Translator: Nox

Chapter 31

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“Ahem.”

Rudbride narrowed his eyes and let out a small cough upon seeing Bunny trudging along with pitter-patter steps, the Rabbit Backpack bulging bulkily on her back.

Of course, the child’s footsteps toward the House of Trials showed no sign of stopping.

“Ahem!”

He cleared his throat once more, but just the same, the child kept walking forward, step by step, utterly focused.

Pat-pat, puff.

Pat-pat, puff.

She looked quite heavy-laden for a child to carry as she took two steps forward, then her little body shivered as if the weight of the bag on her back was too much, stepping back one pace before pressing on diligently.

“Ahem, Bunny?”

“Yees?”

It was only after he called her name that Bunny finally perked up and whipped her head around.

“Grandpa Family Head!”

“Just Grandpa is fine. Where are you off to?”

“To my room!”

“Where’ve you been?”

“Um…….”

Bunny rolled her eyes this way and that.

Bunny was planning to do some business this time using Luriel’s new recipe.

Of course, she’d need some kind of permit to sell outside, so she figured she’d set up shop in the House of Trials.

Either way, Bunny needed money!

“You haven’t been coming to buy Holy Power Stones lately. Is that bl—… ahem, the Hyeonryong’s egg growing well?”

“…Y-Yes…… Totally healthy……!”

Bunny jolted and blurted out her answer. The egg breaking was an absolute secret, after all.

“Where’s Grandpa going?”

“To the Imperial Palace. There’s some business to discuss.”

“Imperial Palace!”

The archenemy of the Great Demon King, with his sparkling red eyes and golden hair! Since he was someone Bunny had to defeat, gathering intel on him ahead of time didn’t sound like a bad idea.

Bunny shot her hand up high.

“Hm?”

“Bunny go too?”

“To the Imperial Palace?”

“Yees!”

“That might be a bit tricky…… Let’s go play somewhere else once I get back.”

“But Imperial Palace good…….”

Rudbride froze stiff at Bunny’s dejected voice, slowly turning his gaze away.

“Then this grandpa’s a bit busy, so I’ll be off…….”

“Bunny too!!”

Bunny yelled with all her might and came toddling over, latching onto Rudbride’s leg with a tight hug. Rudbride’s eyes went wide.

“Bunny, Grandpa too good, so Bunny wanna go everywhere Grandpa goes. ‘Cause Bunny no wanna be apart. No Grandpa, Bunny super sad.”

As Bunny gazed up at him from where she clung to his leg, Rudbride’s body went rigid.

Rudbride stiffly craned his rigid neck to peer down with effort.

In truth, it was just the lines he’d sweetly memorized before, swapped from Young Master to Grandpa.

‘Bunny… keep up the cuteness offensive.’

The cute Bunny is unbeatable operation.

“Grandpa wanna be apart from Bunny……?”

Bunny peered up at him with teary eyes and asked.

Crack.

It was the moment the pen he’d brought along to handle documents in the carriage shattered to bits in Rudbride’s fist.

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“Bunny, you have to wait here nice and quiet. Got it?”

“Yees.”

Rudbride admonished her over and over before rising from his seat.

Truth be told, he’d hesitated to bring her because most information on Bunny was blocked off—including prophecies of future events, the uncertainties surrounding divine beasts, and interpretations of ancient elf lore.

He’d skirted around it with the Emperor, but that suspicious gaze hadn’t eased.

His curiosity over just who had provided such information seemed to pierce the heavens.

“Promise?”

“Bunny wait quiet.”

“That’s my good girl. I’ll be back soon.”

“Yees.”

Bunny waved her little hand and plopped down on the sofa, kicking her legs back and forth.

Crunch, crunch.

Slurp.

She munched on cookies and gulped down milk.

Then, bored, she clutched a cookie and went exploring every nook and cranny of the room, toddling back for more crunchy bites whenever hunger struck again.

