Long, long ago.

Humans say that fate is a force, stronger than calculation, higher than belief, ultimately leading everyone to an endless expanse.

Orcs say that fate is a challenge, facing hardships, facing dilemmas, ultimately transcending oneself to reach uncharted territory.

Elves say that fate is a mission, observing conflict, witnessing change, ultimately hesitating and returning to the homeland from whence they came.

Dwarves say that fate is a journey, cherishing passersby, indulging in revelry, ultimately standing alone at the graves of departed friends.

Long, long ago, when this world was not yet illuminated by light, giant creatures lurked.

There were small humans who deceived the abyss and stole its fire.

In the end, they set fire to it, burning away the silence and darkness, and the era of light arrived.

Long, long ago...

"Elder, elder!"

A short rabbit swayed its ears and ran on the road of the town, making a clattering sound on the green stone slabs beneath its bound feet.

This is a small island in the outer sea, constantly plagued by strong winds.

The nearest coast is hundreds of nautical miles away, and only remote islands like this are not easily accessible to adventurers or pirates. At most, merchants who come to exchange goods every month will come here.

Because of this, this place does not belong to any country, but only to a rarely seen race of diminutive people.

They are no taller than a human's thigh, with long ears covered in soft fur.

With their big, round black eyes, both young and old rabbits capture the attention of people, who can't help but scream and pick them up to caress them.

They have names that are hard to understand; they are called rabbits.

On this forest-covered island, there are fierce beasts and monsters, but there is also an indestructible town.

This town is the homeland of the rabbits.

Long ago, the rabbits migrated here, built the initial village, and soon the village developed into a town.

Finally, it was repeatedly reinforced and became what it is now.

In this town, none of the buildings exceed five meters in height because rabbits are small and do not need large houses to live in.

Each building has an underground basement that is just as big as the building itself.

For the rabbits, the spacious basement is a necessity.

Because the rabbits need huge basements, their buildings are low in height, and their foundations are built deep into the surface, making them even more secure and sturdy on this windswept island.

Except for the higher ceilings of the initial buildings, the buildings in the town are all designed this way.

In the center of the town is a temple called the Hall of Heroes.

Behind the Hall of Heroes is the temple dedicated to the rabbits' common belief, the guardian god, Tim.

When the rabbits' history had not yet begun, the guardian god was born out of gratitude for their sustenance on Tim.

He is a gentle deity.

The buildings in the city are constructed around these two temples, and unlike other buildings, these two temples are taller and the highest in the town.

However, this little running rabbit is heading towards the elder's residence next to the temple.

"Elder~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

Seeing the elder in the distance, the little rabbit lengthened its voice and ran towards the elder standing at the door of the residence.

Only when he got closer did he notice that there were other little rabbits waiting by the elder's feet.

"You finished school so early today?"

The elder held a cane in his hand and looked lovingly at the rabbits before him.

These little rabbits were all students from the school near the Hall of Heroes. After reaching a certain age, all the newborn rabbits on the island must enter the school to study.

At the same time, they also have to train in combat skills at the martial arts field next to the temple. Only when they pass the tests at these two locations are they allowed to leave the island for adventures.

The rabbits are a small population and the island is not safe, populated by many powerful beasts and monsters.

Even if they don't leave the island, they still need to study knowledge and combat skills to survive.

"The wind is strong today, let's go home early!"

"But I don't think the wind is strong today!""That's right! Last time, we almost got blown away!"

"Hahaha!"

The elder looked at the chattering little rabbits discussing why the school was dismissed, and smiled.

In his time, there were no rabbits of the same age around him.

For him, his childhood was spent under the protection of a great saint and a group of rabbits equivalent to gods.

Eventually, both the saint and the rabbits disappeared with time, leaving only himself.

"Elder, elder! What are we going to do today?"

"Yeah! The story you told last time isn't finished yet!"

The lively little rabbits pulled on the elder's robe, begging him to tell more stories.

"Alright, alright. What story do you want to hear today?"

As he answered their questions, the elder sat down on a chair in front of the door.

Behind him in the door hung an ancient war hammer taller than him and a tower shield large enough to completely cover him.

Symbolizing his past stories.

"Elder, I want to hear the story of the 'Crowned King'!"

"Didn't we hear it last time?"

"But there should be more stories about that saint, right?! Didn't the saint hold you in his arms before?"

"Well, that's true."

The elder smiled and touched the head of the inquisitive little rabbit.

