Ch#86
“Yesh! There are places where the writing changes every single day, and places where it doesn’t.”
I couldn’t even imagine it. A notebook where the text changed every time.
Demons were said to be proficient in black magic, so it might be something created through black magic.
“Shall I show you?”
“If it’s all right.”
“Yeeeng!”
Bunny hopped down and scampered out of the room.
Kiriel hadn’t been waiting long, arms crossed, when Bunny came rushing back into Kiriel’s room.
The room next to Kiriel’s was Bunny’s, so it was only natural.
In Bunny’s hand was a small leather notebook. It was only about a quarter the size of a normal book, but even that looked a little large in Bunny’s tiny hands.
The front cover of the black leather notebook was covered in indecipherable patterns and writing.
“Here it is!”
It was the moment Bunny, who had bounced right in, handed the notebook to Kiriel.
Crackle—
Crackle—
The instant Kiriel’s hand touched it, fierce sparks erupted between his hand and the notebook.
Crackle-crackle—!
Kiriel grimaced but didn’t let go, and the sparks grew even more intense. Soon, a pitch-black energy began rapidly corroding his hand.
Kiriel grimaced and started purifying his own hand with holy power.
Then…
Crunch, crunch!
“Eeng…?”
The notebook began to warp grotesquely, and a dark crimson something started oozing from it, seeping into Kiriel.
Bunny, who had been watching it impassively, went wide-eyed.
“Nooo!!”
Bunny leaped up in place and hurriedly hopped onto Kiriel’s arm, dangling from it like a pig hung from a tree for a whole hog barbecue.
The moment Bunny clung to Kiriel’s arm, the notebook’s wildly surging energy died down in an instant, becoming docile again as if nothing had happened.
“Phew…”
It was the moment Bunny let out a sigh of relief and hopped down from Kiriel’s arm.
Crackle-crackle—!
“Hiiing!”
The notebook started surging violently once more. With no other choice, Bunny tried to cling on again, but Kiriel casually dropped the notebook onto the bed.
‘…This thing.’
Kiriel’s expression hardened rigidly as he looked down at the notebook.
As Kiriel stared at the notebook in silence, Bunny stealthily picked up the fallen notebook and hugged it tightly to her chest.
“You’re not… taking it away…?”
“…Yeah.”
Kiriel took in Bunny’s expression for a moment before quietly nodding.
He stared blankly at his own hand, blackened and scorched as if tainted by demonic energy, then shook it off lightly and channeled holy power. A pure white light instantly expelled the demonic energy that had seeped into his body, purifying it.
“When did you get this?”
“Ruri gave it to Bunny as a present before going on her big important mission. She said it’s in Ruri’s place.”
“Yeah…”
Kiriel gazed down at the notebook in silence.
The foundation of black magic was equivalent exchange. In other words, it demanded a price.
The life of something, someone’s life, a soul obtained through a contract—not power drawn from nature, but from others’ malice, ill will, pain, and other negative emotions.
That was black magic.
Power drawn from negative emotions, and at times offered up with life as the toll, made the might of black magic extraordinarily potent.
It wouldn’t be an overstatement to call it the pinnacle of all magic.
‘…A relic.’
This was a relic of the demons.
Every relic of the demons possessed terrifying power. And there was one condition for something to be classified as a ‘relic.’
It had to incorporate the soul of an intelligent being.
Among the demon relics commonly known, there was a demon sword.
Merely grasping it incited ceaseless power and bloodlust; it was a relic that had once shaken the empire to its core long ago.
The head of the Yudia family several generations back had recovered it, and now it was sealed deep within the temple inside the Yudia Ducal Family estate.
Long ago, there had been one demon obsessed with creating new weapons.
He had forged a sword using blood in place of water, and upon completing it, stabbed himself with the blade, melting his own soul into it.
This notebook was much the same.
Though he knew little of magic, the leather encasing this notebook appeared etched with countless magic circles and other markings.
And above all…
‘It felt just like when I gripped that demon sword out of curiosity as a child.’
