# Chapter 73
“…Bunny.”
“If you’re scared, don’t be.
Bunny might eat you up if you’re too scared.”
At Bunny’s words, Loel’s eyes widened, and his cheeks flushed slightly.
His ears turned red as he hugged Bunny tightly and whispered.
“Can I… let you eat me?”
“Hmm…?”
“I mean… I think it’s okay if it’s you, Bunny.”
Bunny tilted her head, puzzled by Loel’s strange words.
‘When Luri said things like this, it usually meant to stop because it was scary…’
Something about Loel felt odd.
Bunny sighed softly, deciding to let it go.
At least the fear in Loel’s eyes had disappeared.
He no longer looked terrified, which was a relief.
‘Loel, this is too much…’
He was holding her way too tightly.
If it was out of fear, Bunny understood, but it didn’t change the fact that she was struggling to breathe.
No matter how strong and clever Bunny was, discomfort was discomfort.
“Thank you, Bunny,” Loel murmured, still clinging tightly to her.
‘I can’t let myself be scared like this.’
Loel thought to himself, realizing that Bunny was likely more frightened than he was.
‘This is a real crisis.
Will her dad come to save her?’
In the fairy tales Luriel read to him, dads always rescued their children in moments of danger.
‘Will I get to see her super cool dad?’
Bunny’s eyes sparkled with excitement at the thought.
“Don’t worry, Bunny.
I’ll protect you,” Loel said with determination.
“It’s okay.
Daddy will come.
He’s super strong.”
Bunny firmly believed her dad, like the mighty demon fathers in her storybooks, would swoop in to save her.
There was no doubt about it.
‘I have to protect Bunny.
And somehow, I need to find a chance to use the teleport stone.’
Loel clenched his jaw.
Even if it meant only Bunny could escape, that would be enough.
‘When will her dad arrive?’
Inside the sack, two sets of thoughts crossed paths once more.
***
Growl.
A loud noise came from Bunny’s stomach.
She sagged, clutching her empty belly.
It had been two nights since their capture—two whole days without food.
“This smells worse than stinky feet…”
The horrible men had taken Bunny and Loel to a small, filthy, foul-smelling room.
It was cramped and reeked of dampness, and the floor crawled with bugs.
Outside, the door was locked tight with a rusted padlock.
Loel had been taken away earlier.
They said they were going to determine if he was a demon or not.
As for Bunny…
“I’m hungry…”
She held her growling stomach and pouted.
“People who don’t feed kids are bad people…”
Luri had always said that adults who didn’t feed children were the worst of the worst, trash among trash.
If Bunny ever met someone like that, she was supposed to whack them with MierMier and run.
‘But I’m stuck here…’
Her pink eyes rolled around thoughtfully before she carefully slipped off her bunny-shaped backpack.
‘Bunny, there’s chocolate hidden in here from when Loel and I went shopping.’
She had planned to share it with her dad, Allen, and Kalbada when they got home, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Bunny rummaged through her bag, pulling out the gift box meant for her dad and plunging her short arms into the bunny’s open head.
Finally, she pulled out a small box of chocolates.
At that moment, the door creaked open with a grating metallic noise.
‘Loel?’
Bunny’s ears perked up.
Her big eyes sparkled as she lifted her head, ready to share the chocolate with him.
Thud.
Loel’s body flew through the air and landed limply on the floor.
The horrible men had thrown him in like a discarded rag doll.
Bunny’s eyes widened in shock as she saw his body covered in bruises and wounds.
“Loel…?”
Her small voice trembled as she called out to him, but Loel didn’t respond.
He lay motionless, as if lifeless.
“Hah, that was entertaining.
I thought he was a demon because of his red eyes, but I guess not.
Turns out, demon eyes aren’t that special after all.”
The men laughed cruelly, their mocking voices echoing through the small, grimy room.
Bunny blinked once before standing up.
She walked over to Loel and crouched in front of him, gently shaking his limp body.
A streak of something red had smeared across his cheek.
‘Ketchup?’
No, it wasn’t.
Bunny knew this smell all too well—the smell she hated most.
It was the smell that had surrounded her when she was very small.
The light in Bunny’s pink eyes dimmed as a quiet resolve took hold of her.
Hurting Bunny was bad.
Very bad.
***
Baby, if you ever find yourself hurt terribly by bad people while out shopping for Kiriel Yudia’s gift, don’t use magic that day.
No matter what.
Someone will come to save you.
If you can avoid being discovered that day, you’ll grow into a fine adult.
The words from Luriel’s notebook flashed through Bunny’s mind.
Slowly, she blinked, as if reaffirming her decision.
‘Bunny will grow into a fine adult.’
Which meant she couldn’t use her powers today.
Luri’s advice was always difficult to follow but always right.
Her thoughts cleared, and Bunny rose to her feet, steady and calm.
“Huh?
What’s this?
Hey, didn’t anyone take stuff off this kid yet?”
One of the men kicked the box Bunny had carefully picked out as a surprise gift for her dad.
It tumbled over, spilling its contents.
“That’s Bunny’s!
Don’t touch!” Bunny shouted.
“Don’t touch?
Aww, is it Bunny’s?
Oh, how precious!
Hahaha!
These pampered little brats who’ve never faced hardship are always so clueless.”
Crack!
The man’s mocking words were followed by a vicious stomp on the box.
The fragile container caved in instantly.
There was no need to guess what had happened to the contents inside.
“…No.
That was Bunny’s surprise for Daddy…” she murmured, her voice trembling.
“Forget that.
Where’s the phoenix, kid?
You left it somewhere, didn’t you?” the other man interjected.
“The client said divine beasts are linked to their masters.
If the master is in danger, the beast will automatically appear.
What do you think about stabbing her just enough to test it out?”
“Hmm, yeah, that sounds like the safest bet.
And the five billion?”
“They’ve got it ready.
Said someone’s coming by this afternoon.
If everything goes smoothly, we might even get a bonus.”
Their conversation was incomprehensible to Bunny.
Words like five billion, bonus, and automatic summoning all blurred into meaningless noise.
What she understood, however, was that Loel looked hurt.
Her cherished gift had been destroyed.
Bunny’s clear eyes blinked again, their soft pink hue darkening into a deep crimson.
Her once-round and innocent gaze sharpened, her irises narrowing into thin, vertical slits.
The temperature around her began to drop, though the men didn’t notice.
“Why?”
“Huh?”
“Why did you do that?” Bunny asked, lifting her head to stare directly at the man.
He froze mid-step, a shiver running down his spine.
Under the dim light, her glowing crimson eyes stood out, piercing through the shadows.
The man hesitated, unnerved.
‘Were her eyes always that color?’
Feeling like he was being overshadowed by a mere child, the man bared his teeth, growing more aggressive to compensate.
“Hah?
Why?
Because selling little brats like you is how we make a living.
What else?”
“Bad job.”
“Bad job?
Oh, for—what nonsense!
I don’t have time for this crap.
Talking to a kid with their head still wet from the womb, what’s the point?”
Shink.
The man unsheathed his sword and began striding toward Bunny.
Bunny stood rooted in place, her gaze unwavering as she watched him approach.
“Stop.
Bunny is stronger than you.
Heal Loel,” she said, her voice eerily calm.
Whoom—
The air around Bunny began to chill noticeably, though the man failed to register the shift.
Her once-sunny demeanor was gone, replaced by a cold and desolate stare.
Her crimson eyes glowed brighter, bleeding into an even deeper shade of red.
And yet, Bunny stood motionless, a quiet storm waiting to be unleashed.