Youngest on Top - Chapter 171

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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 171

The Emperor was a ruler possessed of considerable charisma in his own right.
He wielded his political acumen even within the treacherous labyrinth of court intrigue.
This was why his authority remained unshaken despite orchestrating the unprecedented crisis of demons assaulting the imperial palace.

‘…But what is His Majesty saying right now?’
‘Did I mishear him?’

The nobles blinked rapidly, their eyes fixed upon the Emperor.

Beside them, Duke Makandor shook his head in disbelief, while the attendant hung his face in shame.

‘Why do I feel more embarrassed than His Majesty, who actually misspoke?’

Of course, His Majesty remained composed.
That was precisely why he was the Emperor.

“What are you staring at?”
“Ah, nothing at all, Your Majesty.”
“Ha, haha, there would be no reason for the Kingdom of Bennayser and Artemia to conspire together, would there?”

At the desperate attempt of a certain noble to change the subject, the Emperor nodded as though it were obvious.

“Indeed, of course not!”

Houston’s face darkened.
So that moment when his eyes had turned cold—it wasn’t for any other reason—.

‘He was irritated by the Bennayser royals setting their sights on her?!’

It was utterly absurd.

* * *

The sunlight blazed brilliantly.
The desert sand sparkled.
The day was beautifully clear.
At last, the morning of our return to the Empire had arrived!

“Phew, I thought I’d die from how exhausting that was.”

I patted my shoulders.
In that instant, Kaiser’s eyes gleamed beside me.

“Your shoulders? Are your shoulders hurting!”
“Subjugation is always tough. When I think of our daughter sleeping in the desert without a proper roof over her head, I just….”
“Our little rabbit suffered so much in the desert.”
“Our tiger’s domain is the forest, isn’t it!”
“Ahem, if she nestles in my arms, all the pain will vanish!”
“Have you lost your mind? Get away! Our little treasure will only feel safe in my embrace.”

In an instant, I was engulfed by the adults.

‘Ugh, I can’t breathe!!’

The subjugation wasn’t difficult at all.

“Let me see. They say kisses are better than medicine, smack! Smack!”
“Our little golden treasure deserves kisses!”
“What are you doing to my daughter right now!”

‘This is what’s truly exhausting!!!’

These kiss-obsessed fiends can’t even be exorcised.
At least right now it’s only our temple people, so it’s just this bad.
The past few days….

Just remembering it gave me a headache.
How much the royal family of King Bennayser and our temple people had bickered.

‘I’d rather fight 1700 against 1.’

Anyway, that’s all over now.
Once I return to the Empire, there won’t be any reason to visit King Bennayser’s kingdom for a while.

“Saelika.”

I lifted my head at the sound of my name. It was Nelije.
Nelije approached me with some hesitation.

“Are you alright?”
“Do I look alright?”
“No.”

An answer without a shred of hesitation.
So that’s why she approached so uncertainly.
Our priests aren’t monsters or anything.
…Though they are kiss demons, I suppose.

“Still, you look good.”

Nelije murmured softly.
Her gaze as she looked at me and the priests held something wistful.
I shrugged my shoulders.

“Why do you speak like everyone else?”
“Huh?”
“You’re in the same boat as us now, Nelije. Aren’t you one of us?”
“…!”

Nelije’s eyes widened considerably.
Soon after, she nodded vigorously.

“Yes!”

Her smiling face looked every bit her age.

‘Nelije must have suffered greatly all this time.’

The High Priest of Valotelo had fallen, and the temple’s situation grew worse by the day.
And the traitor was her godfather, the one she trusted and followed more than anyone.

‘At least the High Priest’s condition has improved now.’

The other day, I stopped by the Varotelo Temple and met with the High Priest.
Having been bedridden for so long, he couldn’t move about with boundless energy just yet, but he still looked quite healthy.

This was my first real conversation with the High Priest of Varotelo.
Right after I lifted the curse, he hadn’t regained consciousness yet.

The High Priest welcomed us with an unexpectedly calm demeanor.
The first news he must have heard upon awakening from the curse was that the temple had been subjugated.
I thought it would be understandable if he harbored some wariness.

“Nelije, if that is the choice you made, then it is well.”
“High Priest. I—.”
“It was the best choice for Varotelo. I believed it would be so, but seeing Sacred Maiden Artemia and the priests here only strengthens my conviction.”
“….”
“You did well.”

The High Priest slowly stroked Nelije’s head.
Then he spoke to me.

“I once thought getting caught in the rain was no great matter. A little wet, and you simply shake it off, I said.”
“….”
“I did not know that my children could fall ill from merely being rained upon. I did not realize that I myself was the one worsening their condition.”
“….”
“What was needed long ago was a large and sturdy umbrella. Young Nelije, as a Sacred Maiden, made the decision I could not. For that, I am grateful.”
“….”
“I ask for your continued support.”

