Youngest on Top - Chapter 227

—————

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

—————

Chapter 227

Anakin’s power—the 【Eye of Omniscience】.
Through it, I could perceive the contamination levels across the entire continent.

‘Essentially, it’s a taint detector with a range that transcends human capability.’

What would happen if I concentrated this tremendous sensing ability on a single, tiny point?

Anakin: Well, what do you think?
Anakin: You’d be able to perform incredibly precise detection!

It was the same principle as how a small path hidden between buildings becomes visible when you continuously zoom in on a map.

‘If my theory is correct—.’

Anakin: Concentrate.
Anakin: Focusing on a single point is far more difficult, after all.

Following Anakin’s words, I concentrated.
With so many people of heightened sensitivity around me, I had to be even more cautious and composed than usual.
And then.

“….”

Mikhail, noticing I had gone silent, suddenly pulled my shoulder.

“Then I’ll monopolize our Apple’s VIP seat all to myself!”
“Mikhail?”
“I told you to call me big brother, Apple.”

Mikhail tapped my cheek lightly.
Then he shrugged his shoulders toward Perardin Noishurael Duke, who was watching him with a frown.

“What? I never cared whether we found him or not anyway.”
“You—!”
“There’s no way I’d suddenly adore someone just because this unexpected brat showed up.”
“M-Mikhail, big brother….”

Shuellina called out to Mikhail with a wounded expression, her voice trembling with sorrow.
Mikhail let out a short laugh.

“Why would I be your older brother?”
“I-I know I’m lacking compared to Sacred Maiden Saelika, but—.”
“That has nothing to do with Protagonist.”

Mikhail draped his arm across my shoulder, grinning wickedly.

“I’m not a child of this household, after all.”
“…!”
“You know, right? I dropped the family name.”

Mikhail made his audacious declaration without hesitation, then pulled me along.

“It seems the Perardin Noishurael Duke family is having an intimate moment among themselves. Since we’re not family, let’s get out of here.”

And so we left the tea room.

The hand gripping mine was tense with force.
His pace was far faster than usual.
His expression devoid of any smile.

After being dragged along in silence for a while, I called out to him.

“Mikhail.”
“…I never wanted a younger sibling in the first place. I was annoyed by this household obsessing over a missing sister. Just by being alive, I felt like a criminal—.”
“….”
“I thought once she was found, I’d stop making a fuss, but instead I’m making even more of one.”

I listened silently to Mikhail’s outpouring words.

‘He must have complicated feelings too.’

Though Mikhail had been harsh with Shuellina, I understood.
I knew what ripples her existence had sent through him.
Mikhail, who had always lived freely on his own terms without restraint.
The fact that he now stood before me disheveled and utterly frayed—it was all because of Shuellina.

Mikhail pushed the door open with irritation.
The room was dim, its curtains drawn shut.

“It’s nice and quiet here.”
“But it’s too dark. When your heart is already heavy, being in a dark place isn’t good for you.”

I felt Mikhail staring at me blankly.
I searched for the light and turned it on.
As the room brightened, Mikhail’s face became clearer as he gazed at me.

He was looking at me with an expression as if he might cry at any moment.
When our eyes met, that expression transformed into a smile.
It was an achingly beautiful and melancholic smile, delicate as fragile glasswork.

“…You’re beautiful.”

Mikhail whispered the words.
I looked at him in confusion before understanding dawned.
Behind me hung a portrait of the Duchess.

“You resemble her, don’t you? That Shuellina, or was it Shuvallina?”

Flowing waves of honey-gold hair.
Violet eyes that resembled Admiral Ekellan’s perfectly.
Round, gentle eyes.
Yet a smile that somehow conveyed quiet stubbornness.
The Duchess had truly been a beautiful woman.

“…Actually, you look far more like Mikhail than like me.”
“I’m nothing like Mother.”

The word “Mother” that Mikhail spoke carried such fragile, tender weight.
I rose onto my toes and gently stroked his hair.

* * *

Shortly after Saelika and Mikhail left.
Demian found himself rising halfway without realizing it.
He looked ready to follow them at any moment, prompting Shuellina to wear an expression of sorrowful distress.

“Ah… It seems Mikhail doesn’t approve of me. Well, given that he was close with Saelika, his standards must be quite high.”
“Lesha.”
“I understand that someone like me wouldn’t satisfy him…”

Tears glistened precariously in her large blue-gray eyes.
Demian rose from his seat and approached Shuellina.

“That’s not it. Mikhail is just like that. He’s rude to me too.”
“But still, I must be lacking. If only I could follow even in Saelika’s footsteps—”
“That’s not how it is.”
“He says to me, ‘Why am I even your brother?’ But to Saelika— *sob*, *sniff*!”

As she repeated the same words, Demian slowly closed and opened his eyes.

‘I should be grateful that I can comfort her.’

