20 - The Youngest is Hiding a Lot
Chapter 20
[It seems they sent a tracker to the continent, so be careful for now. Of course, I'll arrive before that... Master? Ruby?]
A mild panic set in. If my identity was exposed, it would all be over.
[Get a grip.]
'Cal, I'm scared. I don't want to be dragged back to the kingdom...'
Khalid was silent for a moment.
[You're with Old Duke Zebert, right?]
'How did you know?'
[He's a capable man, so stick close to him for now.]
'I'm trying to...'
That's the problem; it's not easy.
As I vaguely glossed over the words, Khalid sighed deeply.
[You shouldn't have abandoned me in the first place.]
'Don't be mad. I'm feeling down right now.'
Khalid scoffed.
[How could I ever be angry with you...? Never mind, don't worry too much. You know how far Arcadia is from Bamilron.]
I knew it well.
The Magic Kingdom of Arcadia was an island rising from the middle of the sea. So, to get from there to the Empire, one had to cross the sea and traverse countless mountains and valleys.
[Besides, wizards can't use their powers properly in the land of Bamilron. It might actually be better.]
That was true. This place was the worst for wizards.
So, even if a Tracking Wizard came, it would take some time.
Which meant...
I had time to prepare.
'I can't just sit still.'
I decided, my eyes gleaming.
Meanwhile, in the drawing room.
"..."
The room where the child had disappeared fell into a deep mire.
Old Duke Zebert, Balock, gaped, groping at the spot where Rubian had been.
"A stomachache?"
So suddenly?
"Are children always like this?"
"Well..."
Balock's eyes spun. He was confused.
If she was really sick, this was no time to be standing around. A physician, we need to call a physician...
Just then, the maid who had chased after Rubian returned.
"D-did you follow her?"
"Yes. But she didn't go to the bathroom; she locked herself in her room."
I felt a piercing gaze turn towards me.
Balock, unaware of the reason, shouted.
"Doesn't she know where the bathroom is!"
"No. I don't think so, Your Excellency."
"Huh?"
The answer came from Maurice, his long-time butler.
Maurice, with his neatly swept-back graying hair, sighed.
"Rubian is angry."
"Angry...?"
"Isn't that so? She begged you not to send her away, but Your Excellency insisted on sending her away."
Nod, nod. The servants listening nodded in agreement.
Balock was flustered.
Insisted?
He was only trying to send that speck of dust back so she wouldn't suffer here!
Northerners joined the Knights from a young age and lived as squires. After strict training, they grew into valiant knights defending this place.
So, when Leviathan said he would bring a child, Balock naturally thought it was in that context.
This was the forefront of the Empire, and Zebert was responsible for guarding the frontier.
'But what is that squishy thing?
He couldn't accept it. If he had any conscience, he had to send her back before bad memories were etched into her mind.
That was all Balock had in mind...
"How scared must that little one have been? That's why I've told you thousands of times to temper your temper."
"So... she ran away because she didn't want to see my face?"
"Sadly, yes."
"...Huh."
Balock sighed.
The silvery back disappearing quickly came to mind.
No, no.
Come to think of it, wasn't she being presumptuous?
Daring to run off without Balock's permission!
"W-w-what's so scary about that little thing being angry! I-i-it's better this way! If she rolls out like this..."
"Your lips are trembling, Your Excellency."
Balock snapped his mouth shut.
"That's right, you could have just told her to behave. Why were you so stubborn?"
"She's too small! She looks like she'll fly away if you blow on her, how can she endure it? What if a Magical beast appears? Huh?"
"But didn't you find her cute?"
"I did! I almost bit her!"
Huck, Balock shut his mouth again. The thoughts he hadn't even realized were spilling out.
Maurice sighed deeply, as if he understood. He had served the Old Duke for decades.
He had known from the start that he was a sucker for small and cute things... Only Balock himself didn't know.
"In my opinion... Rubian looked as brave as the young masters."
"On what basis?"
