Chapter 70
Bunny crouched in front of the display case on the very bottom shelf in the corner of the antique shop and pulled something out.
“An orb?”
“Twansparent orb!”
“Yeah, it’s a transparent orb.”
Bunny blinked once and examined it from every angle while cradling it against her chest. There was a price tag on the orb.
“Noel, how much is this one?”
“Huh? Um… 10 million ros… 10 million rost?!”
Roel’s eyes went wide.
It was an orb that had nothing special about it whatsoever. No mana could be felt from it at all—it just looked like a completely ordinary orb.
Ten million rost wasn’t a huge sum from Roel’s perspective, but common sense told him it wasn’t a price for a glass bauble that was worth less than a toy.
He had come to this shop because Bunny wanted to go, but he never imagined it would be a place that scammed people like this.
‘No, but the other items all have normal prices…’
He couldn’t understand why this one alone was priced so outrageously.
Roel furrowed his brow and shot a glance at the shop owner.
“10 million!”
Found it! The transparent glass orb!
Bunny’s eyes sparkled.
“I want this one.”
“What? Wait a second. Bunny, this is way too expensive for what it is…”
Bunny beamed brightly and held the orb up high. Roel faltered, his words of caution dying on his lips at the sight of her radiant smile.
Then he quietly drew a pouch from inside his robe—one that looked heavy even at a glance—and spoke.
“Bunny, is there anything else you want? Should I buy everything from here all the way over there?”
It was a smile so unbearably lovable that Roel felt like he could buy the entire shop if that’s what she desired.
Enough that he resolved right then to purchase the finest photo camera—that marvelous invention—as soon as they got back.
Bunny blinked at Roel’s words.
“No, Bunny buy. It’s a present for Daddy.”
“Really…?”
“Uh-huh.”
The orb was a little larger than Bunny’s palm.
Clutching it tightly, Bunny toddled over to the counter, rose on tiptoe, and set it down on top.
“This one, pease.”
“Hmm? This…”
The old man who saw the orb Bunny had brought rubbed his chin with a distinctly troubled look on his face before giving an awkward smile.
It was an item he had set to sell for 10 million rost, so he couldn’t just hand it over.
“I’m sorry, little one. This costs 10 million rost, so it might be a bit too much for you to buy.”
“Ung. This! Bunny’s money! Use bwacewet!”
Bunny thrust out her hand.
The old man glanced at the bracelet on her wrist and let out a short sigh. The silver bracelet was unmistakably a bracelet-type account issued by the Holy Bank.
With the payment magic stone provided by the Holy Bank, the desired amount transferred straight to his account. So if there was money in it, the payment would go through, but…
“Could I consign this here for sale? I’ll pay the fee. You can tuck it away in some obscure corner or display it somewhere prominent—whatever works.”
“Hmm… ma’am, this just looks like a plain glass orb…”
“It’s a plain glass orb. I’ll pay the consignment fee. Just promise me one thing: sell it for exactly 10 million rost, no less. If it doesn’t sell, fine. But if someone offers 10 million rost, sell it to them.”
The old man suddenly recalled the woman who had come long ago, her face deeply shrouded in a robe, and carefully studied Bunny’s features.
“You want to buy this? Little one, this is…”
“This!!”
Bunny stomped her foot once and repeated herself with emphasis.
“This for Daddy pwesent.”
There wasn’t the slightest flicker of doubt in the child’s firm gaze.
The old man pushed up his slipping monocle and nodded slowly.
“If you pay the 10 million rost, it’s yours.”
“Yesh!”
Bunny held out her bracelet, and the old man pressed the payment magic stone from a drawer on one side of the counter against it. The stone glowed green once, signaling the transaction had gone through smoothly.
“Want it wrapped up nice since it’s a gift?”
“Yesh!”
The old man nodded, gently placed the orb in a small box, and began wrapping it with care.
As he meticulously wrapped it in pastel pink paper, Roel spoke up.
“Shopkeeper, is this some kind of magic artifact?”
“No, when it was consigned, I was told it was just a plain glass orb.”
The old man replied as he drew out red silk and tied a large ribbon around the box.
“Then how can a plain glass orb cost 10 million rost?”
“My shop handles consignments too. When folks want to sell antiques but have no outlet, I do it for them and take a fee. I still remember it clear as day—decades ago, a noblewoman came in and left it here.”
“Did she tell you to sell it for 10 million rost?”
“That’s right. She prepaid the one-million-rost consignment fee upfront, and her only condition was to sell it for 10 million.”
The old man leaned over the counter and handed the neatly wrapped little box to Bunny.
“Here you go, little one. Careful with it—it’s glass.”
“Yesh! Tank you.”
Bunny took the box carefully in both hands and plopped right down onto the floor.
“Oh my.”
“Bunny?”
The old man blinked in surprise, eyes widening.
But Bunny, unconcerned, sat there on the floor, slipped off her bag, tucked the box neatly inside, and zipped it closed.
The rabbit’s tummy now bulged out squarely, plainly screaming that something was stashed inside.
“Tank you, bye-bye.”
With her business done, Bunny bowed politely, her interest clearly spent.
“Little one, is there a reason you just had to have that orb?”
“It’s pwecious to Daddy’s mommy.”
Beaming brightly, Bunny waved vigorously at the old man and darted out of the shop.
Outside, the city streets had grown even more lively and bustling than that morning.
‘So many people.’
Delicious smells wafted everywhere, and lines of folks waited to buy something or other. Bunny’s eyes lit up, and she started to step forward—
“Bunny!”
Someone grabbed her shoulder with a firm thud.
“Noel.”
“Not Noel—Roel. Anyway, don’t wander off alone. You could get lost. And, well, there might be dangerous people around…”
Roel muttered softly, his nape flushing red, then gently took hold of Bunny’s wrist.
Bunny gazed up at Roel’s downcast face from below, shrouded in his robe, and slipped her wrist free from his grasp.
“Ah.”
Roel looked flustered for a moment—then a small hand reached up with a soft pat and clasped his properly.
Roel’s eyes widened abruptly.
The boy stared at Bunny, unable to hide his bewilderment, then bit his lower lip with cheeks faintly pinkened before slowly squeezing the hand that held his.
“L-Let’s go! I’ll show you around the capital!”
“Uh-huh.”
Hand in hand, tight and secure, the two children melted into the crowd.
And in a dim alley not far from the antique shop, a rough-faced man slouched crookedly against the wall, watching Roel and Bunny go. He narrowed his eyes and spoke.
“Hey, I’ve been wondering about that. The blue-haired kid. Isn’t that the one with the bounty from the other day…?”
“Bounty? Oh, you mean the one who summoned that thing that grants eternal life? A phoenix or something? Huh, yeah—now that you mention it, it does look just like them. But I thought they were in Yudia Ducal territory?”
The man across from him, gulping down his booze, tossed out the remark. The rough-faced one grinned.
“Five hundred million rost bounty. What do ya say?”
