Youngest on Top - Chapter 127

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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 127

A shadow emerged from between the trees, where moments before there had seemed to be nothing.

Shuri stopped before me, his gaze settling upon me with quiet intensity.
I smiled as innocently as I could manage.

“….”
“….”
“….”

‘…I can’t take this anymore!’

I turned my body, attempting to appear natural.

“Since you seem to have nothing to say, I’ll be on my way—.”

My words never reached their conclusion.
A firm grip seized my arm, pulling me back.

I felt his presence drawing near from behind.
Though our bodies barely touched, I could sense the warmth radiating from him.
An unfamiliar fragrance seeped deep into my lungs.

‘Had Shuri grown this tall?’

It was a peculiar feeling.
The child who once despaired under a soul-devouring curse had grown into this.

“This is strange.”

His low voice descended upon the nape of my neck.

“I believed I was helping the Sacred Maiden.”
“….”
“I’ve never treated the Sacred Maiden harshly.”

Shuri gently pulled the hand that had grasped my wrist.
Naturally, my body turned toward him.
Our eyes met.

“But why are you so wary of me?”

His eyes were still beautiful.
Yet they flickered with something sharper, fiercer, and more savage than before—a wildness I couldn’t comprehend.

My mouth had gone dry.
I swallowed hard and spoke.

“…Well, it’s naturally suspicious, isn’t it?”
“Suspicious?”
“A Crown Prince of all people taking the side of someone you have no connection to, someone you’re meeting for the first time—of course it seems suspicious.”
“No connection, meeting for the first time…”

His gaze was as if he were dissecting me piece by piece.
I deliberately tilted my head as if confused.

“Isn’t that right? Or… have we met before?”
“It’s my first time being forgotten by someone.”

He turned his eyes away from me and murmured, “No, is it the second time?”
Then he looked directly at me again.

“We have met.”
“…!”
“Long ago, at the Sacred Maiden’s coronation ceremony.”
“…”

His skill at dropping hints was masterful.

‘What is this? Does he know I’m Ricardo or not?’

“Ah, ah! I think I remember now! I was so young back then….”
“….”
“Haha! So you helped me because you saw me then. You’re quite kind! Hahaha!”
“….”
“…Randel told me to be suspicious when strangers are kind to me. Haha, ha….”

Shuri simply gazed at me with a smile on his face.
Honestly….

‘This is terrifying!’

Damn it, even as a young man, his true thoughts were completely unreadable!

“How fascinating.”
“Pardon?”
“When you lie, you slightly furrow your left eye like this.”

Shuri’s fingertip brushed past my eye.

“I-I wasn’t lying, was I?!”
“Of course not.”
“I’m being serious!”

It was the moment Shuri looked at me with an enigmatic gaze.

“Sae!”

I heard Ilay’s voice calling me from a distance.
I quickly waved my hand in that direction.

“Ilay, over here!”

Soon Ilay’s face appeared from beyond the bushes.
Thanks to this, I was able to change the subject.
I spoke to Shuri with relief.

“Ah, Crown Prince. As you know, this person is— huh?”

Whether he’d sunk into the ground or soared into the sky, there was no one where Shuri had been standing.

“Sae, what you said earlier—. …Why do you have that expression on your face?”
“….”

‘I couldn’t sense any trace of him disappearing at all.’

I only realized Shuri was following behind me because he deliberately revealed his presence.

‘I’m still weaker than him…!’

I clenched my fists tightly.
I was planning to beat him and run away as a last resort if my identity was exposed!

Enrik: Violence isn’t the best solution.
Kailros: What was that just now? How is he even alive?

Kailros, seeing Shuri for the first time, was bewildered.

Kailros: There are traces of the curse being partially sealed.
Kailros: But that’s all it is.

Kailros was right.
There are limits to sealing.
As time passes, the seal weakens.

‘And there’s nothing more I can seal.’

The closer I approached the core, the denser the curse became, beyond my power to seal.

‘…Now that I can use Kailros’s divine power, things might be different.’

But I couldn’t be certain.

Enrik: I never thought he’d manage to keep pretending to be human and functioning normally all this time.

‘Before regression, he survived without even sealing the curse.’

Kailros: That’s possible?
Enrik: Even with mythical bloodline, that’s still… he’s human, right?

Of course, Shuri was human.
But even I had to admit there were more than a few suspicious points about him.

* * *

The moment I returned to my room, Ilay asked me a question.

