Youngest on Top - Chapter 164

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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 164

Saelika stared at Admiral Ekellan with an incredulous expression.
Her two fathers spoke as if voicing her very thoughts.

“You call that kindness?”
“Has he finally lost his mind?”
“Ah, well. Normally, yes, that would be insane. But it’s Mikhail we’re talking about.”
“….”
“You have to think in Mikhail’s terms.”
“This is exactly why you’ve failed at raising your son—blindly defending him like this.”
“No, listen.”

Admiral Ekellan began his explanation.

~Mikhail’s Omniscient Perspective~
1. Discovered that monsters in the Dantallian Desert suddenly grew stronger.
2. Became concerned about Saelika.
3. Went through the trouble of
dragging
the monster all the way here from the Dantallian Desert.
4. And informed her using (in his mind) the
best possible method
.

“Now do you see?! From Mikhail’s perspective, that’s kindness and consideration!”

Admiral Ekellan spoke with absolute confidence.
At his flawless explanation, everyone else began to nod—

“What kindness and consideration?!”

—there was no way they would.

“You’re trying to slip past this, but point four is the problem, isn’t it? What’s with that parenthetical remark?”
“The best method is just throwing her at a monster to fight?!”
“Throwing her at a monster? From Mikhail’s perspective, that’s quite the fun game—.”
“That’s exactly the problem!”

No one appreciates my son’s thoughtfulness and kindness.
It was heartbreaking.
But sincerity always finds its way eventually!
With that singular conviction, Admiral Ekellan explained with fervent enthusiasm.

“What we need to focus on is point number 2.”

~Mikhail’s Omniscient Perspective~
2. Saelika is a source of concern.
2-1. He knows that Saelika will undertake the subjugation of monsters in the Dantallian Desert.
2-2. Normally, Mikhail shows no interest in others—he doesn’t even know when his father goes to war, and he forgets even when told.
★2-3. Yet he knows that Saelika will subjugate monsters, and he actually remembers it.★
2-4. And it doesn’t stop there—he even
worries about her!!

“Do you understand now?”
“Do you get it?!”

Only an irritated response came back.

‘Tsk, that was as clear and perfect an explanation as it could possibly be.’

Admiral Ekellan pouted his lips.
Those dark-hearted adults didn’t need to understand Mikhail’s kindness anyway.
What mattered was Saelika.

“Our Saelika understands, doesn’t she? Hmm?”
“I do.”
“I knew it…!”
“I’m well aware that all that worry resulted in him thoughtfully giving me candy.”

Saelika smiled brightly.

“Ah, no, the result is certainly that, but the intention was—.”
“Mikhail didn’t bring only the monster here.”

Saelika withdrew a small box from her embrace.

“He went out of his way to gather angel feathers just to stab me in the back.”
“No, no—he’s not trying to stab you in the back. Mikhail was preparing a surprise event.”
“A surprise stab in the back is still a surprise, isn’t it?”
“You can’t think about it from a human perspective.”

Admiral Ekellan met my gaze with utmost seriousness.

“Cats hunt mice for humans, don’t they? It’s like that. From a human’s perspective, a dead mouse is a disaster, but from a cat’s perspective, it’s a gift.”
“Is that really the same as a dead monster corpse?”

Saelika tilted her head toward the monster’s corpse.

“Mikhail is more of a beast than a small cat, so he brought something bigger than a mouse.”
“….”
“And hunting is fun for cats, right? So he deliberately kept it alive and brought it to you so you could hunt it yourself.”
“….”
“Think about it, Apple. A cat who hates humans caught prey for you. He thought you’d like it.”

An image of a cat naturally came to mind.
The imaginary cat meowed and chose Saelika.
It was lying on its back with its belly exposed!

Saelika’s pupils wavered.

‘That’s… actually convincing!’

—No, it wasn’t!
I almost fell for it.
Saelika wiped the cold sweat from her brow.

‘They say Admiral Ekellan’s eloquence is so brilliant that he captivates the hearts of Regime noblewomen at once…!’

Indeed, his rhetoric was remarkably skillful!

Enrik: …Isn’t it just that you’re an idiot and almost fell for it?
Kailros: What are you talking about? Our youngest is pure-hearted.

“Now, now, Sae, do you understand now?”
“Mikhail isn’t a cat. He’s human. At least, he is.”
“But in the sense that he lacks reason, they’re the same.”
“….”

Was this some kind of elaborate insult?
Rather than defending my son, I was insulting him.

