The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 174

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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 174
* * *
What does it mean to become an adult?
Is it simply growing older?
Is it when your appearance matures?
Who knows.
I never reached adulthood in my past life.
So while I can’t claim expertise, one thing seemed certain: becoming an adult wouldn’t dramatically transform who I fundamentally was.
After all, the macarons I’d craved yesterday still called to me today, and the tedious lessons I’d wanted to skip yesterday still tempted me to play truant.
Perhaps adulthood wouldn’t be so different?
“But this is different, Rubian.”
Void whispered in a stern voice.
“This is the very symbol of adulthood.”
Gulp.
I swallowed involuntarily.
In the dusky evening, within a secluded Reception Room where no one ventured, the candlelight from the silver candelabra flickered dangerously.
Void, now completely shed of his boyish features, sat across from me, and I found myself moved by the simple fact of his presence—a reaction born from the memory of his severe adolescent phase, when he’d suffered from such acute melodrama that he’d been compelled to sit at an angle on the windowsill.
Draped in melancholy, one leg bent upright, a collection of poetry or masterworks clutched in hand…
It had been absolutely insufferable.
Of course, someone had been delighted: the Maids assigned to windowsill cleaning.
In any case, now that he’d finally descended from that perch to sit in a proper chair, he spoke in low tones.
“This is like a demon’s spring water. It compels people to do unpredictable things. So think carefully once more. Your coming-of-age ceremony is still some time away. So…”
“Brother.”
I opened my mouth with composure.
“From the day I turned seventeen, I’ve waited for this moment alone. And I’ve made all my preparations.”
Void, detecting the solemnity in my voice, ran his hand roughly through his hair.
“Damn it. What’s so special about a coming-of-age ceremony…”
“I won’t hesitate.”
“…”
Simply aging doesn’t make one an adult, does it? Only by acting like an adult does one truly become one.”
“Who are you, anyway?”
After a moment, Void drew a deep breath and set his expression with firm resolve.
“Fine. Then let’s go—into the world of adults.”
Pop. He uncorked a glass bottle filled with amber liquid.
Glug-glug-glug.
Watching the liquid fill the transparent glass, I smiled softly.
“Ah, the fragrance of adulthood.”
With an elegant gesture, I crossed my legs and offered a gentle assessment.
“I anticipate quite an intense flavor. A delicate fruity aroma that will envelop my palate before fading, leaving only a pleasant, refreshing sensation.”
“I’m expecting quite an intense flavor. The soft fruity aroma wraps around my mouth and then fades away, leaving behind only a pleasant, refreshing sensation.”
—is nonsense.
‘Wait, wait, hold on.’
I felt a bit flustered.
‘Why does Liam smell like disinfectant?’
Did alcohol always reek this intensely? Was this even right?
‘But they said it was sweet! Adults drink it down with blissful expressions on their faces!’
Sometimes they drank more of it than water!
‘What on earth did Void steal from Father’s study?’
Poison? Was someone trying to assassinate Father?
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to drink?”
“Hehehehe.”
My mind spiraled with wild imaginings, but I couldn’t back down now. I, Rubian, was destined to become an adult—I had to summon the courage of one.
Besides, the taste might be pleasant despite the smell, right?
“Hmm, then maybe I’ll just try a single drop.”
I focused all my concentration to my fingertips, channeling the precise control of a mage. I tilted the glass ever so slightly to let the contents flow in the smallest amount possible—at that very moment.
“You’re really just playing around.”
Whoosh. The glass vanished from my hand.
“What! Who was that!”
“Your father.”
“Oh, Father…”
I laughed nervously and looked up at Father with an utterly bewildered expression.
Gasp—what is this? So dazzling.
Why does our father grow more radiant with each passing day?
“You two were exchanging meaningful glances during dinner, and now you’re trying to sneak Father’s alcohol?”
“Ohoho.”
“How many years old do you two need to be before you stop causing trouble?”
