Youngest 003
by CristaeEpisode 3
“It’s because of the victory festival. Endure it.”
“Ugh… It’s overwhelming!”
To be honest, I’ve always hated loud noises, even in my past life.
Besides, here in the Mage Kingdom of Arcadia where I was born and raised, the entire population is less than 3,000 people—in other words, the place is practically a monastery…
So the noise of the Imperial capital is simply too much stimulation for me!
It’s left me more exhausted than when I faced the Dark Beasts.
“You’d better work on building up your stamina.”
Gasp! I quickly looked up at Leviathan.
“Does that mean… you’ll help me?”
“…Not even worth answering.”
“Aw.”
He’s not falling for it.
“So, what are we doing first?”
It would be great if I could at least wash up first!
At my question, he suddenly pulled on the reins and changed direction. Before long, the horse came to a stop.
“…”
We stopped in front of a building with a particularly eye-catching, flashing sign.
“…Huh?”
You’re going to abandon me first thing?
Before I could protest, Mister Leviathan set me down right in front of it. After leaving a message with the doorkeeper, he—
—waved with a dazzlingly charming smile.
“It was fun while it lasted, grubby kid.”
“Sigh.”
I let out a heavy sigh.
A bowl of vegetable soup and a chunk of brown bread studded with sesame seeds were placed in front of me.
“Hah!”
Unbelievable.
How could he really do that?
I thought we’d gotten at least a little, just a little closer in that forest.
And yet, the moment we arrived in the capital, he just tossed me aside like old luggage…
I set down my children’s spoon. I’d lost my appetite.
“Sighhh.”
“Um…”
Just then, a very cautious voice spoke up.
I turned to see a boy with brilliant golden hair sitting beside me.
It seemed he’d entered the shelter before I did.
“I think that’s your third one.”
“Huh? Third what?”
“Um, your old-man sigh, or something like that?”
“…”
I closed my mouth.
Try being crushed by the weight of life yourself. Sighs like this come out naturally.
“You look like you’re worried. Want to talk about it?”
When I didn’t really respond, the blonde kid’s curiosity only grew. He pulled his chair right up next to mine and began talking.
I stared at his golden hair in silence.
‘The Imperial Shelter…’
It must really be nice.
How can a war orphan look so radiant?
His clothes were shabby, but his milk-white skin was unbelievably smooth.
Eyes slightly drooping like a puppy, with clear teal irises sparkling like gems. His soft, tousled hair was like cumulus clouds tinted with sunlight.
‘How can a boy be this pretty?’
The girl observer felt a pang of unfairness.
“I have plenty of worries.”
“What are they? Tell me.”
Curiosity gleamed in the large, golden eyes.
“Well…”
I have to prevent destruction.
I must stop the start of the original story’s second arc.
“To do that—”
I have to save the protagonist, who’s fated to die soon.
His name is Leviathan Zevert. In other words, the hero of the continent.
“So…”
While hiding my identity as a Fugitive Mage, I planned to stick close to the protagonist—so he wouldn’t suddenly die!
“But then…”
That Mister abandoned me. So coldly, at that.
“And therefore…”
I have to meet him again…
“But I have no way…”
Waaah. I pushed the battered bread away and slumped over the table.
“Hmm.”
A soft laugh came from beside me.
“So, if you have to do that, and so, but then, and therefore there’s no way…”
“…”
“What could the problem be, I wonder?”
I only turned my head to gaze at the blonde.
His doll-like face cocked quizzically, seeming innocently sincere.
“Oh, you little thing.”
Before I knew it, I was stroking his golden hair, as if petting a doll.
You, so unburdened by the troubles of the world. If only I could be so lucky.
“…You’re really uninhibited, aren’t you.”
The blonde smoothed his tousled hair with a broad grin. His radiant smile seemed to light up the whole room.
Leviathan fixed his gaze on the emperor before him. In his hand was a familiar cigarette.
But for some reason, he had no desire to smoke. Come to think of it, he hadn’t smoked once in the forest… Maybe it was time to quit.
“Well done, Duke.”
The emperor flipped through a stack of complicated papers as he spoke.
“Welcome back.”
Gentle features. Long golden hair tied to one side. Clear teal eyes set beneath long lashes.
Truly an appearance befitting the young emperor renowned as the most beautiful in Babylon.
“Let’s dispense with pleasantries and get to the point, Your Majesty.”
“So prickly… Well, very well. The Mage Kingdom has requested our cooperation in tracking down a Fugitive Mage.”
The emperor, Ditrian Babylon, spoke.
Leviathan, slouched carelessly in his seat, lifted his brows. As he set down his cigarette, a clink sounded in the glass he picked up, ice shattering within.
“A Fugitive Mage?”
“A squad of mages crossing the Canalran Gorge was ambushed and wiped out, apparently.”
“I heard.”
“One body is said to be missing.”
“…”
Leviathan’s lips curled upward.
Not a hint of warmth could be found in his chilly violet eyes. The air suddenly grew heavy.
There was no one else on this continent capable of dominating others with mere presence alone.
“Probably crushed somewhere under a boulder. It was the gorge, after all—could have fallen from the cliffs.”