Demian pulled Shuellina into an embrace and patted her back.
After crying in Demian’s arms for a while, Shuellina slowly lifted her head.

“Do you think Saelika also believes I’ve overstepped by becoming a lady-in-waiting?”
“Saelika isn’t that kind of person.”
“But seeing how she left with Mikhail right away—”
“She was just accommodating Mikhail’s nature. She was concerned a bigger problem might arise.”
“Still—”
“Lesha, don’t speak ill of Saelika.”

His words were firm.

“Ah, I, I didn’t mean to speak ill— I respect Saelika so much… It’s just that I couldn’t understand her actions back then—”

The Perardin Noishurael Duke stepped forward as if to shield the flustered Shuellina.

“Demian.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Your sister is Reyarsha. Not Saelika.”
“…I understand.”
“Then act accordingly to what you understand.”
“…”

Shuellina gazed at the Duke with sparkling eyes.
The Duke reached out and wiped away the tear droplets that had gathered at the corners of her eyes.

“Father…”

Shuellina quickly nestled into his embrace and buried her face against him.

* * *

A short while later.
In the office of Perardin Noishurael Duke.
Admiral Ekellan confronted the Duke with irritation.

“Did you really have to treat Saelika that way? Not even giving her a proper greeting!”
“My daughter has returned. Nothing else matters.”
“You— were you treating Saelika as merely a tool to find your daughter?”
“…”
“Don’t deny it. You know what kind of life that child has lived. You said yourself that she deserves to be treated properly, that she has every right to be!”

Unlike the Admiral, who was seething with fury, the Duke remained coldly withdrawn.

“Don’t confuse your priorities, Serge Ekellan. Are you saying a complete stranger matters more to you than your own blood?”
“Lesha is a child I would gladly give my life for. The word precious hardly suffices. But that doesn’t mean I should treat Saelika carelessly.”
“Even if doing so wounds Reyarsha?”
“What?”

Perardin Noishurael Duke first became aware of Shuellina’s existence at the Artemian Temple’s regional branch.
It was the day I went to see Saelika.

“Lesha said that Saelika is so noble and virtuous that they come from different worlds by birth. Do you know how I responded then?”
“…”
“I didn’t respond at all.”

I paid her no mind whatsoever.
I only had eyes for Saelika.

“Without even knowing if she was my true daughter.”

“Ah, y-yes, Your Grace the Duke!”
“It seems the appointed time has arrived.”
“Oh! Ah! You had a prior engagement, didn’t you? I’m so shameless, staying this long… I’m sorry. I’ll leave right away.”

“I drove away that child who kept bowing repeatedly. She was interfering with my appointment with Saelika.”
“…”
“Every time I went to see Saelika, that child was there.”

“Still, you’re loved like that. I envy it so much. Being loved and cared for in that way.”
“You’re also cherished and valued most highly as a Sacred Maiden in the Perpidian Temple, aren’t you?”
“Come now, how could I compare to Sacred Maiden Saelika?”
“…”
“How could someone like me dare to be compared to Sacred Maiden Saelika… Ah!”

“I encountered her countless times.”

“It seems Sacred Maiden Saelika is loved by the Duke as well.”
“Hm?”
“If you ever need my help, please tell me anytime. I’m not sure if I can be of use, but…”
“Shuellina must also obtain 【Arbor】.”
“Come now, even if I— Ah!”

“It was always that child who discovered me. But.”
“…”
“I have no memory of ever acknowledging her greetings.”
“…Perardin.”
“The words that child spoke to Saelika held no meaning whatsoever.”

Words that had seemed trivial then now pierced me like daggers.

“Lesha was always chasing Saelika’s shadow.”
“…”
“That child was the first to notice. When Saelika held the bracelet, she saw how overjoyed we were.”

The Duke regarded the Admiral with eyes as sharp as frost.

“We even made that child bleed.”
“…!”
“So I will never wound my daughter again.”

It was a statement, almost a declaration.

“Even if it means tearing my Protagonist to shreds.”

Admiral Ekellan found himself unable to say anything to Perardin Noishurael Duke.
Just hearing this account made his chest feel as though it might split open.

‘That man who witnessed it all with his own eyes….’

How many tears of blood must he have shed?
Night after night, how many times had he beaten his chest with regret, remorse, fury, and self-loathing?

That cold, inhumanly rigid man was drowning his entire heart in bruises, leaving not even a needle’s width of space untouched.
What could he possibly say in the face of that?

“…You’re right. I was shortsighted. I noticed that Lesha cared about my Protagonist, yet I thought everything would be fine if I simply gave more love.”
“….”
“I’m leaving.”

Admiral Ekellan’s face was twisted in pain as he turned his back and left the office.

The room fell silent, empty of all but one.
A heavy stillness pressed down upon Perardin Noishurael Duke’s shoulders.
The Duke, who had been silent, finally opened his mouth.

