The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 68

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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 68
“You little brat—! Get over here—!”
The moment the men instinctively sensed danger and lunged toward me, a complex array of magical formulas materialized in the air.
“A m-m-m-mage—!”
“Oh, right. That’s not me doing this—it’s my older sister.”
At my words, Asha, who had been standing dazed, quickly pressed her hand to the ground.
“Indeed~”
At this point, the world was spinning so much I couldn’t tell what was what anyway!
The mana scattered throughout the air converged. The earth convulsed once with tremendous force, and in an instant, thick, fibrous tree roots burst through the ground.
“What, what is this?!”
“Ugh! The, the tree roots suddenly grew—!”
“Run, run away!”
The men fled in panic, but it was already too late.
Thud, crash!
Their massive bodies slammed to the ground, and this time, powerful vines and roots came surging at them.
I snatched them up and rolled them around like hot dogs on sugar.
Wrapped tightly in tree branches, the men hung upside down from a massive zelkova tree like silkworm cocoons—or mummies.
“Help, help me—. Gack.”
Even their mouths were perfectly sealed for a clean finish!
“I’ll leave their noses open so they can breathe, though.”
“The, the rainwater—!”
Ow!
Rainwater trickled steadily into the nostrils of the men hanging upside down. They thrashed about, their entire bodies expressing their agony, but there was nothing they could do to stop it.
I was quite a cruel mage indeed.
“I’ve even compensated them for their carriage sickness.”
I chuckled and puffed out my chest with satisfaction.
That’s what you get for poking a sleeping lion—no, a sleeping mage’s soft fur!
“Wow!”
Asha, watching from the side, gleefully punched the hanging men like they were punching bags.
“It’s been a while, but you’re still amazing! I can’t do magic like this!”
“Right now… is the sky supposed to be yellow?”
“Huff, I’m running low on mana.”
My legs suddenly gave out and I stumbled. Asha quickly rushed over to support me and began fanning me with her hand.
‘I thought I’d cast it in power-saving mode…’
With such low mana concentration, I’d exhausted myself in no time.
“Ugh.”
I kicked the weapons the men had been holding, sending them far away. I preferred not to use my strength if I could help it, but dealing with all these armed men at once was the best option available.
Asha wasn’t a mage specialized in this type of offensive magic, so she would have struggled to handle so many attackers swarming at once.
“I… want to see Kalid…”
I whimpered and pressed my fingertips to my ear. I’d been trying to establish a connection, but all I got was static—no voice at all.
“Then shall we make our way down the Mountain?”
Asha brushed the dust from her hands and rose to her feet.
I too struggled upright, my expression darkening as I stared at the carriage.
‘But the rain keeps getting heavier.’
The downpour obscuring my vision had grown noticeably thicker.
The uneven ground was thoroughly waterlogged, and everything around us was murky and dim.
What do we do?
In the moment of my hesitation, Asha, who had been walking ahead, suddenly went rigid.
“Wait a moment.”
“What is it?”
“This scent….”
Asha dropped to the ground and pressed her nose close to the sodden earth.
“Somewhere in the distance… there may be a sealed magical beast. It seems like one that’s been sleeping deep in these mountains for a very long time….”
My eyes widened involuntarily. A magical beast that had slumbered deep in these mountains for such an eternity would surely be at least a high-rank creature.
‘I should have brought an entire unit.’
Asha was merely a low-rank mage, and the rest were three ordinary people with no power whatsoever.
‘We absolutely cannot encounter it.’
Unless someone knew these mountains intimately, descending recklessly would likely result in either awakening the beast or becoming lost—one or the other.
Moreover, I couldn’t predict how the aftermath of the magic I’d used earlier might affect us. Beyond that, the sky was choked with dark clouds, making it difficult even to read our direction.
‘Even if I were alone, it would be difficult to safely escape with these four people.’
I had to make a choice. Fortunately, I’d been stranded like this before, so reaching a decision wasn’t difficult.
“Asha, let’s wait somewhere safe until at least this rain stops.”
“Will people come if we wait?”
“The imperial prince and noble ladies have disappeared—they’ll certainly come.”
“Hmm. That’s reassuring.”
Asha surveyed the surroundings with practiced ease.
“Rubian, there’s a Cave over there!”
Keeping watch, we pulled the carriage along.
After barely moving the three people into the Cave, Asha withdrew her sleep magic to conserve her mana.
The three let out short gasps as their eyes opened.
“Huh? Where is this….”
They looked around in confusion, gradually comprehending the situation they now faced.
“Th-this is, wh-what…. Gasp, surely not.”
