The Youngest Hides a Lot of Things [Novel] Chapter 8

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 8

Chapter Title: The Poisonous Herb

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“Don’t touch it.”

“Huh?”

“I get that it looks pretty... but it’s poisonous.”

Uncle Leviathan scowled fiercely as he pushed me far away.

“Sibelita Herb.”

“Oh, this is...”

I started to correct him but gave up.

Abelita and Sibelita.

The two herbs had such similar names and appearances. A close inspection would reveal every difference, but...

That’s how it looks to normal eyes, I guess.

The biggest difference was the blue mana enveloping the Sibelita’s flowers.

Mages would never confuse them because of that, but it was tricky for non-mages.

Unless they were real herb experts, anyway.

“Don’t touch it carelessly. You could get in big trouble.”

I pulled back my hand and nodded obediently.

Well, I didn’t really need it right now anyway...

“Your Excellency, the tents are all set up!”

“Let’s go.”

Uncle held out his hand. I grabbed it and turned around.

“Whoa.”

Before us stretched a neat row of tents that had sprung up out of nowhere.

“They’re so fast.”

Knight uncles moved briskly between them.

“Hut-two, hut!”

Muscle shows were breaking out here and there.

They looked like ordinary muscle guys, but they were all elite knights with reputations from the war.

“Northern men really are something...”

I nodded in small admiration.

“You’ll be like that soon enough.”

“Eung... Huh?”

“House Jebert is a knightly house. If you want to stay with House Jebert, you have to become a knight. No exceptions for you.”

Oh no, what a bolt from the blue.

“You’d be better off building your strength in the North anyway.”

I’m hiding my power, but I’m actually a pretty strong mage, you know...

I imagined my future for a moment.

Running laps on the training grounds with my paper-thin body until I puked, swinging a sword hundreds of times until I puked, shooting arrows a million times until I puked...

Puke ending...

What’s the difference from doom?

“I don’t know what you’re imagining, but that’s quite the face.”

“Eung. I’m a fragile kid who wears her weakness on her face. I suck at hard stuff and all that.”

“Only honest at times like this.”

“I really suck at... Ow!”

“Told you cute talk won’t work.”

Uncle lightly pinched my earlobe.

“Don’t worry.”

He scooped me up effortlessly, and my limbs dangled like a doll’s.

Our eyes met—his sharp eyes curving neatly, sparkling with violet irises.

“I plan to do something about those scrawny limbs first.”

It sounded like a witch whispering she’d fatten me up and eat me.

“I’ll train you properly in the North.”

“Please don’t say that with such an evil grin...”

I think I ended up chasing a villain wearing a hero’s mask.

Taking advantage of the villain’s patrol around the camp, I slipped away to Sir Leon.

“Uncle, you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Sir Leon sat on a rock, stripping off his upper clothes.

Even now, he folded them neatly with perfect precision... Hmm, something about it made him oddly intimidating.

“You say that, but your whole body’s a rainbow.”

Red, yellow, blue...

How had he endured that?

The worst was his shoulder, badly bruised from some impact.

“Ouch, how did you even ride with that shoulder? And I was the one insisting on it without knowing...”

I sighed worriedly at the swollen wound.

“Sorry, Uncle.”

Sir Leon seemed flustered and fidgeted a bit.

“Th-this was my oversight. No need for you to apologize.”

“But.”

“D-don’t make that face. Honestly, I could carry someone like you for a whole month.”

“I’d kinda hate that... Eek! Hold on!”

A sudden foul smell hit me, and I pinched my nose shut. It was whatever mystery thing Sir Leon had pulled out.

“What the heck is thaaat?”

“...Just ointment.”

“It stinks so baaad!”

“It doesn’t stink.”

Uncle Leviathan, who’d snuck up, ruffled my hair while laughing.

No way!

Using old-school bruise ointment like that!

These days, there were odorless, effective ones available. In the Magic Kingdom only, of course!

“It’s cold, so quit playing and get in the tent.”

Uncle draped a thick cloak over me.

“Euu... Okay.”

I jumped up quickly.

Sir Leon had started slathering the ointment on himself like a pig rolling in mud.

Says it doesn’t hurt.

Must hurt a lot.

“I’ll check around for monsters, Uncle. Rest quietly here. No mischief.”

“Yes, sir!”

After personally escorting me to the tent, Uncle rode off with the dark knights. The blazing brazier made the inside toasty.

Hmm.

I pondered without taking off the cloak, then stealthily headed where the Abelita Herbs were.

“Didn’t expect to need this so soon.”

I harvested a bit and tucked it into my cloak pocket.

Back in the tent, I washed it with clean water and separated the stems, leaves, and flowers. Then I ground them finely with a nearby flint.

Was it this amount for the ointment mix?

I gauged it against the bruise ointment from Uncle’s pack.

Herbology was basic mage knowledge.

I planned to upgrade the ointment with this herb.

Infusing mana would make it even better...

Too suspicious, right? Pushing an ointment that heals in a day.

I just mixed the herb powder obediently.

That’s when it happened.

A static noise crackled from somewhere: zzt, zzzt.

[ ...You there? ]

Like a modern radio frequency.

I stopped stirring and snapped my head up.

“...”

