The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 229

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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 229
But this time, Mother’s hand rose gently.
“I’m opposed to it as well.”
“I’m sorry, Rubian. I’m against it too.”
“…Excuse me, but what kind of conversation is this? Who’s the real daughter here?”
Liam seemed to mutter something in a pallid daze, but the absurdity of my family’s reaction drowned out his words in my ears.
“What! Why are you all opposed!”
“Because it’s obviously a trap.”
Father crossed his arms and locked one leg, coolly assessing the situation.
“The Mage King is after you in the first place. Handing you directly to him makes no sense whatsoever.”
“But that’s…!”
“I’ll go to the Mage Kingdom. My Knight Order is already in the Southern Region anyway, so if we push forward like this…”
I clenched my fist against the table. My lips twisted involuntarily.
“Father. Why did you give me this necklace? Wasn’t it for my coming of age? You always said that once I turned eighteen, I could accompany you on business trips!”
“Of course that’s true, but Rubian…”
Father exhaled a long sigh and glanced at my injury.
“I can’t take you somewhere the danger is so obvious. This is an entirely different matter from your age.”
Father was stubborn.
I glared at him with eyes burning with indignation. Though we bickered daily, the times we’d truly fought could be counted on one hand, so a certain tension filled the air.
I exhaled a long sigh and straightened my posture from the table.
“Then, Father the Duke. How exactly do you plan to push forward to Arcadia?”
“That would be…”
“Using those young mages? The ones who cry at the mere mention of the Mage Kingdom? Or are you planning to put them on a boat to the Mage Kingdom under the pretense of guiding the way? And besides, the navigation artifacts they had were supposedly one-way only?”
Without missing the moment Father tried to respond, I spoke in a rush.
‘Sorry, Father.’
But I couldn’t lose this argument…
“And let’s say by some miracle you reach the Mage Kingdom. Then what? Has anyone here ever been to Arcadia? The terrain there is incredibly twisted, and who knows the shortcut to the Royal Palace? And if you get attacked by mages along the way? Who can quickly sense the mages’ magical power and report it? Who can do that?”
“…”
“That’s right! Me! All of it!”
Of course, I understood my family’s desire to keep me from going.
The Mage King was the king of mages. The one who stood at the very apex of the power pyramid. I too couldn’t fathom his limits. What frightened me most was that he had nothing to protect.
Those with nothing to protect easily cross their limits, going berserk or realizing destruction beyond my comprehension.
And we were planning to march into the very land where such a Mage King could move most freely.
Perhaps I would be injured far more severely than my damaged leg.
But I hated hiding behind my family like this.
The Mage King was Father’s nemesis, yes.
‘But he’s my nemesis too.’
A heavy silence blanketed the room.
My family couldn’t muster any rebuttal to my methodical words. When it came down to it, what I said was reasonable and right.
“Sigh…”
After a long while, a deep, profound sigh escaped from Father. In that sigh, I could read an inescapable resignation.
The rest of my family offered brief resistance, but none of them could break my resolve.
After all, this was an argument I could only win. Perhaps my family, Father included, knew this even as they objected.
“I wish I could stay ten forever. So I could hide behind Father’s back for the rest of my life.”
The face stroking my head seemed somehow tinged with melancholy.
But it was only fleeting. Father soon straightened his posture, returning to his usual expression.
“…Very well. Then let’s discuss how we’ll reach the Mage Kingdom.”
I fell into contemplation before continuing.
“There are typically two methods—using a portal or traveling by sea. But given our current circumstances….”
The portal connecting to the Mage Kingdom was currently severed from Babylon.
It was like a phone call where the other side refuses to pick up—without them answering, the connection would never establish, making forced activation impossible.
‘That’s why Kalid came to meet me when I traveled from the Northern Region to the Southern Region this time.’
In truth, activating a portal only required pressing the magical device switch embedded in the gate—something even non-mages could do. Strictly speaking, there was no need for him to come meet me at all.
In any case.
“Portal travel is impossible right now.”
I concluded simply.
‘Unless someone from the Mage Kingdom opens the way first.’
“Then we’ll have to use the exploration vessel they’re preparing.”
“But every attempt has failed when blocked by the Mage Kingdom’s barrier.”
“I’ll create a magical device.”
I smiled with confidence.
“An autonomous navigation device. With the right coordinates, it can reach anywhere without difficulty. And those coordinates are probably….”
“….”
“Known by the Southern Base Mage.”
I pulled out a small piece of paper I’d kept in my pocket. It was a worn scrap, so tiny it didn’t even fill half my palm, with edges singed blue from fire.
“This is….”
Father was the first to recognize what it was.
“It seems ‘Second’ recently regained consciousness. Once he learned I was in the Southern Region, he told me various things—including advice to seek out the Southern Base Mage.”
I grabbed a pen and wrote 【Thank you.】 on the paper. The blue flames that erupted consumed the paper completely before vanishing.
“But I heard the Southern mage has gone missing. There are rumors he died long ago or returned to the Mage Kingdom long since.”
Mother added.
“For now, Marquis Weber said he’d look into it, so we should wait and see. If that doesn’t work, Kalid said he’d search the area by tracking magical traces. Right?”
Kalid, sitting like a shadow, nodded silently.
The family members then nodded in agreement.
“And after we reach the Mage Kingdom?”
Void asked.
“Well….”
I voiced the strategy I’d been contemplating all along.
“I think it would be best if we split into two teams from the start.”
Father’s brow furrowed at my words, but he didn’t outright object. It seemed he already understood why I’d suggested dividing into teams.
“To wage war against the Mage Kingdom, we’ll need a substantial force. Their combat mages will mobilize with full strength, after all. Obviously, our family alone cannot mount an adequate defense.”
I turned to Father.
“We can’t transport large-scale troops with this expedition vessel. I’m right, aren’t I, Father?”
“That’s correct. It’s not a warship.”
“And we lack the time to prepare another warship. Besides, the Babylon Military is relatively weak in naval combat.”
Grandfather added his thoughts.
“Then ultimately, to wage full-scale war against the Mage Kingdom, troop movement must be conducted through portals. For that to happen….”
“Someone will have to reach the Mage Kingdom first and open a portal.”
Mother concluded coldly.
I smiled and nodded.
“In other words, we’d be the vanguard.”
Hmm. My gaze swept slowly across the room.
“Since I know the location of the transit portal in Arcadia well, naturally I’ll be the vanguard…. And it seems I’ll be the commander of this operation.”
In that instant, the air in the room froze solid.
“What do you think?”
I grinned widely and thrust my raised thumb toward the center of the table.
“Those willing to achieve great deeds alongside me….”
“….”
“Recruiting foot soldiers.”
Snap.
Someone’s hand seized my thumb like the wind itself.
“Me.”
It was Kalid, who had maintained silence throughout.
As if he’d been watching only my movements, his hand shot out and grasped my thumb the instant I extended it.
“Commander, I’m confident in my strength….”
Kalid swiftly pushed the sword at his waist far away.
“I’m a mage. I’ll serve you with utmost sincerity.”
“Wow, that cunning bastard. Not a shred of knightly pride in him.”
Just as Void grumbled in exasperation, the table shattered with a tremendous crash.
“See? Grandfather’s upset now….”
“I am!”
A resounding self-promotion began.
“I was a vanguard commander! I’ve won 200 victories in 100 wars!”
“How can you win 200 times in 100 wars?”
“I created battles that didn’t exist and won those too!”
“That’s just being a brawler….”
“Brawler, shut it!”
Void tried to counter, but suffered a crushing defeat as Grandfather’s iron fists clamped down on both his temples.

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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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