Youngest on Top - Chapter 192

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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 192

‘Why is the Duke here?’

I was bewildered.
The Duke of Noishurael gestured toward the Crystal Display as he spoke.

“You were watching.”
“Yes….”
“….”
“…?”

What’s this?
He looked like he had something to say, but the Duke remained silent.
He simply gazed at me with cold, sunken eyes.

At that moment, Kaiser stepped in front of me.
Deliberately blocking the Duke’s line of sight.
I wondered why he’d rushed over so quickly—it seemed he’d been trying to whisk me away before the Duke of Noishurael arrived.

“It is presumptuous to seek out my daughter without cause.”
“And it is equally presumptuous to address me without cause.”
“For one who knows propriety so well, why do you not extend the same courtesy to my daughter?”
“Is it that you cannot distinguish between public and private matters while insisting on formality?”

The Duke’s blue eyes gleamed with an even colder light.

“She should be called the Sacred Maiden. You’ve been going on about ‘daughter’ this whole time—it’s tiresome.”

I looked at the Duke with a somewhat incredulous expression.

‘Why is he bringing up the word “daughter” here?’

Kaiser pulled me close proudly, lifting the corners of his mouth in a smirk.

“What is wrong with calling my daughter my daughter?”
“You claim it is presumptuous to seek out the Sacred Maiden without cause, yet you speak of ‘daughter’—is that reasonable?”
“I was unaware that calling my daughter my daughter was abnormal.”

Crackle—!
Thunder and lightning erupted between the two beasts with a deafening boom.
This sudden clash of auras was utterly absurd.

Before my regression and in this life, Perardin Noishurael Duke had always respected Kaiser the Sacred Knight considerably.

‘So why are they treating each other like mortal enemies?’

Being squeezed between these two whales like a shrimp was genuinely uncomfortable.
My back is going to break!

“Sae.”

Just then, Ilay called me with only the shape of his lips.
Seeing him glance between the Duke and me, I began to understand why this mess had erupted.

‘The Duke got even more upset after watching the broadcast edit!’

I had sent him a hair ornament as a warning before.
But after actually seeing the broadcast footage, he felt that alone wasn’t enough.

‘Father is trying to protect me from the Duke, and the Duke is annoyed because Kaiser is my father.’

It was a vicious cycle.
Since it started with me, I had to be the one to resolve it.
I tugged at Kaiser’s sleeve.

“Father.”

Father’s lips curved up arrogantly.

“Yes, my daughter.”
“Please don’t treat His Grace the Duke so poorly.”
“….”

Kaiser’s face fell into a sulk.

“Your Grace, what brings you here?”
“Do you ask because you don’t know?”

Cold eyes looked down at me with an icy gaze.

‘It seems he really did come without heeding my warning!’

I swallowed hard.
If I exchanged even a single letter with Admiral Ekellan from now on, he looked ready to unleash any punishment imaginable.

‘The Duke wouldn’t dislike the birth of an outstanding High Priestess.’

After all, it would increase the probability of finding his daughter.

‘It would be better to convince him that I have the qualities of a High Priestess.’

I couldn’t completely sever my relationship with Admiral Ekellan just to appease the Duke.
I laughed nervously and pointed toward the Crystal Display.

“Would you like to watch together?”

I was mentally preparing a hundred reasons why we should watch together, but surprisingly, the Duke nodded readily.
Kaiser glared at the Duke with a displeased expression, but said nothing.
It seemed my earlier words had some effect.

And so we ended up watching the broadcast together.
But then….

‘Why are they both sitting on either side of me?!’

Squeezed between two men with superior stature and broad shoulders, I was genuinely uncomfortable.
And the sofa I was sitting on was a two-seater!

‘With all this space available, why insist on this?!’

I glared at both of them with an exasperated look.
The two men were gazing at each other with intensely heated eyes.

‘I wish I could step aside so they could stare at each other even more intensely….’

I wanted to disappear from here.
As I shifted my rear uncomfortably, Perardin Noishurael Duke spoke coldly.

“Let’s begin.”

It was essentially an order to stop fidgeting and focus on watching.
I could only respond with a meek “Yes,” and settle in to watch the screen.

