TYHL 20

~Chapter 20~

[ They seem to have sent a tracker to the continent, so be careful for now. Of course, I’ll arrive before that… Master? Ruby? ]

A wave of panic hit me. If my identity was discovered, it would all be over.

[ Focus. ]

‘Khalid, I’m scared. I don’t want to be dragged back to the kingdom…’

Khalid was silent for a moment.

[ You’re with Duke Jebert, right? ]

‘How do you know that?’

[ He’s at least someone with useful skills, so stick close to him for now. ]

‘I’m already doing that…’

The problem was that it wasn’t easy.

I hesitated, trying to change the subject, and Khalid let out a long sigh.

[ You shouldn’t have left me in the first place. ]

‘Don’t be mad. I’m feeling gloomy right now.’

Khalid gave a short, amused snort.

[ How could I be mad at you… Forget it, don’t worry too much. You know how far it is from Arcadia to Bamilon. ]

I knew it well.

The Magic Kingdom Arcadia was an island rising from the middle of the sea. To get to the empire from there, you had to cross the sea, and pass countless mountains and valleys.

[ Besides, magicians can’t use their full power in Bamilon territory. It might actually be better for you. ]

That was true. This land was the worst place for magicians.

Even if a tracking magician came, it would still take more time.

In other words…

I also had time to prepare.

‘I can’t just stay still like this.’

My eyes lit up with determination.

Meanwhile, in the drawing room.

“…”

After the child disappeared, the room fell into silence.

Duke Jebert, Balok, sat with his mouth wide open, staring at the spot where Rubian had left.

“Said she had a stomachache?”

So suddenly?

“Are children usually like that?”

“I’m not sure…”

Balok’s eyes darted around in confusion.

If she was really sick, this wasn’t the time to just sit here. He needed to call a doctor—fast.

At that moment, the maid who had chased after Rubian returned.

“D-Did you follow her?”

“Yes. But instead of going to the bathroom, she locked herself in her room.”

For some reason, he felt sharp gazes turn toward him.

Balok, who didn’t know why, snapped irritably.

“Maybe she doesn’t know where the bathroom is!”

“No, that’s not it, Your Grace.”

“Huh?”

The reply came from his long-time butler, Morris.

With his neatly combed graying hair, Morris sighed.

“Miss Rubian is angry.”

“Angry…?”

“Isn’t it obvious? She begged you not to send her away, but you still insisted on it.”

Nods. The servants around them agreed silently.

Balok was baffled.

Insisted? All he’d wanted was to send her away before she could suffer in this harsh place.

In the north, children join the knights at a young age and work as squires. After strict training, they grow into knights who protect the land.

So when Leviathan said he’d bring the child, Balok assumed it was for that reason.

After all, this was the empire’s front line, and the Jeberts were tasked with guarding the borders.

‘But what is this? That soft, squishy thing?!’

It was unacceptable. If he had any conscience, he had to send her away before she got bad memories.

That was all he meant, but…

“How frightened she must have been! I’ve told you thousands of times to control your temper.”

“So… she ran away because she hates me?”

“Sadly, yes.”

“…Hah.”

Balok let out a hollow breath.

He remembered the silver-haired figure disappearing quickly.

No, wait.

Wasn’t it actually quite rude?

How dare she run off without his permission!

“That little thing—what’s there to be afraid of?! Fine, let her roll away—”

“Your lips are trembling, Your Grace.”

Balok clamped his mouth shut.

“You could have just told her to get along with you. Why be so stubborn?”

“She’s too small! Looks like she’d blow away if I breathed on her! What if a monster appeared, huh?”

“But didn’t you find her cute?”

“She was cute! I almost bit her!”

Gasp—Balok closed his mouth again, startled at what had just slipped out.

Morris sighed knowingly. He had served the duke for decades.

He’d long known Balok had a weakness for small, cute things. The only one who didn’t know was Balok himself.

“To me… Miss Rubian seems as brave as your sons.”

“Based on what?”

“She wasn’t afraid of you or Lord Leviathan at all. Most children would cry if scolded like that.”

“…That’s true.”

Balok sat down heavily, recalling her.

Even when he burst through the front door in a rush, the child only widened her eyes—she didn’t cry.

Void and Liam had cried their eyes out. Even now, they were still sulking over it.

“That little thing just stared at me with those round eyes and chattered back without tiring…”

“But now she dislikes you.”

“…”

Why was his aide so irritating today?

Balok glared at the retired knight, who now looked better suited to a butler’s uniform. The man turned his gaze away.

“Ugh, tsk! She didn’t even drink half her milk!”

He grumbled at the mint-colored mug on the table.

A mint mug? He didn’t even know they had such cute things in his house!

“She eats so little, no wonder she’s smaller than a ground goblin!”

“She’s taller than that… And please, stop comparing her to monsters.”

Balok froze again.

“…Was that a bad thing too?”

“What child would like being compared to a monster?”

“You…”

Finally, Balok exploded.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

Roar! The duke’s voice boomed like a lion’s, and Morris pulled out his handkerchief.

“Do I really have to tell you such things?!”

Of course, he didn’t back down either.

Morris was tired.

Ah, monster hunting would be easier than this. Being a butler to the Jeberts was the real extreme job.

These cursed Jebert men!

“I’m going to retire. Right now!”

I spent the whole afternoon thinking about how to overcome this crisis.

Khalid said it seemed the Magic King didn’t know I was in Duke Jebert’s territory yet.

‘I was going to make a move soon anyway.’

Finding out why Uncle Leviathan dies.

My strongest theory was a monster.

‘Knowing that author, it makes sense.’

It was a cliffhanger ending with no logic.

At least it wasn’t “A meteor suddenly fell and the hero died. -The End-”, but a monster invasion killing the protagonist was a likely plot.

‘If not that, then there’s nothing in the north that could be his enemy.’

Monsters that constantly coveted his land.

From what I’d seen, nothing else threatened the peace and safety here.

‘Then, when does it happen?’

In the first part of the original story, it showed people regaining peace after the war.

Void reconciled with his father, and the blond became crown prince—both events I’d learned about in the latter part.

‘Making everyone happy and then ending it like that… the author really had issues.’

If I thought about it, I could guess the timing of Uncle’s death through the other characters’ stories.

I pushed up imaginary glasses and crossed my arms.

‘Void made up with his father when he was 12 years old, so…’

That means Uncle should be safe for about a year.

‘Other than that… I don’t remember.’

What did this man even do after the war?

Anyway, since I didn’t know when something might happen, I had to be fully prepared.

‘When spring comes, monsters will be more active… I also have to prepare for the tracking magician’s arrival.’

I sat on the floor, thinking.

“I can’t just sit back.”

I fixed my posture, closed my eyes, and concentrated.

It felt like diving into deep water. A sea where countless magical formulas tangled together.

Need a method?

I had known all the world’s magic circles since birth.

It was called wisdom, truth, order—or Wizeria’s blessing.

What do you want?

I swam through that sea, picking out what I needed, assembling and rearranging it.

It was something I was used to.

Even with little innate magic, I could live as a magician because of this knowledge.

Found it.

“Good.”

I opened my eyes. By chance, I looked into the mirror and met my own gaze.

The pink glow in my blue eyes slowly faded.

“Phew, I’m tired…”

I shook my head.

Looking into Wizeria’s wisdom was physically draining.

Thankfully, thanks to eating and resting well these past weeks, I recovered quickly.

‘Didn’t the duke say we’d go out together tomorrow?’

It was the perfect opportunity.