Youngest on Top - Chapter 202

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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 202

Terese struggled to keep her mind from fleeing the house.

-What is this??
-What did I just see?
-Is this a film set or an imperial palace banquet?

The posts appearing on Mananet were equally bewildering.

-???? There’s Saelika’s face on a teacup?
-This is insane. They actually gilded her blonde hair lmaooooo
-Wait, why are they embedding diamonds into the portrait of her face lololololol

A parade of comments expressing utter disbelief.
Even extravagant spending had never reached such heights.
Even those watching through the screen were completely overwhelmed.
Eventually, people’s reactions converged on a single question.

-Who exactly is the sponsor??
-No matter how rich you are, how do you even come up with something like this?!?!?

All manner of speculation began to flourish.

-Is it the White Pearl Merchant Guild?
└Could be Gerald? That young merchant lord over there also seemed out of his mind lol
└Just looking at that ostentatious headquarters tells you everything lolol
-I think it’s Admiral Ekellan.
└222 This guy is seriously unhinged. (I love you Admiral. I love you and your son so much it’s crazy)
└3333 The Admiral’s been showering Saelika with tributes for ages.
-I vote for the B.L.S.M.
└What’s B.L.S.M?
└It’s a gathering of people who love bread. Anyway, the Sisters here are no joke either.
└??? What does bread have to do with this.
-The National Baldness Association provided the funding.
└lololol that’s ridiculous.
└Why not? Saelika is the one and only Sacred Maiden who can even heal baldness
└???? Is that not a rumor??

A mix of serious and joking remarks had brought forth the names of all sorts of people and organizations.
But among them, there was no mention of the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s House.

So when the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s House name appeared on the broadcast.

-???!?!???
-Huh???
-Why is the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s House showing up here?
-Is that really the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s House??? Not an imposter???

The site erupted as if it were about to explode.

The camera that had been capturing this incredible spectacle(?) shifted its angle to show the people at the scene.

[W-what is this….]

The staff members were so flustered that they stood frozen, cold sweat dripping down their faces.
Everyone’s spirits had been crushed by the luxurious catering vehicle.

A waiter poured tea with the precise movements of an Imperial attendant, but no one dared to touch their cups.
How could they reach for food when they couldn’t even bring themselves to approach?

-My workplace just turned into an Imperial banquet hall, what do I do?
-Curious about Saelika’s reaction lolololol

Just then, Saelika’s face was captured on camera.
Her blue eyes were fixed on one point, trembling as if an earthquake had struck.
More precisely, she was staring at her own life-sized statue embedded with sapphires for eyes!

-Saelika’s flustered too lolololol
-Seems a bit tired,, maybe???
-Yeah I’d be too lololololol this isn’t something you can just like and be happy about!!
-Are they seriously insane lolololol making a life-sized statue out of sapphires, gold, and diamonds??
-Looks like Sae’s doing a backflip right now lololololololol
-Ah the reaction is so real it’s hilarious lololololololololol

Seeing such an unfiltered, genuine reaction, people burst into laughter.

-She’s quite different from Amelia in many ways.
-We gave them both tributes, yet they’re so different lol
└The scale of what they received was completely different lol

Amelia had shown a deeply moved expression the moment she received the coffee cart.
And then
[Thank you all so much!]
she smiled skillfully toward the magical device.

Of course, the response back then had been good too.
Cute, amazing, thank you for smiling for us Amelia! and so on.
But it wasn’t nearly as chaotic as all these people chiming in with their own comments right now.

Q. How did you feel seeing the tribute?

The screen was asking Saelika about the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s tribute.
Upon hearing the question, Saelika’s pupils trembled once more.

[A…tribute?]

-lol that’s not a tribute, that’s the face of someone being extorted??lol
-Yeah right, right. If the Perardin Noishurael Duke House gives a ‘tribute’ like that, it’s scary, isn’t it.

Saelika, who had repeated the question back, suddenly remembered her manners and offered her thanks.

[I’m grateful to the members of the Duke House for their sponsorship, and to everyone cheering me on. I’ll do my best going forward!]

-lol she means it though. The gratitude, the determination to do better, all of it’s genuine lol
-It’s all written all over her face lol this is hilarious
-It’s funny because she usually manages her poker face pretty well during missions lol
└She’s the type who gets serious when working lol
└If the Perardin Noishurael Duke House gives a ‘tribute’ like that, even the Emperor couldn’t control his expression lol
└Well, we wouldn’t want to give something like that to the Emperor lol
└I wouldn’t want to receive it either!

‘Ah, what a relief.’

Terese let out a sigh of relief.
It was a world of difference from earlier when the comments had been full of praise for Amelia and subtly putting down Saelika.

