Youngest 188

188
“Huh?”

“Your mana!”

Rubian shouted sharply, rubbing the hand that had touched his and grimacing.

“Why is it so heavy now? That scared me! Ah, it’s tingling…”

“Sorry. Are you alright?”

He quickly moved closer to Rubian.

“Geez. Put your bracelet back on! Where’s the other one?”

“That… I’m sorry, but I can’t. I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt, so give me your hand again.”

Khalid suppressed the surging power within him, refining his mana as soft and pure as he could.

Because Rubian was small and delicate. As gently as possible, he gathered up only the clearest, purest parts of himself.

Before long, Rubian, who had been watching him with suspicion, opened her eyes wide.

“Oh.”

“Feels alright, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. Wow, it’s been ages!”

See? I told you it’d be good.

Smiling faintly, Khalid carefully channeled his mana through Rubian’s body.

Blue mana intertwined, Rubian squinting one eye as if she’d bitten into a tart fruit—he realized afresh how much he’d always liked this moment, even as a child.

“But Khalid, weren’t you with the Princess of Casalia just now?”

Rubian asked suddenly, as if something had occurred to her.

“Oh.”

Khalid finally tilted his head.

He’d forgotten—he’d rushed off the instant he sensed the mana he believed to be Rubian’s.

“About that princess, Ruby—”

Khalid was just withdrawing his hand and trying to change the subject when—

“Really now. You disappear without a word, and all for a date in a place like this.”

That familiar voice came from behind.

“Oh!”

Rubian’s eyelids fluttered rapidly.

Khalid rose slowly, placing himself before Rubian protectively. Sevelena, standing with an easy grace and hands on her hips, came into view.

Beside her, her knight was doing his best to placate the waiter—likely having trailed Khalid through every store along the way.

“Hello there. Let’s see…”

Sevelena frowned slightly as she caught sight of Rubian partially obscured behind Khalid.

“Pea…”

Ahem. Ahem-hem.

“Princess. My name is Sevelena.”

“Did you hear that? She just called me Princess Pea…”

Khalid quietly pretended not to hear the shocked whisper.

---

Sevelena was a princess from a foreign land, exuding a captivating, exotic air. She was beautiful and graceful, just as I had expected.

But what I hadn’t expected was—

“I wanted to meet you, my lady, through Sir Khalid.”

Her very first words.

‘Me? But why?’

I masked my doubts as I met her deep green eyes, and suddenly remembered Licht mentioning her origins.

‘The western forest of Eosia.’

It had always seemed unremarkable—until I recalled that was also where the “Second” had arrived after crossing Babylon’s border.

‘Could it be the princess is connected to the “Second”? Is that why Khalid followed her?’

I quietly glanced at Khalid. Though I said nothing, he nodded slightly, as if reading my thoughts.

‘…So that’s it.’

Uncle Allen had made a fuss for nothing.

Between them, there had been no swelling tide of emotions—only a perfectly dry and practical incident.

Realizing this, I felt a strange sense of relief as I awaited Sevelena’s next words.

Fortunately, she was quick to get to the point.

“I’ll be blunt. The Mage Kingdom is going to come after you, my lady. Their recent activity is unusual.”

“What’s the reason?”

I asked calmly, and the princess’s gaze fixed sharply on mine.

“You know Senia, don’t you?”

That was the new name of the “Second.”

“I came to see you at Senia’s request. She asked me that, if anything should happen to her, I must help you.”

“The ‘Second’… have they… died?”

Sevelena closed her eyes slowly, then opened them again.

“Not yet. But her health has deteriorated rapidly over the last few years. Now she hasn’t regained consciousness for some time.”

“Ah, so that’s why…”

I felt a little downhearted.

That was the end that awaited a mage who lost their mana core. Even so, to have endured more than seven years—if nothing else, she had lasted a remarkably long time.

“But, Princess, why do you go to such lengths for the ‘Second’? Even risking yourself like this?”

