Youngest on Top - Chapter 142

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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 142

I looked toward Ilay.
Ilay gave a short nod.
It was a sign of approval.

“I’ve heard that monsters are swarming throughout the Dantalian Desert.”
“…Yes.”

Ryubik nodded with a hardened expression.

“Your Majesty said you had no intention of trading with the Empire. But isn’t the truth that you’re trying to raise your conditions for military funds?”
“…”
“I can subjugate the monsters in the Dantalian Desert.”

Ryubik remained silent.
Nelije spoke with a cautious expression.

“Lady Saelika, does that mean bringing the Empire’s military into the kingdom?”
“The Dantalian Desert is not Bennizer Kingdom’s territory.”
“But it’s right at the border.”
“The Dantalian Desert is vast. The center of the contamination lies far from the border. That’s why Bennizer discovered it so late, isn’t it?”
“Even so, relying on another nation’s military force for the kingdom’s defense is…”

Every word Nelije spoke was correct.
Ryubik seemed to share the same thoughts.

“I believe Lady Saelika has no ulterior motives. However, there may be those who would exploit this opportunity.”

A cunning remark.
I do have ulterior motives.
If I didn’t, I’d be foolish enough to be exploited.

‘—That’s what lies hidden in those words.’

He claimed to only train and know nothing of such matters.
But if he truly knew nothing, he wouldn’t have mentioned the Empire, the Queen, and rankings just moments ago.

‘He spoke as though I were skilled at slander, yet here he is, engaging in it as naturally as breathing.’

Of course, I had anticipated this much.

“Considering the current political situation in the Kingdom of Bennaise?”
“Pardon?”
“If Prince Ryubik were to gather military funds and expand his forces, what would the Queen think?”

A military coup.
That’s certainly what she would believe.

“…She wouldn’t think it would go that far.”

Ryubik spoke in a clipped tone.

“The Queen is aware of the monsters in the Dantalian Desert. If civil war breaks out, it’s the people who suffer. She won’t think I’m staging a military coup.”
“—I understand the desire to believe that.”
“Saelika.”
“You believed that and even relinquished your position as Crown Prince. But what were the results?”
“…!”

Ryubik’s pupils trembled.

“Even if she knew it wasn’t true, she would certainly fabricate it that way.”

Prince Ryubik had staged a coup.
What better excuse could there be to expel him?

I shrugged my shoulders.

“However, I fully understand your reluctance to station the Empire’s forces near the border. The risks are substantial.”
“…It seems you have another proposal.”
“Artemisia will subjugate the monsters.”
“What?!”

Nelije’s face drained of color as she questioned me.
I sent her a wink.

“It’s our specialty, after all. Isn’t it?”
“We’ll clean it up beautifully. We have the Sacred Maiden with the diamond hands, after all.”

Ilay chuckled and nodded in agreement.
Randel reached over and stroked my hair.

“Sae doesn’t need to lift a finger. Father will take care of everything.”

* * *

Nelije clenched her cooling fingertips.
Artemisia was going to subjugate the monsters in the Dantalian Desert.

‘If that happens, the influence of the Balotelo Temple in the Bennaise Kingdom will shrink dramatically!’

“Artemisia… Tales of Kaiser the Sacred Knight have reached even here.”

Ryubik’s face was already alight with interest.
Nelije hastily opened her mouth.

“But what’s the difference from the Imperial Army? The Artemisia Temple is also following the Emperor’s orders and bringing military force, isn’t it?”

Saelika smiled brightly.

“There is a difference.”
“A difference?”
“What I’ve been entrusted with by His Majesty is the Caston Trade. Nothing else.”
“You’re playing blind. If the Emperor issues secret orders—”
“I’d advise against saying more. Unless you want to claim that the Artemisia Temple is the Emperor’s servant.”
“…!”

Nelije had no choice but to close her mouth.
It was true that temples based in the Empire maintained close ties with the Emperor and Imperial nobility.
But openly declaring oneself a servant was an entirely different matter.

“The most important role of a temple is to purify corrupted lands.”
“….”
“If purifying the land helps the people of Bennaise, then as a Sacred Maiden spreading the will of Artemisia, there could be nothing more rewarding and joyful than this.”

It was a declaration.
A declaration that the Artemisia Temple would expand into the Bennaiser Kingdom.
Which meant—.

‘That they would crush our Baltelo…!’

“There’s only one temple in the Bennaiser Kingdom, isn’t there? Nelije mentioned earlier how unfortunate that was. If we could serve the people together, it would truly be wonderful.”

Are you the only one who gets to suck the honey?
Let me have some too.

The clear implication made Nelije’s blood boil.

‘How dare you, knowing nothing!’

But this was in front of Ryubik.
Nelije was not foolish enough to display all her emotions.

