Youngest on Top - Chapter 146

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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 146

“K-Kaiser…?!”

The Knight Commander’s words sent the surroundings into chaos.

“Kaiser? Could it be that Sacred Knight Kaiser?!”
“Is it really him?!”

Kaiser was a legendary figure even to the knights of the Bennaizer Kingdom.
But this was not the time to marvel at seeing Kaiser.
The Knight Commander asked with a rigid expression.

“Kaiser, how did you come to be here?”
“Is it so surprising that I would come to where my daughter is?”
“B-But—.”
“I suggest you not make me repeat myself.”

Kaiser’s crimson eyes gleamed with darkness.

“My daughter is.”

* * *

The Dantalian Desert.
Ilay wiped his face roughly.
The face that had always been gentle and sweet was now frozen cold as lifeless marble.
The same was true for Randel beside him.
What had seemed so warm and affectionate now felt like a cruel lie.

“I should have abandoned that bastard and prioritized Sae from the start. I wasn’t listening to what Sae was saying.”

Ilay casually referred to a prince of a nation as “that bastard.”
Randel made no attempt to stop him.

When they had separated from Saelika.
Ilay had thought they would be able to regroup quickly.
After all, they were at the edge of the desert, and though they were somewhat separated due to the quicksand, it should have been no problem.

But it’s already been three days.
Both of their hearts have been torn and burned dozens, hundreds of times over.

The demon beast isn’t a problem for Saelika.
But the desert?
Saelika has never experienced a desert before.

“I should have gone with you both. Sae is what matters most, and I was occupied with other matters when I shouldn’t have been.”
“No. Even if I had gone with her, it’s my fault for not looking after Sae first.”
“I should have taught her that if you get lost, wait where you are and don’t go anywhere else.”

Looking back, I called myself a father yet never taught her even such basic things.
I never gave her anything properly.
That small child always gave me everything she had.

“Papa Randel, I love you!”

Strong, affectionate, and gentle—that was the child.
She always reached out her hand to me first, though I had no right to lean on her kindness.

“So, so, Randel.”
“Please become my papa….”

Yet I gave her nothing in return.
I couldn’t even be her support.
And so—

“That child always tried to solve everything alone.”

It felt like it was entirely my fault—no, it was my fault, and I couldn’t bear it.
What had I done as that child’s father!

“…That’s not your fault, Randel.”

Even as Ilay spoke those words, he knew they would offer Randel no comfort.
But he meant them sincerely.
It wasn’t Randel’s fault.

‘It should have been me. I should have done better.’

It was his fault.

Ilay was the only person who knew about Saelika’s past.
Ever since the Heavenly Realm, she had done everything alone.
Her brothers were always too busy scolding and mistreating her.
And before the regression….

‘When I knew her better than anyone else.’

Ilay clenched his teeth.
He had been far too complacent all this time.
How was he any different from a fool who only realizes what matters most after losing it and drowns in regret?

“Randel, Priest Ilay.”

Prince Ryubik approached the two after finishing his conversation with the search party.

“Any new developments?”
“I apologize.”

Prince Ryubik lowered his head with a grave expression.

“The blowing sandstorm has erased all traces. We cannot even determine which direction she went.”

Not finding her was almost a mercy.
What Prince Ryubik feared most was discovering Saelika’s body buried beneath the sand.

“Should we not expand the search perimeter?”
“We searched immediately that day, so she couldn’t have gone much farther regardless. It would be better to conduct a more thorough search of this area. The desert’s terrain changes frequently.”
“Then proceed as you see fit, Your Highness. We shall search elsewhere.”
“I too wish to find Saelika swiftly and safely, more than anyone. Can you not trust me?”
“When it concerns that child, I cannot entrust her to anyone else’s hands.”

Then, figures appeared in the distance across the desert, kicking up sand as they approached.

“It seems new search personnel have arrived. With the royal knights mobilized, we should find her soon.”

Randel watched the knights approach, then paused.
The person leading them looked familiar.

“Kaiser?”

I hadn’t misread the situation.
Kaiser approached Randel the moment he arrived at the search outpost.
And without preamble, he asked.

“Where’s my daughter?”
“…Not yet.”

Kaiser had intended to grab Randel by the collar and strike him when they met.
To demand what in the world he’d been doing.
But now that they faced each other, that impulse had vanished.

‘He hasn’t slept. He hasn’t eaten a thing.’

Without the vast divine power he possessed, he would have collapsed and died long ago.

“…Aren’t you going to hit me? I thought you’d strike me the moment we met.”
“You look like someone who wants to be beaten until death.”
“….”
“My temperament isn’t good enough to indulge the wishes of someone so tormented that they’d rather be blamed.”

