NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45
Twitch, twitch.
The sight of ears drooping backward, moving this way and that.
Although it was hard to see because it was buried in its fluffy legs, Ophilia could tell this was undoubtedly a rabbit.
“Ooh….”
Rabbits can knock on doors too!
Thinking it was completely obvious, Ophilia sparkled her eyes and crouched down, looking down at the rabbit and asked.
“Is it you who knocked on the door?”
“Ikogodon.”
“I see. My name is Ophilia Translerente, but….”
“Ikogodon.”
“A Lord Rabbit, is it? So, what brings you here? If you’ve lost your owner and are wandering about, I think I can help.”
“Ikogodon.”
The rabbit only made the sound “Ikogodon,” yet somehow—
Ophilia could have a proper conversation with the rabbit for some reason.
“That’s not the case? Then how did you end up in a place like this….”
“Ikogodon.”
“You came to help me… does that mean you want to be my companion?”
“Ikogodon!”
Bounce, bounce!
Seeing the rabbit jump in front of Ophilia as if delighted, she nodded and smiled.
“How you found me is a mystery, but the fact that you came here to be with me takes precedence over whether you’re human or rabbit. I’m looking forward to working together, Lord Rabbit! I might have many shortcomings, but how about we struggle together until we grasp the straightforward facts from God?”
“Ikogodon! Ikogodon!”
The rabbit blinked its starry eyes and jumped around.
“Hmm, quite the delightful jump…! I suppose I should also do my best!”
If he were an ordinary person, he might have questioned the very notion of a ‘rabbit with a strange cry.’
However, Ophilia was the type of person who believed there was a proper reason for every principle in the world.
So she didn’t bother to question it. Even if the rabbit came as a companion, she took it literally.
Indeed, her way of thinking was quite different from that of the average person. This could be seen as a flaw in some ways, but—
—what truly worked in her favor was that she was a woman chosen by God.
* * *
The next day.
“Good morn…ing…???”
“Good morning, Luka.”
Luka, who had arrived at the dining hall for breakfast, found herself stopping in her tracks.
Above Ophilia’s head… sat a fluffy white ball she had never seen before.
“Lady Ophilia? Is that… on your head….”
“Oh, this friend? It’s Lord Rabbit. My new companion.”
“A rabbit…?”
Luka cautiously approached Ophilia.
Initially, she felt quite flustered, but—
The longer she observed the rabbit perched on her head, the easier it was for her feeling to shift to curiosity.
“How cute…! Is it really a rabbit? Its ears do look a bit rabbit-like, but the legs seem a bit short? And it’s so fluffy…”
“Well, it introduced itself as a rabbit, so it must be one, right?”
“It introduced itself? The rabbit did…?”
“Ikogodon.”
“Ah…! That rabbit’s cry seems a bit weird…?”
Startled by the unexpected sound, Luka was grabbed by the sleeve of her dress by Erin, the woman chosen by God, who always greeted the knights with a benevolent smile.
“There’s no need to be too surprised, Lady Luka.”
“Saint Erin, hello.”
Erin quickly offered a prayer.
Her beauty shone brightly just by walking around, capturing the gazes of others easily, but her appearance radiated the most light at the moment she prayed to God Igguoqueden.
“Lord Rabbit is the ‘Messenger of God’ personally chosen by Igguoqueden.”
“A messenger of God? A cute… no, an ordinary rabbit?”
That white, round rabbit?
That fluffy, adorable creature?
“Now that Lady Luka has arrived, I will explain. Lord Rabbit has descended to help Lady Ophilia, who was chosen by God. Naturally, it cannot be a mere ordinary animal. This is the grace of Igguoqueden…!”
Erin said this with an excited expression… and buried her beloved Bible as if to hide it in her Holy Power Pouch.
“Igguoqueden has… heard our prayers. He cherishes us…!”
Erin’s expression was quite complex at that moment. It felt like a blend of gratitude and guilt.
“I see…!”
“So please take good care of the messenger of God, who has come to this world. I will also do my part for Igguoqueden. Well then….”
After Erin disappeared.
The next person to speak to Luka was Linea, who had quietly continued her meal beside her.
“That cry, if you listen closely, sounds like it’s speaking the name of Igguoqueden.”
“Huh? You’re right, now that you mention it?”
“The existence of such a rabbit is surprising, and when I think of our mother and sister… it seems God truly exists.”
Although she stated, ‘God exists,’ Linea’s expression was very subtle.
That was not a faithful expression but more of a researcher’s one. A look that demanded clearer evidence.
Realizing that this was not the virtue a knight should hold, Linea stood up with a bitter smile.
“Lady Luka. Today, I’ll explore near the dungeon, so you can handle a simpler task.”
“Huh? But—”
“No. You’ve been working hard these past few days.”
“…Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. Well then, excuse me first. I hope both of you have a great day.”
“Hmm. Take care, Linea.”
