Episode 15
The rabbit picked up a branch and lightly lifted it.
In the next moment, a deep, abyss-like glow began to envelop the branch.
It was aura.
“……!”
Only three people in the empire were capable of using aura:
Denver Eden Daislan, the emperor’s younger brother and the strongest sword wielder alive, as well as the commander of the Erne Knights.
Olimia Setrin, a retired former commander of the Erne Knights.
And Cassium Ruden Balteaire, the leader of the Black Leopard division of the Erne Knights, and the superior he served.
Even among the Empire’s most renowned swordsmen, aura users were rare.
What were the odds that a rabbit could possess such a power, versus the odds that this rabbit was Cassium himself?
“Beep.”
As Hedel stood there, mouth agape, the rabbit, seemingly frustrated, let out a “Beep” and pointed somewhere.
Under the shade of a tree, letters were scrawled on the ground.
‘Said.’
Hedel Said Visen. It was Hedel’s name.
But only a few people knew Hedel’s middle name, “Said.”
Perhaps a few close acquaintances, or Cassium himself.
“Beep.”
Hedel looked up at the rabbit again.
Its gaze was indifferent yet imposing, as if it cared about nothing in the world.
That gaze was unmistakably Cassium’s.
“Commander!”
Hedel shouted involuntarily, almost in a wail.
“Shh, Beep.”
“What is going on here?!”
“Shh.”
Cassium raised his fluffy paw to his mouth, signaling for silence.
Hedel hurriedly nodded and crouched down to meet Cassium’s eye level.
‘Dark Magic.’
Cassium wrote the words on the ground with his front paw.
That their commander had fallen victim to dark magic and turned into an unbearably cute rabbit—Hedel felt like the world was crumbling.
“Who would do such a thing?!”
“Beep Beep.”
Cassium shook his head once.
“Do you have no suspects? No, never mind. I’ll find a way to undo the dark magic immediately.”
“Beep.”
Cassium waved his paw dismissively and erased the letters on the ground with his hind leg.
He then began writing again.
‘I need something.’
“Just tell me! Oh, how much you must have suffered….”
Hedel wiped away tears with his fingers, suddenly overwhelmed.
Although he had kept his composure in front of Milia and Nervan, Hedel had been losing sleep, worried that something might have happened to the commander.
“Whatever it is, just say the word, Commander.”
Cassium nodded and wrote another word.
‘Letter.’
“A letter? You need a letter? Wait, are you getting married, Commander? No, hold on, are you going to do that as a rabbit?! What does this even mean?!”
Cassium kept writing, urging Hedel to read to the end.
‘Balteire, servant, letter, deliver, must stop. Tomorrow.’
“Tomorrow, Balteire’s servant will deliver a letter somewhere, and you want me to stop them…?”
Hedel quickly grasped the meaning and asked urgently.
“Where do I go?”
Cassium shook his head.
“You don’t know?”
“Beep.”
Cassium nodded.
‘Please.’
Though the rabbit’s paws were blunt, making the writing slow, Hedel read each word with tension.
‘Sorry.’
“Don’t be, Commander. I will carry out your orders to the letter.”
Though Cassium apologized for the burden, it was a message filled with trust, signaling that Hedel was the only one he could rely on.
Moved by that trust, Hedel suppressed the swelling emotion in his chest and replied firmly.
“Should I inform anyone else? Like the other deputies or the commander?”
“Beep Beep.”
Cassium shook his head.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust others, but in the current situation, the fewer people who knew the truth, the better.
After all, secrets often leaked not because of malice but by accident—birds hear during the day, mice at night.
Moreover, there were elders who disapproved of the young division commanders in Erne. If they learned that something had happened to Cassium, they would pounce like vultures.
‘That’s probably why Commander Denver hasn’t publicly revealed my disappearance yet.’
Until the mastermind behind the dark magic was uncovered, minimizing risks was the best course of action.
“I understand, Commander.”
“Beep.”
‘Don’t acknowledge. Talk to yourself.’
The message was to act as though talking to himself even when meeting Cassium.
“Understood. I got it, rabbit.”
“Beep.”
‘Please. Absolutely.’
Hedel could almost hear Cassium’s voice in the request.
“I will make sure to succeed, rabbit.”
Hedel and Cassium exchanged determined looks.
***
“I’ve dealt with the remaining forces.”
In the office of Denver, commander of the Erne Knights, I stood straight, hands clasped behind my back, delivering the results.
“After eliminating their leader, reports of monster-related incidents near the forest village have decreased from 13 per day to 2.”
“Well done, Lize.”
The knights of the Black Leopard division claimed that he was still carrying out the mission regarding the Heart of Lagon, but there were too many inconsistencies to believe them.
It had been several days since he left for the mission, and Cassium was not the type to take this long for anything he did.
‘What on earth is he doing?’
I recalled the dream I had about Cassium in the cave.
Was it because he had been so conspicuously absent from the knights that I ended up dreaming such strange things?
“He’s on a mission.”
“What kind of mission?”
“The Heart of Lagon…”
“You know I’m not naive enough to believe that, Commander.”
“It feels like just yesterday you were a naive rookie knight…”
“Commander.”
I urged Commander Denver, who was wiping away imaginary tears with a wistful look in his eyes.
He cleared his throat with a loud ahem and then silently stared at me for a moment.
“Lize.”
“Yes.”
The commander hesitated for a moment before continuing in a heavy voice.
“Actually…”
***
“Golden Bunny.”
As soon as I returned, the Golden Bunny darted toward me with a chop sound.
“Oh, were you waiting for me?”
“Beep.”
Despite its quick movements, the Bunny’s response was indifferent. With its arms crossed and its head tilted, it looked as though it hadn’t been waiting at all.
Lowering my body to its level, I asked, “You weren’t waiting?”
“Beep.”
“Then I guess I’ll just leave you here!”
As I turned abruptly, the Golden Bunny quickly jumped with a pang and landed in front of me as if to block my way.
When I opened the large bag meant for the rabbit, it hopped in as if it were used to it.
“Beep.”
“Golden Bunny, I heard some shocking news today.”
“Beep?”
“I’ll tell you about it on the way home.”
The Golden Bunny twitched its large ears.
When I extended my hand, the adorable bunny hesitated for a moment before gently placing its paw on my hand.
“Seeing you always calms me down. As expected, you’re the best, Golden Bunny.”
“Beep.”
I held the soft, fluffy paw for a moment, letting its warmth soothe me.
‘So cute.’
In the desk mirror in my office, I saw my own expression.
It was me, smiling as if I were the happiest person alive.
— Lize, do you hate it so much when I smile in front of you?
— Do you like it when I smile in front of you?
— Yes.
— If you’re going to joke, at least try to sound convincing.
During our academy days, Cassium and I once had such a conversation.
Back then, I thought those words weren’t serious and wondered what difference it made whether I smiled or not.
‘Is smiling really better?’
For a moment, I wondered if he had meant it sincerely.
But I quickly shook off the thought and stood up.
“Let’s go, Golden Bunny.”
***
“Golden Bunny, earlier I mentioned hearing something shocking while talking to the commander.”
“Beep.”
The Golden Bunny peeked its head out of the bag and nodded.
“To explain, I should probably start with who it’s about.”
“Beep.”
“It’s about Cassium—he was my classmate at the academy and is now the leader of the Black Leopard division in our knight order.”
“Beep…?”
“Golden Bunny? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, oh, Beep…”
The Golden Bunny twitched its ears as if to urge me to continue the story.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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Thanks for the updates! ✨ This story makes me want a pet bunny..