The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 130

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 130
Licht pretended not to hear and looked down at Kalid. It seemed he had grown into a face that made people even more irritated than before.
“Hey there?”
“Does this look fine to you right now?”
“Well, more or less. Anyway… Rubian is at the Academy, right?”
“I have no reason to answer you…”
“You do.”
The prince’s gracefully curved eyes were utterly infuriating.
Kalid let out a short scoff and turned his head, only to lock eyes directly with Liam squatting beside him.
‘Damn it.’
I shifted my gaze to the opposite side, only to meet eyes with Void this time…
“Ugh, this is annoying!”
Right in front of me was that detestable Licht!
These people were what was truly aggravating!
Kalid tore at his hair with invisible hands.
“Answer quickly. Why hasn’t the captain of Team Zebert been noticeable?”
Liam spoke in a stern voice.
Kalid had no choice but to explain everything that had happened to the three of them.
“Ah, so that’s it.”
Licht finally stepped back a little and muttered.
“Well. Now I can return to the Imperial Palace again.”
It seemed he had stopped by out of curiosity about Rubian’s whereabouts. In any case, he was something else too.
“Hiding your identity for a while because you need time to adapt? Jeez, Rubian really won’t do. Being so timid like that.”
Void, who had been listening quietly, shook his head in disapproval.
“It seems like the only way is for me, as your older brother, to stick right by your side and watch over you all day long, help you, and take care of you…”
“Hold on, Void.”
Liam gently rebuked him.
“We need to respect the fairy’s opinion too. If the fairy adapts well here… wouldn’t you want to enroll in the Academy next year?”
“Ah… you’re right?”
Liam added while adjusting his glasses carefully.
“For now, it’s better to pretend we don’t know and just watch. Anyway, everything will be revealed when our parents attend the presentation ceremony on the final day.”
“Huh? But Father isn’t in the Capital, right? Liam, you said you received a letter at the Town House.”
“Oh, that’s right.”
Liam turned to look at Void.
“Now that I think about it, there was a time to dance with our parents during the presentation ceremony…”
Will Father be able to return by then?
Void added hesitantly.
“If the Duke isn’t here… then who will Rubian dance with?”
As Kalid asked the question, a brief silence hung around the group.
“That’s obviously…”
‘It’s me.’
‘Obviously me.’
‘Ugh, I guess it has to be me.’
‘Hmm, couldn’t it be me?’
The same thought echoed through all the boys’ minds.
Ahem! Liam cleared his throat loudly and spoke.
“Anyway, everyone stop bothering our fairy and help quietly from behind if there’s anything to do. Got it?”
“You should do better yourself.”
“I’m naturally good at it.”
And so they all implicitly agreed to keep Rubian’s secret.
* * *
Tap, tap.
Soft footsteps echoed through the dark library.
After finishing dinner, I pretended to go to bed and snuck out of the Dormitory.
‘I need to check that magical lock I saw during the day one more time. And the inside of that Ancient Manuscript Archive too.’
Unlike the brightly lit library during the day, the interior was shrouded in an unsettling darkness.
Walking down the long Corridor, I glanced around before I couldn’t help myself and pressed close to the figure ahead.
“The library at night is really scary.”
At my soft whisper, Kalid glanced back slightly.
He’d been kicked out of the Medical Building during the day, and his face looked noticeably swollen and sullen. Had he run into some mortal enemy?
“Be careful since it’s dark.”
Even in his foul mood, his gaze watching over me was meticulous.
I lifted my head and my eyes met those of the Squirrel perched on his head. It looked at me with clear eyes, its nose twitching adorably.
‘How cute….’
My shoulders, which had been tense, finally relaxed a little.
‘But has it gotten a bit chubby?’
Its cheeks were noticeably rounder.
‘I think I gave it too many acorns….’
But autumn was naturally a season for gaining weight anyway….
Before I knew it, I’d forgotten my fear and slipped an emergency acorn from my pocket to it.
Just then, Kalid, who was leading the way again, muttered softly.
“I have no idea where the key is.”
“Huh? The Ancient Manuscript Archive key?”
“Yeah. I searched the Caretaker’s office, but….”
Kalid glanced up at the Squirrel.
“There was so much junk scattered around. I couldn’t find it anywhere. A sleeping bag, a table, an armchair…. It would take a month to search through everything.”
“Wow…. The Caretaker’s a bit much. The library isn’t even his home…. Why does he keep all his stuff here?”
“My thoughts exactly.”
