The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 156

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

Chapter 156
* * *
‘Something feels… off.’
Crossing through the Academy, Rosetta Zebert pondered.
In one hand, she held a speed-enhancing magical artifact she’d discreetly borrowed from Ballock’s luggage earlier.
‘Protecting the house is nothing compared to Rubian’s presentation! Not even close!’
Of course. Of course.
She had always wanted to be like a surprise box.
She loved that thrilling tension followed by unexpected joy.
For a while, that was a pleasure she’d wanted to give only to Leviathan…
But lately, she wanted to delight her daughter just a little bit more.
“Hmm, Father seems to be near the Lakeside… Where could my Rubian be? Hehe. If I suddenly appeared, her eyes would go so wide, wouldn’t they?”
Just as she turned with an excited spring in her step, a familiar silhouette caught her eye.
‘Oh! Secondary target spotted!’
Playfully narrowing her eyes, she crept closer, ready to startle him.
Dong dong dong dong.
An ominous bell tolled.
‘An alarm bell? What…’
Her soft face hardened instantly.
“Leviathan!”
Rosetta grabbed Leviathan’s arm and spun him around.
“…Rose?”
“You…”
She froze in shock.
Leviathan’s face was deathly pale. Upon closer inspection, his breathing was ragged and labored.
Like someone who had been desperately searching everywhere.
Rosetta’s heart sank.
“What’s wrong?”
“Rubian…”
The man’s usually low, steady voice cracked roughly.
“I need to find Rubian.”
“…”
“She… magic…”
A trembling breath escaped him. Leviathan buried his face in his large hands.
A worn ribbon was clenched tightly between his fingers.
“She… was the Mage the Mage Kingdom was searching for.”
“…”
Rosetta went rigid. The meaning of his words reached her mind a beat too late.
“…What? What do you…”
“I’m sorry. Let me find Rubian first, and I’ll explain later. Right now…”
“….”
Rosetta’s expression turned cold and distant. She fell silent for a moment.
Then she nodded cleanly.
“Understood.”
Right now, listening to explanations wasn’t what mattered.
Now was the time to act.
“Let’s go.”
She seized a bow and arrows from the Knights wandering nearby.
The two of them searched the perimeter where the children were hunting for treasures, combing through every inch.
Rubian was nowhere to be found.
The signs were ominous.
Then a familiar face entered Rosetta’s field of vision.
“Fourth Prince?”
Licht, who had been rushing somewhere, turned his head, breathing heavily.
“Duchess Zebert.”
“What is the matter?”
Leviathan stepped forward without hesitation.
“A suspicious individual has infiltrated the Academy.”
“A suspicious individual?”
“It appears to be a Mage. I came to request assistance….”
“…!”
The couple’s gazes crossed.
Boom!
In that instant, a deafening roar erupted from the Library in the distance.
A sinister aura accompanied the cry of a creature that should never be heard in this place, tearing through the sky.
“A Demon Beast…?”
Leviathan’s mind went blank.
His body moved before conscious thought could catch up, already sprinting like a whirlwind.
‘I cannot lose again.’
Not again!
Such nightmares were no longer welcome.
* * *
“Huff, huff.”
I was fleeing in utter panic.
‘That Second is absolutely insane.’
Completely out of their mind!
‘How could they carelessly bring a Demon Beast Seal Stone here?!’
No matter how important their safety is, this is too much!
Breaking that would awaken the high-tier Demon Beast sealed within! They must have known that would devastate the entire area!
“Ugh.”
My foot slipped on the uneven ground, but I sprang back up like a roly-poly and resumed running.
I was crossing a gentle slope that stretched behind the Central Library. Oak and ginkgo trees stood haphazardly along the path.
‘The Mage King’s mana….’
The Mage King had taken possession of Second’s body.
I had been exposed after all.
Second had come to Babylon without permission.
I managed to escape from Second’s grasp by manipulating my mana, but he ultimately shattered the sealed stone containing the demonic beast that had been in my possession.
‘Iglius!’
Two high-ranking demonic beasts burst through the library ceiling, tearing it to pieces as they soared into the air.
I seized that moment to flee outside through the back passage of the library.
‘I need to get far away from here first….’
At least the existence of the Ancient Manuscript Archive hadn’t been exposed.
Beyond the mysterious mana there, that place was where Professor Yuliope…. where countless records that scholars of Babylon had risked their lives to protect were gathered.
Crash!
“Eek!”
At the sound of a distant building collapsing, my steps faltered. My legs nearly gave way beneath me.
‘At this rate, the entire Academy will be destroyed!’
I crawled behind a massive tree and crouched down.
A crackling noise had been continuing since earlier.
I knew it was Kalid, but I was desperately blocking that connection with all my strength.
‘The Mage King is nearby.’
I raised both hands and pressed them firmly against my ears. My entire body trembled.
‘If I call out to Kalid, they’ll discover that he’s a Mage!’
I would rather die than let that happen.
I absolutely could not bear to see that terrible stigma carved into his body.
“…!”
That was the moment.
A sickening cry and a sinister aura washed over me.
‘A demonic beast!’
I folded myself as tightly as possible behind the tree.
‘Iglius is sensitive to sound… as long as I stay quiet.’
Fortunately, in this place where mana was sparse, even a high-ranking demonic beast could scarcely expand its presence.
Its senses would be dulled as well.
‘Go away.’
Rustle.
A tingling sensation accompanied the sound of something approaching like a beast.
My heart pounded. My breathing grew ragged and heavy.
Rustle.
The demonic beast cried out loudly and swung its claws. The tree standing right beside me snapped with a sickening crack.
“Terrif… *gulp*.”
I clamped my mouth shut.
‘This won’t do.’
Don’t say you’re scared.
‘It’s fine. It’s fine. It’s fine.’
I had faced Iglious before when he wielded flames. Of course, the back of my head got singed that time….
‘A battlefield….’
Was this a battlefield?
Surely not still….
‘The war hasn’t ended?’
For a moment, that thought crossed my mind.
‘Foolish thinking!’
I shook my head vigorously and rummaged through my pocket. A few acorns tumbled out.
I gripped them tightly to throw them. To lure with sound.
Just as I was about to peek my head out and move my arm.
“There you are.”
“…!”
My nape was suddenly seized.
“My Seventh. My precious little one.”
Distracted by the demonic beast, I failed to detect Second’s presence approaching from the other direction.
I struggled to escape from the hand trying to lift me up.
“Let go…!”
“An outing like this should suffice.”
A chilling magical power.
I squeezed my eyes shut. The appearance was definitely Second, but the grip strength and aura were completely different.
‘It’s not the Mage King himself. Only a fragment of his power. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid!’
I repeated it to myself, but I couldn’t stop the cold sweat trickling down.
“No!”
My magic watch spun frantically, and just as I was about to unleash an attack spell with all my might.
Kuuuuuuuung!
A tremendous roar shook the earth.
Pale smoke erupted in an instant. A massive hand burst through it without hesitation, lunging toward Second’s neck.
“What…!”
Second twisted his body with animal-like instinct.
Thud, thud.
A long shadow emerged through the smoke.
“Rubian.”
“…!”
A familiar voice, low and calm.
“…You ran off saying you were searching for treasure, but it was me you were looking for?”
Like a lie, my vision wavered. Father was gazing at me with a faint smile.
“Finally found it—our family’s treasure.”

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