Chapter 61
“…….”
Bunny looked up at Rudbride with an expression full of eager anticipation and a proud face. Rudbride paused for a moment before glancing sideways at Pel.
Pel quickly mouthed ‘greeting’ with his lips, and only then did Rudbride open his mouth.
“Ah.”
Rudbride let out a small sigh. Come to think of it, he realized he had never properly greeted her before.
“Ahem. When did you get so clever? As expected of my granddaughter—you’re splendid.”
Rudbride turned his head slightly, cleared his throat several times, and finally managed to speak.
It felt so unfamiliar to praise someone over something so trivial. Even at his age, his neck felt hot.
At that, Bunny’s face lit up brightly.
“Uh, ahem. I heard you’ve already learned your letters—is that true?”
At Rudbride’s words, Bunny’s face brightened even more.
Bunny giggled and nodded her head.
“Yup! Bunny mashtah pewfect!”
“Good, very splendid. Come here and have a snack first.”
“Bunny not baby, no wanna eat.”
“Hmm…….”
Rudbride rubbed his chin, recalling that something similar had happened before.
“Even if you’re not a baby, you can still eat. Look, Grandpa’s eating too.”
Bunny’s eyes widened at the sight of Rudbride taking a cookie and popping it into his mouth.
Bunny fidgeted with her fingers.
“Bunny no get in twouble?”
“Trouble? Why would I scold you?”
“Kooky say no pewmission eat cookie, get big scold. Evwyone say so.”
Rudbride paused as Bunny stretched out both arms in a big circle and blurted it out.
“Big…….”
Another unexpected word popped out.
Rudbride rubbed the corners of his mouth a couple of times and let out a short sigh. He could guess what the rumor was about.
‘I did scold someone harshly once for eating snacks without permission.’
He hadn’t expected it to spread like this.
‘No wonder she wouldn’t eat snacks even last time…….’
If that was the reason, it made sense.
Thinking about it, it might not have even been worth scolding over.
Bunny was particularly young and small, but the other kids were still just children too—they might have wanted some.
“This time it’s permitted, so you can eat. No scolding.”
At Rudbride’s words, Bunny’s face lit up brightly again. She immediately lowered her gaze and scanned the assortment of snacks.
“Thank you!”
Bunny bowed her head politely, picked up a cookie studded with chocolate, and popped it into her mouth.
Rudbride’s mouth curved into a soft smile. He reached out and gently stroked Bunny’s hair.
“Oh, right—this time the rankings have been decided. I called you to let you know.”
“Wankings!!”
Bunny’s eyes sparkled.
Rudbride wiped the crumbs from the child’s mouth and fingers with a handkerchief, then crooked his finger. Pel came over with a silver tray full of something and set it down on the table.
On the silver tray lay a small silver bracelet, a fist-sized Holy Power Stone, and a key.
“This is the account with the prize money for first place, the Holy Power Stone as a special reward, and the key to a mansion that only the top ranks can use.”
Bunny tilted her head.
“Fiwst?”
“That’s right.”
“……Fiwst?”
“Yes.”
“Weawwy Bunny fiwst?”
“That’s right.”
Thud, roll.
The cookie in Bunny’s hand dropped to the floor.
Bunny’s mouth fell open wide.
“You splendidly saved Allen with the Phoenix, didn’t you? Ahem. The Ranking Determination Battle is about how much the divine beast and its master trust and rely on each other, and how strong they can become—so you’re first place.”
“Bunny fiwst!!”
Bunny jumped up from her seat and stomped her feet in place.
‘Bunny first!’
The biggest, greatest Bunny after all!
Rudbride fastened the bracelet around Bunny’s wrist. The large bracelet shrank perfectly to fit her wrist.
“This bracelet lets you pay at affiliated stores for banking or shopping without carrying money. The actual funds are at the Holy Bank.”
Bunny tilted her head at Rudbride’s explanation as he put the bracelet on.
‘Straw bracelet for banky and shops?’
But you get money from the straw bracelet?
Bunny’s eyes sparkled.
“Money come out of bracelet?”
“…Something like that?”
Rudbride paused at the one-line summary of his long explanation, then nodded.
Gulp.
