Youngest on Top - Chapter 229

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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 229

The waiting room felt like a sheet of thin ice.
Even the Sacred Maidens who had been chattering so loudly were now silent.
Only the ominous presence of the four men swept through the space.

“D-Daddy….”

Shuellina burrowed into Perardin Noishurael Duke’s arms as if frightened.
The Duke held the child close and spoke.

“Remember this. What matters most to me is this child.”

Shuellina smiled in Perardin Noishurael Duke’s embrace.

* * *

After the commotion in the waiting room.
Perardin Noishurael Duke left Admiral Ekellan, who seemed to have much to say, and stepped out of the stadium alone.
The moment he entered a sparsely populated corridor, a shadow emerged from beside him.

“My lord.”
“They’ve made contact, then.”
“Yes.”
“And the rear?”
“We’re tracking it.”
“Do not let them slip away under any circumstances.”
“Understood.”

The shadow bowed its head with precise discipline.
After a moment of silence, it spoke again.

“…Did you anticipate this and order me to watch for it?”

Perardin Noishurael Duke did not answer.

“Then even now, we could—.”
“No.”

Perardin Noishurael Duke spoke.

“Give her whatever she desires.”
“….”
“Otherwise, her heart might burst right out of her chest.”

The Duke’s blue eyes gleamed with a chilling coldness.
The Shadow trembled at the sight of those eyes, unable to meet his gaze, and bowed her head.

* * *

Moments later, inside the stadium.

“We’re truly grateful for so many of you coming here in person. Thank you for your overwhelming support!”

With the Host’s cry, the curtain rose.
The Sacred Maidens caught sight of their families in the VIP seats and waved their hands gently, sending them warm glances.

“Ugh, this is so embarrassing.”

Helene grumbled upon seeing the banner her family was holding.
Eyrene burst into laughter.

“The Universe’s Most Beautiful Absolute Goddess Helene… that’s quite something.”
“Stop it!”
“Why are you upset, Universe’s Most Beautiful Absolute Goddess?”

Despite the mission beginning, the Sacred Maidens’ expressions were bright.
Seeing their families’ faces put them at ease.

“Wow, there’s really no one here.”
“Even if she’s an orphan, how can it be this empty?”

The Sacred Maidens whispered as they looked at my completely vacant VIP seat.

“Didn’t Saelika have many noble acquaintances? I thought she was quite well-liked.”
“Don’t be silly. Who would sit in her VIP seat if they didn’t want to fall out of Perardin Noishurael Duke’s favor?”
“I heard Saelika tormented her terribly after becoming close with Princess Reyarsha. Even at the Duke’s residence where she was invited….”

In the meantime, the Host displayed the mission card in large letters.

“This mission is a team mission! Amelia, who ranked first in the last vote, has chosen the teams for us!”

So the first-place privilege was team selection.
This mission was a team battle.
Naturally, the results would differ depending on how the teams were composed.

‘Still, the privilege seems weaker than I expected….’

The difference in results only mattered when skills were evenly matched.
With Amelia’s level of ability, she would stand out regardless of team composition.
The first-place privilege essentially provided no advantage.

“Two of you form a team and lure out random opponents. Lock them inside the capture zone and you succeed! Now, let me reveal the teams!”

The teams appeared on the large crystal display board.
The Sacred Maidens’ gazes turned toward me as they confirmed the teams.

“Really? Sae and Reyarsha together?”
“Wow, this is going to be interesting?”

Shuellina and I were on the same team.

“Now, here’s the important detail! Only one of the two can advance.”

‘I knew the first-place privilege seemed weak for a reason. Now it’s definitely not weak.’

I let out a quiet laugh.

“Amelia clearly set Sae and Shuellina against each other on purpose.”
“Will you be alright? Given the current situation…. Public opinion isn’t favorable either.”

Dolores and Nelije looked at me with worried expressions.

“I’m actually grateful.”
“What?”
“Because of this, my plan just became much easier.”

The two of them regarded me with bewildered eyes.
The Host spoke.

“This mission goes to the Sacred Maiden who receives the most love and support! Please choose your Sacred Maiden with your own hands!”

The venue erupted into chaos.
The Host nodded as if he understood.

