Youngest 042

Episode 42
Ch. 5

‘She really overdid it.’

Khalid shook his head, a sound of disapproval slipping out on its own.

“Huff, huff. Water… Water, please…”

Seeing the pale face sprawled flat before him made his frown deepen.

“Tsk, seriously. What are you trying to prove?”

Lying on the ground atop what looked like Leon the knight’s cloak, Rubian was gasping for breath. When Khalid offered a water bottle he’d found nearby, she clutched it as though it were holy water.

“Catch your breath and drink.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Why did you have to overdo it? You couldn’t even finish one lap.”

“My point exactly…”

Maybe she’s gotten a bit too confident lately.

Mumbling, Rubian gulped down the water.

With his hands on his waist, Khalid looked down at her.

Thin silver hair, swaying limply in the breeze.

Whichever lunatic had cut it had left it shockingly short.

‘Hmph.’

Khalid swallowed a curse. Long lashes cast shadows over her clear, transparent eyes, catching his gaze.

She’s still pretty, even like this.

‘A boy, is she? Northern folks must all be insane.’

How amusing.

He scoffed inside.

‘The Mage King’s seventh daughter.’

Watching Rubian mop her brow, her identity crossed Khalid’s mind once again.

‘A princess, after all.’

A laugh escaped him.

‘The princess of the Mages, masquerading as a boy and undergoing knight training, of all things.’

Of course, he knew Rubian’s circumstances were different from most princesses.

‘She almost seems to have forgotten her status as a princess.’

In truth, he had never lived in the Mage Kingdom, so he didn’t really know how ‘the king’s children’ were treated there…

But Rubian had once said:

“The Mage King… takes children with high mana as he pleases and makes them his own. There are a lot of ‘royal children’ in the palace.”

“……”

“So I’m not really his child. I’m more like a weapon he’s painstakingly crafted. Not the sort of princess you’re thinking of.”

Now that he thought of it, when had it started?

Khal remembered: the Rubian he knew now was very different from the one he’d first met. She’d grown brighter and more full of life—it was nice to see.

“That’s why I don’t want to be treated like a princess.”

Yet that self-mocking expression she showed from time to time was strangely—and painfully—mature.

It made Khalid unbearably anxious.

“…Still, I think you’re a princess.”

So he had to say it, unable to keep it inside.

“At least, to me.”

Bright and warm—a precious, noble princess.

If that weren’t the case, there would be no other way to explain this urge to protect her so dearly…

Someone once said feelings like this are what knights feel towards the princess they serve.

Perhaps that’s why, before he knew it, calling her ‘My Lady’ felt so natural.

‘What is someone like her doing in a place like this?’

His heart burned black with feelings he couldn’t quite name—anger, perhaps, or something else.

It seemed that the only person unaware of Rubian’s worth was Rubian herself.

And was it just her status?

As far as he knew, Rubian was also an incredibly capable mage. It must be due to all that complicated knowledge packed into that small head.

She already possesses such overwhelming power, yet here she is, rolling in the dirt as if she’s the weakest of all…

‘Honestly.’

He was so dumbfounded, he could hardly begin to enumerate her faults.

“Ha, I’m starting to feel human again…”

Rubian, who’d been sprawled out, started to stir. Khalid quickly moved to stand behind her.

“Maybe you should learn moderation.”

“I just got excited…”

Leaning her head back against his leg for support, Rubian flashed a wide grin. At the sight, a faint dizziness came over him.

“You little snot! Where’s our little snot-nosed brat?!”

At that moment, a bull charged in, kicking up clouds of dust.

“I brought you a tonic that’ll perk you right up! Drink it quick!”

Khalid gave a rueful laugh.

Old Duke Zevert anxiously fed Rubian a bubbling, fizzy drink.

‘Well, at least here she’s being treated like a princess.’

To think an aged grand duke would be running around after a kid barely up to his belt.