He bowed his head to me.

“Artemia will become Varotelo’s umbrella, just as you wish. We will shield Varotelo from the storms of hardship.”
“….”
“I trust that Varotelo, too, will hold fast to the umbrella within, never letting it slip. For the one who supports the umbrella is equally important.”
“…!”

The High Priest’s eyes widened slightly.
Soon after, a gentle smile crossed his face.

“The Sacred Maiden is quite affectionate, isn’t she?”

The High Priest of Varotel had publicly earned a reputation for weakness.
It was a natural result—he had diminished the temple’s influence by simply complying with the policies of King Bennayser’s kingdom.
But from my perspective—.

‘He was a kind grandfather.’

While perhaps insufficient for expanding the temple’s power, he possessed enough warmth to nurture a single temple with genuine care.
I finally understood why Nelije had been so sharp and wary of me at first.

‘Nelije truly wanted to protect the High Priest, to protect the Varotel Temple.’

For her, that small temple must have been the warmest home in the world.

‘Now I think I’m beginning to understand that feeling too.’

Our children and the adults as well—.

“Why are you looking at me like that? You want a kiss, don’t you!”
“Mwah, mwah!”
“Smooooch!!!”
“No, our little Honeybread’s going to get squished!”
“The child’s getting all wrinkled! Elder, please stop!”
“You’re jealous, aren’t you? You’re jealous!”
“Why are you teasing the children, Elder!!”
“You’re jealous too, aren’t you?”
“Eeeek!”

‘I understand the feeling… or at least I’m starting to… but…’

Save me, please!
I’m seriously going to get squashed!!

* * *

The Imperial Palace.
Despite no particularly grand events taking place, the palace was in turmoil.

“It’s not enough!”

Adelin swept the tableware crashing onto the floor.

“How many times must I say it’s insufficient?!”
“F-forgive us, Your Highness Adelin!”
“A cake of this caliber could never capture Saelika’s heart!!”

Adelin clutched her head in despair.
Yet she had no time to wallow in such despair.

‘Even now, Maxina must be making her moves!’

Adelin ignited her fighting spirit.

“Create the finest cake!”
“Yes, Your Highness Adelin!”
“Spare no expense! Don’t skimp on ingredients! Dust it with gold powder—no, diamond powder!”
“…Y-yes.”

The pastry chefs nodded hesitantly.
None possessed the courage to offer counsel to Adelin in such an agitated state.

The maids watching from behind exhaled silent sighs.

‘…Your Highness Adelin, if you sprinkle diamond powder, she’ll die.’

Of course, it was figurative.
This welcome-home cake would become an assassination cake instead!!

.
.

“This isn’t it!”

A similar commotion was unfolding in Maxina’s imperial palace.
Maxina’s anguished cry left her attendant maids in disarray.

“W-well, I must say it tastes quite excellent to me?”
“Yes! It’s sweet yet refreshing, and beneath that lies such a profound depth of flavor—truly exquisite!”
“No.”

Maxina shook her head firmly.

“This alone won’t do. I need a fruit tea that can captivate Saelika’s palate instantly—something truly irresistible.”
“But haven’t you already procured every rare and exotic fruit available only in foreign lands?”

At those words, Maxina fell into contemplation.
She had already obtained every fruit her authority as Empress could acquire.
Even fruits from that distant continent.
Yet if even those wouldn’t suffice—.

“What if I added diamonds?”
“Pardon?!”

The maids gasped in surprise, staring at Maxina.
Of course, she must be joking.

‘If you did, the fruit tea would become poison!!’

.
.

The Emperor’s Palace.

“The Empresses are quite busy, I hear.”
“Indeed they are.”

The Emperor nodded at Duke Makandor’s remark.

“That child has proven her worth even greater this time. The entire empire is abuzz with talk of the subjugation squad, is it not?”
“…Did Your Majesty foresee all of this?”
“Well…”

The Emperor briefly averted his gaze from the chessboard and crossed his arms.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect the results to turn out like this. I thought she’d demonstrate something, but not to this extent.”
“So you were testing Sacred Maiden Artemia, Your Majesty.”
“That’s right.”

The Emperor nodded.

The public subjugation that Houston had proposed.
It was certainly a disadvantageous proposal for Artemia.
The Emperor’s immediate acceptance of it stemmed from two main reasons.

1. To maintain balance by granting Artemia land while honoring Parmanase’s request.
2. To observe how Saelika would overcome this massive crisis.

