Youngest on Top - Chapter 203

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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 203

* * *

Central Plaza of Jedo.
A massive crystal display screen blazed with vibrant colors.
Sacred Maidens, each possessing their own unique charm, appeared in succession, captivating the gaze of all who watched.

“Wow, that one who just passed—wasn’t that Saelika? The diamond….”
“Yeah. That sapphire, the gold leaf….”
“No, no, the rose vines were even more shocking than that.”
“I should start watching the broadcast from now on. I was planning to watch only from the final selection onwards.”
“Right? Who would’ve known events would explode from the very beginning? Since I haven’t been watching, I’m always finding out late.”

Passersby stopped in their tracks and gazed up at the display screen, chatting among themselves.
Amelia filled the screen, blowing a kiss and winking.
Then text appeared.

[Vote for your Sacred Maiden.]

“Amelia really is something.”
“Really? Mom, are you going to vote for Amelia?”
“I haven’t really been keeping up with the broadcast, so I haven’t given it much thought…. But Amelia does seem like the leading candidate for Grand Sacred Maiden. That’s why she’s positioned so prominently in the center like that.”
“That center spot was obtained through lobbying! Parmanase has so much power!!”
“This kid…. So who do you like?”

The mother smiled at her daughter, who was passionately voicing her opinions.

“I….”

The daughter whispered something into her mother’s ear.

* * *

-Of course Saelika should be the center, right???
-They even edited the filming footage to focus on Amelia. The center too lolololol
└Of course you edit the footage around the center?
└No, that’s not it. This is a competition, not a vote. We need to consider fairness.
-Honestly, Sae overwhelms in terms of mentions and trending topics.
└Isn’t she getting mentioned a lot because of the controversy?
-Overall, Amelia being the center is correct. If any other Sacred Maiden were the center, it would’ve been controversial.
-Shouldn’t the center be decided based on the results of missions 1-3?
└Amelia always overwhelmingly places first in every mission.
└But Saelika dominates the mission process itself.
└Ahaha yeah, impressive process and all haha. But you admit Amelia’s results are overwhelmingly better?
└?? Why are you talking like Amelia beat Saelika? They’ve never even gone head-to-head.

Unlike the mother and daughter’s conversation, the world within the mana network was far more chaotic.

Saelika’s stock price was steadily rising.
Amelia, the traditional powerhouse.

‘A C-rank and an S-rank. Normally, they wouldn’t even be compared due to the difference in weight class….’

The situation had changed.
The events that occurred in the last mission.
And the Perardin Noishurael Duke family’s blatant support recently.

“Wow, the attention level is really skyrocketing.”
“We didn’t intend for this….”

The Operations Director staff monitoring reactions spoke.

“The voting advertisement responses are exploding too.”
“It was worth running ads across the entire continent. Not only is the voting rate high, but the next broadcast will have even higher viewership.”
“Though we’re getting our share of criticism.”
“Can’t be helped. We can’t just cut out the Perardin Noishurael Duke family’s support from the filming footage.”

All the editing centered on Amelia.
The Perardin Noishurael Duke family’s overwhelming support toward Saelika.
These two elements created a discordant result.

“The Perardin Noishurael Duke is truly remarkable. This time, when he said the editorial point absolutely cannot be changed, he resorted to such measures.”
“Why is he supporting Saelika to this extent?”

Clap clap!
At that moment, the Operations Director clapped his hands to refresh the atmosphere.

“The voting will start soon. Everyone, focus.”
“Yes!”

The team members who responded each manipulated their screens.
Soon, the voting results by seed began to appear on the screen.

“As expected, Amelia is rising at the fastest pace. At this rate, Amelia will receive the most votes across all seeds, won’t she?”
“Of course. Saelika may be causing a stir in the mana network, but it’s just a tempest in a teacup. Reality is different.”
“Still, it’s going exactly as expected— huh?”

Philip, a team member who had been whispering, let out a startled voice.

“What’s wrong?”
“No, look at this.”
“Seed 7? What’s strange about Saelika rising to first place in Seed 7?”
“That’s not it! Compare the voting numbers by seed!!”
“…!”

At those words, Ted, Philip’s colleague, also directed his gaze downward.

“The voting rate for Seed 7 is this high?!”

People could vote once for each seed.
However, not all voters cast votes in every seed.
Many people only voted in seeds they were interested in and didn’t give votes to other seeds at all.

“If we’re talking about voting rate, Seed 7 has the highest, doesn’t it?!”
“I naturally thought Seed 10, where Amelia is, would have the highest voting rate…!”

