36
Chapter 36
The next morning.
Servam woke up and tossed and turned.
"Mmm...."
Even an undead requires Sleep.
The Vampire took a nap last time, after all.
Not needing Sleep was a privilege reserved for the Doll Tribe like me. It was a privilege that acted as both a blessing and a curse.
Upon waking up, the first thing Servam did was check if her Baby Doll was safe.
Naturally, the Baby Doll hadn't slept either.
The little one burned the midnight oil with me.
Staring intently into each other's eyes without a word.
Well, to be precise, I was the one constantly staring at the Baby Doll.
After checking that her baby was safe.
She turned her head to look at me, bearing a gentle smile as she offered a morning greeting.
"Good morning, Bear Baby."
Good morning to you too, Servam.
Swoosh, swoosh, I greeted her by waving my arms.
Ah. I should call her Ailee from now on, not Servam.
Now that I know her real name, there's no need to shorten her race name to call her.
"Thank you for keeping watch while I slept."
There's no need to thank me.
We are family now, so of course I should protect you.
Since I have a body that can't sleep even if I want to, don't worry about it and leave the night watch to me anytime.
Ailee patted my head.
Then, she slowly shifted her gaze toward the thick bushes.
She had a look on her face as if lost in thought.
"...Say, Bear Baby."
Ailee broke the silence.
What is it?
I tilted my head.
"I can't just sit here doing nothing forever just to take care of my baby, so I was thinking of going hunting with you starting today... Would that be alright?"
Ailee's gaze fixed on me.
Hmm. You do need to go hunting as well.
You can't just rest forever.
One must gather their own share of food, after all.
But what are you going to do about the Baby Doll then?
Taking a Baby Doll that can't even move along on a hunt is dangerous, yet leaving it here alone is concerning too.
I pointed at the Baby Doll.
I wonder if she can understand what I'm trying to convey.
"Ah. I'll pay close attention and make sure to protect my baby, so don't worry."
She understood perfectly.
Did she get quicker on the uptake after becoming a monster?
Nod, nod.
I bobbed my head in agreement.
Well, if she says she can protect it herself.
Then let's head out a little later.
We have to wait for Tosuni, who finished her Limit Breakthrough, to come hang out.
I drew a picture of a rabbit on the ground. It was a clumsy drawing, but if she had any sense, she could roughly recognize it.
"A drawing of a rabbit? Ah, are you saying we should wait for Tosuni to arrive?"
I nodded once again.
Communicating my meaning through drawings is much easier.
I should use this method more often from now on.
"Alright, let's wait while having breakfast, then."
Ailee stood up from her seat.
She grabbed a crude-looking gourd dipper.
It was something she had carved from a thick branch last night.
"I'm really thirsty, so can I drink first?"
Go right ahead.
I'm not exactly in a rush.
Ailee scooped a generous amount of blood from the jar Tosun's Mom had gifted us, then gulped it down.
After that, she scooped up another full dipper of blood and handed it to me.
"Here, you should drink too, Bear Baby."
Thank you.
I received the dipper from her.
Glug, glug.
Drinking a whole dipper of blood instantly replenished my Mana.
This definitely isn't ordinary blood.
I should ask her to gift us some more later if I get the chance.
This was enough for a meal.
I had replenished quite a bit of Mana, and Ailee seemed to have satisfied her hunger on top of quenching her thirst with just one dipper.
Having finished our meal, we sat down near the Flag holding Tosun's Mom's blessing.
In this state, we stared blankly at the bushes.
It was the direction Tosuni usually appeared from.
I wonder when she'll come to play.
She is coming today, right?
If she succeeded in her Limit Breakthrough, she would definitely come over to brag about it.
I didn't entertain the assumption that she might have failed.
There's no point in thinking negatively, after all.
Besides, there's a saying that words can become reality.
As we continued to space out, about an hour seemed to have passed.
Rustle.
In the direction we were looking.
The bushes swayed, and a small figure suddenly popped out.
[Devoted Rabbit Doll lv.14]
┗Pw.42
┗Rnk.Superior
"Woong!"
What is that?
Devoted Rabbit Doll?
Were there more of the Doll Tribe around here?
A rabbit Doll with pure white, fluffy fur had jumped out.
The appearance of a species we were seeing for the first time.
Startled, Ailee and I jumped up from our spots and went on high alert.
But we immediately let our guard down.
The large spot marked on its ear.
The adorable cry.
The angelic smile.
That's totally Tosuni, isn't it?
There was absolutely no way it could be a different entity.
Her appearance had changed, but there were far too many overlapping features.
Moreover, there wouldn't be many low-level monsters brave enough to approach this place protected by Tosun's Mom's blessing.
Tosuni was an Uncommon rank at level 20.
