Youngest on Top - Chapter 158

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

Chapter 158

“Pardon?”

The Attendant Maid asked in surprise.
Maxina had been rejected by Saelika twice.
Yes, rejected.

Yet instead of scolding her, she was actually going to donate a sacred statue?

“But Sacred Maiden Artemia dared to ignore the Empress’s invitation—.”
“Ignore? That’s not it. Her value just increased. Would she truly ignore it when the Emperor’s attendant was present?”
“Ah….”
“She deliberately pretended not to see us.”

Isn’t that exactly what ignoring means?

‘Honestly, Admiral Ekellan moved so quickly that the child probably didn’t even notice us.’

The Attendant Maid closed her mouth for now.
There was no point speaking when she’d only be criticized for what she did there.

“But didn’t we just decide to hold the branch temple vote? Are you preparing the sacred statue already?”
“The affirmative vote for the branch temple isn’t something only I can cast.”
“Still, it’s a precious vote. Other temples are using all sorts of bribes and making future promises just to obtain that vote.”
“What good is it to receive the same promises as everyone else?”
“….”
“I need to give what others won’t give—what’s actually needed. That’s how I secure a seat at the table, isn’t it?”
“Then wouldn’t it be better to decide after the vote is finished? Artemia might not even establish the branch temple—.”
“No, by then it’ll be too late.”

Maxina shook her head.

“The point is preparing the sacred statue before winning the branch temple vote.”
“….”
“Even if Adelin scrambles to prepare another gift later, it’ll be too late! This kind of thing needs to be given beforehand when it’s still uncertain.”

Hehehehe!
Maxina’s laughter echoed through the chamber.

“Just thinking about that wretch Adelin’s face crumpling is already so satisfying!”

* * *

At the same moment, in Empress Adelin’s residence.
Adelin nodded with a serious expression.

“So they’re demanding an entrance fee to participate in the vote.”
“If we pay, will they cast a vote in favor? The fee will be more than sufficient.”

Adelin did not nod immediately at her attendant maid’s words.
Instead, she fell into deep contemplation.

“That child—does she have any connection with Maxina?”
“She was invited to Maxina’s gathering, but… the real connection is with Princess Grizelda.”
“Yes, Maxina also failed to participate in the vote, did she not?”
“Still, she’ll be better off than I am. She’s at least met her face once.”

Tap, tap.
Adelin tapped the table.

“Maxina will cast her vote in favor. Even if I vote yes, I cannot overtake Maxina.”
“Then…”
“I’ll accept and go double.”

Adelin lifted her head.

“Contact Father. We must commission a sacred painting to adorn the Imperial branch of Artemia’s order.”

Adelin’s birth family owned the Empire’s largest painting gallery.

“Which painter shall we commission?”
“Well, what about Drovian?”
“Drovian…! That would certainly be more than sufficient as an entrance fee!”
“When paying the price, one must pay generously. Only then will the dignity of an Empress shine through, will it not?”
“Yes, that is correct.”

Adelin smiled.

“Last time, I ended up worthless because I paid the same price as someone like Maxina. This time, I need to take the lead.”

That was when it happened.
A knock sounded, and the door opened.

“What is it?”
“Your Majesty, Gerald from the White Pearl Merchant Guild has made contact with Sacred Maiden Artemia.”
“…!”

Adelin’s eyes narrowed.

“The White Pearl Merchant Guild, is it? The competition grows, and the stakes rise.”
“However, Gerald of the White Pearl Merchant Guild has always had deep ties with the Artemia Temple. It may be premature to call him a rival….”
“Is there a single temple among the Octagon that has no connection to the White Pearl Merchant Guild?”
“…There is none.”
“The White Pearl Merchant Guild maintains ties with virtually every temple. Yet they meet at this particular moment?”
“…!”
“Does this look like a mere courtesy visit to you?”

Adelin folded her arms and sank into the sofa.

“When the stakes grow, the price rises accordingly.”
“Then….”
“Double the offer, and then double it again.”

Lost in thought, Adelin fell silent for a moment.
Then she spoke.

“Not Drobian. Botiaphe.”
“…!”
“B-Botiaphe, Your Majesty….”

Her attendant maids showed reluctance.
The name Botiaphe carried that much weight.

“How can we request something from one who refuses commissions….”
“That’s precisely why it matters. Won’t that child feel my sincerity?”

Adelin smiled.

“And as a bonus, I get to see Maxina’s crumpled face too.”

* * *

After Gerald left.
Ilay asked me a question.

“I like that we’re using blackmail to stop Parmanase from interfering. But how are you going to get the votes in favor?”
“Hmm, what? I’m not going around collecting votes in favor.”
“What?”

