Youngest on Top - Chapter 190

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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 190

Rimildar hastily opened her box.
In that instant.

“Kyaaaaaaah—!!”

A palm-sized crimson larva erupted from the box, writhing grotesquely in the air.
Golden sacred power immediately engulfed the monster.

Splat!
With a sharp sound, the monster transformed into red liquid and dripped down.
Sizzzzle!
The floor where the liquid touched corroded and burned away.

A Ruaf core.
The more it receives sacred power—its natural opposite—the more it transforms crimson.
And the moment it becomes completely red.

‘A toxic fragment of Ruaf bursts forth.’

Saelika watched the corroded floor with a cold expression.

‘It’s insane to include something like this as a prop in a Grand Sacred Maiden selection filled with sacred power.’

Someone could be seriously injured.
But they wouldn’t care.
Because being wounded by something this trivial meant lacking the qualifications to be a Grand Sacred Maiden.

“W-why?! Why?!”

Rimildar cried out with a pale face.
She was more concerned with the mission results than the danger she’d just faced.

“Rimildar, you receive no bonus points, and since you arrived second, that’s 4 points.”
“What?!”

Rimildar looked at the Host in surprise.
Saelika sighed inwardly.

5. If the cargo inside the box bearing one’s name remains intact at the finish line, additional points are awarded.

‘The cargo one received’ was not the phrasing—
‘The cargo inside the box bearing one’s name.’
Why would it be worded that way?

And then there was another rule.

3. Only the box’s owner may open it.

In other words, whether through persuasion, coercion, negotiation, or….

‘Or even by secretly using sacred magic.’

The mission was essentially to swap the contents inside the box by any means necessary.

‘That’s the real reason they differentiated the cargo values.’

In truth, arrival order barely mattered unless one placed first or second.
Points were awarded in groups of ten—1 point, 2 points, 3 points.

‘The mission itself was about “safe transport” after all.’

Speed of arrival wasn’t what mattered.
That’s why the mission was designed to allow complete reversals based on the cargo results.

‘There are two correct answers.’

1. Swap for cargo like Saelika’s that guarantees high bonus points.
2. Collect multiple cargo items and combine their points.

‘The mission never stated the cargo had to be singular.’

‘The cargo inside the box’—that was all it said.

I saw Rimildar shouting something, but Saelika paid her no mind.
From the start, a small fry like Rimildar wasn’t worth Saelika’s attention.
Saelika observed the arriving Sacred Maidens.

‘Is there a Sacred Maiden among them who brought the correct answer?’

That was the only thing I was curious about.

* * *

Rimildar lodged a strong protest with the Host.
She couldn’t collapse here after finding such an opportunity.

“That’s a violation! She secretly switched it using sacred magic!”
“Why would that be a violation?”
“Pardon?”
“I mentioned it at the beginning. Use any means necessary.”
“But—.”
“However, Sacred Maiden Rimildar.”

At the sudden interjection, Rimildar turned her head.
A Sacred Maiden was looking at her.
It was the very Sacred Maiden Saelika had helped avoid the chain traps.

“…Sacred Maiden Shuellina.”
“Are you saying that you didn’t even notice your opponent using sacred magic, Sacred Maiden Rimildar?”
“…!”

Rimildar’s face stiffened rigidly.
She had been so focused on protesting to get her score recognized that she overlooked it.
Now her own words were essentially an admission of her own incompetence!

‘I didn’t expect her to step in.’

Saelika regarded Shuellina with slightly intrigued eyes.
Shuellina was the Sacred Maiden who had been the first to mention giving up during the last mission.

“U-um, let’s all declare our surrender together. If so many Sacred Maidens give up, the organizers would—”

I had assumed her fearful demeanor meant she was timid.
But to think she possessed such resolve.

‘After all, only someone with true conviction can make the decision to surrender faster than anyone else.’

As Rimildar fell silent, the Host spoke up.

“Rimildar, I am awarding points according to the mission rules I explained earlier.”
“….”
“If you continue to obstruct the proceedings, I will have you removed.”

Rimildar ultimately backed down.
Shuellina opened the box.
A spark of surprise flashed across Saelika’s eyes as she saw what was inside.

“Shuellina, you arrived in 19th place for 2 points. You brought five wooden blocks worth 1 point each and two flowers worth 2 points each, for a total of 11 points.”
“…!”
“…!!”

Tied for first place.
The gazes of the surrounding Sacred Maidens turned toward Shuellina.
Until now, no one had paid her any attention.
Yet she had produced such a result!

