How to Use the Lord’s Future Diary

Chapter 16

The Rabbit Tribe was scattered across the entire Forest of Illusions, living as if in a decentralized network.

Even informing such a Rabbit Tribe about the migration and recruiting those willing to join was a task in itself.

Luxa, an elder of the Rabbit Tribe, a faithful follower of the Beast God Bestia, and a supporter of migration, persuaded the nearby Rabbit Tribe members and immediately began sending people out to recruit volunteers.

“Participation is lower than expected. It seems the fear of a new environment is greater than I thought.”

“Well, from their perspective, it’s definitely an adventure.”

Despite explaining about the Rabbit Tribe’s sacred relic—the Black Rabbit Statue—and about the Guide, Luxa seemed disappointed that fewer migrants had gathered than expected.

Just as Black Rabbit had said, being a Beastman didn’t necessarily mean worshipping Bestia, and being the Rabbit Tribe’s Guide didn’t mean all Rabbits would follow.

No, in this case, wasn’t it more likely that they simply couldn’t believe a human was the Rabbit Tribe’s Guide?

After all, there was no proof that I was the Guide.

Since I had already expected this, I wasn’t too disappointed.

Rather, I thought it was more correct to say that if we hadn’t discovered the Black Rabbit Statue, not even this small group of migrants would have gathered.

But it didn’t matter.

Even if only a small number of Rabbits gathered, everything afterward would surely become easier.

And if enough Rabbits gathered for Black Rabbit to manifest, then I would be acknowledged as the true Guide of the Rabbit Tribe, and at that point, I could bring even more Rabbits.

But there was one thing I hadn’t expected: my idea of a “small number” was apparently quite different from Luxa’s.

“So, how many are we talking about?”

“A little over 400.”

“Didn’t you say participation was low?”

“Yes. It’s not exact, but it’s probably less than 20%.”

“Oh, really?”

The Rabbit Tribe was insane.

Sure, the Forest of Illusions was vast, but were there really thousands living here?

Since they lived scattered, I thought it might be a few hundred at most, but the scale was completely different.

And apparently, some of the Rabbits had even left for outside. So, excluding them, that was still the remaining number.

-What did you think the Rabbit Tribe was? They may not be rabbits, but they are as virile as them. If not for this harsh environment, tens of thousands would have survived.

“No, but still. Living thousands strong in this unforgiving place?”

-At night, once they go into their burrows, what else is there to do? It’s a natural outcome.

“Well… true. There really isn’t much else to do.”

These people really lived with a completely different stride.

‘In that case, maybe it’s fortunate that participation was low.’

The Johnson Territory had a population of about 3,000.

In a situation where it was still uncertain what would happen with the Horned Rabbits, suddenly having a population boom was too dangerous.

We had secured something like peanuts, but it wasn’t enough to justify increasing numbers recklessly.

It would be better to stabilize the territory first and then consider the rest of the Rabbit Tribe.

“All right, let’s return!”

And with that, the Horned Rabbit expedition came to an end.

The spoils of this expedition were: about 400 Rabbits, a dozen or so Horned Rabbits, dozens of sacks of soil collected from Horned Rabbit burrows, and lastly, the Black Rabbit Statue—the true body of Black Rabbit—and one black rabbit.

‘This is… basically a rabbit feast.’

Sure, we had come for rabbits, but it felt like we had captured way more than planned.

By then, the season had passed spring and was approaching summer.

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After the Rabbits joined as residents of the territory, I asked the people to help them adapt well.

Given Johnson Territory’s constant shortage of manpower, there was no backlash.

Though it wasn’t as if they seemed overly welcoming either.

It was already well-known that the territory’s food supply wasn’t exactly abundant.

With the population suddenly increased by over 10%, the residents would inevitably suffer some losses.

“My word, then from now on…”

“Are these friends going to farm?”

“Then do we just go hunting instead?”

“And when the alarm goes off, we rush out and hunt monsters.”

“I see.”

“Well then, our rabbit friends are truly noble folks.”

But once it became known that the Rabbits’ main task would be farming, the atmosphere completely changed.

If the Rabbit Tribe farmed, that meant the existing residents didn’t have to.

Seeing how the mood shifted instantly at the mere word “farming,” I couldn’t help but wonder.

Just how much did our residents hate farming?

“The Rabbits seem to be adapting well.”

-The adaptability of the Rabbit Tribe is a blessing bestowed upon them by Lord Bestia.

“Blessing? What’s that?”

-Oh, you didn’t know? Each Beastman tribe has a blessing from Lord Bestia. One unique to their kind.

“I don’t really get it.”

-To put it in terms you’d easily understand, think of it as a racial trait. It can be passive or active. For the Rabbit Tribe, they received adaptability as a passive.

“Oh, like that?”

That explanation clicked immediately.

So Bestia had granted the Rabbit Tribe a passive racial trait called ‘adaptability’?

I always wondered how they managed to survive in such extreme conditions, and now it turned out there was such a secret.

“Well, if they could survive in that kind of environment, there’s no reason they wouldn’t adapt to our territory.”

The Rabbits, as soon as they settled inside Johnson Castle, immediately ran to the southern farmland—or what once had been farmland.

And they worked the fields for twelve hours a day.

Since farming was the residents’ most despised task, no one had ever set official working hours there, but the Rabbits simply took it upon themselves to work diligently.

Truly, they were hardworking friends.