“The surveillance?”

A shadow dropped into the empty room with a soft thud.
The shadow spoke.

“Proceeding without incident, my lord.”
“Don’t overlook even the smallest detail.”
“Understood.”

The shadow bowed respectfully.
Observing the Duke lost in thought, it ventured a careful question.

“But if you care for them so deeply, why the surveillance….”

Perardin Noishurael Duke’s gaze turned toward Shadow.

“…! I-I misspoke. Please forgive me!”

Shadow prostrated flat against the floor.

“Withdraw.”

At that quiet command, Shadow vanished without a trace.
Now the only person remaining in the office was truly the Duke.
In the darkness, the Admiral’s blue eyes gleamed with an icy light.

* * *

The moment I returned to the Temple System branch, the children erupted into chaos.

“What?! Our youngest’s cheering section is going to be completely empty?!?!!”
“Not the entire cheering section—just the VIP seats.”
“But that’s the most important part! Everyone will be scrutinizing who sits in those VIP seats!!”
“It’s because of her, isn’t it? That Shuellina.”

Roana snorted and spoke.

“I never liked her from the start.”
“Is she really the Duke’s biological daughter?”
“Something’s suspicious. The first mission was self-introduction, so we let that slide. Do you remember the second mission?”
“She tied for first place with our protagonist. She received boxes from the other Sacred Maidens.”
“Right. But how did she receive so many boxes?”
“…!”

Everyone’s gaze concentrated on Ilay.

“The Perpidian Temple is one with nothing particularly outstanding—in fact, it was a temple that was looked down upon. And Shuellina’s abilities aren’t exceptional either.”
“It’s definitely strange. There’s no reason the other Sacred Maidens would sacrifice their own scores to push her forward.”

This time Edmund spoke.

“Now that I think about it, there’s something else that bothers me. When she drew aggro toward Sae afterward.”
“….”
“Since they were tied for first place, I expected one of them would be sacrificed as the aggro target, but why Sae?”
“Well, Sae has better buzz value than Shuellina—.”
“If Admiral Ekellan and Perardin Noishurael Duke hadn’t contacted the operations headquarters back then and changed the editorial direction, Sae would have simply fallen out of favor with the public and been eliminated. You remember that the final seed passage was decided by a popularity vote, right?”
“…!”

A flicker of realization crossed Ilay’s eyes.

“I thought she just got buried because she was unknown. So the headquarters was continuously favorable toward Shuellina.”
“The headquarters being favorable to Shuellina is the same as Sae’s fans!”

Roana snorted.

“How much she pretended to like Sae. Always praising her as cool in front of the camera!”
“When the Protagonist was misunderstood as having bullied Rimildar, she actively clarified things too.”
“Isn’t this a dirty trick to absorb Sae’s fans into her own fanbase?”
“…!”
“Now that you mention it! Saelika and Shuellina—they made such a big deal about their names being similar!!”
“Last time, she deliberately showed us malicious comments?! Ugh, seriously!!”
“That bracelet is suspicious too. She intentionally gave it to her, didn’t she? To make the Duke’s family disappointed in the youngest!”

The children who had been excitedly rattling off suddenly stopped when they saw me.

“That’s strange.”
“What is?”
“You have the face of someone who already knew all of this.”

These perceptive ones.
I couldn’t deceive family I’d grown up with since childhood.

“Well, I am someone with a dark heart, after all.”
“…?”
“Literally dark inside. Murky turbidity was pooling within Shuellina.”
“What?!”
“Then she’s a Demon?! Like, like Diana?”
“That can’t be right.”

The Grand Sacred Maiden Selection is a place teeming with Sacred Maidens.
Moreover, because of the missions, holy power is consumed recklessly—if she were a Demon, she would have collapsed long ago.

“Diana was able to enter because our temple had no Sacred Maiden at the time. But that’s not the case now.”
“She is human, and being a Sacred Maiden cannot be doubted. Sacred Maidens cannot be artificially created.”
“Then why does something feel off? What is the purpose of—”

While the children were flustered, Ilay spoke.

“Verification through relics from mythology.”
“…!”
“That’s checking whether that mythology is intertwined with the blood, right?”
“Exactly.”
“What if the blood contained mixed traces of a Demon whose essence is intertwined with that mythology?”
“…What?”

The children stared at Ilay in shock.
I nodded.

“Since it’s intertwined with the mythology, naturally the relic would react.”
“Then—”

The children swallowed hard.

“She passed the verification by injecting Demon blood?!”
“Wait. The Perardin Noishurael Duke House and the Ekkelan Duke House. The Demons intertwined with the mythologies of these two families are—”
“Yes.”

I nodded.

“The Demon King Behemoth.”
“…!”

That would be Misa.

—————

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

—————