“Congratulations, Shuellina.”
“Wow, what’s your secret?”

The Sacred Maidens swarmed around Shuellina.
Shuellina, flustered and bewildered, timidly lifted her head.

Her eyes met Saelika’s, and she gave a subtle nod.
When Saelika nodded back, Shuellina’s face brightened considerably.

“Everyone has worked hard. The starting point for the third mission will vary according to your ranking in this mission. Those in first place will naturally receive special privileges, so please look forward to it.”

The Host bowed.

“Then I shall see you all at the next mission.”

* * *

-Finally, it’s here!!!!!

The teaser video for the second mission of the Sacred Maiden selection had been released.
The Sacred Maidens participating in the mission flashed by in cutscenes.

-Amelia is so cool!
-Grand Sacred Maiden☆Amelia☆Grand Sacred Maiden☆Amelia☆Grand Sacred Maiden☆Amelia☆Grand Sacred Maiden☆Amelia☆Grand Sacred Maiden☆Amelia☆Grand Sacred Maiden☆Amelia

Heartwarming scenes appeared, like Sacred Maidens cooperating with one another.
The live comments were mostly filled with messages of support for the popular, famous Sacred Maidens.

Then, Rimildar’s face filled the entire screen.

[Is it okay if I call you Sae?]
[What should I do… Is that alright?]
[I hope you cross the finish line safely.]
[Let’s do our best together! Fighting!]

Rimildar clenched both fists and smiled brightly.

“That last part wasn’t something she said to me, but it came across like she was saying it to me.”
“That’s just how editing works, you know.”

At my words, Ilay shrugged his shoulders.

-What’s this, she’s cute
-I thought she looked a bit fierce and had a bad impression, but her personality is completely opposite
└She really seems like a gentle soul. During Rimildar’s battle royale, other contestants were going crazy, but she just stayed calm.

Q. How did you feel when the list of supplies was revealed?
[I was worried about Sae. No one could have predicted it.]
Q. You got the best lottery result, didn’t you, Rimildar?
[Ah! Haha. That’s right. I did. I forgot about that.]
Rimildar, who worries about others first

Right after Rimildar’s interview ended, my interview appeared.

Q. Rimildar seemed quite worried.
[Really?]

Ilay looked at me.

“That’s not true. They just spliced it in. I never even heard that question.”

Naturally, the comments section erupted.

-Character lol
-What’s with the villain edit;;;
└Is it really a villain edit? lol That’s just her true nature showing
-Sae is so honest, I love it!
└There’s a difference between being honest and being rude. Learn to distinguish

The heartwarming Rimildar♡Saelika moment
But then!

The atmosphere shifted completely with a large caption.
The interviews with the 7th seed Sacred Maidens passed by quickly.

[I never expected something like that to happen.]
[It was quite a shock. Saelika really is remarkable.]
[The Sacred Maidens from the Octagon really do feel different?]

“The wording is a bit subtle.”
“It’s not sarcasm, just praise. This interview was after the mission ended.”

What Sacred Maiden would be crazy enough to disparage the first-place finisher in a personal interview?

“But the editing is weird. It doesn’t feel like pure praise.”

I shared Ilay’s sentiment.
And the next scene confirmed it.

[Sob, I really, sniff, I never thought it would be like this…. Ugh, I’m sorry.]

Rimildar’s tearful face filled the entire screen.

[…I’m sorry, sniff.]
Tears burst forth despite my desperate attempts to hold them back.

After that, I held Rimildar in my arms for a full five seconds as she wept silently.
The screen shifted, and a new scene appeared.
I couldn’t translate that. The text “랐” appears to be an incomplete Korean word fragment or conjugation ending, not a complete word or phrase that can be meaningfully translated.
Yes.

[Are you alright, Sae? Let me see.]

Rimildar supporting me.
And then my image pushing her away.
Smack!

[Why… why are you doing this?]

A subtitle appeared alongside Rimildar’s bewildered expression.
What on earth happened between these two?!

The screen turned completely black.

[Kyaaaaaaah—!!]

A scream that seemed to tear the very air.
Something writhing and crimson suddenly flooded across the screen.

Saturday at 8 PM.
The truth will be revealed.

And so the preview ended.

-Is Seed 7 just here for the hate comments again??
Haha, looks like they really gave up on the 7th seed.
└Even if Seed 7 wasn’t abandoned, Saelika definitely was
I guess even though it’s supposedly an octagon, they would normally wash it, but if they’re editing it like that, they must really have a bad personality lol
└Isn’t the production team just screaming this because Saelika’s public opinion improved after last mission? Saelika is absolutely NOT Sacred Maiden material!!