* * *

After some meaningless scenes passed, finally the scene connected to what came before the advertisement appeared.
With a thud, I fell from the ceiling.

“Could my daughter truly be a wingless angel?”

‘…Excuse me?’

I stared at Kaiser with an incredulous expression.
Kaiser kept his gaze fixed on the screen, his refined and elegant face murmuring without a single change in expression.

“Falling from the sky—there’s no other explanation for it.”

It was the ceiling, not the sky.
And the Dungeon Ceiling at that!

It seemed like his words weren’t meant to be heard, but rather just spilled out naturally like an exclamation.

‘Could it be that Father has been watching every single scene I’ve appeared in like this the whole time?’

Cold sweat beaded on my skin.
I was too embarrassed and frightened to even look toward the Duke.

[Are you alright, Sae?]

Rimildar, who had approached me on screen, suddenly unleashed her sacred power.
The screen captured the violet sacred power blooming forth in a perfect close-up.

Smack!
I struck Rimildar away and knocked the box from her hands.
The scene made it look as though I was protecting her from something dangerous.

‘In reality, I was protecting the box from Rimildar.’

The editing was far more favorable than I expected.

‘As expected of Admiral Ekellan.’

As I marveled at this, I heard a deliberate cough: “Ahem!”
When I turned around, Perardin Noishurael Duke was holding his chin up arrogantly.

“…?”

What was that about.
Was he hinting that I had asked Admiral Ekellan for a favor?

I glanced at Manashell’s reaction.

-Lol looks like Saelika cut it down to protect Rimildar?
-The preview was a scam
-She’s holding a Ruaf core but using sacred power?? Is Rimildar an idiot?
-What if a clone bursts out;;;?

Meanwhile, the footage continued playing.

[Why are you doing that?]
[….]
[Oh no! I completely forgot. I just wanted to heal Sae….]
[….]
[I’m, I’m sorry. But it should be fine. I hadn’t even finished healing properly. And I only drew out the sacred power just a little bit—]

-Her tongue is long
-That’s an excuse, not an apology
-Forgot? That doesn’t make sense. Looks like she was trying to mess with Saelika
-Why are you calling it an excuse outright? Someone fell in front of her, so her body could have moved first to heal them;;; And she’s a Sacred Maiden;;;;;
-Rimildar took great care of Saelika, but piling on her like this for one mistake seems worse
└A mistake? Is this really something to brush off as a mistake?
└She didn’t fully draw out the sacred power anyway
└That’s because Saelika dodged quickly. But looking at the preview where the clone actually appeared, it seems like Rimildar ruined it?

My face hadn’t been shown clearly on the screen since earlier.
The scene where I’d questioned her, saying “Are you asking because you don’t know?” had been edited out entirely.
Tense background music played throughout.
Because of that, everyone’s attention focused on my reaction.

Look at the mood ㅠㅠ Saelika must have been really upset ㅠㅠ
-Honestly, she has every right to be. She’s just making excuses even in that situation

That’s when it happened.
In the video, I extended my hand toward Rimildar.

-What?
-Is she going to hit her?
-Now that I think about it, she threw a punch on the first day;;;;;

But contrary to expectations, my hand only gave Rimildar’s shoulder a light pat.

[It’s fine. I was just trying to help, so what.]

I broke into a radiant smile on screen.
Light seemed to emanate from my face as if a spotlight had been turned on.
The camera zoomed in closer, following the curve of my smiling eyes.
A gentle breeze seemed to drift through.

[Thank you, Rimildar.]

“An angel?”

Kaiser murmured.

‘That was truly editing at its finest.’

They’d even removed the background music when I said thank you.
To go to such lengths.
It was honestly astounding.

“Ahem!”

The Duke of Noishurael cleared his throat again.
He’s been doing that every time the broadcast favors me.

‘…Did he really just nod immediately when I suggested we watch together, only to give me pointed looks the entire time?’

How petty!
I shot a covert glare at the Duke, but our eyes met instantly.

“Ah, haha….”
“….”

As I laughed awkwardly, the Duke slightly furrowed his brow and turned his head away again.

