Youngest on Top - Chapter 212

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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 212

* * *

A sudden gust of wind swept toward me, and I stiffened, unable to react properly.
But then.

“….”

It was a strange touch.
Like Randel gently caressing my cheek while I dozed lightly at night.
Like the gaze Kaiser gave my eyes when examining me beneath the sunlight.
And like when Admiral Ekellan lifted me into his arms after so long—.

“Did too many journalists come looking for you?”

The moment I nodded, he looked ready to slaughter every last one of them.
I rolled my eyes and answered.

“That’s not it. It’s just… a bit.”

Blooming the branches of the World Tree was no easy feat for me.
Honestly, I didn’t even know I could make flowers bloom.

‘Though I do have experience making sprouts grow in barren land before.’

Even if that barren land happened to be someone’s head.

“It wasn’t an easy mission. I’ll be fine with some rest. I’m actually feeling much better already.”

My condition had genuinely improved quite a bit.
So I didn’t even realize my eyes were darkened underneath.
When I looked in the mirror while washing my face, I showed no signs of it.

The Duke finally released my cheek.
As I turned my head, I saw Shuellina.

Shuellina’s eyes were practically bulging out of her head as she alternated her gaze between me and the Duke.
Her expression resembled that of someone witnessing rain fall upon a desert.

The Duke’s gaze followed mine toward Shuellina.
Shuellina snapped to attention with a sharp intake of breath.

“Ah, I, Your Grace! It is an honor to meet you!”

Shuellina, flustered and uncertain, bowed her head deeply once more.

“We already exchanged greetings earlier.”
“Ah, yes, of course.”

At my words, Shuellina laughed awkwardly, a nervous sound escaping her lips.
Her tension and reverence were unmistakable.

‘Ah, so this is what Perardin Noishurael Duke truly is.’

At our temple, he was always treated as an unwelcome visitor, so I had forgotten.

‘Wait.’

Was it really acceptable for our temple to treat the Duke so casually?
Shouldn’t the elders have instructed me to treat him with proper respect?

Perardin Noishurael Duke spoke to me in a cool voice.

“It seems the appointed time has arrived.”
“Ah, yes! You had a prior engagement. I’m terribly sorry for overstaying my welcome without any sense of propriety. I’ll take my leave at once.”

Shuellina startled as though she’d been given an order to depart, scrambling to leave.

“I was the one who kept you talking.”
“Saelika…”

Shuellina gazed at me with a moved expression.

“Saelika seems to have been born that way.”
“Hm?”
“It’s just… you feel fundamentally different from me.”

I felt a pang of guilt.
Did she figure out that I was an angel?

“W-Why would you think that?”
“Just… you have this noble and dignified aura. It’s different from mine.”

‘Does she actually know I’m an angel?!’

Of course an angel of Artemia would be noble and dignified—it was only natural. Perpidian wasn’t like other gods; the deity had always been weak and reclusive, so I didn’t know much about her abilities either.
Perpetuian is so weak-willed and doesn’t go out much, so I don’t know the details very well either.
I don’t know who that god is…

“Does Perpetian have an ability like the Evil Eye among his powers?”

I turned to see the Duke.
Looking back, it was a great achievement.

“I was wondering if you were truly noble and dignified.”
“Are you saying I seem like a thug?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“I didn’t say that.”

It was a rare smile.
I was a bit surprised when he murmured softly.
He muttered in slight surprise.

“…?”
“You used to be so timid in my presence.”
“He used to be completely intimidated in front of me before.”

So he’s saying I shouldn’t talk back like I used to.
Don’t act like you used to, okay?

But that’s strange, isn’t it?
The Duke’s expression didn’t look particularly displeased.
Rather—.

As I narrowed my eyes and studied the Duke, Shuellina greeted me.

“W-Well, I should be going now. Please speak freely, both of you. Saelika, I’ll see you at the next mission.”

And before I could stop her, she hurried out of the greenhouse.
The Duke didn’t even glance in Shuellina’s direction.
He simply took a seat.

He carried himself with such natural ease and composure, as if he owned the place.
Well, he was the Duke of Perardin Noishurael, so of course he’d be at ease anywhere.

I sat down across from the Duke.
A brief silence settled between us.
I was the first to speak.

“I heard you all watched the broadcast together at the Imperial Palace.”
“Mm.”
“And that you stopped our temple members from acting out.”
“….”
“You said they didn’t need to intervene because you’d overturn it yourself.”

