Youngest on Top - Chapter 207

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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 207

In an instant, silence fell over the room.
And then.

“You, you insolent fool!”
“How dare you speak to His Majesty like that…!!”
“I shall strike you down this instant!”

Shing!
A blade gleaming with brilliant blue light was drawn within the chamber.

The three Sacred Maidens turned deathly pale.

‘If you’re going to die, why drag us down with you!!’

Yet strangely enough.

“Ha.”

The King of the Elves was smiling.
Setting aside what kind of smile it truly was.

“To speak so boldly—I suppose I have no choice.”
“It seems Your Majesty has taken an interest after all.”
“Quite so.”

The King’s gaze upon Saelika grew heavy.
A gaze far too persistent and lingering for one so pure and noble as an Elf.

“Yet something troubles me.”
“…?”
“Your response suggests you already knew I would take interest if you spoke thus.”
“…!”

Saelika flinched, then laughed in a manner that was unmistakably awkward.

“I had absolutely no idea whatsoever.”
“I thought your interest was piqued, was it not?”
“…That’s not it at all. I simply wanted to suppress that arrogant attitude of yours, so I had no intention of accepting the wager. That’s what I meant.”
“Very well then.”

The King conceded a step.
Yet his gaze sweeping across Saelika’s face remained unchanged.
Unable to bear that piercing look any longer, Saelika changed the subject.

“Then what shall we wager in this bet?”
“If you win, I shall grant you a branch of the World Tree as you desire. What of the opposite outcome?”
“What is it that you desire?”
“There is nothing I desire from you humans.”
“….”
“Yet if it is something you do not wish to give, and through it I can witness your resolve, that would suffice.”
“Then how shall we demonstrate our resolve?”
“Your lives.”
“….”
“Why? Are you afraid?”

At the King’s words, Saelika laughed.

“Your Majesty has quite the charming side to you. Turning my own words back against me like that.”

The King’s eyes flickered slightly.
At her insolent remarks, the elves stirred in their seats.
They seemed ready to draw their blades the moment the King gave his permission.

A suffocating tension pressed down upon the hall.
Saelika nodded lightly, showing no sign of intimidation.

“Of course, I am prepared for such stakes.”
“Then.”
“I shall wager my life.”

The King’s and Saelika’s gazes clashed in the empty space between them.
A single meeting of eyes.
In that moment alone, a tempestuous wind swept through the chamber.

Unable to break through the fiercely blazing air, the three Sacred Maidens perspired from their eyes.

‘Saelika~~~! What are you doing about this!!!!’
‘Why are you gambling with our lives like this!!!!’
‘I never agreed to this!!! I want to go home alive!!!!!’

There was a mountain of things I wanted to say.
But my spirit was so crushed that no words came out.

* * *

“Preparations will take time. Since you don’t have much time left to live, it wouldn’t be bad to taste freedom, however briefly.”
“Your consideration is truly appreciated.”
“It may not be necessary for you, but for the rest of these humans, such consideration is absolutely essential.”

At the King’s words, Saelika turned to look behind her.
And seeing the three people sitting there looking as though they might lose consciousness at any moment, she nodded.

“We haven’t even started the wager yet, so they can’t die now. I gratefully accept your consideration.”
“Silvester.”

At the King’s call, the High Elf bowed respectfully.
And with an expression as though looking at vermin, he spoke to Saelika.

“Follow me.”

After leaving the King’s chambers.
The High Elf—Silvester spoke in a cold voice.

“Humans are always reckless.”
“Elves always fail to distinguish between courage and recklessness. Of course, neither applies in this case.”
“…”
“I showed neither courage nor recklessness. I simply stated what I can do because I can do it.”
“Do you think a human can handle the World Tree better than an Elf?”
“Then let me ask you something.”

Saelika stopped walking and looked at Silvester.

“Why do the Elves act as though the World Tree belongs to them?”
“…!”
“From the start, none of this makes sense, does it? This wager was never necessary. The World Tree belongs to no one!”
“It is our role as Elves to protect the World Tree.”
“Who granted you that role?”
“….”

Silvester clenched his teeth.
But soon he relaxed his expression and looked down at Saelika with arrogant eyes.

“I suppose this will be somewhat entertaining.”
“….”
“Watching that insolent face of yours contort before the wall of reality.”
“How unfortunate. It seems I won’t be able to provide you with such entertainment. Instead, I’ll be the one enjoying the show.”
“….”
“Your pretty face will twist before reality, after all.”

He couldn’t get a word in edgewise.
This was the first time he’d encountered such a person.
No, even among Elves, none had ever spoken to him this way.
Beyond Elves and humans, no one at all….

‘Wait, there was one person.’

A very long time ago.

“….”