Kaiser’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.
Randel felt oddly reassured by that arrogant expression.

“How did you come here?”
“I thought I might be needed.”
“….”
“But I never imagined I’d be needed in this way.”
.
.
When I heard that Saelika was heading to the Kingdom of Bennaise as part of the imperial delegation.
The Temple of Artemia erupted as if struck by a thunderbolt from a clear sky.
A worshipper who visited the temple asked the priests in shock.

“Isn’t this something to be happy about? I heard the news and came to congratulate you.”
“How can we be happy when we don’t know when she’ll return to the temple once she goes to the kingdom!”
“I thought our precious one would return to my arms this week!”
“Devon, she’ll be in my arms, not yours.”
“The days without seeing our tiger are only increasing!”
“I even bought a bunch of cookies to give our rabbit.”

The Temple Priests, who had been waiting for Saelika’s return, grew dejected and wore sorrowful expressions.
Unable to bear it any longer, the High Priest scolded them.

“Enough of this noise! Sae is out there earnestly earning merit, and you’re throwing a tantrum just because you miss her? What do you expect me to do!”
“H-High Priest…”
“That child is far more mature than all of you! You should be ashamed!”

The High Priest clicked his tongue and turned away.

That evening.
Due to an unexpected incident, Devon and Sirius sought out the High Priest’s quarters.
But then.

“…High Priest?”
“Could those be tears… No, they’re not.”

The two men exchanged glances.

‘He was just crying while muttering about my little chick, wasn’t he?’
‘More precisely, he said “I miss my little chick so much.”‘

Both decided to keep quiet for the High Priest’s dignity.
The High Priest asked them with his usual stern expression.

“What is it?”
“We have a serious problem, High Priest!”
“A serious problem?”

The High Priest’s expression changed instantly.
It was uncommon for two Elders to come seeking him out like this, calling it a serious problem.
Surely some grave matter concerning the temple’s safety had arisen!

“Kaiser has disappeared!”
“…What?”
“Here, it’s a note Kaiser left behind.”

Sirius held out the note.
The High Priest unfolded it immediately.

Going to see my daughter.
Don’t look for me.

“…”

The High Priest fell silent for a moment.
Then…

“This damn brat!! How old is he and he’s running away like this!!!”

The High Priest raged at his son’s recklessness.
Sirius bowed his head with a stern expression.
Certainly, Kaiser, as the Sacred Knight representing the temple, was far too irresponsible—

“If he’s going, then I’m going with him!!!”

Wait, was that it?!
Devon erupted in frustration beside the bewildered Sirius.

“Tch, tsk! That’s why kids these days!! I’ve been holding back wanting to go too!”
“Exactly! Does he think I don’t want to go because I can’t?!!”

Sirius was taken aback.
These two had lost their minds over this sudden development.
He alone had to keep his wits about him and lead the Artemia Temple forward.

‘…But right now, is that bastard Kaiser meeting with Sae overseas and enjoying sweet moments together? That shameless fool! I’ll never forgive him!’

Well, in the end, he was just as impulsive as they were.
.
.
The runaway adult spoke with a face as cold and composed as a statue.

“Given my daughter’s temperament, I thought she would plan an expedition to subjugate the Dantalian Desert.”
“….”
“So I came.”

Of course, Randel and Ilay saw through that solemn expression.

‘He ran away because he missed Sae.’
‘He ran away because he missed Sae.’

At that look, Kaiser cleared his throat and asked Randel.

“Any divine power readings?”
“…None.”

The High Priest and the Sacred Maiden are connected through divine blood—a parent and child relationship.
At close range, they can sense each other’s divine power.

“Ilay.”
“I couldn’t sense anything either.”

The Temple Priest and the Sacred Maiden are also connected.
Especially Saelika—she had been a Sacred Maiden with particularly strong connections to the Temple Priests since childhood.

“…Then Saelika wouldn’t be in the area you searched.”
“Or perhaps our paths simply didn’t cross.”

Or… she had become a corpse.
But all three refrained from speaking of that possibility.
That child could not have met such a fate.

“Prince Ryubik suggested we conduct a more thorough search of the same area, but we intend to expand our search perimeter.”
“Yes, that would be better.”

The three immediately departed from the search outpost.
There was no time to waste on discussion now.

How long had they wandered through the desert like this?

“This place….”

It was nothing but a desert of sand.
Yet the three of them felt something amiss.

