Youngest on Top - Chapter 11

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

Chapter 11

‘Why is he picking a fight with me again?’

I lifted my head, but Dmitri wasn’t looking at me.
He was staring at Ilay.

‘Anyone watching would think Dmitri is protecting me.’

The way he was warily eyeing Ilay while pulling me closer to his side made it seem that way.
Though looking at this rough grip, there’s no way he’d ever draw it that way.

“Dmitri, what’s going on?”
“What do you mean ‘what’? I came to ask you something, but then I found you with this guy…!”
“Huh?”

Dmitri flinched and closed his mouth.
Then he muttered, “Like I didn’t know what kind of guy he is…”
Dmitri narrowed his eyes and glared at Ilay.

“What are you scheming?”

Despite Dmitri’s sharp growl, Ilay laughed without concern.

“I was just greeting the new recruit.”
“Yeah, right.”
“What other reason could there be?”

Ilay asked as if genuinely curious.
Of course, Dmitri—who had been about to establish the hierarchy right then and there—couldn’t come up with a proper answer.

“Dmitri, why are you even here? Don’t tell me you came to bully the youngest again—.”
“I’m not!”
“Then why did you come?”
“…”
“So you did come to bully—.”
“I didn’t! I just came to…!”

To me?

Dmitri’s eyes met mine, and he let out an awkward sound before averting his gaze.
Ilay smiled gently, as if he understood.

“Ah, did you come to apologize to Sae for what happened yesterday?”
“Apologize? Why would I apologize?!”
“You’re embarrassed, aren’t you?”
“I’m not!”

Dmitri huffed and glared at Ilay.
He looked ready to charge at him at any moment.
I tensed my body.
Ilay appeared far too fragile compared to Dmitri.

But Dmitri merely glared before turning away sharply in frustration and disappearing.
I couldn’t understand why he looked at me with such aggrieved eyes at the end.

‘But what was he even here for in the first place?’

It remained a mystery.

“Dmitri startled you by shouting so loudly, didn’t he? He’s not a bad person overall. Well, of course, everything he did to you yesterday was wrong.”

Ilay was truly kind and gentle.
He didn’t look like someone who would become the head of the underworld at the center of various crimes.
Rather than running a casino, he seemed like he would dedicate himself to saving those trapped in gambling addiction.

Yet this too aligned perfectly with the description of “that Ilay.”

A demon with a gentle and sweet face who would push someone into the mud without blinking an eye.

“But Sae, why did you come looking for me?”

‘I came to check whether you’d become a criminal.’

Of course, I couldn’t say that.
Fortunately, I had a good excuse ready.

“Ilay is handsome. (I heard Ilay is handsome.)”
“…What?”
“Derrick said so. (Derrick told me that.)”

Even as Dmitri was squawking loudly, Ilay’s eyes—which had been smiling all along—widened suddenly.
He stared at me for a moment as if bewildered, then asked.

“So you came just to see my face?”
“Yep!”

I answered confidently, and he fell silent for a moment.
Then he let out a soft chuckle and turned his head away.

“You’re confusing me.”

I think I heard that small murmur.
What was confusing about it?

* * *

Dmitri walked with a heavy stride.

‘That fool.’

Did she really think she could just run off to him without knowing what kind of man he was?
That man was not someone a sweet little thing like her should be dealing with.

‘He pretends to be modest, so others don’t know, but I do.’

Not all strength was the same.
That man had no compassion for his subordinates, no sense of justice.

‘That sweet girl… I was just trying to help since she’s a strong one like me.’

But instead, he asked why she came to him.
Dmitri clicked his tongue in frustration.
His subordinates (the Trainee Priests) approached.

“Captain! I’ve been looking all over for you. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing much.”
“You look upset though…”
“Why would I be upset? I’m not upset at all?!”

The moment I shouted that.
Sae’s voice drifted over from beyond the bushes.

“Ilay’s real handsome. (I heard Ilay is handsome.)”
“…Huh?”
“Derrick said so. (Derrick said that.)”

In that instant, Dmitri’s face contorted.
His subordinates flinched at the sight.

“Captain…?”

Dmitri’s atmosphere had turned ominous.
His subordinates couldn’t bring themselves to say anything and simply swallowed hard.

“…Is he really that handsome?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking if Ilay is handsome.”

