Youngest 249
by CristaeEpisode 249
Leviathan stared vacantly ahead, then thrust his face at the nearby adjutant.
“This is an order. Slap me.”
“Excuse me?”
“I think I must be dreaming right now.”
“Sorry, I have to disobey that order.”
The adjutant, inciting insubordination against his unhinged commander, went off to fight against the distant attacks of the mages.
This was near the capital’s fortress.
Attack spells rained down from above, and an army of earth golems charged from the front.
“Um, Father. Aren’t we advancing?”
Void asked, twirling his sword.
“A beast has just snatched my daughter away… Is this any time to advance?”
“What, so we just stand around?”
Scowling fiercely, Void darted off. Leviathan, watching the dependable back of his second son for a moment, easily cut down a monster charging at him.
“I’ll bring Ruby back, Duke.”
Ha, what’s this? That Khalid brat.
He looked irritatingly pleased with himself.
He didn’t even bother to show up here.
“Where the hell did he take her?”
“Leviathan, enough fantasizing. Advance.”
At that moment, Rosetta tapped him on the shoulder.
“And look ahead.”
Just then, Leviathan caught sight of a flicker of blue magic before him.
It soon took the form of a small bluebird, dropping a letter into his hand before flying away.
< Father, I’m getting along well with Khalid! The magic circle was a bit off, and we ended up under the palace, but we’ll get out soon, so don’t worry and see you at the palace! >
“Rosetta, this is bad.”
Boom! Leviathan moaned as if the world were ending.
“My daughter is so polite…”
“My.”
“She’s usually like this whenever there’s trouble.”
Rosetta, stealing a glance at the letter beside him, also stiffened.
“This… this is really bad.”
“What? Father? Ha, what exactly is she doing with Kal?”
“This is serious. Let’s go. Time to rescue our princess.”
Rosetta gripped her arrow shaft tightly.
At that moment, the firmly closed castle gates swung wide open.
Combat mages poured out, and a greater standoff than before ensued.
Behind them, Balok, who had been quietly restraining his anger, swung his greatsword with a roar.
With grim determination, the old man watched the charging mages and spoke.
“Huuu. It can’t be helped. Son. Leave the ones here to me—”
“Yes. Then I’ll use you as a stepping stone to move ahead.”
Leviathan replied quickly, grabbing Liam by the nape as he started to dash away in the other direction.
“Ha, that brat. Isn’t it normal to refuse at least once?”
“Who has time for that? Hold out until Leon arrives. Then.”
Balok glared indignantly at the back of Leviathan, who was sprinting toward the palace like a storm.
“That brat thinks raising his own kids right is all there is to it?”
I’m doomed! I’ve really messed up this time!
“Attack! The opponent’s an old man!”
Balok took a deep breath as he looked at the swarming enemies.
“Show some respect for—”
“Aaagh!”
“The elderly, aaagh!”
“The old man’s attacking! Retreat!”
With a single slash of wrath-filled sword energy, mages and monsters fell away like autumn leaves.
Slap! Slap!
I mercilessly struck his broad shoulders.
“Begone, evil spirit! Exorcism! Purification! Banishment!”
Of course, I received an utterly bewildered look in return.
“How is that supposed to solve anything?”
“I don’t know. Give me my friend back!”
The man laughed.
“She’s right here. You act as if facing a completely different person. I simply became aware of and accepted the power I had forgotten.”
“What are you saying! Kal doesn’t talk in that formal tone—‘sir,’ ‘is,’ and all that! Exorcism! Banish! Ex— ptu!”
“Alright, but stop spitting.”
If I could, I’d rattle some bells at him, too.
“What? You have the First Mage King’s power that Khalid harbored… What? What did you say?”
“You’ve already said the answer, don’t pretend you didn’t understand.”
‘It’s because I don’t want to understand!’
Before I knew it, the man was sitting cross-legged on the floor, gazing up at me, as I sat on the sofa.
That posture, the indifferent expression—everything felt just like Khalid.
Honestly, I began to suspect Kal was just playing a prank on me.
“…Is it true? Dragon God? The fire-breathing lizard thing?”
“Not a lizard. How dare you refer to the ancient divine beast so.”
“Hold on a second. I’m not done being shocked yet. So, this situation… Are you saying you’ve possessed Khalid’s body? No offense, but weren’t you already long gone? If so, are you a gho—”
“Gho?”
“Mm. Impressive. How did you know I fear ghosts? Um, if you have a spare Khalid hand, could I borrow it for a moment?”
“You ask to hold a hand in the strangest way.”
The man replied coldly and then abruptly turned away. I slowly lowered my hand, suspended in midair, and realized something.
The man insisted he was no different from Kal, but to me, he wasn’t.
‘Kal doesn’t look at me with such fierce eyes.’
I carefully reconsidered the situation.
‘The power I feel in Khalid now—the nameless force I once sensed from him…’
To think that was the First Mage King’s magic.
