Youngest 196
by CristaeEpisode 196
Dagdak, dagdak!
The horse picked up speed.
“That mage is obviously a fake, right?”
I pulled a small flask from inside my cloak. The water inside shimmered, flecked with glittering particles like scattered fine pearl dust.
“The potion looks pretty real, though?”
“Yeah… But look ahead.”
Khalid’s low voice drew my eyes forward. In the reflection glancing across his eye, there still lingered a faint trace of red.
‘I haven’t used Wizeria’s power like this in a long time.’
A potion for verifying parentage.
I’d thrown this together based on the description and rough mechanism I’d gotten from Princess Sevelena.
Of course, I didn’t have the herb ingredients that made up the real core of the potion—it was just an imitation. Creating a convincing fake is always harder.
‘And to do it in such a short time, too… Honestly, I tried summoning Wizeria because there wasn’t even time to draw a magic circle. Good thing he responded.’
Lately, Wizeria had been acting like a sulky teenager with me.
Probably ever since he started studying the formulas on the monument by himself.
Could he really be upset because of that?
‘Do I have to have a talk with him or something!’
Well, today he lent me his strength for the first time in a while, so I’ll have to forgive him.
As I tucked the vial away, I mumbled sheepishly.
“Sorry for hitching a ride. But Dad said we should keep things quiet up to the cabin… Riding a single horse draws less attention than moving a whole group, you know?”
“I know. And….”
“Yeah?”
“I prefer it this way.”
At that moment, a fierce wind whipped by.
‘I think he added something else.’
But it was too quiet to catch.
I swallowed hard and looked ahead.
I noticed my gloved hand gripping the reins; with riding gloves on, it looked bigger and sturdier than usual.
The hard chest pressed against my back. Two thick thighs, bracing the powerful black horse.
I bit my lip, recalling the look on Khalid’s face just moments ago.
‘…His nape was a little red.’
What do I do.
I feel like it’ll taste like apples this time.
A dizzying breath caught in my throat. For the past few days, my urge to nibble my friend—the initial Krang Disease—had advanced from early stages to mid, then late.
‘Hngh…’
Get a grip, Rubian. Khalid is your friend.
A comrade-in-arms who’s lived and suffered alongside you, your closest childhood friend!
To have those kinds of, those, those, those @#$% feelings toward such a friend! What would Khalid think if he knew? He’d be so creeped out!
I shook my head furiously.
Suddenly, a pained groan came from behind me.
“…You’re so… close…”
That’s right! Here, on this fresh, woodsy forest path full of fragrant air!
“It’s driving me crazy…”
Kk-akk! His grip on the reins tightened.
Lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t realize why Khalid sounded so tormented.
‘Oh my god, what do I do.’
To think I even want to bite that hand…
I must have become some kind of first-class pervert!
On the outskirts of the capital.
An old cabin stood in a deserted spot.
The mage, body trembling, stared at the figure before him.
A man clothed in shadow-black from head to toe sat with his legs crossed, gazing down on him.
Though a table stood between them, it felt as if the man were still looming above.
Much too casual, too slovenly, for a grand duke.
Nor did he look at all like a hero who’d saved the continent. The posture of his slightly tilted jaw and the fingers draped over his thigh exuded only boredom and idleness.
‘So why is the tension so suffocating?’
The mage swallowed.
His restless gaze suddenly locked with cold, violet eyes.
Just that one glance sent a shudder down his spine. It was like he’d roused a beast slumbering deep in the forest.
“How did you escape the Mage Kingdom?”
A flat voice reverberated through the air.
“By boat…”
Finally, the mage realized:
He was completely dominated by Leviathan Zevert’s presence.
He scrambled to compose himself, squeezing out words that barely rose above a whisper.
“W-we launched a boat to avoid the watch. Many attempted to escape, but only those who traveled with me succeeded. It’s not so hard to slip past the kingdom’s barrier from within, as long as you make it through the illusion mist… After that, it’s just a matter of the open sea…”
Leviathan narrowed his eyes.
At the same moment, Leon—standing like a shadow at one side of the cabin—set something from his coat onto the table.
“Why send these things and ask to meet me?”
Leviathan spoke. The mage’s eyes darted to the worn bundle, his jaw working as he forced words from a trembling voice.
“T—the youngest Lady…”
“…”
“I wish to see her, just once. Did you see the portrait inside? Is that… Is that face truly the youngest Lady you adopted?”
