Youngest 144
by CristaeEpisode 144
“Your Excellency?”
“Tie him up for now. The mages are on the move.”
In the distance, mages were burning the corpses of Dark Beasts.
“They might have sensed something. We should withdraw for now.”
The blue-haired knight spoke calmly, but Leviathan did not budge.
At that moment, a chill dashed down Allen’s spine.
The duke’s previously languid and careless expression had vanished; the face glimpsed from the side was as fearsome as a demon.
“…Your Excellency, you mustn’t confront them now.”
“……”
“You promised His Imperial Majesty—you wouldn’t clash with the mages. For now, just discovering their purpose is a major gain.”
“So perhaps I should kill them now.”
Leviathan’s returning voice was low and grim.
“They intend to stir war on this land again. That hellish nightmare, once more.”
“But…”
“Haha, come now! Why so grim? But look over there.”
At that, Allen, who had been observing, lowered his telescope and said,
“The ruin’s gate is gone, you know? Looks like the mage bastards hid the entrance.”
“……”
“Honestly… In my experience, unless you’re a mage too, finding that again will take weeks—no, months at least.”
Months…
Leviathan muttered.
In the end, they had no choice but to withdraw for now.
Leviathan immediately sent a messenger hawk to the imperial palace, requesting additional surveillance forces. The Emperor ordered that subsequent matters be handled from the palace and commanded the Duke to return for now.
And so, now—
On the road back to the Empire.
Damn, I nearly got caught up in a clash of titans.
Finishing his recollection, Allen plodded after the horses, mulling things over.
But he treats the mages like lifelong enemies—even more than I expected. That look in his eyes.
Khalid, you rotten brat…
You’re all right, aren’t you? If that duke finds out you and the princess are both mages, won’t all hell break loose?
By the way, I need to send a message hawk to that brat.
Allen glanced at the surrounding knights, who left not a single gap, and sighed.
If I don’t inform him that the Mage King’s made a move, he’s going to blow a gasket…
He shuddered, remembering Khalid’s snake appearing out of the darkness.
Tsk. Let’s see…
He began to scheme.
At that moment—snap—the sound of a locket closing rang out.
“Now then, time to pick up the pace.”
Having finished admiring the portrait, Leviathan tilted his head and spoke.
“You’ll either confess your backer, or you’ll keep your mouth shut forever. Chosen your path?”
Shit, my life.
What do I do… While he agonized, his gaze fell on the golden locket the duke held.
Leviathan seemed to check it nearly every three seconds. Peeking over his shoulder, Allen had seen it was a family portrait.
All or nothing.
“Ah! That’s right! Your Excellency! I do have something I can tell you!”
He shouted, theatrically exaggerating his tone.
“Judging by that, you’ve got an adorable daughter, right? There’s a certain chewy macaron shop that girls her age just love. According to my information network, it’s one of the top three must-bring-back items for dads returning from business trips…”
“Are you mad? What the hell are you blabbering about?”
Yuzhen smacked Allen on the back of the head again.
Damn. Maybe this wasn’t the way.
At that moment, the duke looked around at Allen.
“Is it nearby?”
“Pardon?”
“That chewy macaron shop. I don’t have much time.”
“Uh, y-yes, sir! It’s just in the village at the foot of this mountain!”
A sleek chin pointed smoothly ahead.
“Lead the way.”
“Huh? Really?”
Is this actually going to work?
Allen was skeptical, but sensing an opportunity, he promptly led the way.
Once they left the deserted forest path and entered the village, the place bustled with people.
It really must be a famous spot—there was quite a crowd.
Since riding was impractical, they headed to a nearby stable.
Now’s my chance.
The moment Allen’s tether to his horse was released, he bolted with all his might.
“Hey—! That bastard!”
He dove into the throng, filching items for his disguise: a cloak, a hat, a scarf…
Luckily, his skill with such tricks served him well.
After a moment, pretending to browse at a stall, he glanced back—there seemed to be no pursuers.
Whew, damn! That was the most nerve-wracking moment I’ve had in ages!
He’d really been close to dying.
He heaved a great sigh of relief and quickly ducked into a shadowy alleyway.
By the way, the princess is adorable.
He remembered the glimpse he’d caught of Leviathan’s locket. Even in the rough charcoal sketch, the round, clear features were striking and vivid.
Khalid, you brat.
