Youngest on Top - Chapter 23

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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 23

Questions arose, but this was not the moment to ask them in detail.
Even now, the flames were spreading wider and wider.
* * *

‘I actually managed to rescue everyone.’

As I moved with the remaining children, I rubbed my chest.
I couldn’t understand what I was feeling in this moment.
Even now, I still don’t know why I’m rescuing children who have nothing to do with me.
Even as I thought this, I opened my mouth.

“Hold on just a little longer. Once we go down these stairs, we can get out.”

At my words, the children’s faces brightened.
The children hurried down the stairs.

“Let’s hurry down too.”

Urged by Saelika, I followed the children toward the stairs.
That instant.
Saelika pushed my back with her entire body from behind.

“…!”

Barely avoiding tumbling down the stairs, I spun around in shock.

“What are you doing—.”

I couldn’t finish that sentence.
A pillar engulfed in flames was falling toward the topmost step where we had been standing.
Now only Saelika stood in that spot.
It had happened too fast to react in any way.
I froze with my hand still outstretched toward Saelika.
My pupils trembled faintly.

“Fool, what are you doing! I said go quickly!”

Saelika’s cry sounded muffled to my ears.

“You… you…”

Edmund couldn’t find his words.
Because he couldn’t believe it.
Because he didn’t want to believe it.
Saelika and himself at the very end of the procession.
The burning pillar that fell above them.
Thanks to Saelika pushing him away with her entire body, he remained unharmed…
But Saelika.
That small child.
The moment he tried to move toward Saelika.
Whoooosh—
The flames spreading from the fallen pillar rapidly climbed up the staircase railing in an instant.

“Kyaaaah!”

The children who turned around screamed.
At this rate, the flames would spread before they could even descend the entire staircase.
Then.

Uuuuung—!

A low resonant hum accompanied a blue barrier that enveloped the children.
The scorching heat that seemed ready to sear their skin vanished in an instant.
A flawless sacred barrier.
The moment they recognized what it was, a question arose in the children’s minds.

‘Who on earth?’

Had the adults arrived?

“Hurry! Banny, run!”

At that cry, everyone’s gaze turned to one place.
Saelika.
A deep blue sacred light dwelled within that small child’s body.

* * *

My small body desperately erected a sacred barrier.
The sacred power dwelling within my form wavered unstably under the strain.

“Ugh!”

Sacred power bloomed once more from my body as I clenched my teeth.
The trembling sacred barrier solidified.
It was a sight akin to a miracle.
Yet there was no room for admiration.

“Your… hair….”

Edmund couldn’t bring himself to finish his words.
My golden hair, which had once flowed down past my waist, was now a tangled mess as though forcibly severed.
The children stared at me in shock.

‘I pushed them away, so I got caught in the flames instead.’

Edmund’s breathing trembled.
The fire from the falling pillar had transferred to my hair.
He had witnessed the entire scene himself.
From beginning to end.
Fortunately, I had managed to extinguish it by deploying a sacred barrier, but the damage was clearly severe.
My hair had caught fire, and I must have suffered burns down my back as well.

“I can’t hold it much longer, so go!”

“You, you—”
“Hurrying out helps me! (Getting out faster is helping me!)”

The barrier wavered precariously.
The children, who had frozen in shock, came to their senses and bolted toward the exit.
Every second they could escape faster would lighten my burden.
Edmund couldn’t move his feet and turned back to look at me.

“Hurry! I’m dying here!”
“But—.”
“I’m not staying behind. If we’re going to maintain the barrier all the way, we have to leave together anyway.”

Edmund exhaled a sigh of relief without realizing it.
Seeing that, Saelika let out a soft laugh.

“Did you think I’d sacrifice myself for you? You’re unlucky. Stalker!”

Such an insolent brat.
…Already having sacrificed so much.
Yet hearing those words somehow put my mind at ease even more.
I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.
Edmund ran toward the exit.
Whenever I wanted to look back, her voice unfailingly reached my ears.

“Go faster, will you!”
“Edmund, you’re so slow! Is it because you’re a young master?”

