The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 212

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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 212
Ch. 212
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
The Mysterious Man spoke.
Deep within the dark Cave.
White cream clung to the smooth curve of his lips.
Watching his crimson tongue lick it away without leaving a trace, I found myself muttering vacantly.
“…It’s just that you eat so well despite it being all crushed.”
“What does appearance matter?”
In the moonlight, the Mysterious Man’s eyes held an enigmatic blend of grey and blue.
His hair shimmered like a bluish night sky.
The moment I was about to end my life with the short blade.
“If you’re going to die, go somewhere farther away to do it.”
The Mysterious Man, who had accosted me suddenly with those words, suddenly wanted the cake box that had fallen to the ground. Because of that, I postponed my death for a moment.
“…But why are you trapped in a place like this?”
“You ask quickly.”
The chains rattled as they shifted.
The Mysterious Man’s hands and feet were bound by thick shackles.
His wrists appeared relatively free, but the shackles on his ankles were fixed to the Cave wall, limiting his range of movement.
“Try guessing.”
The Mysterious Man twisted his lips into a long smile.
“Never mind, I’m not that curious.”
“Ah, I see.”
A listless voice drifted out.
“If you’ve lost interest, then leave.”
Since I was about to do that anyway, I lifted myself up again.
“Let me tell you in advance.”
“…”
“You won’t be able to die with that blade.”
The Mysterious Man added indifferently.
“What do you mean?”
“With a blade that short, you’d have to thrust it very deep and forcefully to actually die.”
“…”
I gazed at the tip of my short blade.
So Leviathan… just how much strength did he use to stab himself?
I looked down at my hands, thin as dry twigs.
“I see.”
With hands this weak, I couldn’t even kill myself alone.
“Then… would you mind killing me?”
“…”
“I’ll take it out for you instead.”
The Mysterious Man laughed, scratching his neck.
“That’s impossible. You have no idea how complex the sealing formula binding my shackles is….”
“It would be for you.”
“What?”
“But not for me.”
“….”
An intense gaze pierced through me.
The Mysterious Man sat on the ground while I stood, so our eyes met at a diagonal angle.
Rubian!
In that moment, I heard a phantom voice from somewhere. My legs buckled beneath me.
Suddenly, it felt as though water was rushing into my ears. A pungent, fishy stench wafted from nowhere.
Rubian!
Glub, glub.
What is this?
“Cough, cough!”
I braced myself on the ground with both hands, coughing violently.
“Stop. You’ll die soon enough without my help anyway.”
When I instinctively lifted my head, the Mysterious Man’s beast-like eyes filled my entire vision.
In those pale blue irises, a strange hunger flickered for an instant.
“Haa….”
I wiped my mouth and muttered.
“This is just because I lack magical power.”
My vision spun dizzily. I steadied myself against my lower back and spoke.
“If I just stop my time magic, your chains would be simple….”
“…Time magic?”
A chilling voice sent shivers down my spine.
The Mysterious Man reached his hand beneath the bars. My wrist was suddenly seized. I felt like prey standing before a beast.
“So you can manipulate time?”
* * *
My eyes opened slowly.
“….”
The familiar patterns on the ceiling came into view. This place….
‘The Capital Duke’s Mansion.’
For someone who had just drowned and awakened, my body felt surprisingly light. But the moment I turned my head, the room spun before my eyes.
A fit of coughing seized me.
“Cough, cough!”
“Rubian, my dear!”
The one who rushed over was my Grandfather, his face pale with worry.
The one who came running quickly was Grandfather with a pale face.
“Hazel! Borbel!”
The moment Grandfather called for the servants, the outside erupted into chaos.
“You rascal!”
Large arms wrapped around me with scorching warmth.
Through those urgent, aching hands, I realized far more time had passed than I’d thought.
“How long, how much time….”
“A week!”
A dizzying sensation washed over me.
“Phew. Now I can breathe! You’ve nearly torn this old man’s heart to shreds! Haven’t you?”
“Grandfather….”
My voice came out metallic and harsh, but Grandfather answered readily.
“Yes, yes. Let me check your temperature….”
“What about Father?”
Only then did Grandfather lay me down on the bed, exhaling a long breath.
“Leviathan stayed by your side the entire time before departing at dawn. He needed to confirm you were improving with his own eyes. The situation in the Southern Region is deteriorating rapidly.”
“Kalid…as well?”
His head fell heavily.
“Yes.”
I clenched my teeth.
Perhaps it was for the best.
‘There’s something I need to confirm.’
“Where is Mother?”
As my throat loosened, my voice grew clearer. Simultaneously, cold rationality returned to me.
“Rose is interrogating the mages outside the Capital. She’s trying to learn if they know anything about the magical beasts in the Southern Region.”
Then only Grandfather remained.
“Don’t worry. Rose will return soon…. My dear, Rubian.”
