The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 34

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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 34
My small frame couldn’t contain the heat radiating from within—my breathing came in rapid, labored gasps.
Thump.
My heart seemed to plummet into the depths of my chest.
‘I sensed an odd aura and assumed it was connected to the Demon Clan, but was I wrong?’
The Demon Clan couldn’t be harmed by purification magic.
Similarly, those bound by contract to the Demon Clan were equally immune to purification. So what in the world was this child?
“Why in blazes won’t purification magic work on the Yudia child?!”
“That is… didn’t the Crown Prince exhibit similar symptoms? Perhaps it’s something like that….”
“Nonsense!”
Ludbreed Yudia snapped harshly.
The Priest who had offered his opinion flinched, his neck shrinking into his shoulders as he bowed his head.
“The Crown Prince responded to divine magic!”
“However….”
The moment the Priest uttered “however” without backing down, Ludbreed Yudia’s face contorted instantly.
Simultaneously, a savage aura erupted outward.
At the sight of the clear anger etched across Ludbreed’s features, the Priest went pale as death, hastily clamping his mouth shut.
“Divine magic was used on the Crown Prince, but it merely slowed the progression of corruption and alleviated his condition—it did not cure him. That’s entirely different from this magic having no effect whatsoever, you fool! How many times have you been dispatched to the Imperial Palace and still don’t know this?! Do you want to start your apprenticeship all over again?!”
“I-I’m terribly sorry!!”
The Priest quickly bowed deeply at the waist.
Kiriel swept his irritated gaze across the room and opened his mouth.
“Since you’re useless, all of you get out….”
The irritation woven through his voice rendered the entire chamber silent in an instant.
“K-Kiriel, young master! You’ve arrived?”
“I said get out. Can’t you hear?”
Kiriel Yudia’s characteristically flat voice lacked its usual languor.
The flustered Priests exchanged nervous glances before looking toward Ludbreed.
Kiriel let out a soft laugh.
“Lebon, do these bastards think I’m a joke? Have I been too docile lately?”
“You’ve been quite restrained, sir. How many years has it been since you secluded yourself in that corner? All those titles you once bore—hero, tyrant, god’s crimson lion—have worn away to nothing but dust.”
Krrrr—
Blue light began to swirl around Kiriel, and a serpentine ribbon of luminescence coiled around his body like an enormous snake.
Between the undulating forms, something resembling the sharp fangs of a beast became visible.
“When you were displeased, you’d slaughter people indiscriminately. Everyone would do well to simply keep quiet and stay out of your way. Though you wear a gentle face now, if it weren’t for the Family’s phoenix seal, I’d have taken you for an enemy.”
The Priests swallowed hard at Lebon’s matter-of-fact words.
They trembled, their shoulders shaking, before hastily stumbling backward and bowing.
“W-We sincerely apologize. We’ll withdraw at once.”
Watching the Priests flee in terror, their faces drained of all color, Kiriel raised his hand and smacked Lebon on the back of his head with a sharp crack.
Lebon’s face scrunched up.
“Ow.”
Lebon’s expressionless face contorted as he rubbed the back of his head with his palm.
“It hurts. Why did you hit me?”
“I hit you because it hurts. Watch your mouth.”
“Why? I’m not saying anything wrong. When I actually went to the Battlefield with the Marquis, there were more than one or two times I almost struck him thinking he was an enemy.”
“I know. You actually did strike him several times.”
“Oh my. Did I really?”
Lebon answered flatly to Kiriel’s words.
“You two get together and cause all sorts of trouble.”
Ludbreed, who had been watching, spoke as if exasperated.
Soon only Lebon, Pel—Ludbreed’s adjutant and steward—Kiriel, Ludbreed, and Bunny remained in the room.
Kiriel opened his mouth with a hardened expression.
“What happened? She was fine just this morning. How did she end up in this state?”
“I don’t know.”
