Youngest on Top - Chapter 262

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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 262

“Beatrix, what is this…?”

The Temple Priest beside Beatrix extended Manashell toward her with a pallid face.

-What exactly was the corruption that happened within the organizing committee? They said that’s why they started the undercover investigation.
-Will we only find out when the trial happens?

It was a reaction that hadn’t ceased since Ted’s public accusation.
Irritating, but nothing particularly unusual.

“What is this supposed to—.”

Beatrix paused mid-sentence.
There was a title that caught her eye.

I think I found what that corruption was

Isn’t that Parmanase Priest and the preliminary round hosts blurrily visible in the background to the right of this photo?

A post written alongside the photograph.
Countless comments were already attached beneath it.

-That’s right. It’s Priest Coil.
-Lol are Parmanase Priest and the hosts meeting separately?
-Weren’t priests forbidden from directly contacting hosts? Something about fairness.
-How did that scene get captured so perfectly? It looks like they were meeting in secret, but it got caught through a briefly opened door lol

It wasn’t just this post.

I found something too, and bribing the hosts isn’t even the issue

It’s a photo that someone who successfully attended the stadium during a previous mission posted here while bragging about it.
But the reaction back then wasn’t good because it was a photo taken in a restricted viewing area.
I remembered that and just checked it again lol
Do you see that small person in the background?
You can’t see it well?
This is an enlarged and brightened photo. Can you see it now?

-Wow; it’s Amelia herself;;;; She can’t deny it now.
-But who’s the woman next to her?
└She’s on the operations committee.
But couldn’t you at least have a conversation with the operating committee? I’m worried I’m pushing too hard thinking this is the right moment;; I’m scared of witch hunts ㅠㅠ
└That operations committee member is the subject of this investigation
Look at this article here. They’re investigating and questioning operating committee member Emily.
└Even if they were talking, they wouldn’t meet alone and do it secretly like that^^! And look at their hands. They’re not just talking—they’re exchanging something, right?

The imperial capital boasted the highest population density in the world.
With the Sacred Maiden selection tournament, people flooded in not only from provincial areas but from foreign countries as well.
All these countless people freely took photos, posted content, and left comments everywhere.

In other words, every individual’s daily life, proof of attendance, and eyewitness accounts posted on the Mana Network became evidence!

Operations Committee Member Emily’s Movement Timeline on the Boundary Stone Mission Day
Amelia Sighting Photo Collection (Organized by Date)
Parmanase Priest Contact List +Additional +More Additional

Evidence accumulating piece by piece.

It didn’t matter if you bribed the judge and jury.
It was useless even if you corrupted the investigators.
Even the so-called nobles and those in power couldn’t help.

Because the masses were conducting the investigation and the masses were delivering the judgment!

Beatrix’s hand trembled as she gripped the Manashell.
Even at this very moment, the evidence was continuously being updated.

‘This is insane. Are there really this many photos taken by coincidence? And they’re finding them so well?’

* * *

“Wow, you’re really amazing. Our Teo. My precious boy.”
“You’re an angel.”

As I ruffled his hair enthusiastically, Teodor’s face flushed red.
That slightly embarrassed expression was absolutely adorable.

‘To think he devised such an intricate plan with such a cute face.’

I gazed at the Manashell screen.

Teodor’s informants weren’t specially trained spies.
They were just ordinary people.
The kind of commoners the Parmanase Temple barely paid attention to.

Yet they were far more numerous than the nobles—essentially the backbone of this empire.
They were everywhere, heard everything, and saw everything.

That was what made Teodor’s informants so terrifying.
They lived their ordinary lives and captured evidence as naturally as everyday photographs.
Then they uploaded them to the Mananet as if sharing their daily routines.

We didn’t need to do anything special ourselves.
The rest was up to the people.
They became investigators themselves, gathering and refining the scattered information across the Mananet.

Occasionally, there were dissenting voices.

-This is kinda scary though;; So many photos being taken like this, and finding them all so easily;; Am I the only one who thinks this is weird;;;;

But people immediately pushed back.

-I went to watch the preliminaries and the selection committee members were there. What’s the problem with that;;?
-People who leave comments like this have one thing in common:
They stay silent when thousands of posts about Amelia’s good deeds or positive sightings go up.
└No, they don’t stay silent—they promote it, spread it, and make a huge fuss.
-Looking at the photo sources, they’re all legitimate accounts. People who post their daily lives constantly.
-What’s weird about it lol Are you just upset because you don’t like Amelia? You keep saying it’s strange, but you’re the ones giving yourselves away

They were not information injected by others, but rather evidence and facts I had uncovered myself.
People were filled with conviction as never before.

Moreover, the actual insiders began to speak up.

-Honestly, I knew this would blow up eventually.
The Sacred Maiden Selection Tournament is so massive that there are tons of outsourced workers involved.
No matter how much the organizers talk about maintaining security, bits and pieces still leaked out.
-The organizers are people too, so they have complaints about their jobs and decisions from above that don’t make sense.
They talk about that stuff outside the office among themselves, and everyone hears it lol
-Ah, suddenly the magical tool production order changed urgently. Back then I wondered why, but now I understand the reason.

