Youngest 153

Chapter 153
Ch.16

An outdoor tea party by the shores of Lake Reim!

“All right, for the grand finale of the autumn camp—we’re having a treasure hunt!”

“Wowww!”

The excited children shouted in delight.

While the adults enjoyed their tea and conversation around the party tables, the children gathered in a circle around the supervising professor.

“Search for the treasures hidden all over the academy! It shouldn’t be difficult if you’ve explored the grounds so far, right? Well then, let’s begin!”

With laughter and cheers, the children scattered.

I took a deep breath, my chest swelling with anticipation.

‘When it comes to exploring, isn’t that my specialty?’

Ten days—a stretch that could seem either long or short.

But I had scoured the academy more thoroughly than anyone here!

‘A chance to cement my reputation as the number one kid! My competitive spirit’s on fire!’

“What are you doing? Rubian, let’s go!”

“Okay!”

Sortier and Zerdin took off at a sprint.

I was about to follow when my gaze drifted toward the tea table where the adults sat.

Grandfather, as befit a celebrity, was surrounded by admirers, but as soon as he felt my eyes on him, he looked over and waved at me.

‘But… why isn’t Father here?’

My eyes moved to the empty seat beside Grandfather.

I jogged more slowly, recalling what had happened just now in the dressing room.

‘I never imagined Father still had that glass bottle… it really surprised me.’

Truthfully, I was quite flustered.

Flustered enough to leave Father behind in the wrecked dressing room and rush outside.

‘This feels strange.’

That glass bottle isn’t some precious magical tool worth holding onto.

So why had Father kept it all this time? As though it were some treasured keepsake.

‘If he realizes that bottle was mine…’

What would he say?

Thank you?

That it had helped him immensely?

But for that to happen… he’d also have to know I’m a mage, wouldn’t he?

“……”

My fingertips suddenly felt cold.

Now, at least, I knew.

Even if my family found out I was a mage, they would still cherish me as they always had.

But even knowing that, it was hard to speak—the laughter and daily joys we shared together were just too precious.

If they learned I was the kingdom’s mage, that I’d experienced that war as a child soldier… they’d be devastated.

I just wish that peaceful normalcy would never be disturbed.

‘Besides, the fugitive mage is supposed to have been caught, at least as far as anyone knows…’

It really did take more courage than one might think to bring up a story everyone else preferred to forget.

‘But I can’t avoid it forever.’

Seeing that glass bottle with the blue ribbon made it all feel real.

‘With the Crest problem nearly solved, this is what I need to confront next.’

Turning by chance, I noticed something glittering between the trunks of two large trees.

“A treasure…!”

I reached out and pulled out a golden slip of paper reading .

‘But first, I have to deal with the pursuer on my trail.’

The ‘second one’ was still in the capital.

My own tail, which I had to sever. I couldn’t face my family until I’d done so.

If my guess was right, they’d disguised themselves as a restorer and managed to infiltrate the academy somehow.

“Maybe it’s time I dealt with… huh?”

Just then, a familiar fist abruptly extended into my lowered view. This was…

I quickly held out a handkerchief.

“It’s not rock-paper-scissors, you know.”

With a gruff voice, Khalid flipped over my palm and dumped something into it.

“Gasp, treasures!”

How many were there? At least dozens!

“Picked these up on my way here. You can have them.”

“This can’t be real. What if I actually win first place like this?”

“So be it. More importantly… I need to step away for a moment.”

Khalid lowered his voice to a whisper. I shoved the gold slip into my pocket, tilting my head curiously.

“Why? Did something happen?”

“I need to check in with my animal friends. I just got word from the Delkan Ruins.”

Following his glance up at the sky, I spotted a hawk circling overhead.

“You actually sent your familiars that far?”

I hurriedly glanced at his wrist, but the bracelet was securely fastened.

“Of course. Who knows what those mage bastards will get up to when they’re swarming together.”

“But doesn’t it take a lot of magic to send your familiars far away?”

“…I, uh, have some that don’t need much mana.”

“Huh?”

Do even animal friends have a power-saving mode?

“Something’s… suspicious about this.”

“……”

When I stared at him as if pressing for the truth, Khalid quickly turned away.

“Suspicious, my foot. Anyway, I’ll be back. Take your time finding the rest.”

With those words, Khalid disappeared into the quiet depths of the garden.