“Mikhail, come here and explain yourself. Sae is misunderstanding.”
“…?”

Mikhail, who had been watching from a distance like someone observing a fire across a river, tilted his head in confusion.
As he drew closer, he gently clenched his fist.
Then he placed his fist softly onto Saelika’s palm.

“Meow.”

—he cried out.

Saelika looked up at Mikhail with a look of disgust.

‘…Is he truly insane?’

* * *

With the Artemisia Temple passing the Regime branch vote, the remaining temples grew restless.
But Houston remained composed.

‘I’ve laid the trap. Now I simply wait for it to spring.’

Only amateurs panic and flail about in hindsight.

‘…But isn’t this taking too long?’

By now, they should have realized they cannot obtain the land.

“Has there been any word from Artemisia?”
“Not yet.”
“By now, she should have come looking for me.”
“When that woman came here last time, she was so arrogant. But now that we need her help, it seems she needs time to swallow her pride.”

It was a fair point.
That woman’s pride was as formidable as her arrogance.

“Then I’ll have to go find her myself.”
“You mean to go personally, Houston?”
“Yes. There’s no need to wait for her to prepare herself mentally. If I show up suddenly when she’s still uncertain, won’t that shake her resolve even more?”
“As expected of you, Houston. You employ such cunning even when dealing with a mere child.”
“Because I’ve confirmed she’s no ordinary opponent.”

Houston rose from his seat.
His destination was the Outer Palace where Saelika resided.

* * *

Saelika greeted the unexpected visitor with a radiant smile.
He was far more welcome than that lunatic.

‘A punching bag has arrived!’

“Oh my, isn’t it our greatest benefactor? What more help have you come to offer our Artemisia?”

Even the punching bag seemed capable of learning—Houston didn’t grow angry as he had before.
Instead, he chuckled with an air of composure.

“This isn’t the time to be so insolent.”
“…?”
“You must have something you want to say to me.”
“Hmm, not really.”
“You do. It would be wise to speak quickly. Before I change my mind.”

Saelika tilted her head in confusion.
After pondering for a moment, the child nodded with an “Ah!”

‘Hmph, putting on airs to protect your pride, are you.’

Houston scoffed at Saelika.
It was obvious he’d been worrying since the moment he saw her face about how to bring up the matter of the land.
Yet now she was pretending she’d only just remembered.

Indeed, Saelika spoke with utmost seriousness.

“I’m not the one who spread the rumor about your teeth being all gaps, Houston!”
“…What?”
“Looks like the rumor’s already spread? You came looking for me because you thought I started it, right? The way you’re interrogating me proves it!”
“….”

Houston’s mind reeled.
What in the world was this….

“Even though you didn’t pay me hush money with any sense of propriety, I still kept my mouth shut.”

Wasn’t hush money usually something thugs collected?
And who was she calling unprincipled?

“It probably spread from within the Parmanasus Temple itself, don’t you think? The person standing beside you now was there at that time too, wasn’t he?”

Saelika pointed to Houston’s messenger.

“Don’t be too discouraged. Even though you’ve earned the nickname ‘Gap-teeth,’ the world isn’t ending, is it? You’ve got this!”

Saelika clenched her fist encouragingly.

His scattered mind finally returned.
Houston burst out shouting.

“No such rumor exists!!!”
“Oh, is that so? Honestly, I thought it was exactly the kind of thing that would make perfect gossip.”

Saelika tilted her head in confusion, then nodded.

“That’s right, there’s something called the ‘unknown shield.’ They say nobody spreads rumors about nobodies nobody’s ever heard of. Seems like you’re not very popular, Houston.”
“How dare you call me some unknown nobody!!!”
“Um…. Hang in there?”

Saelika gazed at Houston with an unwavering stare, her smile radiating kindness.
That only infuriated him more.

“I never had a gap in the first place!! My teeth are perfectly fine!!!”
“Yes, of course.”
“What’s with that expression!!!”

Houston, who had been fuming moments before, suddenly caught himself.

‘Why am I engaging in such childish bickering….’

Whenever I encountered Saelika, I inexplicably lost my composure.
Houston drew a deep breath, steadying himself.

“Stop this. You need to know when to yield. If you let pride consume you, you might fail to establish a branch of the Regime.”
“…?”
“You’re not foolish enough not to understand what happens if you can’t establish a branch.”
“….”
“Didn’t the vote pass through like a miracle, all thanks to my assistance?”

