Youngest on Top - Chapter 39

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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 39

Whoosh—!
For some reason, everyone was clapping, whistling, and cheering.
Even as my companions received their applause, I couldn’t bring myself to feel genuinely happy about it.

“Haha, oh my, what’s so remarkable about this that deserves such applause? Hahahaha!”
“Hmph, the ignorant masses rarely get the chance to witness such artistry.”

At Derrick’s words, Edmund muttered while wiping the sweat that trickled down his jawline.
The reaction erupted immediately.

“Oh my, even the way he wipes his sweat is so elegant!”
“He looks like a prince, a real prince.”
“It must be summer today. He’s refreshing itself.”

Their tastes were certainly unique.

Then Edmund spotted me among the crowd.
He waved his hand, but I felt no warmth at the gesture.
Derrick noticed us as well.

“Hey! When did you get here! Is your leg doing better now?!”

People murmured and glanced around.

“Who’s he calling to?”
“Does he have companions?”
“I bet his companions dance amazingly too!”
“The way he’s asking about their leg suggests they must have incredible skill.”

I possessed no such skill.

I avoided their gazes as much as possible, pretending not to hear.
Yes, just like a stranger.

Dmitri and Ilay seemed to share my sentiment.

“L-let’s head back to the Temple!”
“Right, the carriage is waiting at the station.”

Dmitri called out awkwardly, and Ilay responded promptly.
I grasped both of their hands firmly and led the way forward.
Let’s escape this place quickly.

* * *

Despite some complications along the way, I managed to return to the Temple safely.
Exhausted, I collapsed onto my bed immediately.

As I rummaged through my robes, my fingers grasped something firm and smooth.
A Kailum Crystal.
A treasure crystallized from Artemia’s breath.

“Artemia…”

I pressed my forehead against the crystal.
The warm and gentle energy permeating within it washed over my mind with refreshing clarity.

Even now, closing my eyes brings it vividly to mind.
The Heavenly Realm, gleaming brilliantly throughout all seasons.
My siblings—strong and steadfast, revered by all other angels.
And—.

‘Artemia.’

I could never stand close to her, only watching from a distance, but whenever she called my name—

“Sae.”
“Sae, come here.”
“You mustn’t hit the other angels.”
“You hit them again. I told you not to do that.”

“…”

Why do I only remember being scolded for beating up other angels from other families?
There must have been other times when Artemia called for me.

“…Still, you did well. It’s better to strike than to be struck.”

I gazed quietly at the Kailum Crystal.

‘What should I do with this?’

Originally, I had planned to find it and immediately return it to its original place.
After all, the Kailum Crystal should be displayed in the main hall where visitors to the Temple could see it most clearly.

‘I deliberately bought various miscellaneous items for this.’

I had intended to slip it among the trinkets and make it seem like I’d purchased it by chance.
But now that I had actually obtained it, I found myself hesitating.
Was it truly wise to announce the recovery of the Kailum Crystal right away?

Knock, knock.
At the sound of the knock, I hid the Kailum Crystal beneath my blanket.
Soon the door opened and Ilay entered.

“What are you doing?”

I pulled the Kailum Crystal out from under the blanket.
Ilay saw it and asked.

“Is that the Kailum Crystal?”
“Yeah.”
“It looks less impressive than I thought. Just like a lump of stone.”
“It’s not in its true form right now.”

Ilay plopped down beside me.

“So? Why are you keeping it instead of giving it to the High Priest?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“Hmm….”
“If the priests find out the Kailum Crystal has been recovered, they’ll all be overjoyed.”
“That’s true. After the Divine Beast, now the Kailum Crystal.”

The Temple Priests and the Trainee Priests would be even more encouraged, and the Temple would overflow with vitality.

“Once word spreads, people will flock to the Temple. It’s such a famous and symbolic sacred relic, after all.”

Ilay was right.
People from all over would come to see the Kailum Crystal.

‘It will certainly benefit the Temple.’

But.

“You’re worried about drawing external scrutiny.”
“Yeah. Because of what happened with Aki, there was all that chaos.”

“Reyatan ordered it! If we kill the children, their parents won’t leave Artemisia alone, and we can even eliminate the Divine Beast—it’s the perfect opportunity!”

Reyatan incited Gawain to commit arson simply because I had summoned the Divine Beast.
But if we recover the Kailum Crystal on top of that?