So that’s why you hide her like a treasure?
Still, at least I got to see her face!
Allen chuckled to himself and hurried on. Then he rummaged in his coat, pulled out a scrap of paper, and hastily scribbled a message.
“He ran, as expected.”
said Leon, and Leviathan idly craned his neck.
“Took him long enough. I was wondering when he’d bolt… Yuzhen.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Follow him and confirm exactly where he sends his message hawk.”
With a short bow, Yuzhen grabbed his bow and vanished like the wind.
Since they’d let Allen go on purpose, there was no chance they’d actually lose him.
“I can’t imagine what sort of client would make him clamp his mouth shut like that. Last I heard, he was the head of the Empire’s largest mercenary band, but…”
He’s been oddly quiet lately, too.
Leviathan silently listened to Leon’s mutterings and finally spoke up.
All the way back on horseback, he had been thinking things over.
“Rubian…”
It was a sudden interjection. Leon gave him a puzzled look. “Yes?”
“Rubian sometimes plays hide-and-seek with Void and Liam in the castle.”
“…Ah, yes, I know. But what does that have to do—”
“When I’m in my study, she’ll come in and ask me to hide her. She’ll crawl under the desk and always says the same thing.”
Leviathan turned and looked Leon in the eye.
‘Keep a close watch outside, and let me know the moment Liam or Void comes.’
“…”
Only now did Leon realize where Leviathan was going with this.
If someone has reason to keep watch on another, it means that person is either an enemy… or—
Leviathan finished the thought.
“Someone you need to run from.”
The one fleeing from the Mage King.
As far as Leviathan knew, there was only one person who fit that description.
It had supposedly been resolved last spring, but…
The more time passed, the more the mystery gnawed at him.
After all, there had never been any word about where or how they’d caught that young mage.
What if that claim had merely been a ruse to make the mage let down their guard… and the chase was still ongoing?
The misty doubts lingering at the edge of reason solidified the moment he saw Allen’s face.
Once the idea took hold, he couldn’t shake it.
Leviathan was now almost convinced.
The young mage who fled the kingdom.
Was that the one who set this mercenary in motion?
If so, it was no mystery why Allen couldn’t speak.
If it was a powerful mage, perhaps he was bound by some magical restriction.
“That’s possible,”
Leon said at last, as if reading Leviathan’s thoughts, nodding.
Then, a new thought struck him.
“But, Your Excellency… If it is that young mage, what do you intend to do once you’ve found their whereabouts?”
“Well…”
Leviathan raked a languid hand through his hair.
Honestly, he hadn’t really considered that.
Chasing Allen’s backer had been pure instinct.
He let out a long sigh and gazed up at the sky.
“For now—”
“…”
“I think… I’d want to feed them.”
The broad autumn sky seemed the color of his precious child’s eyes.
“They’re just ten years old.”
For some reason, it felt as though he were meeting that gaze, and he couldn’t look away.
A moment later,
Yuzhen returned with Allen’s message hawk letter in hand.
Leviathan took the note and read its contents.
“Acorn!”
I quickly stuffed a squirrel’s daily ration, fallen on the road, into my pocket.
“Acorn here, too!”
The Academy was filled with hazel trees—what a bounty!
I’ll use some as materials in class, too.
But about that application…
Walking along the path, picking only the best acorns, I kept turning it over in my mind.
The handwriting was familiar.
One of the applications Professor Euliope had left on his desk.
The peculiar sense of déjà vu that handwriting stirred wouldn’t leave me.
“Hmmm.”
Pretending to be a detective, I lined up all the information I’d gathered so far.
The clumsy and suspicious maid.
High-ranked mages being dispatched to the Delkan Ruins.
And the handwriting on that application…
Don’t tell me, has “the Second” arrived?
My hands, busy stuffing acorns until my pockets bulged, suddenly stopped.
“No, no way. Impossible…”
I laughed into thin air and shook my head.
I’m not an idiot.
Why would a covert pursuer openly submit a job application?
Maybe if it were a sheltered kid who never left the palace…
…
…But it fits. Sheltered in the palace.
“The Second” was a high-ranked mage responsible for royal affairs inside the palace, rarely leaving it.
So chances were, he hadn’t even been sent to the Delkan Ruins.
…The restorers arrive tomorrow, don’t they?
Sigh.
By now, I was almost certain “the Second” had come looking for me.