“Yes, I understand. The last voting caused quite the stir, didn’t it? Of course we had to improve it. So this time!”

The Host raised his hand triumphantly.

“You can vote multiple times!”
“…?!”
“But! We can’t have it completely unrestricted, can we? Since people could vote indiscriminately. So!”

The image on the massive display changed loudly.

“We’re selling voting rights, so please show your support! Packages are available at more reasonable prices, so please take note.”
“….”
“….”
“….”

The stadium full of countless people fell silent in an instant.
And then.

“Are you joking?!?!”
“They run things so poorly and then claim they’re improving it, what?!”
“Just let everyone vote after everything’s done!!”

Absolute pandemonium broke loose.

“The real-time voting status will be displayed on this scoreboard here!”

As if he had anticipated this, the Host spoke without any hesitation.

“Wow, they’ve really built a system this elaborate just for money.”
“Our temple should learn from this too. Maybe we’ll put donations on the scoreboard in order of contribution.”
“And you say that after seeing that reaction?”

The Sacred Maidens who had been whispering glanced over at me.

“Saelika was even mentioned as a strong contender for the championship, but she’s going down in one blow like this.”
“With Perardin Noishurael Duke and Admiral Ekellan behind Reyarsha, how could she possibly compete?”
“True. The Emperor may favor Saelika, but he can’t openly go all-in on a single Sacred Maiden like that.”

Casting a single vote was an entirely different matter from this.

I felt a gaze and turned to find Shuellina looking at me.
A smile playing at the corners of her lips.

* * *

“Waaahhh!!”
“Insane! A hundred thousand votes shot up the moment it started! How much is that even?!”

The stadium erupted with a roar so tremendous it seemed the very structure would lift off.
The moment the match between Saelika and Shuellina began, a hundred thousand votes surged toward Shuellina as if they had been waiting for this.

“She’s really seizing the initiative.”
“Whenever votes come in for Saelika, they automatically double the votes for her, don’t they?!”

The situation was even worse than anticipated.
The spectators were paying far more attention to the scoreboard than to the actual match.
Shuellina looked at Saelika with pitying eyes as she spoke.

“I’m so sorry, Saelika. Father loves me so much.”
“….”
“Father is too much, really. After caring for Saelika so much, to turn around like this in an instant….”
“….”
“You could have voted moderately and saved Saelika’s face. Losing 1 to 0 is so different from losing 10 to 0, isn’t it?”
“….”
“It seems Father treasures and loves me, his biological daughter, so much that Saelika’s fate doesn’t matter to him. It must be because we share the same blood, after all?”
“Did you come here to pick a fight?”
“Pardon?”
“You’re so noisy with your chattering. If you don’t want to hear that you won thanks to your father’s backing despite having no real skill, why don’t you focus on the mission instead?”

A crack appeared across Shuellina’s face.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never properly shown you what I’m capable of.”

Tap tap tap!
Shuellina stepped forward.
Their opponent was a monster.

‘Good.’

Saelika nodded with satisfaction upon confirming the matchup.
She had worried what would happen if a fairy or beastman appeared like in the other teams, but this was fortunate.
Saelika retreated and watched Shuellina’s offense and defense unfold.

“She’s surprisingly skilled.”
“Right? I thought her abilities were just average since she hasn’t shown any special performance lately.”

Shuellina performed quite well, matching the crowd’s reaction.
The monster was helplessly taking Shuellina’s attacks.
To be precise—.

‘The monster simply has no intention of attacking Shuellina.’

After all, the Demon King’s blood flowed through Shuellina’s veins.

Enrik: Contrary to expectations, she is drawing upon divine power.
Kailros: Though it’s rather feeble.

Drawing upon divine power while the Demon King’s blood flowed through her was tantamount to suicide.
There was only one reason this was possible.

‘She sealed the Demon King’s blood.’

Kailros: What will you do?

‘Proceed as planned.’

Crash!
Saelika struck a terrain feature in the arena with her fist.
A massive boulder shattered and fell toward Shuellina and the monster.

“…!”

The monster hurled itself toward Shuellina.
Its jaw gaped wide, sharp claws extended, pupils narrowed to slits.
It looked as though it were deliberately pouncing on the panicked Shuellina.

