The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 237

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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 237
‘Is he insane?’
He ground his teeth in defiance against the voice.
The intent of the voice tormenting him was unmistakable—a naked display of a despicable desire to fulfill its own craving even if it meant making the person before him miserable and suffer.
Kalid pressed down once more against the dark mana that undulated as though devouring his own magical power.
‘This mana… it might be related to the power of that shackle inscribed with “For my King.”‘
The thought suddenly occurred to him.
If so, then was this the mana of that ‘King’?
‘But thinking about it differently, a King with mana means…’
Only the Mage King, doesn’t it?
The current Mage King is alive and well in that toy kingdom, so if I trace back several generations before him…
‘Damn it.’
What the hell am I carrying inside me?
Kalid wiped away the cold sweat beading on his forehead, pretending to brush back his hair so Rubian wouldn’t notice.
‘No matter what, it’s out of the question.’
I’ve cherished and treated her so preciously all this time.
Now I’m supposed to ruin everything because of some unknown power?
‘Go to hell.’
I won’t regret this.
He deliberately reached out toward Rubian of his own volition. His expression was as indifferent as always, but the veins on his forehead were visibly taut.
“Rubian, your hair’s coming loose. Want me to tie it back for you?”
“Can you?”
“Of course. At least better than the prince.”
“…Wow, you’re really relentless.”
As I listened to the voice pleading with me to get along well with Licht like it was music, Kalid carefully gathered each strand of silver hair slipping between my fingers.
Seize her. Make her submit. Don’t let her escape anywhere!
The dark mana seemed to raise its head at the opportune moment.
“Hey, that tickles too much. Do it firmer…”
“Sorry.”
With just one clear, whispering voice that awakened his very soul, he dismissed all of it as nothing.
* * *
Before we departed, Benjamin, whom I had met at the Harbor, spoke to me.
“By the way, is that young man a Mage?”
“Yes. It’s my first time seeing an unregistered Mage…”
Since he showed such keen interest in Kalid, I explained roughly how I had come to meet him. Benjamin was no longer under the dominion of the mark, so there was no particular reason to hold back.
“I would advise caution.”
“What?”
“A Mage bound by such complex sealing formulas…”
After hearing the full story, Benjamin spoke with an extremely cautious expression.
“He must be either a terrible criminal.”
“….”
“Either someone who has transcended human limitations, or one of the two. That seems to be the case.”
“Benjamin. Kalid is human. He’s not a criminal either. Being trapped in that cave was because….”
When he was a helpless young boy, he suffered at the hands of those vile mercenaries….
I murmured thus and gazed long into Benjamin’s wrinkled eyes.
‘Is that really so?’
An inexplicable sense of discord arose from something I had never once questioned before.
‘Since it’s part of the original setting, it’s something I never examined in detail.’
I could no longer overlook even the smallest details. Perhaps secrets I could never have imagined lay hidden, just as with the mystery of my own birth. And more than anything, Kalid was a friend incomparably precious to me—I couldn’t afford to dismiss this lightly.
And perhaps it was because of Benjamin’s words.
Right now, Kalid’s magical power felt strangely unstable.
‘Even now…. Look.’
I sensed Kalid’s magical power as he carefully bound my hair as though it were the world’s most precious silk.
A moment later, I reached out toward him as he secured my hair firmly with the tie.
“Kalid, lend me some magic.”
“….”
I thought he would grasp my hand as usual.
Surprisingly, Kalid turned his head away slightly.
“I’m busy now.”
“….”
“Later.”
“You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you?”
At my question, Kalid moved further away from me. I didn’t miss that opening.
“Tell me quickly what you’re hiding….”
That was when it happened.
The boat lurched violently, and something crashed onto the deck with a loud thud. Kalid rushed toward me like lightning, wrapping his body around mine to shield me.
“Be careful!”
A decorative item fell from the shelf above my head and shattered into pieces with a sharp crash.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Tsk, it must be a demonic beast. You stay right here.”
After confirming my safety thoroughly, Kalid drew his sword and rushed out. I too moved swiftly, infusing my magical power into the protective magical artifact placed in one corner of the cabin.
Blue magical power flowed along the hull and touched the magical artifacts scattered throughout the boat. Feeling all the power connect, I crouched down quietly.
