Youngest on Top - Chapter 195

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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 195

The Sacred Maidens who arrived at the starting point through the warp gate had no choice but to be flustered.
The moment they arrived, they encountered monsters!

‘The earlier numbers I thought would be advantageous are surrounded by monsters?!’

Rimildar stared ahead with her eyes wide open.

‘I thought the space would naturally be wider since the map was large, but it’s narrower than expected.’

It was a trick of the scale.
The distance between the hostages was closer than anticipated.
With the hostages crowded in such a confined space, the monsters had no choice but to concentrate there.

‘Should I say this actually worked out in my favor?’

Because of Saelika’s scheme, my previous mission score had been low.
So I had no choice but to choose number 17.
But since it was a higher number far from the hostages, I actually had distance from the monsters.

Indeed, God had not abandoned me.
Rimildar, who had been observing the situation while hiding her body, hesitated.

‘Could it be that woman anticipated this and chose number 30?’

Rimildar twisted her garment tightly.

‘That can’t be.’

She just likes to show off.
She’s the type who gets restless when she can’t stand out.
That’s the only reason she chose number 30.

‘People on the Mana Network said the same thing. Someone who likes to show off gets lucky and keeps getting fortunate breaks.’

With that thought, her anxious heart settled.
No matter how much Saelika showed off this time, she wouldn’t be able to attract attention.

‘I’ll win this.’

Rimildar’s eyes quietly blazed with determination.

* * *

‘As expected.’

It was a trap, just as I’d anticipated.
I should always be suspicious of food that looks too appetizing.
Especially a meal prepared by the Operations Director, who’s so blatantly drawing aggro!

‘Good. There’s not a single monster around me.’

The virtual monsters in this field are weak.
But I can’t fight them because the hostage will be in danger the moment combat starts.

So the strategy for this mission is simple.
1. Avoid the monsters
2. Rescue the hostage.

I’ve lived for countless ages, but I’ve never had experience rescuing hostages.
However.

‘I have experience breaking through my brothers’ encirclement and escaping!’

Enrik: …Is that really something to be proud of?
Kailros: The memories between my brother and me still live and breathe by my brother’s side even now.
Anakin: Have you lost your mind?

Who are my brothers?
They are the five most renowned angels among Artemia’s Messengers.
They chased me far more viciously, maliciously, and relentlessly than any low-grade virtual monster!

Enrik: You caused trouble in the first place! Stop making more problems!!!
Kailros: To think you’d describe our affectionate and joyful ‘catch me if you can~’ that way.
Kailros: My brother is quite shy, isn’t he?
Anakin: Don’t you remember when you said you’d break through the encirclement and smashed a building pillar to swing it around?

So dodging virtual monsters is child’s play for me.
The problem is….

‘I’ve never rescued a hostage before, nor have I ever even considered it.’

Especially since I possessed such formidable divine power, it put me at a disadvantage.
I was sensitive to the aura of demons, which opposed my nature.
But I was rather insensitive to human aura.
It was like adding a single drop of milk to the ocean.
It was the same principle as how a tiny ant is hard for human eyes to spot.

Years ago, that’s why I entrusted Ilay with tracking divine power in King Bennayser’s kingdom.
Similarly, I couldn’t sense Shuri’s aura that Ilay and several High Priests had detected not long ago.

‘Other Sacred Maidens would be able to sense human aura better than I can.’

Detecting the hostage’s location was an obstacle for me from the start.
This mission was infinitely disadvantageous for me.
But there’s always a way!

‘Anakin.’

Anakin: How were you planning to survive without me?

Anakin’s power, the All-Seeing Eye, activated.
A map of the field materialized before my eyes.
Since this was a field created for the mission and the monsters weren’t real but virtual, there was naturally no contamination.
But in the materials of the virtual monsters—.

‘There are monster byproducts.’

A narrow range limited to the field.
Because there was no contamination there, I could actually pinpoint the virtual monsters’ locations more clearly.
The murky aura emitted by the monster byproducts wasn’t obscured by contamination.

The byproducts’ murky aura was infinitesimally faint, but that didn’t matter.
As I said, I’m more acute and sensitive to murky aura!

‘Perfect. All the virtual monsters are now marked.’

With their movements now visible, evading them would be simple.
Next was the hostages’ location.

4. There are ten hostages in total. Their initial positions are marked on the map.

‘Initial positions’—the phrasing suggested the hostages would move.
Likely, if the monsters determined their positions were compromised, they’d relocate the hostages.

The moment the mission began, the Sacred Maidens who’d secured the earlier checkpoints encountered monsters en masse.
In other words, the hostages’ positions had already shifted.