“Hold back. Causing a scene here won’t help Artemia.”
“You want me to hold back when my daughter is being insulted like that?”
“It must be nice to be detached when it’s someone else’s problem.”
“…I meant you didn’t need to step in.”
….”
“That child will overturn it herself.”

It was Admiral Ekellan who relayed this conversation to me.

“That guy is unlucky, rude, arrogant, irritating, grating— anyway, he’s really not likable at all.”
“….”
“That’s what he said.”
“….”
“Anyway, that’s just how it was.”

It was unclear whether it was praise or criticism.
I lowered my head.

“Thank you for stopping me. If it weren’t for you, Your Grace, things would have gone very wrong.”
“I merely stated the obvious facts.”
“Still, I’m grateful.”
“Given your abilities, it was a reasonable conclusion. Serge and your temple people simply failed to see it because of their affection and concern for you.”
“My abilities?”
“Yes. You’ve always fought harder than anyone else in places where people don’t pay attention.”
“…?”
“For the past five years.”
“…!”

I looked at Perardin Noishurael Duke in surprise.

“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“….”
“I thought it strange that you were leading priests around areas with no signs of corruption. But those areas had Demon Flowers.”
“….”
“You purified them, didn’t you? Without reporting it, because if word spread that Demon Flowers had been discovered, it could cause other problems.”
“….”

He was right.
If it became known that Demon Flowers had been discovered, it would create conditions for heretical cults to thrive instead.
Moreover, there were those who exploited public fear for their own power.

“Remote wastelands where no one lives. Small villages on the outskirts beyond the reach of public authority.”
“….”
“Whenever monsters appeared in such places, you were always there. As if you already knew contamination signs would occur.”
“….”

I was somewhat surprised by his keen analysis.
He was right—I did know.
Anakin’s ability: the Eye of Omniscience.
Thanks to it, I could perceive the contamination status across the entire continent.

“Curiously enough, he never appeared when monsters showed up in cities or major areas.”
“…Because there are plenty of other people to subjugate them there.”
“The other temples stepped up and handled the subjugation and purification well. Especially the Parmanase Temple.”
“….”

It was a statistically natural result, given that Parmanase held the widest sphere of influence.
However, knowing what Parmanase had done before my regression, I felt a slight unease.

“Thanks to that, Amelia has gained even greater respect and admiration from the people.”
“…With so many subjugations under her belt, it’s natural people would follow her.”
“Over the past five years, the remarkable Amelia has purified a total of 27 contaminated areas.”
“….”
“But the contaminated areas you’ve purified—.”

The Duke’s blue eyes fixed directly upon me.

“Total of 67 locations.”
“….”
“That’s why it’s only natural you stand out in the preliminary selection that measures the capabilities of the Sacred Maidens.”

It was an unwavering declaration.
I opened my mouth slightly.

“Your Grace, are you ultimately….”

Saying that I’m remarkable?
More than Amelia—or rather, more than anyone else?

‘A man of few words and little expression just spoke all those words….’

Tingle.
For some reason, my fingertips tingled, and I fidgeted with my fingers.

I had thought it was effort no one would ever acknowledge.
But as Artemia’s Messenger and a Sacred Maiden, it was only right that I do what was expected of me regardless.

It was the same in the Heavenly Realm.
Even if no one acknowledged me.
Even if my brothers blamed me.
I was simply meant to—.

‘But there was someone watching over me through it all.’

I lifted my head and gazed at the Duke.
From the moment he entered this room, he hadn’t taken his eyes off me for a single instant.

My chest felt strangely ticklish.
Like a great beast had gently ruffled me with its soft tail.

“….”

I clenched my fists and severed that sensation.

‘The Duke watching over me was only natural.’

At that time, the Artemia Temple had risen rapidly as it established branches throughout the Empire.
It would be strange if Perardin Noishurael Duke didn’t keep watch over such a temple’s trajectory.

Once the cause and effect became clear, everything made sense.
I spoke with a slightly bitter expression.

“…Your Grace, you have quite the stalker tendencies, don’t you?”
“…What?”
“Well, of course it’s thanks to having capable subordinates. But still.”
“….”
“Wow, sixty-seven locations. I didn’t even count them one by one myself, but you….”
“….”
“Stalking is a crime, so, hmm….”

The Duke’s expression turned strange.

‘Oh no.’

I was supposed to be grateful right now.
Above all, Perardin Noishurael Duke was a generous man.

