TYHL 153

~Chapter 153~

Ch.16

An outdoor tea party was set up near Lake Leim.

“Alright, the final highlight of fall camp! We’ll do a treasure hunt!”

“Wowww!”

The excited kids shouted loudly.

The adults were chatting at the party tables, sipping tea, while the kids all gathered in a circle around the professor.

“Go look for the treasures hidden all over the academy! If you’ve explored here and there so far, it shouldn’t be too hard, right? Okay, start!”

The children laughed and ran in every direction.

I took a long, deep breath and puffed out my chest.

‘If it’s exploring, that’s my specialty!’

It was a short ten days—or maybe a long ten days, depending on how you look at it.

I must have been the one who explored the academy the most!

‘This is my chance to keep my reputation as the number one kid! I’m fired up—let’s win!’

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

“Okay!”

Sortier and Zerdin quickly dashed off.

I was about to follow them, but suddenly, my eyes turned to the adults’ tea table.

Grandpa was surrounded by people, acting like a celebrity, but as soon as he noticed me, he waved his hand right away.

‘But… why isn’t Dad coming?’

I looked at the empty seat next to Grandpa.

I ran slowly, thinking about what just happened in the dressing room.

‘I can’t believe Dad still had that glass bottle… I was so surprised.’

Honestly, I was really flustered.

I even left Dad alone in the messy dressing room and ran out.

‘This feels strange.’

That glass bottle wasn’t even a very special magic tool.

But why did Dad keep it for so long, like it was precious?

‘If he finds out that glass bottle is mine…’

What will Dad say?

Will he thank me?

Will he say it helped him a lot?

If so… he’ll also find out I’m a mage.

“……”

Suddenly, my fingers felt cold.

I know now.

Even if my family finds out I’m a mage, they’ll still care for me like always.

But even knowing that, it’s still hard to say it out loud, because I love these ordinary days so much.

If they find out I’m the kingdom’s mage and that I fought in the war as a boy soldier… they’ll be so sad.

‘I just want this peaceful life to never change.’

And people already think the runaway mage has been caught…

Bringing up a story everyone has forgotten actually takes a lot of courage.

‘But I can’t keep avoiding it forever.’

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

‘The problem with the stigma is almost solved, so now I have to face this one.’

Just as I was thinking that, I happened to spot something shiny between two big trees.

“It’s a treasure…!”

When I pulled it out, a gold slip of paper fell into my hand, and it said:

<Found it! Treasure!>

‘But before that, I need to deal with the person chasing me.’

Second is still in the capital.

She’s the “tail” I have to cut off. I can’t go to my family while being chased.

If I’m right, she’s probably pretending to be a restorer and sneaked into the academy somehow.

‘I guess it’s time to face her… Huh?’

Just then, I looked up and saw a familiar fist stick out in front of me.

I quickly pulled out a cloth pouch.

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

With a grumpy voice, Khalid turned my palm over and poured something all over it.

“Whoa, treasure!”

There were so many—maybe dozens!

“I found these and brought them for you. You keep them.”

“No way! What if I actually win first place?”

“So what. Anyway… I need to leave for a bit.”

Khalid whispered in a low voice. I shoved the gold slips in my pocket, tilting my head.

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“I need to check on my animal friends. There’s a message from the Delkan ruins.”

I looked up and followed his gaze to the sky—a hawk was circling above us.

“You sent your familiar all the way over there?”

I hurriedly checked his wrist, but his bracelet was on just fine.

“Of course. Who knows what those mages might do, gathering in a crowd like that.”

“But sending your animal that far must use a lot of magic power.”

“Uh, well, there’s one that doesn’t use much magic.”

“Huh?”

Do animal friends have a power-saving mode?

“This seems suspicious…”

Khalid quickly turned away as I stared at him.

“Nothing suspicious! Anyway, I’ll be back. Find the rest of the treasures at your own pace.”

With that, Khalid disappeared into the quiet part of the garden.

