Youngest 088
by Cristae88
“Ruby, let’s get this to go. The atmosphere in this place isn’t exactly appetizing.”
Dad rose with a cold smile. I quickly grabbed the hem of the disrespectful Duke’s coat.
“Dad, food always tastes better if you eat it here…”
Who on earth taught this Duke any manners?
Ah. It must have been Grandpa.
“Hahaha. Can’t even joke around with you.”
The Emperor laughed heartily.
“To think I’d see this kind of Duke. All right, all right, take your time.”
Licht sat there, lips pressed tight in embarrassment, turning his teacup in his hands.
Just then—
“Your Majesty.”
An attendant hurried over. The Emperor’s eyes cooled, his gaze sharpening.
“What is it?”
Bowing, the attendant whispered quietly.
“There’s been a minor accident at the southern mine…”
“Because Arcadia cut off the supply of magecraft tools?”
“Yes. Most likely retaliation for our continued refusal to permit the search for the fugitive mage.”
“Ha, so it’s come to this.”
Deep lines formed between the Emperor’s brows.
I quietly set my fork down.
‘This is…’
My appetite vanished.
So, because the imperial house of Babylon kept refusing my pursuit, the Mage Kingdom had retaliated by cutting off the supply of magecraft tools.
‘In the end…’
My fist, resting on my thigh, clenched slightly. I could sense Licht’s keen gaze on me.
Cough, cough.
Maybe I was just tense, but my cough started up again. Dad clicked his tongue.
“Your Majesty. I think we’ll need to take our leave. The child still isn’t feeling well.”
That snapped the Emperor out of his brooding.
“Ah, yes. I ought to be going as well.”
The Emperor ordered the rest of the cake packed up neatly for us. He gently patted my head, kindness and sympathy in his gaze.
“I’m sorry, young lady. I wish we could spend more time together. Next time, I’ll invite you to the palace. Oh, come to think of it, aren’t you entering the competition?”
“Yes!”
“I’ll be rooting for you.”
He really felt like a kindly uncle…
Though, of course, I’ve never actually had an uncle.
“Yes. I hope Your Majesty will—”
Suddenly feeling apologetic, I lightly grasped the Emperor’s fingertips.
“Hm?”
“Good luck to you…!”
“……”
His mint-colored eyes flickered slightly.
Oh no—was I not supposed to touch the Imperial Person?
Sighhh.
A long sigh escaped him.
The Emperor then cast a mildly resentful look at Dad.
“For the first time, I think I envy you, Duke.”
Click.
The door closed.
Goodbye.
I kept bowing decorously until the end and then made my way out. Licht accompanied me, saying he’d see me off.
The Emperor let out a soft laugh, then glanced over the letter the attendant had brought.
To think…
That such a child could come from ‘that’ Zevert.
‘There will be more incidents in the future.’
Once that fair face is revealed to all, she’ll be at the center of even more attention.
He recalled the soft touch of her hand and the bright, intelligent voice wishing him strength.
Truly, daughters are something different.
With a small groan, he set the letter aside.
“Summon the stationed mage.”
The Emperor restored his imperial mask.
Before long, Asha Drukan came dashing in.
“Y-you called for me?”
With arms crossed, the Emperor sat at the head of the chamber.
“I’ll be blunt. Do you know anything about the mage who fled Arcadia?”
“Gasp—no, not a thing!”
An immediate answer. The lively, bob-haired woman sneaked a look at the Emperor.
Her roughly assembled clothing was speckled with flower petals and colored paper. And those gentle eyes…
She was hardly the image of a typical mage.
“Is there… some sort of problem?”
The Emperor studied her tensionless face and sighed deeply.
“The Kingdom cut off our magecraft tools supply after we refused to allow search teams for the runaway mage.”
Asha groaned, “Oh dear, if you need something urgently, I could try making it myself.”
If we have enough ingredients…
Asha Drukan muttered about mana stones and spell circles, her thoughts wandering.
That, at least, seemed mage-like enough; the Emperor quietly considered the letter.
‘They want to open negotiations over the supply of magecraft tools? Clearly an excuse to snoop around here.’
The letter stated that the Kingdom would send one mage for the negotiations.
‘They must think I’m hiding the fugitive mage here.’
How regrettable.
He himself would have liked to know where that young mage was hiding.
So—
‘Should I let the search mage in?’
