The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 221

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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 221
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Kalid stared expressionlessly at the cave entrance, completely sealed by rubble.
“This is taking far too long.”
Leon muttered from beside him.
They had arrived after asking the nearby villagers for another exit to this cliff cave and finding it.
The problem was that this exit had also been blocked by rocks, apparently affected by the earlier explosion.
There was no other way forward now.
“Hurry!”
At Leon’s shout, the Zebert Knights hastily began hauling away rocks and boulders.
Kalid gripped the reins tightly.
‘If the Duke were safe, there would be signs of him moving rocks from inside.’
But the interior remained silent. The connection with the Squirrel had also been severed since earlier.
“Kalid, come to think of it—have you tried contacting Rubian?”
Leon asked, and Kalid shook his head curtly.
“We don’t know her condition yet.”
Rubian had been so ill she couldn’t even open her eyes for an entire week. Whenever Kalid saw her lying there so pallid… how could he describe it.
He was plagued by the urge to kill everyone.
Not only the First Prince who had reduced Rubian to this state, but also Licht for being there and failing to protect her properly, the Physician who couldn’t drop a single hair on Rubian’s head, the Maid, and even the Zebert Duke who seemed half-mad with his daughter unconscious.
He wanted to kill them all.
Of course, the one he wanted to kill most was himself for failing to protect Rubian.
But he absolutely had no intention of letting Rubian discover such destructive thoughts.
If he used communication magic on a girl who had only just recovered, wouldn’t that be wastefully draining her mana?
‘Besides, if she learns something happened to the Duke, she might insist on coming here.’
Kalid shook his head. It would be better to send a carrier pigeon letter to Rosetta Zebert instead.
“I should step away for a moment—”
Just as he turned to move and find a suitable place to use carrier pigeon magic.
Crackle—
A familiar static noise rang through his head.
And then.
[ Kaaaaaaaaliiiiid! ]
Kalid nearly fell off his horse.
[ Kalid! Kalid! My friend! ]
A sharp sound pierced his mind. It was a positively destructive voice that awakened every single drowsy brain cell.
Leon glanced over with concern.
“Kalid?”
“No, just a moment—”
Kalid frantically channeled his mana.
‘Rubian?!’
[ Wow, if you ignore me again I’m ending our friendship. ]
‘I absolutely won’t sever our bond…. But are you alright? Using that much mana.’
[ I’m in the Northern Region right now. What about you? Where exactly are you in the Southern Region? Father? How’s the war situation? Is it really a Dark Beast? ]
At the rapid-fire questions, Kalid felt his throat tighten inexplicably.
I kept regretting that I hadn’t been there to see her wake up.
[ Why won’t you say anything! ]
‘Because I like it….’
[ Huh? ]
‘I like your voice.’
Rubian fell silent for a long moment.
Then she spoke hesitantly.
[ When are you going to correct that? ]
Kalid let out a soft laugh.
That was actually the truth.
I like you…. But I couldn’t say that.
‘Your voice is genuinely beautiful.’
As I spoke with finality, Rubian’s flustered breath escaped through the connection. I absorbed every bit of it without missing a single sound.
[ I…do have a decent voice, don’t I? But more importantly, tell me what’s happening right now! ]
At her continued words, Kalid nodded and shared the situation here with her.
Of course, I also asked why Rubian had suddenly gone to the Northern Region, but I didn’t hear the details.
[ I’m sorry, Kalid. This is…. I want to tell Father first. ]
Rubian added with a laugh.
[ Don’t worry! I’ll head there right now! Um, about thirty minutes? ]
‘From the Northern Region to the Southern Region…. In thirty minutes?’
A distance that took over a month by ordinary carriage, and several days even with accelerated magical artifacts?
Rubian laughed as if she’d read my thoughts. I could almost see her confident smile rising at the corners of her mouth.
[ His Majesty the Emperor graciously approved the Gate Portal usage immediately. ]
Kalid became even more bewildered.
‘How did she convince the Emperor from so far away in the Northern Region?’
But Rubian said she didn’t have time and would explain the details when they met.
[ Anyway, that’s how it is. ]
Kalid didn’t ask further and without hesitation cracked the reins. The sleek black horse bolted toward the direction of the Southern Region’s Gate Portal without restraint.
[ I’m heading there right now! ]
* * *
I arrived at the Northern Region’s Gate Portal with my family on horseback.
It was a portal that hadn’t been opened even once since the ‘Fourth’ used it eight years ago during the New Leaf Festival.
“Um, is it really true that the Young Lady…. will activate this portal?”
“Yes. I’ve already received permission.”
In the Knight’s hand was the Emperor’s portal usage permit that I had just handed over.
“Is there a problem?”
“…No, there isn’t.”
The Knight responded halfheartedly and took a step back.
‘Thank you, Liam.’
This morning, with Asha’s aid, the magical letter arrived.
It contained the Emperor’s approval: “Full authorization is granted for the Zebert Duchy to use the Gate Portal throughout Babylon.”
Of course, on the page I secretly hid beneath it….