“Is that statue really a fake?”
“Yes.”
“Actually, that works out better. Revealing it’s a fake in front of the Emperor will have much greater impact.”

I nodded in agreement.
Thanks to Shuri, the stakes had grown considerably.
From the way he said he was helping me, it was clear he also believed the statue was a fake.

‘But why did Shuri trust my word?’

“So what’s your evidence that it’s fake?”
“You just know when you look at it.”
“You just know when you look at it…?”

Enrik: Right, that face clearly isn’t his.
Kailros: Obviously not.

The statue’s models agreed as well.
I met Ilay’s gaze with confidence.

Ilay smiled wryly and asked me.

“…Just checking, but.”
“Yes?”
“You’re not planning to say that at the banquet too, right? Right?”
“…”
“You have some way to prove it objectively with evidence, don’t you? Right?”
“It’s obviously not real just by looking. Why would I need to prove every little detail?”
“…”

The smile vanished from Ilay’s face.

“You realize this invitation is basically the Artemisia Temple’s debut at the Imperial Palace, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And unlike the other Octagons, we’re in a disadvantageous position within the system.”
“Mm-hmm…”
“It would’ve been better to come and go without any presence at all, but this…”

Sensing a lecture was about to begin, I quickly spoke up.

“I’m joking. Of course there’s a way to prove ourselves!”
“…Really?”
“Of course!”
“The banquet is the day after tomorrow. There’s not enough time to fabricate evidence.”
“What? Why would I fabricate evidence! Don’t you trust me?!”

I thumped my chest confidently.
Ilay’s eyes narrowed.

“…I… trust you.”
“Good.”
“…Should I just go smash that statue and come back?”
“You said you trust me!”

Smash a statue?
Ilay really does have a violent streak, doesn’t he?

Enrik: That’s rich coming from you!

I ignored Enrik and spoke to Ilay.

“Don’t smash the statue. Do something else instead.”
“What?”

I explained what I needed to Ilay.
Ilay tilted his head in confusion.

“That’s not difficult. But what does that have to do with this situation?”
“Right?”

I grinned wickedly.

* * *

Two days later.
A banquet was held in the Toramilen Hall of the Imperial Palace.
The magnificent and lavish hall seemed to showcase the dignity and authority of the imperial family.

In the center of the hall stood the “Three Angels Sculpture” from Libthalen on display.

“That’s the sculpture from that wager, isn’t it?”
“The Haruanus Temple is a trustworthy institution. It seems Artemisia made a poor choice just to stand out…”

The nobles gathered in the hall whispered amongst themselves.
The details of the wager had spread through the mouths of those who had been at the Princess’s Salon.
Since they were nobles close to the Princess, the story had been shaped to suit her preferences.

Because of this, no one believed that sculpture could be a forgery.

Then, the Emperor, who had been seated at the head table, descended to the center of the hall.

“Everyone seems curious whether this sculpture is genuine or counterfeit. I hear the Sacred Maiden of Haruanus and the Sacred Maiden of Artemisia each make different claims?”

The Emperor’s gaze turned toward Zabelina and me.

“What do you think? Would it not be fine entertainment for this banquet to determine the truth here and now?”
“That is indeed a splendid idea, Your Majesty. I too have been frustrated that the sculpture I barely managed to obtain has become the subject of idle gossip. It would be wonderful if the truth were made clear before everyone’s eyes.”

The Princess shot me a sharp glance.
The Emperor spoke.

“Very well. I hear you have made a wager with each other. I shall also bestow a reward upon whoever makes the correct judgment.”
“I merely speak the truth, yet you offer a reward. I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty.”

A reward from the Emperor was no trivial matter.
Zabelina’s eyes gleamed as she stepped forward immediately.

“I possess numerous pieces of evidence. Ancient texts and authentication certificates from professional appraisers.”

Zabelina held up the authentication certificate, its official seals emblazoned in ornate script.

“Hmm, indeed that is the Haruanus Temple. Always so forthright.”
“I am honored, Your Majesty.”
“Then what of the Artemisia Temple? Do you have any documentation to present?”

The Emperor’s gaze turned toward me.
I answered with confidence, speaking each word clearly.

“I do not!”
“…?!”

Beside me, Ilay clutched his head in his hands.

* * *

‘What is she, an idiot?’

Zabelina mocked Saelika inwardly.
She had never imagined anyone could be so utterly unprepared, even accounting for her youth.