Houston twisted his lips, looking down at Saelika.

“To acquire land for the branch, you’ll need my help again this time.”
“Nope~ No way. Sae doesn’t need help from someone with teeth full of holes!”
“You…!”

Houston bristled with anger.
He struggled to suppress the fury rising within him.
He had nearly been drawn in by her again.

‘I’m the one holding the advantage here. I don’t need to be manipulated.’

“If you can’t acquire land and fail to establish a branch, what do you think will happen? The Artemisia Temple will become a complete laughingstock. A foolish organization that can’t even set its own table—.”
“Excuse me.”

Saelika exhaled a long, weary sigh.

“I secured the land.”
“What…?”
“I said I secured the land.”

Houston was momentarily flustered, but quickly grasped the situation and regained his composure.

“Ah, some shabby plot on the outskirts of the Regime? Planning to build a temple in the slums?”
“I suppose so.”
“Here you are, receiving all this undeserved praise about being the rising star, yet you’re opening a hole-in-the-wall shop. When you should be constructing the most magnificent branch possible, sparing no expense.”
“Why do you care so much about someone else’s temple? Are you thinking of converting to Artemisia or something?”
“What—.”
“No. Go back. I won’t accept you. I won’t accept you.”

Crunch, crunch, crunch!
Eventually, Houston ground his teeth.
He had sworn never to do it in front of Sae.

That was when it happened.
Knock, knock—the door opened with the sound.

“Sae, are we still far off?”

The one who entered was Demian.
Houston’s face brightened.

“Duke Noishurael! It’s been a while.”

Demian regarded Houston with an expressionless face.

“I’m talking with Sae right now.”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t interrupt.”
“…Yes?”
“You’re already making our outing late.”

Houston swallowed hard.
Was Demian Noishurael… like this?
He had always been cold and distant, never letting anyone close.
But now, his demeanor toward Sae—.

“You’re wasting time on something utterly pointless. Why don’t we just head back without exhausting ourselves?”
“Y-Your Highness, this is important to the Artemisia Temple as well—.”
“Land, yes, it’s important. But Saelika has already secured decent land, hasn’t she?”

Saelika shrugged her shoulders.
I had been thinking of playing with my punching bag a bit longer.
If I made Demian wait any further, it seemed like all hell would break loose.

“However, Your Highness, all the prime land is currently locked in transactions. We must conduct business with our Parmanace—.”
“We don’t need it. We’ve already decided to construct a temple branch here.”

Saelika tapped a finger on the map.

“Th-This place is…!”

Houston’s pupils trembled as he confirmed the location.

“Impossible! This land has been managed by the Imperial Family for centuries… no one outside the Imperial House could ever own it. How could this be?!??!”
“Well, through the power of faith?”

Saelika winked cheerfully.

“Wait—.”
“Didn’t I tell you to stop interfering?”

Demian blocked Houston’s path.
His eyes blazed like blue flames.
Houston had no choice but to step back with a start.

‘This is insane!’

The land Saelika had obtained.
It wasn’t merely prime land—it could be called golden land.
Because it was where the Triumphal Arch of the First Emperor stood!

‘And why on earth would the Duke Noishurael…?!’

The wish of Perardin Noishurael Duke and the Crown Prince.
It was to find the lost Grand Princess.
Naturally, Parmanace had a far greater chance of fulfilling that wish than Artemisia ever could.

‘But why is he shielding that woman Sae, right in front of me!’

An unexpected turn of events had occurred.

* * *

Demian was in an exceptionally good mood.
Sae had been the one to suggest a date.

‘And just the two of us at that.’

Admiral Ekellan had wept, wanting to join them, but Sae had firmly shaken her head.
Merely recalling this brought a faint smile to Demian’s face.

‘I’ve wronged Sae in so many ways.’

Compared to Mikhail, who had saved her life from their very first meeting, my own introduction to her could scarcely have been worse.

‘This is my chance to make amends. I need to show her that I’m more dependable than that bastard Mikhail.’

It was at that very moment.
Someone waved toward Sae from across the way.
It appeared as though they had arranged to meet Sae beforehand.

“…Why is that bastard Mikhail here?”

Demian’s face hardened like stone upon identifying the other person.
Sae looked up at Demian with a proud expression.
Her blue eyes sparkled brilliantly.

‘How about it? Do you like it? It’s a chance for you to get closer to your own brother!’

Demian felt as though he were hearing things.
More precisely, he was going mad.

—————
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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