# Chapter 51
"Hee-hee, brrr."Bunny burst into a soft laugh.
Kiriel, who had been quietly observing, stepped forward and knelt down in front of Allen, locking eyes with him.
Allen hesitated, then subtly glanced around, sensing Kiriel’s watchful gaze.
"Thanks to your wonderful daughter and son, I've lost my chance to look impressive.
But, if I may say something at this late hour..."
Kiriel reached out and gently patted the large wolf’s head, which was about the same height as Bunny, despite still being young.
As he did, Allen’s drooping ears perked up.
"Allen."
"Yes..."
"If someone calls you a monster..."
A chilling smile slowly spread across Kiriel’s normally expressionless face.
"Beat them up."
"...Pardon?"
"I’ll handle the aftermath, so go ahead and beat them.
Enduring it quietly won’t change anything.
Those kinds of people only listen when they’re punched."
Allen blinked in disbelief.
It was hard to believe such bold words were coming from Kiriel’s mouth, given his normally stoic expression.
"Education, in the end, is about that.
You see, when I was at the trial mansion, I was called a monster, cursed, and even a demon, but now?
No one even dares speak that nonsense anymore."
"...Ah."
"Listen closely, daughter, son.
There’s only one thing you need to remember."
Kiriel spoke softly and lovingly, reaching out with his large hand to ruffle both Bunny and Allen's heads at the same time.
"If anyone looks down on you, beat them and step on them.
And when, over time, you find yourselves looking down from a higher place than them, that’s when you’ll know you’ve won."
Allen slowly nodded.
"If that doesn’t work, come to me.
I’ll crush them for you.
Power is meant to be used like that."
"Yes!"
Bunny answered energetically, but Allen couldn’t bring himself to disagree.
"Answer me."
"Yes."
Allen responded softly, a faint smile touching his lips.
He felt a strange warmth in his chest, a tickling sensation as if his heart was fluttering.
***
Clack.
Bunny, wearing a fluffy rabbit hat with pom-pom tassels that her father had given her, carried a bunny-shaped bag and tucked her stuffed bear, Magom, under her arm.
With a quick flick of her head to avoid the cold wind hitting her face, she grinned.
October 31st.
Today was a very important day for Bunny.
It was one week until the rankings were decided.
The day Bunny had memorized 50 out of 57 human letters.
And it was Bunny's special day!
So, she had woken up early in the morning before the sun had fully risen, done her morning routine with a hop and a skip, and even managed to sneak out of the house after finishing everything.
Of course, she left a letter behind.
[Bu] [N][Ga] [Ye]
It was a simple note she had written herself, using the letters she knew.
It was a wonderful message saying she would be back soon.
Though she couldn’t remember many words, she made do with the ones she recognized, filling a whole sheet of paper with just four letters.
The first letter she had written was a huge accomplishment.
She gazed at her neatly written words, content, before carefully placing it on the floor near the door, where anyone entering would easily see it.
"If I leave it here, they’ll see it as soon as they come in, right?"
Bunny packed up her black dragon stuffed animal and left the mansion.
"Alright, let’s go."
She took quick strides, heading towards her destination.
The mansion at night was heavily guarded.
However, Bunny had to sneak out tonight, without being caught.
‘Children who wander alone at night are usually kidnapped.’
But today, she had to get out, no matter what.
Bunny quickly scanned the area, looking around.
"Where are you going, Miss Bunny?"
"Berry?"
"Yes."
"Not sleeping?"
“We cherish the night as our most comfortable time.
How could we possibly waste it on sleep?”
Belial shrugged his shoulders and licked his lower lip before leisurely speaking with a grin.
“So, where is my lovely lady going?”
“I’m sneaking out.”
Thud.
At Bunny’s words, Belial smiled brightly.
“Ha…”
He exhaled deeply, then, with a quiet laugh, flicked his fingers lightly.
“Shall I take care of all the guards for you?”
“Nope.
Jump!”
Bunny pointed at the tall wall in front of them.
Belial clicked his tongue in disappointment, then bent down slightly to scoop Bunny up in his arms.
“Excuse me.”
“Mhm.”
With a swift kick, Belial easily leapt over the high stone wall, carrying Bunny in his arms.
As he watched the innocent-faced Bunny giggling in his embrace, he smiled warmly.
“Where shall I take you?”
“To the capital!
To the market!”
“As you command.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Belial vanished into the night.
***
Several hours later.
Knock knock.
Knock knock.
The hurried knocking echoed through the room.
Kiriel, lounging on the sofa and listening to Rebon’s monotone report, furrowed his brow.
“Ki-Kiriel, sir!
It’s an emergency!!”
Bunny’s personal maid, Melissa, shouted even though there had been no answer from inside.
Kiriel frowned and sat up straight.
“Come in.”
Melissa rushed in, her hair messy and her face flushed, breathing heavily as if she had run all the way.
Kiriel’s brow furrowed at the sight.
“What is it, Melissa?”
In place of Kiriel, Rebon asked the question, while Melissa clenched her fists and nervously handed over a crumpled piece of paper.
“Ah, it seems the young miss has left the house.”
Seeing Melissa’s pale, terrified face, Rebon quickly took the letter from her.
Kiriel, who took the paper from Rebon, froze for a moment when he unfolded it.
[Bu] [N][Ga] [Ye]
There was nothing written about where Bunny had gone or what she was doing, just those two lines.
“Is this all?”
“Yes… yes.
When I arrived, this was the only thing I found on the floor.
What should we do?
Should I go look for her now…?”
Melissa’s hands trembled as she inhaled deeply, clearly frantic.
Kiriel stared down at the paper for a long moment, his mouth pressed into a thin line, before slowly speaking.
“Rebon.”
“Yes.
I will check with the guards who were on duty from last night until dawn to see if anyone saw Miss Bunny.”
“You.
Wasn’t Bunny last seen by you yesterday?”
“Yes.
I saw her fall asleep, then returned to my room…”
Kiriel looked at Melissa’s contorted face for a moment, then rubbed his forehead, sighing before waving his hand lightly.
“I’m not in the mood to deal with this.
Leave.
The punishment will come later.”
Melissa took a deep breath and bowed slowly before retreating.
As she left, Kiriel stood up, his face stiff.
“Where are you going, sir?”
Rebon’s neutral voice stopped Kiriel as he was about to leave, pulling his coat tighter around him.
“The girl has her eccentricities.
She might be off selling something at the market, for all we know.”
“It could be a runaway situation.”
“That’s impossible.”
Kiriel responded firmly, his voice unusually crisp.
“There’s no way she would leave after saying she wanted to be a great adult and needed protection from me.”
“…Wow, sorry, but may I call that nonsense?”
“Do you want me to halve your pay?”
“Sorry, sir.”
Rebon quickly lowered his head, realizing his words were a mistake.
He treasured his salary.
“I’ll report as soon as I find something…”
Turning his head, Rebon suddenly stopped, blinking in surprise.
Kiriel had already left the room.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Rebon’s face as he muttered under his breath.
“’That’s impossible,’ you say.”
The inconsistency between Kiriel’s words and actions made Rebon shake his head with a wry smile before quickly heading down the hallway.