The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 218

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

Chapter 218
Dragging my reluctant feet forward, I led the Knights to the Southern Region, only to find the tide of battle reversed in an instant.
I drove straight through the heart of the conflict with unstoppable momentum, and within half a day, I had brought the entire situation under control.
‘I hear those fools who mistook it for a Dark Beast were somehow enchanted and couldn’t fight properly.’
“So where exactly is this Dark Beast?”
Leviathan muttered with displeasure.
There were only high-ranking Beasts in greater numbers, which was merely troublesome.
“Your Excellency, are you unharmed?”
At that moment, Leon came rushing over.
“Where is Kalid?”
“He’s coming now. The other Knights are cleaning up the surrounding area.”
“What of the Village damage?”
“We stopped them before the Beasts could invade. There’s nothing significant to report.”
Kalid, who had been stationed at the Western Gorge position, was galloping toward us from the distance on horseback, kicking up clouds of dust.
Not a single drop of blood stained him—he looked immaculate, as if he had just stepped out of a Banquet Hall.
“I thought he was insane…”
Leon muttered beside me.
‘He rarely says things like that.’
It was a testament to how extraordinary Kalid’s skill was—enough to exhaust even a seasoned Knight.
‘What have I raised, exactly.’
I had only trained him to grow into a strong and sturdy man. Yet the youth had grown excessively strong, excessively sturdy.
Whether Kalid knew my thoughts or not, he spoke casually while surveying the devastated surroundings.
“Was there no Dark Beast here either?”
“No.”
“Then perhaps…I suspect they cast illusion magic or something similar on several Beasts to create confusion. I sensed something other than Beast mana.”
“Illusion magic?”
“I don’t know the details myself, but I’ve heard it’s a type of magic that exploits human weakness.”
Leviathan pondered for a moment before asking.
“Leon, are there many soldiers in the Southern Army who participated in the Human-Beast War?”
“Quite a few.”
“I see, so that’s it.”
If it exploits the deepest weaknesses of humans.
‘They may have shown them the form of the Dark Beast they feared most.’
Now the soldiers’ varying accounts made sense. I exhaled slowly.
No matter how much time passed, the shadow of that terrible war left such deep scars.
“What of the Mages who destroyed the Beast Sealing Stones?”
“We’re tracking them.”
Leviathan clicked his tongue again.
The Mages had infiltrated during the gap when the Southern Region’s defenses weakened, destroyed the Beast Sealing Stones, and triggered a chain reaction that unleashed the dormant Beast horde.
The problem was that I still hadn’t located those Mages.
“No matter how lax the Southern Army’s vigilance has been… I cannot fathom how they’ve managed to hide like rats until now.”
“Indeed, sir. If they had smuggled themselves in like those Mages I captured, they would have been spotted without question.”
The soldiers had searched everywhere, yet no trace of the suspected Mages could be found.
That was when it happened.
“Kalid?”
Kalid’s black war horse stirred.
He stood at the edge of a jagged cliff outcropping. His dry gaze meticulously examined the sheer cliff face across from him.
“What is it?”
“Have you examined that cave?”
His gauntleted hand pointed toward somewhere on the cliff face.
“There’s a cave?”
“If you look carefully, you’ll see it.”
A shadowed area where sunlight could not penetrate.
Somewhere along the vertically rising cliff, a small crevice appeared that would be utterly unreachable from horseback.
His slate-blue eyes gazed slowly toward that spot.
“I can sense magical energy emanating from there.”
Leviathan immediately urged his horse forward.
“Let’s go.”
They galloped hastily toward the opposite cliff face. Leon descended the cliff first, insisting on examining it himself.
“A fall from here would mean certain death.”
Powerful updrafts made it difficult to maintain one’s footing.
Leviathan scoffed, remarking that those Mage wretches had chosen quite a daring hideout.
Meanwhile, Kalid rubbed his throbbing temples with his fist. A faint headache that had begun when he left the Capital continued to plague him.
“Yam, did you ever say I was ‘like a dog’?”
Why had that question suddenly surfaced in his mind?
‘What is this sense of déjà vu?’
It felt as though he had said something like that before. And moreover…
‘To Rubian.’
Had he lost his mind?
He shook his head vigorously.
“Kalid?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
Leviathan had been watching him intently.
“Once you’ve confirmed this cave, return to the Capital. Go and guard Rubian’s side.”
“…Aren’t you planning to head to the Mage Kingdom, sir? By using one of those Mages as a guide?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Though his reply seemed casual, the Duke’s eyes gleamed with sharper intensity than ever before.
“That cursed bastard seems to be sitting there calling for me. I should answer, shouldn’t I?”
“Then I should also…”
“I’m sorry, Kalid.”
Leviathan drew a clear line in the sand.
“This is my responsibility. You do what you’re capable of.”
“But—”
“Go assist Rubian… what was it? Anyway, just do your support role properly.”
“…Support battery, sir?”
As Kalid answered with a sigh, Leviathan chuckled and draped an arm across his shoulder.
“Yeah, that. But only provide support, got it? Don’t you dare overstep your bounds. Though… how exactly does that support work?”
Leviathan suddenly seemed to remember something and asked. He had no idea that Rubian and Kalid were exchanging mana through physical contact.
Kalid glanced at Leviathan and gently pushed his arm away. The corners of his eyes, marked with two tear moles, curved slightly upward.
“I couldn’t say, sir.”
Good heavens.
Leviathan pressed his palm to his forehead.
“What have I actually been raising?”
“Commander!”
At that moment, Leon’s voice echoed from below the cliff.
“I’ve found the entrance here!”
Kalid and Leviathan’s eyes met. They hurried down the cliff face.
Fortunately, there was a small flat area where a few adults could barely stand near what appeared to be the cave entrance.
“As you can see, it’s blocked by a large boulder.”
Leon tapped the gray stone with his knuckles.
“I can sense movement inside the cave, so those mages are definitely hiding in there. We’ll need some kind of magical artifact to blast it open…”
Before Leon could finish, Leviathan lightly kicked Kalid’s shin.
“Go. Support duty.”
Kalid clicked his tongue in displeasure but placed his hand on the boulder nonetheless.
“Everyone, step back.”
No elaborate magic circle was necessary.
He simply released the mana he possessed.
Boom!
The boulder crumbled to dust.
A pale cloud of dust rose into the air.
Leviathan adjusted his grip on his sword and issued a low command to Leon.
“Kill anyone who resists. We only need one guide to lead us to Arcadia.”
“Understood.”
Just as his adjutant was about to rush forward to seize the opportunity—
“Wait!”
“Kalid?”
Kalid’s slightly sharp voice halted Leon’s steps.
With a wave of his hand, the dust settled instantly. After examining the interior, he muttered with an unpleasant expression, “I had a bad feeling about this.”
“What is it?”
“…Duke Zebert is inside.”
In the dark, damp Cave.
Leviathan’s expression froze cold in an instant as he surveyed the interior.
“This… damn it.”
Leviathan could not deny it.
“That bastard!”
The Mage King knew exactly how to provoke his fury.
The Young Mages huddled and trembling in the Cave finally burst into tears at the explosive surge of his aura.
“P-please save us, sir.”
“We’re sorry… waaaah.”
Young Mages similar to those Leviathan had first encountered with Rubian.
Leviathan’s eyes flipped wide open.

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