Youngest on Top - Chapter 205

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

Chapter 205

* * *

“My, it’s been quite some time since I’ve witnessed a spectacle like this.”

Within the grand hall of the imperial palace.
A massive crystal display screen broadcast the preliminary rounds in vivid detail.
Beside this enormous main display, there were twenty smaller crystal viewing stones arranged in a row.
The twenty viewing stones silently streamed footage from each team’s progress.

“Indeed. It reminds me of watching the Sacred Gatherings of old.”
“As the Sacred Maidens have grown older, such gatherings have become increasingly rare.”

Sacred Gatherings were typically held frequently when the Sacred Maidens were younger, but the frequency declined as they matured.
Once they reached adulthood, there was simply too much at stake to lose.

“This is far more thrilling than the old gatherings. Now the Sacred Maidens form entire teams together.”
“Yes, team battles… We shall witness abilities we have never seen before.”
“To observe such a rare opportunity in such splendid surroundings. We owe it all to Your Majesty’s benevolence.”

As the nobles directed their praise toward the Emperor, he laughed heartily.

“Surely watching together and sharing our thoughts makes the experience all the more enjoyable, does it not?”
“Haha, Your Majesty speaks true wisdom. Being seated alongside the priests from other temples inspires us to strive even harder.”
“Ha! Parmanase Temple is undoubtedly the empire’s greatest temple, and yet you speak of striving further! How encouraging.”

The Parmanase Priest smiled at the Emperor’s words.
This gathering was not limited to the imperial family and nobility alone.
The priests from temples with branches in Jedo were also present.

“Indeed, that is Amelia. She already demonstrates remarkable leadership.”

At a noble’s remark, all eyes turned toward the main display screen.

[Wow! To be on the same team as Amelia—it’s such an honor!]
[Aren’t we going to secure first place and claim the World Tree’s branch?]

The Sacred Maidens on Amelia’s team were absolutely delighted.

[Since all the Sacred Maidens from every team are exceptional, we’ll have to see who stands out.]
[And so humble too….]
[If our goal is first place, I think we should move quickly. So, would it be alright if I took command of our team?]

The leader of a team composed entirely of Sacred Maidens.
In a sense, this was a position equivalent to that of a High Priestess.
Given that this was a selection tournament for High Priestess, the other Sacred Maidens could have shown signs of discomfort.
But.

[Of course!]
[It’s an honor.]
[Amelia is the most qualified person on our team.]

“Huh, they’re all nodding without hesitation.”
“They actually seem to think it’s a good thing….”
“Aren’t the Sacred Maidens already recognizing Amelia as High Priestess material?”

At the nobles’ exclamations, Beatrix’s lips curved upward.

[Which region should we head to?]
[Let’s consider the route first.]

Under Amelia’s command, they checked the portal locations and selected regions they could reach quickly.

[This one is the fastest! We can get there in 30 minutes.]
[All the other candidates take over an hour. They’re quite far from the portal.]
[Then should we go to the region that takes 30 minutes?]

Amelia shook her head.

[Before that, let’s check the contamination level first.]
[Oh, contamination level!]
[We need to deliver perfect results within our limited time. The same applies when calamities strike later.]
[….]
[Rather than attempting reckless challenges, it’s important to devise a strategy we can definitely succeed with.]

The nobles who heard Amelia’s words let out sighs of admiration.

“Amelia certainly handles matters with composure, prioritizing by importance rather than acting rashly on youthful impulse.”
“When calamity strikes, I wonder if there could be a more dependable Sacred Maiden than her.”

Amelia and the Sacred Maidens contacted their respective temples and checked the contamination levels as thoroughly as they could discern.
Then they selected the optimal region.
It was a faster and more precise choice than any other team.

And in that moment.
Amelia used her sacred power to call out loudly.

[We will go retrieve the World Tree branch from the Tirenholm region. I support all of you Sacred Maidens.]

It was a voice loud enough for the other Sacred Maidens strategizing in the competition arena to hear.
The nobles tilted their heads in surprise.

“She announced it? If she reveals the region she chose, other teams might follow her lead.”
“She could even face interference. Disclosing her own information seems like a blunder.”
“That would only matter if the gap between teams were small.”
“It’s wiser to avoid a typhoon than to face it head-on. Other teams will likely find it burdensome to compete against Amelia.”
“Indeed, it would be better to avoid her and move to another region, then aim for first place. There are quite a few other excellent locations.”

At the nobles’ words, Parmanase Priest asked the Emperor.

“What is your assessment, Your Majesty?”
“Hmm, opening her information to competitors as a form of interference… This is a strategy only Amelia could employ.”

A strategy only Amelia could use.
It was nothing short of the highest praise.
At the Emperor’s response, the nobles rushed to add their own words.

“It seems Amelia will be the fastest to retrieve the World Tree branch?”
“Her execution is textbook-perfect.”
“And the teamwork is excellent.”