Thus, all the misconduct they had committed rose completely to the surface.

* * *

The list of misconduct compiled by the people seemed endless.

Forcing Saelika, who should have been classified at least as A-rank, into C-rank Sacred Maiden status to prevent her from receiving initial support.
Deliberately preparing Ruaff’s core and manipulating the lottery wheel so that Saelika would be selected.
Not a single other Sacred Maiden who was drawn for Ruaff’s core actually existed.
In the Barrier Stone mission, only Amelia was allowed to hear the Host’s relay.
Saelika’s relay screen was deliberately made cloudy so nothing could be seen.
….

Beatrix continued scrolling through the screen to verify the contents.

“What are you going to do about this situation now!”
“Say something, Beatrix Priest!”

Beatrix lifted her head and looked at the Nobles.

“What is the problem?”
“What?!”

Tap!
After confirming the list to the end, Beatrix set down the Manashell.

“Despite tens of thousands of people gathering all sorts of information, not a single piece of evidence has emerged proving that our Parmanase is in collusion with Demons.”

Beatrix laughed deeply.

‘If there were evidence of collusion with demons, they would have exposed it by now.’

With the board laid out like this, failing to play that card would be foolish.
Confirming its absence was enough.

“So in the end, our Amelia has been falsely accused. It was a rather sharp attack, but ultimately ineffective—”
“Is that really the issue right now!!”

But the nobles’ reaction diverged from Beatrix’s expectations.

“What does it matter if she didn’t collude with demons! The public’s fury is boiling over like this!!”
“Everyone at the Parmanase Temple is desperately searching for who else was bribed!”
“They’re saying she’ll resort to even dirtier tactics to win the trial, and all accomplices must be rooted out!”
“Surely— you didn’t deliberately summon us here? To force us into the same boat!?”

The nobles regarded Beatrix with eyes full of distrust.

Pathetic creatures.
Beatrix swallowed her rising irritation and opened her mouth.

“Since when have you thought of public sentiment that way?”
“…!”
“Isn’t it said that commoners forget the moment they turn away from their meal?”
“…That’s true. But have they forgotten?”

The Count glared at Beatrix with wide eyes.

“Crown Prince Kaishurit is leading this!”
“…!”
“Yes, some internal auditor filed the initial complaint, but it was the Crown Prince who ordered the guards to arrest and imprison them!”
“Do you truly not understand what happens when public sentiment aligns with the Crown Prince’s will?”

The nobles’ faces were filled with anxiety and unease.

“Public opinion? Sure, I’ll face some criticism. Perhaps I’ll even have to surrender some of my wealth. But Kaishurit, the Crown Prince?”
“What if the Crown Prince decides to sweep away all the nobles involved in this affair?”
“…Even Kaishurit, the Crown Prince, cannot act without solid evidence—.”
“Public opinion is providing that evidence right now!!”

The Count turned away after his outburst.

“Do as you wish in uncovering the past! I must survive right now…!”
“If that happens, I will know that my friendship with Parmanase has truly ended.”

The other nobles turned to follow the Count.
Their hearts raced with urgency.

If anyone saw them meeting with Beatrix in secret right now.
If a photograph happened to be taken incorrectly….

The moment the nobles slipped out of the building with hunched shoulders.

“It’s real! Count Orawen!”
“Count Torekin and Count Soben are here too!”
“Wow, these are major players? This is a scoop!!!”

Flashes of light erupted alongside the rapid clicking of shutters.
Journalists had been waiting.

“Hmph, we can’t just rewrite articles based on information the masses feed us through the network.”
“Let’s show them what real journalists do!”

The journalists spoke with more enthusiasm than ever before.

* * *

Overnight, scandals involving high-ranking nobles erupted one after another.
Public opinion naturally boiled over.

“Come out.”

At the Guard’s words, Amelia lifted her head.
She thought she was being released, but that wasn’t the case.

Click!
Heavy shackles and leg irons clasped around her wrists and ankles.

“What is this…!”

Until now, Amelia had been confined, but never restrained like this.
Amelia stared at her hands in disbelief and asked.

“…Where am I being taken?”
“Why do you need to know?”

‘I’m being subjected to such humiliation…’

Amelia bit her lip.
But there was nothing she could do in this moment.

What awaited her was a cart reserved for traitors.
As she was transported, crowds of people pressed against the bars of the carriage window.
Among them were faces of believers who had followed her so devotedly.

Amelia’s face brightened as she looked toward them.

“Ah, surely you still believe in me—”

Smack!
In that instant, Amelia couldn’t comprehend what had happened to her.
But.

Smack! Thud, smack!
The blows continued relentlessly.
And.

“You filthy demon!”
“You said you’d become the High Priestess, yet you committed such vile acts?”
“You never deserved to be the High Priestess from the start!”
“I was a fool for believing in and following you!”

