Youngest 257

Episode 257

“Kill me? Me? How dare you, non-mages! Who do you think—!”

“Shut up. Shut up! Shut up! Please, just! Shut up!”

Void shrieked, losing all reason.

At that moment, the “First” let out a beastly roar and invoked his magic. The binding spell that shot out from him halted Void’s movements abruptly.

“Ghk.”

“If you meant to kill me, you should have succeeded with your ambush!”

The “First” rose from his kneeling position.

And just as he prepared to cast an attack spell at Void’s heart—

Tap!

“…Wha… t…”

The “First’s” actions stopped dead.

As if he himself had fallen prey to a binding spell.

“Why am I… caught in a binding spell?”

With some effort, creaking his neck, he managed to turn and saw a magic circle stretching out from inside the prison.

“This can’t be…”

He felt as though he’d locked eyes with a beast lurking in the underbrush.

The magic power of the spell was connected to the magical power of the children in the prison.

“…”

The eyes of the children, huddled in Liam’s arms, shone with a singular, intense light in the darkness.

A cold shiver raced across his entire body.

He struggled desperately to break free of the restraints…

But it was already too late.

“Hey, just a warning.”

Void roughly wiped away his tears as he stepped forward, unable to suppress the flood of helpless, furious tears.

“If you bastards ever torment my little brother again…”

Void gathered all his rage and strength into his arms.

“I’ll kill every last one of you!”

Whoosh—a silver flash split the air without the slightest hesitation. Then—

“…!”

Thud.

What had once been the “First’s” head rolled across the floor.

A feeble, almost predictable death, without so much as a scream.

“Don’t look.”

Liam hurriedly pulled the young mage children against his chest.

When he’d protected the children earlier, he’d thought to ask if any of them could use binding magic. It turned out that one little pup had just now, with a bit of guidance, learned to cast the spell— and, astoundingly, had picked it up just from watching the “First.”

“If you live worse than a beast, you die worse than a beast.”

Might as well toss the body to the magical beasts for feed later.

With a cold face, Liam pushed up his glasses.

“What’s going on!”

Hearing the commotion, nearby mages rushed over. But as soon as they saw the dead “First,” the fight drained from their faces.

“I—we surrender…”

“Lord Void! Lord Liam!”

Reinforcements arrived soon after.

They quickly bound the surrendered mages and stuffed the “First’s” corpse into a sack. All the captive children were rescued safely.

“Ughhhh! I’m so angry! Why! Just why!”

Even after striking down the enemy, Void couldn’t contain his rage and finally exploded.

As Void stood there alone, fat tears rolling silently down his cheeks, Liam quietly patted his brother’s shoulder.

---

Father escorted the Mage King down the tower.

His eyes were blindfolded, and his body shackled with restraints designed to suppress magic.

Once a man whose vast, powerful magic had placed him upon the throne—now, stripped of that power, he was more helpless than a newborn fawn.

‘At least a fawn is cute.’

Supporting my mother, who limped down the stairs, I followed.

The bodies of fallen mages scattered about gave me chills.

And yet, seeing that all those in the crimson-embroidered priestly robes had been killed, while those who surrendered were spared—it was so very like Mother.

“Ruby, I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right, Mother.”

“Still… I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you…”

She whispered, almost inaudibly.

From the top of the tower, we’d heard everything—the Mage King had stolen my body and…

Mother, in a frenzy, had been oblivious to her own wounds, and Father had desperately pleaded with her to stop—unwilling to see her hurt even more.

But in truth, I knew that in that moment, no one was angrier than Father.

An indescribable, heavy fury swept through me. My shoulders ached from the weight; my lungs felt crushed, making it hard to breathe.

“Why?”

Father asked.

“Why me… Why target my family?”

“Well…”

“…”

“You were the one thorn in my side that stood in the way of my rule over the continent.”

Even as he trembled uncontrollably, the Mage King’s words spilled out.

“Would you like to hear something amusing? The truth is, if the Crest on my ‘Seventh’ had matured and grown into a perfect puppet of mine—”

“…”

“I intended to order that child to come and kill you.”

“What…?”

“That would have been the most agonizing way for you to die. Ah… If only it had come to fruition—it would’ve been quite the reunion. That was one of the reasons I stole that child.”

Father’s rage burst forth.

The Mage King, unable to use his magic, fainted on the spot.

‘Really, what a fool. To pass out just from Father’s aura.’

Clicking my tongue, I pressed my throbbing temples.

‘…In truth, the Mage King’s plan to use me to kill Father—was realized in the dream.’

In the dream, the ‘Seventh’ was swallowed by the Crest and went to kill Leviathan.

‘Until now, I thought that was just how the original story went.’

Honestly, at this point, I truly didn’t know what was what.

If the Mage King ever woke, I’d simply have to interrogate him further.