Parmanase’s priests straightened their shoulders with pride.

‘If this continues, the Emperor will vote for Amelia. The nobles have no choice but to be influenced by the Emperor.’

Beatrix lowered her gaze to check on Saelika’s team.

‘That trembling wretch doesn’t even warrant concern.’

Beatrix smiled seductively and spoke to Kaiser.

“Kaiser, I’m quite looking forward to your daughter as well.”
“….”
“After all, she’s the child you selected as your daughter—and you’re none other than the greatest Holy Knight. Surely she’s grown into a remarkable Sacred Maiden?”

At those words, the nobles’ gazes naturally shifted to another crystal display.
It was the footage of Saelika’s team.
The operations staff managing the control panel quickly transmitted that footage to the main display screen.

“Oh dear….”
“The atmosphere seems rather poor, doesn’t it?”

The nobles let out sighs.
It was plainly different from Amelia’s Emerald Team’s situation.
Once the voices began to play, it became even more apparent.

[We have to go to this area, I’m telling you? The most dangerous places are where the greatest opportunities arise.]
[That’s only true if we succeed. What if we fail by unnecessarily going somewhere difficult?]
[Ah, it seems you lack confidence because you don’t have the ability.]
[Ha! Is it really so difficult to understand that we don’t need to take an unnecessarily roundabout easy path?]
[Sigh, both of you need to stop with the stubborn arguments and listen to me.]
[What?!]
[Stubborn argum—?!]

There had never been such a mess.
Ilay, sitting beside Kaiser, muttered under his breath.

“A group project nightmare.”

* * *

‘When people with such strong personalities gather together, it’s no joke.’

I shook my head in dismay.
What mattered to them wasn’t whether their own argument was more reasonable.

Who would become the leader?

By nature, the Grand Sacred Maiden was the leader of the Sacred Maidens.
That’s why all three of them were bickering without yielding an inch.

They seemed far too excited. Or perhaps their true nature was showing through despite their attempts at restraint.

I glanced to the side.
A broadcast magical device floated about energetically.
Surely there were people watching this situation right now.

If the management bureau loved controversy, they would definitely focus the spotlight on our team over the others.

Before attending the preliminary matches today.
Ilay had said something to me.

“Be careful. A strange Sacred Maiden might try to start trouble.”
“Everyone knows this mission is being broadcast live. They wouldn’t cause trouble for no reason.”
“Even during a broadcast, you can’t let your guard down.”
“Why? The Sacred Maidens are already experts at managing their image.”
“There’s the opposite case too. Many of them grew up pampered within the temple walls. Why would those habits disappear just because we’re outside?”
“Hmm….”
“People can’t shake their habits as easily as you’d think. I’ve seen plenty of instances in my past life where people do things you’d never expect on broadcast.”

Seeing them create such chaos regardless of the camera’s presence, Ilay’s words proved true.
But the real problem lay elsewhere.

Time.

An hourglass was displayed as a hologram on the broadcast magical device.
It was synchronized with that massive hourglass the host had pointed to.

If time just kept flowing without us accomplishing anything, we’d definitely be at a disadvantage.

Ilay had told me to avoid chaos, but I needed to bring some order to this.
I recalled what the host had said.

“We respect the privacy of the Sacred Maidens. The broadcast magical device can be turned on and off.”

They clearly said it could be turned on and off.
Which means—.

‘They’re setting up a trap for us to backstab each other during team competition.’

But the operations headquarters wouldn’t miss that entertaining spectacle of betrayal.

“However, only the user can deactivate their own magical device.”

As expected, such a condition was attached.
I opened my mouth.

“Everyone, stop.”
“What?”
“We’re in a situation where we need to work together to obtain a branch of the World Tree. How can we accomplish anything if we keep fighting like this?”
“Fighting? That was constructive discussion.”
“Yeah, it matters where we go.”
“Go as the last team after all the others have moved?”

I glanced at the hourglass.
The three of them noticed the time, and while they seemed somewhat startled, they didn’t close their mouths.

“…There’s nothing wrong with being cautious, right?”
“A slow start doesn’t put us at a disadvantage.”
“Ah, so you’re planning to follow the path the other teams cleared while fighting monsters, then use the holy power you’ve conserved to snatch the World Tree branch?”
“…What!”
“That’s the only way I hear it. Am I wrong?”
“…!”

The three of them fell silent.
Good, they quieted down.
I gestured toward the broadcast magical device.

“Let’s turn this off first and talk.”

Flinch.
But the three of them reacted with an oddly exaggerated startle.

“Why, why are you telling me to turn it off…?”
“It seems like you’re about to do something people shouldn’t see, doesn’t it?”
“I absolutely won’t turn it off!!”

…These guys are really something.

“Is that so? Then let’s keep it on.”

I smiled faintly and clenched my fists tightly.