“I can sense traces of mana.”
“It’s incredibly dense too. Even though considerable time has passed.”
“Yes, whoever did this must have been exceptionally skilled.”

While Randel and Ilay exchanged words, Kaiser pressed his hand against the sand and gauged the residual mana.

Not hidden at all—rather, a raw, lingering trace left bare as a beast marking its territory.
Kaiser recognized this mana’s resonance.

“…Mikhail.”

This was no ordinary disappearance.
His crimson eyes gleamed with sharp intensity.

* * *

‘Living, living through the stars….’

I couldn’t believe it.
I’d been kidnapped.

‘I was too careless thinking about Admiral Ekellan and Demian.’

I’d assumed Mikhail’s family would be similar to them.

‘Father Randel and Ilay must be worried.’

And it wasn’t just anyone—the Sacred Maiden had gone missing.
This would rekindle the trauma of Artemia Temple, which had been without a Sacred Maiden for two generations.
The Kingdom of Bennaiser would be in an uproar over a distinguished guest being harmed.

‘…Standing out isn’t the problem—I don’t know the way out.’

Wandering the desert without proper provisions was far more dangerous.
Beside me, Mikhail’s Adjutant, Barensya, offered me a chilled fruit.

“This is delicious too, Saelika. Please try some.”

Barensya carried himself with the grace and elegance befitting a black panther.
No matter how I looked at it, he didn’t seem like the type to consent to kidnapping young girls.

“Why do you follow such orders, Barensya?”
“I’m not following orders—I’m following Young Master Mikhael.”
“Why follow that bastard? He’s a kidnapper.”
“Though we’re called the same people, we half-beasts have particularly low human rights. Young Master Mikhael is the only one who employs us and keeps us by his side like this.”
“…Does that mean Mikhael has at least some redeeming qualities?”
“Redeeming qualities, you say…?”
“Doesn’t it mean he’s looking after your human rights?”
“No?”

Barensya blinked his beast-like eyes as if asking what I meant.

“Since we have no human rights, it’s convenient to use us however he pleases, isn’t it?”
“…So that’s why Mikhael hired you?”
“Of course. You absolutely must not think of Young Master Mikhael as a good person.”
“…”
“Do you understand? Never be deceived by a smiling face.”
“Don’t worry. I already think he’s a foul-tempered bastard.”
“That’s quite disappointing.”

At the sudden voice, I frowned deeply.

“It’s quite disappointing that you frown the moment you hear my voice.”
“You look far too pleased for someone who’s supposedly disappointed.”

At my blunt remark, Mikhael laughed as if delighted.

“Where’s Nelije?”
“Who knows? She’s probably sleeping.”
“…”
“I told you. Don’t worry. She’ll be safe. I have no interest in her.”
“Then I wish you’d lose interest in me too.”
“I find you curious, actually.”
“…?”
“I’m usually not interested in other things. And even when I am, it doesn’t last long.”

Mikhail smiled softly.

“But the more I see you, the more entertaining you become.”
“….”
“Especially when you realized you’d been kidnapped and immediately destroyed everything around you. Most Sacred Maidens don’t do that, do they?”
“I didn’t destroy things for your entertainment.”

I exhaled deeply.

“If you’re done playing around, take me back. It’s already been three days.”
“I’m not done yet.”
“The Admiral will be troubled as well.”
“I don’t care.”

Mikhail smiled with his eyes half-closed in a languid expression.

“I’m going through a rebellious phase.”

‘Ah, I see….’

This was truly exasperating.
In truth, I had a suspicion about why Mikhail was acting this way.
I was just hesitant to bring it up.

“Mikhail, if this is because of your brother—.”
“My brother? Ah.”

Mikhail nodded as if he understood what I meant.

“Now that you mention it, Demian was apparently upset when he first saw you, saying you stole his place as my brother.”
“….”
“I don’t care. I left that household in the first place because they were too obsessed with the ‘lost Grand Duchess.'”
“….”
“I have little interest. I barely remember her anyway.”

Despite his words of indifference, contempt and hatred gleamed in Mikhail’s eyes.
Hatred toward his brother.

It was the first time.
Admiral Ekellan and Demian both wore infinitely tender and poignant expressions whenever they spoke of “that child.”
It was also the first time I felt such vivid emotion emanating from Mikhael.

“…So you abandoned the name Noishrael and became the Admiral’s son?”

Mikhael offered no response.
He merely smiled.
A smile like a painting—meticulously crafted.

“Now that I think about it, I’m curious about something too. I was catching monsters when I encountered a Demon.”
“….”
“That Demon knew your name.”
“…!”
“How is that possible?”

—————
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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