Youngest on Top - Chapter 32

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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 32

I found myself at a loss for words, staring at the High Priest.
What on earth had I just heard?

Yet the High Priest’s gaze fixed upon me remained infinitely serious.
Cold sweat began trickling down my skin.

‘…I just grabbed whatever was within reach and gave it to him.’

Of all things, it had to be a circle.
Not some other shape—what significance could a mere circle possibly hold?

But I couldn’t say such a thing to someone of his station.
Flattery always demanded one’s utmost effort.
I quickly set my mind to work.

“A circle is endless, sir. It has no end.”
“…?”

The High Priest regarded me with suspicion.
I hastily drew a circle with my hand to demonstrate.

“It connects like this, you see.”
“….”
“Father, a circle represents endless cycles. That is the universe.”

I beamed widely, raising both hands in an expansive gesture.

“Father, it is Sae’s universe!”
“….”

Even as I spoke, I had no idea what I was saying.
Honestly, it sounded like complete nonsense—I doubted it would work.

I stole a glance at the High Priest.
Indeed, he seemed unable to muster any response to this drivel—

“So that’s how it is.”

…Pardon?

The High Priest tilted his chin up arrogantly, gazing at the other Elders.

“The universe is practically everything. It’s incomparable to mere hearts or snowflakes.”
“…”
“Anyway, they follow me far too much.”
“…”

Please stop.
I’m embarrassed by the nonsense I just spouted.

Everyone fell silent, apparently bewildered.
Just as I, mortified, was about to say something to change the subject—

“Ugh…! I’m jealous! The universe!”
“I need to train harder. Until I receive a circle!”
“If I crack this just right, it’ll become a circle, won’t it? Then I’m the universe too, right?”

The priesthood seized their cookies and gasped in admiration.

“…”

Were they all making fun of me?

* * *

After the party finally ended, I returned to the Trainee Priest Quarters.
During my recovery, I had been staying at the Laurel Palace where the high-ranking priests resided.
Incidentally, the place where I fell asleep on the day of the fire was apparently the High Priest’s bedroom.

‘I was quite startled when I learned that fact.’

Of course, after waking up, I did move to a different room.
…The one right next to the High Priest’s.

‘Since I’ve been of great help to the Temple, I suppose this is the treatment befitting that contribution.’

I need to prove my usefulness first.

“Well, this is Sae’s room.”

Given its long history, the Artemisia Temple’s Trainee Priest Quarters were quite expansive.
There were several dormitory buildings, and multiple training grounds designed for different purposes.
Thanks to this, I was able to receive a room assignment before the dormitory building that had burned down could be rebuilt.

I merely confirmed the location of my room and stepped back outside.
The children were still discussing the party that had just taken place.

“That’s ridiculous. A circle is the universe? Everything? That doesn’t make sense. They just forced that answer out of her.”
“Honestly, isn’t Sae more concerned about us? We’re receiving direct instruction from her!”
“Sae is closest to us. We live together and share everything.”
“Plus, when the fire broke out, she looked after us.”
“My mom says you can tell what someone truly cares about by their actions. Sae definitely likes us more than the adults do.”

Hmm?
Something about their conversation felt odd.

“Adults assign meaning to the strangest things. Like cookie shapes or whatever.”
“That’s something only little kids care about. Arguing over whether it’s a dinosaur cookie or a whale cookie.”
“We’re grown-up children—we don’t pay attention to shapes like that at all. Right?”
“Right.”

The chattering children suddenly noticed me. “Oh, there’s Sae.”

“But Sae, why did you give me a skull shape? What does that mean?”
“I got a star. Does that mean I’m Sae’s star?”

Dmitri and Ilay asked me.

‘Wait, didn’t they just say they don’t care about shapes at all?’

Then I heard a scoff.

“How childish, giving out puppy shapes. Well, children do like puppies and want to keep them as pets.”

No, I don’t want to raise you.
I don’t mind raising a puppy, but not you.

Dmitri laughed with a snort and spoke.

“Wait, that sounds like you’re calling me a bastard?”
“What?”
“Or that I’m dog-like.”

Ilay chimed in with a soft chuckle.
Roana looked over the boys with obvious disdain, scanning them from head to toe.
I completely understood her sentiment.

‘Rightfully so. How childish.’

Roana hummed thoughtfully, drawing the boys’ attention, then pulled something from her pocket.
It was a heart-shaped cookie.
Wrapped carefully in a lace handkerchief, no less.

