Youngest on Top - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 101

Did I really say that?
I never expected Enrik to say something like this…

Enrik: —Did you think I wouldn’t say it?!
Enrik: You fraud!

‘Come on, fraud is such an exaggeration.’

Enrik: How dare a weakling like you claim to hear Artemia’s words!
Enrik: That’s at least a hundred years too early!

‘But Enrik is Artemia’s Messenger. So hearing Enrik speak or hearing Artemia speak… it’s basically the same thing, right?’

Enrik: It’s completely different!
Enrik: And you’re not even human—how could you say such a thing!

‘What matters isn’t the truth—it’s what humans believe to be true!’

Enrik: That’s exactly the mindset of a con artist!
Enrik: When are you ever going to drop that habit?!

Saelika decided to ignore Enrik entirely.

‘At least here, he can’t drag me away and lock me up like he did in the Heavenly Realm.’

Enrik: Hey!

* * *

“You can hear Artemia’s words…?”

Zaphrez asked me with a skeptical expression.

“Yes!”
“But you’ve only just awakened as the Sacred Maiden. How could you possibly communicate with a deity—”
“I don’t really know the details myself!”

I widened my eyes as I spoke, and Zaphrez flinched before breaking into a good-natured laugh.

“It’s been several years since I’ve been going back and forth to the Temple, trying to determine if I could receive an oracle about the Young Lady. Of course I know that much.”
“But Sae said something different.”
“Sacred Maiden, no matter how much you are the Sacred Maiden, if you keep lying like this, I cannot use you.”

That wasn’t it—he was troubled because my words might actually be true.

‘That scarf is fake, after all.’

Even if the scarf were genuine, it wouldn’t be something Demian’s investigation team discovered in the Besladun Forest.

Before my regression, nothing like this had happened.
If traces of the Duke’s daughter had been found, the Duke of Noishurael would not have come to Parmanasus Temple and spoken as he did.

“Cost is no concern. If you wish, I will even surrender the heirlooms of the ducal house. Any trace, however small—anything related to that child—please investigate it for me.”

The reason something that didn’t exist before my regression was now happening.
It was because Demian and I had met.
Demian had begun to suspect Zaphrez, and sensing that, Zaphrez was trying to keep Demian in check.

“Just because other Sacred Maidens cannot do it doesn’t mean this child cannot.”
“It sounds as though you’re hoping Sae’s words are lies.”
“That cannot be!”

At Demian’s and Admiral Ekellan’s words, Zaphrez startled and waved his hands.

“Then there’s no harm in hearing what this child has to say, is there?”
“You agreed that certainty is preferable.”

Admiral Ekellan, speaking coldly, changed his expression and called out to me.

“Sae.”
“Yes.”

I gripped the scarf that Demian had handed me tightly.

‘Enrik.’

Enrik: When did you say you’d ignore me?

‘Is he sulking?’

Enrik: Sulking? Who’s sulking!

Enrik was right—I am weak.
I’m so weak that even Artemia’s words, let alone Enrik’s, sometimes get censored out of me.

Of course, I couldn’t manifest Enrik fully.
But just as Enrik had supported me from behind when I used sacred magic to heal Teodor,
Enrik and I were undeniably connected.

‘Which means I can use at least some of Enrik’s power.’

Borrowing power was new to me, so I felt a little nervous.
I took a deep breath and clasped my hands together with Sae.

“Atte mim….”

I called out those words while silently summoning Enrik within.

Enrik: You charlatan.

Even as he grumbled, Enrik lent me his power.
Sacred energy surged in from that distant place connected to my soul.
The Divine Heart within my body responded and resonated of its own accord.

“G-good heavens! A halo?!”

The Admiral’s Adjutant cried out in astonishment.

‘Do I really need to create a halo?’

Enrik: Are you an idiot.
Enrik: Appearances matter most in situations like this.

As if to prove his point, feathers made of light began to scatter.
Enrik’s wings had sprouted upon me, at least as an illusion.

“Me, wings?!”

A gentle breeze began to blow through the secluded room where all the windows were sealed shut.
Hair shimmering and scattering as if it held the sun itself.
A sacred halo hovering above my head.
And beautiful wings sprouting from my back on top of that.

“Heavens! A miracle! Artemia…”

The Admiral’s adjutant kept crying out Artemia’s name while tears streamed down his face.

