Chapter 72
Jedrian smirked and approached right up to Klein’s nose before spinning around and hanging in midair like a bat.
“I’m tired, so you break through something like that. All you’ve got is your strength, right~~?”
“This bastard never opens his mouth without being a prick. Tch, that’s exactly why I didn’t want to collaborate or whatever. Someday when you fall from that position, I’ll cut your throat myself.”
“Huh? Totally impossible. With your skills?? Ahahahaha!!! That was a hilarious joke I haven’t heard in ages. Maybe if it was the Young Master who defeated the Demon King, but there’s no way someone with half-assed swordsmanship like the vice-commander could do it.”
Klein glared at him ferociously, gripped the greatsword on his back, and swung it sharply toward Jedrian.
Kugugugu—!
The massive sword cleaved through the air with a menacing roar.
“Ahahaha!!! See! You can’t even hit me! Anyway, doing this in such a tight space is dangerous, right?”
“Annoying Magic Tower bastards.”
“Ahahaha!!! Now you get it? And I love hearing that. Crazy psychopath! Annoying wizard! Trash! But skills top-notch, looks perfect. No one dares to openly defy me or refuses to bow their head!”
Jedrian smirked as he said that, staring straight at Klein with his blazing orange eyes.
“Why? Because I’m strong, and anyone who messes with me is weak.”
A momentary spark vanished from Jedrian’s sharply curved eyes, replaced by madness. Klein clicked his tongue as he looked into those dilated pupils and thrust his sword straight into the rift.
Kwaduduk!
Jjejeok, jjejeok—
Jjanggrang!
With the sound of something shattering, a hole punched through the cave wall. Their eyes widened in shock.
“Is this really the one who summoned the Phoenix, worth 500 million?”
Bunny’s mouth fell open as she dangled in midair, her nape gripped tight.
‘As expected, bad guys aiming for the Black Flame Dragon!’
Bunny hadn’t even brought Ma-gomi out today!
If she’d had Ma-gomi, she could’ve swung him wildly to attack, but now it was impossible.
She flailed her limbs, but they held her so tightly she couldn’t budge an inch.
“What the hell are you doing?! Let go of her right now!!! How dare you, how dare you in front of whom……! Do you even know who that child is?!”
Hmm.
Should she use her water splashy-splashy magic after all? If she used the water splashy-splashy magic really hard, could she escape from here?
“What the heck is this kid saying? But you know, I thought this earlier too. Those red eyes…… Are you some demon spawn by any chance?”
The man asked with a snicker.
“Who dares compare her to something so filthy!!!”
It was just as Bunny, who’d been pondering hard, was about to form her fingers into a gun shape.
Bunny froze at the sudden feral words from Roel.
‘Roel hates demons too.’
Bunny, who had raised her hand high, quietly lowered it.
If she used magic, they’d definitely find out she was a demon.
Would Roel hate her then? He might even tell Daddy that Bunny was a demon.
‘Does he like me now because I’m in human form?’
What if he found out she wasn’t human?
Feeling a bit down for some reason, Bunny racked her brains with a dejected expression. If water splashy-splashy wouldn’t work, she needed another way.
In that case……!
“B-Bunny… doesn’t have fwoenix…?”
She was emphasizing the fact that Bunny didn’t actually have a Phoenix.
“What’re you babbling about? Your face got plastered everywhere next to the Phoenix. Bounty of 500 million.”
Pssh.
‘Bunny, failed to lie……’
Bunny melted away limply after getting snickered at right in her face.
“F-Five h-hundred m-million……”
“Insane, right? That’s how much money’s on your little body.”
The man shoved his face right up to hers and cackled.
Bunny didn’t really know what 500 million was, but one thing was clear.
“Stinky……”
The man reeked terribly.
“Huh? What bullshit is that?”
The man scowled instantly at Bunny’s words. With a face full of rage, he opened his mouth.
“Monster smell. Beard no gwow.”
“What smell are you talking about?! Oh, does the pampered noble miss can’t handle a smell like this? What to do, ugly little brat. You’ll be smelling it plenty until you’re sold off??”
“I said let that child go!!!”
Roel drew the small sword from his waist and charged while shouting.
“Shut up, what does a puny thing like you think you’re doing?”
Puk!
“Aak!”
Roel’s body flew through the air and tumbled across the floor.
Another man who wasn’t holding Bunny snatched Roel by the nape and hoisted him up.
The man snickered dismissively.
A healthy man who’d done odd jobs and mercenary work was too much for a nine-year-old boy to handle.
Roel was the crown prince who hadn’t even fully inherited the imperial power yet.
“But blond hair? Kinda matches the imperial family features.”
“Bullshit, the emperor only has one sickly crown prince kid. Rumors say he could drop dead any day. Plus look, red eyes. Gotta be connected to demons.”
“Yeah…… Maybe this one’s a demon in hiding? We could sell him to the nobles for some cash. Heard demons get used as test subjects plenty. Especially useful in the Magic Tower.”
Bunny’s expression hardened at the filthy words spewing from the snickering men.
Malice.
Malice.
Malice.
All she could sense from these humans was pitch-black malice.
The smell stinging her nose was unpleasant and sticky. Not soft and fluffy, but cold and hard.
“Let’s head to the hideout for now.”
The two roughly shoved Bunny and Roel into a large sack.
“Eek! So dark!!!”
“Bunny! You okay?!”
“I-I’m okay but tight……”
“Ugh… S-Sorry. I want to move aside, but there’s no room to put my feet.”
Since both had been tossed into the large cloth sack at once, they ended up clinging to each other.
Bunny wriggled.
The space inside the sack was so confined that Roel couldn’t help but glance at Bunny, who was practically hugging him, and his face flushed slightly.
The soft baby skin pressing against him felt so unfamiliar.
A child’s unique scent brushed his nose. Their chubby cheeks bumped together, and each time, Bunny squirmed in his arms.
‘…What if we get dragged off like this?’
Since they’d snuck out, it would take time to notice, track, and find them. And right now, not a single direct descendant of the Yudia Ducal Family was around.
Duke Rudbride, who could track them with his divine beast, was away on a trip. He’d gone to see ancient elf ruins, so there was no telling when he’d return.
‘What if we die like this? Bunny and me……’
It was his fault for suggesting they go together. He’d wanted to be alone with Bunny, so he’d even shaken off his escorts……
Roel’s face paled, his body starting to tremble finely.
‘What do I do? Will Father find us quickly?’
If he revealed he was the crown prince here, could he survive?
But they’d already pegged him as a demon.
What to do? What to do? What to do?
How the hell was he supposed to handle this?
His head throbbed from the worries filling his mind with what-ifs and maybes. It was then, as Roel’s breathing grew ragged.
Tok.
A lukewarm warmth touched his cheek, making Roel’s body jolt.
Roel blinked slowly.
“Bunny……?”
“It’s okay.”
Bunny’s pink eyes stared straight into Roel’s red ones. They sparkled as brightly as ever, but there was no innocence or cheerfulness—an odd gaze.
“Noel, Bunny pwotect.”
