Youngest on Top - Chapter 238

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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 238

* * *

The banquet hall fell silent as if doused with cold water.
A few of the more delicate Noble Ladies placed their hands over their chests, their breathing becoming unsteady.
Everyone felt an inexplicable pressure bearing down upon them, though none understood why.

Only Saelika knew the reason.

‘This aura—Shuri…?’

Her puzzled gaze turned toward the entrance.
As if answering her stare, Kaishurit appeared.

Thump, thump, thump.
Soft footsteps echoed through the quiet banquet hall.
Though the herald had not announced his arrival, everyone stood frozen like broken dolls, their eyes fixed upon him.

‘What… what is this ominous aura…?’
‘This power emanates from a person?’
‘I’ve heard the rumors, but seeing it directly… the rumors actually understated it.’

The princes beside Saelika regarded Kaishurit with wary eyes.

This was far beyond mere pressure from overwhelming presence.
The power radiating from Kaishurit.
That power itself was sinister and ominous, gnawing at their very consciousness.

‘No, why is he like this?’

Saelika too stared at Kaishurit with startled eyes.

‘I sealed his curse, maintained it when needed, and even blessed him. So why is cursed energy leaking out like this?’

She was bewildered.

‘Could the seal have broken—no, that’s not it. What on earth is this?’

Curses are inherently susceptible to the strength of one’s mind.
Just as Demian had been corrupted by the Demon Sword through guilt and self-hatred over losing his brother.

‘But Shuri possesses a mental fortitude strong enough to endure a curse alone….’

What could have shaken his resolve so profoundly?

Kaishurit’s gaze turned toward Sae.
And then to the men standing beside her.
His beautifully shaped lips moved with fluid grace.

“I heard something interesting.”

His eyes, a mysterious blend of gold, crimson, and azure, gleamed with a sharp edge.

“That you’re all competing for the position of the Sacred Maiden’s partner here.”
“…!”
“I’m thinking of throwing my name into the ring as well.”

Despite the smile playing at his lips, his gaze pierced through the princes like a blade.
Sae fell into contemplation.

‘Does Shuri also wish to establish relations with the Elves?’

But the Elves could only despise Kaishurit.
The Elves were sensitive and conservative.
Regardless of the reason, they would never accept a cursed human.

‘That’s why I invited the Empress instead of Shuri as the royal representative.’

In any case, I couldn’t leave Kaishurit emanating such ominous intent unattended.
If the princes withdrew now—.

‘My auction will be a complete disaster!’

It was the moment Sae was about to step forward.

“Well. I believe Your Highness doesn’t meet the qualifications for candidacy.”

‘Ryubik?’

Ryubik stepped forward, blocking Saelika’s path.
Saelika looked at him with startled eyes.
Standing against Kaishurit, who was emanating such an aura.

But it wasn’t just Ryubik.

“Among those invited to this gathering, we’re competing for Saelika’s partner.”
“Your Imperial Highness, the Crown Prince, wasn’t even invited, were you?”
“How can someone who hasn’t even reached the starting line be a candidate?”

The three princes of Myuat.

“Hmph! I cannot tolerate someone without qualifications resorting to force! A man must stand boldly and win the lady’s affection through proper means! I, Decaren, cannot yield either!”

Even Crown Prince Decaren.

“Ha.”

Kaishurit let out an incredulous laugh.
How many people in his life had ever stood against him like this?

As the princes raised their momentum to confront him, the air in the banquet hall seemed ready to tear apart.
Amid the sharp tension swirling like a gale, Saelika thought.

‘Did I make the wrong choice somehow?’

Wasn’t this plan flawed from the beginning?
Things had escalated this far.

‘No, the bigger it gets, the better, but this kind of escalation is completely different from what I anticipated….’

Enrik: Little sister.

Saelika lifted her head at the message appearing before her eyes.

Kailros: The fish has taken the bait.
Anakin: Seems like you panicked quite a bit? Judging by how quickly you reacted.

Saelika’s gaze turned toward a corner of the banquet hall.
There, a Noble Lady who had been nervously glancing around was pulling out a portable Manashell.

It wasn’t unusual.
There were plenty of people who pulled out a Manashell first whenever something happened.
But.

‘Parmanase’s puppet has finally made a move.’

If that person was one of Parmanase’s lackeys, it was different.

* * *

At that moment.
Parmanase Priest Temple branch.

“What? The Kaishurit Crown Prince?”
“Yes, Beatrix. While the princes were fighting over the position of Saelika’s partner, the Kaishurit Crown Prince suddenly intervened…”

As the explanation continued, Beatrix’s face twisted.