‘So the dormant power reacted to Arcadia’s magic and suppressed Khalid’s own? Is that why its consciousness suddenly emerged?’
What is with this absurd situation?
But then…
What about the Khalid I know?
“The soul you know is, in a manner of speaking, sleeping. Gods originally have no soul.”
“…Do ghosts come with mind-reading powers too?”
“When you stare with such blazing eyes, anyone could tell.”
“…”
“Whether foolishly exhausted in yesterday’s battle or not, his magic faded quickly. Or… perhaps he withdrew on purpose.”
“What does that… mean?”
“It means this was, in that boy’s judgment, the safest way for you to remain unharmed and achieve your goal.”
I was left speechless.
“He was becoming aware that he couldn’t control my power anymore… and most likely decided my power would be more effective in handling the enemies here.”
“So, right now…”
My lips faltered, searching for words.
“You’re saying my ancestor shoved me into the fight and went off to nap himself?”
“…”
The man looked a bit appalled.
Whether he liked it or not, I bit my lip. I tried so hard to act unbothered, but I was honestly half-panicked.
Nobody ever gave me a rulebook on what to do when you meet your childhood friend who’s had his body hijacked by a long-dead ancestor.
‘Did Kal really awaken that power on purpose?’
Why?
He always threatened he’d be the one to kill the Mage King.
No matter how I thought it over, none of it made sense.
Just when did Kal realize this power’s existence, and decide to resist it?
‘All this time, what have you been hiding from me?’
And why didn’t he ever tell me the truth?
I have no idea.
“Enough. If you can walk, get up. No need to bother nursing you further. The residual instincts in this body are a damned nuisance…”
“…”
A frosty voice commanded me.
I glared at the broad back crossing the room. I tapped my earlobe, hoping to communicate with Khalid, but I felt no connection whatsoever.
That meant here—
‘There’s not a trace of the Khalid magic I know.’
I deliberately lingered, tying my shoes slowly and biting my lip hard.
What to do.
Then, with a soft sigh, a thick forearm suddenly entered my field of vision and swiftly began tying my laces for me.
“Truly, nothing irritates me more than this…”
He even shaped the laces into a neat ribbon before looking down at his own hands in disbelief.
“…Is this boy truly intent on being your servant? How does he do this for you without a second thought?”
“…”
“He even takes some perverse joy in it.”
“What did you say?”
He regarded me for a moment, then muttered, “Enough.”
“Get up.”
“Ugh.”
As his hand gripped my wrist roughly and pulled me up, I couldn’t help but let out a groan.
The man’s body tensed again.
“My legs really do ache, so would you not yank so hard?”
My great-grandfather was certainly the crankiest kind of madman.
I rubbed my wrist, the red mark glaring on my pale skin. The unfamiliar strength stirred brief waves of fear and anxiety—
‘Pull yourself together.’
Thanks to him, my scattered wits snapped back into place.
‘There must be a reason Kal awakened that power.’
So I needed to keep my wits about me and figure something out.
“How did your power end up inside Khalid’s body in the first place?”
Straightening my posture, I fixed my voice, as clear as possible, at the man who seemed a little restless.
“And why have you chosen to appear now? And where are we?”
At my question, the atmosphere around the man changed.
With both arms at his sides, he looked at me with unsettling, flickering eyes.
“You really remember nothing at all.”
“What on earth—”
Whoosh. In an instant, every light in the area went out.
“To answer your last question first.”
Standing alone in absolute darkness, I felt a strange new force enveloping me.
“This is the castle I personally crafted and adorned.”
That voice no longer sounded like Khalid at all.
It was raw, rough, and blistering, as if fire itself mingled with the breath.
I tried to answer, but a searing hot wind blew across my face.
“This is my true paradise, where I gathered every good thing the world has to offer—meant as a gift for you.”
Then those chillingly clear gray eyes met mine. A windstorm of strength, devoid of restraint, pressed upon my entire body.
“Ugh…”
“You want to know why I’ve revealed myself now?”
“I… can’t breathe…”
“Because you were born here, Vistal.”
“I… I am not a goddess.”
He chuckled, a sneering sound.
“The goddess, ehr—she’s perished. No matter how much they fought each other, at least keep up to date with the news. Among your own generation—”
“Lies. Your power is so vivid—how can you deny it?”
Something rough circled my waist.
“Let go—”
“I have endured a very long time just to meet you. I cannot allow you to run any longer.”
“Crazy… What nonsense is this, you mad old man…”
A low vibration rumbled where our bodies touched; it felt as if the man was laughing darkly.
“If you intend to keep pretending you don’t know, then see for yourself.”
It felt as if something cupped my cheeks. His breath grew nearer, our foreheads pressed together.
“Then—even if you don’t wish to remember, you will.”
Raw magic flooded into me unilaterally, and I squeezed my eyes shut.