Youngest on Top - Chapter 254

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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 254

* * *

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!
The deafening roar tore through the heavens.
The earth trembled violently, and the scars of the ground scattered through the air.

‘Is this truly the raw power of a mere human?’

I stood frozen, my eyes wide with astonishment at the spectacle before me.
It was entirely different from the Temple Priest or Holy Knights who wielded divine power as evidence of the gods.
This was the raw might of a single individual—.

‘A true miracle!’

After several exchanges as swift as lightning.
Reks laughed ferociously and spoke.
His pupils were deeply stained with the exhilaration of battle.

“I’ve heard the rumors. That there’s an amusing one among humans.”
“I didn’t come here to listen to your impressions.”

CLANG!
Reks’s greatsword and Perardin Noishurael Duke’s blade collided, sending sparks flying like lightning.

“Are you unharmed, Young Lady?”

A soft, gelatinous hand touched my shoulder to check on me.
It was Barensya, the black tiger beastman and subordinate of Mikhail.

“Barensya?”
“To think your precious body has been damaged so…”

Barensya’s brow furrowed as she examined my broken and swollen hand.
That was when it happened.

“So that’s how these rude intruders managed to get in.”
“You lowly slave—did you really drag humans into the King’s territory?!”

The beastmen bared their teeth and roared at Barensya.
In that instant.

Boom!
A fireball plummeted from a hole that had opened in the sky.

“It’s true that she’s my slave.”

Mikhail grinned wickedly as he spoke to the beastmen.

“But only I, her master, have the right to punish her.”
“A mage!”

The ground erupted in flames.
The beastmen threw themselves aside in panic, but couldn’t completely evade the inferno.

“Not just any mage, but an Archmage who’s here to rescue the Protagonist.”

The moment Mikhail said that.

Clang!
Demian’s sword blocked Mikhail’s front.
A dagger that had been aimed precisely at Mikhail’s throat shattered against the blade.

“Don’t step forward ahead of me. Did you forget that mages have bodies as fragile as paper?”
“I was already casting a shield anyway. I didn’t need your help. And have you ever seen paper this strong?”
“In my eyes, you’re still paper.”
“Is being a walking hunk of scrap metal something to brag about?”

Admiral Ekellan stepped in like a responsible adult to stop the bickering pair.

“Mikhail, when something like that happens, you thank your brother. Demian, you tell your younger brother you were worried.”
“Steel would be better than paper.”
“It’s not steel—it’s scrap metal. Did your brain turn to scrap metal too?”
“…Are you two actually hearing me?”

Admiral Ekellan was thoroughly ignored.
Yet his enemies could never truly ignore him.

Despite moving with apparent looseness, his stance revealed not a single opening.
Above all, the aura radiating from him was absolutely overwhelming.
And because it was so overwhelming—

‘He’s provoking the beastmen.’

The beastmen were a warlike race.
Their eyes blazed with fighting spirit.

“This is no joke. We should retreat.”

Barensya scooped me into his arms.
He spoke as if making excuses, though I had merely glanced at him.

“Ah, I’m a non-combatant, you see. I’m weak.”
“Weak? You could tear apart ordinary humans without breaking a sweat.”

Barensya flashed his fangs with an amused grin.

“Compared to those four, I am.”
“Ah.”

I nodded, watching the Four Men who seemed to transcend humanity itself.
The very earth and sky trembled around them.

‘But at this rate, it will never end.’

This was beastmen territory.
Even now, more beastmen were pouring in like a tidal wave.

“Young Lady?”

I leaped from Barensya’s embrace.
Then I hurled myself between Perardin Noishurael Duke and Reks.

“Stop!”
“…!”

The Perardin Noishurael Duke’s sword, which had been extending forward with enough speed to cleave the very air, was immediately withdrawn.
It was a godlike technique of astonishing caliber.
Meanwhile, Reks charged forward with his greatsword aimed directly at my throat.
Just before the blade could cut into my flesh.

“How foolish and reckless.”

Reks stopped his sword.
His eyes looked down at me.
I met his gaze as I spoke.

“That’s enough now.”
“Why should I? I’m different from that man who can’t even draw his sword for fear of hurting you.”

Whoosh.
The sharp blade pressed close against my throat.

“This means I could slit your throat right now.”
“Then do it.”

