~Chapter 9~
“What is this?”
“What do you mean?”
“…Hell?”
“It’s my domain.”
Leviathan pressed his forehead gently against mine.
I gazed blankly over the vast expanse before us.
My short hair fluttered softly in the desolate northern wind.
“Nothing but rocks?”
“I told you.”
A gloomy dust cloud rolled along.
The lord’s territory, filled with ash-gray stone walls, resembled, frankly, the ruins of a fallen kingdom.
No offense to those who lived there, of course.
The crimson-hued rocky mountains, glowing in the sunset, formed a fortress all around, from which ominous beastly howls echoed.
The blackened gorge looked like a black hole—once stepped into, one could never escape.
“It feels colder here, somehow.”
“This is warm compared to winter, when snow piles up to your height.”
“Unbelievable.”
“Bundle up tight.”
Leviathan chuckled and drew his cloak’s hood over me.
“Did you make ointment again yesterday?”
“Ointment? Yes!”
Along the way, I gathered every Abelita herb I saw.
I upgraded each knight’s ointment, and they had been quite pleased!
“How did you even recognize that weed as Abelita herb?”
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
I rummaged through my small handbag, feigning innocence.
“My mother was a healer in Eosia.”
“…”
He stiffened.
“So I just learned a few remedies by watching over her shoulder. Read lots of herb books too…”
“You put those shoulder-taught skills to use?”
The air grew heavy. I glanced around anxiously.
“Did I do something wrong?”
Eosia was a small nation advanced in medicine and pharmacology.
Being from there, picking up such knowledge early was normal.
“Surprisingly…”
He folded his arms and raised his chin, a slight twitch at his lips.
“You might be a prodigy.”
“Huh?”
“This complicates things.”
His face bore the genuine torment of a parent discovering their child is a genius… though why him?
And ‘surprisingly’—what did he think I was?
“Anyway!”
He added a spiteful remark.
I spun my fists like a windmill and playfully struck his sturdy leg.
“You’re an expert masseur too, my clever little rascal.”
He lifted me with a proud smile (why, I don’t know).
At that moment, a familiar horse neighed nearby.
“Your Grace.”
It was Sir Leon. Fortunately, his injuries seemed healed; his shoulder moved normally.
“Sir Leon!”
I reached out eagerly.
He hesitated briefly, then nodded subtly.
‘Still a bit stern-faced.’
I knew Leon was just awkward expressing himself!
He no longer threatened to send me away.
“Your Grace, pardon me.”
Leon approached and dropped a white fur scarf into my lap.
“Wow, what’s this? So soft!”
“Always up to something, Leon.”
Leviathan raised an eyebrow and wrapped the scarf around me, nearly suffocating me.
Control your strength! Please!
I exhaled over the white fur and peeked out.
“Thank you, Sir Leon!”
Maybe a bit excessive as thanks for ointment, but refusing felt ruder!
Leon’s face remained unchanged as he glanced down.
Passing by, he muttered,
“Not ‘sir’… call me ‘senpai.’”
“…Excuse me?”
“Ah! Sir Leon permits that title.”
The surrounding knights reacted excitedly.
What’s the significance of that title?
“You’ve set foot in the land of knights, the North, so joining the Jebert Knights is the natural step.”
“…”
“We await you in the order. Welcome, youngest knight.”
I’m a mage!
Regardless, Leon strode away, cloak billowing towards the setting sun—like a scene from a movie.
I looked at Leviathan with a horrified expression.
“That’s how it is?”
“Pretty much.”
In truth, it was just a way to toughen me up… but I didn’t grasp it then.
I looked crushed.
I wanted to be the youngest in the family.
I’m not keen on being the youngest among those dark knights!
We arrived at Zelox, the northern city hosting Jebert Castle.
Passing the gates, sturdy stone houses came into view.
Though bleak from afar, the town was surprisingly lively.
“Wooo!”
The people greeted the returning knights with joyful faces.
I hid shyly beneath Leviathan’s cloak, but felt the excited atmosphere.
“My lord, we shall take our leave now.”
