Youngest 193

Episode 193

‘No, no, no.’

It wasn’t quite a crash and bang.

It was just… just…

“Wah, wah?”

“What was that?”

“Huh? No…!”

I swallowed back my confusion. The sudden contact of our hands was driving me to madness.

‘Mother.’

It felt as if I were falling endlessly somewhere, spinning round and round.

What am I going to do.

‘Right now…’

I might be on the verge of tumbling deeply into something.

---

The next day.

The procession continued.

The Kasalia royal family and the march of Zevert knights protecting them quickly left the border town and arrived at the capital city, Vamiles.

Thanks to the acceleration magic tool my father brought, our pace was remarkably fast.

Twice, magical beasts lurking underground emerged, but fortunately, Khalid and the knights dispatched them, causing no significant hindrance to our journey.

“Thanks to you, we have arrived safely!”

In front of the imperial palace.

The King of Kasalia, standing at the head of the long procession, looked at my father and called out loudly.

He was a short, corpulent middle-aged man. For a moment, I thought he looked like a plump potato.

“I shall never forget this warm hospitality!”

“Think nothing of it.”

Father replied dryly. Just by the set of his brows, the slant of his mouth, and the way he stood—

‘Anyone could tell he wants no part in this conversation.’

It was clear by now that Father had taken offense at something the Kasalia king had said during last night’s banquet.

“Now, Sebellena! Why are you just standing there? Go on, greet the Duke at once!”

“Thanks to you, we have arrived safely. I am truly grateful for your gracious favor, my lord Duke.”

With flawless poise, Sebellena bowed her head. At that moment, our eyes brushed, just for a second.

“If anything should arise, I will contact you. And if ever you need my help, Princess, please feel free to reach out to me.”

As we rode together, Sebellena drew near and whispered these words unnoticed.

To the words of the princess, radiant as a dawn rose, I replied vaguely in the affirmative.

Truth be told, even if the Mage Kingdom were to attack me, I doubted there would ever be a situation where I’d need the princess’s help.

That evening was devoted to a triumphal banquet.

Kal was recognized for his service in clearing the western gorge—once a haven for magical beasts and a headache for the continent—and was awarded a barony.

It was a noble title without land, conferring only name and honor, but it still marked the elevation of a knight from common birth. Khalid’s name swept through the palace and the capital alike.

He himself, as always, wore a look of indifference, not so much as a twitch of the brow.

The truth was, I was more excited than he.

For quite some time, my brothers and I teased Khalid, calling him “Sir Kal the Baron~” but he barely reacted, so I lost interest after three attempts and gave up, which was a shame.

“Sebellena! Our Princess Sebellena is here!”

“I greet Your Imperial Majesty.”

At the welcoming ceremony that followed, the King of Kasalia spent the entire event conspicuously pushing Sebellena forward.

He was desperate.

The King of Kasalia, having married off all his daughters to foreign lands, found himself with just one remaining connection yet to be forged: Babylon.

“Haha! She’s my daughter, but isn’t she beautiful? She sings beautifully, and though her embroidery may be lacking, her cooking is superb. If any of the princes…”

Sebellena smiled throughout the gala, perfect and polished as a finely crafted treasure.

‘When we roamed the festival together, she seemed so much livelier.’

“To survive in the woods, one must grow strong. That’s true of everything, of course!”

Perhaps, for Sebellena, the Kasalia palace was just another forest.

‘Then is she gathering her strength now…?’

Is that why she sought me out?

Whatever the case.

Perhaps the King of Kasalia didn’t want daughters, but valuables.

“I thought I’d be happier if I found my real family… Whom should I choose? Family bound only by blood? Or those who have embraced my soul as their own?”

‘I, too, was once curious about my real family.’

When I was ten.

On my way back from academy camp.

Corresponding by magic letter with “the Second,” who had fled the empire, I once asked in passing:

< Do you… remember what I was like before the war? I mean, when I was very young… Or about the one who gave birth to me. >

‘The Second’ said he didn’t know. So, I lost interest.

Honestly, it would be a lie to say I still didn’t wonder who my real parents were.

I was curious how I came into this world, how I ended up in the hands of the Mage King. Above all, I wanted to know how I came to possess the power of Wizeria.

‘Perhaps the princess felt the same.’

A longing to know one’s origin.

So she braved her way back to the palace, only to realize that she and her newfound parents now lived worlds apart…

“Goodness.”

I shook my head to myself.

‘Perhaps it’s better not to know one’s real parents, after all.’