‘Ugh, why did I even suggest watching together.’

-A righteous face harbors a righteous character
-People saying this person lacks social skills???
-I had reservations about Saelika being too much of an attention-seeker, but I have to admit that was genuine
-Where is she from? The Empire?

Reactions flooded in at an incredible pace to the broadcast editor’s passionate commentary.
Of course, there were regretful comments mixed in as well.

I wish I had argued my point properly, I feel so wronged. From the trailer showing the clone, it looks like Sae lost.
So that’s why it was a miracle in itself that Luaif made it all the way through without getting corrupted.
This is seriously because of Remilda, what is this ㅠㅠ How did Sae-nim even end up here ㅠㅠ
-She did well, but thinking about how the score will drop at the end is frustrating

And then there were those trying to shift the mood however they could.

Isn’t that just being a sucker? lol
└What do you want. Get criticized and then get a bad edit?
└Stop stirring up drama. We understand Sae’s reaction perfectly—it’s just frustration about not getting first place when it was already locked down. We’re actually proud and impressed that she could smile even in that situation
-The other contestants all seem desperate, but Saelika doesn’t seem to have that sense of urgency. She forgives too easily.

Even that criticism vanished the moment my box opened.

-???????
-Why did an egg come out from there?????
-Where’s the Ruaf core??

Right on cue, Rimildar opened the box.
And then.

[Kyaaaaaaah—!!]

A crimson avatar of Ruaf burst forth with a piercing shriek.
Golden sacred power flowing from me completely engulfed the avatar.
Splat!
With a muffled explosion, Ruaf’s avatar dissolved into crimson liquid and dripped away.

[This is cheating! You switched the contents using sacred magic!]
[….]
[Void, void! How could you resort to such tricks! How is this even possible?!]

Rimildar’s agitated form as she protested.
Sizzzzzzle!
The floor where the avatar’s bodily fluids touched corroded, the images cutting back and forth.

Whether she had amplified her voice, Rimildar’s tone rang out harshly.
The other Sacred Maidens who had arrived looked at Rimildar with tired expressions, the scene flashing by quickly.
Even after saving Rimildar from the avatar, I stood there composedly without boasting even once.

-If Saelika hadn’t saved her, Rimildar would’ve been in real trouble;; The area touched by the avatar doesn’t dissolve immediately??
In the midst of all this, Sae-nim’s thoughtfulness in completely wrapping it up and exploding it so body fluids wouldn’t splatter ㅠㅠ
-But even though Saelika saved her, she gave that interview????
These so-called saints always show up lol acting all innocent in front of the camera but can’t hide their true nature in the end lol

Even if we had just shown what happened as it was, it would have caused an uproar.
But with editing on top of that, the response couldn’t have been good for Rimildar.
Of course, some people took her side.

-Honestly, Saelika did switch the contents, so she can obviously protest about it;;
└Guess they didn’t see Saelika saving her
It seems like Saelika’s rescue isn’t visible.
└Who’s the reason she had to switch the contents in the first place?

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 312]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 314]
[Does this mean Sacred Maiden Rimildar didn’t even notice that her opponent was using sacred magic?]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 317]
-That’s right lololol
-She’s so incompetent she didn’t even realize her opponent switched to sacred magic lololol

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 321]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 323]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 325]
The editing was incredibly favorable to me.

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 328]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 330]
No, could money alone accomplish this?

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 333]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 335]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 337]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 339]
I’d said I understood the situation, but the results were like this….
Still, I felt acutely today just how important editing was.

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 343]
I pulled out a communication stone from my pocket.

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 346]
“Why are you taking that out?”
“I’m going to send my thanks.”
“Do you have to?”

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 351]
The Duke of Noishurael regarded me with a slightly puzzled expression, but nodded as if he understood.
His demeanor noticeably softened as he withdrew his hand.

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 355]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 357]
Curious though I was, I went ahead and initiated the communication.
The Duke of Noishurael furrowed his brow, alternating his gaze between my communication stone and his own.

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 361]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 363]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 365]

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 367]
The moment I heard Admiral Ekellan’s cheerful voice.

[UNTRANSLATED LINE 372]

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