‘But that doesn’t mean the information is useless.’

I marked the hostages’ initial positions on the map.

Anakin: How did you even survive without me, seriously?

Then a pattern emerged across the map.

‘If I grasp this flow, I can roughly track the hostages’ movements.’

Anakin: How exactly did you manage all this time without me?
Kailros: See, I told you my younger brother isn’t stupid.
Enrik: He just doesn’t use it normally.

‘When your body’s good, your brain doesn’t need to work!’

Enrik: But now I roughly understand how you managed to escape from us.
Enrik: When you fought, you didn’t think—but when you ran, you definitely used your head.

Shaking off my brothers required more than just physical prowess.
Now, with the mission rules, I couldn’t just beat everyone senseless.

I paused while examining the map to pinpoint the hostages’ location.

‘Huh?’

A small dot marked on the map.
Yet its color was far darker than the other turbid energies.
Like a black hole.

‘Such tremendous turbid energy… At this level, it should be radiating outward, consuming everything around it?’

But that vicious turbid energy was pooled as if contained within a membrane.
I recognized this situation.

‘A curse.’

And a curse bearing such vicious turbid energy at that—

‘Shuri?!’

The Empire’s Crown Prince, Kaishurit.
It could be no one else.

‘Why is he here?!’

And as a hostage, no less!

* * *

Several days prior, the Imperial Palace.
The Operations Director of the Sacred Maiden Selection Tournament had requested cooperation from the Imperial Court.

“The birth of the Sacred Maiden requires the attention and support of the people.”
“Yes, the more attention and affection surrounding her birth, the greater power she will wield.”
“If a member of the Imperial Family were to make a surprise appearance, it would certainly draw the public’s focus.”

It was a reasonable argument.
The Emperor nodded.

‘Moreover, it’s not unfavorable for the Imperial House!’

When the Sacred Maiden is born, she will receive the support and affection of the entire continent, transcending the Empire itself.
It was most desirable for preventing calamity, but…

‘The Imperial Family can’t simply be pleased about this.’

An entity that the people revere and cherish more than the Imperial House itself was emerging.
The Temple and the Empire maintained a symbiotic relationship through various systems and treaties, but that balance was crumbling.

‘However, if we plant an image connected to the Imperial Family starting from the Sacred Maiden Selection Tournament, the story changes.’

Instead, we can link the public’s interest in the Sacred Maiden to the Imperial Family.

“Who are you thinking of?”
“I respect all members of the Imperial Family, but… I believe a Princess or Prince of similar age to the Sacred Maiden would be ideal.”
“Especially someone who receives the love and support of many people.”
“Here is the list we’ve prepared.”

The Operations Director respectfully handed the list to the Emperor.
Upon reviewing the list, Princess Grizelda furrowed her brow.

‘The intention is visible in this list.’

From watching the broadcast, I could tell which Sacred Maidens the Operations Department had classified as S-rank or A-rank.
All the Imperial Family members on the list were people friendly with those Sacred Maidens.

Most tellingly, Grizelda was omitted from the list.
She was the leading figure who dominated the salons of high society.
Grizelda smiled.

“It seems this Princess was insufficient to capture public attention.”
“Please refrain from such gracious remarks, Your Highness the Princess.”
“Princess Grizelda is so occupied with both public and private matters. We couldn’t possibly impose such a burden on you.”

Grizelda let out a scoff.

‘That’s not it—they’re wondering if my participation would help Sae.’

From the start, the Operations Department had used Saelika as a disposable pawn to draw aggression.
But Saelika was performing unexpectedly well.

‘I thought they had changed their opinion of Sae after watching the last broadcast, but perhaps that wasn’t the case.’

The Operations Director’s best-case scenario would be to keep drawing Saelika’s attention before transferring that focus to an S-rank Sacred Maiden.

‘The opponent is simply too powerful, after all.’

Just as things were beginning to take flight, Saelika had been absent for far too long.
Meanwhile, Amelia had started from the Celestial Realm to begin with, and over the past few years, she had distinctly come to the fore.
Their starting points were entirely different.

“No matter how busy one might be, how can we exclude someone from such an important matter? I shall participate.”
“…We are grateful, Princess Grizelda. Then I shall add you to the list. One of these individuals will suffice to assist with this mission.”

It was a way of saying they would not select Grizelda.
Just as Grizelda was about to speak again with renewed force.

“I heard something interesting was happening, so I came to see.”

A smooth voice resonated through the air.
Everyone’s gaze turned toward the doorway.
There was only one person who could enter so freely into the Emperor’s presence.

