The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 142

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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 142
Ch. 142
In a dark alley of Bamiless, the Capital.
Second stumbled forward with unsteady steps.
‘I’m reaching my limit soon….’
Lingering in a land devoid of mana had become unbearable. Yet I couldn’t simply return empty-handed.
‘Now is my chance, while Father is away.’
Opportunities to track Seventh alone didn’t come around this frequently.
She had slipped into the Capital to search for Seventh without the Mage King’s knowledge, and now she leaned against a wall, exhaling heavily.
She had infiltrated and examined nearly every noble household of consequence in the Capital.
There was no child who appeared to be Seventh.
‘I know her face.’
So no matter what disguise she wore, I would recognize her.
‘Perhaps only the Zebert Duchy remains.’
Second rummaged through her pocket and withdrew a single piece of paper. It was a letter from Fourth.
A letter sent after searching Northern Ipson.
The paper crinkled as she crumpled it.
In truth, Fourth had sent two letters.
The first one contained:
Results of the Northern search.
Target whereabouts unknown.
Primary search subject: Rubian Zebert.
Minimal correlation with the target.
A letter reporting the search failure.
Therefore, she had relayed orders for Fourth to report to the Mage King and return.
Then, not long after, came the second letter.
There were additional matters to verify regarding the Zebert Duchy’s young lady, so continued observation was planned.
Of course, it was Second who received that letter.
Shortly after sending that letter, Fourth had coincidentally died in a magical artifact explosion.
She had hesitated briefly, then decided not to report the second letter to the Mage King.
‘Fourth… why did she continue observing the Zebert Duchy’s young lady?’
Had she sensed something?
Second’s suspicion deepened. Therefore, she resolved to travel to the Continent herself and verify the truth. Now was her chance, while the Mage King had left the palace.
‘I will capture Seventh.’
Second’s eyes gleamed with determination.
‘I’ll examine the Duchy once more, and if she’s not there, I’ll check the Academy.’
She resolved this and quickened her pace. She had heard that Leviathan Zebert and his young lady had come to the Capital, yet they were nowhere to be found—which struck her as odd.
Second moved swiftly toward the Zebert Duchy Townhouse.
It was truly a mansion so ornate and expansive it was tiresome to behold.
She donned a robe and, disguised as a commoner, examined the surroundings of the Duchy. The tall stone wall made it difficult to even catch a glimpse of what lay within.
I was circling the wall, searching for any gaps, when a voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Who are you?”
A low voice seized her footsteps.
“What are you doing circling around our house like a rat? Huh?”
It was the gravelly voice of an elderly man.
Second swallowed a sharp breath and turned around.
‘Zebert Grandfather….’
A menacing gaze fixed upon me. His massive frame and oppressive presence were unmistakable. He had only just arrived at the townhouse and hadn’t even removed his sword from its sheath.
‘Why is he here instead of at the main gate?’
Second felt cold sweat trickling down her back as she bent at the waist.
“I-I had no idea you were a nobleman and committed a grave discourtesy.”
“You’re lying.”
Without even a moment to be surprised by such refined speech, Ballock tapped his greatsword with a dull thud.
“Listen here, I’m being generous—there are no jewels in this house right now. So if you’re planning to steal something, go north and ransack the Duke’s Mansion instead. You petty thief.”
A purse with a few coins dropped at Second’s feet with a soft clink.
“Tsk, get out of here!”
Given her shabby clothes and gaunt frame, he had apparently mistaken her for a woman who had come to beg at a nobleman’s residence.
“Y-Yes…. My apologies.”
Second quickly bowed her head and retreated. Ballock’s sharp gaze followed her receding back.
‘…Phew. That was close.’
Second exhaled a genuine sigh of relief and slipped into the streets.
Now what should I do? I was wondering if I should search for maid’s clothing again.
“Hm?”
Her footsteps halted at a bulletin board. She had spotted a small notice posted in the corner.
“…An Academy Restoration Specialist recruitment notice?”
* * *
“Hmm, what was that?”
Ballock gazed quietly at the departing woman’s silhouette. Then his mind suddenly snapped back to attention.