"I was just a few months old when the saint held me in his arms. He even named me."

"Really?!"

The big black eyes of the little rabbits shimmered.

"I heard that the saint is a human?!"

"No! I heard from my dad that he's a dwarf!"

"Isn't he an elf?!"

"It seems like you all need some education!"

The elder jumped off the chair, supported himself with a cane, and patted the heads of the little rabbits.

"So are your parents! Come with me to the Hall of Heroes."

"Is the elder going to tell us stories about the Hall of Heroes one by one?"

"That's great! I can tell my little brothers later!"

The old rabbit walked in the front, leading a chattering group of little rabbits towards the center of the town, where the Hall of Heroes was located.

They stepped onto the steps of the Hall of Heroes and walked into the magnificent hall.

This building was constructed only ten years after the rabbits arrived on this island and was considered the most beautiful one built by rabbits.

It had columns like a Greek temple, Roman-style scroll beams, and floors made of polished marble.

Entering through the main door of the Hall of Heroes, there was a carpeted pathway that ran through the entire hall.

On both sides of the red carpeted pathway were square stone seats.

On these stone seats were placed statues of different rabbits.

Some were dressed in leather armor, holding two daggers, with capes fluttering behind them.

Some were clad in armor, holding shields, resisting attacks from unknown directions.

Some held long spears with flames burning all over their bodies.

And some stood beside brooms, their hands shining with an unknown magic circle.

"These represent different Paladin Bunnies. They are different from us. Though they are rabbits, they are born as holy warriors."

The elder walked in front, leaning on his cane. Whenever he passed a statue, he would slightly pause, raise his head, and study the statue for a while.

His eyes filled with nostalgia and sorrow.

"They are the saviors of our race, born with the desire to save rabbits. With the help of the saint, they finally saved our race from extinction and obtained the present homeland."

The elder pointed his cane at the crystal lamps placed in front of the statues.

"Each lamp represents a Paladin Bunny."

This statement made the tiny rabbits look around the Hall of Heroes. The pale yellow light emitted by the modified crystals throughout the hall was not only bright but also carried an inexplicable sense of holiness.

Unconsciously, they also heard a gentle hymn, which made the little rabbits very nervous.

They had all sung this hymn before; it was a song to praise the Guardian deity of Tim.

But not one of them was singing.

"Don't be nervous, this is the song of the holy warriors. Long ago, they gathered in a distant castle and sang the same song around the campfire."The elder pacified the little bunnies, looking up at the light reflecting off the dome of the Hall of Heroes.

"These Paladin Bunnies, each one of them has a story, but in the end, they all met with the Saint."

"What about the Saint?"

A particularly small bunny timidly asked.

"Oh, come with me."

The elder patted her head and nodded before walking towards the end of the red carpet.

At the end of the red carpet was an oval-shaped stone pedestal.

On top of that pedestal stood a statue of an older bunny wearing pirate attire and a captain's hat.

This statue was larger and more adorned than the other Paladin Bunny statues, with many gemstones and gold and silver decorations.

"May you rest in peace."

The elder knelt in front of the captain bunny, bowing devoutly.

The other little bunnies followed suit and began their pious prayers behind him.

"This statue is the most special among the Paladin Bunnies."

The elder, finished with the prayers, slowly looked up at the statue.

"The Saint said, 'He chose a fate that did not belong to him,' so his life was very difficult. But without him, the homeland of the bunnies would not exist."

"What was the relationship between this envoy and the Saint?"

"They were once partners, and the Saint affectionately called him 'Dad.'"

"Oh, wow, I didn't know that."

"Everyone, please rise."

The elder had the little bunnies stand up and led them around the curved walls surrounding the largest statue to the back of the wall.

"Huh? It's my first time coming over here!"

"Yeah, and they usually don't light this area up!"

In the darkness, the little bunnies chattered away.

The elder, however, did not engage in the conversation. Instead, he took out a flint and lit up the four torches that were present in this darkness.

It had been too long, and even though he couldn't see, he remembered the positions of the four torches.

As the four torches illuminated the deepest part of the Hall of Heroes, the chattering little bunnies stopped their conversation and looked up at the statue hidden in the darkness.

It was a statue of a human, kneeling on one knee on the pedestal, bowing deeply, making it hard to see his face.

"This is the Saint."

The elder looked up at the statue of the human he missed the most.

"A long, long time ago..."

"The Tales of the Bunny Heroes."