“True. It’s an unprecedented situation with no Sacred Maiden for three generations.”
“Not three. Two generations.”
“But you said before the regression, there wasn’t one in this generation either.”
“Sae will find one.”

At my stubborn words, Ilay ruffled my hair.

“Either way, this is the optimal opportunity to pull Artemisia down from the Octagon.”
“….”
“And it’s not just Reyatan who’s eyeing this chance. You’re worried about it for the same reason, aren’t you?”

He was right.
All the other temples close to the Octagon are targeting this opportunity.

The top eight temples haven’t changed in centuries.
They’ll do everything they can to suppress Artemisia and climb up, thinking this is their only chance.

“The problem isn’t just that. It’s not only the temples below—.”
“Even within the Octagon, they’ll suppress Artemisia so she can’t grow.”

The other Octagon temples have a past where they were suppressed and couldn’t even pray against Artemisia.
They probably consider it a history of humiliation.

On one hand, I was afraid because I knew Artemisia’s hidden strength.

“They must be hoping Artemisia won’t spread her wings and soar again.”
“They’re anxious that she might become the highest in the Octagon and reign over their heads.”
“But this Shedman entering the Octagon for the first time in Artemisia’s stead is different.”
“He’ll be easy to tame.”

How contemptible it must seem to them—a place where they’d never faced anyone superior.

Speaking with Ilay clarified my thoughts.

‘I still lack the strength to handle both sides.’

A Temple without the Sacred Maiden had no choice but to start far behind the other Temples.
To stand on equal ground, I needed to build a stronger foundation.

“Now isn’t the time to provoke them—it’s the time to accumulate strength.”

Ilay said the exact same thing I did.

“We need to clearly demonstrate that we still possess this much hidden strength. Only then will they hesitate to attack recklessly.”
“….”
“Never again will we engage in such reckless games.”

His honey-golden eyes turned cold and sharp.
His gaze lingered on my shortened hair.

“This is fine.”
“….”
“We’ll keep it hidden until the time comes.”
“When that time arrives—”
“Yes, it’ll become our trump card!”

I proudly held up the Kailum Crystal high.
Ilay let out a quiet laugh.

“Then to create ‘that moment,’ I’ll have to work the children hard… I mean, train them diligently.”
“We need to pave the way… I mean, forge the path forward.”

Ilay and I laughed mischievously together.

* * *

I immediately put my plan into action.
Fortunately, the children had shown tremendous enthusiasm for their training ever since the fire incident.
So naturally, even if I was away for a day—.

“Whoa, hey! Sae’s here!”
“Where’s the one who said they wouldn’t come until today!”

The children who had been playing scrambled to their feet.

“Caught red-handed.”

The children froze in place.

I picked up a card that had fallen to the floor.

“Gambling?”
“N-no!”
“….”
“J-just a small wager….”

I smiled brightly.
Just one day away and you’re already hooked?

“Want to make it interesting?”

I pointed outside with my finger.

“Thirty laps around the grounds.”
“T-thirty laps?!”
“That’s too much—.”
“The last one gets extra lessons from me.”

At those words, the children shot out like magic missiles.

“These kids are always falling for it.”

Dmitri sauntered toward me with a swagger.

“How will you ever grow stronger like that? Right?”
“Dmitri too?”
“Huh? Me as well?”
“Last place. Gawain’s lesson.”

Dmitri’s eyebrows shot up as he bolted away.

* * *

Thus began the hellish training.

“Artemisia! Nooo!”
“Mercy! Please!”
“My legs are giving out!”

The children, their faces flushed crimson, gnashed their teeth at Saelika as they cried out.

I had forgotten.
The cruel nature hidden beneath that angelic face.
My gratitude toward Saelika and my resolve to never resist, to die if commanded, all washed away in the tide of suffering.

“That… that demon!”
“Just you wait! I’ll grow stronger! I’ll definitely grow stronger and flick her forehead so hard!”
“What did you say?”

At the voice from above, the children trembled.
Fighting through the fear that made their heads heavy, one child looked up to find her smiling brightly.

A demon wearing an angel’s mask.

‘She was… definitely far away just moments ago…’

Flick!
Flick-flick!

“Aaaah! No!”