Tears glistened in the man’s eyes.
“I lost my child long ago.”
Leviathan clenched his teeth, barely realizing it. Every word the man spoke struck with an unfamiliar but resonant force.
“And when I finally learned she’d been taken by the Mage King… To think she’s become the ‘Seventh’…”
“So you mean the Mage King abducted the child on purpose?”
“Yes. He always takes children of rare magical talent and claims them as his own.”
“And after losing your child, you just watched?”
“Of course I tried everything to get her back!”
The mage burst out in anguish and bowed his head. Through the ragged ends of his hair, the sigil of the Mage Kingdom was visible on the back of his neck.
“…For a lowly mage like me to defy the King was unthinkable. I was always watching for a chance, but… Then the Human-Dark Beast War broke out, and near its end, I heard the child had disappeared.”
He wiped his tears roughly and pushed on.
“Then a few years ago, the Mage King returned gravely wounded. At the same time, the gate to Arcadia closed. Most things at the palace are state secrets, but some Outpost Mages returned to the continent and I was able to buy information from them.”
“So then, my name came up.”
“…Yes. Magical beasts appeared in the Babylon Empire’s capital, and you, Duke Zevert, were the one who defeated them. Instinct told me the Mage King had a hand in it, and that’s how I heard of your youngest Lady.”
The man pressed his lips together.
“Your Grace… Forgive me for asking.”
Blue eyes looked up at Leviathan, tears pooling and dripping down.
“Is the youngest Lady… a mage, by any chance? Is that why the Mage King attacked her?”
“…”
“The ‘Seventh’ who fled the Mage Kingdom… Is she truly Lady Rubian Zevert? Please, at least tell me that…”
The man abruptly fell to his knees and prostrated himself on the cold floor, beating his forehead desperately.
“Please, please! Let me see her just once. I only need to know if my lost child is alive or not! If you grant me that, I’ll offer my life, anytime, without hesitation!”
His wails filled the cabin.
Leviathan stared down at his back.
‘Just to know whether the lost child lives…’
He’s willing to lay down his life for just that?
He knew full well it was most likely a lie, but somehow the words pierced him.
So.
If this was all a lie, the man’s acting was first-class.
He’d never felt such profound sympathy from another’s words.
Of course… For Leviathan, it was a hope forever out of reach. Not all things return, even if you offer your life for them.
‘Sentimental fool.’
Leviathan mocked himself, glancing out the window.
Rubian would be arriving soon.
‘But if he really is Ruby’s father…’
Some part of what that man had said might be true.
For example—
‘The story about the Mage King taking young Rubian…’
Damn it.
Impossible not to react emotionally.
He barely bit back a curse.
‘So quiet.’
The mage, still sniffling, peeked up at Leviathan. That dark aura sent another shiver through him.
The duke, who looked like not a drop of blood would seep from him if pricked, remained lost in silent thought.
‘If that blue-haired knight in the south hadn’t caught me, I wouldn’t be in this mess…’
The mage stole a wary glance at Leon, then swallowed his resentment.
‘Judging from the duke’s presence… he’ll never let me see the Lady so easily.’
As expected.
The fact Duke Zevert treasured his youngest more than life itself was notorious.
But it didn’t matter.
There were many ways to get close to Rubian.
‘A potion to verify parentage.’
That little thing had caused quite a stir across the continent.
He planned to make use of it.
He didn’t have that potion now, of course. But the King of Kasalia, who was currently in the imperial capital, was on their side.
‘So if I just manage to get away from here and contact the king…’
He could get the potion, tamper with it as the Mage King instructed, and after passing the test, he’d have undeniable evidence—approaching the Lady as her real father would be easy.
‘It’s time to plead my case one more time and beat a retreat. Even though that foul expression shows he won’t buy it at all…’
He bowed low again.
“Pleaseeee!”
“Fine.”
“J-just once, please—what?”
The mage jerked his head up.
“I said all right.”
The duke’s expression as he consented was deeply unpleasant—anyone could see he didn’t truly mean it.
Leviathan let out a long sigh, rattling off his words as if to get it over with.
“No doubt, the portrait really does look like Rubian. If you truly are Ruby’s… whatever.”
Ah, so aggravating.
It sounded like he was about to say something more, but the window rattled and the rest was lost.
“If that’s so, it’s only right to let you meet her.”
“Uh…”
It… worked?
…Why did that work?