She peeked around, tugged open the room’s drawers, poked under the sofa, and oohed over the sparkling ornaments.

“Bored.”

Crunch, crunch—even all those cookies had her tummy puffed up full.

After a moment’s thought, Bunny grinned mischievously and cracked the door open, peeking her face through the gap.

‘Um…….’

Quiet.

The hallway was silent, and no one was in sight.

Cookie in hand, Bunny wriggled her body through the door and slipped out.

“Bunny tummy full, so walkies.”

Luri always said you had to take a walk after eating your fill!

Bunny was a good kid who listened to Luri.

Bunny crept along stealthily, poking her head into every open doorway.

Some people jumped at the sudden sight of her, while others were too busy to even notice.

‘Fairy tales always have the kid who becomes the future human big boss in places like this.’

She’d get chummy with the future human big boss and mold him into putty for her.

Just like at the Orphanage—everyone would tumble plop into Bunny’s traps, so when Bunny became the greatest Demon King ever, they’d all surrender.

“Ugh… genius Bunny……. To think you were the greatest Demon King……!”

“Heh, dummy. Figured it out now? Bunny’s a splendid greatest Demon King. You all fell right into Bunny’s trap.”

“No way……. I… I can’t forget those sweet potato honey pickles you made!!! Or the spinning potatoes!!! No helping it……. I surrender……. This human world is yours. Splendid genius Demon King Bunny!”

In Bunny’s imagination, a faceless Emperor knelt before her.

Grown-up Bunny had her hands on her hips, belting out a grand hahaha laugh.

Heh.

‘Bunny perfect wicked Demon King.’

Bunny thrust her head into another eye-catching room. The door was just barely ajar, revealing an enormously vast and dazzling space.

‘Sparkly!’

It was then, as Bunny squeezed her way inside.

“Haa…… haa… haa…….”

The ragged breathing and familiar aura wafting from within made Bunny’s eyes go round.

Bunny whipped her head around in slight alarm.

‘Demon energy.’

Eyes bulging wide, Bunny toddled do-do-do toward the bed where the sounds were coming from.

It was an enormously tall, enormous bed—maybe five times bigger than Bunny’s own.

“Ugh… hng…….”

Standing on tiptoe, Bunny clutched at her chest as she spotted the boy writhing in agony atop the bed, her eyes going even rounder.

He was a boy with dazzling golden hair. He looked around five years older than Bunny, his entire body soaked through with sweat.

‘Bad energy for humans.’

Bad energy even for little kid Bunny.

Bunny’s vivid deep-pink eyes gleamed. Whoosh—her pupils narrowed into thin vertical slits.

‘Leave him like this, he’ll die.’

The Demonic Qi—demon energy—had already eroded most of the boy’s body.

It was even gnawing into his heart. Luriel had taught her that once it devoured the head too, humans couldn’t survive.

“…….”

Still on tiptoe, Bunny blinked as she stared at the boy.

‘Sparkly pretty hair. Future human big boss!’

In Luri’s fairy tale books, sparkly hair always meant the human big boss.

Convinced the sparkly-haired boy must be the future Emperor, Bunny pondered with a grave little face.

“Luri, what’s this?”

“Uh-uh, no! Baby has a special body, so Demonic Qi would hurt a lot.”

“Bunny give?”

“Huh? No, you wouldn’t die. But it’d hurt bad. Remember that time you had a huge fever and sweat pouring off you? So no touching Demonic Qi till you’re grown. Got it? Especially not alone!”

If Bunny healed him, it’d hurt.

But if she didn’t, he’d die.

Future human big boss.

An opponent she’d have to take down someday anyway.

So wouldn’t it be fine to say bye-bye now?

Bunny nodded to herself and edged backward stealthily.

‘Bunny, evil demon king.’

“Who…….”

The sudden voice from the bed made Bunny jump in shock, and she bolted from the room as if fleeing.

“……?”

Through his hazy vision, the boy glimpsed a small, water-blue nape—then thud, he collapsed once more.