The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 18

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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 18
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“Hello there! Grandfather Marquis. I’m four years old, and my name is Bunny.”
A respectful bow.
With her small arms held stiffly at her sides like a bird preparing for flight, Bunny lowered her head in a deep bow, then sprang back up to stand at attention.
After greeting him, Bunny approached with a solemn expression, her tiny feet pattering across the floor, and plopped herself down firmly on the sofa opposite where Ludbreed Yudia sat.
The way she climbed up using her arms was quite practiced.
Sitting demurely with her hands folded in her lap, Bunny gazed up at Ludbreed with bright, clear eyes.
Ludbreed Yudia, whose expression had grown rigid as stone, reached out his hand as if entranced. Bunny tilted her head at the extended hand, then broke into a smile and leaned her head forward eagerly.
Ludbreed Yudia gently stroked the small head that naturally settled into his palm, then let out a deliberate cough.
“So, you’re Bunny.”
“Yes, sir!”
“You summoned an egg this time.”
Ludbreed Yudia spoke with measured gravity as he slid a plate of cookies toward Bunny.
He had prepared them specially upon hearing that a child would be visiting.
Of course, had the others who had endured their own interviews under such pressure witnessed this, they would have gasped in disbelief and collapsed from the sheer injustice of it all.
“Is that all? I heard that last time, someone got scolded terribly for eating the sweets without permission.”
Bunny’s eyes widened as she recalled the conversation the other children had been chattering about earlier.
‘This is a test! A trap!’
Having cleverly detected the trap, Bunny let out a soft laugh.
‘Bunny isn’t some little fish that falls for tricks like this.’
Of course, from Ludbreed Yudia’s perspective, the refreshments had been prepared with nothing but pure intentions.
The reason? Favoritism.
Why? Because she was adorable.
Her plump cheeks, her spirited manner of speaking, and the boldness with which she walked her own path undaunted by the prejudiced gazes of others—all of it.
That was it.
Ludbreed loved cute things.
In his youth as the heir to the Marquis’s house, and later as the Marquis himself, he had never openly shown it, but he could not help but take notice of the pure and harmless life that had rolled into the cold, harsh Udiah Duke Family Estate.
Besides, this even took the legitimate form of an official interview.
‘Does she dislike sweets?’
Ludbreed Yudia spoke as he watched Bunny, who hadn’t touched anything.
“Would you show me something?”
“Yes!”
Bunny answered with enthusiasm, then hopped down and carefully removed her rabbit-shaped bag, setting it beside her.
With her face nearly buried in the bag as she rummaged through it, Bunny carefully withdrew something.
“It’s a Heu-Gyeom Dragon egg.”
“A Heu-Gyeom… what?”
“A baby Heu-Gyeom Dragon will be born from here.”
Bunny puffed out her chest as she spoke.
Since Luriel had said that Bunny would summon something truly remarkable, this egg would surely give birth to an enormous dragon.
Luriel had said that with the Heu-Gyeom Dragon, one could accomplish anything without fear.
So once the Heu-Gyeom Dragon appeared, Bunny would finally become an incredibly praiseworthy child.
‘Then Bunny’s father would be so proud.’
He would certainly be moved by Bunny’s accomplishment, patting her head tenderly until his eyes grew misty. Perhaps he might even say, ‘Everything from here to there—I’ll gift it all to my daughter.’
‘Bunny, use your father wickedly.’
“Let me take a look.”
“Yes!”
It was the moment Bunny placed the egg on the table with a mischievous giggle.
“Huh…?”
The egg—no, the quail egg—floated gently before suddenly settling onto Ludbreed Yudia’s ring.
Crack—
“…”
“…”
The brilliant blue gemstone on Ludbreed’s cold ring fractured, then crumbled to dust in an instant, absorbed into the quail egg.
Whoosh.
The quail egg grew ever so slightly larger.
Bunny’s mouth fell open.
‘Oh no, the egg broke the ring?! I need to pass the interview with flying colors!’
Rumble, crash!
Thunder struck above Bunny’s head. Soon, Bunny gazed at Ludbreed with trembling eyes.
His face had hardened into stone.
His gaze had narrowed to a glacial edge.
‘There’s intent behind this… Is it actually alive?’
His eyes blazed with a ferocity that seemed ready to shatter Bunny’s Heu-Gyeom Dragon egg at any moment.
Fury radiated from every inch of Ludbreed Yudia. His blue eyes flashed like those of a beast.