Words she had never heard before.
Gazes she had never encountered before.

Thwack!
A stone struck my forehead.
Something warm trickled down my face.
With trembling hands, I wiped my forehead.
Blood.

‘How can this be happening to me… the savior of humanity?’

I lifted my head in a daze.
Everyone was cursing and condemning me with vicious voices.
All I could see were faces twisted in mockery and ridicule.

‘Is this… reality?’

Beyond the crowd, something caught my eye.
A magnificent display screen.
And filling that entire screen was—

‘Saelika…!’

Saelika, standing proudly with the Allis Celestia in her hands.

Every corner of the plaza had been decorated for Saelika.
Celebrating the upcoming coronation of the Grand Sacred Maiden.

‘Since childhood, my portraits hung everywhere…’

But now, nowhere in the plaza could I find any trace of myself.
As if my existence had been completely erased.

The entire world was filled with nothing but Saelika.
People prayed before her image and took photographs.
When the carriage carrying me drew near, they spat.

“Ha…”

My entire body trembled uncontrollably.
My bitten lips split open.
The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth.

Thud! Crack, thud thud!
Stones flew at me, leaving wounds across my entire body.
Yet I could no longer feel the pain.

‘Saelika, Saelika, Saelika!’

Only a blazing, ice-blue fury consumed me.

* * *

I stopped rolling around on the sofa.
I was resting peacefully when uninvited guests arrived.

“Come on now, that’s enough. Don’t get up. Just lie there.”
“Why are you trying to get up?”
“Yeah, between us.”

At the softly added remark, I asked with a puzzled expression.

“What kind of relationship do we have?”

The uninvited guests—Helrele, Elrele, and Jabele—flinched and grew indignant.

“Why! We can’t visit you when you’re sick! Even if we made some mistakes before, now we’re, well, somewhat fri… frie…”
“Friends?”
“Y-yes!”

All three nodded in unison, their faces flushed crimson.
I asked, feigning surprise.

“So this was a sick visit from friends?”
“Why else would we be here!”

Watching them huff and puff again, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Upon seeing me laugh, the three finally realized they’d been teased.

“You were making fun of us!”
“Wow, you’re always teasing us!”
“Well, you’re easy to tease, so of course I would.”

The last words came from the doorway.
Nelije stood there with an irritated expression.
Behind her, the room was packed with people.

“Princess Grizelda.”
“I’ve come to visit you as well. Here’s a get-well gift. And the two Empress Consorts also sent gifts on my behalf. They wanted to come in person, but…”
“Thank you.”

As I offered my thanks, Dolores interjected from beside me.

“Isn’t the Princess quite busy? Perhaps it would be best to return to the palace immediately?”
“My, I heard that you, Sacred Maiden Dolores, have quite a lot on your plate as well?”

Sparks flew between the two of them.
That’s when it happened.

“Sae~!”

A cheerful voice rang out, accompanied by a fragrant breeze.

“Are you feeling better? I heard you were well enough to receive visitors, so I rushed over.”
“Princess Terese.”
“My horns are good for the body, so let me cut them off for you. Would you like to try them?”
“No, that’s really not necessary…”
“Sigh, if it’s for you, Sae, I’d give you my horns. Then you and I would always be together…”
“What kind of crazy dragon is this?!”

Finally, Roana exploded.

“Our youngest needs absolute rest, so if you’ve seen her face, wouldn’t you mind leaving?”

Of course, no one listened to Roana.
My room was instantly saturated with girls.

“I can’t wait for the coronation day to arrive.”
“Surely Sae will look magnificent.”
“I’ll support you from behind as the Sacred Maiden who follows you that day.”

I watched the girls each speak their piece and asked a question.

“So, what are you curious about?”
“Huh?”
“You’re all staring at me like you’re dying to know something.”

At those words, everyone flinched before asking.

“Your coronation partner… who are you choosing?”

* * *

“Your coronation partner… who are you choosing?”

At the voice coming from inside the room, Kaiser, who was with Randel, swallowed hard.
He craned his neck to hear better—though he could already hear perfectly fine—when his eyes met someone else’s.

‘The Perardin Noishurael Duke?’

It wasn’t just the Perardin Noishurael Duke.
Beside him, Admiral Ekellan had his ear pressed firmly against the wall—though there was absolutely no need—and was anxiously picking at his nails.

“…!”

The four of them, having confirmed each other’s presence, reflexively heightened their alertness.
They suddenly realized they had been so focused on Saelika’s words that they hadn’t sensed their surroundings.

‘We’re definitely not alone!’

With their senses now sharpened, they felt numerous presences.

‘Elves?’
‘This peculiar aura… they must be the Dragon-kin.’
‘These presences—are they the three princes of Myuat?’
‘Crown Prince Decaren and Crown Prince Ryubik too….’
‘Should the Artemia Priests be on guard or not?’
‘They’re all prowling around like hyenas circling their prey.’

The faces of the four, which had darkened with displeasure, suddenly turned rigid.

‘This ominous aura….’
‘Kaishurit!’

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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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