“Tsk, what about Borvel, are they here yet?!”

“There’s no need to call a doctor…”

“You collapsed mid-run!”

“She didn’t really collapse—she just got discouraged and sat down…”

Khalid had heard stories about old Zevert. Before Leviathan Zevert, the old man was said to be the greatest on the continent.

‘Was it that he’d blow up artillery shells by hurling them with his bare hands rather than wait to ignite the fuse…’

His personality was so abrasive it overshadowed his prowess.

Just then, Void Zevert approached, mopping Rubian’s brow with a white handkerchief.

“Ruby, seriously, what are we supposed to do with you? You couldn’t even finish one lap.”

He kept grumbling, but his busy hands never stopped. He’d been like that in the dining hall as well.

Rubian bristled.

“I ran two laps on the mini training ground!”

“That place is barely a fraction of the size!”

“Ugh, don’t rub salt in the wound when I’m down!”

“How would I even know where to rub it on someone your size…”

The two bickered harmlessly.

Khalid watched Rubian’s round head from a slant.

Rubian had never fought with anyone. She always wore an indifferent expression, as if nothing could trouble her.

He’d always hated that. She seemed ready to leave at any moment.

And in the end, she had left him behind, so perhaps his feelings weren’t unfounded.

‘Come to think of it.’

She only ever showed real reactions when it involved Leviathan Zevert.

Had Ruby always wanted to come to this place?

“His Excellency has arrived!”

At length, the awaited guest made his appearance.

And all this fuss just because she’d worn herself out running a few laps…

‘Honestly, I’m just as bad.’

But they were all making too much of a fuss as well.

“Ruby.”

Leviathan Zevert appeared, reeking of ink. The sheer force of his presence was remarkable. The knights all snapped to rigid attention.

A great beast slouching onto the scene—their leader.

His clothes were loose, more like a mercenary’s than a noble’s. Khalid knew well that such people were the most dangerous.

‘One glance from those eyes…chilling.’

With a single sweep, those violet eyes took in everything. The fleeting sharpness in his gaze made Khalid click his tongue in awe.

“Mister!”

Unbothered, Rubian reached out. Instantly, the duke’s expression softened and he lifted her in a natural embrace.

“You hate hard work, but you still overdid it, huh?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“Just look at your face, all pale. Nothing cute about that.”

“I know!”

“What do you mean, you know.”

He gave Rubian’s nose a soft tap, brimming with affection.

Khalid gazed at the two.

‘No treasure greater than this.’

Oh, my darling child.

Perhaps this, then, was the reason she stayed.

Mage King or not… Maybe she was here simply because she wanted to be.

If that was the case, Khalid thought foggily, it might not be so bad after all.

‘Still, I can’t help being a little jealous.’

She was finding new pillars to lean on.

He tapped his own legs against the ground.

‘Well, seeing her smile for the first time in a long while…’

A knight of the princess must learn his place.

The boy, just a little more subdued, stepped back.

That night.

After finishing training, Khalid meant to return to the knights’ quarters, but after a moment’s hesitation, turned and headed for the main residence.

It was the brief exchange with Rubian during the day that weighed on his mind.

“There are more tracker mages now.”

Khalid relayed what he’d learned about the kingdom’s movements to Rubian.

“Don’t worry. They’re still searching the southern regions. The Empire’s territory is so vast, it should take time.”

“It’ll be awful if they suddenly make it all the way north…”

“Who knows. The Babylon imperial family still seems oddly uncooperative, and so far, our diversions seem to be working.”

“Diversion? You mean your animal friends?”

“…Well, yes.”

He’d cleverly manipulated her trail so the tracker mages couldn’t easily follow Rubian. It was only a temporary fix, but it would buy time.

‘I told her that, but she still looked uneasy.’

Creeeaak. The boy paused as he gently pushed open the bedroom door.

“…What brings you here at this hour?”

A visitor was waiting in Rubian’s room.