Dmitri asked in surprise.

“Honeybread, then we’ll lose the vote.”
“No, we won’t.”
“…?”
“Parmanase will get the votes in favor on my behalf.”
“…!”

Edmund’s eyes narrowed.

“Don’t tell me the blackmail isn’t just to stop interference—.”
“Right, I’m going to blackmail him into getting votes in favor.”

At my words, Ilay fell into contemplation.

“Even so, would he listen? There are limits to blackmail, and votes in favor…”

Ilay’s concern was valid.
I do have evidence in my hands that Parmanase manipulated other temples.
But Parmanase has power, doesn’t he?
Moreover, the victims are foreign temples with no connections whatsoever within the Empire.

‘If I make excessive demands, Parmanase might turn hostile.’

“In dramas, powerless characters always just rely on evidence and make excessive demands to those in power. Then nine times out of ten, they get counterattacked.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I understand what Ilay is worried about.”

I clenched my fist and held it up.

“It was the same when I beat the children.”
“…?”
“If you give them a corner to escape to and then beat them, instead of resisting, they only think about running away.”
“….”
“But if you block all sides and beat them, they fight back? Even though they can’t win.”
“…Ilay’s words and yours seem like different situations.”
“Protagonist, have you ever beaten anyone other than us…?”

Dmitri asked with a face that looked somehow betrayed.

Enrique: I got beaten up a lot in the Heavenly Realm.

“Anyway! In the end, you just need to make them believe they can win.”
“A delusion, you say?”

I grinned wickedly.

“For instance, what if they believed the vote itself would fall through?”
“…!”
“Because we lack the qualifications.”

At my words, Ilay’s expression shifted to one of realization.

“You, surely not!”
“That’s right.”
“Certainly…. If they think the vote itself will fall through, they’ll pretend to yield to our threats in Parmanase and secure supporting votes.”
“While secretly mocking us the whole time.”

At Ilay and Edmund’s words, I nodded.

“But it’s actually they who are caught in the trap.”

Dmitri furrowed his brow.

“Why would they believe it would fall through? No, more than that—!”

He looked at me with an unusually grave expression.

“Protagonist, who else did you hit besides me? Huh? Who is that bastard?”
“….”

I felt a bit of regret.
Had I beaten Dmitri too much since childhood?

‘The child has become a bit strange….’

* * *

Time passed swiftly, and the day arrived.
The voting day for the Artemia Temple System branch.

Even though it hadn’t started yet, journalists were already waiting in the press section.
It wasn’t just the press section.
Outside the venue, journalists were stationed, waiting for attendees while fiddling with magical devices.

“How many years has it been since a System branch voting was held?”
“It’s been 92 years, senior.”
“If Artemia passes this time, the power structure will be reorganized.”
“Isn’t that what His Majesty the Emperor desires?”

Many people recently interpreted the Emperor’s actions as aimed at restructuring the power dynamics.
Otherwise, why would he suddenly entrust such a significant matter as the Kaston trade agreement to Sacred Maiden Artemia, who has no backing?

At that moment, another newspaper journalist approached them.

“You guys think too deeply. Is that a politics section trait?”
“Long time no see. I didn’t expect to see culture section journalists in a place like this.”
“The citizens’ interest is enormous. The voting itself is entertaining gossip.”
“Temples are ultimately in the business of popularity, after all.”

The journalists lit their cigarettes.

“What do you think? The voting result.”
“Honestly, isn’t the result obvious?”
“Artemia is certainly standing out….”

The temples deeply rooted in the system stood their ground as long-established powers.
Among the nobles with voting rights, there was no one without connections to those established temples.

“The System branch vote has only been held once in 92 years. But a new temple winning the vote….”
“That was 426 years ago.”

It was that difficult for a new temple to win in a vote.

“Still, couldn’t Artemia perform a miracle like 426 years ago?”
“Are you really a political correspondent? Think about what happened 426 years ago.”
“…! A, a war!”
“Right, exactly.”

The reporter took a deep drag on his cigarette while reproaching his junior colleague.

“Without something like a war, you can’t break through the already-established collusive relationships.”
“Right, the Emperor didn’t release monsters into the imperial palace for nothing to create shock.”
“Shh! Someone might hear. There was an imperial decree not to disclose that to the public.”
“There’s only journalists here anyway, so what does it matter.”

The reporters stubbed out their nearly finished cigarettes.

“Considering the Caston trade incident, Artemia’s track record is certainly remarkable, but there won’t be any upset.”
“Still, you never know.”
“Ha ha! That’s true. From the Culture Department’s perspective, they could use a fresh rookie.”