“Um, about 10…0 years old…?”
“Don’t you dare sneak an extra zero in there.”
“Nooooo!”
Father seized my cheeks and punished me mercilessly. I escaped from this villain exploiting my precious cheeks and hastily offered my excuse.
“No, listen. At the coming-of-age ceremony, the Emperor is supposed to bestow special alcohol. I’ve never drunk before, and what if I mess up? What if I spit it out? I need to practice beforehand.”
“Ha, practicing everything under the sun. Who was it that said so earnestly they wouldn’t drink until after the coming-of-age ceremony?”
“That was me!”
“Now you’re suddenly confident. Ha, you’re breaking my heart.”
Father poured alcohol into a glass with a troubled expression and downed it in one shot. My eyes widened involuntarily.
“Drinking that will only make your heart hurt more! What do I do!”
My body shot up from my seat.
“No! Brother, emergency ice cream deployment!”
“Right!”
“Yes!”
Splash!
Oh no, I completely failed to control the magic’s direction.
“Hmm….”
I scratched the back of my head sheepishly as I watched the cream-colored ice cream that had bounced off Father’s broad shoulders land perfectly in a glass.
“Ah, Father. That’s, well, that’s an affogato? Hahaha….”
So in this case….
“My apologies.”
A swift apology was the only answer.
Like a proper adult.
* * *
“Phew. This isn’t easy.”
The path to adulthood truly was long and arduous.
Back in my room, I exhaled a long sigh.
Though bedtime was approaching, sleep didn’t seem forthcoming, so I sat at a table near the window and picked up a haphazardly scattered stack of papers.
“Fine then. Self-imposed overtime it is.”
These were magical circles from tombstones that Father had collected while traveling across the Continent. Already enough to fill an entire book with ease.
‘Fascinating magic, really.’
I pored over them with renewed interest.
Most were either magic unknown to the public or high-level ancient magic that had vanished long ago.
Unfortunately, none contained the formula for Void’s circle that I was searching for.
‘Still, it’s quite a harvest.’
I had been finding the incomplete parts of these magical circles and completing them, and lately I’d been working on modifying them bit by bit.
‘So these spells could be cast with minimal mana.’
A so-called power-saving mode!
Until now, I’d mostly borrowed Wizeria’s wisdom for this work. But lately I’d been striving to accomplish it on my own.
“Where did I put the pen….”
As I glanced around, my eyes fell upon a diary wedged in the corner of the cluttered table.
“Ah.”
‘Now that I think about it, what should I do about this?’
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of my fingers tapping the notebook continued rhythmically.
Where my fingertip stopped was the last sentence scrawled carelessly in the diary.
-Zelocks, our home. Beyond Herb Hill.
“…Even so, isn’t this a bit much?”
By that logic, I’d have to investigate every single tombstone in every cemetery.
‘Besides, if there really was something on that tombstone, I would have noticed it.’
I’d already visited the Memorial Garden in Zelocks multiple times. If there was anything special like a magical tombstone, I should have discovered it long ago.
‘And yet, I do recall sensing something strange at the Memorial Garden when I was younger….’
When I met Mother disguised as the Gravedigger.
It was only for a brief moment, though.
I’ll need to investigate this as soon as I return to Zelocks.
I concluded the matter cleanly.
But… what if there really is something?
Worry crept in simultaneously.
I absolutely despised desecrating someone else’s grave.
More than anything…
How could I possibly tell Mother and Father that I wanted to investigate their dead child’s tomb?
Even the thought of it felt deeply unsettling.
“Ugh, my mind’s in turmoil. I’d rather the gravestone Kalid went searching for be the answer.”
I rose to my feet, offering a fervent prayer.
All that intense thinking had left my throat parched, so I wanted water. At that same moment, my eyes met my reflection in the full-length mirror across the room.
“…”
I cautiously approached and examined the mark on my lower back.

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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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