The Baby Has No Strength to Hide! - Chapter 29

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 29
[Finally…….]
Norman spoke in a voice choked with emotion. He had finally found The Secret Forest and the Rabbit Knights.
The moment he saw that book, he understood it like a lightning strike.
[I believe I now understand why I’ve lingered in this place even after death.]
“Wait, Norman is dead?”
[It was to give this book to you.]
Ailien tilted her head, utterly bewildered by what Norman was saying, but Norman only smiled.
He had never seen The Secret Forest and the Rabbit Knights. He had only heard from his master that she would write such a fairy tale. That he had become obsessed with this book even in death was—
‘I remember now, Marlin.’
Thinking of Marlin Rubentain, Norman felt as though he might weep. She had been only twenty years old—how far into the future had she looked? How carefully had she prepared?
What must Rubentain Castle’s lord have felt, watching her like that?
“You’re giving this to Lili?”
[Yes. It was always meant to be hers, after all.]
“Can Lili take it? Norman cried his eyes out over this thing.”
[If you don’t accept it, I fear he’ll only cry harder.]
Faced with Norman’s unwavering resolve, Ailien had no choice but to hug the book to her chest. Since she had secretly coveted it, the child’s spirits lifted in an instant.
“Lili’s going to study letters really hard from now on! I’m going to read this properly!”
Ailien shouted with determination. Then she opened the book. An illustration showed rabbit knights busily exploring the forest.
The moment she turned to the next page, Ailien’s eyes went wide.
A towering castle was drawn there, and a forest beside it. The rabbits around them began to move. Each rabbit had letters written above its head.
“Ooh, what’s this?”
Ailien narrowed her eyes, straining to read the letters. This was the moment when Kaius’s painstaking efforts bore fruit.
“Kaius.”
[That’s Kaius.]
“I see. And next to him is Chester.”
[That’s Chester.]
“I don’t know that name.”
Ailien pointed at each rabbit that rose above the book with her finger. The rabbit figures were spaced throughout the Training Ground and forest, adding life to the scene.
She turned another page and now saw a full view of the castle’s interior. Ailien watched with fascination as rabbits moved about the hallways and banquet halls.
And then, turning back to the original page—
At the edge of the forest depicting the area near Rubentain Castle, among the peaceful paper trees, a strange form appeared.
Unlike the other paper structures, it had a rough texture and dark hue, swirling like black ink that had bled across the page.
‘What is that?’
The instant Ailien tilted her head and reached out her hand toward the black shape, a rabbit approached near the Central Library model, and a familiar voice echoed through the corridor.
“Ailien!”
“It’s Calistro!”
Forgetting all about the black whirlwind, Ailien clutched the open book close to her chest and bolted toward the door. Watching the child throw herself into Calistro’s embrace, Norman smiled softly.
‘Marlin, you needn’t worry.’
With this child at his side, the lord of House Rubentain, whom you loved so dearly, will find peace for a long time to come.
***
Calistro lifted Ailien up and carried her straight to his study. Ailien chattered excitedly about the Paper Soldier, the Globe, the Opera Tulip, and everything else she’d found.
“You explored the library thoroughly, it seems.”
“You know about it too!”
“Why wouldn’t I? Those are Zeronias’s tricks.”
He must have been seven. Led by Marlin’s hand, he was introduced to the Opera Tulip. The moment a new audience appeared, the tulip grew so excited it burst into song, shrieking at the top of its voice. Calistro had, of course, covered his ears immediately—and he had no idea how many times he’d been hit by the water it spat.
While he grimaced, Marlin had laughed until her sides ached beside him.
“What about Kaius?”
“Huh?”
“How did Kaius react?”
At Ailien’s question, Calistro paused. Now that he thought about it, Kaius had devoted himself solely to his studies at the Central Library and had never encountered the tricks Marlin had scattered about.
Realizing this fact anew, Calistro’s mouth turned bitter.
“Yes, I wonder how he’ll react.”
“Kaius will get mad! The song is way too loud!”
She kicked her short legs about with such glee. After indulging her earnestly, Calistro arrived at his study and set Ailien down.
On the enormous desk sat a Dodecahedron Crystal Orb no larger than Calistro’s palm.
“Is this mine?”
“You’ll try it, but it’s not for you, Ailien.”
“But it’s so pretty!”
“Come now, put your hand on it.”
Ailien pouted but obediently spread her small hand flat and brought it to the crystal orb. Then something remarkable happened. The interior, which had been transparent, began to swirl with particles of light like a river of stars.
Ailien’s eyes, watching it, caught the radiance and sparkled beautifully in return.
“Hmm.”
This Dodecahedron Crystal Orb was none other than a Mana Measurement device. The pedestal supporting the crystal was crafted from Mithril inscribed with ancient characters, displaying the measured Mana through its coloration.
The pedestal had turned a pale blue.
‘Remarkably faint.’
He’d had the Mana Measurement performed just to be certain, and as expected, it showed only the faintest trace. Yet ever since the child arrived, everyone continued to witness miracles that defied comprehension.
Calistro gazed at the crystal orb, which reflected a soft sky-blue glow, for a moment. Ailien too remained captivated by the beautiful luminescence, murmuring soft exclamations as she watched.
“Yes. So it is.”
Calistro, who had maintained his silence, offered these few words and gently stroked Ailien’s hair. At that moment, a knock sounded at the door. It was Dorian, his adjutant.
“Ah, you have a young guest with you?”
“Dorian.”
Ailien raised one hand cheerfully in greeting. Though her posture appeared somewhat presumptuous, Dorian’s mouth instead stretched wide with delight. Her protruding belly looked far too endearing for him to help himself.
“And how are your parents?”
“Thanks to your concern, they are well.”
“Good. Be sure to honor them as you should.”
“Yes, I shall be dutiful to them always.”
After exchanging warm pleasantries with Ailien, Dorian noticed the crystal orb on the table and his eyes widened. Calistro, with a casual gesture, picked up the crystal—now transparent once more—and moved it to the corner of his own work desk.
“Did you perform a Mana Measurement on the young one?”
……
“What were the results?”
Dorian, too, had been purified of his Demonic Aura by the miracle the child had wrought. More than that—he had been present when Calistro brought the child back from Hayana Forest, had he not? He already harbored suspicions bordering on certainty regarding the child’s extraordinary abilities.
“As expected.”
Unlike the thoroughly excited Dorian, Calistro spoke in an even tone. In truth, Ailien’s Mana had measured so faintly that the measurement itself was nearly meaningless—but this adjutant would never believe such a thing.
“Just as I thought!”
Predictably, Dorian had drawn his own conclusions. His eyes, fixed upon Ailien, already gleamed as though he were beholding a saint. Watching his adjutant sink deeper into the swamp of misunderstanding, Calistro found himself lost in profound contemplation.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————