I shook my head, thinking there really were some peculiar people in this world.
“But anyway, it doesn’t matter if we don’t have the key.”
I’m a Mage, after all!
Whoooosh.
At that same moment, a desolate wind sound drifted through the slightly open window. The shadows of bare tree branches stretched across the floor like the claws of a demon.
“But the Library at night is really, really, really terrifying…”
I muttered to myself.
“Could there be ghosts? Spirits?”
“They say there’s a spirit of someone who died from studying too hard.”
“Huh? Really?”
Chills ran down the back of my neck.
“Yeah. According to rumors, someone who studied incredibly hard in the Biology Hall and died young… Rubian?”
…
“Are you cold?”
Kalid gently grabbed my shoulder. I jumped in surprise and answered.
“N-n-no?”
…
“H-ha-ha, not at all, I’m not scared. Because g-g-ghosts don’t exist in this world!”
“They said they do here though?”
“They don’t!”
“They d…”
“You go home!”
I pushed Kalid’s arm away and wrapped both my arms around it.
Things without substance were far more frightening. And with this atmosphere on top of it all, even more so!
I’d rather face a dark creature spewing mana instead.
“Alright, alright. I’ll stop.”
Kalid chuckled softly and extended his hand to me.
“Huh?”
I gazed down at the pale hand bathed in moonlight.
“Want to hold it if you’re scared?”
Again?
“…There’s no Caretaker around right now either?”
“Well. There might be a ghost though…”
At that moment, the window suddenly banged loudly!
“Eek!”
Without thinking, I grabbed Kalid’s hand. I was so startled I instinctively tried to pull away, but his firm grip prevented me from doing so.
“Master, you’re quite the coward.”
Kalid laughed softly and turned his body.
Thump, thump. As he resumed walking, I felt an inexplicable sense of joy emanating from his retreating figure.
I pressed down on my frantically pounding heart.
‘Why does it keep feeling so strange…?’
This was truly peculiar.
The longer I spent time with Kalid, the more he seemed to occupy my thoughts in an oddly disconcerting way.
‘…Is something wrong with me?’
I pressed my lips together firmly. For some reason, I felt as though I’d fallen into a maze with no exit.
“We’ve arrived.”
Just then, Kalid’s footsteps came to a halt.
Hearing those welcome words, I quickly withdrew my hand and shook my head clear.
‘I’ll think about it later… I need to sort this out later.’
Now wasn’t the time to be distracted!
“Let me handle this.”
As I reached out to touch the lock, a cold sensation met my fingertips.
In an instant, the structure of the magical seal materialized in my mind. It was a form that would be difficult for an ordinary mage to break.
‘Hmm, this will require considerable magical power.’
I gazed at the needle of my wristwatch, which had begun to spin slowly.
Pouring my strength into the dispelling spell, I heard a click as the lock opened.
At the same moment, my legs suddenly lost all their strength.
“Rubian!”
Kalid caught me from behind in alarm.
“This… such a vicious spell… it’s been far too long…”
Feeling the magical power surge through me urgently, I endured the dizzying sensation in my vision.
That was when it happened.
“Huh?”
A soft, warm energy flowed into my trembling body.
As the lock clicked open and the door creaked ajar, the change became apparent.
I slowly pushed myself up and gently nudged the handle.
The interior of the Ancient Manuscript Archive, sealed tight until now, came into view…
“Step back.”
Kalid instinctively positioned himself in front of me.
But I could sense it.
This soft, familiar energy.
“It’s magical power.”
The interior of the Ancient Manuscript Archive was saturated with unfamiliar magical power.
* * *
“This doesn’t make sense…”
I slowly unfastened my wristwatch.
Babylon Capital was a land where magical power was scarce.
Therefore, without this bracelet, I, a mage, would quickly become exhausted from magical depletion.
“To think there’s so much magical power accumulated in this place.”
Yet here, even with the bracelet removed, I felt no strain. The air itself was so rich with magical power.
“…How is this even possible?”
My gaze met Kalid’s.
We slowly swept through the dim interior. I retrieved a nearby lamp and ignited it with magic.
The Ancient Manuscript Archive was far more expansive than I had anticipated.
Towering bookshelves were crammed with volumes, yet the shelves themselves were arranged haphazardly, creating an inconvenient and circuitous path through the space.
“Why are the desks arranged like some kind of maze?”
Kalid furrowed his brow.
“There’s only one reason to place a maze at the entrance, isn’t there?”
I murmured thoughtfully.
“To impede access to the central area.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————