“Kyaaaaa!”

Sensing the threat, Shuellina reflexively drew upon her divine power.
An immense surge of divine energy—utterly unlike anything before—bloomed from her being.
And then.

“Huh?”
“Where did they go?”

The spectators in the stands looked around in bewilderment.
But no matter how hard they searched, it was futile.
The two Sacred Maidens upon the arena had vanished without a trace.

* * *

“Ugh, nngh….”

Shuellina opened her eyes, cradling her head in her hands.
Her limbs, shoulders, back, and waist—nowhere was free from pain.

“What is this place…. The sacred sanctuary?”

It was a familiar place.
The sacred sanctuary of the Perpidian Temple, after all.

“Why am I here….”
“Your expression doesn’t look very pleased. I thought you’d be delighted. It’s practically your homeland, isn’t it?”

At the sudden voice, Shuellina lifted her head.
Saelika stood before her, arms crossed, looking down at her.

“How did you— Cough!”

The moment I rose excitedly, blood surged up from deep within my throat.
It wasn’t just coughing up blood.
Black blood streamed from my nose.

“How curious.”

Saelika spoke, looking at Shuellina.

“You should be brimming with divine and spiritual power more than ever, now that you’ve entered the sacred realm.”
“….”
“Yet why do you seem to be suffering more? Like a monster.”
“W-what are you saying! Calling a Sacred Maiden a monster!”
“Ah, right. You are a Sacred Maiden. Then—.”

A sharp glint flickered across Saelika’s blue eyes.

“Do you carry demon blood within you?”
“…!”
“Now that I think about it, you coughed up blood the moment you used divine power strongly. As if your own blood rejects the sacred power.”

Shuellina’s face turned deathly pale.
She clenched her fists tightly.

“I carry the blood of the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s house and the Ekkelan Duke’s house. Are you now suggesting that these two noble families are tainted with demon blood?”
“Then why don’t you tell me?”
“What!”
“Why the descendants of two mythic bloodlines are suffering in the sacred realm.”
“That is— Ugh, cough!!”

The sacred realm reacted to the Sacred Maiden’s presence and unleashed its power.
Shuellina writhed in agony beneath that holy force.

“This, this torture— ugh, you’re….”
“Torture? Hardly. This is Perpidian’s sacred realm—the place that should be most favorable to you.”
“You, wretched— no matter how much you envy me, this is too far. Hgh, do you really think Father will love you for this?! You were abandoned!!”

Saelika looked down at Shuellina, who screamed in bitter resentment, and spoke.

“Let me guess. To verify the artifact, you injected demon blood from the mythology of two noble houses into yourself.”
“…!”
“Am I wrong?”

Shuellina stared up at Saelika in a daze.
Then she slowly curled one corner of her mouth upward in a sneer.

“So what?”
“….”
“What are you going to do about it?”

Shuellina spat out a clot of blood.

“The Perardin Noishurael Duke trusts me completely. You saw it yourself, didn’t you? I’m far, far, far!! more precious to him than someone like you.”
“….”
“You want to purify the demon blood here? Oh, how convenient. I wanted to remove this blood anyway.”
“….”
“My body’s condition keeps deteriorating. I can’t use my divine power properly. I thought sealing away the demon blood would help, but all I can manage is pathetic, trivial strength.”

Shuellina slowly pushed herself up.

“But here’s the thing. Do you really think the Perardin Noishurael Duke will trust you?”
“…!”
“You kidnapped me, didn’t you? And out of sheer jealousy toward me, his own daughter, you even stole the power of mythology.”

Shuellina laughed with a soft chuckle, gazing at Saelika with evident delight.

“Admiral Ekellan will be completely disillusioned with you now, won’t he?”
“….”
“Demian will be disappointed in you too.”
“….”
“Even Mikhail will turn his back on you. Oh, did you notice that child who said he’d sit in your family’s section didn’t come today? He didn’t come because I cried yesterday. In the end, Mikhail cherishes me more.”
“So what.”
“Huh…?”
“Does something so trivial give me reason to hesitate in revealing the truth?”

