The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 32

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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 32
The clouds parted, and the moon revealed itself. Beneath its pale glow, those grayish-blue eyes shimmered with an otherworldly radiance.
“Kalid….”
At the sound of his name, he let out a soft laugh.
“Yeah.”
“You….”
I resumed my steps, breaking free from the spell that had frozen me in place.
“I didn’t expect you to welcome me like this.”
Kalid rose to his feet with practiced ease, spreading his arms wide.
“I….”
Thud-thud-thud. Before I knew it, my walk had transformed into a sprint.
And then—
“I told you not to block me!”
Thwack!
My headbutt, delivered lightly, sent the Young Boy’s body staggering backward.
Scatter! The animal companions bolted away in alarm.
“Wow, a headbutt—that’s a new one.”
“That’s because I have water fists! Why!”
I shook my fists indignantly, huffing with exasperation. Kalid merely rubbed his stomach and smiled faintly.
“Sigh.”
Ridiculously, it was I who ended up with tears welling up from the impact.
My head was throbbing more than his! How could such a small body be so impossibly hard?
“Look, it’s all fine, but could you give me some warning before you ram into me? I tensed up without thinking. You’re not hurt, are you?”
It was a mortifying thing to say from the one who’d attacked.
“And when did I block you? Why are you bringing that up now?”
“So you were blocking me!”
“Malfunction. I just said it was a malfunction, didn’t I?”
“Who do you take me for, a fool?”
I growled again. Kalid, whose head rose a full head taller than mine, fixed me with a steady gaze.
“So, Master. What are you doing here?”
Gently curved eyes. A bright, upturned smile.
“After abandoning me and even pretending to be dead.”
Wait—that’s definitely an angry expression.
I found myself backing away instinctively. The Young Boy, who had been staring at the widening distance between us, suddenly closed in and gripped my shoulders.
“No. You’re not running away anymore.”
“Wait, hold on….”
“I finally caught you.”
“Huh?”
“I finally found you.”
Found what? Did I mishear? As I tilted my head in confusion, Kalid smiled with an ambiguous expression.
“So what are you doing here? You’re obviously hiding that you’re a mage. And that outfit… don’t tell me.”
Eyes of ash-grey and cerulean blue swept deliberately across my hair and clothes.
“No way, right?”
I scratched my cheek sheepishly. Setting aside the short-cropped hair, what I was wearing now was clothing I’d purchased from a boutique days ago.
A perfect fit for my frame—refined and impeccably tailored.
Boys’ clothing.
“Zebert Duke wouldn’t be that hopeless. Right?”
“Well, I’d say this is the result of several misunderstandings piling up.”
“….”
Kalid’s lips pressed firmly shut. His expression was one of utter bewilderment, as if words had abandoned him entirely.
I seized the opening and changed the subject.
“And what about you? Not a word of warning, then you just go around causing explosions? What if I’d been discovered!”
“Was I supposed to just watch while a demonic beast charged straight at you?”
“The knights would have handled it….”
“Well, you weren’t discovered, so it’s fine.”
His unapologetic tone left me exasperated. As I glared at him, Kalid glanced sideways at me and muttered quietly.
“…My body moved first. What was I supposed to do?”
A short sigh escaped me.
He’d always been like this. Ever since I rescued him from the Cave Prison, he’d followed me around like a devoted pup.
‘Though I’ve never seen a pup that looked quite so dangerous.’
His oath of allegiance to me was simply an extension of that bond.
The mana intertwined between us like a single root—I held absolute dominion over it. Until I severed it myself, he had no choice but to serve as my Attendant.
‘If I told him to die, would he? Why does he insist on complicating his own fate like this?’
There was nothing to be done about it.
Later, if he showed even the slightest hint of regret, I’d have no choice but to release him.
“….”
As I stared intently at the young boy before me, my gaze naturally met that of the squirrel perched on his head.
Munch, munch.
Seeing those gentle eyes contentedly gnawing at an acorn, a sigh slipped from me unbidden.
“You really have no fear. Coaxing squirrels from the castle walls, no less.”
“Coaxing? Why would you use such an embarrassing word?”
What was he even saying?
“I told you.”
Kalid moved his mana briefly. In that instant, the yellow gleam faded from the squirrel’s black eyes.
“It’s my duty to protect you.”
The squirrel, its soul restored, sniffed the air frantically before scurrying away.
“Don’t say you’ve forgotten my oath.”
The corners of his mouth curved upward into an even longer arc.
‘I felt it from the moment we first met….’
His handsomeness, which no amount of grime could conceal, had nothing to do with age.
