The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 233

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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 233
* * *
The expedition to the Mage Kingdom.
Days remaining: 2.
Mariel Weber Marquis paused upon entering the banquet hall.
The atmosphere within was starkly divided.
One faction of the Zebert Family appeared as though mourning a death, while the other basked in the euphoria of victory.
‘What is this? Did they quarrel?’
‘Surely not.’
The Marquis exchanged furtive glances with the Attendant before discerning the distinction between the two groups.
Those draped in euphoria wore golden necklaces with an ethereal blue luminescence.
“Sob… sob…”
“Father, please don’t cry. I understand your frustration—I didn’t receive one either.”
“Rose…”
The others possessed no such adornment.
‘Ah, it appears the selection for Rubian’s entourage has been announced.’
The chaos of recent days had been extraordinary. Contemplating the sordid and contemptible machinations that had ensued in pursuit of the youngest princess’s favor…
The Marquis’s expression grew hollow.
“Ah, Marquis. Welcome.”
“Prince Liam?”
This was the first time I’d witnessed that prince smile so openly.
Liam deliberately tilted his neck in greeting, and the golden necklace at his throat jangled ostentatiously.
Void, who had been glaring at Liam with one eye narrowed the entire time, suddenly bellowed.
“How dare you flaunt such a thing before those who lack it! Duel me! Let’s fight for the necklace!”
“What did you say? Void. I can’t hear well without the necklace.”
“Damn it!”
Void wedged himself between Ballock and Rosetta, clenching his fists and sobbing alongside them.
What a spectacle.
The Marquis clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
“But where, pray tell, is the princess who caused this commotion?”
Then Leviathan, seated at the head of the table and leisurely polishing his necklace, spoke.
“She’s gone out.”
“Gone out?”
“She was writing letters to someone yesterday, and it seems she has someone to meet today.”
“Alone?”
At that moment, the Duke’s grip tightened with evident displeasure.
Then, after checking that his precious acceptance necklace hadn’t been scratched, he continued.
“With that Kalid fellow…”
‘Ah.’
A date, then?
The Marquis thought as much, but true to his nature as a high-ranking nobleman skilled in worldly affairs, he kept such thoughts to himself.
* * *
Kalid and I sat side by side in front of the Southern Gate Portal, waiting for Licht and Sebelena.
“Hm?”
Then my gaze suddenly caught on Kalid’s crooked ribbon.
“Hey, your string came undone—”
“…! Don’t touch it!”
He recoiled in alarm, pulling away.
“Rubian, you have no idea how many hyenas are after this golden necklace.”
“Pfft, that’s just gold-plated…”
The round golden necklace held my mana within it.
I had distributed them to those who would accompany me to the Mage Kingdom, and I’d installed several safeguards to avoid causing a commotion upon arrival in Arcadia.
“But what were your selection criteria? Physical strength, mana, physique—something like that?”
“Not really.”
“…”
“Since the main mission is to establish the portal connection once we reach Arcadia, I just picked people who seemed capable of infiltrating quietly.”
Grandfather was the complete opposite of “quiet,” so he’d likely become the source of trouble—passed.
Mother said she needed to bring the Mercenary Servants with her, so she was passed for now.
Void was… just passed.
“And honestly, if the Mage King is planning to invade the continent, I needed to leave forces to defend the Southern Region. Of course, the Emperor has his own army, but… until they arrive. And frankly, Void is better suited for that than Liam.”
Besides, the Mage King was apparently conducting experiments with something involving dark blood. Liam might help trace those remnants. Of course… assuming he doesn’t get lost.
‘That’s why I added a get-lost prevention function to Liam’s necklace.’
Nothing special, really—just a function to keep him from straying too far from nearby people wearing the same necklace.
Upon receiving it, my brother broke into a beaming smile and clapped his hands.
“But how on earth did you solve the automatic navigation artifact problem? Did you threaten someone?”
“You… just threaten people to get what you want?”
“Perhaps?”
“…”
Sensing my gaze, he smiled faintly and brushed dust from my shoulder.
He used to be my cute little puppy…
“Of course, I’m joking.”
Lately, he’s become more of a cunning old dog.
“Tell me, Master.”
Sigh.
Licht and Sebelena would probably take a while to arrive anyway.
My lips slowly opened.
* * *
The day before.
Benjamin, the Outpost Mage, rubbed both his eyes.
“This is the Southern Region… not the Orphanage, is it?”
“Please wait a moment.”
The Knight spoke curtly and stood nearby without adding further words.
“You’ll need to remain in the location I’ve designated until the magical artifact verification is complete.”