Terese lifted her head, having been enjoying the Mananet reactions while leaving comments.
The staff members who had regained their senses greeted Saelika while enjoying the catering.

[The life-size cutout is so pretty.]
[Wow, are all these teacups gilded? Because Saelika has blonde hair, she’s getting this kind of treatment….]
[Are we actually allowed to use this cutlery? The Sacred Maiden’s face is on the handle…. And there are diamonds embedded in it too….]

Saelika received the greetings with an expression that clearly showed embarrassment.
And she subtly hid her jeweled life-size cutout behind her back.

“…I heard the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s family was cruel and wicked.”
“That’s true.”
“I guess rumors really can’t be trusted.”
“…?”
“Turns out they have an eye for things, they’re action-oriented, and above all, their aesthetic sense is exceptional.”
“Terese, snap out of it.”
“The life-size cutout photos were chosen well. But where did you get the photo of her winking at the teacup?”
“…Really, stop being so obsessed.”
“Shut up. What would you know, oppa.”

Terese snorted and began rewatching the video.

* * *

Parmanase Temple Institutional Branch.
For the first time in a while, there was someone in the inner chamber that opened only for the most distinguished of distinguished guests.
Beatrix gazed at the man sitting across from her in a relaxed manner.

A man who exuded a presence as immense as a great mountain simply by sitting carelessly.
Perardin Noishurael Duke.

Beatrix poured tea with her own hands and opened her mouth.

“Your choice is unexpected, Your Grace.”

The Duke lifted only his eyes to regard Beatrix.
His blue eyes were as piercing as glacial ice.
A gaze that said: how dare a mere creature like you question my decision?

“I believed we had quite a good relationship.”
“I’ve invested considerable funds in your organization.”
“…We did our utmost to find your daughter.”
“And the result?”

He was saying they’d simply taken his money and failed to find her.
Beatrix, who had been silent for a moment, spoke again.

“Artemia didn’t even properly search for your daughter. Isn’t that the very place that coldly refused over a decade ago, saying they couldn’t find her?”
“So Parmanase has informants in my estate. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Informants? Your Grace hasn’t visited the Artemia Temple in over ten years since your last visit. I merely made a reasonable deduction.”

The Duke let out a short laugh.

“I’ll take that as an explanation. So then.”
“Haven’t we, who have devoted ourselves to Your Grace’s cause all these years, proven ourselves superior to the Artemia Temple?”
“Didn’t you just confess with your own mouth? That Parmanase’s best effort resulted in failure.”
“….”
“It seems you have nothing more to say.”

The Duke rose from his seat without even touching his teacup.

“Rather than questioning why I’m spending money elsewhere, it seems it’s time you earned the money I’ve already given.”

Before leaving, his quiet words fell like a sheet of ice.

After the door closed.
The Temple Priests standing beside Beatrix raised their voices in indignation.

“No matter who Perardin Noishurael Duke is, this is too much!”
“Yes! How dare he show such disrespect to the Elder of Parmanase Temple…!”
“He treated us like common swindlers, didn’t he? We’re not doing this because we need his money!! We don’t need the Duke’s money—.”
“Do you think the Duke was upset about the money?”

Her cold words silenced the Temple Priests.
Beatrix fixed the priests with a glacial stare.

“The astronomical sum we’ve poured into you all? Yes, it’s astronomical. But to Perardin Noishurael Duke, such gold is nothing.”
“….”
“The money spent on this event planned to make Saelika the protagonist? That’s nothing either.”

The Temple Priests fell silent.
In the quiet, Beatrix closed her eyes, lost in thought.

“Even after removing Admiral Ekellan from the picture, the second mission’s editing turned out favorably for Saelika.”
“….”
“I was curious who was behind it, but now I understand the backing.”
“…The money spent to manipulate the Operations Director must be staggering.”
“Don’t worry about it. For someone like him, such money is nothing to spend without regret.”
“Then why….”
“Demanding value for money is merely symbolic. The flow of funds represents visible patronage.”
“Visible patronage, you mean…?”
“It’s for public display. To show the masses whom the Duke considers worthy of becoming the Grand Maiden.”

The lord of the snowy realm, the House of Perardin Noishurael Duke.
The masses revered this ruling family, as closed off, dangerous, and mighty as the snow mountains themselves, yet
they also shunned and feared them.

‘But it changed.’

His lost youngest daughter.
The Duke’s desperate obsession to find her.

People were moved by the aching affection displayed by this inhuman, ice-cold existence.
Even those from the south offered prayers hoping the Duke’s daughter would return safely.

