Youngest on Top - Chapter 38

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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 38

Shuri’s eyes widened abruptly.

* * *

No matter how long I waited, Shuri gave no response.
If anything, disbelief only grew more pronounced in his gaze with each passing moment.

‘I suppose he’s skeptical because I jumped straight to the point without explaining my reasoning.’

So I explained earnestly.
To seal a curse, one must observe how it manifests upon the body.
Through that manifestation, one can touch the curse itself.
It cannot be sealed without seeing it.
And so on.

Yet even after all this, the distrust in Shuri’s eyes did not fade.
Instead, he looked at me as though I were some suspicious, unknowable creature.

Right—a kitten would hardly trust a veterinarian.
Of course he’d be suspicious.
I coaxed him gently.

“One, two, it hurts a little!”
“….”
“…One, two, it hurts a bit, so it can’t be helped. But it won’t hurt much!”
“….”
“…Truth is, I’m not entirely sure.”

I’d only know if I’d suffered the same curse myself.
I rolled my eyes away, avoiding the weight of his distrustful stare pressing against my face.

“But I’ll try my best. I won’t let it hurt. I promise I’ll fix you.”
“…You will, fix me.”
“Yes.”

Shuri seemed somewhat taken aback.
There was a hint of amusement in his expression, mixed with bewilderment.

But truthfully, he must have understood as well.
That what I was attempting wasn’t futile.
After all, I had genuinely eased his pain, if only for a moment.

Still, it must have been disconcerting for him—a child younger than himself proposing to do what others hadn’t even dared attempt.
He was probably worried about what might go wrong.

But I couldn’t simply wait indefinitely.
There was no telling how much longer Derrick would remain before the punching machine.
I urged Shuri forward.

“Come on, take off your pants. What, are you embarrassed?”
“….”

Shuri’s lips twitched slightly.

‘So that’s why he was hesitating!’

I’d found the answer.
I quickly reassured him and bolstered his courage.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about! Everyone gets examined like this!”
“Ha.”
“It’s just like getting a checkup from the temple priest, exactly the same.”

Now he stared at me with a frown etched across his face.
It seemed I’d struck a nerve.

“Hmm? Still embarrassed? So Shuri’s a shy one!”
“….”

I reached out toward this bashful boy.

Smack—!

“Don’t touch it.”
“Ow….”

A sharp sting bloomed across the back of my hand, accompanied by his cold voice.

‘…Should I hit him back?’

I was tempted for a moment, but I held myself back well.

‘He’s just a kitten. I can endure this.’

What would a kitten understand?
The hospital smell was unfamiliar, the doctor was frightening, his body ached, and naturally he could only react sharply.

Most of all—

‘How could he not be sensitive when a curse is gnawing away at his spirit and body like this?’

The child’s soul was being relentlessly consumed by the curse even now.
He was struggling to drive it out even slightly, but it only brought more pain.

‘Ugh. I want to pretend I don’t know, but who would do this to such a young child.’

I gently coaxed Shuri.

“Why are you like that? Sealing away the curse is a good thing for Shuri.”
“….”
“Are you scared?”
“….”
“It’s okay. It won’t hurt.”

I carefully reached toward his shirt, watching his reaction closely.
Shuri flinched, but fortunately this time he didn’t swat my hand away.

I fumbled with my fingers as I undid the buttons.
Since no adults at the Orphanage had buttoned his clothes for him, I was quite confident in handling buttons.
It took some time this round too, but I managed to undo them all.

“All done!”

I was just about to pull my shirt back with satisfaction.
Shuri reflexively grabbed the hem of my clothing.

“Shuri?”

I looked at him, wondering why he was suddenly doing this, but Shuri said nothing.
He gazed at me with the same indifferent expression as always, yet I could sense a flicker of anxiety in his eyes.
Before I could say anything, his grip weakened with a soft sound.

Beneath the pale light, Shuri’s upper body was fully exposed.
Despite his youth, his firmly toned physique spoke volumes about the kind of life he had lived.
But something else caught my attention more than that.

