Translator: Nox

Chapter 56

“Bunny, your big brother made it to the finals.”

At Kiriel’s words, spoken as if to lighten the somewhat gloomy atmosphere from earlier, Bunny’s eyes sparkled, and she lifted her bowed head.

While Bunny munched diligently on her snacks and thought things over, the Ranking Determination Battle was in full swing.

Bunny’s eyes went wide when she saw Allen appear alongside an enormously huge gray serpent.

“Allen! Fighting!!”

At Bunny’s shout, Allen, his own eyes wide, looked straight up toward where she was and broke into a big grin, waving his hand. Seeing that, Bunny promptly shot her arm up high and waved back vigorously.

Then, noticing Kiriel just standing there quietly, she tugged at the hem of his clothes insistently.

“Daddy, hand! Wave wave!”

“Hm, alright.”

Prompted by Bunny, Kiriel raised his hand and slowly waved it back and forth a couple of times.

Allen’s eyes widened just a bit.

Then Allen flushed red in the cheeks, rubbed the back of his neck, sneaked in a couple more waves, and quickly lowered his arm.

It was an utterly unfamiliar sensation for Allen. No one had ever cheered for him before, or watched over him.

But Kiriel… He had thought at first that Kiriel had taken them in as a joke, but surprisingly, he watched over Allen meticulously.

If there had been a fight, he would ask about it, and after tests, he would inquire about the results.

That was why, lately, when his grades weren’t great, Allen had felt a little nervous.

Back when no one cared, he had never once had such thoughts.

“Half-breed, I didn’t expect you to make it this far.”

“…….”

Allen narrowed his eyes and glared at his opponent.

The boy who had taken first place from the very first Ranking Determination Battle since entering the House of Trials.

The only third-generation direct descendant of the Yudia Ducal Family most likely to lead the next generation of the Yudia Ducal House.

“What, you pissed off? Still, a half-breed brat is better than a beast brat, isn’t it?”

The boy with his tanned skin burst into a snickering laugh.

His aggressive personality made it easy to guess his bloodline, and his hearty, open laugh looked rather cheerful.

“You’ve been grinning lately, playing house and all. You think that means you’re suddenly something in the Yudia Ducal Family?”

“…….”

“You’re just a half-breed beast brat anyway, and that one’s an orphan bastard with no parents. Don’t be stupid enough to think your uncle’s just playing around with lowly trash like you two. Got it?”

Allen scowled and let out a short sigh.

At that pathetic look, Calvad Udia’s lips tightened.

“The lowly part is your mouth, and the stupid part is your head. What good is being first place and direct lineage? Your dad doesn’t even care about you to begin with.”

Allen said with an indifferent expression, scoffing lightly.

Calvad Udia’s face twitched violently.

“…What?”

“It’s famous. They say your dad sighs and turns away the second he sees you. It’s pathetic, how you flail around just trying to catch his eye once.”

“You… wanna die?”

Allen scoffed mockingly at the boy’s face, now chillingly cold, and casually crooked his finger.

Hiss—

The massive gray serpent flicked out its tongue, coiled once around Allen’s body, and bared its hostility toward Calvad Udia.

Around the snarling Calvad Udia, who bared his teeth viciously, a burst of pure white light exploded.

Boom.

Something enormous materialized behind the boy.

A long tail settled onto the ground.

It was a beautiful creature covered in scales that glittered with rainbow hues.

Its face was that of a dragon with a single sharp horn protruding, and its elongated body was wrapped in those iridescent scales.

Below that, soft fur enveloped its belly, and its legs ended in hooves like a horse’s. Near the hooves, long white fur draped down, and its entire form was utterly breathtaking.

Its appearance was a bit confusing—was it a dragon or a horse?—but one thing was certain: it was an incredibly beautiful creature.

“It’s a Kirin.”

That was when someone shouted it out.

Hiss—

Roooar—

The two divine beasts clashed with low, piercing cries.

“Woof.”

Dazzled by the flashing light, Bunny clapped her hands and turned to look at Kiriel.

A battle between the serpent and… the Kirini!

“Daddy, where’s the Kirini?”

Of course, Bunny had no idea what a Kirin was.

At Bunny’s question, her eyes wide and innocent, Kiriel opened his mouth.

“A Kirin. It’s one of the higher-ranked divine beasts.”

“Better than Hwigeomryong?”

“…Hm.”

Kiriel turned his gaze at Bunny’s innocent question and stared quietly at the little red bird nestled obediently in her arms.

Of course, it was an extremely unusual-looking bird, but there were no records of such a summon in the Yudia Ducal Family’s history of divine beasts or sacred treasures.

‘No eggs have ever hatched from it, after all.’

Even among red birds, the only one was the Phoenix summoned by the founding head of the Yudia Family, and Bunny’s divine beast seemed far too insignificant to compare to something like that.

“Who knows. It’s the first time a Black Flame Dragon has been summoned, so I’m not sure.”

Kiriel answered as he stroked Bunny’s sky-blue hair a couple of times. A chuckling sound came from beside them.

Huh?

When she turned her head, there was Klein Yudia, staring straight ahead with an expressionless face.

Bunny tilted her head again.

Kiriel shot Klein an annoyed glance before turning back to stroke Bunny’s hair and shifting his gaze to the Training Grounds.

Boom!

Kablooey—!

The two divine beasts collided fiercely.

The Ranking Determination Battle was fundamentally a test of how well one communicated with their divine beast, how well they shared their hearts with it, and how adeptly they wielded it.

Rankings were determined by including everyday test and assignment scores as well.

The Yudia Ducal Family was one whose worth was measured by the strength of their divine beasts and holy power. And this Ranking Determination Battle was the stage to prove it.

Fwoosh—!

“You idiot! As if you could beat me?!”

Calvad Udia raised his voice.

Light gathered in his hand, and soon a blade of pure white formed. Gripping it tightly, Calvad Udia charged straight at Allen.

“Huh… To think you can already shape holy power into a sword.”

Allen hurriedly leaped back and gathered holy power in his own hand.

Soon, a spear formed in Allen’s hand.

“…They said your last ranking was 8th, and it wasn’t a lie. They say even beasts have their uses. A half-breed of the Yudia Ducal Family, but you can handle holy power decently enough.”

“It still looks unstable, though. Look—compared to Young Master Calvad’s solid sword, it’s all hazy and shaky.”

They were chattering softly from afar, but it rang crystal clear in Bunny’s ears. Bunny’s ears perked up.

‘Bad, mean words.’

That was when Bunny’s lips puffed out in a pout.

Snap!

Kiriel, who had been resting his chin in his hand and watching quietly, suddenly flicked his finger.

“Kyaaah!”

“Argh! What the hell, who?!”

Screams erupted simultaneously from the ones who had just spewed the insults.

Bunny’s eyes went wide. Because she had seen it.

The moment Daddy flicked his finger, a streak of holy power had whipped out—whoosh!

“Which bastard was it?!”

As someone yelled, Kiriel, who had been leisurely stroking Bunny’s hair, spoke up with an expressionless face.

“Me.”

It was a flat, matter-of-fact voice, not particularly loud, yet somehow it rang out clearly through the stands. As if it pierced right into their ears.