“…I nearly committed a rudeness. Since you’ve come as an envoy, I naturally assumed you were following the Emperor’s orders. I heard rumors that the Emperor intends to bestow great rewards upon the Artemisia Temple.”

Don’t pretend to be considerate of others.
Not when you move for profit.

Of course, this wasn’t directed at Saelika.
What benefit would there be in making Saelika slightly uncomfortable?

It was directed at Ryubik.
To remind him that this was the Empire’s temple, one with sinister intentions.

Saelika tilted her head curiously.

“Why would you think I’m only after the Emperor’s rewards? There are other benefits to be gained from helping Bennaiser.”

Nelije was taken aback.
She was stating it so openly?

“Oh right, the Queen mentioned earlier that she’s taken a liking to me, didn’t she?”
“…Yes, she did.”
“Her Majesty the Queen said she would be delighted if the Artemisia Temple were to enter the kingdom.”
“…!”
“It seems you hadn’t heard this news yet?”

Nelije’s face drained of all color.
She rose from her seat.

“…I’ve forgotten my prayer time. I should return to the Temple now.”

The moment the door closed, Ryubik spoke.

“She has quite the temperament.”
“She’s the type to repay what she’s owed without fail.”

Ryubik let out a soft chuckle.

“It seems I’m not a particularly pleasant negotiating partner for Your Highness either.”

That was true.
No one else would ever tell him,
‘You trusted the Queen and made concessions, and look what happened. Are you doing it again?’
—No one would say such a thing.

Only Saelika had spoken to him that way.

‘Yesterday you said you’d ruin yourself by being stubborn.’

“Have you changed your mind?”
“Before that, let me ask you something. How did you know I was simply thinking of raising my conditions? It’s not something I discussed even with my closest advisors.”
“Your Highness doesn’t truly regard the Empire as an enemy or harbor genuine hatred for it.”
“Yet yesterday you insulted the Empire’s envoys quite thoroughly for that very reason, if I recall correctly.”
“That was merely a bluff. And the reason I concealed my intentions that way…wasn’t it because Your Highness also harbors doubts about the Queen?”
“…!”
“You already know how the Queen would react if she learned you were trying to secure military funds.”

Ryubik exhaled sharply, a thin sound escaping his lips.
She had pierced through the depths of his heart—thoughts he hadn’t even fully acknowledged himself.

“Your Majesty is no fool, so there’s only one answer.”

This small young woman defied my expectations in many ways.
And because of that, rather.

‘…Mentioning Elah was merely to win favor.’

I decided to join hands with Saelika.
Our first meeting had been disastrous, and those words were simply to make up for it.
But then…

“Elah is a companion who treats each other with sincerity and keeps faith.”
“A business partner.”
“Not someone who offers comfort with honeyed words and pleasantries.”

Ryubik met Saelika’s gaze.

“So my mind won’t change. Rather, your honesty is proof that you treat me with sincerity.”

Ryubik smiled and rose from his seat.

“When we meet next time, I hope my Elah will also treat me with ease.”

The moment the door closed, Ilay furrowed his brow.

“What’s with that guy?”
“Sae, let’s clean your ears. Our daughter’s ears have gotten dirty.”

Randel pinched my ears playfully.

“I was going to suggest heading out to the desert, but there’s no need for that anymore.”

That was what I’d confirmed with Ilay earlier.
The monster outbreak at the desert’s edge.
If it was at an acceptable level, I’d planned to take Ryubik out and demonstrate our strength.
That would make it easier for Ryubik to decide.

“Well, since that prince is being cooperative, at least the annoying tasks have disappeared. That’s something.”
“Ilay went through unnecessary trouble.”
“If you know that, treat me well.”

Ilay pinched my nose lightly.
Then he asked.

“But why did Nelije provoke you? Now that she knows we’re going to establish the Artemisia Temple in the kingdom, she’ll definitely move to interfere.”
“Well, I was in a bad mood first.”
“If my daughter is in a bad mood, that’s naturally understandable.”
“No, that’s not how it should be.”
“There must be someone behind this, so I poked to see.”
“…!”

Nelije had her own way of speaking, but she wasn’t an exceptionally cunning schemer.
However, she wasn’t foolish either.

So why would she deliberately provoke the Sacred Maiden of a temple so far away?
Fundamentally, Valotelo and Artemisia had no reason to clash.

“True enough—she was aggressive even before Artemisia’s expansion into the kingdom was known.”
“At the orphanage, I once found an insect with the children that looked exactly like a leaf.”
“….”
“Even when you got close or waved your hand, it wouldn’t budge and pretended to be a leaf, so many children were fooled.”
“Were you ever deceived?”
“No, whenever I suspected something, I poked it right away.”

* * *

Valotelo Temple.
Nelije deliberated, thought upon thought.