“My word, to think I could eat bread this soft after just twelve hours of work.”

“So that means we don’t have to eat those tough carrots anymore?”

“And so much salt, too…”

“They even handed out tons of cloth. Is this really all right?”

We distributed basic food supplies and essentials like cloth, and they were very thankful.

Our territory may have been poor, but it was still far better than the lives the Rabbits had led in the forest.

They had been at the level of sheer subsistence.

They barely managed to sell herbs and such to outsiders in exchange for necessities, but from the way they explained, they had been ripped off badly.

All in all, they were quite pitiful people.

“This part is a bit unexpected.”

The issue arose in housing.

Johnson Castle had been built with the expectation of accommodating at least twenty thousand people, so there was plenty of empty space and even empty houses.

Even with only around four hundred Rabbits moving in, it shouldn’t have been a problem.

So we handed them the cleanest houses still available—but within just a few days, they ran out of them.

“Why are they digging burrows inside the castle of all places?”

-I have nothing to say on this matter either. The Rabbit Tribe used to live in proper houses once upon a time.

Perhaps because of their memories of life in the Forest of Illusions, they had become incapable of living in normal houses. They huddled together in the open space and dug burrows.

Since it was just empty ground, it wasn’t really a problem, but seeing burrows dug inside the castle grounds made me feel a bit sad.

Especially since houses built before the Great Cataclysm could still use magical tools, making them very convenient.

“Hah, here no monsters shove their heads into our burrows.”

“At night, we just slept without even needing a watch.”

“I can’t remember the last time I woke up feeling this refreshed.”

“Once we lined the floor with monster hides, no dampness seeped in.”

But what could I do? If that was what they liked, then so be it.

It might look a little pitiful, but their satisfaction was what mattered most.

Since the Rabbits had excellent adaptability, one day they might adjust to life above ground.

And if they continued to insist on underground living, well, I could think about that later.

-This is indeed an item imbued with Lord Bestia’s power.

“…Really?”

And then there was the Diary.

After guiding the Rabbits to their dwellings, I observed the Diary together with Black Rabbit.

Black Rabbit, the envoy of Bestia, admitted that the Diary I possessed contained Bestia’s power.

But the odd part was, though it was indeed an item imbued with Bestia’s power, even Black Rabbit could not say for what purpose, or why it had been placed in this Diary.

-Our Lord Bestia does not use His power in this way. He is a very straightforward one.

“Is that so?”

-A Diary that reveals the future? Master, what on earth did you do?

“How should I know? It was already like this before I transmigrated.”

-Then some great event must have provoked Lord Bestia.

“Well, what exactly does Lord Bestia like?”

-If it is His interests, then meat, and reproduction.

“What a worldly fellow.”

The gods of this world seemed less like omniscient beings and more like personified deities.

Like Zeus or Athena from Greek mythology.

Since He was the Beast God, His interest in meat and reproduction was something I could understand.

“Whatever happened, at least it doesn’t seem to have a bad intention.”

-That is correct. Lord Bestia is not that kind of being.

“Well, that’s a relief.”

-If I sense anything more, I will inform you.

“Good, that would help.”

Since it was such a random item, I had always felt uneasy whenever I used it, but knowing it wasn’t a malicious one meant I could use it freely.

Of course, its purpose—why it showed me visions of the future—was still unclear, but that wasn’t something I could solve right away.

Having Black Rabbit assigned to me to look after the Rabbit Tribe could be considered the Diary’s “usage fee.”

Thanks to the future shown by the Diary, I had successfully defended the territory this time, so it was only right I put in that much effort.

For now, I decided to leave the matter of the Diary at that.

If anything more was to be discovered, Black Rabbit would tell me.

“Now the problem is the Horned Rabbits. I don’t know what’s going to happen with them.”

While we were away on the expedition to the Forest of Illusions, Butler Harold had built a Horned Rabbit pen in the northern basin of the castle.

It wasn’t anything elaborate—just a wooden fence.

Even back when we had tried to raise Horned Rabbits before, we had fenced them in like that. Despite being burrowers, they had simply run around the meadow, making observation easy.

When we returned to the territory, we released the Horned Rabbits into the pen and neatly spread the soil we had brought in sacks beside it.

“There’s been no change at all.”

But despite scattering the soil, the Horned Rabbits showed no significant change in behavior.

They ran around the meadow and nibbled on Evil Spirit Grass, but that was all.

It was no different from when we had first tried to raise them.

So was what the Diary had told me about Dr. Nickel just a revelation to go into the Forest of Illusions and bring back the Rabbits?

It felt like the time had come for some kind of change.

“Hm.”

-Hm.

As usual, I visited the Horned Rabbit pen today.

The Horned Rabbits were running around leisurely, munching on grass.

And in front of them, Dr. Nickel stood nervously, silently observing them.

He had been full of confidence in front of me, but it seemed he was under pressure too.

“At this rate… Hey. Where are you going?”

I was wondering what to do when suddenly, the Black Rabbit on my shoulder hopped straight into the Horned Rabbit pen.

Of course, there should have been no meaning to it.

I was the only one who could see that black rabbit.

Besides, those rabbits weren’t even creatures of this world.

They were demonic beasts that had crossed over from another dimension.

“But… why are they reacting like that?”

There should have been no effect—but there was.

As Black Rabbit entered the pen, the Horned Rabbits’ movements began to change.

Something… something was happening.