Silvester gazed quietly at Saelika.
Saelika, sensing his gaze, looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Silvester unconsciously turned his head away.
And he furrowed his brow.

‘Damn it, why did I avoid her gaze?’

It was absurd that he was even having this kind of exchange with a mere human in the first place.
Silvester walked on with his lips firmly sealed.

* * *

Silvester complied with the King’s orders without uttering a word.
The moment he left after guiding me to the guest quarters, the Sacred Maidens seized Saelika.

“W-what are you going to do?!”
“You have a plan, right? Right? Yes?”
“Yeah, seeing how confident you’ve been, you must have one! You always win with moves nobody expects!”

Hope began to kindle in the eyes of the Sacred Maidens, who had been on the verge of despair.

“You can definitely handle the World Tree better than the Elves, can’t you?!”

But.

“It’s impossible for a human to cultivate the World Tree better than Elves who have managed it for thousands of years.”
“What?!”
“Then what do we do?”
“A-are we going to die? If we lose like this—.”
“We won’t lose.”

Saelika declared with certainty.

“But you just said it was impossible?”
“I said it’s impossible to cultivate the World Tree better. I didn’t say it’s impossible to win the wager.”
“….”

The three Sacred Maidens fell silent.
They wanted to press her on what she was thinking, what she intended to do, but they held back.

‘But if we do that, it’ll be just like before.’
‘This is a chance to show something different.’
‘Even though it’s not being broadcast, still.’

The three of them tried to exercise patience and waited for Saelika to speak.

“Helene, you can use Reyatan’s curse perfectly now, right? That extreme poison.”
“…Don’t worry. I’ve learned something too.”
“Learned something?”
“From our conversation just now. No matter how dire the situation becomes, I won’t resort to anything like cheating like I used to.”

Show me you’ve changed from before, and apologize properly.
With her resolve set, Helene opened her mouth with a grave expression.

“This time, I’ll do it fairly and squarely—.”
“Did you eat something bad?”
“…Huh?”

Saelika furrowed her brow as if asking what nonsense she was spouting.

“What do you mean fairly and squarely? You’re the one who tried to poison a child who whines even in situations where their life isn’t on the line.”
“Wha—?”
“Your life is on the line now. So why are you spouting such leisurely talk? Did Reyatan teach you that?”
“…!”
“Tch, no. Given Reyatan’s personality, she’d definitely tell you to curse first in a situation like this….”

Helene froze in place.
She was so flustered that she didn’t even dare think to question what kind of blasphemy that was against Reyatan.

Saelika’s gaze turned to the other two.

“You two are the same.”
“Huh?”
“Eyrene, you can create illusions, right?”
“Huh? I-illusions, you mean?”
“Yeah, that. Such an annoying ability. Unlike regular illusions, people can’t tell the difference from reality. Do you know how many unfair accusations I’ve suffered because of that?”
“I-I never accused you of anything.”

Saelika fell silent for a moment.

“…That, what was it, when you suggested we gamble with cards back then. You proposed that knowing I’d believe your illusion and try to cheat, didn’t you?”
“Th-that was…! I was young back then and couldn’t even use my abilities properly!!”

At this unexpected resurrection of her dark history, Eyrene’s face turned bright red.

“Besides, you were the one who deceived me too!!”
“Who cares? Your ability is good, so keep using it.”
“…What?”
“Zabelina.”

At Saelika’s call, Zabelina tensed her body.
Unlike the other two Sacred Maidens, Zabelina had never wronged Saelika despite possessing the abilities of a Sacred Maiden.
So why was she being called like this?

“You can block space, can’t you?”
“Huh?”
“You can completely isolate the inside of a protective barrier from the outside world.”
“H-how did you…”

Zabelina was astonished.
This power was the ultimate defensive technique.
Of course, it was treated as classified information even within Haruanus.
But how did she know about it?

“How? You’re a Sacred Maiden of Haruanus, aren’t you?”
“….”

Zabelina swallowed hard.

‘Just how extensive is Artemeia’s intelligence network?’

I never knew they possessed such formidable power even in information warfare.

“But do you know something?”
“W-what?”
“Isolation doesn’t work one way. What happens inside the barrier can’t affect the outside either.”
“…!”
“So if you trapped an Elf who commands the World Tree inside that barrier, what would happen?”
“…!!!!”

Not protection—but imprisonment!

‘Such cunning scheming!’

The three Sacred Maidens stared at Saelika with their mouths agape.
Saelika smiled wickedly.

“This is a bet I absolutely cannot lose. So I must win by any means necessary.”

‘No, is that really something a Sacred Maiden should be saying?’
‘And it’s not even someone else—it’s ridiculous that we’re the ones saying it.’
‘You made that decision to be reborn just two or three hours ago!! And only because you were moved by what I said!!’

Saelika gently soothed the three of them.