‘Is she relying on her young age to seem cute?’

She had heard rumors that Saelika had won the heart of the Southern Echelan Admiral.
It seemed such vacant behavior worked on the Admiral, then.

‘How foolish. His Majesty does not find such thoughtlessness endearing—he finds it contemptible.’

Indeed, the Emperor’s expression as he regarded Saelika had grown cold.

“It appears there is little worth hearing from the Sacred Maiden of Artemisia. Zabelina, would you speak instead?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Zabelina began her explanation.

“When the ancient texts regarding the statue are rendered into modern language, they read as follows.”

Three wings fell and descended upon the earth. In the turbid land, water and its source flourished.

“Wings signify angels. It means three angels descended upon the earth. It means that through these three angels, life flourished upon the turbid land.”
“Indeed.”
“Among the descriptions of the three wings, there is mention of a third eye upon the forehead.”
“An eye upon the forehead?”
“This refers to Lemnus, the angel who serves Haruanus. Lemnus possesses a divine eye upon the forehead that perceives truth for the purpose of judgment.”

Zabelina pointed toward the three angel statues.
Indeed, upon the forehead of one of the angels was carved a perfect sphere.

“Ah, how remarkable!”
“So it truly is a sculpture of the angel who serves Haruanus!”
“Then the Haruanus Temple could not possibly fail to recognize it.”

The people nodded in agreement.
Everyone present seemed to concur with Zabelina’s words.

All except one.

“It’s all wrong.”
“Your denial only makes you look foolish, Sacred Maiden Saelika.”

Zabelina sneered at Saelika.
Saelika merely shrugged her shoulders.

“Wings don’t signify angels, and your interpretation of water and origin is also incorrect.”
“Then what should the interpretation be?”

The Emperor asked.

“Wings signify demons, water means blood, and origin means bone. In other words, reinterpreted—.”

Saelika’s clear voice resonated through the hall.

“Three demons appeared upon the earth. The land became turbid, filled with blood and bone.”
“Ha…! Do you even know what comes next?!”

Zabelina looked down at Saelika with eyes brimming with superiority.

“And thus the branch of salvation sprouted forth. When the festival of water ended, the entire land was purified!”
“….”
“But doesn’t the sentence right before that mean demons appeared?”
“That’s not the correct interpretation….”

Saelika exhaled a deep sigh.

“And thus the angel of salvation descended. When the festival of blood and slaughter ended, the land was cleansed—that’s what it means.”
“….”

The faces of those listening grew peculiar.

‘Even if Saelika’s interpretation is correct, isn’t something still off?’
‘Why would an angel of salvation hold a festival of blood and slaughter?’

Zabelina let out a small laugh.

“The Sacred Maiden of Artemisia, cornered, speaks utter nonsense—.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be interpreted as ‘ended’ but as ‘slaughter’! And the water was actually blood!”

A loud voice cut off Zabelina’s words.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the speaker.

“That person is… Count Daymon?”
“Isn’t that Count Daymon, who is fluent in ancient divine language?”

Count Daymon spoke to Saelika with a bright expression.

“Precisely! I’ve always found many passages incomprehensible when interpreting ‘per’ as the modern word ‘water.’ Even when interpreting ‘kalum’ as ‘to end’…. It wasn’t ‘to end’ but ‘to slaughter,’ wasn’t it?”
“Exactly. Well, slaughter is a way of ending things too, in a sense….”
“Indeed. Ending another’s life. Quite right, quite right.”

Count Daymon nodded as though he’d made a great discovery.
The crowd murmured among themselves.

“So, the way he’s speaking—is Saelika’s interpretation correct?”
“It seems to be, doesn’t it?”

Zabelina’s face twisted.

“That’s absurd. The interpretation of ancient texts is the result of scholars’ long years of research. How could the Sacred Maiden Saelika possibly know the ‘true’ interpretation?”

‘How would I know? Because I was alive back then, that’s how.’

Saelika let out a soft laugh.

‘These modern folk, honestly! They don’t even understand the meanings of words properly.’

“I cannot accept this. I believe verification is necessary to confirm whether this interpretation is correct. We cannot proceed like this—.”
“Well, the interpretation doesn’t really matter.”

Saelika cut off Zabelina’s words.
And she raised her fist.

“That the statue is a forgery—.”

Crack!
A small fist came down directly against the massive statue.

“My fist will prove it!”

—————
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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