Chapter 73
“…Bunny.”
“If you’re scared, don’t worry. The king won’t get eaten by Bunny.”
At Bunny’s words, Roel’s eyes widened greatly, and his cheeks flushed slightly. Soon, his ears turned bright red as he pulled Bunny into a tight embrace and opened his mouth.
“Would it be okay if I got eaten?”
“Hm……?”
“I… feel like it would be okay to get eaten by you, Bunny…….”
Bunny tilted her head at Roel’s strange words, his cheeks flushed bright red.
‘Luri said if someone says something like that, tell them not to because it’s scary…….’
Noel was acting weird somehow.
Bunny thought so and let out a soft sigh.
Still, fortunately, unlike before, there was no fear in Roel’s eyes. He wasn’t scared anymore. That was a relief.
‘Roel, you’re so frustrating…….’
He was hugging her too tightly.
She couldn’t help it if it was because he was scared, but it was still suffocating her a little.
No matter how much of an adult Bunny was or how amazing a genius she might be, difficult was still difficult.
“Thank you, Bunny.”
Roel murmured softly while holding Bunny tightly.
‘I can’t be this scared.’
In truth, Bunny must be even more scared.
‘Dad will come save me since I’m in such big trouble, right?’
According to Luriel’s fairy tale books, dads always came to rescue kids in moments of crisis like this.
‘Can I see the king’s cool dad?!’
Bunny’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
“Bunny, don’t worry. I’ll save you.”
“It’s okay. Dad’s coming. He’s a super strong king dad.”
Just like the super strong demon dad in the fairy tale books who always saved the protagonist in times of crisis, Bunny’s dad would definitely come to rescue her.
‘I have to protect Bunny. And somehow find an opening to use the teleportation stone.’
So if he could at least get Bunny to escape, that would be fine.
‘When will Dad come save me?’
Today, once again, two different thoughts crossed between them.
* * *
Grrrrumble.
Her stomach let out a loud rumbling.
Bunny clutched her limp, starving belly. Night had already come twice, so it had definitely been two days.
“It smells even worse than stinky feet…….”
The place where the bad people had brought Bunny and Roel was a very, very narrow room that stank and reeked of mold.
There was really nothing in the room, a padlock hung on the outside door, and bugs crawled around on the floor.
Roel had been dragged away earlier by the bad people. They said they were taking him to figure out if he was a demon or something.
And Bunny was……
“I’m hungry…….”
Her stomach hurt.
“Waaah…….”
Bunny made a tearful face.
“Only bad people don’t give babies food…….”
Luri had said that adults who don’t give food are the worst of the worst trash, so if you meet one, hit them with Ma-gomi without looking back and run away.
‘But Bunny’s trapped right now…….’
Bunny rolled her eyes around and then stealthily slipped off the Rabbit Backpack from her back, which was as big as she was.
‘Bunny and Roel hid some candy earlier.’
She’d planned to eat it with Dad, Allen, and Kalbada when she got home, but this was a super big crisis, so no choice!
Bunny rummaged through her bag.
She first pulled out the gift box for Dad that filled the bag, then shoved her short arm deep into the open head of the rabbit and dug around.
Just then, as Bunny pulled out the box of chocolate—
Clank, creak.
The door opened with the loud screech of rusty hinges.
‘Is that Roel?’
Bunny quickly lifted her head, eyes wide, hoping to offer to share the candy.
Thud.
Roel flew through the air and collapsed limply on the floor, rolling weakly. It looked like the bad people had thrown him.
Bunny’s eyes widened hugely. Roel’s body was covered in wounds.
“Noel……?”
Bunny called out to Roel in a panicked voice, but Roel, who seemed half-dead and unconscious, showed no reaction at all.
“Ah, that was fun. I thought he was a demon because of those demon eyes, but apparently not? Those demon eyes aren’t anything special after all.”
“…….”
Bunny blinked once, then stood up from her spot and toddled over to Roel, crouching down in front of him.
She lightly shook his body. Thud—there was red stuff smeared on his turned face.
‘Ketchup?’
No.
Bunny knew this smell. It was the smell she hated most. The smell she’d sniffed so much when she was little.
In the darkness, the light in Bunny’s eyes slowly began to fade.
Hurting Bunny is bad.
Yes, little one. Even if you go out to buy a gift for Kiriel Yudia and end up kidnapped by bad people and get hurt really badly, you absolutely must not use magic that day. Got it? It’s okay. Someone will come to save you. As long as you don’t get found out that day… you’ll be able to grow up safely into a fine adult.
Recalling the words from Luriel’s Notebook, Bunny slowly blinked.
‘Bunny, become a fine adult.’
So she couldn’t use her powers today. Luri’s words were always hard to understand, but they were always right.
Lost in thought, Bunny slowly stood up from her spot.
“Huh? What’s this? Hey, didn’t anyone take stuff from this little brat?”
Thud.
The man kicked the box over with his foot. It was the gift Bunny and Roel had carefully picked out for Dad. They’d been told it had glass beads inside, so handle with care.
“That’s Bunny’s, don’t do that.”
“Don’t do that? Oh really? It’s Bunny’s? Puhahaha! Kids raised all pampered and clueless about hardship never know their place.”
Crunch!
Mimicking a child’s speech in a gross way, the man stomped viciously on the gift with his foot.
The box crumpled in an instant. It was obvious what had happened to the contents inside without even thinking about it.
“…No. That’s Bunny’s surprise gift for Dad…….”
“More importantly, where’d you leave the phoenix chick? Tsk.”
“I heard from the client that the divine beast is connected to its master, so it summons itself automatically if the master’s in danger. What if we stab it just enough not to kill it?”
“Ah, that sounds like a surefire way. What about the 500 million?”
“They said they’ve prepared it properly. They’re sending someone over. Should arrive this afternoon. They might even throw in extra if we deliver safely.”
Not a single word of the two men’s conversation got through to her. It was all hard stuff. 500 million this, extra that, automatic summon that.
She had no idea what any of it meant.
But Roel looked hurt.
But the precious gift she’d been carrying so carefully had been trampled.
Bunny blinked her clear eyes. Her pink pupils slowly began to be overtaken by red.
Her round, cute eyes sharpened to points, and in an instant, her circular pupils narrowed vertically into slits.
“Why?”
“Aaang?”
“Why are you doing that?”
Bunny lifted her head and stared straight at the man. For a moment, he flinched. A chill ran down his spine.
In the dim space, those pink pupils starting to swirl with red aura stood out especially.
‘Were her eyes always that color?’
Feeling for a split second like the kid had gotten the upper hand on him, the man bared his teeth even more ferociously.
“Hah? Why? Bullshit. It’s our job to sell brats like you and make a living, that’s why!”
“Bunny’s not for sale.”
“Oh man, what a pain in the ass……. Tsk, whatever. What’s the point talking to a kid whose blood hasn’t even dried.”
Shing.
The man drew his sword and strode toward Bunny.
Bunny stood rooted in place, watching him approach, and opened her mouth.
“Don’t do it. Bunny’s super strong. Noel hurts, heal him.”
Whooooosh—
The man didn’t notice, but the temperature around Bunny began to drop little by little.
A chilling, dry gaze without a trace of innocence fixed on the man.
Her pupils dyed red, and even redder. Amid it all, Bunny stood quietly.