From his chest down to his navel, grotesque traces of a curse were etched into his skin.
Something ominous.
Something filthy.
Something profane, impure, and sinister.
An ordinary human would have had their mind corrupted merely by witnessing it.

‘What in the world did they do to this child.’

The more I examined the situation, the more my brow furrowed involuntarily.

“It’s much bigger than I expected. I thought it would be smaller since he’s still young.”
“….”
“But let me try anyway.”

I reached out my hand.
A flinch.
Shuri’s upper abdomen trembled and shuddered.

It shouldn’t hurt from just a touch, so he must be frightened.
I moved my fingers carefully.
The living curse writhed and moved beneath my hand.

“You—.”

At the low, murky voice, I lifted my head.
But no further words followed.

When I grasped Shuri’s hand, he flinched.
I guided the child’s hand to hold the Kailum Crystal together with mine.
Hand over hand.

Soon, a sacred aura flowed from my body.
Divine Heart—the energy pooled in the deepest recesses of my heart.
It was the warmest, strongest, and purest energy I could muster.
So this child wouldn’t feel cold, so he could overcome the curse, so he wouldn’t succumb to turbidity.
I hoped this energy seeping from me into Shuri would give him strength.

* * *

‘I’m going to die.’

Feeling as though I might lose consciousness, I shook my head vigorously.
Each time I did, my skull throbbed.

‘I never intended to pour out this much sacred power.’

There were several things I had overlooked.
I was far too inexperienced to handle the Kailum Crystal right now.
Because I possessed superior sacred power, I had carelessly assumed I could handle all manner of sacred relics and holy artifacts with ease, just as I had before.

‘But the Kailum Crystal operates on an entirely different principle than other objects that became sacred relics through a Saint.’

So it required far more sacred power than I had anticipated.

‘Of course, if that had been the only issue, I wouldn’t have ended up in this state.’

The curse afflicting Shuri was far more severe than I had imagined.
I had assumed it wouldn’t have grown so large since it was a curse that fed on its host’s strength to expand.
The child was still young, so there should have been limits to his power.

But the curse was far larger and more deeply rooted than my expectations.

‘I should have just sealed a portion of it without overexerting myself.’

That had been my initial plan.
But seeing this young child suffering from such a curse, unaware of his own pain, worn down by it all….

In the end, I exhausted my divine power to its limit and sealed it as thoroughly as I could manage.
Though I couldn’t seal it completely even then.

Still, his condition must be considerably better than before.

“Damn brat….”

I ruffled Shuri’s hair roughly.
He slept motionless with his eyes closed.
Since experiencing deep sleep itself was probably a first for him, he wouldn’t wake even if I doodled on his face.

‘Seriously, I should at least receive a donation of gratitude.’

No, not a donation—they should erect a statue of Artemia in the imperial palace, mint commemorative coins bearing her likeness, declare a day of thanksgiving as a national holiday….
I had sealed the curse of the Empire’s Crown Prince himself, so shouldn’t I be granted corresponding influence?

“Hmm….”

I raised my right hand with a flourish.

* * *

Not long after, the door opened.

“What’s this? Why is it so quiet?”

A large man entered with a gravelly voice.
A cross-shaped scar marked his face.
Thanks to it, I recognized him instantly.

‘That’s the same man I saw in front of the punch machine earlier!’

He furrowed his brow upon seeing me.

“What’s this? A child? What are you doing here….”

Then, a loud commotion erupted from outside.

“Whoa, hey! What if he wakes up? Why’d he have to show up while we were gone?”
“Where have you all been?”
“You’re one to talk. We went to the Black Market without you.”
“What? You’re back already? I should’ve been there to help.”

The men who had been chattering suddenly fell silent.
They had spotted Shuri lying down.

“M-Master?!”
“You! What did you do to the Master!”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“He’s sleeping soundly.”
“Sleeping?”
“The Master is… sleeping?”
“That’s impossible!”

I could understand why they’d think that.
This child had probably never managed to sleep properly before.

In any case, it was time I headed back.

‘Since that cross-marked man returned, Derrick must’ve escaped the punch machine’s clutches too.’

I needed to leave before I got caught.