A tempest in a teacup.
The people making noise in the mana network were a minority compared to all voters.
Issues and votes are different matters.

‘I thought that would be the case, but this is….’

A completely different outcome!

“…Still, there’s no upset. Look at Amelia. The gap with second place is already over ten times. But Saelika?”
“Only about three times.”
“There aren’t even any decent Sacred Maidens besides Saelika in the 7th seed, yet she’s at that level. And look at this. Amelia is already ahead of Saelika by 60,000 votes.”
“….”
“Saelika’s foundation is just too weak. How many times has she appeared in the newspapers over the years? The other Sacred Maidens appear in the papers almost weekly.”
“….”
“It is somewhat surprising that the 7th seed has the highest voting rate, but there’s no upset.”

Philip’s pupils darkened as he listened to Ted rambling beside him.

‘No upset?’

He analyzes the data like that?
The 7th seed—where not a single star Sacred Maiden appears in the newspapers regularly.
And that 7th seed has the highest voting rate?!

To Philip, this phenomenon was the very beginning of an upset.
Like an earthquake starting in the deep, invisible, unfelt ocean floor, becoming a tsunami that engulfs the world!

Why had the 7th seed obtained the highest number of votes?
The answer was clear.

‘It’s Saelika.’

Philip gazed at the screen with his eyes.
Saelika on the screen was smiling brightly.

‘The aggro I laid down to sacrifice Saelika ended up setting the stage instead!’

Philip lifted his eyes and looked at Emily.
Sure enough, her face was crumpled as she bit her fingernails.

‘This is turning out interesting.’

* * *

“Congratulations on ranking first in Seed 7!!”
“Of course our youngest would rise to first place!”
“Well done!! It’s definitely you, Honeybread!!!”

My cheeks were crushed under the torrent of words.
Adults and children alike were hugging me, nuzzling against me, creating absolute chaos.

‘Aaahhh!’

“Our blessing! Our money bag! Our golden treasure!”
“Love, love my love, our precious youngest!”
“S-stop!!”

I was suffocating!
Just as I barely managed to escape.
My eyes met someone I hadn’t anticipated at all.

‘Perardin Noishurael Duke?!’

The Duke was regarding me with his characteristic gaze, cold as a snowy field.
Honestly… I felt embarrassed.

‘Why is the Duke here…?’

Today there was a live broadcast announcing the rankings for each Seed.
The Sacred Maidens burst into tears, and some forced smiles while hiding their disappointment.
The one who showed the least wavering was Amelia.

“Thank you. I will strive to live up to the expectations you’ve placed in me.”

There was composure in how she accepted the expected result as natural.
Since all the Seeds had gathered, I witnessed her demeanor firsthand.
Amelia even came to find me separately to offer her greetings.

“Saelika, congratulations on ranking first in Seed 7. I thought it would be you.”
“Thanks. Congratulations to you on ranking first in Seed 10.”

Rankings were determined by Seed, but there was no doubt that Amelia had received the most votes.
There had been hints of this when she received her award.

‘So I naturally thought the Duke had gone to Amelia as well….’

“Your Highness, the Duke.”

In any case, when I greeted him, the Duke gave a slight nod.
His blue eyes gazed down at me quietly.
Even after coming all this way, he said nothing.

‘It’s awkward to ask why he came… and I can’t exactly say he’s no longer related to me now.’

The tremendous tribute(?) the Duke had sent me proved to be genuinely helpful.
Without it, I would have been treated as mere background at the filming location.

“Well, thank you.”

In the end, I broke the silence first.
The Duke looked down at me with cold eyes and spoke in an indifferent voice.

“You have nothing to thank me for.”

‘So instead of thanking him, I should pay the price, is that it?’

It was a reasonable statement.
But what came from his lips was entirely different from what I expected.

“You achieved this result because you did well.”
“…Pardon?”
“Taking first place was the result of your own efforts.”
“…Wasn’t it because of the Duke’s support?”
“Did you know?”
“How could I not know?”

I received that absurdly extravagant rice cake cart(?).
I’m still keeping the life-sized cutout of me adorned with jewels because I don’t know how to dispose of it.
Most of all, it was written plainly there.
That the Noishurael Duke’s house was rooting for me.

“Ahem.”
“…?”
“Hmm.”
“…?”
“I’m talking about how you contacted that bastard Serge back then—”
“Apple!”

I lifted my head at the voice calling from behind.
Admiral Ekellan was bounding toward me like a large hound that had spotted meat.