‘…This is far different from what I expected.’

Saelika was three years younger than her.
She had thought she would be easy to handle.

‘And I can’t fathom Prince Ryubik’s intentions either.’

Ryubik refused to uphold the Kaston Accord and made his disdain for the Empire abundantly clear.
Furthermore, he despised how the Temple gathered believers to seek power.

That’s why he never failed to mention the Empire when speaking with Saelika.
He even consistently added that he had come as the Emperor’s envoy in this succession competition.
And on top of that, he brought up his good relations with the Queen—the Crown Prince’s political rival.

‘Prince Ryubik’s reaction wasn’t bad at all.’

Even when Saelika openly discussed ‘benefits’ and mentioned her secret agreement with the Queen.

‘Why? Weren’t those all things Prince Ryubik despises?’

“Nelije.”

At the sound of her name, Nelije turned her head.
Her godfather, Frederick, was watching her with a worried expression.

“…I thought Prince Ryubik would become king.”
“Certainly, Prince Ryubik has the makings of a true king. Crown Prince Habid falls short even accounting for his youth.”
“But not everyone with the makings of a king becomes one. If that were the case, history would have no incompetent rulers.”
“Are you saying I chose the wrong side?”
“I simply wish I had been more cautious.”

Frederick gazed at Nelije with regretful eyes.

“But it’s too late to join hands with the Queen now.”
“You noticed?”
“Yes, just as you said, the Queen is planning to join hands with Artemisia. If things go well, they intend to establish an Artemisia Temple in the kingdom.”
“But that’s strange. Saelika proposed to Prince Ryubik that Artemisia would subjugate the monsters for him.”

She had clearly shown an attitude of joining hands with Ryubik.

“If she’s joining hands with the Queen while deceiving Prince Ryubik, she should at least pretend to have fallen out with the Queen.”
“Conversely, if she’s joining hands with Prince Ryubik while deceiving the Queen, she shouldn’t have shown her hand in front of you.”
“Yes, if I went straight to the Queen right now and told her that Saelika has joined hands with Prince Ryubik— Ah!”

Nelije let out an exclamation.

“That won’t help matters.”

What exactly had Saelika proposed?
She would prevent Ryubik from securing military funds and station Artemisia’s forces in the desert.

“…The Queen would naturally interpret this as her moving to help herself.”
“Unlike me, who has a poor relationship with the Queen, Saelika has a good one with her.”

The child was far more clever than I had anticipated.
But this was no time for admiration.
I had to prevent the kingdom’s faithful from being divided.

‘Of all times, when the Temple’s situation is at its worst…!’

At that moment, the mirror resting on the table gleamed.
Nelije quickly infused her sacred power into it.
Soon a hazy image appeared within the mirror, and a voice flowed out.

[You don’t look pleased. Things didn’t go well?]
“This is hardly the time to speak of it so casually. This is the result of taking your advice and making an enemy of the Sacred Maiden of Artemisia!”
[Really? Would Artemisia have missed the opportunity to establish a temple in Bennaiser just because you approached her favorably?]

Nelije was startled.
She already knew of this development.

“…At least we wouldn’t have ended up in such an adversarial situation.”
[What good is being friendly when the faithful are about to be divided? You understand nothing of competition.]
“This situation isn’t favorable only to me, is it?”
[…]
“The Queen, Prince Ryubik—they’re all favorable toward Artemisia. Saelika will succeed in the Caston trade.”
[…]
“And Artemisia’s temple will be established in Bennaiser.”

The figure beyond the mirror fell silent.
Just as Nelije was about to press further, a voice came through.

[Go to the Dantalion Desert with the Sacred Maiden of Artemisia.]

With only those words, the image in the mirror vanished.

“Look, look…!”

Nelije gripped the mirror tightly and poured her sacred power into it, but it was futile.

“Nelije.”
“Uncle, which temple did you say was on the other side of the mirror?”
“Preytsha Temple.”
“Preytsha… Please investigate once more.”
“Very well. But the result will be the same. This mirror is Preytsha’s sacred relic, after all.”
“…”
“You’re suspicious, then. Should I ignore the instruction to go to the Dantalion Desert?”

Nelije hesitated for a moment before asking.

“What about you, Uncle?”
“The High Priest still cannot wake.”

Nelije clenched her teeth.

‘…I have to save the temple.’

“No. Now is not the time to hide.”
“Then—.”
“I need to take Saelika and head to the Dantalion Desert.”

* * *

Ilay opened his eyes, having been concentrating with them closed.
I severed the sacred power I had connected with Ilay and asked immediately.

“What is it?”
“Just as you said. I sense sacred power other than Balotelo’s.”
“As expected. There really is someone behind this. It must be the backer’s sacred power.”

I nodded and asked.

“So, what kind of sacred power was 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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