“Ah, well, thank you so much, Duke Perardin Noishurael. Last time you sent a carriage to the advertising site, and this time you listened to my story in front of the temple with the other nobles….”
“….”
“I won’t forget your kindness, Duke. I’ll repay it properly. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

For Perardin Noishurael Duke, there could be no sweeter words to hear.
Yet his face had grown rigid and cold.

“Saelika.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Why do you think I helped you?”
“…Because I’m a promising candidate for High Priestess?”
“So you thought I invested in you expecting returns.”
“Isn’t that the case?”

Perardin Noishurael Duke fell silent for a moment.
After a long pause, he spoke.

“Because you were a child worthy of it.”
“….”
“For years, you sacrificed alone without anyone knowing. You bore losses willingly.”
“….”
“I didn’t want you to be treated unfairly.”
“….”
“That’s all.”

A man without blood or tears.
A slaughterer who savored carnage.
The curse of the North.
A heartless father who abandoned even his own son.

Perardin Noishurael Duke had a reputation as dark as his fame was great.
I had known for some time that wasn’t the truth.
But still.

‘I naturally assumed he saw me as a tool.’

A means to find my daughter—nothing more, nothing less.
I simply pay the price for using a tool.
I don’t expect any human connection from you.
Perhaps you’re even angry with me.

After all, you’re monopolizing the attention that should have gone to Admiral Ekellan’s daughter.
How dare a mere tool do such a thing.

But.
Now he’s telling me that I’m someone who deserves respect.
That’s why he gave all of this to me, not to another Sacred Maiden.

“….”

The Duke’s words were soft, devoid of any emotional inflection.
His voice was clipped and cold, as if merely reciting facts.
He regarded me with the same cool, austere gaze as always.

Yet strangely, I felt warmth within that gaze.
Like an ember hidden beneath cold ashes.
Like that subtle spark continuing to breathe even through the frigid night, refusing to be extinguished.
Like it could reignite into a great flame at any moment.

‘…I hope we find his daughter.’

I thought it sincerely.
If she were the Duke’s daughter, she could rekindle that spark into something magnificent.
There was nothing I could do for the Duke right now.
But.

“Say, would you like a cookie?”

I picked up the last remaining cookie from the table.
Then I broke it into manageable pieces and offered it to the Duke.

The Duke flinched, then stared intently at the cookie.

“It’s delicious!”
“…Yes.”

The Duke picked up a cookie.
We shared one cookie together amicably.

* * *

“Wow, what’s with all these hearts?”
“The post is spreading everywhere?”

At the man’s exclamation, his shoulders shot up to the sky.
A single post was displayed on Manashell’s screen.

【Youngest Member’s Leadership Attempt (Saelika)】

It was the very post Shuellina had shown to Saelika.

“Heh, discovering my talent in a place like this! Master, shouldn’t I change my career path right now?”
“Pointless talk.”
“No, I’m serious. Getting this much attention from a single post. This devilish talent! Even I’m terrified of it?”
“….”
“How should I describe this, Fire! Setting the Mana Network ablaze, Boom! Should I say something like that?”
“….”

Kaishurit looked at his retainer with eyes that had seen every kind of fool.
The other retainers tapped the man on the head.

“Speak properly. This post is popular because the subject matter is good.”
“Right, these days any post with that little Sacred Maiden’s photos or videos automatically trends.”
“But Master.”

The retainers asked Kaishurit.

“Why on earth did you ask me to write something like this?”
“It’s the truth.”
“….”
“It’s all true, isn’t it?”
Ah, yes.
The men stared at the post brimming with praise for Saelika, their expressions distinctly unenthusiastic.
Then they glanced at Kaishurit’s cold, chiseled face.
Back to the post once more.
‘Well, it is true and factual. That said….’
“But why go out of your way to write this truth down and spread it so widely?”
“…Their media play was getting on my nerves.”
“Ah, you mean Parmanase?”
“It was certainly excessive.”

The men nodded in agreement before tilting their heads in confusion.

“But for you to step forward like this?”
“Didn’t you dislike things like this?”
“Ricardo’s your best friend, after all.”
“…!”

The men’s eyes widened.
They exchanged words in silent understanding.

‘Is this what I think it is?’
‘Definitely! Trying to score points with your best friend!!’
‘So you really do like Ricardo….’

The men’s eyes gleamed with moisture.
Their gazes were both pitying and admiring.

“We’re on your side!!”
“We support you unconditionally!!”
“…?”

Kaishurit looked at the men as if they’d lost their minds, then rose from his seat.

“Shut up and just follow me.”

My steps toward the outside felt oddly light.

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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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