A thin layer of frost crystallized across the Duke’s face.
Of course, the Admiral paid it no mind.

“Now the whole world knows how lovely our apple is!”

The Admiral swept me up into his arms.

“Ah, while I wish our apple belonged only to Serge as a father’s treasure, I’m also delighted that everyone recognizes how precious our apple truly is.”
“Put me down.”
“Ah, your very existence plunges me into such torment, apple! You are a bewitching apple indeed!”
“I said put me down.”
“Is our apple perhaps the golden apple itself? The very apple that drove the gods to war!!”

He’s wrong.
He’s not listening to a word I’m saying.

That was when it happened.

“Release her this instant, Serge Echelan.”

Kaiser emanated an oppressive aura as he spoke from across the way.
In his hand was a three-tiered cake.

‘…Why is my face drawn on the cake?’

I was taken aback.

“I told you not to play around so carelessly.”

This wasn’t Kaiser’s words.
It was the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s words!

Admiral Ekellan let out a snort of laughter.

“Why, jealous as expected?”
“Nonsense.”
“You’re envious, aren’t you?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
“Well, it’s worth envying. Protagonist always thanks Serge’s father properly. Have you ever heard her say thanks to you?”

Wait, why are you provoking the Duke here?
I was utterly speechless.

But what truly terrified me was the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s reaction that was about to unfold.
How furious would he become hearing such utter drivel?

‘The building’s only been standing for a few years… it won’t collapse, right? How much did this place cost…’

I was contemplating whether to cast a protective barrier when—

“I heard it.”
“What?”
“I heard her say thanks.”
“…!”

The Perardin Noishurael Duke’s lips curved upward in a crooked smile.

“Just now, seeing her face and receiving her greeting directly. Unlike that fake greeting I got through the communication stone.”
“A fake?! Did you say everything?!”

Crackle!
Sparks flew from both their eyes.

“What are you two doing over my daughter?”

And now Kaiser, holding a three-tiered cake, joined in.
It wasn’t just sparks flying anymore—the very air crackled with tension.

Whoooosh!
The auras of three people clashed, and a sharp wind swept through.

‘This is really going to become a problem, isn’t it?!’

That was when it happened.

“What are you all doing in front of a child?”

A gentle yet firm voice.
Not picking a fight, but stopping one—an utterly sensible remark.

“Father!”

It was Randel!

“On such a beautiful day, grown adults brawling like this.”

Exactly!

“All of you, reflect on your actions.”

I hurried over to the voice of reason and rushed into his arms.
Randel caught me, spreading his arms wide.

‘Ah, this is so stable….’

The familiar scent of Randel that I had known since childhood enveloped me.
The fragrance of a gentle, sensible man.

Randel chuckled softly as he stroked my hair.

“Yes, my daughter. Have you missed Father?”
“Yes!”
“I should have come to the temple sooner.”
“No, you must have had much to handle at the temple.”
“My daughter has always been so mature since childhood. You can be more childish, you know.”

Randel patted my back gently.

‘Unlike those who growl whenever we meet, how is he so kind and affectionate— huh?’

I lifted my head and froze.

“What’s wrong, Sae?”

‘…Just now, Randel seemed to flash an incredibly vicious smile while looking at Kaiser, the Admiral, and the Duke.’

But Randel, who was asking me what was wrong, wore his usual gentle expression.

‘No way, a vicious smile from Randel of all people? That’s impossible.’

It was as unlikely as bread disappearing from Artemia’s chest.

“It’s nothing. Let’s eat cake together instead.”
“Sure.”

I turned to accept the cake Kaiser had brought.
But then.

‘Why is he looking at me with such a wronged expression?’

And his gaze toward Randel was even worse.
Like he was looking at a temptress who’d stolen his husband….

‘What nonsense is this.’

I’ve been seeing things since earlier.

“Phew, really.”
“Honeybread, there’s not a single person in this world you can trust.”

Edmund let out an exasperated sigh, and Dmitri spoke to me seriously.
Among them,

“I need to step up my game too.”

Ilay smiled with particular sweetness.

* * *

A few days later.
I was offering my prayers as usual, listening to the children tumbling about in the background.

“Sae.”

Ilay entered the prayer chamber.

“What is it?”
“A message came.”
“…!”

Ilay handed me a note.
The note began with the words “Dear Angel.”
A smile naturally bloomed across my lips.

“That brat—he’s grown up well after all.”

The sender of the note was Teodor.
Ilay’s younger brother.

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