The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 131

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

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Chapter 131
“…There seems to be something deeper inside. I’ll go check it out first.”
The Squirrel perched atop Kalid’s head leaped down and scurried forward. It too navigated swiftly through the labyrinthine shelves.
I held up the lamp and peered at a book wedged beside me.
“…This is….”
In that instant, the lower spine of an otherwise pristine book began to peel away.
Whisper, whisper—fragments of aged paper scattered like dust.
It wasn’t as though my gaze alone had caused this….
I furrowed my brow.
“Why is the book suddenly deteriorating like this?”
To verify, I carefully extracted a volume using levitation magic, handling it with utmost delicacy. As I gently turned the pages, I froze.
“It’s blank.”
The table of contents section was completely empty.
To be precise, it wasn’t entirely blank. Rather, the text had been completely erased or remained only in scattered fragments, making the content impossible to discern.
“The books in this place…are being erased.”
I murmured to myself.
Then, the covers of other books began to crumble away again—whisper, whisper.
“No, wait.”
My mind raced. A faint rosy glimmer flickered across my eyes.
I withdrew another book to examine it.
Every volume was deteriorating sequentially from the first page onward.
“This isn’t the book’s contents disappearing.”
I lifted my head sharply.
Endless rows of black shelves stretched endlessly before me.
“The books themselves are aging.”
That was when it happened.
“Rubian!”
Kalid emerged from between the desks with an urgent expression and seized my wrist.
“Someone’s coming.”
* * *
“What? Someone’s coming to the Library in the middle of the night?”
“Yes. We need to leave. Now.”
Unfortunately, our exploration ended there.
The sudden presence made it impossible to venture further into the Ancient Manuscript Archive.
I had no choice but to return to the Dormitory with Kalid.
“Mmm….”
As I carefully closed the door with a soft click, Sortie stirred briefly. I rose onto my toes and crept silently onto the bed.
“Phew.”
Only after sinking into the soft blankets did I finally exhale.
‘Ancient texts are being erased.’
The scene I’d witnessed moments ago remained vivid in my mind.
‘There might be a clue to solving the stigma problem hidden there….’
The mana that had saturated the interior of the Ancient Manuscript Archive.
Recalling it, my hypothesis had solidified into near certainty.
‘First, I need to uncover the cause.’
At this rate, all the books in the Ancient Manuscript Archive were in danger of aging and disappearing.
“Sigh.”
Honestly, I was absolutely exhausted.
I pulled the blanket up to my nose. The moment I sank into the plush bedding, my body melted away like jelly.
‘I can’t keep doing this every night.’
Evading the night patrol’s watchful eyes consumed an enormous amount of stamina. My racing heart still pounded wildly in my chest.
What if I got caught and was expelled?
Wouldn’t my identity be exposed and bring shame upon my family?
‘Void and Liam haven’t been expelled yet, so I can’t be the first to go….’
Right, right. I’m a dutiful daughter after all….
As drowsiness began to overtake me, I suddenly tilted my head.
‘But do I really need to move around in secret? Come to think of it, it’s not exactly a forbidden area.’
Wouldn’t it be possible to look inside if I obtained permission?
‘The professor in charge of the Ancient Manuscript Archive who might grant permission is….’
I’d heard about them earlier today.
Uli…. Uli…. What was it again.
My consciousness began to fade slowly.
“Yawn.”
Running on empty. I’ll think about it more tomorrow.
I yawned widely and rubbed my eyes. I was far too tired today, so goodnight to you all.
Ch. 13
“Hello, I’m Uliophe Molton, a linguistics professor. I’m also overseeing this camp overall.”
The next day, we gathered cozily in a large classroom.
Today marked the beginning of our actual class activities.
‘The professor in charge of the Ancient Manuscript Archive!’
I stared intently at the young professor who was visibly weighed down by exhaustion.
Uliophe Molton poured a fatigue recovery drink with a gulp-gulp sound while muttering.
“Today we’ll do some simple indoor activities in the morning, and in the afternoon we’ll go on an external tour…. Cough, cough.”
Before he could finish speaking, he broke into a fit of violent coughing.
Sortie whispered softly beside me.
“Professor…. You look really tired.”
“Goodness, you’re right.”
I observed Uliophe Molton standing at the podium.
