The youngest is hiding a lot of things.

Chapter 20:

[It looks like they’ve sent trackers to the continent, so be careful. Of course, I’ll arrive before that… Master? Rubi?]

A weak panic washed over me. If my identity was discovered, it would all be over.

[Focus.]

‘Khal… I’m scared. I don’t want to be dragged back to the kingdom…’

Khalid was silent for a moment.

[You’re with Duke Zebert, right?]

‘How do you know that?’

[He’s a competent enough person. Just stick close to him.]

‘I already am…’

Easier said than done.

When I hesitated, Khalid let out a long sigh.

[You shouldn’t have abandoned me in the first place.]

‘Don’t be mad. I’m just sulking right now.’

Khalid snorted.

[How could I be mad at you…? Never mind, don’t worry too much. You know how far it is from Arcadia to Babylon.]

I know.

The Mage Kingdom Arcadia was an island rising in the middle of the ocean. To get to the Empire, one had to cross the sea and traverse countless mountains and valleys.

[Besides, mages don’t have much freedom in Babylon’s lands. It might actually be safer.]

That was true. This land was terrible for mages.

Even if a tracking mage came, it would take a while.

Which meant…

I also had time to prepare.

‘I can’t just sit around.’

I lit up with determination.

Meanwhile, in the reception room.

“……”

The room felt like it had fallen into a deep swamp with the child gone.

Duke Zebert, Lord Balrok, gaped at the empty spot where Rubian had slipped away.

“Her stomach hurt?”

Just like that?

“Is that normal for children?”

“I’m not sure…”

Balrok’s eyes spun around in confusion.

If it were a real pain, this was no time to stand around. He should call the physician first…

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 barricaded herself in her room.”

A piercing gaze followed her.

Balrok, unaware of the reason, shouted.

“Doesn’t she know where the bathroom is?!”

“No, I don’t think so, Your Excellency.”

“Hm?”

The answer came from his longtime butler, Morris.

Morris, hair streaked with gray, combed neatly, exhaled deeply.

“Lady Rubian is angry.”

“Angry…?”

“Yes, isn’t that right? She begged you not to throw her out, but you insisted on sending her anyway.”

Nods of agreement came from the servants listening.

Balrok was flustered.

Insisting? He only tried to send her away to prevent her from getting into trouble in this rough place!

Northerners join the knight order from a young age and live as squire trainees. Through rigorous training, they grow into brave knights defending the land.

So when Leviathan said he would bring the child, Balrok naturally assumed that was the context.

This was the Empire’s front line, and Zebert held the crucial duty of defending the border.

‘But what on earth… is that squishy thing!’

He couldn’t accept it. Out of conscience, he felt he had to send her back before any bad memories were formed.

That was all Balrok intended…

“The little one must have been terrified. That’s why I’ve told you thousands of times to temper your temper.”

“So… she ran off just because she didn’t like my face?”

“Unfortunately.”

“…Huh.”

Balrok exhaled.

He recalled the silver figure that had disappeared.

No, wait.

Come to think of it, wasn’t it a bit cheeky?

Running off without even asking Balrok’s permission!

“That little one… how scary could she really be if she’s just a kid? H-heck, maybe it’s for the best! If she rolls out like this…”

“Your lips are trembling, Your Excellency.”

Balrok snapped his mouth shut.

“You could’ve just told her to behave. Why insist so much?”

“She’s so tiny! She’d fly away if I blew on her! How could she withstand it if a monster appeared? Huh?”

“But didn’t you find her cute?”

“Cute! I almost bit her!”

Balrok shut his mouth again. His hidden feelings had just spilled out.

Morris sighed deeply, as if he’d expected it. He had served the old duke for decades.

He had long known that the old duke was utterly smitten with small, cute things… Balrok himself just hadn’t realized it.

“In my opinion… Lady Rubian seems just as brave as the young masters.”

“Based on what?”

“She wasn’t afraid of Your Excellency or Leviathan at all. Normally, children would cry under such pressure.”

“…That’s true.”

Balrok sank into his seat, recalling Rubian.

Even when she had rushed in through the main gate in a panic, the child only opened her eyes wide—she didn’t cry.

Void and Liam had screamed their heads off… and they were still sulking from that incident.

“That little booger opened her eyes wide and chattered tirelessly….”

“But now she’s been scolded.”

“….”

Ah, why was she so annoying today?

Balrok glared at his subordinate.

The retired knight, who now looked better in a butler’s uniform, subtly averted his eyes.

“Eh! Tch! Why did she leave without even drinking half the milk?!”

He fussed over the lone mug left on the table.

A mint-colored mug! I didn’t even know we had something that cute!

“She didn’t eat enough, so she must be smaller than a ground goblin!”

“She’s bigger than that… and please refrain from comparing her to monsters.”

Balrok stiffened again.

“…Was that really wrong of me?”

“Which child would like being compared to a monster?”

“You…”

In the end, the old duke exploded.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner!”

Roaring like a lion, he made Morris pull out a handkerchief.

“You should’ve told me that!”

Though Morris replied back stubbornly, he was exhausted.

Ah, dealing with monsters would have been easier. Being a butler was a more extreme job than being a knight.

These Zebert humans were exhausting!

“I’m retiring… no, I’m done for today!”

I spent the entire afternoon thinking about how to overcome this crisis.

Khalid said the Mage King didn’t yet know I was in the Zebert duchy.

‘I was planning to move soon anyway.’

To find out why Uncle Leviathan might die.

My strongest hypothesis was monsters.

‘If it’s the author, that makes sense.’

Anyway, the original story had a cliffhanger with no logic or plausibility.

Not as bad as “Suddenly a meteor fell and the hero died. –The End–,” but the most plausible cause of Uncle’s death was an invasion by monsters.

‘Otherwise, there’s nothing in the north that could be Uncle’s enemy.’

Monsters that might covet his territory.

From living here for a few days, nothing else seemed to threaten the peace and safety.

‘Then the timing?’

In the first part of the original story, it roughly showed people’s lives after the war.

Void repaired his relationship with Uncle, and the blond became the crown prince later on.

‘After making everyone happy, the ending is like that… Clearly, the author has issues.’

So, looking closely, I could roughly deduce when Uncle might be in danger by observing the other characters’ stories.

I pushed up my nonexistent glasses and crossed my arms.

‘So Void reconciles with Father when he’s twelve…’

That meant Uncle was probably safe for roughly a year.

‘The rest… hmm, I don’t remember.’

What had he been doing since the war?

Anyway, I had to prepare thoroughly; I didn’t know when things would happen.

‘When spring comes, the monsters will get active… I also have to prepare for when a tracking mage arrives.’

I sat on the floor and thought quietly.

“I can’t just sit back.”

Resolute, I adjusted my posture and closed my eyes.

It felt like plunging into a deep sea. A sea filled with complex magical formulas.

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, pulling out, assembling, and rearranging what I needed.

It was familiar work.

Even though I didn’t have much innate magic, I could live as a mage thanks solely to this knowledge.

I found it.

“Good.”

I opened my eyes. By chance, they met my reflection in the mirror.

The pink flash in my blue eyes slowly faded.

“Phew… tiring.”

I shook my head.

Observing Wizeria’s wisdom was surprisingly exhausting.

Fortunately, having eaten well these past few weeks, I recovered quickly.

‘The old duke asked me to go out with him tomorrow, right?’

Perfect timing.