# Chapter 18
Chapter 18
“Hello!
Hello Grandpa, head of the family.
I'm four years old, Bunny.”
Bunny bowed, lifting her arms up like a bird about to take off, then stood up straight.
After greeting, she walked confidently over to the sofa where Ludbride Yudia was sitting and plopped down on the opposite side.
She skillfully climbed up and sat, placing her hands on her lap, and looking at Ludbride with clear eyes.
Ludbride Yudia, who had been watching stiffly, reached out quietly, as if in a trance.
Bunny tilted her head, looked at the hand, then grinned and pushed her head forward.
Ludbride patted the head that naturally landed in his hand and cleared his throat loudly.
“Right, Bunny, is it?”
“Yes!”
“You summoned an egg this time.”
Speaking solemnly, Ludbride Yudia slid a plate of cookies towards Bunny.
He had specially prepared them since a child was coming.
If the others, who had undergone interviews under pressure, saw this, they would’ve been in disbelief and perhaps collapsed in frustration.
“That’s all?
I heard you got scolded last time for eating the cookies without permission.”
Remembering what the other kids had said earlier, Bunny’s eyes widened.
‘This is a test!
A trap!’
Bunny smirked, having found the trap.
‘Bunny’s no little fish to fall for this.’
Of course, Ludbride Yudia had prepared the snacks purely out of favoritism—because Bunny was cute.
With chubby cheeks, lively speech, and boldness that wasn’t shaken by others’ biased gazes, Ludbride liked cute things.
Although he had never shown it, being the heir and then duke of the family, he couldn’t help but be charmed by such an innocent and harmless being in the cold duchy.
And this was a legitimate interview, after all.
‘Does she not like the cookies?’ Ludbride Yudia, noticing that Bunny hadn’t touched them, opened his mouth.
“Can you show me?”
“Yes!”
Bunny answered energetically, jumped off the sofa, and took off her rabbit bag.
She buried her face in the bag, rummaged through it, and carefully pulled something out.
“It’s a Hugyom dragon egg.”
“A Hugyom... what?”
“A baby Hugyom dragon will be born from here.”
Bunny puffed out her chest proudly.
Ruriel had said Bunny would summon something amazing, so surely a huge dragon would hatch from this egg.
With a Hugyom dragon, Bunny would be brave and able to accomplish anything.
Then, Bunny’s dad would be proud.
‘Then Dad will be proud of Bunny.’
He might even say, ‘From here to there, it’s all a gift for my daughter.’ Bunny thought, ‘I’ll cunningly use Dad.’
“Let me take a look.”
“Okay!”
Bunny giggled and placed the egg on the table.
“Hmm?”
The egg—or rather, a quail egg—suddenly floated and then landed on Ludbride Yudia’s ring.
Crack—
“...”
“...”
A crack appeared in the shiny blue gem on the ring, and it shattered, being absorbed into the quail egg.
The egg grew slightly bigger.
Bunny’s mouth dropped open.
‘Gasp!
The egg broke the ring?!
Bunny needs a perfect score on the interview!’
Boom boom!
Thunder roared above Bunny’s head.
She looked at Ludbride with trembling eyes.
A hardened face.
Cold eyes narrowing dangerously.
‘It has a will… Is this thing alive?’
Ludbride’s furious gaze seemed ready to destroy the Hugyom dragon egg.
His blue eyes gleamed like a monster’s—at least, that’s what Bunny thought.
Terrified, Bunny quickly took out the money she brought to buy sweet potatoes and placed it on the table.
Ludbride’s gaze finally fell on her.
‘A cloth pouch?’
He looked at the child curiously.
Bunny bowed her head.
“M-my egg is still a baby, I’m sorry...
I-it usually doesn’t bite anyone... but maybe it was hungry...”
Bunny gulped, pushing the cloth pouch toward Ludbride.
His expression grew even more curious.
“C-can I... b-buy it with this...?”
Bunny, remembering the time Ruriel had paid for the chocolate she’d eaten at the market without thinking, stammered.
“You want to buy this?
This is a sacred stone ring.”
Oh no, what should I do?
“If I bring an elephant, I can give you more...”
Ludbride hesitated, seeing Bunny’s tearful eyes.
“Is it not enough...?”
Ludbride took off the ring with the shattered sacred stone and handed it to Bunny.
“No, with this, you’ve more than paid for it.”
At that moment, the platinum-gold ring with the sacred stone, which could fetch at least millions of Rost at auction, was sold for a mere 1,500 Rost.
Ahem.
Ahem.
Ahem!
Ludbride Yudia kept clearing his throat, rubbing his face roughly with his large hands.
Finally regaining his composure, he opened his mouth.
“Anyway, about the interview.”
“Yes!”
“Your test scores and rank are...”
Ludbride Yudia stopped as he looked through the papers.
Seeing the zero-filled score sheet, he glanced at Bunny, who was of course dead last.
Seeing her tearful eyes, he quietly closed the file.
“Hm.
You’re doing well.”
“Bunny... is doing well...?”
“Yes.
You’re first among kids under ten.”
At Bunny’s cautious question, Ludbride Yudia replied calmly.
It wasn’t a lie.
After all, only children over ten could enter the exam mansion, except for special cases.
So Bunny was indeed first among those under ten.
“Bunny’s first?”
Bunny’s wide-eyed expression made Ludbride pretend to flip through the papers again before nodding.
“Yes.
It says you’re working hard.”
Of course, the report didn’t say anything of the sort.
It only listed scores and brief evaluations.
Ludbride Yudia despised unnecessary commentary on reports.
“So, what do you want to be when you grow up?”
“Bunny wants to be a great Demon King!”
“…What?”
Oops.
This is a villain’s lair!
Bunny, you’ll be turned to dust.
“Um, I mean, a great wizard!”
Bunny quickly adjusted her words.
Ludbride Yudia paused, as his family had never produced a wizard in its entire history.
“…I see.
You want to be a great wizard?”
“Yes!”
“Ahem.
No interest in becoming a High Priest or a Saint?”
“A High Priest or Saint?”
“Yes.
In the Yudia family, they’re the ones closest to God, the most important and highest people.”
Bunny blinked, then smiled brightly.
Because that was an impossible dream for her.
She’d be turned to dust before that could happen.
Seeing Bunny’s bright smile, Ludbride Yudia hesitated.
“Yes.
Bunny likes wizards!”
Bunny was destined to be the Great Demon King, so she couldn’t lead the villains.
If any other child had said such a thing, they would’ve been scolded or had to endure one of Ludbride Yudia’s long lectures.
“Alright.
You can do it.
A great wizard.”
Unable to ignore her innocent eyes, Ludbride Yudia nodded.
To anyone else, it would’ve seemed ridiculous.
Scribble scribble.
[Future Goal: Great Wizard]
And so, for the first time in the history of the Yudia duchy, “Great Wizard” was written in the counseling log.