“Demian, Kaishurit, the Elves including Wiridian…… All of them were things I prepared for Amelia.”

The preparations had been perfect.
But at some point, things went wrong.

Demian not only expelled Zaphrez but completely overcame the Demon Sword.
Wiridian, with whom I had carefully maintained relations over a long period, chose Saelika at the last moment.
And Kaishurit.

“…… The curse should have grown worse with each passing day. Instead, it was stabilizing.”

The Emperor had placed Kaishurit in the position of Crown Prince, but he didn’t truly regard him as the next Emperor.
That’s why he rarely appeared at official events and didn’t care if he wandered outside.
However, as Kaishurit stabilized, the Emperor’s gaze changed.

“According to the original plan, Amelia should have lifted Kaishurit’s curse, which would have left him completely isolated. Why…”

Where did things start going wrong?
Saelika didn’t even lift Kaishurit’s curse.

Then why.
How is it.
All of them should have been saved by Amelia!

“Why did everything go to Saelika…!”

That rat-like creature had devoured everything Amelia had so carefully prepared for herself.
But that wasn’t the end of it.

“And here we have Crown Prince Ryubik and Crown Prince Decaren. Princes Azur, Serpe, and Rahat of Myuat as well.”
“They’re all royalty from powerful nations. Crown Prince Ryubik already holds real authority.”
“Crown Prince Decaren enjoys the most support from his own people….”
“The three princes of Myuat are said to be capable of overthrowing even the current king if they stage a coup.”
“If the immense power these individuals possess flows to Saelika….”
“That would certainly be troublesome. But there’s an even bigger problem than that.”

Beatrix spoke in a grave voice.

“The support of the masses.”
“…!”
“What do you think will happen when the successors of the Empire and other great powers compete over a single Sacred Maiden?”

The power of the temple and the Sacred Maiden ultimately comes from the people.
That was why the temple constantly generated buzz and held popularity contests.
The more the myth spreads, the more people believe—the stronger the god’s power becomes in this land.

“The more others covet, desire, and yearn for something, the higher its value becomes. It’s the nature of all living things.”
“….”
“What if the successors who shape international affairs—beings who lack for nothing—were to compete for one woman?”

If the heirs of each nation competed over a single woman, the entire continent’s attention would be drawn to it.
Everyone would wonder how remarkable she must be.
And Saelika was a Sacred Maiden.
Moreover, a strong candidate for High Priestess.

“…Public opinion is already beginning to stir.”

The Temple Priest examining Manashell spoke in a clipped tone.

-No, does this even make sense? People who can barely gather in one place all cleared their schedules after receiving an invitation from Saelika and showed up together.
-And what do they do when gathered: Partner War
-What’s Saelika’s charm??
Amelia’s fans kept showing the popularity poll results saying Saelika is popular, but Amelia is the one with real charm and appeal, yet in reality lol
-Stop spreading rumors;; what party had princes attending in droves fighting over Saelika;; Sae’s fans are writing fiction again.
└Attendees are posting eyewitness accounts in real-time, so rumors?
└You believe that? Those aren’t attendee accounts, they’re fiction from Sae’s fans.
└Photos from attendees were posted as proof though.
-The Bennayser Kingdom has early marriage customs. They say Crown Prince Ryubik still hasn’t married because of Saelika.

Seeing the responses, the faces of the Parmanase Priests grew cold.
That was when it happened.

“It’s fine.”

A soft, refreshing voice resonated through the room.

“Amelia.”
“I’m the Grand Priestess now. If I obtained everything too easily, I wouldn’t appreciate its value, would I?”

Amelia smiled softly.

“Saelika is playing her role well.”
“By role, you mean….”
“When I ascended to the position of Grand Priestess, she’s the one who makes me feel the value of this position.”

Amelia gazed at Saelika’s photo displayed on the Manashell screen and smiled.

“That’s why I really like Saelika.”

The priests’ faces filled with emotion at those words.

“Ah, how could she think such a thing….”
“As expected of Amelia. Your character is truly exceptional.”
“We were shortsighted, focusing only on the immediate decline.”

Meanwhile, Beatrix remained cold.

“Reversing this atmosphere won’t be easy.”
“Beatrix.”
“Once it was revealed that Shuellina was a fake princess, Saelika—who exposed her—gained tremendous support.”

Saelika, purifying demon blood in the sacred chamber.
Her exceptional abilities were remarkable, and the words she spoke then became the talk of everyone.
People even began saying they wished Saelika were the Noishurael princess instead!

After Saelika collapsed, the Artemia Temple was flooded with people praying for her recovery.
Now the Grand Priestess Selection was in its final stages.
For Parmanase, this was far from favorable.