That meant it was at least a relic—or something of equivalent caliber.
In short, there was a high chance this notebook had been made by melting a soul into it as well.
Kiriel glared at the notebook in silence before roughly rubbing his face.
‘Giving something this dangerous to a child?’
He couldn’t comprehend the demons’ mindset at all. Yet confiscating it now—Bunny was already clutching the notebook tightly, gazing at him with an anxious look.
“Are you mad…?”
“No, I’m not mad.”
“Liar…”
Bunny blinked and murmured a soft rebuttal.
For anyone harboring negative emotions, it was nearly impossible to hide their feelings from Bunny.
Demons could detect negative scents faster than anyone else.
And Bunny stood at the very apex of them.
“…No one but you does mean things to me with this. Ruri only says nice things to Bunny.”
At Bunny’s words, Kiriel made an effort to relax his stiff expression and nodded.
In front of the child, even white lies didn’t get through. Bunny keenly picked up on his negative, troubled feelings.
“What nice things?”
“Things that say Bunny’s the child of a great adult!”
“Yeah? What kinds of things, mostly?”
Kiriel pulled Bunny into his arms, patting her back as he asked.
With Kiriel’s atmosphere softening again, Bunny’s face lit up brightly, and she eagerly spoke up.
“Daddy doesn’t hate Bunny and treats her like a great adult’s child, and since Bunny’s helpful, later when she grows up everyone will like Bunny, and since Bunny’s a good kid who doesn’t ask for love, she won’t catch Daddy’s eye……”
“……”
“And she makes me useful, teaches me big jackpots. Don’t do no-jackpot stuff. She warns me ahead about things that hurt people too.”
With every word from Bunny, a sharp ache stabbed at one side of his heart for some reason.
Something surged up to his throat, and his rigid face refused to soften.
Kiriel tightened his hold on Bunny just a little more. The child giggled delightedly, even at that, rubbing her cheek against his chest.
“Why……”
He barely managed to move his lips.
“Yesh?”
“Why say things like that? That person named Ruri.”
“Umm.”
At Kiriel’s question, Bunny clumsily crossed her arms and tilted her head to one side.
After humming “Uuuuum~!” oddly for a good while, Bunny broke into a wide grin.
“Bunny’s different from Daddy. Bunny’s a demon. Demons get hated by humans. They tell ‘em to die, hit ‘em, throw trash at ‘em.”
Thud!
At the sensation of his heart plummeting to the floor, Kiriel drew in a sharp breath and held it. His mind blanked out white.
“…Has that happened to you?”
“When Bunny was a veeery little baby. Ruri’s hood flew off and my horns got found out. Yeah. So I gotta be a useful kid. If you’re useful, humans don’t toss babies away easy.”
“……”
“Easier to use that way.”
Bunny beamed broadly, kicking her legs happily in his arms like any child.
Kiriel stood stock-still, utterly speechless, staring dazedly at the child.
“So, Bunny’ll be good and listen well, so don’t toss me away till I’m a grown-up.”
“……”
“Then Bunny’ll become a super-duper big great demon and make you rich!!! And teach you tons of rich-making stuff too!”
Bunny stretched her arms out wide, tracing a huge circle as she shouted.
Kiriel simply stared at the child in a daze, slowly blinking. He could hardly believe those words had come from a child’s mouth.
“And Bunny’s a super genius, so she does ancient elvish too. Reads ancient language. Demon language too! Bunny’s memorized all human words now, counts to 100 too!”
So…
Bunny clutched her pounding heart tightly with both hands and let out a hehe giggle.
“Bunny’ll grow up and leave. ‘Cause Bunny’s a special kid, so when little she has to stay here. And also, uh… finding a new daddy’s hard……”
Her small fists clenched the hem of her clothes until they turned white. In a tiny, creeping whisper, she pressed her forehead gently against Kiriel’s chest.
“So… even if Bunny’s unlikable, can’t you just put up with me a teeny bit?”