Despite the momentum that suggested he would cut my throat with his sword at any moment, Reks didn’t move.
He simply stared at me intently.
Those eyes, which resembled both divine and demonic beasts, held a peculiar light.

I didn’t avert my gaze as I spoke.

“Stop this meaningless fighting. We’re withdrawing now.”
“Why? Things were just getting interesting.”
“Is that a choice you make as a king?”
“…!”

Reks flinched.
Not long ago, countless beastmen had been slaughtered in this very place.
The scars of that massacre had not yet faded.

Though his opponents numbered merely four, Reks understood the truth well.
One person before him posed greater danger than a thousand humans.
Countless lives would surely be lost.

Reks was not merely the strongest warrior.
He was the King of the Beastmen.
The beastmen, reading their king’s anguish, cried out with unbridled fervor.

“We desire battle!”
“Punishment upon these humans who dared trespass our lands without permission!!”
“Your Majesty! Please issue the command to commence hostilities!”
“Open the way.”

A weighty command fell from his lips.
The beastmen protested.

“Your Majesty!”
“Did I not tell you to open it?”

A fierce gleam flashed across Reks’s eyes.
The beastmen, who had been stamping their feet as though they would never yield, flinched.
In an instant, they parted and began opening the passage.

‘Truly, the successor of the crimson seal.’

His charisma was overwhelming.

Even as the way lay fully open, Reks did not lower the blade aimed at my throat.
The cold steel lifted my chin.

“…I shall let you pass today. But there will be no next time.”
“That’s my line. When we meet again, I won’t be like I am today.”

At my unflinching retort, Reks’s lips curved into a bitter smile.
A bestial grin reeking of blood.
Only then did the blade withdraw from my throat.

* * *

“Why would you do something so reckless!”

The moment we escaped the territory of the Beastmen, Perardin Noishurael Duke shouted at me.

“Why did you come to such a dangerous place alone! If you had called me— at the very least, you should have brought the Temple Priests with you!”
“….”
“And to throw yourself into that situation? What if my blade had harmed you! No, what if that monster’s blade had even slightly—”

Perardin Noishurael Duke couldn’t finish his words and swept his hand across his hair.
I looked up at him, somewhat startled.

‘I’ve never seen the Duke so angry before….’

Shouting in agitation was unlike Perardin Noishurael Duke.
As I watched in surprise, he exhaled while gazing into the distance.
He seemed to be trying desperately to calm himself.

After a long silence, the Duke spoke in a lowered voice.

“…Saelika. I know we have no right to say anything to you. But at least.”
“….”
“At least you.”

Perardin Noishurael Duke’s lips trembled.
As if emotions from deep within his chest were about to spill over.
Yet they never did.
Only his gaze toward me spoke countless words instead.
As if questioning whether he even had the right to harbor such feelings.
As if hesitating whether he could even confess such emotions to me.

“….”

Suddenly, the Duke’s hands came into view.
His gloves had been torn away from the aftermath of the fierce battle.

Within his palms lay wounds that seemed too unfamiliar to be mere battle scars.
Wounds he had inflicted upon himself— marks only his own fingernails could have made.

I realized when that wound had been made.
When I had positioned myself between the Perardin Noishurael Duke and Reks.
When I spoke with Reks while a massive blade was lodged before my throat.
The Perardin Noishurael Duke had been enduring it all this time.

‘His calloused palm, hardened from years of wielding a sword, was so deeply gouged that blood seeped from the wounds.’

Like a fool.

I took his hand.

“…!”

The Perardin Noishurael Duke trembled as though burned by fire.
Without releasing his hand, I whispered.

“I’m sorry.”

As I caressed the wounds within his palm, the Perardin Noishurael Duke’s hand quivered violently.
In truth, I had seen such a hand not long ago.

On the day of the Sacred Maiden’s mission.
People approaching me with congratulations.
And the Perardin Noishurael Duke lingering behind them.
His hands had been covered with such wounds back then.

When my broadcast wasn’t displaying properly.
When everyone cheered and shouted while watching the day I faced the demons.
Throughout every single moment, this man had restrained himself with worry, wounding his own body in his desperate struggle to break free.

The Duke spoke.

“…That was not the apology I wished to hear from you.”
“I understand.”
“…It is I who should apologize, not you. I—”
“Don’t apologize.”

I cut off the Duke’s words.

“I, I wasn’t acting recklessly. I knew Reks wouldn’t be able to kill me.”