I suppose so.

If some wild, unfamiliar folks suddenly appeared and announced, “I am your father!”—honestly, I doubt I could keep a straight face.

“Hm.”

There are things in this world best left unknown.

“Ruby, what are you doing here?”

“Daddyyyyyy.”

“What is it?”

I, crouched next to the statue outside the palace banquet hall, sprang up and latched onto my father’s arm.

He chuckled softly, then gently squeezed and wobbled my cheek.

“What mischief have you managed now? The way your tongue is trailing, you must’ve caused quite a stir.”

“No, it’s not that. It just got too crowded in the banquet hall, so I was making an escape. Annoy— I mean, I was tired.”

And I’m clinging to you because I suddenly really, really like you again, Dad!

‘Because—unlike that king, you never force things on me, and always cherish me!’

My heart swelled suddenly with affection; I wanted to pull out all the stops with my cutest act yet.

After a moment’s thought, I flashed a wide grin and fluttered my eyes.

“Hey, Dad. Can you guess what my favorite bread in the world is?”

He curled one side of his mouth into a crooked grin. Then he said,

“Dadd-y bread.”

“……”

……?

What? That was my secret weapon!

“Who? Who told you that one? Was it Void, or was it Liam?”

Imagining it as I said it… made me shudder.

Big, dark, towering brothers saying, ‘Daddy bread?’

Sorry, brothers. But it’s the truth.

Father tapped my forehead lightly.

“What are you on about? That’s ages old. It was all the rage at the dad meet-ups.”

I scratched the back of my head sheepishly.

“Yeah, I suppose that’s a bit of a classic… But those meet-ups seem to have all kinds of things going on…”

Then I froze.

Wait—

‘It was all the rage?’

But I never did that before!

‘So my dad…’

Stealthily, I lifted my gaze to study him, and saw the same crooked smile on his lips as before.

“Back then, at its height. Around ten years ago, those guys just wouldn’t stop bragging about it.”

“For one thing, we’ve only known each other for less than ten years. I mean, more importantly…”

“That’s enough.”

“Wait, could it be… You’re the only dad who missed out? Because I never did it for you? Oh no…”

I furrowed my brow apologetically.

I had no idea this was trending…

“It’s fine. I’m not the kind to envy things like that.”

You were jealous though.

“It didn’t bother me in the least.”

You were seething with envy…

“Daddyyyy! Then why are you striding off ahead? Are you thinking of your lonely past and trying to hide your feelings? Is that it?”

Suppressing a laugh, I dashed to his side.

“Daddy bread!”

Clinging playfully to his arm, Father glanced back at me, then quickly turned his head away again.

“The world’s greatest bread? Well, obviously it’s Ruby’s Daddy bread!”

The corners of Father’s mouth twitched upward.

“Daddy bread, bread, bread, bread.”

“All right, all right, Ruby.”

Unable to hold back his laughter, Father ruffled my hair thoroughly and grasped my hand tightly.

This familiar warmth and touch!

Yes, this is where I belong. At my loving father’s side. I need nothing more!

“Why, do you want to keep going? Go show it off at your club! Make up for lost time! Daddy bre—”

“All right. Then… maybe just two thousand more times, and we’ll stop.”

“What?”

Just how long have you been holding this in?

Ch. 20

Southern Babylon. An abandoned port.

“State your identity.”

Under the pale moonlight, Leon Schjerk’s sword gleamed blue as he addressed them.

“P-please, spare us!”

The men sprawled on the ground pleaded in strained voices.

Their faces were bruised, their clothes ragged. Behind them, the black shoreline was littered with a half-wrecked rowboat.

“We—we risked everything to escape from the Mage Kingdom!”

“Escape?”

“That place… it’s hell. No one can survive there anymore! Please, I beg you… just let us live! Please!”

There was nothing more to hear. Leon raised his sword without hesitation.

A wail rang out as the men thrashed in a frenzy. At that moment—

Thunk.

From the arms of a man who had been silently shivering all along, something fell to the ground.

“…What’s this?”

Just then, bathed in moonlight, Leon paused.

‘Rubi…an?’

A single worn portrait had slipped out of a frayed bundle.

It depicted Rubian.

Much younger than in Leon’s memory.

At most, he seemed three or four years old—a baby Rubian.

“Who… are you?”

Leon pressed the sword’s edge to the man’s nape. Suddenly, he sensed a storm on the horizon.

“What is all this?”

The man, tears falling, raised his head.