The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 39

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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 39
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“Lebon.”
Kiriel’s eyes widened noticeably as he entered carrying two children in both arms—exhausted from playing outside all day and having fallen asleep in the carriage.
It was unbelievable that a man who avoided contact with anyone and rarely left the Marquis Estate, let alone the Holy Temple or his room, was now willingly spending his days from morning until night outside.
“Yes, sir.”
Lebon took Allen from Kiriel and laid him on the bed.
Kiriel then set Bunny down beside him and opened his mouth to speak.
“I need to look into Bunny’s background.”
“You mean regarding Young Lady Bunny’s history…?”
“Yes. I need all the information possible—how she came to be at that Orphanage, what kind of person she was, who brought her there, everything from her birth until she arrived at the Marquis Estate.”
Kiriel spoke in his characteristically languid voice while removing his coat and handing it to Lebon.
“I’ll look into it.”
“Good. What about the Byeol Residence?”
“Since it’s been neglected for so long, there’s much to renovate. We’re remodeling the interior completely. It should be usable by the end of this month.”
Kiriel nodded at Lebon’s explanation as he finished undressing.
As Lebon glanced at Kiriel removing his clothes, he quietly pulled something from his inner pocket and approached the bed.
Click. Click. Click.
At the sudden sound, Kiriel turned his head to see Lebon photographing the peacefully sleeping Bunny from multiple angles, and then capturing a two-shot with Allen, who lay in an identical sleeping position.
“What are you doing?”
Kiriel asked incredulously.
Lebon spoke without even looking at him.
“Taking photographs. Children grow so quickly—photos from this time can only be kept now.”
“Why are you the one taking them?”
“You never take any anyway. I’ve been thinking about quitting because work feels pointless, but now that we have children, it feels worthwhile.”
At Lebon’s emotionless words delivered in a flat monotone, Kiriel’s brow furrowed immediately.
He clicked his tongue at Lebon with an exasperated look.
“They’re my children.”
At the sudden declaration, Lebon paused and blinked several times. Then he shrugged and tucked the camera back into his inner pocket.
“You haven’t obtained custody yet.”
“I’ll go to the Imperial Palace soon and complete the adoption procedures.”
“Would it be acceptable if I went to the Imperial Palace first and completed the adoption procedures myself?”
“Do you want to die?”
“No.”
Despite Kiriel’s chilling tone, Lebon didn’t even blink and simply shrugged silently.
“Still, it’s a pleasant sight. At first, I thought, ‘How can such a hopeless person dare to act like a parent?’ but….”
“Lebon. Your tongue is so loose it practically flies away—do you really want to die that badly…?”
“Oh no, I don’t like that. Kyaa-ack. I’m scared~”
Despite his expressionless face, Lebon raised his voice to a soprano pitch, yet it carried no sense of urgency or genuine emotion.
Kiriel’s expression turned cold.
“Still… my thoughts have changed somewhat now. It seems people do change when they meet someone. That Young Lady chose the Marquis instead of me that day—perhaps it was some grand twist of fate.”
“You believe in fate?”
“No. I was just speaking dramatically.”
“….”
At Lebon’s words, Kiriel waved his hand dismissively, exhaustion written across his face.
Lebon was also a distant branch member of the Udiah Duchy. Like Kiriel, he had grown up together at the Mansion of Trials, their friendship forged in childhood.
While others avoided Kiriel, calling him repulsive, unpleasant, and ominous, Lebon had always approached with an expressionless, emotionless face, bluntly spilling whatever he had to say before leaving with a casual “I’ve said my piece.”
He was the type who marched to his own drum, then as now.
“I’m going to wash up and sleep right after, so you can leave now.”
“Yes. Oh, that’s right. An invitation arrived for Young Lady from the Imperial Palace.”
“An invitation?”
“Yes. They said they wanted to express their gratitude. If her health has recovered, they asked her to please visit…. The Crown Prince himself wrote the letter, and the Emperor sent an imperial messenger. What should we do?”
At Lebon’s words, Kiriel’s eyes narrowed.
If he had his way, he wouldn’t send her. There was a high probability she’d get caught up in unnecessary complications if she went.
But….
“Ask Bunny. If she wants to meet them, she goes. If not, she doesn’t.”
“I see.”
“Do you have something else to say…?”
Detecting faint irritation in his increasingly drawn-out voice, Lebon opened his mouth.
“I thought you would say no. You dislike getting swept up in storms, after all.”
“Bunny seems to enjoy thrills.”
At Lebon’s words, Kiriel let out a soft laugh and spoke.
“And….”
Kiriel slowly lowered his gaze.
“I believe parents should be guides for their children’s paths, not controllers. I’ll let them go where they wish. If there’s danger, I’ll shield them from it and explain things, try to dissuade them if needed.”
“….”
“I want these children to do what they want. Whatever that may be… I want to give them diverse choices, not just one predetermined path from the start.”
A subtle resolve resonated beneath his languid voice—something Lebon hadn’t witnessed in a long time.
He walked leisurely with his shirt removed, gently stroking the hair of the two children.
“Your heart is certainly noble, at least. Though I wonder how long such conviction will last.”
“…What?”
“Children never go as planned. Just as controlling parents have their own circumstances.”
As Kiriel glared at him with displeasure, Lebon bowed respectfully and backed toward the door.
“I shall take my leave now.”
“Make sure you understand what I’m saying.”
“Yes.”
“And give me back my photograph too.”
Click.
The door closed without another word.
Kiriel clicked his tongue softly. The man he’d grown up with since childhood was perfect at handling matters, but the problem was he showed no fear of him whatsoever.
Kiriel soon entered the bathroom, washed up, and then lay down on the bed where the children slept.
* * *
“The left side is empty! Don’t knock over the display! Do you have a death wish?!”
Klein Yudia barked harshly.
Deep within the dark dungeon, a long passage stretched downward into unfathomable depths.
“…Tsk, how far does this go?”
They claimed to have conquered the dungeon’s deepest reaches, but it was all nonsense. They simply hadn’t found the path.
The subjugation force dispatched by the Imperial Court had merely scratched the surface before departing.
“That’s why I told them countless times not to exclude us and handle it themselves! Tsk.”
The byproducts from the Imperial Court’s subjugation of the dungeon and the excavated relics and artifacts could all be claimed by them.
But if the Udiah Duchy became involved, the Imperial Court would have no choice but to split everything they obtained in half.
For that reason, the Imperial Court would occasionally organize their own subjugation forces to handle dungeons like this.
But what kind of place was a dungeon?
To be frank, it was a den of demons and monsters.
And the power most effective against such demons was holy power, and the Holy Paladins were the ones most frequently dispatched to such places.
Thus, most subjugations were being handled by the Udiah Duchy either in cooperation with the Imperial Court or independently.
‘The Imperial Court must have had their reasons for attempting this subjugation so recklessly.’
Klein Yudia clicked his tongue.
That was when it happened.
Glimmer!
The crystal he held in his hand suddenly gleamed with light.
Only after reaching some unknowable depth within the dungeon did the crystal finally respond.
As a faint glow seeped from the crystal, Klein Yudia exhaled roughly, wiped the sweat streaming down his face with his sleeve, and narrowed his eyes.
Ha.
Klein let out a small laugh tinged with exhilaration.
“It seems our nephew candidate has done it again.”
Gazing at the faint light emanating from the crystal, Klein murmured softly to himself.

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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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