—This was Bunny’s thought—
Bunny trembled violently and hastily retrieved the money she’d brought for sweet potato from her bag, placing it on the table.
Only then did Ludbreed’s gaze fall upon Bunny.
‘A cloth pouch?’
As he regarded the child with a puzzled expression, Bunny bowed her head deeply.
“I-I’m so sorry… Our egg is still just a baby… At the Orphanage, she’s such a good, gentle child who doesn’t bite anyone… Maybe she was just hungry…”
Bunny swallowed hard and pushed the cloth pouch further toward Ludbreed Yudia. His expression grew even more bewildered.
“C-can I… c-can Bunny b-buy it with this…?”
Bunny recalled the time she had thoughtlessly eaten chocolate at the Market, and Luriel had apologized and paid for it in her stead, her words stumbling.
“You want to buy this? This is a ring set with a spirit stone.”
It won’t work, will it? What should I do?
“If I bring an Elephant, I can give you more…”
Ludbreed paused, observing Bunny’s glistening eyes.
“Is it not enough…?”
Ludbreed quietly removed the gold ring with the cracked spirit stone from his hand and placed it in Bunny’s palm.
“No, even after the accident, this much remains.”
It was the moment when a platinum-gold ring adorned with a performance stone that would fetch at least tens of millions of Lost at auction sold for a mere 1500 Lost.
Ahem. Ahem. Ahem!
Ludbreed Yudia, who kept clearing his throat, rubbed his broad, calloused face vigorously with his large hand before finally composing himself and opening his mouth.
“…Right. Anyway, about the interview.”
“Yes!”
“Your test scores and ranking are….”
Ludbreed Yudia paused as he flipped through the documents.
Looking at the score sheet filled with zeros, his gaze wavered slightly as he turned to Bunny. Her ranking, of course, was dead last.
From the moment the word “test” was mentioned, Ludbreed Yudia watched Bunny’s eyes crumple and grow tearful, then quietly closed the documents.
“Mm. You’re doing well.”
“Bunny… doing well…?”
“Yes. Among children under ten, Bunny is first.”
To Bunny’s cautious question, Ludbreed Yudia replied matter-of-factly.
It wasn’t a lie.
Because with few exceptions, only collateral children aged ten and above could enter the Mansion of Trials. So among those under ten, Bunny was indeed first.
“Bunny… first place…?”
At the sight of Bunny’s wide eyes, Ludbreed flipped through the innocent documents as if pretending to check them, then nodded.
“Yes. It says here you worked hard.”
Of course, no such words appeared anywhere in the report. There were scores for each subject and brief evaluations, but nothing more.
Ludbreed Yudia was someone who despised unnecessary additions to reports.
“So, tell me—what do you want to become when you grow up?”
“Bunny wants to be a really big Demon King!”
“…What?”
Oh no.
This is a den of villains! Bunny, I’ll be turned to dust.
“…Rather, I wish to become an even more powerful Grand Archmage!”
Bunny quickly demonstrated her quick wit. Upon hearing Bunny’s splendid lie, Ludbreed Yudia paused.
That was because in the Yudia Family, not a single person with the character for “mage” in their title had been born since the family’s founding.
“…I see. So you want to become a Grand Archmage.”
“Yes!”
“Hmm. You have no interest in becoming a High Priest or a Saint…?”
“A High Priest or a Saint…?”
“Yes. In the Yudia Family, they are the most exalted and highest-ranking people who serve closest to the divine.”
Bunny blinked her eyes and then broke into the brightest smile.
Because that was a dream Bunny could absolutely never achieve. After all, she would be turned to dust.
At Bunny’s innocent smile, Ludbreed Yudia paused.
“Yes! Bunny likes being a Grand Archmage!”
After all, Bunny was destined to become a really big Demon King, so she could never be the leader of wicked humans.
Of course, if any other child had said such things, they would have been severely scolded or forced to listen to one of Ludbreed Yudia’s lengthy lectures.
“Yes. You’ll be able to do it. Grand Mage.”
Ludbreed Yudia couldn’t bring himself to ignore those earnest eyes, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
Had a stranger overheard such a declaration, they would have scoffed at its sheer absurdity.
Scratch, scratch.
[Future Aspiration: Grand Mage]
Thus, for the first time since the Udiah Duchy was established, the peculiar title of “Grand Mage” was inscribed in the counseling records.

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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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