The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 169

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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 169
Now that I thought about it, where had Melissa gone?
Bunny tilted her head.
“Oh, Young Lady?”
“Melissa!”
“Young Lady~!”
“Melissa~!”
Bunny dashed forward and threw herself into Melissa’s arms.
A delicious aroma wafted from Melissa. When Melissa saw Bunny’s eyes sparkling with delight, she burst into laughter.
“You’re awake. You must be hungry?”
“Yes. Completely. Absolutely. Very much.”
“I was just checking on you in your room, and when you weren’t there, I got worried.”
At Melissa’s words, Bunny blinked slowly and smiled mischievously.
“I went to the Dining Hall, but there was nothing there, so I came looking for Father.”
“Is that so?”
Melissa extended the basket she was holding toward Bunny. The delicious, savory aroma was emanating from within.
“But is there no daytime in the Demon Realm?”
“No! There is! It’s a false sun, but once I’m here, it’ll gradually return.”
“I see.”
“Is this place alright? If it’s too difficult, we can always go back.”
“It’s not bad at all. To be honest, I always thought the Demon Realm was an incredibly frightening place, but it’s not as bad as I imagined. Of course, that’s thanks to the Marquis purifying it for us.”
During Bunny’s sleep, the demonic energy that had stagnated and accumulated in the Demon Realm due to the Demon King’s absence had been somewhat cleared away. Now, even an ordinary human could wander about without major problems as long as they possessed adequate spiritual fortitude.
“In any case, I wanted to say it wasn’t a bad experience.”
“Yes.”
“Once things stabilize a bit more, I think people could come here too. So lately I’ve been wondering if I should hire a few more servants…”
Huh?
Bunny’s head tilted once more.
“The Marquis is pondering something.”
“Hiring servants will do what?”
“Oh, Young Lady.”
Melissa burst into laughter.
Bunny’s head tilted again. She couldn’t understand why Melissa was laughing.
Melissa’s expression brightened considerably.
“Money solves everything.”
“Yes…?”
“If you offer good pay, even people would come to work in the Demon Realm. And the Marquis has plenty of money.”
Melissa said.
Kiriel Yudia had considerable wealth.
Now that I thought about it, throughout my time at the Duke’s House, I had never properly spent the money allocated to me. I was always confined to my room and did nothing, so naturally I had no reason to spend money.
It was only after raising Bunny that I began to spend money little by little, yet despite that, the amount allocated to me remained at an astronomical level.
Kiriel Yudia had given Melissa the key to his vault, telling her to use whatever she needed and visit the bank freely. Upon seeing the fortune contained within, I nearly fainted.
Gold ingots that I would never touch in a lifetime were stacked like mountains in his vault. Even if three generations lived without lifting a finger, indulging in nothing but luxury, those gold ingots would still tower like mountains.
And that was merely the beginning.
Thanks to Bunny, the Purified Stone Mine was already in its final stages of development. Once it began selling, it would generate considerable income.
“Hmm…”
Of course, Bunny, unaware of these facts, grew somewhat troubled.
‘Still, with so many people hating the Demon Clan, it probably won’t be easy.’
Bunny glanced at Melissa and tilted her head.
Melissa appeared to be in an exceptionally good mood.
‘Melissa might not know about that yet.’
Bunny decided to think of Melissa as someone naive to the ways of the world.
And for good reason—just look at Melissa’s face. She accepted my horned appearance without the slightest hesitation.
‘But still, it won’t be easy for others to work at the Demon King’s Castle.’
Bunny considered telling her that no amount of money would change that, but instead simply smiled and nodded.
She had suddenly recalled the shock of learning that she could only become an adult by undergoing the Coming of Age Ceremony.
If Bunny revealed the truth, Melissa would suffer a similar shock. Bunny did not wish that upon her.
So she remained silent.
“That’s right! Plenty will come!”
Instead, Bunny resolved to protect Melissa’s innocence.
“Are you sure, Young Lady? We could hire more people.”
“Yes. If Melissa wants to do it, then she should.”
Bunny gave a thumbs up with a flourish.
In truth, whether more people came to the Demon King’s Castle or not mattered little to me.
As long as better meals were served, we could live in cleaner spaces, and everyone could live more comfortably.