She was truly an irritating child.
Edmund ran forward without looking back.
The flickering yet unbroken barrier told me she was keeping up just fine.
That brief yet seemingly eternal time finally came to an end.
As soon as I descended the final stairs, the outside came into view.
Edmund didn’t hesitate and rushed out.
Fresh air flooded my lungs completely.

“We made it!”
“Oh my, I thought I was going to die!”

The sound of children embracing each other, crying and laughing.
A smile appeared on Edmund’s usually expressionless face.
He immediately turned to look back.

“Still, she has some grit after all—.”

The words trailed off.

‘She’s not there?’

There was no one behind him.
Only the burning building remained.
He stared blankly, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Brilliant crimson flames roared through the still-open doorway.
Go on, she had said. I can’t keep up.
The small girl had spoken so casually, as if she were still right behind him.
Not even her shadow was visible now.

“Sae!”
“Honeybun! Where are you!”

Among the children pouring out, there were boys pushing through the crowd.
Ilay and Dmitri.
Their rooms were in a different building, but they had come running at the commotion.
Edmund’s lips trembled.

“…She’s inside.”

Somehow hearing the barely-whispered words, Dmitri rushed over desperately.

“What? Where did you say?”

Edmund couldn’t bring himself to meet Dmitri’s eyes and turned away.

“She’s inside.”

Dmitri’s gaze fixed on the building.
The scarlet flames reflected and wavered in the boy’s pupils.

“She sent us out and stayed alone….”
“What kind of nonsense is that!”

Dmitri grabbed Edmund by the collar.
Edmund didn’t resist.
Instead, he offered his cheek to Dmitri.

“Hit me.”
“Why? Do you think I won’t?”

Dmitri’s fist clenched tight.
Ilay stopped him.

“Dmitri.”
“Don’t stop me.”
“I’m not stopping you. Fighting that bastard is a waste of time. Sae is still inside.”

At those words, Dmitri hesitated.
The boy’s face twisted.

“Damn it! I have to go in. How strong is he anyway! She’s in there! Alive!”

Dmitri shook off Edmund’s collar and bolted toward the burning building.
Ilay followed close behind.
Edmund stared blankly at their retreating figures.
His feet moved before his mind could decide.
Before he knew it, he was following them.

‘What am I doing? Have I lost my mind, running into that inferno?’

He had been taught that it was natural for the lowborn to sacrifice themselves for the noble.
Edmund believed this too.
Yet for some reason, his feet would not stop.
Then, in that moment.

CRASH—!

A deafening roar shook the heavens and earth.
The fire-ravaged building could no longer withstand its own weight and collapsed in on itself.
Everyone stood frozen, unable even to breathe as they witnessed the sight.

“Sae—!”

A heart-wrenching scream tore through the air.

* * *

One hour before the fire broke out.
Even late into the night, the Main Temple remained brightly illuminated.
As always, there was a mountain of work awaiting completion.
Gawain stopped before the High Priest’s study.
He took one deep breath, then knocked.
Soon, permission to enter came from within.
Upon entering, I could see the elders and other key personnel gathered together.
Gawain thought himself fortunate.

“Gawain?”

The priests inside were somewhat surprised by Gawain’s appearance.
Gawain was not in a position to report directly to the High Priest.
He wasn’t even entrusted with matters of that caliber.

“It has been a while, High Priest and Elders. I trust you have all been well?”

Sirius spoke on behalf of the High Priest.

“We’re all busy enough. Let’s skip the pleasantries. What brings you here?”
“It’s about Saelika—”

At those words, the priests in the study let out a soft chuckle.

“We’ve heard the story. You laid hands on that child, and Randel had to stop you, didn’t he?”
“No, that’s a misunderstanding!”
“A misunderstanding? Then calling her a woman abandoned by her own parents—is that also a misunderstanding?”
“That was—”

The High Priest’s gaze grew cold and sharp.

“You’ve wasted my time over such a trivial matter.”

The temperature in the study plummeted instantly.
The biting chill made goosebumps rise across Gawain’s skin.
He hastily waved his hands.