His subordinates wore bewildered expressions.

Whether Ilay is handsome…
Well, he certainly is.

Isn’t he the face that the female Trainee Priests steal glances at every single day?
Even the village girls make the long journey just to catch a glimpse of Ilay.
Girls from other temples shriek with excitement whenever Ilay’s name comes up.
He’s an undisputed beautiful youth, acknowledged by adults and children alike.

“He is handsome…”
“What?”

Dmitri’s eyes flickered dangerously.

“…isn’t it.”
“Y-yes. Ilay, what are you… The captain is the best!”
“R-right!”

His subordinates broke into a cold sweat as they gushed about Dmitri’s handsome features.
Already as tall as the adults!
Broad shoulders!
A sharp, masculine aura!
Long eyes and a prominent nose!
And he’s strong!

“There’s no comparison with that pretty boy Ilay!”
“Y-yeah! That’s right!”

Dmitri snorted derisively, his eyes turning cold as he gazed beyond the bushes.

“Handsome? His eyes are crooked.”

Following their captain’s gaze, his subordinates also looked beyond the bushes.

Honey-colored blonde hair peeking through.
It seemed the captain took issue with that pretty boy’s eyes.

***

Four days had passed since my cohort returned from the training retreat.
I had managed to adapt to temple life reasonably well.
Or rather, I would have adapted reasonably well.

‘If only these guys didn’t exist.’

“Ilay isn’t handsome—he looks like a pretty doll.”
“Our captain is truly handsome!”
“Handsome? He’s incredibly strong too!”

Why were they sitting on both sides of me, shouting loud enough to burst my eardrums?

‘Let me just eat my meal.’

“Derrick’s got his eye on the wrong person. Saying someone like that is handsome when our captain exists.”

It seemed like he’d overheard what I said to Ilay.

‘Why do they keep trying to convince me that Dmitri is the most magnificent person in the world?’

In any case, I had no desire to be caught among these fools raving about how our captain was the most magnificent person in existence.
I rose from my seat, carrying the bowl I’d already cleaned completely.

“Hey, where are you going? We haven’t finished eating yet.”
“You’re not staying there? You want to die?”
“Whatever.”

I snorted and left the dining hall.

Those captain fools weren’t what mattered.

‘What matters is Ilay.’

Over the past four days, I’d gathered information from various sources, and Ilay’s reputation was exceptional.
Excessively so.

‘Everyone except Dmitri seems to adore Ilay.’

Even those fools shouting “our captain is the best.”

But no one in this world is perfect.

‘A reputation this flawless, without a single blemish—it fits a puppet master perfectly.’

Ilay, the underworld’s ruler who never exposed himself directly, obtaining whatever he desired through information and gold.
But if he’s truly the same person, why did he leave the Temple for the underworld?
No matter how much Artemisia is in decline, it’s incomparable to the underworld.

Above all, being a Priest is fundamentally a respected profession.
It’s a specialized field that only talented, chosen individuals can enter after training from childhood.

‘Regardless of whether he’s the same person, he’s someone to watch. If what I saw is correct, then he’s definitely—.’

“What are you doing, Honey?”

Click.

A hand suddenly pressed against the back of my head, and I scrunched my face like I’d just bitten into a bell pepper.
It was obvious who was doing this.

“Cut it out!”

Dmitri chuckled and pressed both my cheeks with one hand.

“You look like a stupid goldfish. Really ugly.”

I should hit him.

‘…Why does this guy always pick fights with me?’

“Are you looking for Ilay again?”

Why was Ilay coming up again.

“What’s so great about that guy that you keep asking about him?”

Dmitri clicked his tongue in disapproval.

Among the Trainee Priests, Dmitri was undeniably the leader.
Ilay wasn’t the type to step forward like Dmitri did.

Yet Ilay’s words carried weight.
The other children absorbed his words without even recognizing that weight.
And those absorbed words sometimes wielded greater influence than Dmitri’s.

For Dmitri, that fact had to be frustrating.

‘Is that why he’s trying to check him?’

It was unexpected that I’d noticed it.
I thought Dmitri was just an idiot, but it seems his mind works better than I expected.

‘Or maybe I just have good intuition.’