“The Duke, who for years supported every temple searching for his daughter, now overwhelmingly patronizes a specific Sacred Maiden.”
“….”
“Have you ever thought about how the masses will react the moment this perception takes root?”
“…!”

The enlightened Temple Priests hastily manipulated the Manashell.
Soon, responses began appearing on the large crystal viewing stone.

-If the Perardin Noishurael Duke House is sponsoring her to this extent, Saelika must have something special.
└I’m seriously thinking the same thing
-Placing first in every mission is impressive too.
└The other Sacred Maidens in the 7-Seed just can’t compete. Amelia, Elizabeth, and Dolores have never missed first place either.
└But Saelika is the only Sacred Maiden across all Seeds who’s taken first place while wielding Ruaff’s hack
└That’s true. And she navigated through all that 7-Seed aggro without a problem, right?
-Saelika was also the only one who voluntarily chose the 30th mission.
-Her popularity didn’t just spike because of the Crown Prince incident—her skills are genuinely excellent. If anything, she’s been overshadowed by other incidents.

Saelika’s past achievements were being re-examined.

-I was curious why the Duke picked someone who had a brief moment of fame and then faded, so I rewatched all her past missions.
And I came to this conclusion: the Duke’s pick wasn’t random
-Right, he’s obsessed with finding his daughter. He must have analyzed everything thoroughly.
-Did the Duke House assemble an analysis team and decide “this could work,” then offer their support? The Duke would want the Great Sacred Maiden to help find his daughter.
Please be safe, my lady… ㅠㅠ

“…There was a lot of talk about whether her skills are just good, or if the Operations team is pushing her.”
“With the Duke’s sponsorship, no one can deny her skills anymore.”
“That’s actually better. Our Amelia won’t lose in pure skill to someone like that.”
“That statement….”

Beatrix’s gaze turned toward one section of the viewing stone.
The Temple Priests’ eyes followed in the same direction.

-The Duke and the Admiral aren’t on good terms. But Admiral Ekellan has cherished Sae since way back.
Aren’t those two fighting over who gets Sae’s favor?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
└Are you insane? How could you even think that….
Let’s move on
-Hmm~ two handsome men competing, a power struggle. And they’re brothers-in-law. Delicious.
-The funny part: they completely hate each other but always pick the same people.
└What does that mean?
“Even the Empress was an idiot lolol. Your sister went off to marry someone far in the north and hated the Grand Duke anyway lolol. They weren’t on good terms to begin with lol.”
└Really?

“Haha, Beatrix. Surely you’re just joking.”
“Yes, no one would say such things seriously.”
“That’s exactly what makes it terrifying.”
“…?”
“The masses joking around with such enthusiasm—that’s what frightens me. Why are they so excited?”
“….”
“It’s all jest, of course. No one means it sincerely. But the affection seeping through these jokes…?”

A High Priestess is one who receives the support and love of the people.
Exceptional skill, hailing from the Temple—among the best in the Octagon, excellent mission records—these are merely secondary factors.

“People who support based on analysis can always turn their backs.”
“….”
“But something that seeps in like this, without anyone realizing it…”
“….”
“It’s not desperate support, yet strangely, such affection doesn’t fade easily.”
“….”

The Temple Priests fell silent.
Beatrix observed their reactions with an uncomfortable gaze.

Amelia possessed an unwavering support base.
Yet this alone was insufficient to become a High Priestess.

“Still, it should be fine. Didn’t we promise? This advertisement would center on Amelia.”
“…That’s true.”

The second mission’s edit had Saelika as the protagonist.
For the third mission, we promised to edit it with Amelia as the protagonist.

But the Crown Prince’s selection of the 7-Seeds rendered it moot.
We couldn’t make the Crown Prince a supporting role.

So this time, we agreed that Amelia would finally become the protagonist.

‘Is that truly the right move in this situation?’

With Perardin Noishurael Duke making such a brilliant power play, if Amelia became the protagonist…

“But Beatrix, why didn’t you tell the Duke about this?”

The Temple Priest’s question hung in the air as Beatrix fell silent for a moment.

“…It’s not the right time yet.”
“…?”
“You need someone falling to step on them and climb even higher, after all.”
“….”
“Curious, isn’t it?”

A smile bloomed on Beatrix’s crimson lips.
Indeed, this current reaction was nothing more than a pebble compared to what lay ahead.
It was annoying to step on it now, but it wouldn’t hinder the path forward.

“When Perardin Noishurael Duke discovers that he’s been sponsoring the wrong Sacred Maiden while ignoring his own daughter. I wonder what expression he’ll wear.”

.
.

And days later.
The day of the first vote arrived.

—————
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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