This wasn’t the time for that.
Just then, a disturbingly familiar face appeared around the corner of the wall.
“What are you doing here?”
“Ah, you startled me.”
Morris came rushing over with wide eyes.
“Do you love me? Why do you follow me around like this!”
“That is my duty, sir!”
“You! When you first joined the Knight Order, you couldn’t even look me in the eye!”
“We’re aging together, so why do you keep bringing up the past?”
The old butler replied with a sharp tone.
“I’ve told you repeatedly—you cannot climb over the Academy walls. And sneaking into the dormitory is absolutely forbidden. You’ll see each other tomorrow anyway!”
“One day is far too long! My little one is right there…! What if he’s crying because he misses his grandfather?”
“Yes, wipe your tears first. No, Your Grace. Think about it carefully.”
Even as I thought Ballock’s way of thinking was utterly distasteful, I listened to Morris’s words.
“Surely the young lady has made new friends. Would she prefer her grandfather appearing like a thief in the night, or making a grand, magnificent entrance?”
“Grand… magnificent…?”
“You understand these things so well!”
“Indeed… a magnificent grandfather.”
As he stroked his chin, his gaze suddenly fixed on his own beard—white with age.
“I’m convinced! Morris, to the shop at once!”
A thick hand thrust itself directly before Morris’s eyes.
“Money!”
“Pardon? Why the shop all of a sudden…? But you have money, don’t you?”
“Ah, some woman was loitering about, so I donated it.”
“I beg your pardon?”
A sudden donation? Out of nowhere?
As the Butler’s expression turned dumbfounded, Ballock hastily added, as if to silence further complaints.
“Don’t worry! She didn’t seem like a bad sort. Though I must say, she had rather servile features.”
For all his appearance, the man possessed animal instincts, so his assessment was likely accurate enough.
Morris withdrew a handkerchief and dabbed his forehead.
“But that sum must have been considerable… Sigh… Very well. Let’s stop by the mansion first.”
“But Morris.”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t that our young master?”
Ballock pointed with his finger toward the front gate of the mansion.
Creak, creak.
A boy with already striking features became even more conspicuous as he noisily pulled a cart laden with books.
“It appears to be Young Master Liam. What is this? Why has he left the Academy?”
The Academy required dormitory residence through the elementary division. However, from the middle division onward, commuting was permitted, and with proper authorization, outings and overnight stays were relatively unrestricted.
Of course, Liam had never used this privilege, having been buried in the library.
Liam’s and Ballock’s eyes met directly.
“Eldest brat, what business do you have here?”
“Grandfather, what brings you to the Capital? Could it be… has Father returned?”
His usually sharp face seemed somehow different today. Ballock raised an eyebrow and shook his head.
“He hasn’t.”
“…I see. I came hoping he might have returned. I’ll wait inside.”
Liam, lost in thought once more, pulled the cart creaking toward the mansion.
“What’s with him?”
Something seems a bit loose in that one’s head.
Looking closer, his glasses were slightly smudged. His hair was somewhat disheveled, his ribbon tie slightly askew…
Most notably, the book cart held far fewer books than usual. This was most unusual.
“You, is something the matter?”
Ballock quickly followed after him and asked.
At that question, Liam’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Slowly, he turned around.
“…There. No matter how much I think about it, there’s something that keeps bothering me.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve been worrying about it all night without finding an answer, so I came to ask Father…. But would it be alright if I asked Grandfather instead?”
Gasp, what is this.
I can’t handle academic questions.
Yet Ballock puffed out his chest, feigning composure.
“Yeah. Ask this old man anything.”
“Well, it might just be my worry, but…. Rubian….”
Liam muttered while furrowing his brow.
Even then, he seemed reluctant to speak, as if recalling something unsettling merely by imagining it.
“Did the youngest fairy perhaps experience many battlefields when living in Iosia?”
In that instant, Ballock felt as though the air around him had frozen completely. He sensed something.
“Before meeting Father in Iosia…. In other words.”
Something was about to come crashing down.
“With Kalid.”
The calm before the storm.

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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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