Deep navy hair with a blue sheen, eyes swirling with ash-grey and azure in an enigmatic dance. And beneath his left eye, two vertical scars marked his face.
‘Grow up just like this.’
—the representative figure, one might say.
“Sigh, fine. Pour your mana into it.”
“Besides, you’re the only one here who can sense mana anyway.”
Kalid answered with a slight edge to his tone.
He possessed the ability to temporarily bind and command another’s soul through servitude.
Limited to animals, though.
Magical beasts were possible, but he seemed reluctant, claiming the mana would become tainted. As for human souls….
‘He said it was forbidden.’
Breaking that taboo came with a terrible price, or so he’d mentioned.
“Anyway, the way you keep dodging the subject makes it pretty clear you don’t want to explain why you’re here.”
At those softly spoken words, my shoulders flinched. He’d struck a nerve dead center.
‘No, how could I possibly explain—!’
That this is a world inside a book, and a total annihilation ending is right around the corner, so I came to find a hero to stop it!
As I stood there biting my lip, Kalid said “Fine” and picked up the baggage and sword he’d set on the ground.
“I’ll listen as we go. Let’s leave now.”
I closed my eyes slowly, then opened them.
“Leave for where?”
“We have to run. The Mage King figured out you’re in Babylon.”
“Ugh, I don’t want to?”
The words tumbled out before I could stop them. As I jerked backward, Kalid’s sharp brows shot up.
“You don’t want to… What exactly are you trying to do here?”
“I’m sorry. I can’t explain the details yet. But I’m not leaving this place for a while.”
I spoke clearly, meeting his gaze without flinching. The boy’s grip on his sword tightened.
“What if I drag you away by force?”
“You’ve never beaten me once anyway….”
“Only in places rich with mana, master.”
“Ugh, look at you showing off.”
“Did you forget that mana is all I have?”
Kalid lifted his wrist slightly. A small golden bracelet chimed softly. It was a magical artifact that regulated his overflowing mana.
Though Kalid lacked extensive knowledge as a mage, he was naturally gifted with mana—so much so that even this artifact couldn’t fully suppress it.
Which made us complete opposites, really.
“Ugh, no bragging about mana!”
Envy made the taunt slip out naturally.
“There you go with that vague habit again.”
Kalid shook his head with a murmur. I smiled slightly and took a small step backward.
“Later. I’ll tell you later, so please stop asking and stop showing off your mana and just say you understand….”
“Hah.”
Silence stretched between us. The boy looking down at me intently seemed to consider something, then gently bit his lip and lowered his gaze.
“So you were just brushing me off, trying to abandon me again….”
Huh?
I was quite taken aback. The Young Boy’s fists, clenched so tightly they’d gone pale, were trembling faintly. His sturdy shoulders were also quivering ever so slightly….
Wait, what?
“K-Kalid? You’re not crying, are you?”
“I don’t sense your mana, and they say all the mages heading to Kanalan Gorge are dead…. What on earth did I even do back then….”
“Ah, they’re not dead!”
I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, too flustered to think clearly.
“What?”
Kalid’s head snapped up. His cheeks were dry, but I was already too panicked to stop talking.
“I released them.”
His eyes widened slightly as he looked at me.
“What… do you mean by that?”
“I shattered their mana cores, so they can’t use magic anymore and will live out their lives in constant pain. Their lifespans were cut short too. But they all said they didn’t mind, so… anyway, they’re alive!”
I waved my arms enthusiastically as I explained.
It had been my final gambit.
The Mage Corps passing through Kanalan Gorge came under sudden attack from the dark creatures. It was a crisis, but also an opportunity.
I had planned to abandon them and flee to meet Uncle Leviathan. But… I couldn’t stop thinking about the faces of the young mages left behind.
I feigned their complete annihilation by the dark creatures, disguising all their deaths.
“Ha…. Then what were all those corpses?”
“Decoys made of earth.”
“You made all of those by yourself?”
“I didn’t even need to make that many anyway….”
A few limbs scattered here and there would have been enough.
Kalid bit his lip so hard it bled, then couldn’t hold back anymore. “Then why didn’t you make your own corpse convincing? Why did only you get exposed…!”
I smiled vaguely and closed my mouth. But if I explained, he’d definitely get angry….
But Kalid quickly saw through my silence. He lifted one corner of his mouth coldly.
“…You did it on purpose. So the others wouldn’t be suspected. To draw all the attention to yourself.”
“…You did it on purpose. So the other kids wouldn’t be suspected. To draw attention to yourself instead.”

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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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