Tousled reddish-brown hair, dull and parched skin, and dark circles hanging heavily beneath his eyes.
In one hand he clutched a fatigue recovery drink like it was the elixir of life, while in the other he held a worn book.
‘Huh? That book….’
My eyes widened slightly.
“Cough, cough, hack!”
“Professor…. Are you alright?”
When someone asked, Uliophe Molton hurriedly gulped down a fatigue recovery drink. Then he fished out a fresh beverage from his pocket and clutched it in his hand.
“Of course, of course. You’re simply witnessing an overworked adult suffering from chronic fatigue. Now, if you’ve learned anything from observing me, please choose your career path wisely. Understood?”
Hehehehe, hahaha….
Unhinged laughter spilled from the slender, handsome man’s lips. He drained half of his drink in one gulp.
“Well, to do that, I’d strongly recommend enrolling in a prestigious Academy to gain more opportunities…. Oh, wait…. If our Academy’s enrollment rate goes up, doesn’t that mean more work for me…?”
Uliophe Molton muttered with a grave expression, fidgeting with the book in his hand.
Even as his spirit seemed to depart, his touch upon the book remained extraordinarily careful.
‘That’s definitely an ancient manuscript.’
The characters inscribed on the spine were written in an archaic language.
I read them unconsciously.
【 The Beautiful Landscapes of Bamiless 】
‘It must be a record of the old Capital.’
I made that vague assumption.
“The Professor seems to have quite a lot on his mind.”
“Indeed.”
I offered appropriate responses to Sortie’s whispered remarks.
“Anyway, everyone, do enjoy yourselves. By the way, on the final evening we’ll be holding a presentation, and we’re planning an outdoor party at Laim Lake as well. Overtime work—exciting, isn’t it?”
The Professor mechanically stretched his lips into a smile.
“Yesssss.”
“Hahaha. You’re all so adorable, so adorable.”
Uliophe Molton collapsed into his chair like a man awaiting the last leaf to fall.
“Cough, cough. Wait, where’s my drink….”
He rummaged through his inner pocket with trembling hands. It seemed he’d already consumed everything he’d brought.
“Now, everyone, please, calm down.”
He was the one who needed to calm down.
“You can all sit quietly, yes? Read the fairy tales placed in front of you. I need to fetch something urgently….”
“Yesssss.”
The children answered promptly with sympathetic hearts, and the Professor hurried from the Classroom, all the while keeping the ancient manuscript tucked carefully against his side.
“…Do you think Professor Uliophe Molton will survive until the final day?”
Someone whispered.
“Please let our Professor live.”
The children clasped their hands together in prayer.
In any case, we quietly read the fairy tales that had been prepared in advance.
‘But why did he bring an ancient manuscript with him?’
I turned the pages meaninglessly, pondering the question.
‘If he’s in charge of the Ancient Manuscript Archive, he’d know if there was a problem with an ancient manuscript…. Could it be something unexpected?’
The face of the zombie professor—the one who looked like he was about to die—flashed through my mind.
‘Uliophe Molton….’
If I recalled correctly, his ending in the original work wasn’t particularly pleasant.
I was slowly recalling details about Uliophe when it happened.
Thunk.
Something struck my shoulder and fell onto the desk.
“What is this?”
It was a crumpled note, half-unfolded. Without thinking, my eyes caught the contents.
【 Stammering Jerdin! Get lost and go home! 】
And it was written in red ink, no less.
‘Sigh, not again.’
I glanced around and spotted a boy sitting with his head down diagonally across from me.
It was the same boy who’d been teased by Haven yesterday. His hair was incredibly fluffy, like a small poodle.
“Hey. Hand it over.”
That’s when Haven roughly snatched the note from my hand.
“What are you looking at? Planning to mouth off again?”
Huuuuh.
I took a long, deep breath. Just endure it. Stay calm.
“Tsk, it’s nothing special!”
Thinking I’d backed down, Haven puffed up with pride, sneered at me, and walked away.
“What’s wrong with him….”
Sortie glared after Haven as he left.
Haven had begun picking a real fight with Jerdin.
“Oh. You brought a lot of pens? How’d you afford them? They’ve got jewels on them too? Obviously fake, right?”
“N-no! Th-that’s something our m-mother gave…!”
The fluffy-haired boy couldn’t hold back any longer and shot to his feet. In that instant, Haven deliberately threw the pen down hard.
The pen rolled across the floor and came to a stop right at my feet.
“….”
“Hey. Pick that up and bring it here.”

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

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