“…”
“Do we really have to deal with such cleanup?”
“Try not to spread that ominous energy around. Do you mean to scare all my maids to death?”
The emperor smiled gently and shut the folder.
“I know full well the Mage Kingdom can barely control its mages as it is. You seem unusually sharp today.”
“It’s comical, isn’t it? To see those mighty mages flustered over losing just one runaway soldier.”
“Your disdain for mages is as strong as ever.”
“After all, Dark Mages were mages too.”
A slow grinding of teeth echoed.
Leviathan detested magic more than anything—his hatred for mages bordered on loathing of the entire class itself.
“How is the duchess’s health?”
The emperor changed the subject naturally.
Something seemed to come to mind, and a deep crease appeared between Leviathan’s brows.
“The attack on Rosetta’s carriage by that Fugitive Mage from the Mage Kingdom—a tragedy that must never repeat. For her to lose her unborn child as well…”
Smash! A chilling shatter rang out. It was the glass in Leviathan’s hand.
Drip, drip. Drops of red blood stained the luxurious carpet.
“M-My Lord!”
The attendant’s face paled as he reflexively rushed forward, but the emperor quickly raised his hand to stop him.
Touching the Duke Zevert in such a state would mean death.
‘I misspoke.’
The emperor swallowed his tension and forced a calm smile.
“My, my, you are angry—our hero himself.”
Did some enraged dragon look like that when its reverse scale was touched?
“All right, all right. I’ll handle the Fugitive Mage case myself. I won’t order you to get involved.”
“I would appreciate that, Your Majesty.”
“Go and take some rest. You look exhausted.”
Leviathan plucked a glass shard from his palm as if it were nothing and tossed it to the floor.
As the duke rose from his seat, the emperor spoke again, almost by reflex.
He knew he shouldn’t push further.
“Marquis Eibreich told me he saw you traveling to the palace by carriage.”
This temperament, unable to curb curiosity, was always his flaw.
“Did he.”
“You were accompanied by a child, he claimed.”
Leviathan froze.
“You’re not thinking of adopting again, are you?”
The emperor leaned back in his chair.
“If you’re not planning on running an orphanage, let it go. Void and Liam were exceptionally strong children. You know most children don’t care for that harsh northern life.”
“I know.”
It was well-known that the duchess became infertile due to the carriage accident.
In response, he and Rosetta had adopted two boys from a cadet branch. Though he was away on campaign so often that he saw them infrequently… they were sturdy, admirable sons.
‘That child…’
Suddenly, the image of that grimy little one sprang to mind.
‘I wonder if she’s doing all right.’
Her reluctance about the shelter had been obvious.
A body that seemed unusually small, and those clear blue eyes kept haunting him.
Leviathan shook his head, as if to dispel the thoughts.
The emperor’s words were warranted.
If he wasn’t going to start an orphanage, he needed to let it go.
For the child’s sake, too.
“Very well. Will you be attending the banquet?”
“No. I intend to depart immediately.”
“A victory banquet without its hero, then. You do try my patience, Duke.”
“Well then.”
A click of the tongue followed him as he strode from the office, a cold wind in his wake.
“So unyielding…”
Leviathan left the palace and walked through the city streets.
The capital bustled with life.
It was lively and full of energy.
He hadn’t seen such a scene in nearly ten years.
People had all poured out, celebrating the joys of peacetime. The scars remained here and there, but time would heal those.
‘Come to think of it, she hated crowds.’
Leviathan stifled a laugh.
The child had stuffed her ears as soon as she entered the bustling capital. Her face betrayed more horror than when she’d faced a Dark Beast.
Yet even then, her round, bright eyes darted everywhere, drinking in the city…
‘I almost offered her a capital-wide tour.’
He recalled those fine, silvery strands of hair bouncing as she hopped about. The way her round little head had busily scanned her surroundings.
‘There was something mature in her, too.’
Even in that forest.
“You must have been through so much. Thanks to you, things are peaceful now.”
When she said those words, his heart clenched tight.
From birth, Leviathan had been raised as a knight. To him, being on the battlefield was as natural as eating a meal.
He’d only done what was expected of him.
He’d always believed that.
So, receiving praise for his achievements felt awkward and unfamiliar to him.
Especially coming from such a young child.
‘But then again…’
Had he wanted to hear such words?
That he’d suffered.
That it was all thanks to him.
“…”
Leviathan lazily brushed his hair back.
“Perhaps I should at least say goodbye before I go.”
Come to think of it, he hadn’t even taken the time for a proper farewell.
The pace of his hesitant steps quickened.
By the time he reached the road to the shelter, a fine rain had begun to fall from the heavy sky.
As he turned onto the street where the shelter was located while getting rained on,
He saw a crowd gathered, whispering among themselves.
“Why is there such a swarm of city guards?”
“Haven’t you heard?”
“Heard what?”
“A robber broke into the Imperial Shelter, believe it or not.”
“Goodness!”
“I heard some of the children were hurt.”
“How terrible… Oh my!”
A gust of wind swept past.
Leviathan, parting the crowd at a run, wore a face deathly more pale than ever before.