Shuellina stared at Saelika with a stupid expression.

“I’ve always been accustomed to being despised. It’s nothing particularly extraordinary.”
“What—.”
“Admiral Ekellan was truly a wonderful person to me. There were times I found him bothersome, but truthfully, I was never truly bothered.”
“….”
“Both Demian and Mikhail are children who deserve to be happy.”
“….”
“The Duke Your Highness….”

Saelika paused for a moment before speaking with a firm voice.

“He acknowledged me as I truly am.”
“….”
“I know how desperately these people wanted to find the youngest princess. I too understand the sorrow of losing family.”
“….”
“Admiral Ekellan still suffers from nightmares. He thinks I don’t notice because he hides it from me.”
“….”
“Demian still cannot shake the guilt over things that aren’t his fault, and Mikhail wounds himself even as he insists it would be better to have no younger brother.”
“….”
“When you look at the Duke Your Highness, his eyes are… so sorrowful.”
“….”
“As if you were a shard of glass. Merely gazing upon you draws blood, yet he cannot tear his gaze away.”
“Yes, yes! Unlike you, I am that precious to them!! With a single word from me, you would—”
“I won’t let those people be deceived by a fake like you out of mere fear of being despised.”
“…!”

Shuellina’s expression transformed.
And then.

Crack—!
A sharp sacred power erupted from Shuellina.
Saelika’s brooch shattered.

“Cough! Hack, cough, hehehehe! Ahahaha, haha!”

Even as she coughed up blood from the backlash of using sacred power, Shuellina giggled.

“Oh, how unfortunate. You were recording this with that, weren’t you? Planning to take it as evidence, but what a shame. It’s shattered now.”

Saelika clenched the broken brooch in her fist.

“You’re just a crazy woman who got jealous of me and stole even the mythology flowing through my blood. I’m the pitiful victim!!”
“You—.”
“You won’t become the High Priestess. You’ll be buried as you are. The Artemis Temple will fall because of you.”

Shuellina coughed up black blood in a gush.
Yet with each expulsion, her complexion grew brighter.
The sacred ground resonated with the divine power of her Sacred Maiden, driving out the malevolent energy.

“Ah, poor Sae. If you bring ruin to the temple, everyone will abandon and despise you. How tragic.”
“….”
“Will the Temple Priests of Artemis who cherish you so dearly forgive you even then?”
“Yes.”

Sae nodded calmly.

“They’re my family.”

Sae placed her hand on Shuellina’s body without hesitation.
As she poured in divine power, the seal containing the Demon King’s blood shattered completely.

“Kyaaaaaahhh!!”

The Demon King’s blood dwelling within Shuellina was merely a few drops.
With the seal broken, the sacred ground resonated with the Sacred Maiden’s divine power and purified it completely.

“Cough, gasp, hack!”
“Why are you pretending to be weak? Your body is recovering. Now we need to verify the relic again, don’t we?”
“That won’t happen!”

Shuellina cried out sharply and drew up her divine power.
Light enveloped the two of them.

* * *

“Look there!”

Someone in the spectator stands shouted loudly.
Two Sacred Maidens appeared in the arena amid a brilliant white radiance.

“Good heavens!”
“Blood, there’s blood…!”

The crowd gasped in horror at the sight of Shuellina drenched in dark blood.
Parents hastily shielded their children’s eyes.
Everyone froze at the gruesome spectacle of blood.

“Hgh, ugh…. Saelika. How could you, why would you do this to me….”

Shuellina, covered in blood, wept with pitiful, sorrowful tears.
Perardin Noishurael Duke, who had been seated in the VIP section, descended directly into the arena.
Seeing him, Shuellina smiled inwardly.

‘Just as I thought….’

The moment she lifted her head with a pathetic expression.

‘What, what is this? Why….’

Perardin Noishurael Duke extended his hand to protect Saelika.
Not herself.

“F-Father?”

In response to Shuellina’s bewildered cry came only a cold gaze.
And then.

“Seize that criminal who dared mock the Perardin Noishurael Duke House and the Empire!”
“Wh— what. Father? Father!”
“Do not dare call me father with that filthy mouth of yours.”

Shuellina froze completely.

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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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