And despite it all, some part of me was relieved by his explanation.

He’d spouted plenty of nonsense, but in the end, he had no grand motive or tragic past.

‘I’ve always thought there’s nothing more dull and nauseating than some villain’s long-winded sob story.’

I had no desire to see the Mage King’s every monstrous deed justified as something understandable.

And, in the end, I understood what he was. He was pure evil—he could commit endless vile acts without the slightest remorse.

‘Even if it hadn’t been my father, you would’ve done this to someone else to get where you are…’

Of course, that was just my perspective; what Mother and Father felt might be entirely different. Perhaps that was why Mother kept apologizing to me.

‘Sheesh. I can’t kill him yet—not when there’s still more I need to hear…’

I watched the back of the Mage King’s head as Father dragged him along.

So, that fool dug up my body from the grave, raised it with magic until my soul returned.

‘And the soul that was said to have disappeared must’ve slipped into the present, only to return later.’

But his explanation left the main premise untouched.

‘Why did my soul leave in the first place?’

And—

Even after capturing the Mage King, this indescribable sense of unease remained.

Rumble.

The thundercloud-filled sky growled with ominous foreboding.

“Ruby!”

As I exited the tower, I bumped into Kal, just as he was about to come in.

Seeing Mother receiving simple treatment from the maids nearby, he rushed over to check on me.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. What about you… hm, looks like you’re fine.”

A little pile of dark beasts had formed beside him.

“More importantly, Kal, let’s track the Dragon God’s power immediately. I don’t like this feeling.”

Khalid raised his thick eyebrows, but simply nodded without another word.

“Understood. But what happened up there?”

“Well, that’s—”

“Your Grace!”

Just then, hoofbeats thundered across the earth. Father’s knights had arrived.

“Sir Leon has arrived!”

“As you commanded.”

“Yes, just as you ordered, a portion of the troops stopped at each village to free the mages being held captive. Also, Prince Licht…”

The adjutant whispered something in Father’s ear.

“They’ve found the elders who were scattered with Ideline?”

“Yes. Some among them were planning to strike the palace. They’re rallying with those forces and heading this way.”

“Good timing.”

Father glanced briefly at the unconscious Mage King.

He was an enemy to all. If everyone who bore him a grudge could have a turn at taking his head, perhaps it would have been just. But unfortunately, he only had one neck.

Still, Father smiled coldly, believing he could at least show the scene of the Mage King’s execution to those who craved vengeance.

“Where are Liam and Void?”

“The young lords have just executed the ‘First.’ They’re inside with the knights, beginning the clearing of the palace.”

“Leave no stragglers.”

Then, father added hurriedly,

“But only Void. Liam is to stay put under the biggest sign you can find.”

“A-ah, yes, sir…”

“Finish everything before sunset, and send an urgent message to His Majesty this minute: the Mage King has been captured.”

“Understood!”

The knights hurried off again.

“Now, I’ve got to decide just how to make severing this bastard’s head the most satisfying.”

Father pressed his foot hard against the Mage King’s back, sprawled on the ground.

Meanwhile, I quickly explained the events in the tower to Khalid, and prepared to head underground.

---

A black shadow raced through the palace dungeons.

It was the Dragon God’s power itself, forcibly driven from Khalid’s body by his unleashed magic.

‘There’s no vessel that can contain me for long.’

Before his power faded, he intended to reclaim Wistal.

He could definitely sense the goddess dwelling within Rubian.

‘Why… Why!’

No matter how he tried, she would not respond to him.

He’d thought that if he drained all of Rubian’s magic, the hidden Wistal would reveal herself.

‘…Could she truly have disappeared forever?’

No, no.

That can’t be.

My time can’t have been for nothing.

If so, then it’s time to change methods.

‘A hidden time…’

While stealing Rubian’s magic, he realized it— the answer lay in the time when Kal and Rubian had first met.

‘Then, if I can resurrect those memories… Rubian will be able to use it again.’

The time-reversal spell that rewinds the world itself.

A mage who had mastered time magic, Rubian.

Until now, she’d managed to halt the time of her own Crest and restore the blank paper’s time, but… she’d apparently never considered the true reversal, to turn the clock of the world itself back.

‘Or perhaps Wistal has been blocking it…’

No matter.

If he could just restore the memories from before the return, the time-reversal magic circle would come back to her as well.

‘Then I will return again…’

Return to the time when you were alive.

And then…

If only—if only that happens.

‘I will tell you that I love you.’

This time, before it’s too late.

The dark shadow burst into the underground chamber, flinging open the doors.

Found it.

This was the palace he’d built just to be with Wistal. Naturally, he’d brought over the belongings she once used.

Among them was the silver mirror she’d use to observe humans. When imbued with magic, it would show whatever one wished to see.

‘Reveal to me the “hidden time” they possess.’