The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 143

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

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Chapter 143
He drew in a deep breath, then slowly blinked his eyes.
‘Is this a miracle born from the will to be together?’
The miracles humans created had always astonished him. Only humans—only they could forge miracles that transcended divine providence.
Humans, whom the gods had blessed with no special gifts at creation, whom he had believed existed at the very bottom of the food chain—only they possessed such power.
【I see.】
Syllidain nodded slowly without speaking further.
He lifted his gaze silently to regard Kiriel Yudia, then narrowed his eyes and offered a faint smile.
There was something unsettling in that rigidly composed face—a sadness, a sense of helplessness in his expression.
【Well, I can’t use magic anymore, so keep it secret for me.】
At Bunny’s words, Syllidain nodded quietly in silence before pausing.
【Ah, and about that question you asked earlier… half-demons are indeed rare. They are beings born only after two individuals with different yet similar powers have spent long years harmonizing, achieving perfect balance between their forces.】
Bunny’s face filled with bewilderment at Syllidain’s explanation.
Seeing her puzzled expression, he smiled softly and continued.
【Therefore, they are beings who cannot be born without love.】
As his words ended, Bunny’s eyes widened immensely.
Bunny broke into a radiant smile and nodded vigorously. At the sight, Syllidain’s lips softened into a gentle curve.
【And… many among us are still confused by these sudden events. The time is far too brief to comprehend and adapt to everything.】
Bunny nodded in agreement.
【So… it would be best if you two returned first. We shall complete our own arrangements and visit you again. With Leptha as well.】
The Fairy King, Syllidain, bowed his head once more.
【Sure! See you later!】
Bunny nodded readily.
The brief meeting ended thus.
* * *
Patter, patter—
Kiriel Yudia carefully steadied the sleeping Bunny as she slipped, then proceeded silently toward the Dormitory Mansion, cradling the child.
Upon leaving the Dungeon and stepping into a sparsely populated area, the child suppressed all her magical power using holy power.
Magical power and holy power were like human blood to mages and priests. Naturally, blocking what normally flowed throughout one’s body would cause strain.
Yet even as Bunny sealed away her magical power piece by piece, she only groaned softly a few times, never once complaining of pain.
With the insufficient holy power supplemented by Kiriel Yudia’s aid, the child soon became indistinguishable from an ordinary human. Her magical aura no longer radiated as powerfully as before.
Yet Kiriel knew the truth.
This was merely driving wooden stakes and iron rods into a dam destined to burst, buying a little more time.
No matter how sturdy the iron stakes driven in, collapse was inevitable.
“Are you alright? Bunny.”
“Yep! I’m totally fine.”
As he asked while holding the child, Bunny thrust out her thumb with such certainty that he found himself at a loss for words. Her answer flowed without the slightest hesitation or reservation.
“What did you talk about?”
“That beings like me, half-demons, are super rare, and that they’ll finish sorting through the confusion and come see us later. Oh, and that really cool mister is a king, and his name is Syllidain. And about everyone becoming my subordinates?”
Bunny’s words, delivered with her eyes widened even further as she bounced on her feet, contained no major falsehoods. Of course, while there were no lies, she had not revealed the complete truth of everything that had transpired.
He tightened his embrace around Bunny, drawing her closer.
Kiriel Yudia treasured Bunny deeply.
She had transformed his entire world—pulling him in an instant from that dark, narrow Temple Chamber where he had languished in contempt for everything, trapped within suffocating gloom.
Precisely because she was so precious, he refused to let her be swept up in any storm.
Yet… ironically, this world had made Bunny the storm itself.
“She didn’t go far after all.”
A voice from above descended before him in an instant.
“…Leptha.”
“The ancient Elven tongue—you once asked me to teach it to you, and I did. Surely your daughter doesn’t know you learned our language?”
“I never told her.”
Kiriel Yudia replied curtly.
Though Bunny and Kiriel Yudia remained unaware, Leptha, standing as a third party, captured every shift in their expressions.
Bunny had glanced at Kiriel Yudia’s face when speaking her true name, and Kiriel Yudia’s eyes had widened the moment he heard it. There was clearly some fact unknown to both of them.
“Is this the first time you’ve heard your daughter’s true name?”
“…Yes. I’ve only known her as Bunny all this time. Even the family registry lists her as Bunny Yudia.”
Kiriel Yudia answered Leptha matter-of-factly.
Yet his voice’s flatness did not match his expression. His face was contorted as though on the verge of tears, even as he held Bunny tightly in his arms.
Though the tendons stood out on the back of his hands, the forearms embracing the child appeared strangely devoid of strength.
“Bernadette Yudia…”
The given name came from Mother, and the family name from Father?
There was something subtle in the child’s words. That ‘Father’ could have been referring to himself.
But…
【Yes, Bernadette Yudia. My nickname is Bunny! Mother gave me my given name, and Father gave me the family name and the nickname Bunny too. Isn’t it pretty?】
He had never given Bunny a nickname. He had only ever known her name as Bunny.
So… the one who had given that nickname and attached the family name could not be Kiriel Yudia, could not be himself.
An unforeseen hypothesis brushed coldly down his spine.
Within the Yudia Ducal House, the surname “Yudia” was restricted to direct bloodline only.
How many members of the direct line were there, suitable to be the parents of a child of that age, who would so readily bestow that surname?
It couldn’t be his elder brother… and naturally, not his sister either. As for himself, who had never properly met a woman, it was even less likely.
His father couldn’t have brought a child from outside, nor did his father have another sibling.
But…
There was exactly one person.
A person whose whereabouts had become unknown.
Someone whose location had been shrouded in mystery since precisely around the time Bunny was born.
One of the rare few who could resist the Demon King’s endless miasma without perishing, and maintain sufficient balance to father a child.
“…Dios Yudia.”
Kiriel Yudia slowly closed his trembling eyes, then opened them again, murmuring softly.
“…My brother.”
Among those he knew, there was only one person bearing the Yudia name, possessing the strength to rival the Demon King, capable of maintaining balance to father a child.
Only then did his final conversation with the Demon King take on a new, terrible meaning.
“The Hero? You mean your precious Hero? If you’re referring to that pathetic wretch who wept beneath my feet, begging for his life, then he was utterly worthless. He shrieked himself hoarse about replacing the Demon Clan members. Even as he was drenched in blood, even as his limbs were severed one by one.”
What expression had the Demon King worn while speaking those words?
The Demon Clan members I knew were base and cowardly, delighting in and savoring the misfortune of others more than anyone.
What had the Demon King’s expression been?
Had she seemed pleased?
No, thinking back on it, it seemed rather that she was deliberately drawing out provocative words one by one to goad him.
“A corpse? A corpse, you say… Well, where did I leave it? Perhaps I fed it to the dogs, or perhaps to the demonic beasts… A Hero is truly beneath contempt. Even as he trembled on the verge of being crushed by humanity’s pathetic expectations, he could not bring himself to retreat. How absurdly pitiful that sight was…”
Had her lengthy tirade about the Hero been sincere?
Had my Elder Brother, who despised conflict and cherished peace, truly been on the verge of being crushed by such expectations?
Was that why he could not retreat even before the Demon King? Was that why he never returned?
“As I heard, stubborn and skilled, utterly devoid of charm… Poor human creature… The world proclaimed you the next Hero, did it not… That one will weep again…”
Yes, this was it.
These words had lodged in my throat like a thorn, irritating me even now, years later.
They surfaced from time to time, but I had simply ignored them and lived on. One cannot remove every thorn that becomes embedded.
The dead speak not, and there was no one left to question further about him.
‘Who on earth did I hear this from?’

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

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