I watched him leave and patted my bulging pocket.

I kind of wanted to win now, since I was suddenly rich with treasures.

“…But honestly, this isn’t the time to play treasure hunt.”

I had something I needed to do right now.

‘Alright. Let’s take care of this first.’

I fiddled with my watch and moved just enough magic power through my body to not overdo it.

A faint, invisible power mixed into the air.

‘If she’s nearby, she’ll notice.’

I headed toward the library.

Today, the library was closing early because of the end-of-camp ceremony.

‘That means Professor Yuliophe is probably the only one there right now.’

Everyone was off hunting for treasures, so no one would wonder why I was going there.

‘Honestly, I’d love to find ten more treasures and win first place.’

But this comes first!

Leviathan hurried down the stairs, barely aware of what he was doing.

He couldn’t even remember how he’d left the lounge.

“Sir, I was just about to look for you. Is something wrong?”

“Rubian… Where is my daughter?”

“The princess?”

The maids entering the building looked puzzled.

“I’m not sure. I think she’s playing near the lakeside…”

Before the maid could finish, Leviathan forced his legs to move.

He felt like he couldn’t even take a single step, but suddenly, the scenery around him was changing quickly.

‘Rubian… She’s the owner of that glass bottle.’

He heard crying from somewhere.

When the cold air hit his skin, he realized the sound was just the wind, not someone crying.

He was used to this kind of hallucination.

It felt just like standing in the middle of a battlefield.

“Sir… Is it that thing again?”

Whenever he struggled to track the dark mage, the glass bottle always showed up—like it was promised.

As soon as Leviathan found it, he would give the order:

“Search the area, Leon. If someone left this here, they’re probably still close by. Hurry.”

“Yes, sir!”

But deep down, he already knew.

This time, too, he wouldn’t find the owner of the bottle.

“Who on earth…”

Who was helping him like this, never showing their face?

“We’ll check the corpse, sir.”

When he opened the bottle filled with black magic, the corpse of a dark creature would pour out, like it was waiting.

The knights would all run to track the dark mage’s trail.

Leviathan would just stand there, gripping the empty glass bottle.

Then, he would feel the rough touch of a blue ribbon tied to the bottle—something that didn’t belong on a battlefield.

It was the only blue thing in his blood-red sight.

‘The ribbon is tied so sloppily…’

Was the mage clumsy?

For some reason, Leviathan couldn’t calm his nerves.

He searched his pockets but only had strong alcohol to keep him warm and cigarettes to numb the pain.

He wished he had some beef jerky or dried fruit.

“Sir! We found the dark mage’s location! It’s a cave underground nearby!”

Just then, the knights yelled, tracking the trail left on the corpse.

Leviathan tied the ribbon tightly and jumped on his horse without hesitation.

“Whoever you are… I hope we meet alive.”

The sound of hooves shook the earth like thunder as he galloped away.

He shouted one more time into the wind, as if making a promise.

“If I ever meet you, I’ll repay your kindness for sure.”

‘No… No, that’s wrong.’

Now, Leviathan cursed his past self.

‘I should have tried harder to track them…’

He regretted it.

If only he could go back to that day, he’d strangle himself for believing the reports that all boy mages had been sent to the rear.

‘They weren’t just a clumsy mage… They were clumsy because they had to be.’

It was Rubian. She was only ten years old.

‘I don’t want to make the same mistake twice.’

He didn’t need to ask Rubian anything now—he knew it all for sure.

So, there was only one thing left for him to do.

‘I have to protect her. From the Magic Kingdom. No matter what.’

This time—for sure.

He hurried toward the lakeside, even though he’d already put so many guards there, he still felt strangely uneasy.

“Rubian, where are you…?”

Why couldn’t he see her?

Anxious, he broke into a run.

“Wow! Treasure hunt!”

He heard the kids’ laughter in the distance.

Somehow, it felt like he was serving a punishment.