“H-He’s really sleeping?”
“I’ve never seen this before…”
“But why does the Master’s face look like that?”

The men who had examined Shuri’s condition whispered among themselves.

“I’m taking him now. To Krapuka Street.”

I boldly grabbed the men’s sleeves and dragged them along.

“Huh? You’re just letting me go?”
“You’re our master’s benefactor, after all.”
“Since our master has fallen asleep, doesn’t that mean everything’s been settled with this child?”
“You’re right—our master wouldn’t fall asleep leaving business unfinished. Whatever it was, it must be resolved.”

The men, having convinced themselves, spoke to me.

“Yes, we’ll escort you right away!”
“Take some cookies with you! You were enjoying them earlier!”
“We’ll pack strawberry milk and banana milk for you!”
“Yes!”

I answered loudly.
I was exhausted anyway and desperately needed the sugar.

* * *

The men truly escorted me with impressive speed.

‘Special abilities are the best. When will I ever be able to use holy magic properly?’

It felt even more frustrating that I couldn’t even use half of the magic I knew. The moment we arrived at the Dessert Shop where Ilay and Edmund were, Dmitri greeted me.
As soon as I went to the dessert shop where Elaine and Edmund were, Dmitri greeted me.

“Honey! Why are you coming so late!”

If Dmitri is here, where’s Derrick?
If Dmitri is here, where is Derek?

“Edmund’s got him occupied. But anyway.”
“Edmund is holding on. More than that.”

Elai grabbed my face.

What’s going on?

While I was flustered, Dmitri too examined my face with an unusually stern expression.
While I was flustered, Dmitri, unusually for him, examined my face with a stiff expression.

“Why is your face so pale? Your lips are all torn up. And these wounds.”
“…Who are you?”
“What kind of bastard is this?”

The two of them emanated an unusual aura.
I knew that after awakening my sacred power, I was growing at a remarkable pace.
But such a sharp, piercing presence….
Honestly, I was a little surprised, and on the other hand, I felt proud.

“W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Dmitri furrowed the bridge of his nose.
I laughed with a giggle and shook my head.

“I fell over. Just scratched myself a little. It’s nothing.”
“…You’d better not turn into a steamed bun instead of a honey bun.”
“Come here. Let me kiss it better.”

Ilay blew gently on the scrape on my cheek with a soft “hoo.”
Along with his touch, his sacred power brushed against the scraped cheek.

“I’ll need to apply some honey again. That way you’ll turn back into a honey bun.”

Dmitri’s sacred power seeped warmly into my body.
It tickled.

‘Now I have people who will kiss my wounds better too.’

I giggled and absently touched my cheek once.

“Be more careful from now on.”
“Okay.”
“Don’t be so careless.”
“Okay.”

Honestly, I thought Dmitri was more careless than I was, but I nodded obediently.

“Where are Derrick and Edmund?”
“They’re still at the Game Hall.”
“Let’s go.”

I took both of their hands and headed toward the Game Hall.

‘What’s this? There seem to be even more people than before.’

More than when crowds had gathered for Derrick and the Priest’s competition for first place.

“What on earth is—”

I lost my words at the sight unfolding before my eyes.

Bathed in brilliant lights, Edmund and Derrick moved with dazzling grace.
It was like watching a pair perform a breathtaking tango…
Well, not quite—Derrick was stomping heavily while Edmund moved with excessive elegance…
But it was still rather mesmerizing.

The song ended, yet I couldn’t bring myself to approach them.
They exchanged glances in their own world—”Quite impressive.” “You’re not bad yourself.” That sort of thing.
And the moment they selected the next song, the surroundings erupted into chaos.

“Wait, wait! Surely you’re not selecting 『that』?”
“Oh no, that song is the 『Devil’s Song』 that no one has ever conquered!”
“Don’t do it—!!”

The song began amid everyone’s concerns.
Edmund executed an elegant triple jump while Derrick performed a windmill beneath him.

‘What exactly am I watching right now?’

Confusion. Pure confusion.

Amid it all, cheers erupted from the crowd.

“I knew it, damn it!”
“They did it! They conquered that 『Devil’s Song』!”
“Wow! That was incredible!”

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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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