Enrik: Good. We’ve got ourselves a fanatic.

‘…The con artist here is Enrik, not me.’

Enrik: Now deliver your lines.
Enrik: That’s your specialty, after all.

‘This is too much.’

Enrik: Hmph, do you know how many times you deceived me and my brothers back in the heavens?
Enrik: When you were pleading through tears that you’d accept your punishment obediently, while other angels were getting nosebleeds, do you have any idea how dumbfounded I was?

‘…I wasn’t pleading through tears.’

Enrik: At least you have enough conscience not to deny the nosebleeds.

“…Artemia, I beseech you. Your humble servant Sae implores you.”

Borrowing even a portion of divine power is actually an enormous undertaking.
Not only does it consume sacred force that must be sustained, but it drains mental energy tremendously.
I recited the prayer while maintaining my rationality as much as possible.

“There is evil in this place, and I wish to punish it with justice. No! Not violence. It’s not violence—it’s factual violence! Artemia, please grant your righteous fist the power to burn!”

“…The content of that prayer seems a bit…?”
“Adjutant, what are you saying! You witness this spectacle and still have doubts?!”
“But Aide, why are you crying?”

The people around me seemed to be saying something, but I was so focused on channeling my power that I couldn’t hear them properly.

The scarf in my hand slowly levitated into the air.
Then a burst of iridescent light erupted, embroidering the space with radiance.
That light transformed into a holographic image.

“This is what the scarf looks like. Can you do it?”
“Of course. However, the additional cost will be substantial. We’ll need to use thread that was produced back then…”
“Money is no object. But it must be indistinguishable from any expert’s examination.”
“Goodness, put your mind at ease. Who do you think we are? Right?”
“Yes, we’ve already procured all the thread from the year you mentioned. Just wait and see.”
“On top of that, we’ll infuse it thoroughly with the mana unique to Besladun Forest.”
“Even if a mage comes to inspect it, they’ll conclude it was discovered in Besladun Forest.”

Zaphrez clearly appeared to be
making contact with criminals operating an illegal guild.
Then the scene shifted rapidly.

“Here is the finished product.”
“Indeed. It truly looks like an ancient scarf.”
“That it does.”

The scarf that Zaphrez received fell into the hands of a knight.

“As you commanded, I visited Besladun Forest with the scarf. Here is the report and evidence.”
“Well done.”
“However, the moment we arrived near the forest through the portal, we left only the evidence and returned immediately. If a mage investigates, we could be exposed.”

“Yes, if it had been left in Besladun Forest for several years, the forest’s mana would naturally permeate it.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ve already taken care of it.”

Zaphrez was indeed meticulous.
He had even commissioned a professional appraiser who knew nothing of the circumstances.

“Hmm, this is quite an ancient scarf. It wasn’t maintained properly, and it appears to have been left outdoors for quite some time, wouldn’t you say?”

A specialist wearing a monocle examined the scarf.

“This mana signature…! This definitely came from the Besladun Forest!”

The mage used magic to appraise the scarf.
And then…

“Young Master, Young Master!”
“What is it?”
“Um, could this perhaps belong to the Young Lady?”

Crack!

The furniture collapsed and shattered.
Demian’s blue eyes gleamed with a ferocity unlike any before.

“How dare you…”
“Y-Young Master, this is a frame-up! Please, let me explain—”

Boom!

“You know, I think silence would be your best option right now.”

Admiral Ekellan spoke with the corner of his mouth curled upward.
It was not his usual playful smile, but the savage grin of a beast.

As I exhausted my power, the scarf plummeted downward.
I stepped forward toward Zaphrez.
The scarf crumpled helplessly beneath my feet.

“Artemis, grant me the fist of justice.”

I raised my fist and grinned wickedly.
Without me needing to advance further, Admiral Ekellan and Demian approached Zaphrez.
Swords drawn.

“Wait, just wait! I am truly innocent! Please, hear me out first! How much loyalty have I shown you all this time!”

At those words, Demian hesitated.
Zaphrez’s face brightened.
He believed his words had gotten through to Demian.

“Yes, an explanation would be necessary.”
“Yes!”
“Not from your mouth, but from your possessions—they will speak for you.”
“Yes…?”

Zaphrez stared back blankly, unable to comprehend Demian’s words.
Admiral Ekellan gestured toward his Aide with a glance.