Olivia and Titi’s faces rapidly filled with terror. I calmly took a seat before them.
My first priority was to calm these two before they panicked completely.
“Young ladies, don’t be alarmed. We were kidnapped, but….”
“Wh-wh-what?! Kidnapped?!”
“No, we were kidnapped, but we’re fine now—it’s just that magical beasts might appear, so….”
“M-m-magical beasts?! Wh-wh-what?!”
What was I doing wrong?
Rather than calming the situation, it felt like I’d poured oil on a burning house.
“Rubian, are you alright?”
Licht asked with a bewildered expression. His eyes studying me were filled with concern.
“To be ambushed by such an absurd attack….”
The prince looked furious. He rummaged through the pile of hastily gathered luggage and gripped his sword tightly.
“I’m fine. But you’re bleeding from your arm.”
“Oh.”
Licht belatedly stared at his forearm. Blood was dripping thinly through the slightly torn sleeve.
“I got this while protecting you…. Anyway, why did you follow me when I told you to get help?”
“…I couldn’t help myself. And how could I just stand by and watch you run off like that?”
Licht, who appeared suddenly when the ambush erupted in that dark alley, reflexively shielded me.
‘I thought he was the cautious type.’
Who would have guessed he had this side to him—throwing himself into danger first and thinking later?
“Waaahhh.”
Eventually, Titi burst into tears.
The dark cave filled with the cries of a young girl.
“P-please don’t cry, Titi. You heard what Rubian said. All those scary people turned into cocoons, and if we wait here quietly, the rescue team will come….”
“The cave is scary…. Waaahhh. It’s cold.”
“Oh dear, please don’t cry, both of you.”
As Titi and Olivia began crying, Asha covered her ears and conjured a campfire with magic, illuminating it brilliantly. Warmth filled the interior in an instant.
“A, a mage….”
“Yes. I’m Asha Drucan.”
“…Asha? Could you be the mage from the Eastern Outpost?”
“You know of me?”
Licht brushed back his soaking wet blonde hair.
“By reputation.”
“I see.”
“Did you take care of the kidnappers?”
I removed my wet clothes and brought them near the campfire.
As I gestured to Asha while pretending to dry my clothes, she nodded calmly.
“Yes!”
“…That’s more than what I was briefed on.”
Leaving Licht looking displeased, I approached Titi and Olivia. Titi was still sobbing quietly.
“Titi is injured too.”
Her pale ankle was badly swollen. It seemed she’d hit something when she lost consciousness.
“That must hurt…. But crying will only make it worse.”
“Sob, I’m sorry…. Sob. I apologize. Because I suggested we go out, I’ve gotten everyone caught up in this….”
“Oh, there’s nothing wrong with going out to have fun. The one at fault is only that tiny thing outside. Don’t blame yourself.”
I looked around and gathered some herbs and moss from a small opening near the cave entrance.
“Mage, could you infuse some magical power into this?”
Asha reached toward the herbs and infused them with her mana.
The herbs, now glowing with blue mana, melted away and settled gently around Titi’s ankle.
“Oh?”
As the pain visibly subsided, Titi’s cries naturally ceased.
“Once we descend the Mountain, you should have the Physician examine it. But for now, it doesn’t hurt, does it?”
“Yes, yes.”
Titi blinked her round eyes. Olivia, who had been watching from the side, wore an expression of disbelief.
“Where on earth did you learn this…? Rubian hasn’t even enrolled in the Academy yet, have you?”
“Hehe. I’ve been taking herbal medicine lessons lately.”
“…Just from attending lessons, you can do this?”
I attend those same lessons.
Ignoring Olivia’s bewildered murmur, I approached Licht next.
“I’ll treat you too. Roll up your sleeve, Licht.”
“…”
Licht was gazing at me with a peculiar expression. When I tilted my head at his suspicious gaze, he opened his mouth quietly.
“Rubian, you seem… very accustomed to this.”
“Huh?”
“This kind of situation.”
“Oh. I’m just incredibly adaptable!”
“…”
I brushed off the comment vaguely and treated Licht’s wounds. I had no intention of fueling the curiosity of this suspicious prince with careless remarks.
“There, all done…”
I was brushing off my hands and about to stand when it happened.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
A sound like scratching at my ears erupted without warning.
“Ugh.”
The sensation of something resonating deep in my core made me stumble slightly.
“Rubian?”
Licht seized my shoulder urgently.
“What’s wrong? Are you alright?”
The crackling sound intensified beneath the muffled quality of his voice.
‘Forced activation?’
The sensation of my circuits being opened by an extraordinarily powerful force. There was only one person capable of such a thing.

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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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