“Ah, Linea….”
Watching Linea disappear before she could say anything, Luka sighed again.
“Fortunately, I’ve become close with Lady Ophilia easily, but for some reason, it’s hard to get closer to Lady Linea….”
Despite having met for the first time, Ophilia treated her very intimately, unlike Linea, who felt like she was keeping a wall up.
Of course, even with that wall, it wasn’t like she dismissed the other person. She maintained her manners perfectly and helped Luka, who still hadn’t adjusted to being a knight during work.
She just seemed cautious about becoming anything more than fellow knights.
Moreover, she didn’t use the language typical of a religious person. For instance, she didn’t say things like, ‘May the straightforward facts be with you.’
Considering what they had just talked about… perhaps she was harboring doubts about the existence of Igguoqueden?
From Luka’s perspective, since they would continue seeing each other in the future, she wanted to get closer…
“Someday, the time will come when she opens her heart.”
Linea was also one chosen by God Igguoqueden.
Since Igguoqueden’s decisions couldn’t be mistaken, there must have been a reason for her being chosen as a knight.
There was a certainty that one day, they would engage in a deep discussion about the straightforward facts of Igguoqueden.
Well, leaving aside Lady Linea for now—
What was currently concerning her was certainly the ‘Messenger of God’ quietly perched on Ophilia’s head.
“Um….”
“Hmm? What’s up?”
Luka was quite weak to cute things. Even during her time at the orphanage, when she barely had enough to eat herself, she used to share bread crumbs with various animals wandering the streets.
Initially, she did so because she believed ‘God was watching,’ but—she came to prefer the animals themselves over time—
“May I… pet you…?”
—So it was entirely natural for her to take an interest in the rabbit with sparkling eyes.
“Ikogodon.”
“The rabbit doesn’t mind. After all, you too are a chosen knight of God, aren’t you?”
“Then…!”
—Swish, swish.
The soft touch began at Luka’s fingertips, spreading deep into the ‘veins of her heart.’
‘So cute…!!!’
So cute.
The texture felt so pleasant… cozy.
Something that warmed a person’s heart existed within this warm creature.
“Looks like the rabbit enjoys your touch, Luka.”
“Ah? This rabbit lady… or rather, she’s a lady…?”
Even though she was adorable, speaking informally to a ‘Messenger of God’ certified by Saint Erin seemed off, so she naturally used respectful language.
“Indeed. She is a very dignified lady. Can’t you tell at a glance?”
“Is that so…? I’m not so sure, but she is cute….”
Just then.
Bounce!
“Ah…!”
The rabbit hopped into Luka’s embrace.
Luka found herself looking into the incredibly lovely eyes of the Messenger of God, blinking cutely as she held it warmly, and her face visibly flushed.
‘So, so cute…!!!’
“Lord Rabbit. Since Luka needs to have her meal, it’s time to return.”
“Ikogodon.”
Bounce!
“Ah, you can stay a bit longer…!”
“No, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. I need to head out soon too, and I can’t take away your precious time any longer.”
“That’s a bit disappointing… sniff.”
“The disappointment makes the next meeting all the more anticipated, doesn’t it? Well then, let’s go share the God’s profound nutrients with everyone.”
“Ikogodon.”
“Huh? Ah… right. It was straightforward facts. Thank you for the reminder, Lord Rabbit! If it weren’t for you, I might have disappointed the priests again.”
‘So you can communicate….’
It was quite a fascinating thing, but well.
Considering all the miracles God had performed until now, this was nothing.
“Um… Lord Rabbit. See you again next time…!”
Instead of making a sound, the rabbit jumped a few times on Ophilia’s head to say goodbye.
“Well then, let’s meet at dinner time. Luka. Let’s work together to transmit God’s straightforward facts to everyone today.”
“Yes!”
Luka couldn’t take her eyes off Ophilia’s departing figure for quite a while.
* * *
The rabbit had infiltrated Ophilia’s life far more swiftly than she had thought.
It not only became her chatterbox during various tasks but also attracted kind attention due to its adorable appearance during volunteer work.
This was a significant merit for a knight, whose most important role was to secure the people’s trust in the Guoden Church through various activities.
The most helpful part was—
The rabbit kept reminding her of the term ‘straightforward facts.’
It was a nearly pinpoint advantage for Ophilia, who shouldn’t still be struggling to memorize that phrase, despite being a knight.
Moreover, the frequency of whispers regarding Ophilia among the religious folk had decreased.
Because she kept messing up the phrase ‘straightforward facts,’ there was no way it wouldn’t come up in conversation, but the halo of being chosen by the Messenger of God enveloped her.
Since it was personally endorsed by Saint Erin, there was a high possibility that discussions about her qualifications among the religious folks would not arise for a while.
As some peaceful time flowed by, one day.
“The Emperor wishes to speak?”
“Yes. He has just departed for the cathedral because he wants to pray to Igguoqueden.”