* * *
“Whoa….”
Bunny, who had been on the verge of hopping off the carriage before Roden Heiner scooped her up and set her safely on the ground, dropped her jaw.
*So white, so fancy, and so sparkly!*
It was a magnificent mansion, a harmonious blend of sky-high architecture and shimmering gold. To Bunny, it was the largest building she had ever seen.
*It’s a white, white mansion!*
“This way.”
Bunny’s eyes went wide as she trotted after Roden Heiner.
Inside, the mansion was filled with people dressed in stark white. Many clutched thick books to their chests, while others moved with the rhythmic clatter of shimmering silver armor.
“*Hic.*”
Bunny gasped, watching them warily.
*“Little one, little one. You must never go near people wearing white clothes. They might hurt you. You understand?”*
The 7th entry of Luriel’s series of fervent instructions echoed in her head.
*White clothes, bad people! White things, bad things!*
As she trotted along, Bunny jumped in place the moment she made eye contact with a man in flowing white robes carrying a book.
*Tip-tap, tip-tap—*
Tense, Bunny hunched her shoulders like a turtle and scurried to stick to the knight’s side. She glanced at Roden Heiner’s attire from the corner of her eye and nodded, satisfied.
*The knight is in black clothes! So, safe!*
Seeing Roden Heiner draped in a black robe, Bunny let out a sigh of relief and mimicked the motion of wiping sweat from her brow with her sleeve.
Noticing the unusually heavy, un-childlike sigh, Roden Heiner slowed his pace and looked down at the child with a puzzled expression. On her back, the limp limbs of a black rabbit bag swayed with every step. Whether she had stuffed it with trinkets, the rabbit—which should have been scrawny—was covered in strange, lumpy protrusions.
*It looks like a muscular rabbit.*
Roden Heiner stifled a soft, dry laugh. *Am I becoming childlike just because I’m around a child?*
Was it because she was so young? For some reason, she caught his eye. Though he hadn’t told her, while the entry age for the Mansion Of Trials was ten, they had decided to bring her immediately, given the special circumstance of her having no guardian.
“Do you have any questions, Miss?”
“Ques-chuns?”
“Yes. I will explain everything once we arrive, but you are welcome to ask beforehand.”
Bunny seemed to ponder this for a moment before thrusting her right hand high into the air. The orphanage director had said that when asking a question, one must hold their right hand up.
*She said those were the human rules.*
Of course, since Bunny was going to become the Great Demon King, she didn’t really have to follow human rules, but she had been told that adults liked children who listened.
“Is there a reezun why there are so many white pee-pul??”
“Ah. The people in white clothes are from the temple.”
“Tem-pul…?”
“Yes. The temple is a place that purifies demons, exterminates the demon race, and protects the peace of the people.”
Roden Heiner knelt on one knee, calmly explaining at eye level so the child could understand.
*Thud!*
In Bunny’s mind, a giant boulder crashed onto her head. Her jaw dropped.
“Little one. Among those wearing white, there are some real bast… ah, *ahem*. There are some very, very dangerous people.”
“Dang-er-us pee-pul?”
“Yes. The temple people. So, you must not go near them. Especially those Holy Knights wearing pure white uniforms from head to toe. They have neither blood nor tears; a small child like you would be eaten up in an instant.”
Recalling Luriel’s warnings, Bunny’s eyes went round. Come to think of it, inside the collar of Roden Heiner’s robe, a flash of white fabric was visible.
*Temple? Knight…? Roden, a Holy Knight?!*
*Bunny… super-duper big crisis…? If they find out I’m a future Great Demon King, will Bunny get eaten?*
Trembling, Bunny edged backward, maintaining exactly three steps of distance from him. Of course, to Roden Heiner, it barely looked like she had moved at all.
“Miss?”
“Roden, are you a tem-pul knight?”
Roden?
Roden Heiner’s cheek twitched, but he kept his expression neutral.
“No. I am a knight belonging to the Duchy of Yudia.”
*Ah, relieved. If he’s not a temple person, I’m safe! Bunny is totally safe!*
Satisfied, Bunny beamed and pressed her body right back against Roden Heiner’s leg.
*Because there are too many people in white clothes elsewhere!*
Roden Heiner, unable to fathom why the girl kept distancing herself only to cling to him again, looked perplexed. *Are her legs hurting?*
He lowered his body slightly and asked with care, “Are you alright? If your legs hurt, shall I carry you?”
“No!”
Bunny jumped up and down to prove she was sturdy. As she grinned, Roden Heiner paused, gave a small, dry cough, and continued.
“Anyway, the Duchy of Yudia has produced High Priests, Holy Knight Captains, and Saints for generations. It is a holy family that boasts a unique meritocracy, permitted to possess an order of God’s Knights that transcends even the Holy Knights.”
*Huh?*
As the complex words poured out, Bunny’s eyes spun. She considered herself a genius among geniuses for having mastered the human language—albeit with clumsy pronunciation—in just one year, but she was still a baby-adult who struggled with big words. After chewing on his explanation for a while, she ventured a guess.
“Is, is it a holy fam-lee of God’s sil-ver?”
“No. It is a holy family that prioritizes merit.”
“Ooooh.”
*Anyway, it means they’re awesome, right? Since they’re the same duchy, there must be a super-strong demon daddy here too, right?*
Having no knowledge of any duchies beyond the ones in Luriel’s stories, Bunny just smiled brightly and nodded vaguely.
Roden Heiner continued, an oddly proud edge to his voice. “And it was the direct line of the Yudia Duchy that led the war against the demon race to victory several years ago.”
*Crackle-boom—! Flash!*
Lightning and thunder struck right over Bunny’s head—at least, in her imagination.
*The pincers… destroyed the demon race?! The pincers are also a scary Yudia Duchy!*
*“Little one, if you ever happen to get close to temple people, you must never let them find out you are a descendant of the Great Demon King. You understand? Even in a tiger’s den, if you keep your wits about you, you can survive! Just do that, and you’re totally safe! You know?”*
*Safe, safe!*
*“Yes. Because our little one is special. If you just hide it, almost no one will be able to tell. It’s a perfect crime!”*
*No, if it’s a tiger’s den, wits mean total safety!*
*Bunny has to become a great tiger’s den, too.*