“Bring them in.”
“Yes.”

The door swung open.
Knights filed in, bound and chained together in a procession.
They were the same Knights who had received Zaphrez’s orders in that video footage.
Their appearance was utterly disheveled.

“We’re terribly sorry, Young Master!”
“We were forced by coercion and had no choice…!”
“We never intended to betray you!”
“It was all Zaphrez’s doing!”

Zaphrez’s face drained of all color.

“W-what…! This is absurd!”

Then, Admiral Ekellan’s Aide stepped forward.

“This was discovered among Zaphrez’s possessions.”
“…!”
“The Temple’s seal, I see.”

Demian fixed a piercing gaze upon Zaphrez.

“So, is this also a false accusation?”

All the evidence was irrefutable.
Zaphrez realized there was no point in further denial.

“Ha, haha…. It started from the moment you summoned me here in the first place.”
“….”
“The moment you called me to this place, you had my entire quarters searched and investigated.”
“….”
“And you had the Knights restrained at that time too.”

Zaphrez chuckled softly as he gazed at me.

“I’ve been completely fooled.”

Yes, Zaphrez was right.

* * *

“Call him. Gonzanim.”

When I said that, Demian, who had hesitated, looked at me.

“Wait.”
“…?”
“It would be better to search his quarters at the same time you summon Zaphrez.”

I was completely suspicious of Zaphrez at that moment.
But Demian shouldn’t be—so why was he saying such a thing?

“Because someone once told me to beware the shadow of the hound.”
“…!”
“Thanks to that, my head has cleared.”

Demian spoke to me with a slightly embarrassed air.
I looked at him with some surprise.

I hadn’t expected him to trust me and take my words seriously in such a turbulent situation.

“Now is precisely the right moment to see the truth.”
“Then we should also apprehend the Knights who went to Besladun Forest together.”

At Admiral Ekellan’s words, Demian nodded.
And this was the result of that.

“Take them away.”
“Don’t do anything. I’ll question them myself.”

At Demian’s declaration that he would interrogate them personally, Zaphrez and the knights flinched.

“P-please spare us, Young Master!”
“I only did this because Zaphrez threatened me, tears of blood and all—!”
“I truly didn’t want to do this! Young Master, Young Master!”

They pleaded the entire way they were dragged off, but what came back was—.

Crack!

“Aaaahhhhh!”

The knight whose hand was broken let out a scream.

“Loud noises aren’t good for growing saplings, you see.”

Admiral Ekellan smiled brightly.
And he covered my eyes.

“Let’s not have our apple see such filthy things.”

* * *

After the commotion subsided, the room fell silent.
Both Admiral Ekellan and Demian looked at me with expressions full of things they wanted to say.

‘They must be curious about how I showed them that image.’

I nodded and offered an explanation.

“It’s an angelic power, a divine ability.”

But the two of them reacted strangely.
Wasn’t this what they were curious about?

In any case, I explained things in greater detail.

“Look, I read the memories of the threads used in this scarf. (It’s the power of an angel. I carefully read the memories of the threads used in this scarf.)”
“The memories of threads?”
“Yes.”
“Then… could you read the memories of other objects as well?”

Admiral Ekellan asked urgently.
I understood what he was asking.

‘He wants me to read the memories of the Young Lady’s other possessions.’

I shook my head.

“Because I’m still just a child… I can’t read old ones…”
“I see…”

Admiral Ekellan seemed a bit disappointed, but soon smiled and patted my head.

“If it weren’t for you, we would have been in real trouble.”

But Demian’s reaction was strange.
He frowned and looked at me.

“Reading those memories must be difficult, isn’t it?”
“It’s not painful. I’m using the angel’s power, so it’s fine.”
“…”

Demian fell silent for a moment, then spoke to me.

“I don’t find you particularly precious.”
“…?”
“So even if you’re in pain, I’m not really sorry, and my heart doesn’t ache.”
“…”

I already know this well.
I’m not sure why Demian is telling me this all of a sudden.

Admiral Ekellan wrapped his arms around me, his voice sharp with reproach toward Demian.

“Demian, what are you—.”
“So you don’t have to hold back.”

Demian knelt down, bringing his eyes level with mine.

“You don’t have to endure the pain or dizziness in front of me.”

I saw myself reflected fully in those clear blue eyes.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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