‘Wouldn’t it actually be good if humans came to the Demon King’s Castle?’
It would mean everyone could become one. Perhaps we could witness harmony between humans and the Demon Clan.
Hope bloomed across Bunny’s face.
‘Of course, they won’t come…’
But if they did, it wouldn’t be so bad.
Except for the possibility of becoming addicted.
“But wouldn’t it be dangerous if humans came here?”
“It seems we could solve that with Purified Stone.”
Kiriel Yudia approached with long strides and plopped down on the mat. Allen and Kalbad gradually drew near and sat as well, filling the large mat completely.
Bunny tilted her head as she picked up one of the many dishes Melissa had spread out and took a bite.
“Purified Stone?”
“Yes, remember what you told me long ago?”
“Yes.”
It was one of the valuable tips Bunny had subtly shared with Kiriel with Luriel’s help.
‘Now that I think about it, there was something like that.’
Since then, I had stopped sharing such valuable information. Perhaps Luriel’s knowledge simply ended there.
Luriel…
Thinking of Luriel sent my mind spiraling once more, and I stared blankly at the bear-shaped sandwich before devouring it with fervent bites.
“So the purified stone absorbs the demonic energy emanating from Demon Clan Members. Even a small fragment possesses far greater purification power than expected. With it, humans should be able to work sufficiently in the Demon Realm.”
Following Kiriel’s explanation, Luriel withdrew something from her garment and displayed it.
It was a necklace adorned with a small hexagonal pillar-shaped stone of pure white.
My eyes widened in wonder, and I nodded. When I extended my finger and lightly touched the pristine stone, I felt the hazy demonic energy being thoroughly drained away.
Wow…
I nodded again. The demonic energy was genuinely being absorbed.
This could really work.
I nodded with slightly more conviction than before. There would likely be few volunteers, but theoretically, it seemed entirely feasible.
Father is the best.
I thrust my thumb upward.
Our daughter is the best. After all, we only learned this because of you.
But that was Luriel…
I murmured softly, rubbing beneath my nose.
Sigh.
After exhaling deeply, I grabbed a cookie and bit into it with a crunch. Kiriel silently stroked my head.
The next day, Melissa truly posted the announcement, and during the one-week application period, countless people submitted their applications. It was thanks to the monthly salary being set at ten times the average industry rate.
The Demon King’s Castle was soon teeming with interview candidates.
* * *
Several days before the interview at the Demon King’s Castle.
I finally stood before the Notebook after much deliberation.
It was time to open it at last. I hadn’t properly organized what needed to be said, and I still lacked certainty. Yet despite all this, the moment to face it had arrived.
Have you finally decided to open it?
At the sudden voice, I turned my head to see Ma-Gom sitting on my bed.
The bear doll Luriel had given me as a gift—Ma-Gom.
I had searched for it days ago, intending to place it inside another rabbit doll, but it hadn’t appeared then. Now it had finally shown itself.
My eyes narrowed to slits.
Give Ma-Gom back now.
Wasn’t it the Demon King who placed me inside this one? How unfair.
I said I’d put you in a new rabbit doll.
I retrieved the pink rabbit doll I’d set aside, speaking as I did. It was adorned with a ribbon around its neck and flower decorations on its ears.
When I told Melissa I wanted to have a small doll, she bought it for me while shopping.
The color and appearance are dreadful. I refuse.
Refuse all you want. That doll was a gift I received from Luriel!
You should have placed me there from the beginning.
Belial smirked.
As my eyes narrowed and an ominous aura began to emanate, Belial hesitated. Whether because I was a child or because I had grown up among humans, I was often emotional.
Unlike the previous Demon King, who knew nothing of emotion whatsoever.
In any case, I was asking whether you’ve finally decided to open that Notebook.
“I have to.”
“I’ve been waiting for this moment. Waiting for the day you’d awaken to your own power. Though I’m not certain we can extract that foolish woman who turned herself into an artifact.”
At Belial’s words, Bunny’s eyes narrowed to slits before she whipped her head around.
Then she carefully lifted the Notebook and opened it.
The blank pages of the Notebook began turning on their own, fluttering softly.
The Notebook stopped its movement abruptly, and words began materializing across the pristine page.

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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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