“No, that’s not it! I came to report this because that child is violating the Temple’s rules!”
“…Violating the Temple’s rules?”
“Yes! That child has been tormenting the other trainee priests and ruining the atmosphere—.”
“Merely that.”

A quiet voice cut off Gawain’s words.

“I trust you haven’t come to me over something so trivial, claiming it violates our rules.”

The High Priest didn’t dismiss the children’s affairs as unimportant.
But there was a proper hierarchy to these matters.
Such problems shouldn’t reach the High Priest’s attention.
Especially not from someone who didn’t even hold a position to report directly to him.

“Of, of course not, sir.”

Gawain wiped the sweat from his brow and hurried to continue.

“Recently, that child snuck out of the Temple in the middle of the night.”
“…!”

The unexpected revelation sent a ripple through the study.
The High Priest’s eyes narrowed deeply.

“Is that truly the case? Sneaking out in the middle of the night….”
“But Sae shouldn’t even know the geography of this area well.”

Gawain spoke as if he’d been waiting for this opening.

“Isn’t that suspicious? Without an arrangement with someone, how could the child have left, and why?”
“…!”
“Even if the child went out at night out of boredom, they would have simply walked around the garden a few times.”
“….”
“But the fact that the child ventured outside despite not knowing the geography can only mean there was a purpose.”

Though no one spoke, they all seemed to agree.
Gawain, having regained his composure, continued.

“Moreover, today she apparently snuck into the Dormitory Basement and came back out.”
“The basement? But the basement should be locked.”
“Exactly why it’s suspicious. Of course, there’s nothing special in the basement, but… I suspect she may be exploring various parts of the Temple on someone’s orders.”
“Gawain, you’re speaking as though you’ve already assumed Sae is in contact with outsiders.”

Randel cut off Gawain’s words with a cool tone.

“I’d prefer you regain your objectivity.”
“…Yes, Randel.”

That irritating bastard.
Gawain ground his teeth inwardly while maintaining a servile smile on his face.
Then Sirius, who had been silent until now, asked him a question.

“Are there any other incidents?”
“What I know is limited to this much for now. If you order an investigation, I can look into more.”
“No. If your business is concluded, you may leave now.”

Dismissed, Gawain had no choice but to exit the Study.
After he left, a heavy silence settled over the Study.

“It is suspicious. Why would she sneak out in the middle of the night?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I said it would be best to assign surveillance for a while.”

At Sirius’s words, Elder Devon furrowed his brow.

“Aren’t you going too far? We’ve benefited so much from that child! And to surveil a trainee priest! It’s wrong to suspect a child in our own care!”
“Don’t you think that very complacency is what created this problem?”

Devon and Sirius’s momentum clashed evenly.
Soon after, Sirius turned his head and spoke to the High Priest.

“We must address this matter thoroughly.”
“…First, investigate where she went and what she did when she snuck out at night.”
“Yes.”

The assistant priest responded to the High Priest’s command.

“Could it be she knew about the Divine Beast and went into the basement for that reason?”

Gawain said there was nothing special in the underground, but that wasn’t true.
There was a divine beast that Saelika had summoned dwelling there.
Even when moved elsewhere, it continued to return to that place.
Since there were no other particular issues, we simply left it as it was.

“But the underground was locked, so you wouldn’t have been able to enter.”
“I’ll investigate how it was opened.”
“Very well.”

The conversation continued, but the atmosphere in the study grew increasingly heavy.
Devon, who had been gauging the High Priest’s mood, let out a nervous laugh.

“We haven’t even determined where Sae went or what he did yet. Let’s wait for the results.”
“Yes, surely Sae wouldn’t have done anything harmful to the Temple. The child is simply curious by nature—he must have wanted to explore the surroundings.”

Despite the Priesthood’s defense, the High Priest spoke coldly.

“It is a grave transgression for a trainee priest to sneak out of the Temple at night without permission.”

That was when it happened.

“Disaster!”

With an urgent cry, the study door burst open.

“There’s a fire in the Trainee Priest Quarters!”

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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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