Youngest 143
by CristaeEpisode 143
“Wow! The old library is amazing!”
I stretched out both arms and exclaimed excitedly.
To be honest, I was quite used to this place by now, so there was nothing particularly surprising about it…
Let’s do well, Rubian!
“Ahem, ahem. The bookshelves are a bit chaotic, aren’t they?”
Euliope replied in a subtly excited voice while uncorking a fatigue recovery potion. She seemed quite pleased with my enthusiastic reaction.
“Yes! It’s like a maze!”
“Be careful not to get lost. And if there’s any book you’d like me to retrieve, just let me know.”
“All right!”
Channeling the spirit of a child who was thrilled to finally visit a long-desired place, I dashed swiftly between the old library’s shelves.
“Wow, wow! This is so fascinating!”
“Ru—Rubian? Isn’t that a bit too much running? If you crash into a shelf, my precious books could come tumbling down…!”
I came to a sudden halt and looked up at the professor, who was filled with anxiety and fear.
“Professor… Are you really saying the books are more precious than I am?”
“Ahem. Of course, Rubian, you’re far more precious. I was worried, that’s all.”
“Right? After all, they’re just inanimate objects.”
“Yes, of course. If you ran into a bookshelf, it’s the fragile books that would suffer more pain than sturdy Rubian—no, wait, I said that backward.”
With a giggle, I dashed off again.
“Professor’s salary, hanging in bunches! Cascading down! Wahoo!”
“Noooo!”
In any case, I knew these maze-like shelves inside out, so there was no chance I’d collide with anything.
If he had simply told me not to run in the library, I might have walked quietly!
It’s just too tempting to tease him when he’s like that.
Maybe it was the magic power of this place, but I was feeling rather buoyant. For quite a while, I darted back and forth, thoroughly captivating Euliope’s attention.
But in the end, I was the only one left exhausted (how frustrating!), so I sat at a desk in one corner of the old library, panting for breath.
“Huff, I’m worn out. Hm? But Professor, the desks seem even more like a maze!”
After bringing me a glass of water, Euliope briskly tidied up a stack of documents.
“This is where we do the restoration work. It gets a bit hectic.”
“I thought it was a landfill for a second!”
“Hahaha. Sharp observation. And ouch.”
I sat down and straightened my clothes, disheveled from running around.
Retied my shoelaces. Straightened my crooked name tag.
Euliope, watching me intently, spoke up a bit awkwardly, his gaze fixed curiously on my name tag.
“By the way, Rubian… It may be a strange time to ask now, but…”
“Yes?”
“Were you pretending to be a commoner because you felt burdened by the attention that comes with being a Zevert?”
Really, to ask that now…
Well, I suppose the rare books had kept him so preoccupied until now, so it’s understandable.
Sometimes, other professors would approach me quietly after class to ask the same thing. Whenever they did, I’d reply similarly.
“Well, yes? I don’t particularly like standing out, you see…”
The fate of those who constantly flee…
Truthfully, the suspicious maid who’d appeared at the entrance ceremony had made me extra cautious, which had somehow led to me hiding my identity.
“I keep thinking about being kidnapped by those bad men at the entrance… It still lingers.”
“Ah…”
Euliope furrowed his brow seriously.
He must have thought the incident of a noble child’s abduction had left a traumatic mark on me.
“I can understand that. Sorry for bringing it up.”
He patted me comfortingly on the head, then went back to tidying the documents.
I idly swung my legs, lost in thought.
Come to think of it, that maid hasn’t reappeared, has she? Khalid hasn’t said anything either…
Maybe she really was just a lost maid and Khalid overreacted?
Still, thanks to that, I managed to complete the old library investigation without trouble. All that’s left is to figure out how to deal with the Crest…
Will I actually manage it?
I recalled the monument standing beneath the great sealing tree.
Just then,
Among the documents Euliope sorted, something caught my eye.
That is…
“Hmm? Professor, weren’t all the restorers already hired?”
Pointing at the document, I asked, and Euliope shrugged lightly.
“Only some. The interviews are still ongoing. Scholars who can read the ancient language are so rare, there aren’t many applicants.”
“I see…”
“Plus, this isn’t just about reading. You have to grasp the context to restore the materials, so the standards are even stricter.”
“Whew.”