“But now Demian, Kaishurit, and the Elves have all fallen into Saelika’s hands.”
“Fallen into her hands? Does His Highness Kaishurit have some special relationship with Saelika?”

Amelia tilted her head curiously.

“Though Saelika is said to be intimate with Prince Demian, she wavered the moment a fake princess appeared. That shows the depth of their relationship is merely that.”
“….”
“The crown princes and princes of foreign nations?”

Amelia swept her long hair behind her ear with an elegant gesture.

“They haven’t even met me yet, have they?”

Amelia’s smile was serene, as if stating an obvious truth.
The unique charm of someone who had always been loved, always acknowledged, always treated as special.
An unwavering confidence in being the most radiant jewel—a conviction beyond doubt.

Beatrix smiled as well at the sight.
Amelia’s confidence was no mere pretense.

“Right. No matter what, someone like Saelika could never be your match.”

No matter how exceptional Saelika’s abilities were, she had inherent limitations by birth.
But Amelia could transcend those natural constraints.
If she had the right materials.

‘And I have more than enough materials.’

Beatrix’s crimson lips curled into a wicked smile.
She stroked Amelia’s hair as she spoke.

“Public opinion is like a wildfire before the wind, after all. When the wind shifts, it flickers in the opposite direction without hesitation.”
“….”
“If a strong headwind blows and the flames spread uncontrollably, there’s no stopping it.”

Those whom Saelika had invited.
If all the men who had fought over Saelika fell into Amelia’s hands?
How would the masses react then?

“In the end, Saelika will be nothing but kindling burning for you.”

Beatrix, who had been whispering, froze.
Amelia’s face, which had been smiling with ease just moments before, had turned deathly pale and rigid.

‘What is it?’

Beatrix turned her head to follow Amelia’s gaze.

-OMG!!!!!!!!
-For real? For real? Are you sure?
-Stop spreading rumors!!
-It’s such a sensitive issue! How long has it been since that fake incident?!
-It’s not a rumor—a party attendee heard it directly.
-And it’s not just one or two people saying it?
-So it’s really true???!?!???

Messages scrolled across the massive screen faster than one could follow.
Beatrix froze at a reaction that seemed to rival those during the Sacred Maiden Selection broadcast.

‘What on earth is happening….’

That question was answered shortly after.

-Is Saelika really the daughter of Perardin Noishurael Duke?!

“What…?”

Beatrix’s face turned ashen.

* * *

I surveyed the banquet hall through hazy eyes.

‘How did things end up like this?’

I had merely intended to leverage the Elf Exchange Rights to raise my value a bit.
The Parmanase Temple’s greatest weapon.
It was the support of those in power.

Parmanase was an orthodox temple with solid connections to influential figures throughout the empire, while the Artemia Temple had weak ties with those in power due to the period when it lacked a Sacred Maiden.
On the other hand, Artemia Temple’s connections with the powerful were fragile because of the time when there was no Sacred Maiden.

‘So I was thinking of attracting foreign powers to expand the game….’

“Sae. We can accommodate whatever your preferences might be.”
“One person alone has its limitations, after all.”
“Heh, even if you combined the muscles of those three, they wouldn’t match mine!”
“Surely I’m better than those strange fellows you don’t know well, aren’t I, Elah?”

But why was this turning into some kind of husband-hunting spectacle?
And even worse….

“How dare you covet someone.”

Even Perardin Noishurael Duke had joined in!
It wasn’t just the Duke.

“Sae shouldn’t marry for another million years.”
“No one weaker than me can be Sae’s partner.”
“Sae, want to join me for tea time?”

Admiral Ekellan, Demian, and Mikhail were blocking the princes.

‘No, why are people who have no interest in the Elf Exchange Rights interfering with the auction?’

That was when it happened.

“A weak one cannot be a partner… So then, I shall be.”

Shuri stepped forward.
Perardin Noishurael Duke blocked his path.

“Try it once, Your Highness.”
“Hmm, is this a situation for the Duke to intervene?”

Shuri’s gaze swept coldly across the Duke.

“Would it not be better for the Duke to go find your daughter instead? Rather than shielding a Sacred Maiden who has nothing to do with you.”

At the jab regarding the fake daughter incident, Perardin Noishurael Duke’s face hardened like stone.
Shuri’s eyes narrowed sharply.

“Then step aside?”
“….”
“Leave the unrelated Sacred Maiden be.”
“…She is my daughter.”
“…?”

At the sudden declaration, Shuri’s brow furrowed.
Perardin Noishurael Duke spoke with the steadfastness of a mountain.

“My daughter, I say.”

—————
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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