The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 36

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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 36
Now that I thought about it, the blacksmith was right next door to the mana stone shop. The grandfather who emerged from there spotted me and came rushing over.
“You said you were going out, yet here you are? Hmm?”
“Your beard, your beard…”
Scritch, scritch. The grandfather who had picked me up and rubbed his face against mine without restraint finally pulled away.
“Ha, really. This is quite the sight.”
“Oh, blacksmith uncle.”
“Greetings. Shall we select some fine metal scraps?”
“No… not right now…”
I only realized the blacksmith uncle was there when the grandfather’s massive frame moved aside. He stood there as always, shirtless, a pipe held casually in one hand.
“Get out of here. You’re wearing down our child. Contact me once the next prototype is ready.”
“Yes. As you wish.”
The blacksmith uncle scratched his loosely-tied green hair vigorously and turned away.
‘Hmm? He seems oddly listless today?’
I tilted my head at the sight of the man, who appeared more subdued than usual.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
The moment his figure disappeared, I asked the grandfather.
“Why does that blacksmith uncle seem so down today? Something feels different from last time.”
The grandfather answered curtly.
“You mean Maddix? He’s got no blacksmith work, that’s why.”
“Huh? Is that so?”
“The war ended, so weapon orders have dried up.”
“Gasp, so he’s going out of business?”
“Pfft! Even going out of business would be amusing! But unfortunately, all of that is by the standards of that weapon-obsessed lunatic.”
“I see.”
The grandfather’s expression was unbothered. A faint metallic scent clung to him, suggesting he’d been at the blacksmith all morning.
“Once I finish forging that sword for you and Void, there likely won’t be any new weapon commissions for a while… That’s probably why he’s even more depressed.”
“I understand.”
“Tsk, enough of this pointless talk. More importantly, show me your hands.”
Hands? Why suddenly?
But it wasn’t a difficult request, so I spread both my hands wide and thrust them before the grandfather’s eyes.
“Here they are.”
“Ha, goodness! Really!”
The grandfather’s nose bridge twitched busily back and forth.
“So small and so soft—it’s ridiculous! No matter what sword I forge, I can never be satisfied!”
Ah, so it was about the sword.
I briefly imagined myself wielding a sword.
It would be incredibly heavy and incredibly sharp, wouldn’t it?
‘But it would look incredibly powerful.’
Hehe. Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to have it.
“Tsk, at this rate, I’ll need to redesign the handle from scratch….”
Grandfather’s murmuring continued.
I watched him intently, lost in thought for a moment.
Then, I spotted a Knight charging toward us from afar, kicking up clouds of dust at tremendous speed.
“Huh? That’s Obron!”
He must have sold his horse somewhere, for he was sprinting forward on pure leg power alone.
Of course… he was moving at an almost horse-like speed, incredibly fast.
“That fool Obron. He’s lost his mind.”
Before Grandfather could finish speaking, he timed it perfectly and thrust his left leg out.
Crash, bang, thud. Obron tumbled across the ground with a tremendous racket.
“Where are you rushing off to?”
“Ugh. Who the hell are you?”
“It’s me.”
A beast grinning with the sun at his back… Looking up at that pitch-black face, I suddenly understood.
‘He really… is terrible.’
Wouldn’t it be simpler and nicer to just call him to a stop normally?
“Gasp, Your Grace! I failed to evade a surprise attack—my training is still insufficient! I have gained enlightenment!”
Yet my senior seemed quite accustomed to this.
“Why are you rushing off with such furrowed brows?”
“Ah, I’m heading to the Duke! There’s been an applicant hoping to join the Knight Order!”
“What…?”
Grandfather’s whiskers twitched.
“A new talent in our Northern Region?”
His voice was filled with delight.
Conversely, upon hearing this news, my nape went cold.
It was something close to intuition.
‘Could it be….’
No, surely not?
“G-Grandfather! I’m so curious who it is! Oh wow, finally someone beneath me! Woooow!”
As I exaggerated and egged him on, Grandfather, who was genuinely invested in nurturing new talent, eagerly took the bait.