“I’ve already wagered much on Artemia. The stakes will only grow from here.”
“Indeed. It was a time when a judgment was necessary—whether to continue forward or withdraw.”
“So I tested her. I can make my decision based on how she handles the public subjugation.”

If she possessed the ability, I’d raise the stakes further.
If not, that would be the end of it.

Duke Makandor let out a knowing smirk.

“Yet it seems Your Majesty never doubted from the start that Saelika would fail.”
“Right. She’s the child I’ve already put my own chips into the game for. Of course I knew she’d manage it.”
….
“But I never imagined she’d pull it off this well. Not only did she capture public opinion, but she even landed a blow against Parmanase.”

At that moment, the Attendant standing beside the Emperor spoke up hesitantly.

“Begging your pardon, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm?”
“Sacred Maiden Saelika didn’t necessarily read through Parmanase’s scheme and land a blow against him, did she?”

The Attendant quickly added, lest there be any misunderstanding.

“I certainly agree that she completed the subjugation splendidly and admirably.”

The Emperor regarded the Attendant with a look of exasperation.

“Don’t you see?”
“Pardon?”
“This is Saelika’s grand design.”
“Grand… design?”
“Yes.”

The Emperor nodded with unwavering certainty.

“Saelika had already foreseen everything. That Houston would come to me with a proposal, that I would accept it.”
“….”
“Even that the proposal would be a public subjugation!”

The Attendant spoke with visible reluctance.

“So you’re saying Sacred Maiden Saelika knew about the public subjugation and acted accordingly?”
“Exactly!”

The Attendant turned his gaze toward Duke Makandor.

‘Am I the only one who thinks this is absurd?’

Yet Duke Makandor was nodding seriously at the Emperor’s words.

“Truly remarkable intelligence gathering. However did she learn of the public subjugation beforehand?”
“Saelika’s eyes and ears must be deeply rooted throughout the empire.”
“Extraordinary. Despite having no prior connections to the empire, to move so swiftly….”
“If she didn’t learn it through intelligence networks, then she deduced it purely through reasoning.”
“…!”

Duke Makandor stared at the Emperor with widened eyes.
He soon nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, judging by her actions thus far, Saelika possesses a frighteningly brilliant mind.”
“Yes. She orchestrated this entire game, set the stakes, and played the powers against one another to raise the ante.”

The Emperor tapped his own head thoughtfully.

“That child’s got a brilliant mind—there’s no other explanation for it.”
“This generation’s Sacred Maiden Artemia is quite the intellectual.”
“Didn’t you see during the subjugation? Saelika didn’t engage in combat. She led the children.”
“Being intelligent, she must be weak at close combat, I suppose.”

A delicate child who had poured everything into intellect alone.
The Emperor and Duke Makandor nodded in agreement.
Only the Attendant looked bewildered.

‘…Wasn’t it just that the other Trainee Priests handled things well on their own, so she didn’t need to step forward?’

I didn’t particularly see her using her mind to devise strategies during the battle.

“Wasn’t that child the first to step forward during the recent imperial palace monster incident? She fought really well back then.”
“You forgot? Those monsters were weak despite their appearance. They were just artificially enlarged.”
“Saelika knew the monster incident was my doing. With her exceptional mind, she quickly grasped the truth and stepped forward.”

Wait, does that even make sense?
Back then, Saelika’s movements were as skilled as someone who’d been brawling for thousands of years.
The Attendant focused on the present rather than dwelling on the past.

“Still, isn’t it quite a leap to deduce a public subjugation from mere deduction?”

The Emperor and Duke Makandor both let out deep sighs simultaneously.
The Attendant swallowed hard at their exasperated expressions.

“Listen. We cannot obstruct the subjugation itself in Parmanase. The moment we do, we’ll face international condemnation.”
“Yes.”
“Then we must conduct sabotage while maintaining the subjugation, mustn’t we?”
“Saelika focused on that point and began her deduction.”
“…And from that alone, she concluded it was a public subjugation?”

The Emperor and Duke nodded as if it were obvious.

“That’s why she’s brilliant.”
“Frighteningly so.”
“….”

The Attendant felt oddly uneasy.
The Emperor’s judgments continued to prove correct, after all.
But even so, this seemed excessive.

‘This can’t possibly be right, can it?’

“Mark my words. The moment Sacred Maiden Saelika returns to the Parmanase Order, she will seek out Priest Houston first.”
“Priest Houston?”
“Yes, if my reasoning is sound. Wouldn’t she want to confront the very person responsible for this catastrophe?”

That was when it happened.
The Emperor’s trusted aide entered the chamber and made his report.

“Sacred Maiden Saelika has just returned.”
“Where did she go?”
“To the Parmanase Order headquarters… to meet with Priest Houston, they say!”
“…!”

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