Youngest 218

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He forced his reluctant steps forward, leading his knights, and barely had they arrived in the south when the tide of battle turned in an instant.

He plunged straight through the heart of the conflict, subduing the entire situation in less than half a day.

‘I heard those who mistook them for Dark Beasts fought as if under a spell, unable to resist.’

“So where, exactly, are these Dark Beasts supposed to be?”

Leviathan muttered in clear displeasure.

Aside from the slightly larger numbers, there were only bothersome high-level magical beasts to deal with.

“Are you all right, Your Grace?”

At that moment, Leon ran up.

“Khalid?”

“He’s over there. The other knights are finishing the cleanup nearby.”

“And the village—was there any damage?”

“We stopped the beasts before the invasion, so nothing significant.”

From afar, kicking up clouds of dust astride his warhorse, Khalid approached—the very picture of composure, not a drop of blood upon him. Anyone might have thought he’d just come from a banquet.

“Crazy… I almost thought he wasn’t human.”

Leon muttered beside him.

‘That’s not something he usually says.’

Even a seasoned knight was daunted by Kal’s skill; such was his prowess.

‘Hmm, what exactly did I raise here?’

He’d only trained the youth to grow strong and resilient, but he had grown perhaps too strong, and too resilient.

Whether or not Khalid understood Leviathan’s feelings, he nonchalantly surveyed the scorched surroundings and spoke.

“There were no Dark Beasts here either?”

“Right.”

“Then possibly… They cast some sort of illusion spell on a few beasts, to cause confusion. I sensed something in the air that wasn’t beast magic.”

“Illusion magic?”

“I don’t claim to know the details, but it’s a kind of spell that targets a person’s weakest point—or so I’ve heard.”

Leviathan considered, then turned to ask,

“Leon, are there many soldiers among the southern forces who fought in the Human–Dark Beast War?”

“A fair number, sir.”

“That explains it.”

If the spell pierced people at their most vulnerable…

‘They might have shown them the vision of the Dark Beasts they feared most.’

It now made sense why the soldiers’ reports all differed. He let out a low sigh.

No matter how much time passed, the horrors of war cast a long, lingering shadow.

“And the magi who shattered the beast-sealing stones—any sign of them?”

“We’re tracking them now.”

Leviathan clicked his tongue again.

Taking advantage of the lax southern security, the mages had infiltrated and shattered the beast-sealing stones, unleashing a wave of rampaging magical beasts.

The problem was, there was still no trace of those mages.

“No matter how neglected the southern guard was… How could they still be hiding so well, like mice?”

“Exactly. If they were stowaways, like those other mages I caught, they’d have been easy to spot.”

The soldiers had searched everywhere, but found no trace of anyone fitting the profile of a mage.

Then—

“Khal?”

Khalid’s black warhorse shifted.

He stood at the very tip of a jagged precipice, his dry gaze meticulously sweeping the sheer cliff opposite.

“What is it?”

“Did you check that cave over there?”

His armored hand pointed somewhere along the cliff’s face.

“There’s a cave?”

“Look carefully, you’ll see one.”

In the shade, where the sunlight didn’t reach, there appeared to be a small crevice—far too high for anyone on horseback to access.

His gray-blue eyes observed the spot with heavy-lidded focus.

“I sense magic coming from there.”

Leviathan immediately spurred his horse.

“Let’s go.”

They hurried to the opposite cliff. Leon volunteered to go first and descended the precipice.

“A fall here is certain death.”

A powerful updraft made even standing hazardous.

Leviathan scoffed that mages had picked a rather brave place for a hideout.

Meanwhile, Khalid massaged his throbbing temple with a fist—a faint headache had been nagging him since leaving the capital.

“Yam, do you ever say someone is ‘like a dog?’”

Why did that question suddenly come to mind?

‘What is this déjà vu?’

He felt as if he’d said those words once before—to someone in particular…

‘To Ruby.’

Was he losing his mind?

He shook his head sharply.

“Khal?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Leviathan watched him a moment before speaking quietly.

“Once we finish here, head back to the capital. Stay by Ruby’s side.”

“…Don’t you plan to head to the Mage Kingdom, sir? Using one of these mages as a guide?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

He seemed to answer offhandedly, but the duke’s eyes gleamed sharper than ever.

“That bastard is sitting there, calling me out. Wouldn’t it be rude not to answer?”

“Then I’ll—”

“Sorry, Khal.”

Leviathan cut him off, firm and final.

“This is my job. You do what you can.”

“But—”

“Go be Ruby’s—what is it? Her assistant? Whatever that role is.”

“…Her backup battery?”

Khalid replied with a sigh, and Leviathan gave a short laugh, slinging an arm over his shoulder.

“Yeah, that. But just back her up, okay? Don’t you go getting too uppity and crossing lines… Wait, how do you even do this backup thing?”

Leviathan suddenly asked, as if the thought had just occurred to him—still unaware how Rubian and Khalid exchanged magic through physical contact.

Khalid glanced at Leviathan and gently pushed his arm off. The faint curve at the end of his eyes, marked by two teardrop moles, deepened.

“Who knows?”

Good grief.

Leviathan pressed a hand to his brow.

“What on earth did I really raise here?”

“Your Grace!”

Just then, Leon shouted from below the cliff.

“I’ve found the entrance!”

Khalid and Leviathan exchanged glances and hurried down the cliff together.

Fortunately, there was a patch of flat ground at the cave’s presumed entrance, just large enough for a few adults to stand.

“As you can see, it’s blocked by this big rock.”

Leon tapped the gray boulder.

“There’s movement inside the cave—pretty sure the mages are hiding within. We’ll need some sort of blasting magitech device…”

Before Leon could finish, Leviathan gave Khalid a light kick in the shin.

“Go. Backup.”

Tch, Khalid grumbled but placed his hand against the rock.

“Stand back.”

No magic circle was needed.

All he had to do was lightly release the power he held—

Boom!

The boulder disintegrated into powder.

A pale cloud billowed forth.

Leviathan readied his sword, issuing a low order to Leon.

“If anyone resists, kill them. One guide to Arcadia is sufficient.”

“Yes, sir.”

As his lieutenant rushed forward to squeeze through the gap—

“Wait!”

“Khal?”

Khalid’s voice, quick and sharp, stopped Leon in his tracks.

With a flick of his hand, Khalid swept away the dust at once. He peered inside, scowling. “Just as I thought,” he muttered.

“What is it?”

“…Your Grace. Inside.”

A dark, damp cave.

Leviathan’s face hardened as he looked within.

“Son of a…”

He could not deny it.

“That bastard!”

The Mage King knew exactly how to most infuriate him.

At the surge of Leviathan’s rage, the children huddled and quaking in the cave finally burst out crying.

“P-please, sir, don’t hurt us.”

“We’re sorry… Waaaah.”

Young mages, much like when he first met Rubian.

Leviathan’s eyes rolled back in fury.