The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 38

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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 38
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The Ranking Determination Tournament.
It was one of the major events of the Udiah Duchy that required attendance regardless of age, provided one had summoned a Divine Beast.
At the Ranking Determination Tournament, held only once a year, Divine Beasts would literally compete against one another, and their rankings would be determined through comprehensive evaluation.
“You don’t have to participate if you don’t want to, Bunny.”
Kiriel, who had been explaining the event, gently stroked the head of Bunny sitting on his lap as he spoke.
“Why not? Bunny has to do well so Daddy becomes really great.”
“I’ll become really great even if Bunny doesn’t come in first.”
At Kiriel’s response, Bunny’s eyes widened in understanding—she had learned that “really great” was similar to “amazing” or “impressive.” She nodded her head vigorously.
“You’ll become even more great?”
“I’m already even more great.”
Bunny blinked. His words simply lacked all credibility.
She could understand becoming great, but becoming even more great made no sense to her whatsoever.
“That’s a fib.”
“It’s not a lie.”
Kiriel chuckled softly and gently rubbed the child’s cheek.
Children are honest creatures. With just a single touch of his hand, a single caress, her face flushed with joy and broke into a radiant smile.
‘So this is why people raise children.’
Thanks to the diligent Bunny and Allen, Kiriel had recently begun waking on time to have breakfast with the children and even sharing dinner with them.
“Are you going to sell your cooking again today?”
“Yes!”
“Why are you selling it?”
“Bunny has to be able to do everything alone. Since I don’t know how to handle people’s affairs, I have to prepare ahead of time.”
At Bunny’s words, Kiriel’s eyes widened slightly before gradually narrowing.
Perhaps because there had been so many things she had to accomplish alone, the child always seemed to struggle to do everything by herself.
“How is your letter study progressing?”
“Good! I’ve memorized eight letters.”
“Would you like help?”
“Bunny is a genius, so I can do it perfectly fine all by myself.”
Heh.
Bunny laughed and thrust out her thumb proudly. A child who could do anything alone was, in the best light, independent and admirably self-sufficient, but viewed less charitably, she seemed not to know how to rely on others.
“Bunny.”
“Yes?”
“If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me anytime. If anything is difficult, tell me anytime.”
Bunny blinked and nodded with a bright smile.
“By the way, you always wear the same clothes.”
“The Caretaker Director gave me this outfit as a gift. It’s the one outfit Bunny likes.”
Her expression seemed to ask, “Isn’t it pretty with my cheeks all puffed out?” and something in his chest tugged strangely.
There were so many finer things available, yet she was content with this one.
Now that I thought about it, Bunny rarely asked me for anything. Except for that one time she’d asked me to punish a knight.
“….”
I reached out and ruffled Bunny’s hair a couple of times.
“Bunny, want to go shopping with me?”
“Huh, Bunny too?”
“Yeah. Your brother’s coming along too.”
Bunny thrust her thumb up triumphantly.
“Yay! I’ll call Allen! And Ma-Gom and Elephant too!”
“Elephant?”
“Yep! Bunny’s treasure box!”
Now that she mentioned it, there was indeed an elephant-shaped piggy bank.
I paused, regarding the child with a subtly complicated expression before shaking my head.
“You don’t need to bring Elephant. I’ll buy you one. I’m your father, after all.”
Bunny blinked a few times before crying out “Ah!” and nodding her head vigorously.
“Yes!”
Soon after hearing the news, Allen rushed to the Main Mansion as soon as his lessons ended.
It was the three of us going out together for the first time.
* * *
Ding—
The first place the three of us arrived at was a grand building towering over the Ornate Street.
The two-story building was entirely a Clothing Store, and it was said to be the most famous establishment on the street where nobility frequented.
“Welcome, Young Master Kiriel Yudia.”
The moment we stepped inside, a line of clerks bowed in unison.
‘The Young Lady of the Duke’s House!’
Sparkle, sparkle!
So many people! So many clothes!
Bunny’s eyes widened slightly.