Today, the healthy voices of the children echoed vibrantly through the Trainee Priest Quarters once more.

* * *

A month had passed in that manner.

Through the power of magical engineering, the buildings had been constructed brilliantly and completely.
Surely craftsmen of this caliber would have required substantial funds.

I had certainly secured an excellent patron.

Though there were certainly some peculiar aspects to it all.

The Temple reconstruction proceeded in secrecy.
The Temple Grounds were expansive and separated from the spaces where worshippers moved about, so concealment posed no difficulty.
The workers passing to and fro were visible, and people assumed construction was underway—merely routine repairs like before.
Or perhaps the clearing of fire debris.

Ordinarily, such construction projects were promoted extensively, yet I understood why this one proceeded beneath the surface.

“This is hardly classical—it’s positively antiquated.”
“It mirrors Artemisia’s current state. The old inevitably yields to obsolescence.”

Our High Priest was truly cunning—a fox through and through.

A soft chuckle escaped me.

I should offer my gratitude. And since the work was now complete, I ought to extend an invitation as well.

I wrote the letter with genuine delight.

“Forgive this sudden visit. I understand Count Norris will be calling upon us next week.”
“You know Count Norris, yes? The one who owns the platinum mines. We’ve recently cultivated quite favorable relations with him, you see. Surely you understand?”
“Yet it hardly seems to hinder Artemisia.”
“Artemisia appears to have no guest appointments scheduled. Whether he comes next week or today makes little difference, does it? They seem rather unoccupied.”

I wondered how that perverted bald fool, who had been so arrogant over mere Count Norris, would react.
I could hardly wait for the assembly to arrive.

* * *

The day of the assembly.
The trainee priests of the Reyatan Church were in high spirits, chattering excitedly as they traveled to this rare external event.

“They say Artemisia is a beggar’s den? I heard they’re so poor they just eat grass to survive.”
“That’s why we’re bringing gifts.”

The children who thought of these “gifts” wore mischievous smiles.

“I went there last time. The building had so many cracks it looked like it would collapse any moment.”
“Come on, it’s still a consecrated building. It won’t collapse.”
“Haven’t you heard? The place caught fire!”
“Why would a consecrated building catch fire?”
“Because they lack the skill.”
“That’s ridiculous! Are you saying they’re so incompetent they can’t even maintain the sanctity of a consecration?”

The children laughed merrily.

“Besides, they haven’t even properly awakened their sacred power. If trainee priests are like that, the adults must be pathetic.”
“I still laugh thinking about how we crushed them at the last assembly.”
“What could those guys possibly have that qualifies them to be in the Octagon?”
“That’s exactly why we need to teach them well. Show them who truly deserves to be in the Octagon.”
“They’re not even worth fighting. We’re guaranteed to win. How boring.”
“Oh, should we make a bet then?”

The Shedmon Elder, who had been listening to the children’s chatter, lifted the corners of his mouth.
It was time to repay the humiliation he had suffered when he visited Artemisia last time.

He called out to the trainee priests in a deliberately stern tone.

“Do not grow careless. The Artemia followers are vicious opponents.”
“But Elder, wouldn’t it be harder for us to lose?”
“That is not what I mean. Do not grow careless and settle for a mere ordinary victory.”

The Shedmen laughed, baring his teeth.

“Just give them a complete crushing. We need to show the entire world that Artemisia is not even worthy of being our Reyatan’s opponent! We must ensure that Artemisia never crawls toward us again!”
“Yes! I will remember your words, Elder!”
“After all, we have a noble one whose very existence alone can utterly crush those Artemisia followers, do we not?”

The young boy at the front turned to the side and spoke.

“That’s right, my Sacred Maiden.”

The trainee priests all turned their gaze toward one young girl.
The young girl who was being attended to by the other children smiled brightly.

“I’m worried it might be too cruel. The trainee priests of Artemisia are such pitiful children, after all.”
“Your kindness is truly your greatest weakness, Sacred Maiden.”
“Hehe, if there are any decent children among them, I might take an interest in them.”

The young girl snapped her fan shut and narrowed her eyes.

“Once I fully blossom later, it might be nice to bring those children to Reyatan as well.”
“If you were to choose them, Sacred Maiden, it would be their greatest honor, despite their lowly Artemisia origins.”
“Ah, how can you be so merciful?”

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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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