The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 8

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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 8
It was abundantly clear that Bunny possessed far greater strength than this woman. Unaware that Salame Yudia was the Saint at the pinnacle of divine power, Bunny’s nose lifted with unmistakable pride, her shoulders rising with newfound confidence.
“Hmph.”
Bunny slipped free from Roden Heiner’s lap and gazed at him with a self-assured smile before turning her attention forward once more.
“Now then, we shall commence the summoning ceremony. Please step forward and place your hand into this transparent orb. From this moment onward, those whose names are called should come forth. First, Andrew.”
The summoning ceremony began amid the collective daydreams of the assembly.
* * *
“Next… ah… this time, Allen shall come forward.”
As the Priest spoke in a reluctant tone, Bunny tilted her head curiously while her body fidgeted with anticipation.
For some reason, the moment the Priest called the name, silence fell over the entire hall. After that brief quiet, a wave of murmuring rippled through the crowd.
Whispered voices carried strange words—”beast,” “filthy,” “disgrace”—that lodged themselves firmly in Bunny’s ears.
‘They’re summoning a beast with tremendous shame? And it’s filthy?!’
Bunny’s rival?!
Tap, tap, tap.
At the sound of footsteps, Bunny turned her head to see a boy who had been standing alone at a distance now walking toward the table with the orb.
He appeared to be around ten years old, with gray hair and distinctive golden cat-like eyes that immediately caught the attention.
The boy walked with a rigid expression, his face hardening as he glared at the orb before thrusting his hand into the glass sphere. Remarkably, the moment his hand entered, it sank in as though a hole had been drilled through it.
The children who placed their hands into the orb suddenly fell asleep where they stood. Eyes closed, hands still inserted, they stood like statues.
After several minutes to ten or fifteen minutes had passed, the children opened their eyes again and withdrew their arms.
In the hands of those who withdrew their arms gleamed something radiant. When they opened their small hands, light floated upward like magic, transforming into “something” that fell into their embrace.
The light from other children became cats, became birds like hawks, became young deer.
Of course, only living creatures didn’t emerge. Some children drew small daggers, while others received something that transformed into a bracelet.
In any case, after that tedious time had passed, it was already the fifth turn. Since Bunny was sixth, her turn would come immediately after this boy’s.
‘Next, Bunny!’
Bunny steadied her fidgeting body and gazed at the rival (?) candidate who had clearly put everyone on edge.
“….”
“….”
“….”
Even after ten minutes, even after twenty minutes, seeing the boy show no sign of movement, Bunny’s legs finally gave way.
Bunny eventually collapsed onto the floor like a mat, stretching both legs out before her.
“My, Young Lady, are you quite alright?”
“Nnngh….”
When Roden Heiner cradled Bunny, who looked anything but fine, Jessie brought a chair from nearby. Only after the two had seated Bunny and quite some time had passed did Allen, who had appeared to be asleep, finally open his eyes.
Allen withdrew his hand from the orb, and a gray light matching his hair shimmered in his palm.
As Allen opened his hand, the gray luminescence floated upward, gradually expanding in size.
It descended beside Allen, elongating as it coiled around his body.
When the light dispersed and a single form remained, Bunny’s mouth fell open.
An enormous royal serpent!
The snake, clearly far longer than Allen’s height, coiled around the boy’s body with its triangular head raised proudly upon his shoulders.
The way it flicked its tongue appeared exceptionally formidable.
‘A true rival!’
But since I was planning to summon a massive Dragon, this little competition(?) was ultimately my victory.
“A serpent, how inauspicious.”
“As expected, half-breeds remain half-breeds….”
“How can something that is neither human nor beast be permitted within the Udiah Duke Family Estate….”
“Ah! Quite right. That beast spawn should simply be confined to a beast’s cage….”
Crash!
A sharp sound rang out through the Grand Hall, cutting through the cacophony of voices echoing from every corner, and I trembled, lifting my head.
“Here I am, and you dare make such a racket.”
The owner of that fierce voice was a terrifyingly imposing Old Man.
‘Scary grandfather.’
Oh, human adults hate loud noises!
Despite the commotion, Allen had returned to stand beside me, his expression still rigid and unyielding.
With my small hand clamped firmly over my mouth, I hopped down from my chair and crept toward Allen on my tiptoes.
Allen, who had been standing in the corner with his arms crossed and his face hardened, hesitated when he saw me approaching.
‘This child….’
A familiar face. The Mansion of Trials had been buzzing with commotion because of this one recently.
‘The illegitimate child who just entered the Dormitory Mansion….’
Allen, who had easily recalled who I was, furrowed his brow and opened his mouth.
“What is it? Why?”
“Can the royal serpent be touched?”
As I stretched out my hand with sparkling eyes, Allen blinked and gave a hesitant nod.
“Well….”
When Allen bent down slightly, I reached out my delicate hand and gently stroked the serpent’s head. I shivered at the cool touch of its scales.
The serpent coiled around him was incredibly magnificent. I suppressed my covetous feelings with mature restraint and slowly withdrew my hand.
“Heh.”
“…?”
Allen faltered at my suddenly confident expression as I let out a smug chuckle.
“It’s fine, second place is respectable too.”
But first place will be mine.
Because I’m planning to summon a Dragon!
I wiped my nose with a smug expression and patted Allen’s shoulder encouragingly.
At that somehow irritating glint in my eyes, Allen’s eyebrow twitched once.
“It’s fine. Aren’t you embarrassed about second place!”
“Huh? What are you talking about? Since earlier.”
“I’m going to summon a really big, super awesome Dragon!”
“A Dra… what?”
Whether Allen muttered in bewilderment or not, I spun around and fixed my gaze on the Priest. The moment I turned, the Priest’s eyes met mine, and he hesitated before letting out a loud cough and opening his mouth.
“Finally, when Young Lady Bunny comes forward, we shall begin.”
“Yes!”
Bunny raised her hand eagerly and answered, bouncing on her feet as she approached the table.
With each bounce of her body, the adorable little bear doll with horns hanging from her back swayed in rhythm.
“Well, you just need to place your hand inside here…”
Bunny lifted her arm high and reached toward the orb, then froze. The table was too tall. It stood at the chest height of the other children, but for Bunny, it reached her forehead.
“I’ll bring you a chair.”
The Priest muttered something quietly with his mouth covered, gesturing with his hand. Jessie, who was standing nearby, brought over the chair that Bunny had been sitting on earlier.
Jessie grabbed Bunny under the armpits and hoisted her onto the chair, even going so far as to untie the doll that looked uncomfortable and cradle it in her arms.
After some rustling and lengthy preparations in the ensuing silence, Bunny was finally able to place her hand into the orb.
For quite a long time, Bunny kept her eyes closed.
10 minutes.
20 minutes.
30 minutes.
When nearly an hour had passed, murmurs began to erupt from all around.
“This has never happened before, has it…?”
“An hour? Even the direct bloodline members never exceeded 30 to 40 minutes, did they?”
“Ah. The current Marquis and Prince Kiriel never surpassed an hour either, I believe…”
Such stories circulated within the Udiah Duchy.
The longer the summoning ritual took, the more valuable the entity that would be summoned.
The longer the duration, the more magnificent divine beasts or sacred relics that would be summoned to be remembered throughout history.
Particularly, the current Udiah Duchy was experiencing such an abundance of talent from the direct bloodline that blessings seemed to overflow—so much so that it wouldn’t be unwelcome if someone from a cadet branch finally produced a prodigy.
Even if that person were a bastard child of unknown parentage and origin.

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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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