Jebert Castle perched like a fortress atop a hill.
Before reaching the main keep, the knights, including Sir Leon, bowed.
“Well done.”
With their commander’s blessing, the knights moved in perfect formation.
I peeked out and waved.
“Farewell, senpai. And to all the senpais.”
After weeks together, it felt bittersweet.
“Come visit if you’re bored.”
“Even if you’re not!”
Other knights waved at me warmly.
“Um, do your family know I’m coming?”
“They do, right?”
The reply was lukewarm.
Watching the castle’s entrance near, I pondered Leviathan Jebert’s family.
‘First, the late Duke Jebert.’
Balrog Jebert, previous duke and Leviathan’s father.
‘Not much described in the original story.’
A distinguished soldier, he was wounded and retired from active service.
He spent his remaining days quietly in the domain.
‘Others at the castle…’
Maybe Leviathan’s second son, Void Jebert.
The eldest was said to be with the duchess in the south.
“My lord, welcome.”
Countless servants lined up—stewards, maids, footmen.
Their faces were bright at their master’s return.
‘Northerners are all rugged.’
Notably, towering maids stood out—most easily over 170 cm.
You need that to survive here!
True to the law of the strong Jebert, rulers of a land forged by slaying beasts.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Yes, you as well.”
“Is that…?”
All eyes turned sharply to me.
Startled, I buried my face deeper in Leviathan’s cloak.
I felt like prey stumbled into a den of carnivores.
‘No, don’t shrink back!’
The document was sealed!
I slowly turned to face forward.
“R-Rubian.”
Leviathan ruffled my hair.
“Rubian-sama…”
The maids smiled broadly, whispering.
“So small… So fluffy…”
“Smaller than when Void arrived.”
A red-haired maid at the front approached.
“Rubian-sama, greetings.”
“Yes.”
“How old are you? Six?”
With Leviathan’s help, I dismounted the horse, indignant despite floating.
“I’m eight!”
Her eyes widened.
Leviathan chuckled and set me down.
“Watch out or you’ll be eaten.”
Eight years old, huh.
What? Eight?
Really?
Whispers spread like waves.
Their reaction was a spitting image of Leviathan’s when hearing my age!
“By the way, how old are you?”
Before leaving for the North, Leviathan suddenly asked.
“Really? You ask that now?”
“Well, better late than never.”
“I’m… eight.”
“…”
“Why do you look like that?”
“I thought you were six.”
“Are you crazy?!”
In truth, my body was ten.
But with the fugitive mage alert out, it was safer to lie about my age.
Being smaller than peers, no one would question it.
Still, shaving two years felt stingy—six?
Like I’d just been born yesterday.
I straightened my back and puffed my chest.
Standing firmly on the ground, the height difference became all the more obvious.
Surrounded by towering rocks, I felt like prey… frustrating!
At that moment, a furry ball rolled over from afar.
“Fa-ther!”
The ball stretched out like a flying squirrel and landed before us.
“Void.”
“Long time no see!”
A boy with shiny black hair and bright eyes smiled, his cheeks rosy.
‘That means…’
The ball was Leviathan’s second son, Void Jebert.
“How was the capital? The victory ceremony?”
I recalled that he was an adopted child from a collateral branch.
The story said he lost his parents in the war.
His cheerful personality and the love from Leviathan and Rosetta made him a carefree boy.
Though somewhat large for his age.
Yet he seemed like a mere pup compared to towering Leviathan.
“You’ve grown so much. How have you been?”
“I haven’t skipped sword training, never left food, and studied…”
Our eyes met.
His pupils trembled anxiously.
“That one…?”
Void eyed me warily.
“Greet her. You’ll be living together for a while.”
“…”
Void adjusted his fur coat and approached.
Then bluntly said,
“I’m eleven.”
“…”
I tilted my head.
“But?”
“But… what about you?”
“I’m eight.”
Void’s youthful face revealed subtle triumph.
“I finally have someone younger than me!”
“Huh?”
“Welcome, youngest.”
Didn’t he just say ‘younger than me’?
