The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 20

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

Chapter 20
[ It seems they’ve sent trackers to the continent, so be careful for now. Of course, I’ll arrive before then…. Master? Rubian? ]
A weak panic seized me. If my identity were exposed, everything would be over.
[ Get a grip on yourself. ]
‘Kalid, I’m scared. I don’t want to be dragged back to the kingdom….’
Kalid fell silent for a moment.
[ You’re with the Zebert Grandfather, aren’t you? ]
‘How did you know that?’
[ He’s a man of considerable skill, so stay close to him for now. ]
‘That’s what I’m already doing….’
The problem is, it’s not easy.
As I fumbled through my words, Kalid let out a long sigh.
[ That’s why you shouldn’t have abandoned me and left in the first place. ]
‘Don’t be angry. I’m feeling down right now.’
Then Kalid scoffed with a sharp laugh.
[ How could I be angry with you…. Never mind, don’t worry too much. You know as well as I do how far it is from Arcadia to Babylon. ]
I knew it well.
The Mage Kingdom Arcadia was an island rising from the middle of the sea. So to reach the Empire from there, I had to cross the ocean and traverse countless mountains and canyons.
[ Besides, mages can’t operate freely on Babylon’s soil. It might actually be safer. ]
He was right. This land was the worst for mages.
So even if a tracking mage came, it would take more time.
Which meant, in other words….
I had time to prepare.
‘I can’t just sit idle like this.’
My eyes gleamed as I made my resolve.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Reception Room.
“….”
The room where the child had vanished fell into deep silence.
Zebert Grandfather Ballock stood with his mouth agape, fumbling at the spot where Rubian had slipped away.
“A stomachache?”
So suddenly?
“Do children usually do this?”
“I’m not sure….”
Ballock’s eyes spun in confusion. This was bewildering.
If she were truly ill, this was no time to be standing around. A physician—I should call for a physician first….
Just then, the Maid who had gone after Rubian returned.
“D-did you follow her?”
“Yes. But she locked herself in her room instead of going to the bathroom.”
A sharp, piercing gaze fell upon them.
Ballock, unaware of the reason, bellowed indignantly.
“You don’t even know where the restroom is!”
“No, sir. That’s not it, sir.”
“Huh?”
The response came from Morris, his longtime butler.
Morris, his salt-and-pepper hair neatly swept back, exhaled a long sigh.
“Rubian is angry, sir.”
“Angry…?”
“Is she not? She pleaded so desperately not to be sent away, yet you insisted on threatening to cast her out regardless.”
The servants nodded in agreement as they listened.
Ballock was bewildered.
A threat?
He had only meant to send her back before she suffered any hardship in this place!
Those from the Northern Region enter the Knight Order as children and serve as squires. After rigorous training, they grow into stalwart knights who defend this fortress.
So when Leviathan said he would bring a child, Ballock naturally assumed that was the context.
This was the Empire’s frontmost position, and Zebert bore the weighty responsibility of guarding the borderlands here.
‘But what in blazes is this soft, delicate thing?!’
He could not accept it. If he had any conscience, he should have sent her back before any traumatic memories took root.
That was all Ballock’s true intention had been….
“How terrified must that little one have been? That’s why I’ve told you a thousand times to temper that temperament of yours.”
“So… she ran off because she found me repulsive?”
“Regrettably so.”
“…Tch.”
Ballock exhaled sharply.
The silver silhouette vanishing in a blur flashed through his mind.
No, that wasn’t it.
Come to think of it, wasn’t that presumptuous?
How dare she flee without even seeking Ballock’s permission!
“Th-th-that little thing getting angry? What’s so frightening about that! B-b-better yet, good riddance! If she just rolls right out….”
“Your lips are trembling, sir.”
Ballock clamped his mouth shut.
“You should have simply told her to get along moderately. Why were you so stubborn?”
“She’s far too small! She looks like she’d blow away with a single breath—how could she possibly endure? What if a demon appeared? Eh?”
“Yet you seemed quite fond of her, did you not?”
“I was fond of her! I nearly bit her!”
Ballock’s mouth snapped shut again. His true feelings, which he himself hadn’t recognized, spilled out uncontrollably.
Morris sighed deeply, as if he understood perfectly. He had served the Old Master for decades.
He had long known that Ballock was a sucker for small, adorable things. …Only Ballock himself remained oblivious.
“From what I observed… Rubian seemed just as brave as your young masters, sir.”
“On what grounds?”
