The Spoiled Prince

"Ugh, I hate this place! What's with the magical forest?! This place is just a gloomy place filled with strange animals!"

Among the lush trees of the Audoran Forest, Gaia watched how Ervin, the youngest prince, complained the entire way. Some adventurers who could use magic were forced to switch jobs and use their magic to fan Ervin. When Gaia saw the spoiled prince's behavior, the earth fairy couldn't hold back her small laugh.

"Hm... Let's see. Ah, he took the path that leads there...."

As Ervin moved further away, Gaia calmly followed the prince's group. Unlike the other elemental fairies, Gaia had no intention of directly attacking Ervin and the adventurers who came with him. The fairy smiled while her eyes continued to watch the movements of Ervin and his group.

Slowly but surely, Ervin's group began to enter the eastern region of the Audoran Forest. As soon as Ervin's group arrived at the location, they were greeted by a collection of bushes that reached the waist of an adult man. Dozens of adventurers immediately used their strength to clear a path for the group to pass through. They were forced to continue moving forward because Leroy had given orders for them to investigate the eastern area of ​​the Audoran Forest that they had not previously had the chance to investigate.

Just like before, Ervin only had to sit in his personal servant's arms while the others were busy clearing the way for them. Boredom made Ervin's gaze wander in various directions. The prince initially seemed interested in anything. However, at one point, Ervin suddenly jumped up, and his servant was also surprised by the sudden movement.

"Your Highness, what are-"

"Rabbit! I want that rabbit, Desmond!"

Desmond, Ervin's servant, looked in the direction indicated by his prince after that. Not far from their position, Desmond did see a rabbit that was happily eating fruit growing in the bushes without caring about the damage caused by them. The rabbit did not look like a normal rabbit in general. Its pink fur had caught the attention of Ervin, who had previously been uninterested in anything.

"Sir Kira, can we bring the rabbit back?"

To comply with Ervin's order, Desmond immediately asked Kira, the adventurer who was leading the group in place of Ervin. Since entering the Audoran Forest, they had captured many magical beasts to sell or keep once they were done with their business in the Audoran Forest. Desmond was asking Kira to confirm whether the rabbit they saw was part of the magical beasts that they could bring home.

Kira, the adventurer Desmond had called, followed Desmond's gaze and frowned after that. Kira was in a bad mood because he had to accompany the spoiled Prince Ervin. However, in the middle of their journey, Kira still had to take care of the prince's wishes in a dangerous area.

"Your Highness, I hope you can reconsider your decision just this once."

"Why? Doesn't that rabbit look weaker than the magical beasts we've captured before?"

A look of displeasure immediately appeared on Ervin's face when Kira politely refused his request. Although Ervin was only a young prince with no political power, thanks to Empress Helena's affection, Ervin had never received any rejection since he was a child. What he wanted had to come true. So, Kira's rejection was almost the same as betrayal in the eyes of the young prince.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid that rabbit is a trap for us. Since earlier, I haven't been able to find any other animals besides that rabbit. Although its appearance seems weak and helpless, I'm afraid the rabbit is stronger than it looks."

"I don't care. I want that rabbit, and you must catch it for me!"

That was the first time Ervin liked the magical animals that lived in the Audoran Forest. Therefore, he didn't want to give in so easily. Ervin no longer cared about the mission that Leroy gave him. Ervin wanted that rabbit and was willing to do anything just to get it.

"You must catch that rabbit, or I will kill you all!"

At this time, Ervin imitated how Jarvis spoke to his servants as he shouted and whined stubbornly. Kira and the other adventurers' feelings became even worse when they saw that the rabbit had not left, even if Ervin's whining voice echoed in the place. The rabbit's reaction was very strange. Everyone became more convinced that the rabbit had intelligence and that they should not be careless when facing it.

"Your Highness, didn't His Highness Prince Leroy order us to search for clues about the whereabouts of the Audoran Forest Guard? We... we should carry out that task first. Only then can we think about catching the pink rabbit."

Desmond saw that Kira and the other adventurers were having a hard time because of his prince's request. So, Desmond gently tried to make his prince understand. But would Ervin compromise when his requests had always come true in the past? Of course not. The prince became even angrier. Ervin hit and kicked Desmond to let him go, then glared hatefully at everyone after he managed to stand on his own feet.

"Are you my brother people or mine?! I said I want that rabbit! No one is allowed to continue the journey until they catch that rabbit for me!"

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Everyone's attention was diverted when they heard the sound of a series of explosions from the direction Prince Jarvis took. Even Ervin, who had been whining subconsciously, stopped his whining. The young prince was silent for a moment, while the faces of the adventurers became even worse after they heard the terrifying explosion.

"Your Highness, how about we return to camp for now? I don't think the explosion earlier was a good sign, Your Highness."

Ervin saw the anxious expressions on the faces of the people who came with him, then finally understood that they had no intention of granting his request. Ervin frowned. Even if they were unwilling to help Ervin retrieve the rabbit, the young prince felt that he was still capable of doing it.

"Forget it! You cowards can return to camp while I will catch the rabbit with my strength!"

"Your Highness, please don't be so hasty-"

"Go away, you cowards! Just look at all of you! Once we return to camp, I will immediately report your actions so that my brother will sentence you all to death!"

Desmond did not have time to continue his sentence when Ervin pushed him with all his might. After hearing Ervin's threat, the adventurers began to think about their decision again. Ervin might be annoying and childish. However, at heart, he was still a prince that they could not oppose. Kira and the adventurers exchanged glances with each other. Although they did not know what kind of creature they had to capture, fighting to capture it was still better than being sentenced to death for ignoring Ervin's orders.

When the adventurers realized they had no choice but to capture the rabbit, they began to take formation to capture the unique animal. Ervin was gently pulled back by Desmond so as not to interfere with the capture process. However, because Ervin was still upset because Desmond made him wait so long just for one request, Ervin refused to be carried again and preferred to stand and watch the process of capturing the animal that had caught his attention.

In the Kingdom of Lucano, Kira was known as one of the adventurers who was skilled at catching various wild animals. His skills made him accepted into the group that escorted the princes to enter the Audoran Forest and received a fantastic payment for the mission. Although Kira was so wary in front of animals he had never met, the adventurer regained his composure after thinking of a plan. What must happen, let it happen. Kira prayed before he used his strongest binding spell on the rabbit that stared at them with round eyes.

"Now!"

After Kira's binding magic successfully hit the rabbit, the adventurer immediately ordered the mage who was with them to cast a spell that could seal the enemy's power. Everyone was so tense because they were afraid that the rabbit would suddenly turn into another creature they couldn't fight. However, it didn't. Until the rabbit was completely under the influence of the magic, the rabbit remained an adorable rabbit that didn't look dangerous.

Everyone secretly let out a long sigh because they were relieved that the rabbit turned out to be just a unique, helpless animal. They could hear Ervin already excited behind them. Kira ordered someone to come forward and take the rabbit. They were completely relaxed because they felt they had finished sealing the rabbit with powerful magic.

However, as soon as everyone felt that everything was over, the scream of the person responsible for taking the rabbit brought their vigilance back.

In front of them, the rabbit that should have been helpless had turned into a large, muscular monster, while its soft pink fur became sharp thorns that looked like thousands of swords stuck in its body. In its mouth filled with fangs, others could see the hand of the friend who had previously tried to take the rabbit to hand it over to Ervin. Now, just from its appearance, they knew that the beast they were fighting was so powerful that it could release powerful magic in such a short time.

"Damn."

Kira only had time to say that before his body was eaten by the large monster.