* * *

-I really wish she’d just beat them up.
-Sacred Maiden Saelika really has bad luck with draws. What are her teammates going to do.
-These kids just keep fighting over who gets to be leader;;
-The other teams compromised somehow and left.

People watching Saelika’s broadcast expressed their frustration.

Can’t I just go beat them up and come back ㅠㅠ??
He’s quick to pick up on things, so he said he’d never cut the broadcast no matter what ㅠㅠ
At this point, I think everyone would be happy even if we started fresh.
That would be nice, but you know there will definitely be kids who say something about it haha

Half of them wanted her to throw a punch.
Half worried that doing so would cause a backlash.
People were torn.

But if you don’t give it to me, how am I supposed to deal with those crazy people ㅠㅠ
If we can’t wrap this up here and keep dragging it out, we could seriously get eliminated ㅠㅠ
-What should she even do????

Then, Saelika opened her mouth.

[Helene. Remember the old days? When we had that gathering, you cheated by even using sacred relics.]
[What, what?!]
[Why are you surprised? You used the “Broken Sicklis” too. It’s so extremely toxic that anyone else would have died.]
[…!]
[I was so young back then I could barely speak. You weren’t trying to kill me, were you? I believe you wouldn’t.]

Saelika smiled softly.

-Huh?
-And here they bring up the past lol
Bringing up past stories of attempted murder while laughing hahahahahaha
That’s crazy.

Eirene.
I’ve never used such foul play. Rather, you’re the one who committed a foul!
It was a battle of divine power disguised as a card game. I simply won that fight. You agreed to it back then, so why are you saying something different now?
I cannot provide a translation for this text as it appears to be incomplete or corrupted Korean characters that don’t form a recognizable word or phrase.
“Oh, were you worried that it would come out that I told you to bet on a man?”
[…!]
Well, I’d be embarrassed too. A saint proposing to bet a man like that.
That’s—!
Javelina.
I didn’t know the three angel statues were fake. It was even proven in court.
“You called me a pervert, didn’t you?”
[…!]
Why did they call me lowborn? Is it because I’m a commoner? Does being a commoner make me base?
I didn’t mean it that way—.
Then what did it mean?

That’s trash/garbage.
My bones are going to break ㅠㅠ
It’s so pathetic lol
Maybe it would have hurt less if you’d just punched me with your fist…
It feels cool inside.

Elaya, who had been examining the mana shell, lifted her head with a smile.
As expected.
The nobles were also astonished, blinking their eyes repeatedly.

Agnes frowned and opened her mouth.

“Bringing up old personal mistakes from the distant past here. Saint Saerica certainly lacks the spirit of fair play.”
“Well. Jim thinks differently.”
“…!”

Agnes looked at the Emperor with a bewildered expression at his leisurely tone.

“Saelika was considerate enough to ask you to turn off the video magic tool. It was you who refused.”
“B-but Your Majesty, bringing up a mistake from so long ago in childhood—.”
“It’s merely a tactic. We’re not fabricating something that never happened.”

The Emperor dismissed Agnes’s words.

“I find it quite a clever tactic, actually. Why don’t you tell me the same? We implemented such policies in the past, so we must maintain them. We gave speeches with this direction, so it’s difficult to change. Why not use these excuses?”
“Y-Your Majesty, how could you blame the gods?”
“Haha! I merely meant it’s a clever tactic.”

The Emperor laughed heartily, but the nobles shrank back.
Under the nobles’ glares, Agnes could only keep her mouth shut.

Empress Maxina opened her mouth with a smile.

“So Saelika didn’t care whether the broadcast was on or off.”
“If she’d turned off the broadcast and said the same thing, it would’ve become another weapon. That she could say the same words anytime in front of the camera.”

Empress Adelin also chimed in, not to be outdone.

“The reason we can’t properly counter now is because we’re conscious of the broadcast.”
“When you were fighting earlier, you seemed to have forgotten, but thanks to Saelika’s suggestion to turn off the camera magic tool, you’ve become conscious of it again.”
“Whichever choice you make, it’s all according to Saelika’s plan.”

The two empresses exchanged words amicably, laughing together.
Yet their gazes were filled with thorns.

‘Adelin, how dare you steal my words!’
‘Hmph, didn’t you steal mine first?’

The two empresses snorted.
The Emperor burst into raucous laughter.

“According to Saelika’s plan… It reminds me of the old days.”
“The old days, Your Majesty?”
“What kind of miracle that child wrought in the Dantalian Desert.”

The Emperor manipulated the Manashell placed on the side table.
The eyes of the Nobles who witnessed this widened as if they might tear open.

‘Could it be—right now?’
‘D-did he just vote?!’

So quickly?
The competition had only just begun?!

‘Wait. Then who did he vote for?’
‘This flow is….’

The same name surfaced in everyone’s mind.

‘Saelika?!’

The Emperor confirmed that thought.

“This time as well, I’ll place my bet on that child.”
“…!”

Sparks ignited in Beatrix’s eyes.

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