That was when Bunny swallowed the last of her cookie and jumped down from the sofa.
“Peep!”
The Black Flame Dragon—no, the Phoenix—that had been dozing on Bunny’s shoulder with its head bobbing flew up and plopped down right on the Holy Power Stone Bunny had received.
“Bwakie Dwagon?”
At Bunny’s call, the Phoenix let out a “Peep!” and spread its short little wings before quickly hugging the Holy Power Stone.
Then the Holy Power Stone emitted a pure white light, soon turning into a powder of white light that seeped into the Phoenix’s body.
Whoosh.
Soon flames ignited on the Phoenix’s body and blazed fiercely.
“Bwakie Dwagoooon!!”
Bunny hurriedly reached out in panic as the Phoenix began to burn away.
“P-Phoeny?”
Whoosh—the flames flared, and an orange beak poked out, soon after which the Phoenix soared high into the sky.
“Chonky……?”
Plumper than a chick, now more properly shaped like a bird.
Flutter.
The Phoenix that had flown up landed lightly on Bunny’s head as always and nested there.
Thud.
Bunny’s head drooped forward.
“…Heavy.”
“Peep?!”
The Phoenix looked at Bunny with shocked eyes.
* * *
“Hello, my dear. Did the meeting go well?”
That was when Bunny, who had hugged the heavy Phoenix to her chest instead of her head, was about to run out of the reception room toward Kiriel. Her eyes widened at the voice that came right as she exited.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah.”
“Why you hewe?”
“I came to pick up my little girl.”
Kiriel knelt on one knee, scooped Bunny up into his arms, and answered.
Bunny’s eyes sparkled as she grinned widely and quickly opened her mouth.
“Daddy, Bunny fiwst! Fiwst pwace! Fiwst!”
“Really?”
“Yesh! Gwandpa say Bunny fiwst. Bunny, uh, saved Awwen supew stwong. Supew amazing fiwst pwace!”
Bunny stuck out her thumb proudly. She was so excited that even in his arms, she kept kicking her feet happily.
Her chattering voice as she babbled in his arms wasn’t annoying at all—it was delightful to hear.
“The bird… got a bit bigger, huh?”
“Yup. Ate Holy Powew Stone. Got supew big. Watew supew supew big, wide on Bunny back!”
“Yeah. When it gets super super big, that’ll be possible. It was already quite large.”
Ever since the Phoenix was discovered yesterday, the mansion had been oddly noisy. There had been several people slyly trying to approach Bunny, so he’d been assigning escorts nonstop.
Fortunately, only a limited number could enter this mansion, and the entire place was under Ludbrid Yudia’s surveillance, so there was no need to worry about anything suspicious.
That meant no need for extra guards here.
But outside was different.
Not just direct relatives, but even collateral branches and servants were buzzing with interest in the Phoenix—which they’d thought was mere legend—and in Allen, whom the Phoenix had saved.
Phoenix.
A bird that literally did not die.
A sacred being reborn from fire time and again.
As long as it didn’t die, it could heal any wound—the greatest living creature said to have been crafted by the gods, greater than anything on earth.
Many people would cling to Bunny.
There were plenty who didn’t want to die, after all.
The Phoenix, which granted endless life as long as one didn’t die. Even absurd rumors like possessing just one feather granting immortality had spread widely.
“Daddy, Bunny fiwst, so now get supew big?”
“No, you’re still a baby, so super small. The Phoenix is still small too.”
“…Waaah. When Bunny get big?”
“Eat well, no picky eating, play hard, study diligently, grow up tall and strong like Daddy—then you’ll be super big.”
Kiriel patted Bunny’s back lightly and answered matter-of-factly.
Bunny pouted her lips and now familiarly rested her cheek against his shoulder.
“Want to be a grown-up quick?”
“Yup.”
“Why?”
Because she had to become the great big Demon King soon.
But……
‘If Bunny become great big Demon King, gotta say bye to Daddy. To Allen too, and Gwandpa, and Pew.’
No one might pat-pat or stroke-stroke her like this anymore.
When she grew up, Bunny had to become the great big Demon King, find Luri, gather the scattered demonkin, and rebuild the kingdom.
But……
“Wanna gwow up jushta wittle slowew…….”