Ludbreed answered curtly to Kiriel’s question. At that, Kiriel’s face stiffened visibly.
It was just as Kiriel was about to speak again with that same rigid expression.
“The child pestered me to go to the Imperial Palace and I couldn’t refuse, so I brought her. I told her to wait in the Reception Room for a moment. But… somehow, she ended up where the Crown Prince was.”
As Ludbreed’s explanation continued, Kiriel, whose lips had been trembling, clenched his fists and strode toward the child. Then he sat on the edge of the bed and placed his hand on the child’s forehead.
From Kiriel’s fingertips, a pure white radiance tinged with blue light spread outward and slowly seeped into Bunny’s forehead.
With his eyes closed, he slowly scanned the child’s body using his divine power and opened his mouth again.
“Continue.”
Kiriel slowly opened his eyes and glanced sideways at Ludbreed.
“Go on.”
Ludbreed furrowed his brow deeply, twitched his eyebrows, then clicked his tongue and spoke again.
“According to witness testimonies… it appears she wandered around various places in the Imperial Palace. And it seems she even entered the Crown Prince’s Chamber.”
As Ludbreed spoke, Kiriel’s brow narrowed.
‘She’s causing trouble in directions I never anticipated.’
He nodded at that thought.
“I don’t know the details of what happened after that. According to the Crown Prince’s testimony, the child entered his chamber, placed her hand on his forehead, and his body stopped hurting.”
“His body… stopped hurting?”
“Yes. And when I examined him, the demonic energy that had been churning inside the Crown Prince’s body had completely vanished.”
At Ludbreed’s words, Kiriel, who had been channeling his divine power throughout the child’s body, pressed his lips firmly shut.
“Would you say it’s a type of purification absorption?”
“That’s my current assumption. However, in typical cases, the body could purify itself when given another’s divine power. Purification through absorbing demonic energy into one’s own body is rare, but it does exist.”
“….”
“But this child isn’t responding to divine power itself right now. Not to my divine power, and… likely not to yours either.”
“….”
The moment Ludbreed finished speaking, the blue light that had been shining from Kiriel’s hand began to fade slowly.
He was right.
All the divine power Kiriel channeled into the child wasn’t seeping in or taking hold at all—it was returning to him.
Divine power typically worked by being absorbed when applied to the human body. But Bunny wasn’t absorbing any divine power.
There were two possibilities to consider.
Either Bunny’s divine power far exceeded theirs in grade, rendering their assistance useless.
Or she possessed a body that could not accept divine power at all.
For instance, a member of the Demon Clan, or perhaps a human with a special constitution that reacted hypersensitively to divine power—or did not react to it whatsoever.
Yet Bunny possessed divine power and had summoned a Divine Beast. The latter could be ruled out.
That left only the former.
“…It seems the child will grow far greater than expected.”
At Ludbreed’s quiet murmur, Kiriel’s lips tightened slightly.
He narrowed his brow in clear displeasure.
Divine power typically branched into multiple categories.
Divine power for combat.
Divine power that enhanced offensive or defensive capabilities to support battle.
Beyond that lay healing divine power and purification divine power, among many other varieties.
And within purification divine power itself, there existed distinctions.
One was the ability to expend one’s divine power to purify external objects, while the other was the rare capacity to absorb corrupted energy into one’s own body, purify it internally, and convert it into usable divine power.
The latter was uncommon, yet if the caster possessed sufficient ability, they could grow infinitely stronger.
Divine power was inherently generated within the body, after all, limiting its consumption.
But if one could absorb tainted energy, purify it, and transform it into personal divine power, one’s strength could multiply without limit—a tremendous advantage.
‘And yet….’
It was the moment Kiriel’s jaw clenched rigid, his fists tightening.
“Chirp!”
That was when it happened.
The Red Sparrow perched upon Kiriel’s shoulder let out a small cry, then spread its wings—no larger than an adult’s pinky nail—wide to either side with solemn determination.

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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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