Youngest 114
by Cristae114
“All right. Your attire’s a bit unkempt, but… oh, it’s fine. I’ve learned some flexibility at this post. We’ll work out the details as we go.”
“Eek! No… Rubian! Help me!”
Nothing could stop a youth thirsting for knowledge. In the end, Asha was borne away in a book cart lined with plush cushions.
Thud.
It wouldn’t be more than a few steps from here to the adjoining study, but Asha… made the journey in comfort.
Khalid shook his head, as if in exasperation.
“It’s only going to get busier around here.”
I grinned.
“Isn’t it?”
So much has happened here.
I met Rosetta and Liam, my secret of being a girl was discovered… I won at the Spring Festival, but ran into a tracking mage and faced danger.
‘Still, I managed to unravel another layer of the original’s secret.’
Of course, there were still unresolved questions I needed to answer.
I pictured the branch of the World Tree, and the dragon pattern coiling around it.
‘But where should I start investigating this Crest?’
As I knit my brows in thought, a burst of colors caught my eye beside me—a pamphlet.
“Babylon’s Heart: Rieta Academy Awaits You!” began the introduction to the academy.
A small, tacked-on flyer read, “Autumn Camp for Prospective Students—Register Now!”
I crumpled up the pamphlets.
Not only from the Central Academy, but brochures from the Southern Academy had arrived in stacks. The pile was substantial.
“Well, there’s never anything at the academy anyway.”
Hmmmm…
As I worked a worm into my brow with intense concentration, Hazel appeared.
“My lady, you should come down soon! Everything’s ready!”
“Ah, finally! Let’s go, Khalid!”
“Okay.”
Khalid stood, carrying my bag.
‘I’ll think things over once I’m home!’
No matter what, I would protect my peace, and my family’s safety, with my own hands!
I leaped from the sofa.
Stretching wide, I let the spring breeze fill my body. A pink blossom, blown in from somewhere, tickled my nose and floated away.
“We’re heading back to Zelox!”
Home!
A week after our return to Zelox.
Inside the Zevert duke’s castle, in Leviathan’s study.
Knock, knock—a tap at the door, and it opened.
“Ruby?”
Leviathan tilted his head at Rubian, who stood in the doorway.
She was always bursting in with a bang, but today?
What kind of shy expression was that?
“I’m here.”
“Wow. Even using polite speech now.”
Leviathan’s eyes narrowed. He tried to guess what the little head was plotting, but nothing came to mind.
Hands held behind her back, Rubian tiptoed closer.
“This is…”
She shyly revealed something. Leviathan eyed the small knotted token she set on the table.
“What’s this?”
“A gift, for your expedition! It’s… a lucky charm for your safe return…”
Thump, thump.
The child’s excitement and nervousness seemed almost palpable.
He carefully picked it up.
It was a sword ornament, woven from colorful threads. The simple design was accentuated by a large, amethyst magic stone in the center, sparkling brilliantly.
“…Did you make this yourself?”
“Yep!”
“You practiced knots all day just for this?”
“That’s right…”
“…”
Leviathan’s throat bobbed visibly.
He lifted the charm in both hands, gazing at it from every angle. What is this feeling…?
“Father, please return safely from the expedition… And if you could, please bring me back a beast’s claw. As pictured here…”
“And me too! I want to go tooooo!”
That’s all the boys ever said.
“…She’s different.”
Leviathan muttered under his breath. He didn’t know how to put these swirling feelings into words.
“…Different how? Do you not like it?”
“Not at all.”
Leviathan quickly drew his sword and attached the ornament. Only then did the tension leave Rubian’s face.
“Does it look good?”
“Heh. Yeah.”
The ornament swayed gently from the sword.
He’d never been attached to this sword before, but now, with a single knot, it had become a treasure beyond price.
“Thank you, Ruby. I’ll cherish it.”
Leviathan smiled softly and gave Rubian’s head a good rub.
“Hehe. I’ll go deliver the others to the seniors now!”
“What? It wasn’t just for me?”
“It’s a gift for everyone’s safety—they all should have one!”