“Oh my, I’m so full~. I didn’t really plan to save it, but I was just too stuffed to eat it, so I brought it along?”
“….”
“Someone s-p-e-c-i-a-l-l-y chose a h-e-a-r-t shape for me, so I can’t just throw it away. How troublesome.”
“….”
“Other shapes? Well, you can read all sorts of meanings into them, but that’s just self-deception. A heart has its original meaning. It’s a classic.”

Roana let out a soft laugh and wrapped the cookie back in the handkerchief.

“S-shapes and meanings are so childish!”
“That’s what little kids do!”
“Or old folks!”

Watching the children cry out in protest, Roana smirked.

“Losers sure do whine.”

The boys let out indignant shrieks, practically dying from how annoying Roana was being.
I watched the scene unfold in bewilderment.

‘Why are the children suddenly acting like this?’

Of course, after that one beating, the children began to listen to me properly.
But that wasn’t submission to violence—it was adherence to justice!
It was only possible because Dmitri took the lead from the front while Ilay controlled the atmosphere from behind.
Dmitri’s subordinates genuinely followed me, but the others merely obeyed reluctantly.

‘What on earth is this about?’

I narrowed my eyes, trying to discern their intentions, when the children approached me with nervous laughter.

“Sae, do you need anything for your room?”
“I noticed you have almost no personal belongings. If you like anything of mine, I’ll share it with you.”

These children who had sworn to hit the back of my head once I grew stronger were now approaching me like this—it felt surreal.

“Why?”
“Why? Because you’re the youngest, so we should look after you.”
“If there’s anything high up you need to grab, just say so. Don’t struggle alone when you’re not even half my height.”

Seeing me blink silently without responding, the children scratched their cheeks awkwardly.

“By the way, they say the increase in meat side dishes is all thanks to you?”
“I heard it was you who summoned the divine beast.”
“The thing is, we didn’t really believe that. We wondered how a child who suddenly appeared could summon a divine beast.”
“So we cowardly assumed you snuck in through the back without taking the entrance exam.”
“We didn’t just misunderstand—we actually bullied you for it. And you’re so much younger than us.”

The children hesitated, then looked at me.
Their gazes were solemn.

“We’re sorry.”
….
“And thank you.”

Watching the children bow their heads to me, I felt something strange.
Something tickled inside my chest, as if I might sneeze.

“You know, when you held my hand in that fire, I felt so reassured. And here I was hating you so much. I’m ridiculous.”

The child who had thrown me a note telling me to disappear spoke.

“You got hurt so badly saving us, and all I did was treat you poorly.”

The child who had once asked me so petulantly if I’d gotten into the Temple through cheating spoke these words.

“Back then, when I thought you’d saved me and died… how much… ugh, why am I crying?”

The one who was always shoving me and laughing it off as a mistake said this.

The children’s eyes were red as they looked at me.

I know the truth, though.
I know what miracle they wrought that day.
One wish alone—that I would live.

Even in that moment when death seemed certain, I felt it all.
My Divine Heart didn’t shatter because their hearts held me together.

“Yeah, I was pretty mean to you. I’m sorry.”
“….”
“I really am sorry. For shoving you, throwing notes, cursing at you.”
“….”

The children hunched their shoulders guiltily, bowing their heads low.

In truth, it meant little to me.
Compared to what I endured in Parmanace, that wasn’t even harassment.

“I forgive you.”
“Really?!”

The children’s faces brightened as they lifted their heads.

“But.”

I raised my fist with a grin spreading across my face.

“You have to obey me from now on. Everything I tell you to do.”

His half-smile drained away in an instant, his face turning ashen.
The children trembled as if being dragged to a slaughterhouse, but soon they seemed to steel themselves, nodding with grim determination.
Anyone watching would think I’d asked them to lay down their lives.

“I-I’ll do it!”
“Even if you hit me a hundred times now, I won’t complain about it later!”
“Just use me as a punching bag!”

Well, I suppose I did hit them quite a lot.
But that was all to break through their limits.

“I thought asking us to jump rope with holy power was an unreasonable demand, but I’ll figure out a way somehow!”
“Even if you tell us to jump into fire, walk on water, and do three somersaults in the air!”

No, I never made such a request.

‘Oh, but that actually sounds like a pretty decent training method?’

Jumping into fire, then walking on water, then three somersaults in the air… that’s an excellent idea.
I should push them to their limits.