“Excellent! Let’s go at once!”
He quickly detached the horse tied to the carriage, mounted it, and galloped off with me cradled in his arms.
“Gasp, Rubian! Your Grace!”
No one could stop the Old Master’s frenzied charge.
The people of Zelocks, accustomed to this, calmly stepped aside and cleared their stalls.
Thanks to this, we covered a thirty-minute journey in just ten minutes, arriving at the Knight Order building….
“Wow. Long live madness….”
* * *
My suspicion was indeed correct.
There was no twist.
“What is this half-baked brat doing here?”
The one who had boldly marched into the Zebert Knight Order declaring his intention to enlist was none other than—
‘Kalid Liork….’
My friend, the young mage.
Grandfather prowled around Kalid like a predator circling prey, observing him intently.
“Hmm. This one certainly looks like he’s swung a sword or two somewhere.”
A tattered cloak, an ancient blade gripped in one hand, a hastily slung bag across one shoulder.
I craned my neck to peek at his bag. A map, thoroughly wrinkled from a single day’s use, caught my eye.
That’s when I realized Kalid had spent the entire night wandering Zelocks, trying to memorize its geography.
‘I’ve lost my mind. I shouldn’t have given him that map.’
Don’t prove your mercenary background so blatantly.
“….”
“….”
After a short sigh, my eyes locked directly with Kalid’s.
That’s when I realized my predicament.
Here I was, nestled against Zebert Grandfather like a cherished doll….
For Kalid, who had only ever seen my independent and composed demeanor, this sight might be difficult to accept.
‘I know exactly what you’re thinking.’
I glared at him in warning.
‘Not a word. Not now.’
Zip. Sealed tight.
‘Turn around. We’ll talk later!’
Shoo, shoo.
He clearly understood, yet Kalid simply chuckled and turned away, his blue-green hair drifting softly.
Was that…a smirk?
“Here is my application.”
“An application? Surprisingly thorough for a brat like you.”
Grandfather accepted the paper Kalid offered. Large, clumsy letters were scrawled across the cream-colored parchment.
“What’s written here…?”
“Ah.”
He paused for a moment in thought, then crossed out one word with a mark.
“….”
Grandfather’s face was one of utter disbelief as he stared at the parchment.
As silence stretched on, Kalid raised an eyebrow slightly.
Wondering what was lacking, Kalid alternated his gaze between his document and the surroundings, then said “Ah-ha” and set the paper down once more.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he drew a short dagger.
“What are you——!”
He sliced the tip of his thumb and pressed it firmly onto my hand, leaving a bloody thumbprint as his seal.
“I don’t have a proper seal.”
“I’ve never seen anyone so extreme!”
Grandfather and all the Knight guardians wore expressions of utter shock. Kalid, however, remained composed as he casually licked his own blood.
‘That absolute madman….’
My eyes, which had lifted like a cat’s, widened slightly. The two vertical marks beneath my left eye somehow felt oddly feral.
‘Is this right?’
A face that seemed to ask just that, tinged with satisfaction.
As if to say, isn’t it?
“What I wanted to ask was, what exactly is this ‘childhood friend’?! You deranged brat!”
Grandfather pointed at the bottom of the document and demanded an answer.
Kalid tilted his head as if that was what he’d been asking about. Then he extended his other hand, the one unmarred by blood.
“That person.”
“What? Me?”
“…No. The doll-like child you’re cradling in your arms like a doll.”
“….”
“That’s my childhood friend.”
The atmosphere erupted into chaos.
“What?! Our little one’s friend?!”
“What do you mean by ‘little’?”
Grandfather slammed the table with a thunderous crash. The fragile table split down the middle.
‘This, this, in the end!’
Whether or not Kalid sensed my trembling indignation, he simply stared directly at me and smirked.
After a moment, he crossed the room with heavy strides, still clutching his document.
“Your expression suggests you’ve missed me quite a bit….”
The young boy’s footsteps halted before a door that creaked open.
“Will you permit it?”
“….”
“Zebert Duke.”
The guardian who had just appeared furrowed his brow upon seeing the document stamped with a blood seal.

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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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