Either way, I clearly understood Ilay better than the other children did.
I was about to ask Dmitri about Ilay when—

“Captain! Class is starting soon!”

The captain-worshipping fools waved their hands, calling out to Dmitri.
Lunch break had ended before I knew it.

“I’m heading out first, honeybun!”

Dmitri pressed down hard on my head before dashing away.
I nearly stumbled but barely managed to keep my balance.

This guy really…

‘Artemisia, may the fist of justice unleash flames once more?’

Why does he keep chasing after me even though he got beaten to a pulp?
He was even more cheerful than before the beating.

***

Training time.
I surveyed the children and sighed inwardly.

‘…It’s a complete mess again today.’

Had I really said the Priesthood’s abilities were excellent, so I didn’t need to worry about the trainee priests?
I wanted to grab my past self by the collar for thinking such nonsense.

‘Looking at these kids, I finally understand why the Temple fell!’

The Saint wasn’t the problem.

‘No matter how absent the adults are, this is ridiculous! How are they all just playing around?!’

The more I surveyed the training hall, the more my chest tightened as if I’d swallowed a million sweet potatoes.

‘At least Ilay seems to be in the midst of training.’

His lips pressed together with pristine composure.
Above his downcast eyes, silver lashes caught the sunlight and shimmered with ethereal brilliance.
I was startled by what I witnessed.

‘What? He’s awakened his divine power?’

To awaken divine power in such deplorable conditions.
That’s extraordinary talent.
Or perhaps the fruit of relentless effort.

‘But his training method is completely inefficient.’

Though to be fair, this wasn’t Ilay’s fault.
It was a matter of instructional methodology.

“Sigh.”

I exhaled deeply.

‘Of course this mess is inevitable.’

A single Temple Priest was handling all the instruction.
And with other duties constantly pulling him away, he frequently abandoned his post.

‘How could proper education ever emerge from such chaos.’

This was the result.
During the critical period when children should be rapidly accumulating power, they hadn’t even awakened their divine potential.

‘At this rate, we’ll soon be pushed out of the Octagon.’

No Saint, and the priests are weak….

Another sigh escaped me.

‘It seems I have no choice but to step in.’

If I train these kids—

Thunk.

Something struck my head.

Stifled giggling.
A crumpled piece of paper lay on my desk.

I carefully unfolded it and read the words scrawled across it.

Dad’s chance—get lost

‘….’

I crumpled the paper in my fist.

“Who threw this?”

In that instant.
The training hall, which had been bustling with noise, fell silent as if by magic.

‘It looks like it came from right behind me.’

The girls sitting behind me simply stared at me.
Expressionless faces.

“….”

They exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Then they continued their conversation.
As if they hadn’t heard a word.

“I’m telling you, she really did that?”
“No way!”

Cheerful voices chattered above my head.

“….”

I opened my mouth again.

“You little—.”
“Ugh, how annoying.”

The chattering girls scrunched their faces in displeasure and glared at me.

“Who do you think you are?”
“Why should we answer to you?”
“You’re not even officially initiated into the Temple like we are.”
“You got in through the back door using your father’s connections—”
“That’s not true.”

I stared at them blankly.

“Your dad’s a pushover.”
“W-what?!”
“Your dad’s pathetic. Your mom too.”

Their faces flushed crimson.

“S-so what?”
“That’s hilarious, seriously! Did you really think we’d be flustered?!”

They looked incredibly flustered though.
When I kept staring, they fidgeted nervously and looked away.

‘These mutts really are something.’

Unlike the composed demeanor they’d shown on the first day, these children were mostly just barking dogs.
They only played the role of docile lambs in front of adults.

‘How am I supposed to flatten Reyatan with these mutts.’

I had no choice but to work them hard until the assembly meeting.
But I didn’t think they’d follow me willingly.

‘So if I join hands with someone who can control these children….’

It was as I lifted my head with such thoughts.

“…?!”

My gaze met Ilay’s directly—I couldn’t tell how long he had been watching me.

His honey-colored eyes gazed at me with serene stillness.
Despite their sweet hue, his gaze was utterly cold.

His expression was peculiar.
As though he had discovered something unexpected.
Or as though he were observing me.

Trying to discern what emotion lay behind Ilay’s expression, I failed to notice something.
That Dmitri was watching both me and Ilay with unmistakable displeasure.

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