“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince…!”

The Operations Department staff were startled and bowed respectfully to Kaishurit.

“Indeed, something interesting is unfolding here.”
“We are honored.”
“I think I’ll give it a try myself.”
“Y-Your Highness the Crown Prince wishes to undertake this personally?”
“Why. Is it insufficient?”
“N-Not at all! We are deeply honored!”

The Operations Director bowed his head deeply.

‘Such an opportunity has arrived! This is absolutely a scoop!’

Who was Kaishurit?
His position as the Crown Prince of the Empire alone was remarkable, but his true worth extended far beyond that.

‘This overwhelming presence, this majesty and weight.’

He possessed an innate authority of a born ruler.
Even the most celebrated nobles feared and avoided him.
And yet—

‘—everyone desires him.’

The Operations Director stole a glance at Kaishurit.
To call him beautiful would be an understatement—it was as though beauty itself had taken human form.

‘If a scandal erupted between this magnificent man and the Sacred Maiden?’

That alone would make her the center of public attention in an instant!

‘She absolutely must be paired with an S-rank Sacred Maiden.’

Besides, pairing him with an S-rank Sacred Maiden was inevitable.
The board was already arranged that way.

Kaishurit read through the mission proposal with leisurely composure.

“A surprise appearance as one of the special hostages… I like it.”

The Emperor doubted his own eyes upon seeing the smile bloom across Kaishurit’s face.

‘That man is smiling?’

“How will you determine which seed I participate in?”
“We’ll draw lots for fairness.”
“A sound idea.”

Kaishurit nodded in agreement.
The Operations Director, quick to read the room, gestured to someone else.
The person who received the gesture presented the lottery pouch with a respectful demeanor.

Kaishurit drew a lot without much deliberation.

“Which seed was drawn?”
“Seed 7.”
“What?!”

The Head of Department startled and asked in bewilderment.
Kaishurit flipped the tablet over to reveal the number.

[Seed 7]

“…!”
“Why are you so shocked? Is there a problem?”
“Ah, no, Your Highness.”

The Operations Director hastily bowed his head.
But cold sweat streamed down his back.

‘How is this even possible?!’

It was an impossible result.
And for good reason—.

‘Seed 7 wasn’t even written on the tablets!!’

He had only written down the seeds containing S-rank Sacred Maidens.
So how in the world did Seed 7, which wasn’t even written, come up?!
But he couldn’t let it show.

Kaishurit spoke.

“Hmm, a hostage, you say…. If it’s a hostage, I’d prefer something more dramatic.”
“Pardon? More dramatic in what way….”
“A hostage who’s too unharmed would seem odd, wouldn’t it?”
“Y-yes, that’s certainly a fair point….”

How could a Crown Prince possibly be anything but unharmed?!

“I’m not sure what you mean….”
”
If you’re captured, you should be bound.
”
“…Pardon?”
“Shouldn’t you at least be restrained?”
“….”
“You should probably look like you’re in pain too.”
“…?!”

The Operations Director couldn’t bring himself to answer and bowed his head.

‘Is this a trap?’

How could I possibly tell the Crown Prince to bind himself?

‘The moment I agree to have him restrained, won’t I be arrested for insulting the royal family?’

Meanwhile, the Emperor stared at his son with an incredulous expression.

‘No matter how I look at it, those are the eyes of someone genuinely wanting to be bound.’

It wasn’t a trap—just pure sincerity.

‘What the hell did that fool eat?!’

Unless he’d lost his mind, why would he want to be restrained?

* * *

‘I don’t know what’s happening, but I absolutely have to save him!’

The Empire’s Crown Prince is a hostage?
Of course he’s a special hostage!
If he weren’t a special hostage, the imperial citizens would rise up in arms!

‘It’s ironic that someone who could tear apart the virtual monsters here in an instant is being held hostage….’

In any case, this worked out well for me.
Shuri’s location was crystal clear to my eyes.
I approached Shuri while avoiding the monsters.

There was only one monster guarding the hostage.
Since the hostage would be in danger the moment combat began, I crept closer in hiding and immediately slit its throat.

‘Good. Now if I just rescue Shuri— huh?!’

I doubted my own eyes.
Crimson rose bushes filled the entire surroundings.
The fragrance was so overwhelming my head spun.

And there in the center was Shuri.
Both hands bound to the rose bushes, his clothes even slightly torn as if from the monster’s assault.

‘…?!?!??!’

What was this.
This dizzyingly theatrical scene?!

“Please save me, Sacred Maiden.”

Shuri whispered.

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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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