Watching him go, I patted my now-stuffed pocket and turned the other way.

I hadn’t meant to, but with this windfall I suddenly wanted to fight for victory.

“…Whew. But honestly, this isn’t really the time for a leisurely treasure hunt.”

I had something I needed to do right away.

‘All right. Let’s take care of this first.’

Fiddling with my watch, I carefully used a bit of magic—just enough not to strain myself.

A subtle, invisible force dispersed into the air.

‘If they’re nearby, they’ll notice this.’

My steps turned toward the library.

Today, the library was closing early due to the camp’s closing ceremony.

‘So at this hour, Professor Yuriope should be the only one there.’

Since everyone else had scattered around the grounds looking for treasure, no one found my actions strange.

‘Honestly, I’d love to find ten more treasures and take first prize.’

But this comes first!

---

Leviathan hurriedly descended the stairs, his steps rushed and erratic.

He could hardly remember how he had managed to leave the parlor.

“Your Excellency. I was just about to come find you—has something happened?”

“Rubian… Where is my daughter?”

“You mean the princess?”

Some maids entering the building looked at each other in confusion.

“I’m not sure. Perhaps she’s playing near the lake…”

Before the maid could finish, he forced his unresponsive legs to carry him forward.

He’d thought he wouldn’t be able to move a single step, yet the scenery seemed to change in an instant.

‘Ruby… she was the owner of this glass bottle.’

Somewhere, he heard crying.

The chill of the air pierced his skin, and only then did he realize the sound was not crying, but the wind.

It was a familiar hallucination.

He felt as though he were once again amid the battlefield, plagued by déjà vu.

“Your Excellency… Is it that object again?”

That glass bottle that would appear, as if by arrangement, whenever his pursuit of the dark mage faltered.

Leviathan, upon spotting it, would immediately issue his command.

“Search the area, Leon. If it was left here, the owner might still be nearby. Hurry.”

“Yes, sir!”

Yet deep down, he knew.

He would not find the owner of the bottle this time, either.

“Who on earth…”

…was helping him?

Without ever showing their face.

“We’ll examine the remains.”

When he opened the lid of the glass bottle, brimming with dark energy, the corpses of dark beasts tumbled out as if waiting for release.

The knights rushed forward to track any remaining traces of the dark mage.

Leviathan, staring blankly, squeezed the empty bottle in his hand.

Feeling a soft touch against his fingers, he looked down to see a blue ribbon tied around the bottle—so out of place amidst a harsh battlefield.

In that blood-red vision, it alone glowed blue.

‘The ribbon is clumsily tied…’

Was it the work of a mage inexperienced with their hands?

A wave of anxiety welled up within Leviathan that he couldn’t suppress.

He hurriedly searched his pockets, but all he had were strong liquor to warm his body and cigarettes to numb the pain.

How he wished he’d brought jerky or dried fruit instead.

“Your Excellency! We’ve located the dark mage! In a nearby underground cave!”

Just then, the knights shouted, having tracked the traces left on the corpse.

Leviathan fastened the ribbon on the bottle tightly and mounted his horse without hesitation.

“Whoever you are… let’s meet alive.”

The thunder of hooves shook the earth as he spurred his horse forward, cutting through the wind and murmuring as if making a vow.

“If I ever find you, I will repay this favor—no matter what.”

‘No, that’s not right.’

And the Leviathan of today curses his former self.

‘I should have pressed harder in my pursuit back then…’

He was filled with regret.

If he could just go back, he’d throttle himself for his naiveté.

Not a mage clumsy by nature, but a mage who could only be clumsy—

She was Rubian. Just a child, not even ten years old.

He’d believed it, when they said all the boy mages had been sent to the rear. He’d believed the scout’s reports and the intelligence from the Allied Forces.

It was all his own failing.

‘Once is enough for regret.’

Without need for further confirmation from Rubian, everything was now clear.

That left only one thing for him to do.

‘I must protect that child. From the Mage Kingdom. No matter what.’

This time—for certain.

Hastily, he turned toward the lakeside. Even though security had been tightened nearly to excess, a strange anxiety pressed in.

“Ruby, where in the world…”

Why couldn’t he see her?

Half running now, driven by mounting anxiety—

“Wahhh! It’s the treasure hunt!”

He heard children’s laughter and shouts echoing from afar.

For some reason, it felt like a penance.