Silence. Just the tent flapping in the barren wind.

What? Hallucination?

I tilted my head and focused back on the ointment.

[ ...! ...! ]

Static again, louder this time.

“No way.”

I cautiously touched my ear tip. Behind my right earlobe was a tiny magic circle.

Small enough to pass for a freckle or scar.

The Oath Array.

But I hadn’t made the oath.

I’d received it.

“Khalid?”

I murmured, touching the pattern.

The static cut off. Then, like a tuned frequency, a clear voice followed.

[ Master! ]

Khalid, is that you?

I closed my eyes and focused inwardly.

Khalid was the boy I’d met on the battlefield.

I’d saved him once, and now he followed me around calling me master.

We parted when I headed to Canalran Gorge.

[ You know how worried I was? Couldn’t read your mana at all until now. ]

Khalid grumbled lowly.

[ Couldn’t sense you. Anywhere. ]

Mage oaths were extreme; they bound mana like ropes.

Letting us check basic comms or survival easily, but...

It meant a pesky tail for life.

[ Where are you? ]

I’m...

[ Ah, Babylon. ]

Khalid didn’t even wait.

[ Stay put. I’m coming. ]

What? How? It’s far!

[ You’ll see. Cutely. ]

What’d you say?

[ By your ear. Press harder. Can’t hear. ]

I pressed my earlobe firmly.

How are you coming? Aren’t you at the continent’s southern tip?

Khalid just chuckled lowly.

[ No place a runaway mage can’t go. ]

Oh, right.

He was a runaway from the Magic Kingdom before me. More precisely, his pregnant mom fled hiding her pregnancy.

And gave birth to Khalid secretly somewhere on the continent.

So Khalid was an unregistered mage from the Magic Kingdom.

[ See you soon. ]

No, wait. If you get caught, I’m in trouble too... Hey! Hello? Cal!

The connection snapped shut.

No answer no matter how I called.

Khalid? Khalid!

He’d deliberately cut the mana circuit. In other words,

Blocked me!

Cheeky Khalid Riorc!

“Just you wait.”

I ground my teeth. I’d bite the back of his hand when I saw him!

Late that night.

Sir Leon Shujerc had finished patrolling the camp and was heading to his tent.

“Uncle, Uncle.”

Sir Leon stopped.

A tiny hand reached out from the left tent, beckoning softly. His feet moved on their own.

“...”

There stood a child barely reaching his waist, grinning with hands behind her back.

Blue eyes gleaming in the moonlight, fluffy silver hair that looked so soft.

The back was unevenly cropped, but...

Looks incredibly soft...

Sir Leon recalled the little head bobbing at his chest earlier.

He remembered the shock of touching a white dove’s breast feathers in the forest once.

Feels like that?

He stiffened multiple times to keep his hand from reaching out.

“Feeling better?”

The child asked abruptly. Her chubby cheeks puffed out.

As he chose his words, Rubian whipped out what she’d hidden behind her.

“Gift!”

“...What’s this?”

Sir Leon took it reflexively. Opening it revealed a translucent ointment speckled with powder.

“Ointment?”

“Yeah. It stank so bad, so I ground up some nearby flowers and added them.”

Sir Leon chuckled.

Is this what kid logic was?

Stinky ointment? Just mask it with flowers.

But it does smell kinda nice now?

He was so used to the foul smell from constant use.

More than that, why give it to him?

Sir Leon looked down at Rubian.

“Why this to...”

“Thanks for letting me ride earlier.”

Her clear voice spoke steadily.

Sir Leon knew little of children.

But this one felt different from the capital kids somehow.

Capital children were innocently bright.

Their laughter echoing in the central square rang like bells.

That was his pride.

Pride in protecting those smiles.

Rubian came back into view.

“I won’t be a burden. Don’t worry.”

No child he knew spoke with such firm resolve.

At least not in his experience.

Sir Leon regretted the day’s words.

Too harsh? He reflected. But he didn’t know how to mince words.

Ten years on battlefields.

Communication changed naturally.

Said something mean, and still...

Thanks?

“Hey. The war’s over.”

How’d she know he was still caught up in it?

Sir Leon’s mouth went dry suddenly.

Needed to make up for earlier.

Nicer this time. Better.

“I... well.”

“...?”

“I don’t think you’re a burden.”

Fluff like lint isn’t a burden.

What I meant was... kids as small and soft as you should be safe in the capital, running like foals in the square,

“So what I mean is...”

Smiling like that.

“Ha... Tough.”

Words wouldn’t come. Sir Leon decided to be direct.

“Sorry. And thanks.”

Rubian looked like she understood completely.

“Okay!”

Sir Leon reached out unthinkingly and patted her round head.

His clumsy touch made Rubian purse her lips and smile like a bird.

A warm breeze seemed to blow from somewhere.

Sure enough, it was incredibly soft.

Once Sir Leon recovered somewhat, the journey resumed.

The procession moved without a hitch.

The knight uncles had somehow procured a new carriage. It had huge windows, feeling totally open.

I gradually got used to riding in it.

Sir Leon looked a bit disappointed the longer I stayed in it... Probably not.

Anyway, after a few more weeks, we arrived.

At the Jebert Duchy!