If she succeeded in her Limit Breakthrough, she'd be a Superior rank at level 14.
The information displayed by the Helper also matched perfectly.
There was a 100 percent chance it was Tosuni.
Ailee must have also recognized that the rabbit Doll was Tosuni, as she slowly approached her and asked cautiously.
"Uh... by any chance, are you Tosuni?"
"Woong!"
Tosuni answered while raising one arm high into the air.
Poor thing. Even after going through Evolution, she still can't speak a systematic language.
More importantly.
I thought she'd become a Crimson Rabbit if she went through Evolution...
I at least thought she would evolve into a living creature...
Why did she become part of the Doll Tribe like me?
I never imagined she would evolve into a Doll.
Is some sort of Doll virus spreading from my body or something? And Tosuni got infected by that virus, resulting in a failed Evolution?
...Nah, that couldn't be it.
And just because she became a Doll doesn't mean it's a failed Evolution, either.
Although you could call it somewhat of a dark Evolution.
"You safely finished your Limit Breakthrough! Congratulations, baby Tosun!"
"Woohuhoong!"
Ailee clapped with a bright smile.
She didn't look shocked at all.
She didn't seem to find it strange that a living creature had evolved into a Doll, either.
Then again, something like this wouldn't surprise her.
Considering she gave birth to a Baby Doll herself.
I heard that the Baby Doll is indeed her biological daughter when Ailee told me various things before going to Sleep last night.
Anyway.
This is a bit ambiguous.
Should I be congratulating her for this or not?
"Woong?"
Pitter-patter.
Tosuni came running up to me.
"Woong!"
She showed off her new appearance.
Is she asking for a compliment?
Are you happy that you became the same species as me?
Yeah, if you like it, then that's enough.
Clap, clap, clap.
I clapped and congratulated Tosuni on her safe Limit Breakthrough.
"Woohuhoong!"
But I wonder what Tosun's Mom's reaction was like.
Tosun's Mom would have been the very first to check on Tosuni's Evolution. I became curious about how she reacted upon seeing her daughter evolve into a Doll rather than a living creature.
I hope she didn't mistreat her and kick her out of the house for turning into a strange species.
If she had, there's no way Tosuni would be this cheerful right now.
"Woong, woo-woong, woo-woo-woong!"
Tosuni said something.
I have no idea what she's saying.
I slightly lifted my head and looked at Ailee.
Because Ailee is going to interpret for me.
"Ah, really?"
"Woong, woo-woong."
"Is it really okay for us to go? It feels like we'd be a nuisance if we just dropped by uninvited when we don't know any of the other rabbits besides you and your mother...."
"Woo-woong! Woong!"
Ailee conversed with Tosuni.
Then, she immediately relayed Tosuni's words to me.
"Bear Baby. Baby Tosun says there's a festival in their village and invited us to come play."
A question mark?
I drew a question mark on the dirt floor.
It meant I was curious about what kind of festival it was.
"Baby Tosun, Bear Baby is curious about what kind of festival is being held."
"Woong! Woo-woo-woong, woo-woong!"
"Ah. It's a festival for You, baby Tosun? So it doesn't matter who you invite."
A festival for Tosuni?
What is that supposed to mean.
Hey. Hurry up and interpret.
Don't just talk among yourselves.
I scrunched up my face and glared fiercely at Ailee.
"Hm? Our Bear Baby's face suddenly got a little crumpled. Did you just fall or something? I'll smooth it back out for you, so hold on a second."
Squeeze, squeeze.
"There, all done! You're back to normal now!"
Ailee straightened out my face.
I was making an angry face, though....
My expression was forcibly relaxed.
"Oh, and she said the festival is being held to celebrate Tosuni's Special Evolution this time."
Huh? They're celebrating instead of mistreating her?
Even though she evolved into a Doll instead of a living creature?
It was nothing short of a culture shock.
Because I was mistreated the moment I was born.
Is it because she wasn't born as a Doll, but became one through Evolution?
Seems like the same thing to me....
"Woong!"
"Baby Tosun is telling us to follow her. Let's go after her, Bear Baby! We can hunt later!"
Well, a good thing is a good thing.
I'm jealous that your species doesn't have prejudices, Tosuni.
***
After following behind Tosuni and pushing through the bushes for a long time.
We arrived in front of a bizarrely shaped White Tree standing all alone.
Naturally, we brought the Baby Doll along too.
"Woong."
Tosuni placed her hand against the tree.
Then, the center of the tree trunk twisted, and a large crack instantly formed.
Wow, what is that?
Isn't this a Portal?
Is it something like a Dungeon entrance?
"Woong, woo-woong!"
"Bear Baby. Baby Tosun says we have to enter here first to head to the Blood Rabbit village."
Tosuni threw her body toward the Portal without hesitation.