There was also the Emperor’s heartfelt lament, written with such forceful pressure it seemed to pierce the parchment, but I simply pretended not to see it….
It appeared Liam had been working quite diligently—rather, *very* diligently—beside the Emperor to ensure this authorization was sent swiftly and accurately.
In any case.
Only a Mage could operate the Gate Portals scattered across the four corners of the Continent.
If I embedded mana within them, ordinary people could use them a limited number of times, but naturally there was no Mage in Babylon willing to do such a thing. Besides, since the portals were used only with the Emperor’s permission, charging them without authorization was strictly forbidden.
‘Ah, there’s no turning back now.’
As the Knights around me began whispering about how I would operate the portal, I started inputting coordinates into one wall of the great archway.
Blue mana flowed outward, spiraling through every corner of the intricate patterns carved into the stone.
“Whoa—”
“Whoa—, my foot! All of you, zip it and get out!”
At that moment, Grandfather approached, having semi-coerced the surrounding Knights into silence before shooing them away.
“So, Leviathan is trapped in the Cave?”
“Yes. He should have escaped long ago, but apparently he’s still stuck inside….”
The moment I received the portal authorization, I relayed the situation in the Southern Region from Kalid. Of course, I also passed along everything I’d heard to my family.
“Hmm, trapped inside….”
Grandfather furrowed his thick brows, his expression growing serious.
‘Goodness. They bicker constantly, but he’s still a little worried about his son….’
“What is it?”
No. I was mistaken.
“Could it be that you’ve discovered a gold mine, Grandfather?”
“Exactly! So the little runt has grown a bit smarter!”
“Ahem.”
Our household’s second-born, who had inadvertently achieved 100% growth compared to last year, puffed out his chest.
“Everyone…. It’s good that you don’t doubt for a moment what happened to Leviathan.
Mother picked up her quiver, her brows knitting together.
“Mother, is something troubling you?”
Mother shook her head at my question.
“It’s probably nothing serious, but the Mage I interrogated hinted that Leviathan would be defeated in the Southern Region. At the time, I thought he was talking about Dark Beasts.
Her smooth brow narrowed with displeasure.
“If it wasn’t Dark Beasts…. Then something else might have happened, or so I thought.”
Grandfather and Void tilted their heads simultaneously. Father’s expression suggested he couldn’t fathom what could possibly happen to him.
“In any case, we have no choice but to go and see!”
As I gazed at the portal shimmering with blue light, Mother looked at me with concern.
“Yes. But are you sure you’re alright, daughter?”
“Well, I’ll lose some mana during the transfer, but the Southern Region is rich in mana, so I’ll recover quickly.”
And honestly, I had something I could rely on.
‘Kalid.’
I called out softly, and a low voice flowed back.
[ Yes, I’m waiting. ]
My heart raced for some reason.
That’s right. Kalid, my pillar of support, was waiting for me, so I had nothing to worry about.
“Oh, that reminds me, Rubian. You went back to the Memorial Garden with Mother earlier. What were you doing there?”
Void suddenly asked, worried that his head and body might be separated during the transfer.
The mention of the Memorial Garden cast a slight shadow over the atmosphere, but I deliberately smiled brightly.
“I had something to retrieve.”
“Something to retrieve?”
Void asked again, but I didn’t elaborate further. It was time to transfer.
“Everyone, hold hands! It’s a long-distance transfer, so you might feel a bit nauseous… Ugh.”
“Why are you saying it and then getting nauseous yourself? And before we even leave?”
My older brother shook his head and approached, saying he’d carry me across the portal.
I barely managed to stop him, and then I stepped through the blue veil with my family, one step at a time.
‘Father, wait for me!’
A massive amount of mana drained from within me.
I closed my eyes tightly for a moment, feeling a strange ache.
Actually, I had heard something from Kalid that I hadn’t told my family.
[ The Duke’s final words were a bit strange. He said not to check anything first and to wait, asking me to relay that message to you… ]
It was a meaningful statement.
Apparently, after receiving the Mage King’s letter, he made that request.
‘Could it be that Father…?’
Did he realize something after reading the Mage King’s letter?
Is that why he discovered some truth in that place?
My heart felt anxious and heavy.
If that were the case… if Father had learned the truth that I might actually be his real daughter…
Then perhaps he couldn’t escape the cave and was wandering, lost in such overwhelming sorrow that he’d lost the will to fight and fallen into despair.
‘Father must be so terrified and lonely right now.’
And perhaps only I could save him.
“Don’t worry, Father.”
I lifted my head sharply. I clenched my fists with determination and took a bold step forward.
“I’m coming to save you!”

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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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