Youngest 110
by Cristae110
I finally understood why, in the latter part of the original story, Leviathan’s whereabouts after the war were so unclear.
I used to think it was simply that I couldn’t remember what happened to him. That was partly true, but more than that—
He truly couldn’t act at all. Much like Grandfather before him.
Due to his injuries, he was forced into seclusion in Zelox, unable to show himself to the world.
I clung tightly to my father’s clothes.
Right now, he was Duke Zevert, actively conducting external affairs more vigorously than ever. If it had gone according to the original, he never would have come to Iphson at all.
Yes, things are different from the original. Above all… father isn’t cursed now.
He hadn’t exhausted himself tracking a dark mage, nor had he fallen into a trap and become mortally wounded.
I had no idea the glass vial I gave him would help so much.
Thanks to the hint I delivered with that vial, he didn’t fall under the curse—on the contrary, he was able to ambush the dark mage and end the war without injury.
All I wanted was to help the protagonist and resist the Mage King… I never imagined this would set off such a butterfly effect.
I let out a genuine sigh of relief.
And yet, there was something that nagged at me.
Just one thing…
My hand drifted unconsciously to my lower back.
“Here, Miss. Please drink this and calm down.”
At that moment, Borvel appeared with the maids and offered me a warm cup of tea. Feeling my father’s eyes on me, I wrapped my hands around the mug.
As my sobs quieted and the fragrant tea traveled down my throat, the once-hectic atmosphere settled swiftly.
“Ah, it feels like I’ve lost years off my life,”
Rosetta collapsed into a seat. She rubbed her face with a weary voice, as if she had aged ten years.
“Father and daughter, getting up to trouble in the middle of the night… Rubian, why did you even go there?”
Father’s gaze fixed on me. I fiddled with my fingers and sniffed.
“Kali…”
“Kali.”
I glanced up at Father.
“He said he saw you riding out. In the direction of the mage’s residence… I thought you might be going to meet a mage, and I was worried, so…”
“And you came after me for that?”
“He just gave off a strange, bad feeling at the ball…”
I trailed off, mumbling, and both Father and Mother let out an exasperated sigh.
“Unbelievable.”
“If the outpost mage hadn’t been there, you could have been in real danger, Rubian.”
Mother’s face was stern as she spoke. I muttered a small apology and glanced up to see how Father was taking it.
He just stared back at me.
Why isn’t he asking anything?
Once I’d calmed down, the memory of using magic in the garden returned to me, fresh and sharp.
There had been no choice, given how urgent the situation was, but now I began to worry—what if he’d noticed something?
“Everyone, leave us.”
As expected, his low voice issued an order to the staff in the room. Borvel and the others quickly withdrew.
Left behind were a shrunken me, Mother with a puzzled expression, and my inscrutable father.
A long, heavy silence ensued.
“What is it, darling?”
At last, unable to bear it any longer, Mother spoke first.
“…Rubian.”
Father wet his lips with his tongue, strangely hesitant to speak.
“A while ago, in the garden…”
His voice was a bit hoarse, and it trailed off.
“Leviathan?” Mother tilted her head, puzzled.
“…I just don’t know how to ask.”
He looked uncertain. Then, as if coming to a decision, he began again.
“Ruby, about earlier, in the garden—”
At that moment—
Knock, knock, knock knock.
A hurried knocking shattered the tension instantly.
“What is it?”
The reply came out a bit sharp. The door burst open.
It was Adolf, the butler.
“Excuse me, Your Grace. This is urgent—news from the Imperial side…”
“What is it?”
Adolf hurried over and whispered into Father’s ear.
“The Mage Kingdom…”
I overheard the words and my eyes widened.
At the same moment, my ears began to burn.
[ Ruby. ]
“They say a fugitive mage…”
“What?”
“…has been caught.”
I froze where I sat.
What?
Did I really just hear that…?
At that instant, Father and I locked eyes, as if by coincidence.
“The Mage Kingdom…”
His brow furrowed deeply as he repeated what Adolf had said.