Behind Rubian, Hazel appeared, hauling a large sack. Something about it didn’t sit right with Leviathan.
“Tch. Those guys don’t deserve it.”
To think they’d receive a gift worked with the loving effort of someone’s precious daughter.
Rubian paused, then, standing on tiptoe, cupped her hands around her mouth and whispered in his ear.
“Don’t worry. Dad’s jewel is the biggest and the hardest.”
With a look of perfect confidence, the child added,
“The size of your heart always matches the size of your jewel.”
Indeed, so clever.
“Hmph. In that case, I’m satisfied.”
At her soft whisper, the tension in his chest miraculously dissolved. Grinning, Rubian took Hazel’s hand and skipped off for her next round of deliveries.
Leviathan picked up his pen again.
He would soon be leaving for the expedition, so he had to finish important work in advance.
But he simply couldn’t concentrate.
He kept catching himself glancing at the sword.
“…”
The dainty purple charm dangling from the blade.
“…So this is what having a daughter feels like.”
He muttered without thinking, then clapped a hand over his mouth.
“A daughter.”
That precious northern daughter.
Leviathan leapt to his feet.
An overwhelming surge of affection for his daughter rose to his chin. He felt he had to vent this overflowing feeling somewhere.
He immediately summoned Adolf.
“Your Excellency? Did you call?”
“Fetch the knights.”
“Sir Oberon? If you wish to discuss the expedition, perhaps Sir Leon too—”
“No, not them. Hector, Eugène, and…”
Butler Adolf tilted his head.
The list of knights he was being told to summon seemed oddly arbitrary.
“Understood, sir.”
He turned to go, full of questions, when Leviathan, lost in thought, hastily added,
“Oh, one more thing…”
Thump.
“Y-your Excellency? What is this money pouch…?”
The summoned knights stammered in confusion.
Leviathan sat at the head of the drawing room, crossing his legs the other way.
“Dues.”
What are you talking about?
The knights exchanged glances.
It was baffling enough to be summoned out of nowhere, but now they were each being handed a hefty bag of coin.
What, is this some new form of hazing?
“Club dues.”
Leviathan met their bewildered looks with a lifted chin and an inscrutable smile.
“What on earth… Wait. No way…”
Eugène clapped a hand over his mouth. He realized what the knights gathered here all had in common.
“You… you knew?”
Yes.
They were all full members of the “Northern Knights’ Daughters’ Club.”
“When’s the next meeting?”
“Pardon?”
“Share the meeting schedule, frequency, what to bring, and so on. Discussion topics? Do you share worries? Advice on raising daughters at different stages? Suggestions for gifts, for gifts, for…”
Leviathan spilled his questions as if he had been waiting all this time.
But how did he even know about this secret club? And from the way he carried himself…
“…Excuse me, are you… perhaps wishing to join us…?”
At that hesitant question, Leviathan arrogantly lifted the corner of his mouth.
“I’ve fulfilled the requirements, haven’t I?”
A northern knight. And…
“I have one, too.”
“…”
“A daughter.”
At last, the knights understood.
Ah.
He can’t contain himself because he’s so smitten with his daughter right now.
Well, it’s not as if they didn’t know the feeling. They, too, had to clamp their mouths shut a dozen times a day to keep from gushing…
And with a daughter as adorable as Rubian… who could blame him?
“Haha. Ha. Congratulations… sir?”
They offered scattered applause. Leviathan grinned even more broadly.
“Now, collect your dues.”
He pressed a heavy pouch into each knight’s hands.
The knights exchanged silent glances, once again.
This isn’t how we pay the dues…
He’s clearly never been to a club meeting before…
“So then, tell me.”
Leviathan, arms folded, was unfazed by anything.
“Tell you what?”
“What’s the best birthday gift for a girl her age?”
A brief silence.
“Sorry? Birthday?”
The knights repeated, baffled.
“…Whose?”
“Whose do you think?”
With a deep sigh of agony, Leviathan finally confessed what he had brought them here for.
“The truth is, Rubian’s birthday is coming up.”