll take this one!”

“Alright then.”

“Yay!”

Bunny bobbed her head eagerly, snapped off the elephant piggy bank’s trunk, and pulled out the coins: clink clink clink.

“One, two… fouw…….”

Counting diligently on her fingers, Bunny drew a pleased smile to Rudbride’s lips.

“Twenty-five!”

“That’s my girl. You’ve already got up to 25 down pat.”

Heh. Bunny’s a genius!

It was right then, as Bunny beamed.

Knock knock.

At the sound of the knock, Bunny’s ears perked up, and she whipped her head around.

“Your Grace, may I enter for a moment?”

At the butler Pel’s entrance, Rudbride’s face snapped to stone-cold seriousness, eyes narrowing as if the smile had never existed.

“What is it?”

Pel stared steadily at Rudbride, who’d turned stern-voiced in an instant.

More precisely, at Rudbride stroking Bunny’s hair while clutching 25 coins in his other hand.

“You’ve got a new ribbon. The yellow one suits you perfectly. Lady Bunny looks as adorable as ever today.”

Hmph.

Bunny’s bottom wiggled with delight at Pel’s praise. Praise made Bunny want to dance. And Pel was awfully generous with it—very, very much so.

‘Good human.’

When she grew up to be the great big Demon King, she’d make him rich.

Bunny gave Pel a hearty mental stamp of approval—thud!—and nodded vigorously.

“The adjutant to Young Master Kiriel is looking for Lady Bunny.”

Rudbride eyed Pel with displeasure before nodding.

“Shall we get ready to go?”

“Yay.”

Bunny nodded, snapped the elephant trunk shut, and began stuffing the remaining coins back in.

A fond smile curved Pel’s lips as he watched.

“Ah, and…….”

Pel hesitated mid-sentence, glancing warily at Bunny.

Rudbride narrowed his eyes and spoke.

“What? Out with it.”

“Er, well…… There’s a peculiar rumor going around among the demons who fled after their defeat lately.”

“Peculiar rumor? What kind?”

“It’s just hearsay for now, but… apparently, a demon child survived.”

“A child?”

“Yes. More precisely, it seems the dead Demon King had a child. Word is, he’s slated to awaken as the next Demon King…….”

Clink clink.

In that instant, Bunny’s body gave a sharp shudder, and the coin clutched in her hand went clang!—rolling tumble tumble across the floor.

“Oh dear, are you alright, Lady Bunny?”

“…Yay. Tank you.”

Pel scooped up the fallen coin and placed it back in Bunny’s hand.

‘Bunny, heart going thump thump…….’

The Demon King’s child……

No matter how she sliced it, it was clearly about her.

With her heart pounding boom boom, Bunny hugged her elephant piggy bank even tighter to her chest.