Something exploded, shattered, and broke. The grotesque cries of the demonic beast were an added bonus.
Still, thanks to the protective magical artifacts, the boat would remain intact. No matter how much it thrashed, it wouldn’t sink.
And with Father here, there’s nothing particularly to worry about….
‘But that Kalid….’
I looked down at my palms as I crouched.
It was only for an instant, but his body that touched me to shield me from harm.
I deliberately drew out a hint of his magical power, examining it carefully.
‘The mana has changed.’
Was it merely my imagination?
“….”
I furrowed my brow, lost in thought.
After that, there were approximately five more battles.
I leveraged the increasingly dense mana of Arcadia to swiftly dismantle the major barriers protecting the Mage Kingdom. The crucial thing was ensuring no one discovered that the barriers had been breached.
The method I chose was camouflage. Or more precisely, rather than dismantling, I would call it layering over.
Whenever we approached a specific barrier, I would overlay the entire boat with an identical barrier.
A barrier is essentially a wavelength composed of mana and magical formations. So if I matched the wavelength enveloping the boat precisely to it, the principle allowed us to pass through undetected by being recognized as the same nature.
“Just let me smash through it cleanly….”
I sprawled across the deck, gasping for breath. Father and three other subordinates were enthusiastically demonstrating the commander’s authority through all manner of flattery.
As the crimson sunset began to sink beyond the horizon.
Our boat reached the southern coast of Arcadia.
* * *
Northern Arcadia.
The Mage King’s First wiped the corner of his mouth.
Gazing at the hazy horizon, he recalled the experimental results he had just confirmed.
‘The mana of magical beasts and mages who received transfusions of dark demon blood has turned black, though faintly.’
Of course, both of them died with their entire bodies corrupted.
‘A good sign.’
First recalled the mana that had increased explosively the moment the corrupted ones died.
Dark magic is a force from an entirely different dimension, unobtainable in the human world. While the power of the mortal realm is finite, the power of the demon realm is infinite. If he could only possess that power, Father could transcend human limitations and reign over this world.
‘All that’s needed is to fully accept the dark demon blood.’
The experiments continued.
The Mage King remained fixated on the summoning circle, waiting for Seventh’s return, but First had now decided not to be bound by Seventh’s complete return.
‘If the mark prevents movement and becomes an annoyance, I’ll simply kill her.’
He asked.
“Where are all the Senior Mages?”
“They are at the Ostavia Plains.”
“Are preparations complete?”
“Yes, they are.”
Recalling the staggering number of war golems, First laughed.
“Quite the grand army.”
He gazed toward the distant horizon and issued his command.
“Use the submarine we just developed. Take some of them and go to Babylon immediately. The unit that arrives first must open all portals in all four directions. We need to open the gates so our grand army can invade Babylon.”
“Understood.”
The Mage vanished via teleportation.
“First.”
Then, another figure appeared along with smoke.
“What is it?”
“The Mage King says it appears all the Southern Region mages are dead. He’s ordered me to capture Seventh with all haste.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The mark connections… they’ve all been severed.”
First’s brow furrowed slowly.
Had the Babylonians killed all the Southern Region mages?
I had deliberately used children and the elderly to prevent such a thing. Yet these cornered fools had abandoned their convictions after all.
“Tsk. Did he say nothing about Seventh’s mark?”
“Benjamin’s nullification magic wasn’t perfect—not as effective as hoped—but he says he can still sense the mark drawing closer.”
“She has an autonomous navigation artifact keyed to Northern Arcadia coordinates, so she’ll arrive here soon enough.”
“Yes.”
“The moment she reaches this shore, I’ll cast the nullification magic myself and amplify the mark. Have everyone conceal themselves.”
At that, countless mages who had been preparing for battle vanished from sight.
‘The instant you touch this shore, you’re finished.’
First swept a cold gaze across the coastline where countless magical formations lay buried, then turned his attention back to the sea. The horizon remained still.
A moment passed.
“She should be arriving soon.”
Yet the horizon remained still.
“…”
An encounter with a sea beast could have delayed her.
He adjusted his posture.
And then, a moment later.
The horizon.
“…”
Still remained still.
“…Why…?”
He gazed out at the tranquil waters of Northern Arcadia, utterly undisturbed, and spoke.
“Why isn’t she showing even a trace of herself?”

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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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