When Zebert Duke, whom I’d met at the harbor, spoke those words while emanating a chilling aura, I’d assumed I’d be confined to the Underground Prison.
Instead, he spent exactly two days at a nearby mansion before being guided to an orphanage somewhere in the Southern Region.
Benjamin sat on a nearby bench with a vacant expression, his gaze naturally drifting toward the children bustling about nearby.
“I’m a dashing Knight!”
“I’ll be the Minister of Finance!”
“What’s a Minister of Finance?”
“Someone who handles money, I heard?”
“Oh.”
“Well, um, since I have a loud voice, I want to be the First Gatekeeper!”
“I’m the Head Attendant! The role of serving the King right by their side.”
“Heh, you rascals.”
Benjamin, who had been watching, couldn’t help but laugh and join in.
“Since no one wants to play the King in this Royal Palace game, will you do it?”
It was something unimaginable in the Mage Kingdom, but a common sight in the Empire.
The children’s innocent gazes turned toward the elderly Mage, their expressions suddenly awkward.
“That won’t do!”
Huh?
“Our King is Sister Rubian!”
Their voices flowed out in unison like a chorus.
“…Sister Rubian?”
In that moment, Benjamin sensed a faint current of magical power.
“Wait, you children! You’re… Mages?”
“Huh? Are you a Mage too, Grandfather?”
A sharp-looking girl who’d mentioned becoming Minister of Finance asked. Benjamin straightened his posture and wiped his mouth.
On the way here, he’d heard from the Knights about what had transpired in the Southern Region, so the children’s identities became instantly apparent.
“Just who are you children…?”
Seeing their fearless faces, a sudden thought struck him.
“You… Do you have a Mark? Show me the Mark!”
Just as he reached out toward the children, footsteps sounded from somewhere.
“Benjamin, sir?”
A woman with lustrous silver hair tied high. Her small, pale face bore delicate features arranged in gentle curves.
“You are…?”
Whether her leg was injured, she approached with Zebert Duke’s support.
“Hello!”
She greeted him with a radiant smile before sitting beside him, her face fresh and bright.
The surrounding Knights organized the children and moved away, while Zebert Duke leaned loosely against a nearby tree, keeping watch in place of the Knights.
“Benjamin, sir. Thank you for the magical artifact.”
Rubian opened her mouth with refreshing clarity.
“I examined it myself, and it’s quite an excellent automatic navigation magical artifact.”
“….”
“One that returns to Babylon.”
Benjamin clicked his tongue inwardly.
He had twisted the coordinates every which way to make them as difficult to identify as possible.
‘Already discovered….’
Perhaps there were limits to his own abilities after all. Or perhaps the woman before him possessed far greater skill than he had anticipated.
Rubian smiled, drawing her lips upward gently.
“Actually, I was planning to seek out Benjamin and ask you to create an automatic navigation magical artifact. But then, with perfect timing, you brought this to me.”
Benjamin fell silent.
“I mentioned it to Father as well, but I thought if you came to find me first, it would be a trap. There’s a high probability the Mage King manipulated your mark.”
“Manipulated? What on earth are you talking about?”
Benjamin glanced at the princess and displayed stubborn pride for no reason.
“I don’t know how you verified it, Princess, but that magical artifact…. I created it of my own volition to be of help to Babylon. If the coordinates were a mess, then it’s because this old man’s skill was a mess.”
“Are you sincere?”
“Princess, the Mage King…. He doesn’t remember every single lower-ranked mage like me.”
Rubian laughed silently at the sigh-laden voice.
“Perhaps the Mage King doesn’t.”
“….”
“But if it’s ‘First’ offering counsel at his side?”
The air grew cold and heavy.
“He wouldn’t have forgotten a single Hub Mage remaining on the Continent.”
The Mage King doesn’t remember those with weak power. Just as one doesn’t consciously recognize every pebble rolling along the roadside. But ‘First’ was different from the Mage King.
“The fact that he sent a lower-ranked mage claiming to be my fake biological father this time, and all of it…. These are all schemes that ‘First’ would likely devise.”
Rubian continued speaking in measured tones. Her expression remained slightly smiling, yet her eyes gleamed with a sharpness unmatched by anyone else’s.
“When I synthesized all of this, I thought you were my enemy…. But seeing that shoddy magical artifact, I became confused. The Mage King would have ordered you to lure me to Arcadia, wouldn’t he?”
The princess’s eyes moved, gazing at the old man’s wrinkled palm. It was a hand inscribed with a nullification magic circle. He clenched it tightly.
“Whose side are you really on, Benjamin?”

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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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