The search mages had been restricted to Babylon’s southern border villages.
The Emperor allowed no searches within the Empire proper.
‘I meant to hold the line, but…’
He clenched the armrest.
For some reason, Duke Zevert’s face kept rising in his mind—but he forced it away.
He wore the crown of the Babylon Empire, after all.
“No, not a thing!” she repeated
If the runaway mage were truly here, Asha Drukan would be the first to know.
The Emperor sighed.
‘Stay hidden, child—wherever you are in Babylon, just for today, do not come here.’
He summoned an attendant.
“Authorize use of the portal gate. But only one mage may set foot in Babylon.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After a pause, he added,
“One other thing… keep this quiet. Especially from Duke Zevert.”
“Sir?”
The attendant’s eyes went wide.
“Babylon alone profits from this. I’ve turned into a merchant, it seems.”
“Lately you only speak the truth—it wears on my ears, you know.”
A sigh, as weary as a lament.
“Bye, Licht! See you at the competition!”
I waved energetically as I hurried away.
Licht, who had insisted on seeing me off, stared at me more intently than usual.
His lips moved as if he had something to say… Sure enough, he reached out and stopped me.
“Rubian, um… can we talk, just for a moment?”
“Sorry, I’m kind of in a hurry… I’m not feeling well.”
Sorry, Licht.
I’ve got something urgent to deal with, too.
“Oh.”
A faint smile flickered over his lips as he stepped back.
“No, I’m the one who’s sorry. You’re still not fully well. Then… when the competition’s over, could we talk for a bit?”
“Of course!”
I nodded quickly.
Far off, an attendant appeared with a message from Dad. I scurried off, urging,
“Let’s go home, Dad!”
“What’s the rush?”
“Well… reasons!”
I have to see Khalid as soon as possible!
Khalid set down his practice sword.
Looking up, he spotted a hawk circling high overhead.
“So that’s what that was this whole time.”
He carefully slipped out of the training yard, heading to a back garden away from prying eyes.
Stretching out his arm, the hawk swooped down to meet him.
It was a messenger bird from Mercenary Company Allen.
Khalid untied the small note from the hawk’s ankle and read it.
One searcher has passed through the southern portal. Destination presumed north.
A short message, but it made Khalid’s brow furrow.
‘They’ve crossed the portal?’
Until now, they’d barely searched the southern fringes…
And at the very time of the greatest festival in the Empire—a search mage coming north?
It was not a good sign.
‘What are they planning?’
Khalid ground his teeth, but didn’t hesitate further and set off.
‘Ruby’s out right now; should I go meet her?’
He was heading toward the stables, thinking it over, when he spotted a girl running at breakneck speed from afar, calling his name.
“Khaaal!”
It was Rubian, dashing full speed, hair streaming.
Khalid frowned involuntarily. She’d be in trouble if she tripped… She really had gotten too confident in her running.
He hurried to close the distance.
“Ruby, this is perfect timing. Just now, my animal friend…”
He quickly relayed the contents of the courier’s note.
“Ah, just as I thought.”
“As you thought?”
“I sensed something off about the Emperor…”
Rubian bit her lip. As a shadow flitted across her face, Khalid gripped his sword, stepping nearer.
“What do you want me to do, Ruby?”
“Hmm…”
“We could have my animal friends guard the portal and take care of it when—”
“I told you not to joke about scary things like that.”
Rubian’s eyes narrowed just a little. Khalid clamped his mouth shut. It wasn’t actually a joke, though.
She mulled it over a little longer, then looked up and fixed her eyes on Khalid.
With a sudden step close, Rubian approached.
Khalid flinched. In these moments, he could never manage his expression.
“You know, Khalid—when I played hide-and-seek with my brothers…”
Out of nowhere?
He raised his eyebrow at her abrupt beginning.
“They almost never checked places they already thought I’d been.”
“……”
“I was always hiding right there all along.”
Her voice dropped to a soft murmur.
“Of course, if they truly searched every corner and still didn’t find me, they’d come back eventually. Maybe this is the same.”
“What are you getting at?”
“I don’t think we can avoid the searchers forever. So… just once, maybe it’s time to let them know for certain.”
Khalid’s jaw set instinctively. What was she planning?
“In other words…”
Instead of answering the question in his eyes, Rubian grinned.
And then, two pale hands shot out toward him.
“Give me that!”