Translator: Nox

Chapter 53

“When I lived with Luri, friends came to the temple and shared chocolate, but they said you’d get sick if you didn’t wash your hands. But I washed mine suuuper clean…….”

No sooner had Bunny finished speaking than Levon quickly popped the chocolate in his hand into his own mouth and chewed it with an expressionless face.

At that, Bunny’s face lit up brightly.

“It’s just that I felt so bad about eating the precious chocolate the young lady gave me—I was agonizing over it. I never thought it was dirty.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it tastes just like a blessing from the gods.”

At Levon’s explanation, Bunny’s face suddenly turned pitch black.

‘…Bunny chocolate has a god’s blessing?’

If Bunny eats the chocolate poof poof, will she turn to powder?!

A pure white light might burst from inside her, turning her to ashes in an instant.

‘I want to eat it…….’

But she didn’t want to turn to powder.

‘But it seems like it would taste sooo good…….’

Still, she didn’t want to turn to powder.

Who knew what Bunny’s true feelings were?

“Young lady, I heard you went out early this morning to buy this chocolate.”

Bunny, looking troubled, nodded.

“If you’d told me, I would have gotten it for you.”

“No way. Bunny has to buy it with Bunny’s own money. Where’s Daddy?”

“He didn’t work at all today, so he’s probably in his room looking over documents.”

“Wanna go?”

Levon silently nodded at Bunny’s question. Why not?

The reason he hadn’t even glanced at today’s documents in the first place was because he’d gone out searching for Bunny since morning.

The look of utter relief on Kiriel’s face when he’d gotten word through the communication orb that Bunny had returned safely.

“I’ll take you to the young master.”

Levon, who had been ordered to let him know the moment Bunny woke up, naturally scooped her into his arms and left the room.

Bunny, held in Levon’s arms all the way to Kiriel’s office, dashed straight over the second he set her down and thrust out what she was holding.

“Daddy, chocolate!”

“…Chocolate?”

“Yup, a present. Congwats, Bunny?”

What kind of congratulations was this all of a sudden?

‘Congrats on safely buying the chocolate?’

Kiriel stared blankly at Bunny’s incomprehensible words for a moment, then, seeing her head bobbing uncontrollably, he stroked her hair as he now habitually did and nodded.

“Yeah, congrats.”

He’d spent the entire morning scouring the ducal territory searching for her, only to hear it had all been just to buy chocolate— a hollow laugh escaped him.

He could swear that a child’s way of thinking was something he could never understand or keep up with.

‘Who would’ve thought that letter really meant she was going out?’

He’d considered scolding her a little……

Whoosh—!

But seeing her face brighten at that one word of congratulations, the words that had risen to his throat vanished in an instant.

And watching her run over with that innocent smile, holding out the chocolate as a present—well, if the child had fun, what did it matter if he’d wasted a bit of time?

But……

“Daughter, next time you want to buy something like this, you have to go with Daddy.”

“Yesss!!”

Bunny answered energetically and then headed straight for Allen.

“Awwen! Chocolate pwesent!”

“Huh?”

Allen, who had just finished his lessons, opened his mouth and snapped up the chocolate Bunny held out, his cheeks flushing red.

“What’s this chocolate?”

“A pwesent! I bought it with my own money.”

At Bunny’s words, Allen’s face brightened.

Had anyone ever given him a present even once?

Allen, cheeks still red, gently rubbed Bunny’s cheek.

Seeing Allen swallow the chocolate, Bunny wriggled excitedly and opened her mouth.

“Tasty? Congwats, Bunny?”

“Yeah, it’s yummy. Congrats?”

Though puzzled, Allen nodded readily. Bunny being quirky wasn’t anything new.

“Yeah, super congrats.”

Allen ruffled Bunny’s hair vigorously with both hands. He knew she loved being petted.

“But next time you go buy chocolate, you have to take me too. Got it?”

Remembering the chaos that had erupted at the mansion that morning, Allen added that, and Bunny nodded obediently.

“I’m gonna go see Gwampy too!!”

After receiving Allen’s pets, Bunny shot off like an arrow again.

Allen tilted his head curiously but straightened up without a word. It wasn’t like Bunny ever acted the way he expected anyway.

“Gwampy!! Chocowate!!”

“Alright. Thanks, but… next time you go anywhere, make sure to tell someone first.”

“Yesss!”

Bunny, who received both concerned worries and congratulations from Rudbride, then ran to Melissa and gave her chocolate too.

“Mewissa, chocowate!”

“Oh my, really? For me? But next time you go anywhere, please wake me up and let me go with you. Okay?”

“Uuung.”

Bunny gave an awkward reply, having already heard the same thing from everyone she’d passed.

‘Bunny… going to buy chocolate has become such a huge deal.’

She thought she might end up having to take a ton of people with her next time she wanted to buy chocolate, as she hurried along on her little feet.

She kept handing out chocolate to all the familiar faces she saw—save for her own share—receiving congratulations until finally, every last piece was gone. By then, evening had long passed.

Gurgle.

Having at last completed her chocolate expedition, Bunny glanced down at her own share of chocolate.

Gulp.

‘If I eat this… will Bunny turn to powder?’

Something with the taste of a god’s blessing must be like that, right?

‘Now that I think about it, this place is crawling with Bunny’s enemies.’

But Luriel had said Bunny had to grow up among enemies. She had to melt them down with cuteness overload and suck up their holy energy bit by bit until she became a grown-up.

‘I wanna eat the chocolate.’

What if Bunny was already a big Bunny, so she wouldn’t turn to powder like during the summoning ritual?

What to do?

“Bunny.”

Bunny was deep in thought, smacking her lips and rolling her eyes around frantically. That was when a hand reached from behind and snatched away the chocolate box she was holding.

“Ah!”

The moment Bunny’s eyes widened and she reached out toward the receding chocolate, her vision filled with red eyes.

“Daddy?”

“What are you doing here? Dinner time’s long past.”

“Bunny’s wondering if she’s a big Bunny yet or still a wittle one.”

“……?”

Kiriel, looking puzzled, scooped the child into his arms with practiced ease and spoke.

“You’re still a little one, daughter.”

“…But if I’m wittle, I can’t…….”

Bunny’s shoulders slumped dejectedly, as Kiriel’s answer was far from what she’d hoped.

If Bunny was little, she couldn’t eat chocolate.

“First, let’s eat dinner, then have the chocolate.”

“…Yesss.”

Bunny smacked her lips and slowly nodded.

She was disappointed about the chocolate being taken, but there was no helping it. Eating chocolate before dinner made dinner taste bad.

“By the way, the Ranking Determination Battle’s tomorrow—are you really going to participate?”

“Yup! Bunny’s gonna win and be the best!”

“His Grace the Duke said you’re still too young and don’t have to.”

“I’m gonna!”

Seeing Bunny show no sign of backing down, Kiriel nodded as if to say fine.

“Are you and the Black Flame Dragon prepared?”

“Uuum…….”

All the Black Flame Dragon did was eat, sleep, eat, and sleep. But Bunny believed in it. She believed it was an amazing divine beast.

“Yup!”

So surely, when Bunny was in danger, it would give her tremendous power.