The comments section was in absolute chaos.

-Ugh, seriously? Isn’t all this buzz thanks to Sae?
└Right! If Sae hadn’t exposed the fake mission, we would’ve been completely ruined
-Why on earth did they edit the preview like that??
Haha, that’s hilarious. I wasn’t planning to watch it, but I guess I need to catch the live broadcast.

“From just watching the preview, it looks like you’re seriously tormenting and persecuting the kind Rimildar. That squirming thing is a Ruaf fragment, right?”
“Yeah. They deliberately edited it so you couldn’t tell what it was.”
“People are probably going to think you put bugs or something in her clothes or food.”

In fact, comments like that were already popping up all over various websites.

“Well, it’s definitely generating a lot of buzz.”

Occasionally, posts about naturally popular Sacred Maidens like Amelia would appear.
But almost everything was about Seed 7.
More precisely, about me and Rimildar.

“It’s better than being ignored. I had a gap in my presence anyway. This is actually an opportunity.”
“That’s true.”
“I expected this from the moment I didn’t secure sole first place. I was already a discarded seed, but if we’re tied for first, one of us can be sacrificed as a scapegoat.”
“True, Shuellina is too weak to use as a scapegoat. But if this is an opportunity, we can’t just sit back and watch.”

Ilay was right.
I gazed toward the door.

“What is it?”
“It’s about time they contacted me…”

Just as I finished speaking, a knock sounded at the door.
It was Mogen.

“Little rabbit, a gift has arrived for you.”

I quickly rushed over and unwrapped the gift.
At first glance, it contained an incredibly beautiful and expensive dress.
I unfolded the message card with an apple drawn on it.

My apple.
I wanted to see our apple in person and deliver this gift, but I’m stuck in the Southern Region and can’t get away.
I need to see our apple wearing the clothes I gave her with my own eyes!
Wear this outfit to the next mission so I can at least see you from a distance.
Our apple is already incredibly cute and lovely and beautiful and amazing in every way, but wearing this outfit makes her look even cuter and lovelier and…

The letter was filled with utterly pointless content.
I skimmed through most of it without paying much attention.

—From Serge, apple’s father.

Ilay chuckled softly.

“We won’t need to worry about editing the main content, will we?”
“Right.”

I nodded in agreement.
Then, another knock sounded at the door.
This time it was Derrick.

“Tiger! A gift for you!”
“A gift?”

I tilted my head curiously and accepted the box.
Inside was a hair ornament.
Ilay gasped in admiration.

“Wow, this must be incredibly expensive?”
“Right? And it matches perfectly with the outfit I just received, like they’re a set. Who on earth sent this?”

There was no message card either.

“An attendant from House of Noishurael delivered it.”
…!”

Flinch.
I froze in place.

“Why would the Duke of Noishurael…?”

Ilay tilted his head in confusion.
I alternated my gaze between the clothes and hair ornament I had just received.
As I mentioned earlier, they complemented each other perfectly as a set.

In other words, the Duke of Noishurael knew exactly what gift Admiral Ekellan had given me!

‘Is, is this a warning?!’

“Never call that bastard ‘father’ again.”

The Duke of Noishurael’s voice struck like lightning.

‘Edith was right. Nobles hide their true intentions in gifts to maintain their dignity!’

This was a warning.
A warning not to pretend to be the Admiral’s daughter and covet the position of the Duke’s heir!
Surely he also knows that Admiral Ekellan met with the operations headquarters as my patron, not just about the gift itself!

‘The Duke of Noishurael, what a terrifying man…!’

Of all times, I had to make an enemy of the House of Noishurael at such a critical moment!
Sob, sob, sob, sob!

* * *

The residence of the Duke of Noishurael.
The Duke of Noishurael sat in silence, reading the newspaper.
An Attendant who had quietly entered the room bowed his head.

“The items have been delivered successfully, Your Highness.”
“Good.”
“The Sacred Maiden will surely be delighted with them.”
“….”
“She will likely wear them during the next mission to show you. I’m certain of it.”
“….”
“She may even wish to boast about them to the entire nation. After all, they are gifts bestowed by Your Grace the Duke.”

The Duke ignored the Attendant’s words and continued reading the newspaper.
The Attendant smiled faintly.
The pages of the newspaper weren’t turning at all.

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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
—————