Grandfather’s thick, calloused fingers brushed my cheek. A faint dampness clung to them.
“Why are you crying, hmm?”
“Grandfather.”
I grasped his hand and pushed myself upright.
“Please help me.”
“….”
“Take me to Zelocks.”
His thick brows shot up sharply. Grandfather sighed low and patted my shoulder.
“I understand, so rest today….”
“Now.”
“Rubian.”
“It has to be now….”
If he refused, I was prepared to go alone.
Reading that resolve, Grandfather’s strong lips pressed into a firm line. His neatly groomed beard twitched slightly.
“Miss!”
The door burst open, and Hazel, Borbel, and the servants appeared.
Grandfather patted me twice on the back before rising to his feet. Then he issued an order to Morris, who stood nearby.
“Morris, tell them outside to prepare the carriage. We’re returning to Zelocks. Leave a letter for Rose with whatever haste you can manage.”
“What? Right now?”
“Tell the Outpost Mage to bring all the acceleration magical tools. Pack only the bare essentials.”
“But Miss is still—”
“That’s an order!”
Grandfather’s voice thundered through the room.
At that commanding roar, everyone fell silent, their mouths snapping shut.
“Understood.”
Hazel moved first.
“But most of the Knights have been deployed, and the remaining escort forces are…”
“I’ll go with you.”
The words came from a man who pushed through the crowd. He had run here with all his might, and his breathing came in rare, ragged gasps.
“I’m not sure what’s happening, but…”
Void sighed, glancing at me while gripping his sword.
“It’d be better if I escorted her rather than trying to break her stubbornness.”
* * *
The carriage raced northward at full speed.
I couldn’t tell how many days had passed.
My fever had returned during the journey, so I spent most of it in a drug-induced haze.
Each time Grandfather’s thunderous voice cracked like lightning, our destination drew closer. He was truly my ally with that commanding presence.
After crossing the Northern Gate and practically kicking open the gates of Zelocks Castle, it was already the dead of night.
“Whatever it is, rest today. Understood? There’s nothing we can do in the middle of the night anyway!”
With those final words, Grandfather pushed me into the Bedroom.
When asked why I was so insistent on going north, I made the excuse that magical beasts had appeared, so I needed to inspect Zelocks’ barrier immediately.
The Northern Region was the land of magical beasts.
Grandfather couldn’t hide his uncomfortable expression, but he seemed to accept it readily enough.
“Rubian, if you’re going out, call for me. Understood? You must call for me!”
Void said this as he left the room.
I nodded obediently and sat in the Bedroom, waiting for them all to withdraw.
The night deepened.
A night thick with clouds that let no moonlight through.
‘Now’s the time.’
Zelocks Duchy—my second home in every way.
There wasn’t a corner of this place where I hadn’t left my footprints. I had explored everywhere with Kalid and my older brothers, even creating secret passages and shortcuts.
‘I don’t need Kalid’s Squirrel.’
Of course not.
This was my home, after all.
I slipped out of the Castle and made my way toward the Zebert Memorial.
“Gasp, huff.”
My pace quickened of its own accord, and my breath soon caught in my throat.
My head spun dizzily, though I couldn’t tell if it was from the lack of oxygen or from dread of the truth I was about to uncover.
The dark, shadowed Memorial drew slowly closer. A faint glimmer of light flickered in the Gravedigger’s Cottage window in the distance.
I pulled my black cloak tighter to avoid being seen and stepped into the Memorial.
My feet carried me without hesitation toward the Small Garden.
Shhhhh—
The wind swept through.
My cloak billowed away, and my long silver hair scattered in the breeze.
“….”
A black tombstone stood solitary before me.
I stared at it intently.
The grave of a baby who died before ever receiving a name.
What are you?
What am I?
‘What am I?’
My palm slowly pressed against the ground.
Beneath this earth, there was surely a sturdy stone coffin.
A few months ago, I had attended a funeral in the Capital.
In Babylon, there was a custom of viewing the complete preservation of a corpse as the highest form of respect for the deceased.
Thus, they prepared exceptionally thick stone coffins and preservation artifacts to conduct the funeral rites.
Therefore….
‘Though the baby died long ago.’
Following custom, the baby’s remains should still exist beneath this ground.
‘…If it truly does.’
I swallowed a dizzying breath and channeled my mana downward into the earth.
It was a detection spell primarily used when exploring ruins. Despite the cold winter, sweat dripped steadily. My lips had been bitten so much they cracked, and I tasted blood.
Blue mana flowed downward, piercing deeper.
It broke through the surface, passed through the soil, and finally touched the stone coffin. Zing. The mana reflected off the object, and I felt a vibration at my fingertips.
I concentrated all my focus, using mana to probe the interior of the coffin.
After a moment.
“….”
My eyelids slowly opened.
“The coffin….”
No mana returned.
The meaning was unmistakable.
“The coffin is empty.”

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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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