Youngest 081
by CristaeEpisode 81
‘And just look at those eyes.’
They were completely different from what he’d seen in the capital.
He didn’t know what it was, but the child’s presence was clearly smoothing down whatever sharpness the duke had once possessed.
Now he was genuinely curious.
The emperor covered his mouth, stifling a laugh.
“So, this Rubian…”
“Next summer.”
Leviathan set his teacup down with a snap.
Summer?
The emperor turned his head warily.
He had a feeling he was about to hear something very unpleasant.
“There’s a Round Table meeting then, as I recall.”
“Well…”
“This time, make sure Arcadia is excluded from the Continental Alliance.”
Of course, he’d expected to hear just that.
“Duke.”
The emperor’s voice sounded more like a sigh.
“What is it you want? I know you hate mages because of what happened in that carriage accident…”
“…”
“The fugitive mage responsible was caught and executed long ago.”
The issue of fugitive mages from the Mage Kingdom was a recurring problem. Excessive regulations always invited such results.
“Are you still holding onto that grudge…?”
“The one who escaped this time.”
“…”
“I heard it was a young girl.”
In an instant, coldness flashed across the normally composed duke’s face.
Leviathan recalled the voice of the outpost mage he’d met before coming here.
“She’s a girl of about ten. She has powerful magic… Ah! And her eyes are blood-red…”
The emperor frowned.
“So? Are you saying we should expel the Mage Kingdom from the Alliance just because you pity a young mage? That’s no justification.”
“The children on the battlefield. Whose orders do you think put them there?”
A long sigh escaped.
“I know—it’s a problem. That’s why I’m ignoring all the wailing about sending a tracker mage after her.”
“That’s all you’ll do?”
“Of course, this session of the Round Table will see a new treaty to ban the use of child soldiers. They’ll be held accountable. We’ll make them increase their outpost mage numbers, adjust the price of magic tools if needed…”
“As long as Babylon stands to profit?”
The duke’s lips twisted into a sneer, heavy with derision.
“Becoming quite the merchant now.”
“Watch your tongue.”
The emperor’s gaze turned icy.
“I don’t want to start a new war on the continent. If you ostracize Arcadia, do you think they’ll just sit quietly?”
The mages are powerful. If, in the last war, the mage king had bowed his head to a dark mage first…
‘The continent would have been finished.’
The emperor clenched his jaw.
“If Arcadia becomes our enemy, those very young mages you pity so much, Duke—”
“…”
“—they may be the ones you have to fight next.”
A sharp, humorless laugh slipped from Leviathan’s lips.
“Come now, Your Majesty. You speak as though you’ve never known war.”
Violet eyes shimmered strangely.
“You know as well as I do; end the threat by removing their leader before all else.”
“Are you… planning to kill the King of Arcane?”
“If necessary.”
“…”
It strangely sounded like an absolute declaration.
“So remove Arcadia from the Alliance. That way, when I sever the head of that damned mage king, the other allied kingdoms won’t protest. You do dislike complications, don’t you?”
No matter what happens, it will be complicated…
The emperor pressed a weary hand to his temple and heaved a deep sigh.
‘He has been so quiet lately… I should have known.’
It was Leviathan who first raised the child soldier issue.
He argued fiercely that the young mages should be rescued immediately, and that the Mage Kingdom must be expelled from the Alliance. In the end, the faltering kingdom agreed to move the children behind the lines as a compromise.
Of course, Leviathan was not satisfied. But the war had escalated rapidly, and he couldn’t spend all his time on that single issue.
Instead, he had come to believe that quickly ending the war was the best way to help them. His obsession with combat began there.
Even so, it had taken a long time.
He had endured—in his own way. The emperor knew this, and it left him tangled in thought.
“…Fine, just wait. I’ll consider if there’s a suitable justification. I’ll handle it well, trust me.”
The emperor shook the papers in his hand.
Leviathan looked poised to offer another retort, but simply closed his mouth.
‘Well, that’s enough.’
The war over at last, he had nothing left to do—perhaps tormenting this sly old emperor would become his new purpose.
He rose from his seat.
“In that case, I’ll see you at the prayer gathering the day after tomorrow.”
“…Wait, Duke.”
The emperor, who had been shuffling through the papers, called after him.
“What’s this?”
Turning, Leviathan saw an expression of disbelief on the emperor’s face.
“Is there a problem?”
“The child, Rubian—wasn’t she discovered in Eosia village? In that case, I’ll need the Eosia registration documents.”
“No, I misunderstood. Rubian is—”
Leviathan replied without batting an eye.
“A child of Babylonian nationality.”
Southern Babylon, Marinevesta.
The emperor let out a stifled breath.
Anyone could see this was an obvious fabrication.
“And you expect me to sign off on this false document?”
“False? I don’t know what you mean.”
“….”
“You said you’d handle it—so I’ll leave you to it.”
Thunk. The door closed.
The emperor pressed a troubled hand to his brow.
Damn that hero…
Just who was this Rubian, anyway!
Alone in his office, the emperor let out a strangled cry and punched the air.
Leviathan turned to go, but paused.
“Hello, Your Highness.”
“Prince.”
Licht stood before the door.
“How are you feeling?”
“I… I’m alright. How is Rubian?”
“She caught a pretty bad cold, but… she’ll get better.”
“Oh dear. I should pay her a visit.”
The prince looked genuinely sympathetic.
Leviathan was about to step aside to let Licht pass, but stopped, caught by an odd intuition.
“Your Highness—did you know?”
“Excuse me? Know what?”
“About Ruby’s gender.”
“…”
Licht’s well-formed face wavered slightly.
That was answer enough.
A quiet sigh escaped Leviathan. Licht fiddled with his fingertips.
“…I’m sorry, Duke. I wasn’t certain myself. I only became sure at Ipsen.”
“Hm. No need to apologize, Your Highness.”
He looked down at the beautiful, golden-haired boy. A royal’s lips must always be sealed. Licht, more than anyone, understood that.
Especially for someone in his precarious position… caution was only natural.
“However, Your Highness—going forward, don’t hide anything from me regarding Ruby.”
Licht met his gaze, eyes clear and unwavering. For a moment, his lips moved, then curved into a small smile.
“Yes. I understand.”
“Then, I’ll be going.”
Leviathan walked away without hesitation. With the Green Festival coming up, he was quite busy.
Licht watched his broad back recede into the distance.
“…What should I do, Duke.”
He still wasn’t certain enough to say anything carelessly…
“I’m sorry.”
The small murmur reached no one.
Licht Babylon was a boy of unshakable discipline.
He slept and awakened at set times. He ate, studied, and trained according to schedule.
But lately, his routine had begun to waver.
“…Rubian…”
That single word filled his mind.
Who was that child?
“Rubian!”
The outpost mage’s cheerful voice, calling to Rubian.
“I just… wanted to….”
Snatches of memory, uncertain whether they were dream or reality, echoed restlessly in his thoughts.
Inside the carriage as he was being abducted and dragged away.
The truth was, Licht’s awareness had surfaced now and then during that ordeal.
Although he’d been hazy under the effects of the drug, and later those memories had been completely wiped away by Asha Drukan’s magic.
‘Was the outpost mage… an acquaintance of Rubian’s?’
A suspicion took shape.
The words themselves were unclear, but for some reason, he could not shake the feeling.
“Hey. Runty.”
Licht halted in his tracks.
As he entered the dining hall, the First Prince picked a fight.