The children trembled when they saw my expression.
But none of them took back their words.
They swallowed hard, their faces showing they were ready for anything I might say.

‘Artemia.’

Though they were lost lambs who barely listened and refused to train even unto death, with rather poor attitudes.
They’re not entirely hopeless after all.
They truly are trainees of Artemia.

“B-but can we really go into the fire? I was genuinely terrified…”
“What are you saying? You have to overcome your trauma!”
“You weren’t even there that day, so you don’t know anything!”
“We still have to do it! The youngest told us to!”
“What do you know!”
“What do you know!”

Well, Artemia.
I think it’ll need some work.
Quite a bit, actually.

‘But isn’t there too much work for someone in exile?’

As I looked up at the sky, the sunlight sparkled with unusual brilliance.

* * *

I had gained official permission from the adults to teach the children.
More precisely, during self-study time, I was something like a group leader.

“My goodness, what a blessing! When did you awaken your sacred power! You haven’t even been here that long.”
“The fastest awakening on record, isn’t it?! This is a prodigy blessed by Artemia herself!”
“A genius has been born in our temple.”

The adults were overjoyed when they learned from the fire incident that I possessed sacred power.
I had worried it might become troublesome if discovered, but my fears were groundless.
The adults accepted that I had awakened sacred power in such a short time because I was a genius.
Besides, sacred power awakening was only possible after becoming a Trainee Priest, so their understanding made perfect sense.

“Now that I think about it, the other children have also awakened their sacred power. They said it was thanks to you.”
“It seems you taught them the feeling and technique of awakening when it first happened to you.”
“Hmm, they do say peer learning is important…”
“Especially since Beckman has been away so often, it’s all the more crucial for our temple.”
“Truly, Sae must be Artemia’s blessing.”
“Lovable and courageous, righteous and wise…”

Somehow, just recalling it made me feel exhausted.

In any case, for that reason, my supervision of the children during study time had been officially approved.
Which meant I no longer needed to lock the door and work in secret.

‘Good. I can do outdoor training now, and I can get permission to use the other unused training grounds too.’

Thinking about how to make the children work—no, train—filled me with satisfaction.
The even better news was that the children’s abilities had improved dramatically.

“Pretty good, right? Isn’t it?”
“Look, I’ve awakened my sacred power!”
“My sacred power has grown so much more than when I first awakened!”

The children beamed at me with pride written all over their faces.

It was only natural, really.
Children who had just awakened their sacred power or were on the verge of awakening had achieved ‘resonance’—and without a Saint, no less.
They had experienced something akin to a miracle.
It would have been strange if their power hadn’t increased.

But this was precisely the moment to tighten the reins.
If they thought their rapid growth was something to take lightly, they’d only grow arrogant.

“So, think you can crush all those Reyatan kids now?”

Just like this.
I stood with my weight shifted to one side, my posture deliberately dismissive.

“Are you joking?”
“Huh?”
“The trainee priests of Reyatan already awakened their sacred power long ago. You’ve only just taken your first step.”
“But… but that night, we were so powerful—”
“Then try using that power you drew out that night right now.”

At my words, the children began to draw out their sacred power.

“Huh? This… this isn’t it.”
“Why is it only this much…?”

The children tried again several times in confusion.
But the result was the same.

“Now you understand, don’t you? Don’t mistake the power you happened to use by chance for your true strength.”
“I understand. So what do we do? Tell us.”

The children nodded immediately and asked me.
Their eyes were serious.

And indeed, the children followed the grueling training without complaint.
While Ilay and Dmitri oversaw the children, I watched them from a distance.

I was honestly a bit surprised.
The children had definitely changed.
It wasn’t just words.
I could feel it now—the fire incident had transformed something within these children’s hearts.

“I received orders from Reyatan! If we kill the children, their parents won’t leave Artemisia alone, and we can even eliminate the divine beast—it’s a perfect opportunity!”

Gawain’s voice as he confessed.

“It seems Artemisia has no particular guest appointments. Whether you come next week or today, what’s the difference? You appear to have free time.”
“Maintaining such a burdensome position must be exhausting. We could lighten that weight for you, if you’d like?”

The arrogant bald elder of Reyatan.

‘Didn’t they say they were looking forward to the assembly?’

I’m looking forward to it too.

“The Artemisia Sect really ought to produce a ‘Saint’ soon. Then perhaps such a magnificent and distinguished High Priest would find things easier.”

I wonder what expression they’ll wear when they lose to a temple without a Saint.

—————
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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