The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 238

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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 238
I appeared from behind Father.
“Isn’t it amazing?”
Pop. This time right beside Kalid.
“Ahahaha!”
Next, directly in front of Licht who wore a sword! On top of my older brother Liam’s back as he gazed at the coastal debris!
“Isn’t it amazing? Isn’t it incredible? Huh?”
Woohoo! Woohoo woohoo!
The moment I arrived at the Southern Coast of Arcadia, I cast teleportation magic like a madwoman.
Teleportation magic was high-tier magic, but the mana that had been depleted quickly returned. Since it was a short distance, the consumption wasn’t significant.
‘And it’s easier than when I was a little kid!’
Perhaps I’d gained skill in handling magical circles.
The mana of Arcadia was so dense that the bluish flow of power was visible to the eye. And somehow that power clung to my entire body as if welcoming me.
“Ahahaha! I’m a mage!”
“I raised her to be humble.”
Father shrugged his shoulders and made excuses to those around him.
The golden necklace hanging around his neck reacted to the surrounding mana and began to activate. Soon bluish mana swirled around Father’s massive frame.
We had hidden the boat through concealment magic and entered without drawing attention, quietly dropping anchor beneath the cliff. A few guards who sensed the disturbance came running, but they were easily dealt with by Kalid, who leaped from the boat like a whirlwind.
Father issued orders to the senior knights.
“You all wait here for now. If you come under attack, Leon, use your judgment to decide whether to counterattack or retreat.”
“Understood.”
Leon and the other senior knights quickly donned mage robes and hid the boat in the crevices of the large cliff.
Since our priority was to reach the Arcadia portal first, we decided to move with a small elite force.
I roughly sketched a map on the white sand of the coastline.
“Since this is Southern Arcadia, we need to head up toward the center together first. As we go, we should come across the Southern Temple where Benjamin was, and we’ll use the portal there.”
I was slightly anxious about whether the portal, having gone unused for so long, might be broken, but since it was an abandoned temple with no people around, this was the best option.
“If there’s a problem with the temple portal, we’ll have to go a bit further up and use another village portal. But that carries too much risk, so I’ll keep it as a backup plan. And the mage who regularly patrols the area is probably around here, around here…”
As I pointed at the map with my fingers, Liam, who had been silent until now, pushed his glasses up with a serious expression.
“Is this…a mud beast dissection diagram?”
“Liam, close your eyes. If you look at a map like this, you’ll wander lost forever.”
“Rubian is…still terrible at drawing by hand.”
“I understood it all.”
At Kalid’s final words, everyone’s gaze snapped toward him.
“This gap traitor.”
My older brother Liam pushed his glasses up frantically while looking at the sword. As always, he brushed it off nonchalantly and stood up from his seat.
“Let’s depart. We don’t have time.”
I brushed off my hands and gazed intently at Kalid’s broad back.
Scanning the empty coastline for a long moment, I muttered, “I don’t even see a village,” which made him seem no different from usual.
‘Is it…okay?’
I wasn’t sure.
I think I could tell if I just held her hand.
‘Now I can’t even use the mana excuse to hold hands.’
What do I do? I’m ruined.
I regretted my earlier self, so eager to flaunt my magic. People really should be more humble.
* * *
We carefully made our way out of the Southern Coast of Arcadia.
Unlike the Empire, where harbor cities flourished along the coastline, Arcadia—with its limited foreign trade—had settlements centered around teleportation portals. Since mages capable of instant teleportation were rare, the portals were essentially the primary means of transportation for mages.
The Royal Capital, where the Royal Palace stood, was located in the central region. It was commonly called the Royal Capital.
‘It would be convenient to reach the Royal Capital using a portal, but since we’ve infiltrated, that’s not an option.’
The Royal Capital, along with the interior of the Royal Palace, contained several portals.
But naturally, there would be many mages guarding the area, so we couldn’t use the portals until our forces were secured.
‘I don’t have the power to move this many people through instant teleportation.’
So the conclusion was simple: we had to walk honestly to the Southern Temple.
‘At least it’s not too far.’
Besides, Arcadia was a country with a sparse population relative to its land size.
Very few people traveled on foot, so as long as we avoided patrols, we’d rarely encounter anyone.
“The Mage Kingdom’s air quality is terrible.”
Liam, pressed close to my side, spoke up.
“I know. The coastline seemed a bit better, but this murky haze or whatever it is…”
Licht, walking ahead with Kalid on guard, waved his hand through the hazy air.
‘There seem to be impurities mixed into the mana. The closer we get to the center, the worse it seems to be.’
“Oh! I should have brought a mask!”
The moment the thought escaped my lips, Father, standing firmly beside me, grimaced.
“That little thief’s item?”
“It’s not a thief item.”
I tried to stomp on Father’s foot in annoyance but failed spectacularly.
