Youngest on Top - Chapter 115

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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 115

* * *

Ilay furrowed his brow.

‘There are limits to containment.’

Dmitri was handling one Death Knight on his own.
But the other Death Knight remained unoccupied.

The fortunate part was that the second Death Knight kept its distance.
To prevent it from advancing further, Ilay unleashed holy magic as a deterrent.

Perhaps surprised by the unexpected struggle of the young priests, the second Death Knight retreated to evade the containment spell and assessed the situation.
But it would soon understand and launch its attack.

Ilay tensed his body and drew upon his holy power.
Only he could block that assault.

‘Sae seems content to merely observe.’

In any case, the Sacred Maiden certainly had many demands.
But what could I do about it?
Even with such traits, she was our Sacred Maiden.

‘…The Death Knight facing Dmitri has been knocked from its mount, so he’ll handle it well enough.’

Though he appeared simple and hot-blooded, Dmitri’s skill and combat instincts were exceptional.
Even now, he stood his ground without retreating a single step against the Death Knight that exhaled the aura of death with each breath.

It was the moment Ilay felt reassured.
The distant Death Knight took its stance and began to charge.
Directly toward Saelika.

“…!”

Ilay swiftly deployed sacred magic.
He deliberately triggered an explosion right ahead to stop the charge, but it was futile.

‘Why is she only looking at Sae like she’s possessed?!’

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
The children cried out in alarm as the Death Knight charged forward, shaking the ground beneath its feet.

“Sae!”
“Watch out!”

But there was no tension in their voices.
After all, Saelika could stop the Death Knight’s greatsword with her bare hands!

But then.

“This time, I really won’t do anything.”

With that declaration, Saelika turned around.
She turned her back to the Death Knight, leaving herself completely defenseless.

“…?!”
“Because I trust you all.”

Her pristine blue eyes, unmarred by a single shadow, gazed upon the children’s faces.
Then her eyes closed.

“…!”

As the Death Knight drew closer with each passing moment.
Saelika had made herself completely vulnerable.

“Insane, absolutely insane!”
“What is she doing in a situation like this!!”

One might wonder if she would respond when truly facing death, but this was Saelika—no one else.
If she said she would do something, she would do it.

‘Even if it meant dying like this, she wouldn’t move.’

The Trainee Priests who had lived alongside Saelika more than anyone else and become family knew her best.
The children fell into panic.

“That stubborn mule!”
“W-what, what do we do!”
“We have to hurry and stop her— Ugh!”

In their fluster, they even allowed the skeleton soldiers to land attacks on them.

“Everyone, get a hold of yourselves!”
“Now is when we need to stay calm!”
“We can hold the line!”

Despite Dmitri, Edmund, and Ilay’s reassurances, the children could not easily compose themselves.

“B-but how are we supposed to stop a Death Knight charging at us!”
“When it charges, a barrier forms! Most attacks will just bounce off…!”

Casting holy magic on a scale large enough to stop it would take time.
No matter how I thought about it, there seemed to be no way.

Dmitri spoke gravely while parrying the Death Knight’s blade.

“She said she believes in us. She thinks we can win.”
“…!”

Among all the things Saelika had said we could do, not a single one had seemed actually possible.

Every last one of them—impossible, absurd, unreasonable.
Yet we’ve never failed to accomplish them.

…Because Saelika pushed and prodded and drove us until we did.

“Our Sacred Maiden believes in us.”
“Shouldn’t we repay that faith?”

Ilay and Edmund spoke.
One by one, determination began to kindle in the children’s wavering faces.

“Y-yes!”
“If we can just buy some time, we’ll find a way!”
“We can do this!!”

The holy magic the children cast blocked the Death Knight’s path.
Sacred power radiating from their swung blades surged toward the Death Knight.
Several attacks pierced through its barrier and actually reached the creature.
It was devastatingly sharp for attacks from mere Trainee Priests.

Yet it could not stop the Death Knight’s charge.

“Damn it!”
“Sae, you idiot!”
“You’re actually going to die like this—!!”

But Saelika remained completely motionless.

The Death Knight’s massive shadow loomed over Saelika’s defenseless form.
Though she must have sensed that ferocious momentum, Saelika kept her eyes closed.

A massive greatsword, laden with killing intent, descended toward the small child’s neck.
Lustrous strands of hair were severed by the razor-sharp blade, scattering into the air.