The reporters who had been chattering dispersed to their respective seats.
A man smoking cigarettes at a distance chuckled softly.

“Looks like they still don’t know.”
“What is it, Chief? Do you have information that Artemia will win the vote?”

The chief chuckled at his subordinate’s words.

“No. It’s the opposite.”
“Pardon?”
“Once I finish this cigarette and head back, start writing the article about the vote being cancelled.”
“Cancelled…? You mean Artemia didn’t fail?”
“That’s right. Cancelled. The vote won’t even be properly held in the first place.”
“…?”
“Artemia lacks the qualifications to establish a branch in the Order.”
“Lacks qualifications….”

The department head lowered his voice and whispered to his subordinate.
The subordinate’s eyes widened in shock.

“…!”
“Understand? Now go write it.”
“Yes, yes!”

The employee hastily stubbed out the cigarette and rushed into the press section.
Then he quickly began tapping away at the Manashell keyboard.

* * *

Under the direction of Alasia Duchess, the proposer, the voting session commenced.

“The Temple of Artemia achieved first place in the Eastern Temple evaluation in a short span of time. Moreover, upon joining the Order, she undertook the significant Caston Trade mission and delivered results beyond expectations. Furthermore—.”

Alasia Duchess’s words continued at length.

“…No one can deny that the Temple of Artemia has greatly contributed to the lives of the Empire’s people. The Order’s members too have grown in faith toward the god Artemia and wish to offer their prayers.”

Having enumerated her evidence, Alasia Duchess slowly surveyed the attendees.

“In accordance with the wishes of the Order’s members, I propose that the Temple of Artemia establish a branch within the Order.”

The moderator bowed his head.

“Following Alasia Duchess’s proposal, we shall proceed with the vote on establishing a branch for the Temple of Artemia—.”
“Wait.”

A deep voice cut through the moderator’s words.
The moderator looked at the speaker with a bewildered expression.

“Duke Mateshbon. Do you have something to say….”

Duke Mateshbon.
Agnes’s father fixed a sharp gaze upon Alasia Duchess.

“The Artemia Temple has no qualification to establish a branch in the Capital.”
“What do you mean, Duke? Did you not hear what I just said when I proposed the vote?”
“Surely you are aware, Duchess. To establish a branch in the Capital, one must possess sufficient influence.”

Duke Mateshbon nodded slightly.

“What branches does the Artemia Temple possess besides a few minor annexes in the east?”
“….”
“To qualify for a branch in the Capital, one must have at least one branch in each major region. Is that not so?”

Duke Mateshbon looked around the hall and posed his question.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“Was there… such a condition? The branch vote was nearly a century ago….”
“It is an almost obsolete condition. Among temples worthy of establishing a branch in the Capital, there is not a single one that fails to meet this requirement.”

A condition that had never once become an issue—one so obviously satisfied by all.
That is why it had been overlooked.

“Then the Artemia Temple has no qualification at all, does it?”

Alasia Duchess smiled wickedly.

“Why do you think they lack qualification?”
“What….”
“The Artemia Temple has more than sufficient qualification!”
“That is absurd! Where in the Empire does the Artemia Temple have a branch…!”

Duke Mateshbon’s voice grew harsh.
At that moment, a clear voice rang out through the hall.

“Yes, Duke, as you said, there is no branch of the Artemia Temple within the system.”
“…?!”

All eyes, including those of Mateshbon Duke, turned toward her.
Saelika smiled brightly.
The Duke exclaimed that she was right.

“Ha! Sacred Maiden Artemia herself just admitted it! That they lack the qualifications!”
“That’s not what I said, though?”

Saelika tilted her head with a puzzled expression.

“I said within the Empire—.”
“Yes, there is none within the Empire.”
“What kind of word game is this….”

As Mateshbon Duke furrowed his brow, Saelika raised her hand.
Those who saw what she held in her hand’s eyes widened as if they might split.

“That, that is…?”
“The, the royal crest of King Bennayser?!”
“No, surely not!”

The hall erupted into chaos in an instant.
Saelika grinned wickedly.

“Wouldn’t a kingdom be a far better choice than countless outposts within the Empire?”
“But the Kingdom of Bennayser already has the Balotelo Temple—.”
“Yes, the Kingdom of Bennayser did not say it would only have one temple.”
“That Balotelo Temple has now been subordinated to our Artemia Temple.”
“…!”
“Do we have sufficient qualifications now?”

The Dowager smiled at Saelika’s question.

“More than enough.”

Saelika spoke toward the Duke.

“Then shall we begin the vote?”

The opening Saelika had threatened me into creating—my escape route.
It was the moment that passage slammed completely shut.

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