Allen, too, appeared to be visiting such a place for the first time, his mouth hanging open as wide as Bunny’s, his eyes equally round.
“Wow….”
“Ohhh….”
When I set Bunny down, she scampered across the marble floor, making a wide circle around us.
“Dad, there’s so many clothes!”
“There are. It’s a Clothing Store, after all. Pick out as many as you like, Bunny.”
“Okay!”
“Allen, you too. I should have thought of this sooner. My apologies.”
“…N-not really.”
At my words, Allen’s eyes widened before he shook his head, his face flushing slightly.
Bunny, who had been rummaging through the clothes on the racks, rose up on her tiptoes to peek at a price tag and suddenly froze.
All at once, a conversation with Luriel flashed through Bunny’s mind.
“Luri, what’s expensive and what’s cheap?”
“Well, if there are more than five zeros at the end, it’s expensive. If it reaches six, it’s incredibly expensive.”
“If it’s incredibly expensive, what happens?”
“Well. The household finances collapse.”
Bunny began counting the zeros on the price tag one by one from the end.
‘One, two, four, five… oh, six… seven?!’
Bunny’s eyes went wide as saucers.
Five zeros meant expensive, six zeros meant incredibly expensive.
‘Then seven zeros means…?’
Catastrophically expensive?!
Why didn’t Luri tell me how expensive seven zeros was!
‘Father’s shop will collapse!’
If Father’s shop collapses, we’ll become beggars.
If Father becomes a beggar… will I become a beggar too?!
Bunny’s eyes widened in panic.
Bunny crept back over and grabbed Kiriel’s leg. When Kiriel lowered his gaze, Bunny tugged insistently at his clothing.
“What is it?”
He crouched down to meet her eyes, and Bunny brought her lips close to his ear.
“This one has seven zeros, so Father’s shop will collapse.”
“A shop…? I don’t run a shop.”
“Huh?”
Bunny blinked her eyes.
That’s strange?
If you don’t run a shop, where does the money come from? Luriel said that all the really strong fathers have big shops that grow fountains of money flowing endlessly.
“If there’s no shop, how do you calculate it? Bunny doesn’t like fathers drowning in debt. Scary people chase after them…”
At Bunny’s words, Kiriel paused.
Sometimes, the child spoke words whose meaning eluded him.
There were days when the fragments of the past he sensed in each and every word weighed particularly heavy on his mind.
“Father has plenty of money. I earned a lot long ago. I can even say ‘give me everything from here to there.'”
Kiriel met her gaze and chuckled softly in response, and Bunny’s eyes grew round.
“So buy whatever you want, as much as you want. Even without a shop, I have plenty of money.”
At the soft, amused tone of his voice, Bunny’s eyes widened.
“Now, go ahead and look around.”
“Yes!”
And that day, every piece of clothing Bunny had even glanced at was delivered to the Udiah Duke Family Estate.
“Rich Father!”
“Mm.”
At Kiriel’s unhesitating affirmation, Bunny’s trust in him deepened all the more.
* * *
“Thank you for visiting! We hope to see you again next time!”
After a long shopping spree, Bunny called out cheerfully to the clerks as she passed through their midst, nestled in Kiriel’s arms, her ears perking up.
Bunny suddenly glanced around nervously.
“Bunny? What’s wrong?”
At Kiriel’s question, Bunny blinked her eyes several times.
“Chirp—eek!”
An odd sensation.
Bunny tilted her head and surveyed the surroundings, but there was nothing there.
“Well then, shall we go buy some chocolate?”
Gasp.
Chirp!
“Yes!”
Bunny answered enthusiastically.
As they rode away in the carriage, someone among the shop attendants slowly lifted their hat, a cruel smile spreading across their face.
“I was away on a long assignment, yet you arrived in my absence.”
The Man’s mouth twisted savagely, and his eyes beneath the hat gleamed crimson.
“King of Hell.”
Soon, The Man vanished completely into the shadows that draped heavily around him.

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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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