Sevelena continued calmly.

“Have you heard of the parentage potion? That’s how I received recognition from the king—my father.”

I nodded. Licht had told me before.

“Senia found the herb that is the potion’s base. Of course, turning it into a truly effective drug took the help of the Eosia forest folk.”

Mages always had a keen eye for herbs.

Of course, since the ‘Second’ had lost her core, it must have been purely from prior knowledge.

And the ‘Second’ had managed the Mage Kingdom’s secrets—so it wasn’t odd she’d know of a rare herb unknown to the public.

Sevelena went on.

“Senia took good care of me when I was young. We lived almost like real sisters in the Eosia forest village.”

“So… out of gratitude toward the ‘Second’, you want to help me?”

“Yes. Senia’s wish was not to see you dragged before the Mage King. And I agree, of course. Moreover—”

“…”

“I’ve heard the Mage Kingdom seeks to revive dark magic. To think such a dreadful war could return to this land… It must be stopped, don’t you agree?”

Silence lingered over the table.

I felt Khalid, sitting beside me, quietly rest his hand atop his sword. My lips felt dry as I spoke.

“But, Princess—”

“Yes?”

“You know so much about the Mage Kingdom’s movements… Why is that? How do you keep so closely informed?”

“That’s…”

Sevelena’s gaze lingered on the table. After a moment, a long sigh escaped her lips.

“The King of Casalia—my father—has been in secret communication with the Mage Kingdom’s mages.”

“The king’s a collaborator, then.”

Khalid, who’d been silent, added quietly. His voice was low, chilled; Sevelena’s expression grew troubled.

“For now, he’s only an observer. He merely turns a blind eye to their use of our gate portals.”

“I’m not sure about that.”

This time it was I who answered.

“Is not looking away also a kind of complicity?”

“That’s… you’re right.”

I sighed internally, trying to piece things together.

So, it went like this.

She made it to the palace, recognized at last as a princess.

But when she got there, her father had turned traitor to the Allied Forces, seduced by short-term gain and becoming a collaborator with the Mage Kingdom.

So, with the “Second” unconscious, the princess had no choice but to seek me out herself.

“My lady. In the forest village where I grew up, an benefactor’s name is engraved in one’s soul, never to be forgotten.”

Sevelena took my hand, which had been resting carelessly on the table. A warm touch spread.

“Use me as you will. Senia is a benefactor to my family, and I’ve been told you are a benefactor to Senia. Which means you are a benefactor to me as well.”

I gently withdrew my hand.

“How do you intend to help me?”

Sevelena hesitated for a moment, then answered cautiously.

“The Mage Kingdom will approach my father again. Why not seize that opportunity when it comes?”

Though my father and the Emperor were doing their best to pursue the Mage Kingdom, so far they had found no real leads.

If the only thread left was the Casalia royal family, I had no real reason to refuse.

But…

“Princess, that would mean exposing your father’s disgrace to the entire world.”

She might even be branded a traitor to the Allied Forces.

“Are you truly alright with that?”

Sevelena gazed at me for a long moment in silence.

She leaned back in her seat, sipping her tea. Every movement was perfectly composed and faultless.

“You were adopted, weren’t you, my lady?”

“What are you getting at all of a sudden?”

“If your real parents—your birth family—appeared before you one day, how would you feel?”

“…”

A faint crease appeared on my brow.

“Would you go with them?”

I gave no answer. Perhaps reading something into my silence, the princess gave a brittle smile, dry as a winter branch.

“I’ve spent nearly my whole life in Eosia—since I was eleven, really, always with Senia. But it’s only been a year since I came to the Casalia palace.”

“…”

“I thought I’d be happier when I found my real family…”

The last words were more a whispered confession.

“In these circumstances, who is the right family to choose? Family by blood? Or the family who has cared for my soul?”

Her eyes, the color of the forest, questioned me.

“If you were in my place, my lady, what choice would you make?”