For some reason, I found myself making excuses.

“How can you be so certain! To gamble with your own life like that—.”
“Because Your Grace the Duke was behind me.”
“….”

The Duke fell silent for a moment.
His deep gaze pierced into my face.

“I understand. You were angry because you were worried about me.”
“….”
“That’s why I was a little happy.”
“…Am I allowed to worry about you? I couldn’t find you, I neglected you, I caused you pain—.”
“And you also cherished and loved me so much. I saw it in the past.”
“….”

For some reason, I felt too embarrassed to meet his eyes.
I just stared down at our joined hands.

“I, I was told that it’s only natural for a father to love and worry about his daughter. So I just—”
“Thank you.”

Whoosh!
Perardin Noishurael Duke pulled me into his embrace.

“Thank you. I’m grateful.”

Father’s body trembled.
Despite possessing such strength and such a broad chest, the trembling never ceased.

* * *

If I returned directly to the Temple Priest’s branch, chaos would surely erupt again.
So I said I would go to Perardin Noishurael Duke’s residence first.

“Don’t use your power. Understood?”

Perardin Noishurael Duke wrapped the bandages around my wounds with his own hands as he spoke.
His touch as he treated my injuries was surprisingly skilled.

“You’re quite good at this.”
“I’ve had to do it myself many times.”

His casual reply pierced straight through my heart.
Perardin Noishurael Duke had wandered through all those battlefields solely to find me.
Because he hadn’t refused the Temple’s request.

“Rest for a moment. I’ll bring you something warm.”

It was work he could have delegated to the servants, yet Perardin Noishurael Duke insisted on doing everything himself.
I nodded and waited obediently.

‘Actually, I can heal myself now.’

Because my Divine Circuit was tattered, borrowing Kailros’s power for instantaneous healing was impossible.
Still, I could manage to use sacred magic.

But for some reason, the words to say I’d treat myself never came out.

‘That’s strange. Why did I do that?’

In any case, I could use sacred magic with this battered body because I felt Artemia’s divine power throughout this place.

‘This isn’t even a temple, so why do I feel Artemia’s presence everywhere in Perardin Noishurael Duke’s—.’

I turned my head toward where I felt the presence, then froze.

‘…Aren’t those things I used when I was young?’

I saw items I’d used after awakening as the Sacred Maiden.
They were things from more than a decade ago.

‘I’m sure I threw them all away.’

Regardless, divine power was leaking from those objects.

‘…Of course Artemia’s Sacred Maiden’s belongings would be imbued with holy power.’

It was similar to how sacred relics came into being, I suppose.
But that wasn’t the only problem.

‘Why are there so many photographs of me?!’

There were an unsettling number of photographs.
As I glanced around the room, I suddenly understood.

‘This is my room.’

The interior had changed so much since my last visit to the Duke’s residence that I hadn’t recognized it.
The furnishings had increased considerably.

“…”

My chest tightened strangely thinking of the Duke, who had filled my room with my belongings despite my absence.
I could picture him standing alone in my empty room, gazing only at my photographs in my stead.

“…The children must be worried.”

I’d even told the adults I was going to the sanctuary.
The moment they found out, I’d be in serious trouble.

“…Ah, whatever.”

I pulled out a communication stone from my pocket.
It connected immediately.

[Honeybread! Where on earth are you!]
[We need to head back now!]
[Kaiser contacted us. He’s in a foul mood. What exactly— Gasp?!]

The children gasped in surprise upon seeing me.

[Why are you like this!!!]
“Something came up. I’ll explain later.”
[Where are you?!]
[We’re coming right now—]
“You don’t need to come. I’m at the Duke’s residence.”

I’d meant to reassure them, but their expressions only grew more shocked.

[The Duke’s residence?!]
[Why there!!]
[You’re our family!!!]
[Our little one!]

It was absolute chaos.
After a while, Ilay spoke up.

[…Come back safe. I’ll handle these fools.]
“Actually, I was planning to sleep here.”
[What?]

Even Ilay’s expression changed.
That’s when it happened.

Crash!
The sound of something breaking rang out.
I turned around to see Perardin Noishurael Duke.

“What did you just say?”

On one side, there was a raucous uproar.
On the other, that very Perardin Noishurael Duke had just dropped his soup bowl.

‘Wait, did I really say something that shocking?!’

—————
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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