A labor shortage here as well…
I stared absently at one of the applications. Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.
What if it were me?
If I were a pursuer looking for a chance to infiltrate the Academy—
I wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by.
If I managed to steal the identity of someone who was accepted as a restorer, I could infiltrate the Academy perfectly…
Wait, didn’t that sound incredibly villainous just now?
Yikes. That was terribly cunning and underhanded!
I quickly shook my head, but, even upon reconsideration, it still seemed like the most plausible method.
After the camp’s entrance ceremony, the Academy’s security had become much more stringent. So, attempting to sneak around disguised as a maid again would be impossible.
I heard that some noble house dispatched a large number of defense knights.
Principal Odelli has been smiling from ear to ear because of it…
I’m not sure which house, but they must be excessively overprotective.
Thanks to them, my own safety’s improved too, so I suppose I’ve benefited!
If I really were a pursuer, that is.
Lost in thought, I was jolted out of my musings when Euliope finished sorting the documents and stood up.
“All right, Rubian. I have interviews, so I’d better be heading out.”
“Huh? Is this for another job?”
“Tempting as that sounds, it’s the restorer interviews. I’m the interviewer, you see.”
“Oh…”
A question popped into my mind.
“But do you hold interviews outside?”
“Yes. Actually, the interviews are tomorrow morning, but I thought I’d stop by home for the first time in a while. So we arranged to meet outside for convenience.”
“Oh, Professor! At last, you get to go home!”
“Heheheheh. I’m only going to pick up a change of clothes. I’ll be living here again for a while… Wonderful, isn’t it? Heheheh.”
Oh dear. The professor is losing it…
But I had nothing else to say, so I simply patted my mentor on the arm.
“What a fine day! By any chance, do you have any spare liquor? My throat’s a bit parched.”
Allen spat on the ground and shouted.
Finally losing patience, Leon spoke to Leviathan.
“Your Excellency, how much longer are we dragging this bastard along?”
“……”
Leviathan glanced back at the grim-faced mercenary. With a nudge to his horse’s flank, his pace quickened.
“Urgh.”
Allen, hands bound and tied to a horse, stumbled as he walked.
“Y-Y-Your Excellency, please don’t break into a gallop! Don’t increase the pace!”
A thoroughly impudent voice rang out.
“Then do one or the other—shut up or burn.”
“Heh, how can I speak if I shut up? Looks like Your Excellency has a better sense of humor than the rumors suggested…”
At that moment, a dull thud sounded.
Unable to contain himself, the knight Eugen smacked Allen on the back of the head.
“Showing such disrespect in front of His Excellency. Have you lost your mind?”
“Wha—hitting me on the head? Do you do that to your subordinates too? Haze the rookies, is that it?”
What is he on about?
Leviathan nudged his horse again, increasing the pace once more.
“Urgh.”
Allen staggered again.
“You know what I want you to confess.”
At the low voice, Allen’s mouth turned down in a deep pout.
“The one who hired you to spy on the Mage Kingdom.”
“……”
“Tell me who it was.”
Damn.
Allen cursed inwardly. Outwardly, he tried to act nonchalant, but the fierce gaze was enough to make him shrivel to his core.
Dammit… To get caught by the Duke, of all people.
He recalled the moment he had been captured.
“Please, spare me!”
“So, you’re a mercenary. Who hired you to watch the Mage Kingdom?”
“I, I can’t say.”
It was true.
Thanks to that damn Khalid brat and the Oath Sigil spell he’d placed on me.
His prosthetic eye throbbed.
If I mention that brat or the princess haphazardly, my blood will turn into fireworks!
The very thought was horrifying.
“A lousy rat, yet loyal to the client? A strange time to show customer service skills.”
“Ahaha, I like to think I’m loyal and a man of principles…”
“Congratulations. I’m sure your parents are proud of how you turned out. Unfortunately, I myself didn’t grow into such a decent person.”
Leviathan menaced him with his sword.
“If you don’t talk, I’ll kill you.”
Allen was a grizzled mercenary, hardened by every sort of dirty job.
But no matter what, before the man called a hero, he was nothing more than vermin.
He mouthed every curse he knew, wondering which would be less painful—being beheaded or having his veins burst.
At that moment,
For some reason, Leviathan, who had been watching Allen intently, withdrew his sword.