“Do you remember what I asked you before we came here?”
“Uh, what was it?”
“I asked what your goal was.”
….
“If you haven’t set a goal, I’ll set one for you.”

Saelika met the eyes of all three.

“Amelia will be the first to obtain a branch of the World Tree in this mission. How about you defeat her and make your names known?”
…!
“Instead of names already tainted, you’ll be known again as Sacred Maidens who overcame the impossible.”

It was a stirring statement.
However—.

‘The problem is she’s tempting us to cheat!’

“…So you’re saying we should curse them and poison their World Tree branch?”
“And I’ll use sleight of hand to hide it?”
“And I’ll imprison the Elf so she can’t use her abilities?”

Put together like this, it was a crime trifecta.

“Why are you being so prudish all of a sudden? Your god gave you those abilities to use them well. When else would you use them if not now?”
….
….
….

Did she really think the god gave abilities for this?
I was speechless.

‘Why does this nonsense sound so convincing?’
‘It’s as if the deity in the Heavenly Realm is vigorously nodding along….’
‘No, no. That can’t be right.’

An absurd thought.

“You’re not just naturally disagreeable for nothing. You’ve been that insufferable since childhood—it’s in your nature.”
“And what about you!”
“Scheming like this!”
“It’s not just this time! You’ve trapped me in your schemes before!”
“I’m different from you. I’m not just disagreeable.”
“What…!”
“I’m absolutely vile.”

Sae laughed with a grin.

“I’ve heard plenty of names like that before. Troublemaker, headache, menace, delinquent, thug.”
“….”
“I’ve got some experience with being a thug, you know.”

Sae clenched her fists tightly.

‘Complete the mission? I can’t settle for that. Artemisia’s Sacred Maiden can’t lose to another Sacred Maiden.’

Her blue eyes, bright as a clear sky, gleamed with clarity.

‘I’m crushing every other team and taking first place!!’

* * *

“Your Majesty.”

At the call, the Elf King turned his head.
Silvester, who had escorted Sae’s group and returned, bowed respectfully.
The King spoke.

“Isn’t it curious.”
“What do you refer to, Your Majesty.”
“No matter how much of a Sacred Maiden she is, she’s merely a human who hasn’t even lived two decades. Yet she shows not a trace of intimidation before me.”

The King had not deliberately raised his aura to pressure the Sacred Maidens.
Yet just as one feels overwhelmed and awestruck standing before primordial trees stretching toward the heavens,
it was natural to feel an oppressive presence merely by facing him.

“The other Sacred Maidens were certainly afraid of Your Majesty. Though by appearance, it was quite the opposite.”

To anyone’s eye, the three Sacred Maidens possessed the stronger presence.
Saelika, by contrast, appeared soft and fragile.

“One cannot judge by surface appearance alone.”
“Do you see something special in that person?”
“…There is no need to measure it deliberately.”

The King turned his gaze away.

“You will know soon enough.”

Where the King’s eyes fell, a branch of the World Tree lay in place.
The preparations for the wager were complete.

Silvester looked at the King in genuine surprise.

“When you say we shall know soon…do you truly believe that person has a possibility of winning the wager?”
“What do you think?”
“Of course it is impossible.”
“Is that so? Your expression suggests otherwise.”
“Pardon?”
“While guiding that girl, your state of mind has changed, has it not? That is why you ask me this question.”
“…!”

Silvester furrowed his brow and lowered his head.
It could not be.
His fists clenched with force.

“…She is merely an arrogant person who knows her place not.”

The King said nothing more.
He simply gazed at Silvester with a penetrating look.
Under that gaze, Silvester fell into contemplation.

‘…Can that woman really win this wager?’

Abilities that surpassed even the Elves who had tended the World Tree for millennia.
And alongside that, an oddly familiar manner of speech and conduct.
What if, by some chance—.

‘No. Human souls are corrupted.’

Even if someone were reincarnated, it would not be that same soul from before.
But what if.
By some chance—.

‘If she could command the World Tree…!’

A strange anticipation blossomed within his chest.
Yet the moment the wager actually began.

“Wh-what in the—!”

That anticipation shattered completely.

‘Is that a curse? Is she tormenting the World Tree’s branch with a curse right now?!’

That wasn’t all.
She was pulling off sleight of hand without being detected.
And worse, she was confining the Elf participating in the wager behind an invisible barrier!

“This is cheating, Your Majesty! They intend to kill our branch to win the wager!! Those despicable fraudsters—.”
“Be silent.”

The King murmured without shifting his gaze from one point.

“Look.”
“…?”

Silvester turned his head to follow where the King was looking.

There stood Saelika.
Enveloped in brilliant golden radiance.
Blossoms blooming from the World Tree’s branches cradled in her embrace!

“…!!!”

Silvester’s pupils trembled.

—————
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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