The children’s eyes widened in shock.
What would be cut next was unmistakable.
Not mere hair, but Saelika’s—.

She would die.
Saelika would.

‘Because she believed in us.’

“No—!!”

A bloodcurdling scream tore forth,

Whoooooosh—!!

Brilliant radiance flooded the heavens and earth.

* * *

In the plaza of the Molorestia Temple.

Crackle.
The crystal viewing stone, which had lost its light along with the discordant noise, began to display an image once more.
It was the figures of Saelika and the other Artemeia trainee priests.

“Look, look there! The children’s images are appearing again!”

At the Temple Priest’s cry, Randel and Sirius, who had been threatening the Molorestia Priesthood, turned their heads.

The final scene displayed on the viewing stone was the Death Knight’s greatsword flying toward Saelika.
The Artemeia Priesthood gazed at the viewing stone with prayers in their hearts.

“They’re safe! Not just Saelika, but all the other children too!”
“Safe isn’t the word—they’re holding their own against the Death Knight?!”

Fortunately, Saelika had dodged the Death Knight’s blade well.
Dmitri was engaging the Death Knight alongside the other children.

Ilay provided support at the perfect moment with powerful holy magic, knocking the Death Knight from its mount.
Even as he did so, he kept watch over another Death Knight in the distance.

“Remarkable. I’ve heard rumors that Priest Dmitri and Priest Ilay are exceptional, but I never imagined they were this skilled….”
“Priest Edmund is equally impressive. Look at that command as he faces down legion-scale skeleton soldiers.”

The distinguished guests couldn’t help but gasp in admiration.
If they felt that way, the common spectators felt it even more intensely.

“So this is the true strength of trainee priests…!”
“Ah, watch out!”
“That’s it, well done! Magnificent!”

Witnessing such a rare spectacle, the crowd clutched their chests in awe.
Some even threw punches as if they themselves were striking at the Death Knights.
It was proof of their complete absorption in the Artemeia trainee priests’ performance.

Vilpredo, the High Priest of Molorestia, furrowed his brow.

“What in the world is happening?”
“I-I’m not sure. This isn’t our broadcast feed.”
“Then what exactly is that footage?”
“…We’re investigating.”

Vilpredo held back the urge to shout that the man clearly knew nothing.
There were distinguished guests nearby.
And right now, there was something more important than that.

“What about our children? What are they doing?”
“The magical artifact transmitting the footage has malfunctioned. It will take time to repair it.”

Vilpredo’s face twisted.

“Don’t tell me a Death Knight appeared on our side too….”
“The corruption on Mount Nanukia is still in its early stages. Two Death Knights appearing is already nonsensical. There won’t be any more.”
“Yes, honestly we should be grateful both went to Artemisia.”

That was true.
Vilpredo felt relieved.

The victory condition was to eliminate all the undead on Mount Nanukia anyway.
It was irritating that the spectators had become completely absorbed in Artemisia’s trainee priests, but it didn’t matter much.

‘Regardless of how things unfold, victory will be ours.’

Artemisia’s trainee priests would end up pinned down by the Death Knight, unable to accomplish anything.

“Soon the remaining Death Knight will join in as well.”
“It’s impossible to defeat two Death Knights while facing legions of skeleton soldiers.”
“They’re barely holding their own against one right now. The moment the other Death Knight joins, they’ll be forced into a defensive stance just trying to hold the line.”

It was certainly a reasonable assessment.
Vilpredo nodded with complete confidence, all tension gone.

“The Artemisia priesthood is preparing to head to Mount Nanukia.”
“Once the adults arrive and the children are barely saved, the spectators’ opinions will shift.”
“If the public doesn’t accept it in the worst case, we can just say our children encountered a Death Knight too, can’t we?”

Vilpredo chuckled softly.

“Well, they met while the broadcast wasn’t running, so who could say anything about it?”

He gazed down at the spectators with a noticeably more relaxed demeanor.

The crowd was cheering for the Artemisia Trainee Priests and thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
The children were handling themselves so well that everyone had cast aside their worries and anxieties.

That was the moment.
The camera angle shifted, focusing on Saelika.
The Death Knight was charging directly toward Saelika, who stood with her eyes closed.

“Why is she turning away and closing her eyes like that?”
“Who knows? She must have a plan! Let’s just watch!”

But that atmosphere didn’t last long.
Despite the Trainee Priests attacking the Death Knight multiple times, they couldn’t stop its charge.