And then—buzz—
Khalid’s clear voice echoed in my mind.
[ The southern tracker mages— ]
“So, they really captured the fugitive mage?”
[ They’ve all withdrawn. ]
Royal Palace of Arcadia.
“Is it true! You found traces of dark magic!”
The Mage King raged, eyes bloodshot.
“It is true, Your Majesty.”
“Where?”
“The Delcan Ruins, beyond Eosia. One of our mages discovered a subterranean entrance there and sensed the presence of black mana within.”
A snake-like smile curled across his smooth face. The Mage King, legs giving way, sank back into his throne.
“Ha…ha.”
So the answer lay on that continent after all.
He gave a swift order.
“Send all of our senior mages there at once.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. But then, what of Babylon’s tracker mages…?”
His long, twig-like fingers closed around the armrest.
Crumple. The letter from the “Fourth,” which he had been holding, was crushed in his grip.
“Report that there was no one with magical energy at that location.”
At that, the Mage King’s “Second,” who had been standing quietly by, stepped forward—the one who had delivered the letter.
“Yes. The Zevert girl under surveillance only matched with silver hair. Her eyes were a different color, and she had no magical energy. Her age and temperament were not a match for the Seventh…”
Furthermore, the Emperor had formally approved her adoption papers.
There was no way that cunning serpent of Babylon would recognize a child of unclear birth or dubious nature as nobility—especially so quickly, as if he had waited for just such an opportunity.
‘Who would go to such lengths for that girl?’
At that moment, while the Mage King was deep in thought, the Second hesitantly asked,
“Father… About the magical device you gave to the Fourth—”
The Mage King shifted his gaze. As if he already understood without the question being said.
“You mean, why did I say it was a teleportation device?”
“…”
He let out a quiet laugh.
“If she had used that, it would mean she had to flee a desperate situation. If she came running back after such trouble… it would be a thorn in my side, wouldn’t it?”
“…”
“It’s best to weed out the seeds of trouble ahead of time. I can’t have those continental mongrels catching onto anything yet.”
All the better this way.
The Mage King stroked his chin and muttered.
“I see…”
“I just didn’t expect her to break it right after sending this letter. I’m quite curious what made her do it…”
“Then… shall we pursue her elsewhere in the Empire?”
“No.”
The Mage King’s reply was curt and dismissive.
“Stop for now.”
“…Yes?”
All present looked up in surprise at the swift command.
“For the time being, we must keep the Empire satisfied. It would be troublesome if we were excluded from the Continental Alliance now.”
If he wanted to investigate the traces of dark magic, he could not afford any restrictions on entering and leaving the continent.
The death of the “Fourth” had dealt him a rather interesting hand.
Losing a mage in that foreign land, he could play the part of a grieving father and pressure the Emperor of Babylon, or act the magnanimous neighbor and pretend it was a regrettable accident.
‘Now is the time for the latter.’
He could not afford to let the trail of dark magic slip away.
Of course, that Emperor of Babylon was liable to seize upon any excuse to attack in return.
‘There’s no proof, though. The crucial “Fourth” is dead.’
All it would come to is a formal protest.
Besides…
“The Seventh only flees more openly when cornered. I’ll have to change my methods.”
He decided to return to the fundamentals of the hunt.
Stealthy, quiet.
Pretend to look elsewhere, to give up—and then, when that lovely silver hair let her guard down and lifted her head…
‘I’ll snatch her.’
His eyes narrowed to slits, serpentine.
“And besides, she bears the Crest. Once it matures fully… she’ll naturally come back to her father’s embrace.”
The Crest he had personally branded into his “Seventh.”
Because of the dark magic, he’d wanted to reclaim her at once—but, well. Now, slowly tightening the noose might not be so bad.
An eerie laugh swept through the chamber.
The Mage King brushed back his long hair and with a graceful motion caressed the throne once more.
‘Still, don’t roam too far, my dear.’
My jewel. My impudent traitor.
His eyes gleamed, poisoned with ambition.