"Didn't she not fear Your Excellency or Leviathan at all? Usually, they would cry if you pushed them that hard."
"...That's true."
Balock slumped into his seat, recalling Rubian's appearance.
Even when he burst through the front gate in a hurry, the child only widened her eyes and didn't cry.
Void and Liam wailed... Not only that, but they had been sulking ever since.
"That little thing, with her eyes wide open, chattering away without getting tired..."
"But now you're hated."
"..."
Ah, why is he so annoying today?
Balock glared at his adjutant's face.
The retired knight, who now looked better in a butler's uniform, quietly turned his gaze away.
"Tsk, tsk! Why did she leave without even finishing half of her milk!"
He fussed over the mug left alone on the table.
A mint-colored mug! I didn't even know we had something so adorable in our house!
"She's not eating properly, so she's smaller than a land goblin!"
"She was bigger than that... Also, please refrain from comparing her to Magical beasts."
Balock froze again.
"...W-was that a bad thing too?"
"What child would like to be compared to a Magical beast?"
"You..."
Finally, the Old Duke exploded.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner!"
Waah! Maurice took out a handkerchief at the sight of the Old Duke roaring like a lion.
"Did you need to be told that!"
Of course, he didn't back down.
Maurice was tired.
Ah, I'd rather hunt Magical beasts. Being a butler is a more extreme job than being a knight.
These wretched Zebert people!
"I'm going to retire... No, I'm going to retire now!"
I spent the entire afternoon pondering how to overcome this crisis.
Khalid said that the Magic King didn't seem to know that I was in the Zebert territory yet.
'You were going to move soon anyway.'
To find out why Leviathan died.
The most likely hypothesis I had was Magical beasts.
'That writer would do that.'
It's a cliffhanger ending without any coherence anyway.
It wasn't as bad as 'Suddenly a meteor fell and the hero died. -The End-', so the most likely scenario was that the protagonist died due to a Magical beast invasion.
'If not, there's nothing in this North that could be Uncle's enemy.'
Monsters that were constantly eyeing Uncle's territory.
After spending a few days here, it seemed that the only thing threatening the peace and safety of this place was that.
'What about the timing?'
In the first part of the original story, the daily lives of people who had regained peace after the war were shown in general.
The fact that Void restored his relationship with Uncle and that Blonde became the Crown Prince was also information obtained in the latter half.
'To make everyone happy and then have that kind of ending. The writer definitely has a problem with their personality.'
So, if you think about it carefully, you can roughly deduce when Uncle dies through the stories of other characters.
I pushed up my non-existent glasses and crossed my arms.
'So, Void's relationship with his father improved in the year he turned 12...'
Doesn't that mean Uncle will be safe for about a year?
'What else, um... I don't remember.'
What did this Uncle do after the war?
Anyway, since I don't know when something will happen, it's essential to be fully prepared.
'Magical beasts will be rampant when spring comes... I also need to prepare for when the Tracking Wizard comes, just in case.'
I sat on the floor and thought quietly.
"I can't sit idly by."
I straightened my posture, determined, and closed my eyes.
It felt like my body was plunging into the deep sea. It was a sea where all sorts of magical formulas were intricately intertwined.
Do you need a method?
I had known all the Magic Circles in the world since birth.
It was called wisdom, truth, order, or the grace of Wizeria.
What do you want?
I swam through it, taking out what I needed, assembling it, and rearranging it.
It was familiar.
The only reason I could live as a wizard despite not having much innate magical power was because of this knowledge.
I found it.
"Good."
I opened my eyes wide. When I turned my head by chance, my eyes met my reflection in the mirror.
The pink flash was slowly fading from my blue eyes.
"Ugh, I'm tired..."
I shook my head.
Seeing the Wisdom of Wijeria was quite exhausting.
Fortunately, I had been eating well and living well for the past few weeks, so I recovered quickly.
'Old Duke said he would go out with me tomorrow, right?'
It was a good opportunity.