Seeing the desperation etched on the Trainee Priests’ faces, the spectators began to grow anxious as well.

“Wait, wait! This isn’t actually going to end badly, is it?!”
“Why isn’t she dodging!”

The Death Knight’s greatsword descended toward the small child.
People screamed.
Some had already squeezed their eyes shut in anticipation.

Then.

Kuuuuuung—!!

The crystal viewing stone turned pure white.
An enormous radiance erupted from the viewing stone.

Though the light manifesting through the viewing stone wasn’t happening before their eyes, its brilliance and radiance were so blinding that sight itself seemed to fade.
The crowd couldn’t withstand the luminescence and closed their eyes.

How much time had passed?
As the light faded, people slowly began to open their eyes.
And what they saw was—.

“A, a Death Knight…!”

The Death Knight that had confidently raised its greatsword toward Saelika.
That Death Knight was now kneeling on the ground, half-destroyed.

Crack!
A sharp light pierced through the Death Knight’s head, which blazed with crimson eyes.

The crimson glow flickered precariously before the Death Knight crumbled to dust.
Directly beneath Saelika’s feet, who still had her eyes closed.

Slowly, Saelika opened her eyes.
Those blue irises were as infinitely serene as a windless lake.

Sizzzzzzle—!
The sound of something burning was deafening.
Before the power of the divine, the skeleton soldiers that had numbered in legions turned to ash and vanished.

The remaining Death Knight had already fallen.

The spectators watched in breathless silence.

“A, a miracle….”

Once someone murmured those words, the crowd seemed to regain their senses, stomping their feet and erupting in cheers.

“Uwaaaaaa!!!”
“What on earth was that just now?!”
“They defeated two Death Knights!!”
“The Artemeia Trainee Priests have wrought a miracle!”

It was truly a frenzy of exultation.

“Artemeia! Artemeia! Artemeia!”

The crowd continuously cheered for Artemia.

Randel, who had been watching the viewing stone with tension, exhaled deeply.

‘…That bastard.’

I’ll give him a piece of my mind when he returns.
Gambling in a situation like that.
And with his life on the line, no less.

Yet I felt proud, grateful, and impressed.
That he was safe.
Just knowing that alone made me so grateful—.

It was the moment Randel rubbed his forehead and offered a prayer of gratitude to the Goddess Artemia.

“…?!”

Crackle—!
The viewing stone, which had been working fine, lost its light.

* * *

“W-what did we just….”

The Artemeia Trainee Priests stared at each other with bewildered expressions.
What was that just now?

It was a sensation similar to something they had felt long ago.
The day the Trainee Priest Quarters burned.
It felt like when they had united their hearts completely to rescue Saelika inside.

‘But it’s different….’

It was different from back then when they had rushed forward with nothing but passion.
It was something more—.

“Saelika.”

Ilay called out to Saelika with a cold expression.

Saelika looked at Ilay with a hint of bewilderment.
It was a face I had never seen before.
Even when Ilay had been wary of me, his eyes had never held such an intensity.

It wasn’t just Ilay.
Dmitri and Edmund wore the same expression.
Even Roana and the other Trainee Priests….

“Don’t you ever do that again.”
“Never again. Never again.”

His voice, grinding out the words, seemed both furious and sorrowful.

‘I thought they’d be happy that I grew so suddenly. Why are they like this?’

Saelika couldn’t comprehend it.
We had simultaneously defeated two Death Knights that seemed impossible to overcome.
Wasn’t that something to celebrate?

“Answer me.”

But the gravity in the children’s eyes as they stared at me was too intense.

“…Understood. I won’t do it again.”

Saelika simply nodded in silence.

It was rare for Saelika, who always acted so willfully, to become so docile.
Seeing her like this only made the children feel more unsettled.

“We were just incredibly cool back there, weren’t we?!”
“Being this amazing, the youngest has no choice but to trust and rely on us!”

The children cheerfully called out to shift the mood.

“So, what should we do now?”
“I feel like we can do anything right now.”
“After all, we can always repay our Sacred Maiden’s faith in us!”

The children gazed at Saelika with eyes full of anticipation.
What kind of command would our Sacred Maiden give us?

Whatever it was, we would face it courageously.
For our Sacred Maiden.

“We will….”
“Yeah!”
“Cut in line.”

…Huh?

—————
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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