“Your Excellency never showed the slightest fear of Leviathan, yet you’re interrogating him like this. Normally, a child would burst into tears under such pressure.”
“…That’s true, I suppose.”
Ballock sank heavily into his chair, recalling Rubian’s expression.
Even when he’d kicked down the front gate in his haste, the child had merely widened her eyes—she hadn’t cried.
Void and Liam had wailed their hearts out…. And that wasn’t all. Those two were still sulking about it.
“That little brat just stared with wide eyes and prattled on without tiring, talking back to me….”
“But now you’ve earned her hatred, haven’t you?”
“….”
Ugh, why is he being so irritating today?
Ballock shot a glare at his subordinate’s face.
The retired knight, now better suited to butler’s attire, quietly averted his gaze.
“Tch! Why didn’t she even finish half her milk!”
He vented his irritation at the mug sitting forlornly on the table.
A mint-colored mug, no less! I never even knew we had something so adorable in this house!
“If she won’t eat properly, she’s smaller than a ground goblin!”
“She is somewhat larger than that…. Perhaps you should refrain from comparing her to magical beasts altogether.”
Ballock stiffened once more.
“…Was that also a terrible thing to do?”
“What child would appreciate being compared to a magical beast?”
“You….”
Finally, the Old Master erupted.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner!”
Roaaaah! At the Old Master’s leonine roar, Morris pulled out a handkerchief.
“That’s something you should have realized yourself!”
Of course, he fired back without backing down.
Morris was exhausted.
Ah, I’d rather be subjugating magical beasts. Being a butler is a more extreme profession than being a knight.
These infuriating Zebert people!
“I’m clocking out…. No, I’m retiring!”
* * *
I spent the entire afternoon pondering how to overcome this crisis.
Kalid said the Mage King still didn’t know I was in the Zebert Duchy.
‘I was planning to make my move soon anyway.’
Finding out why Leviathan dies.
My most plausible hypothesis was a magical beast attack.
‘That author would be capable of it.’
After all, it was a cliff-hanger ending with no coherence whatsoever.
Though it wasn’t quite as absurd as ‘a meteor suddenly fell and the hero died. -The End-‘, the most viable scenario was the protagonist’s death resulting from a magical beast invasion.
‘If it’s not that, there’s nothing in this Northern Region that could be a threat to him.’
Monsters that covet his territory.
After spending several days here, no matter how I thought about it, there was only one thing that could threaten the peace and safety of this place.
‘Then what about the timing?’
In the original work’s first part, it roughly showed the daily lives of people who had regained peace after the war.
Void reconciling with Father and the blonde becoming crown prince were also pieces of information I’d gleaned from the latter half.
‘Making everyone happy and then ending like that. The author really does have personality issues.’
So if I thought about it carefully, I could roughly deduce when Father would die through the stories of other characters.
I adjusted imaginary glasses and crossed my arms firmly.
‘So since Void and Father’s relationship improved when he turned twelve…’
That meant Father would be safe for roughly another year, didn’t it?
‘As for other things… I can’t remember.’
What on earth had this man been doing since the war ended?
In any case, since I didn’t know when or what would happen, thorough preparation was essential.
‘When spring comes, the magical beasts will rampage too… and I need to be ready just in case a tracking mage arrives.’
I sat on the floor and thought quietly.
“I can’t just sit idle.”
With my resolve hardened, I straightened my posture and closed my eyes gently.
It felt like my body was plunging into a deep sea. It was a sea where all manner of magical formulas were intricately tangled together.
Did I need a method?
I had known every magical circle in the world since birth.
It was called wisdom, and also called truth, order, or the blessing of Wizeria.
What did I want?
I swam through that place, extracting what I needed, assembling it, and rearranging it.
It was familiar work.
The reason I could live as a mage despite not being born with abundant magical power was solely thanks to this knowledge.
I found it.
“Good.”
My eyes snapped open. By chance, I turned my head and my gaze met with my reflection in the mirror.
In my blue eyes, the pink luminescence was slowly fading away.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted…”
I shook my head vigorously.
Perceiving Wizeria’s wisdom consumed quite a bit of stamina.
Fortunately, thanks to eating well and living well these past few weeks, I recovered quickly.
‘Grandfather said he wanted to go out together tomorrow, didn’t he?’
It was a timely opportunity.

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