The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 178

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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 178
Jedrian gazed intently at Hila, who had bowed her head.
Their first meeting had occurred when Jedrian was quite young, and even then, Hila’s appearance had been scarcely different from what it was now.
‘And perhaps her inner nature as well.’
Yet despite everything, this naive, childlike woman had harbored but a single desperate wish throughout all that time—to return home.
“Tell me, what is it that you’re so determined to do that you push yourself this hard?”
“Go home.”
“Home?”
“I want to go back home. That’s why this time, I want to live selfishly. Only for myself. I came to understand here that I’m capable of doing terrible things if I set my mind to it.”
The ‘terrible things’ amounted to little more than creating a Homunculus.
“Must you really return?”
If she stayed here, he would give her anything.
Jedrian, resting his chin in his hand, gazed at Hila intently before breaking into a soft chuckle. He extended his arm, drew her close, and seated her beside him.
“You’ll be able to return.”
“…No. I think I’ve already lost. I’ve been stripped of all my pieces, and no one will support Shalone anymore. Shalone was supposed to be the only one. That little one should have grown into a jealous, envious child.”
Even Shalone had surrendered her heart to that young one.
“If it’s simply a matter of making the assigned child happy… wouldn’t it be fine if both of them became happy?”
“That’s impossible…”
“That mission you told me about before… it didn’t say anything about selecting only one person, did it?”
At Jedrian’s words, Hila faltered.
Now that she thought about it, there had been no stipulation that only one person should become happy, nor that only one person would be sent back.
“So stop making that face like you’re about to cry, would you? When you look like that, I have no idea what to do.”
At Jedrian’s words, Hila’s expression twisted. Her face hardened with exhaustion.
‘…There might be room for reconsideration.’
She slowly released the tension from her body.
There was still a little time before the true ending arrived, so she could endure however she needed to.
Once they drew closer to the ending, the details of their mission would become clearer as well.
And several days later.
The Demon Clan Members vanished from the world.
As if they had all burrowed beneath the earth, the world fell silent. They disappeared without a trace, as if their entire race had been annihilated.
Not long after, rumors reached the Udiah Duchy that the Demon King’s Castle had posted a recruitment notice.
No rumors concerning the Demon King herself had surfaced during that time. Only whispers spread that the Demon King had entered a prolonged slumber, and the Demon Clan Members had gathered in the Demon Realm to protect her.
* * *
– Six Years Later –
A gentle breeze stirred.
The wind tickled her cheek.
The woman gazing at the child—no, the young girl who had now become a complete woman—slowly caressed her pale cheek.
Her lustrous sky-blue hair gleamed as it caught the light. The woman, her eyes narrowing slightly, gradually closed the window to block the incoming breeze.
Orange hair.
A face bearing faint, barely visible freckles.
One broken horn.
The maid quietly replaced the flowers in the vase and slowly retreated.
The woman surveyed the immaculate room once more—so meticulously arranged that the master’s absence was imperceptible—before lingering to inspect the surroundings further, ensuring nothing remained undone, and finally departed.
A faint tremor.
How long had it been since the woman left?
The eyelids of the girl—no, Bunny—who had been keeping her eyes closed trembled faintly. She stirred restlessly for a long moment before slowly opening her eyes.
“…Luri…?”
A hoarse whisper escaped like wind through a crack.
Bunny blinked vacantly before exhaling slowly.
The familiar ceiling came into view—the same one I’d seen just before falling asleep.
I groped through my foggy mind before my head lolled to the side.
My entire body felt weightless, drained of all strength—limp and formless.
I exhaled slowly, clenched my fists, then gradually released them.
‘Huh.’
No strength responded at all.
It was as though every muscle had vanished from my body. Yet paradoxically, my mana surged with unprecedented vitality.
I breathed out softly, creaking as I slowly attempted to rise from the bed. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say I struggled mightily to do so.
My face contorted slightly, and soon my lips pouted.
‘So quiet…’
Why was no one here?
When I turned my head, the outside was bright.
‘Wait? Does the Demon Realm have mornings?’
It seemed artificial. I’d heard that once the Demon King regained her power, it would return.
Lost in hazy thoughts, I exhaled slowly.
I’d had a long dream—or perhaps it wasn’t a dream—but I’d learned so much about being the Demon King.
Everything from what I needed to do to the very purpose of the Demon King’s existence.
‘It was such a boring dream.’
I missed my father.
I missed my grandfather, Roel, Allen, and Kalbad too. Of course, I missed Shalone and Shimung as well…
‘Because I was alone in that dream.’
Through this long sleep, I’d awakened to everything as the Demon King, but that time had been terribly tedious. I was alone, and no one spoke to me.
‘Still, I studied hard.’
Had I returned sooner than expected? Or impossibly late? Without anyone to tell me the time, I couldn’t be certain.
‘Father should still be here, right?’
I sprang from the bed.
But I stumbled and crashed onto my knees against the soft carpet. My legs had no strength whatsoever.
Feeling like a small child, my mouth fell open in shock.
Gripping the bed to pull myself up, my jaw dropped even further. My perspective was far higher than I remembered.
“What…?”
I was so startled that I stood frozen with my mouth agape, even pinching my cheeks to confirm it. I simply couldn’t believe it.
“Good heavens.”
Hearing her own voice, it didn’t sound childish at all—it carried an almost adult quality.
‘My voice sounds rather mature!’
The Young Girl’s eyes sparkled as her perspective shifted to a noticeably higher vantage point.
“Ahem.”
Bunny started to rub beneath her nose before catching herself. Wasn’t that far too childish a gesture?
How would an adult behave?
As Bunny pondered this, her newly lengthened hair cascaded down in a silken wave without her noticing.
Suppressing the surge of emotions within her, Bunny turned her head and caught a faint glimpse of herself reflected in the window.
“Father will be absolutely shocked….”
Bunny’s words trailed off.
Father might have already become a grandfather by now. There was no way to know how long she had slept.
Bunny circulated the magical energy throughout her body, channeling it into her legs. Only then could she move properly.
‘I need to see Father first.’
He was her greatest concern.
The door swung open.
As Bunny stepped into the corridor, she froze upon seeing a Maid approaching.
It was immediately apparent that this figure was human, not a Demon Clan Member—there were no horns atop her head, and she lacked the magical aura characteristic of the Demon Realm.
As Bunny stood rigid, the Maid approaching also came to an abrupt halt upon spotting her.
“…Demon King?”
After a moment of hesitation, the Maid spoke cautiously. Just as Bunny was about to retreat, the Maid rushed forward and unfurled the fabric she had been cradling in her arms.
‘An attack?!’
In that instant, as Bunny’s fists clenched, a soft cloth descended gently upon her head.
“Huh?”
“You can’t go about dressed like this. Please, come back inside and let me help you into proper attire. Oh, do you require a bath?”
“…Um. Uh… yes?”
The Maid gently pushed Bunny’s back, ushering her back into the room.
Bunny blinked as she found herself back in the chamber.

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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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