Licht chuckled at the sight, then turned his attention back ahead, swiftly dispatching a young magical beast that had rustled out from the surrounding brush.
‘Huh, but still.’
Licht is the crown prince.
And he’ll soon become the crown prince.
‘Shouldn’t he be in my position instead?’
Why does this formation look like I’m receiving protocol instead of the heir apparent?
And why is he grinning like a Guard Knight while kicking magical beasts away with his foot?
I couldn’t understand it at all.
“Sigh. Anyway, this is incredibly inconvenient.”
While I was engaged in deep reflection on the class system, Liam complained again.
Creak, creak.
At the familiar sound that followed, my eyes went dark.
“Please, just get rid of that cart. When did you even pick it up!”
“Get rid of it? Such harsh words…! This is my other self!”
Liam’s carriage, which had made a rare appearance, was stacked not with books but with various experimental tools and emergency medicinal supplies. And.
“If you get hungry, just say the word, fairy. We can have a feast right here and now.”
“What, did we come on a picnic?”
There were foods labeled 【Fairies Only, Tentacles Forbidden】.
“Besides, ‘tentacles forbidden’ isn’t even a term used for people.”
“…? Of course it’s for magical beasts.”
“Huh?”
“Our fairy needs to eat and sleep well wherever we go. In that sense, want me to carry you?”
Startled, I bolted around Father’s body and fled in the opposite direction. Though he caught up with me soon enough, of course.
“Please. Stop fooling around and behave yourself.”
Father nagged at me as if watching his precious children running around the Dining Hall.
Slightly embarrassed, I cast a silencing spell on Liam’s creaking carriage. Liam, who had obtained a soundless carriage, clamped his mouth shut and endured the overwhelming emotion threatening to burst forth.
“Anyway, I agree with Liam that this outfit is uncomfortable.”
This time it was Father who complained.
“It’s suffocating as hell.”
Father flapped the Priest robes he’d donned for disguise. We’d stolen them from the guard post of the sentries we’d dealt with back at the coastline. In case we ran into anyone, we needed to pass ourselves off as Royal Palace Mages.
The white Priest robes were something like a symbol of the mages who worked for the Royal Palace.
The collar rose high, and the arms and chest were fashioned like a cape, giving off a very neat impression.
Of course, Father….
‘It really doesn’t suit him.’
It looked absolutely dreadful on him.
It was like mixing water and oil. He was the complete opposite of neat and tidy.
“The buttons, the ties, the collar—all failures, Father. It’s unclear whether you’re wearing it or just draping it over yourself.”
“I never wanted to pass the inspection anyway, son.”
Liam, who seemed like he would live the most ascetic life in the world, turned his head with a snort.
“But why do all the Royal Palace Mages wear Priest robes?”
Licht, who had been listening quietly, asked. I answered to the one who looked like the most beautiful and merciful apostle of the goddess in the world.
“It was supposed to mean they directly serve the goddess. That’s why the Royal Palace was built like a Grand Temple, and the mages there came to wear Priest robes, or so I’ve heard….”
“Ah, I’ve heard of that. In other words, it started as a sacred nation.”
“But it’s been corrupted for a long time now. Look at that. The regional temples have already been left in such a mess, and all the priests managing them have been driven out.”
My fingertip pointed to the white stone building located on a low hill.
A broad plain stretched out in front, and a dense cedar forest lay behind the building.
Our destination had finally begun to come into view.
“The Mage King will soon be cursed by the goddess.”
Kalid laughed with a sneer.
“He won’t die a clean death.”
Perhaps it was because we’d been cutting down the occasional low-level magical beasts that spouted from the vanguard.
His pristine white clothes were spattered with bright red bloodstains. If Father was a disreputable Priest, then Kalid was already something corrupted, having crossed the line of taboo….
Liam, listening from beside me, cursed the Mage King faster than the goddess could.
“I hope he washes his hair in lava and chews on needle soup.”
Ugh.
The mere thought of it was horrifying.
So for now, amen to that.
* * *
The pristine stone structure stood half-ruined.
Its once-brilliant glory lay forgotten, now reduced to nothing but squalid rubble waiting to be worn away by the wind.
“Rubian, stay behind with Liam.”
Father drew his sword in earnest, his eyes sweeping across the surroundings with vigilance.
Beyond the massive archway, a sprawling courtyard opened before us. Pale dust swirled between the completely shattered fountains and ornamental fragments.
“I sense nothing suspicious.”
Kalid spoke with sharp certainty.
“This way.”
We proceeded along the corridors that stretched to either side, heading toward the main hall situated at the innermost point.
The building, with its thick pillars and grand domed ceiling, was relatively the most intact structure in this place.
“The transfer portal is likely inside the chapel.”
As I recalled Benjamin’s words and moved toward the central chapel, Father’s body beside me suddenly went rigid.
“Father?”

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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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