Chapter 51
“Hee hee, shiver shiver.”
Bunny burst into gleeful laughter.
Kiriel, who had been watching quietly, stepped forward to Allen and knelt on one knee, meeting his eyes.
Allen flinched and began peeking at Kiriel’s expression on the sly.
“Thanks to your impressive daughter and son, I didn’t have any room to act cool. But let me say something, even if it’s belated…”
Kiriel reached out and stroked the head of the wolf pup—which was already as tall as Bunny despite its young age—then opened his mouth. Allen’s drooping ears perked straight up.
“Allen.”
“Yes…”
“If anyone calls you a monster…”
A chilling smile crept onto the stern face of Kiriel.
“Beat them up.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’ll take care of the aftermath, so give ’em a good thrashing. Staying quiet and putting up with it won’t change a thing. Guys like that only listen after they’ve been hit.”
Allen’s eyes went wide at Kiriel’s words.
It was advice so outrageous it was hard to believe, delivered from an utterly expressionless face.
“Education’s like that from the beginning. Look here. Back when I was at the House of Trials, I got called a monster, a cursed wretch, even a demon plenty of times… but now nobody dares utter that crap.”
“…Ah.”
“Daughter, son. There’s just one thing you two need to keep in mind.”
Kiriel spoke warmly as he stroked Bunny’s head and Allen’s head at the same time with his large hand.
“Guys looking down on you? Beat them down and trample them until you win. Then, when time passes and you’re gazing down at those bastards from higher than anyone else, that’s victory.”
Allen nodded slowly.
“If it still feels impossible, come tell me. I’ll crush them myself. That’s how you use power.”
“Yessir!”
Allen couldn’t bring himself to say that wasn’t right in front of Bunny’s vigorous reply.
“Answer me.”
“Yes.”
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Allen’s mouth as he gave his quiet reply.
His heart felt strangely ticklish somehow.
* * *
She slung the Rabbit Backpack onto her back, tucked Ma-gomi under her arm, donned the fluffy woolen rabbit hat her daddy had bought her before, and let out a chuckle as the cold wind blew straight at her face.
October 31st.
Today was a very, very important day for Bunny.
One week left until the Ranking Determination Battle.
The day Bunny had memorized 50 out of the 57 human letters.
And Bunny’s special day!
That was why she’d woken up in the early morning before the sun had even properly risen, taken her splashy bath all by herself, brushed her teeth over and over, rinsed with a gurgle, and then snuck outside.
Of course, she’d left a note.
[Bun] [ny]
[Ga] [yo]
It was a splendid note saying she’d be back soon—the very first one Bunny had ever written in human letters, clumsy though it was.
Of course, since she hadn’t memorized any words yet, she’d strung it together from the letters she barely knew, and those mere four characters had filled up an entire sheet of stationery.
She was immensely satisfied with her first letter. She stared at the carefully penned characters for a moment, then set it down on the floor right in front of the door where anyone coming in would see it immediately.
‘This way, they’ll spot it the moment they walk in, right?’
Bunny tucked the still-sleeping Black Flame Dragon into her bag and set off from the mansion.
“Great, let’s go.”
Bunny strode forward with purpose.
Security at the mansion was tight late at night.
But Bunny had to slip out today without getting caught.
‘Kids wandering around alone at night get kidnapped.’
But it was dawn right now, and today of all days, she absolutely had to sneak out.
Bunny whipped her head left and right.
“Where are you off to, Miss Bunny?”
“Belial?”
“Yes.”
“Not sleeping?”
“Night is the most comfortable time for us. Do you think we’d waste it on something as trivial as sleep?”
Belial shrugged, licked his lower lip, and spoke leisurely with a charming smile.
“So, where is my lovely lady headed?”
“Gonna sneak out-si.”
Crunch.
Belial beamed at Bunny’s words.
“Haa…”
Belial let out a long sigh, chuckled lowly, and flicked his fingers lightly.
“Shall I kill all the guards on duty for you?”
“No way! Jump!”
Bunny pointed at the towering wall.
Belial clicked his tongue in disappointment a couple of times, then bent at the waist and scooped Bunny lightly into his arms.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
“Mm.”
He kicked off the ground with ease and leaped effortlessly over the high rampart.
Belial smiled at the innocent Bunny giggling away in his arms.
“How far should I escort you?”
“Capital! Market!”
“As you command.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Belial’s figure vanished.
* * *
Several hours later.
Knock knock.
Knock knock.
Kiriel, half sprawled on the sofa as he listened to Levon’s endless report, frowned at the frantic knocking that started early in the morning.
“K-Kiriel Young Master! This is bad!!”
Bunny’s personal maid, Melissa, shouted in a desperate voice without even waiting for a reply from inside.
Kiriel scowled and straightened up.
“Come in.”
Her hair was a mess like she’d run here, her cheeks and earlobes flushed bright red, her breaths coming in harsh gasps—Kiriel’s brows knitted together on instinct.
“What’s wrong, Miss Melissa?”
At Levon’s question in Kiriel’s place, Melissa balled her fists tight and thrust out the crumpled paper she held.
“I-It looks like the young lady has run off from home.”
Levon snatched the note from the ashen-faced Melissa.
Kiriel grabbed it from him and unfolded it, freezing for a moment.
[Bun] [ny]
[Ga] [yo]
It was a note that said absolutely nothing about where she’d gone or what for.
“Was this all there was?”
“Y-Yes. Yes… That’s all that was rolling around on the floor when I got there. What should we do? Should I go out right now and search for her or…”
Melissa’s fingertips trembled as she drew in a deep breath.
Kiriel stared down at the paper for a long while with his lips pressed tight, then slowly spoke.
“Levon.”
“Yes. I’ll immediately check with every soldier who was on guard from night through dawn to see if anyone spotted Miss Bunny.”
“You. Last time you saw Bunny was yesterday?”
“Yes, I watched her fall asleep before heading back to my room…”
Kiriel gazed at Melissa’s crumpled expression, rubbed his face once with a hardened look, then flicked his hand dismissively.
“I’m not in the mood to deal with you right now, so get out. We’ll handle punishment later.”
Melissa drew in a deep breath and bowed slowly.
Kiriel watched her leave the room, then rose from his seat with a stiff expression.
“Where are you going, Young Master?”
A toneless voice stopped Kiriel as he shrugged on his coat.
“That kid’s got her quirky side, so she might just be off selling junk at the market again for no good reason.”
“She could’ve run away.”
“No chance.”
Kiriel replied firmly in a voice devoid of his usual drawl.
“A kid who wants to grow up into a proper adult precisely because she needs a guardian wouldn’t ditch me to do it.”
“…Whoa, sorry, but can I call that bullshit?”
“Want your pay cut in half?”
“My apologies.”
Levon tucked his tail quickly and quietly. His salary was precious to him, too.
“I’ll report back the moment I find anything…”
As Levon turned his head to speak, he blinked. Kiriel was already gone.
A very faint, hazy smile curved Levon’s lips.
“You said there’s no chance, though.”
Musing how his words and actions never quite lined up, Levon hurried across the corridor as well.
