Youngest on Top - Chapter 40

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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 40

The excited children raised their voices in praise of the young girl.

“Reyatan’s treasure!”
“Truly, our Sacred Maiden…!”

The Sacred Maiden of the Reyatan Church, Helene Molita.
Helene was truly Reyatan’s treasure.
By her very existence alone, she made Reyatan far more special than that Octagon of Artemisia.

The Reyatan Church members walked with chests puffed out in confidence.

‘Fools without a Sacred Maiden.’
‘We’re the ones truly worthy of the Octagon, with our Sacred Maiden.’
‘They must be envious of us. Paupers who can’t even afford a single piece of meat.’

They entered the Artemisia Temple with confident expressions.
But then…

‘Huh?’
‘What, what is this?’
‘Paupers, you said?!’

The eyes of the Reyatan Church members widened in shock.
The Artemisia Temple, which they’d heard was a beggar’s den, was extraordinarily luxurious!

They’d heard the gold was peeling everywhere, but what was this?
The marble floor with its rippling patterns gleamed spotlessly.
The walls shimmered with five-colored brilliance as if coated with diamonds, let alone gold.
Every statue and decoration was meticulously maintained.

‘Heavens, even the landscaping is incredible.’
‘The landscaping is a rabbit…!’

In fact, it was so enormous that a single tap of its front paw would send the Reyatan Temple Priests flying backward…

‘No, that’s not it…!’
‘It doesn’t make sense!’

Wasn’t this temple supposed to be falling apart?
Weren’t the trainee priests starving?

Everyone couldn’t hide their bewilderment.

‘Why, why is it so much better than Reyatan…!’

Pride prevented them from voicing that thought.

* * *

The last council meeting had been held at the Reyatan Temple.
Most of the trainee priests were visiting the Artemisia Temple for the first time.
So they were all bewildered by how different it was from what they’d heard.

But the most shocked person was someone else entirely.
It was Shedmon Elder.

‘This can’t be right…!’

Just a few months ago, it hadn’t looked like this at all.
When he’d visited the Artemisia Temple to discuss the council meeting, it had been a place on the verge of collapse.

Of course, from a distance it had looked fine before.
It had been as grand as its glorious past.
But with cracks everywhere and poor maintenance, it had been a perfect example of a dying place.

‘But why? How?’

He looked to his right.
The golden angel statue glared back at him.

He glanced to his left.
Insane—why are flowers blooming in this season?
How much divine stone must that cost?

The entire building seemed to echo with a boastful, “Look how rich I am!” kind of energy.

The flustered Temple Priests muttered among themselves.

“What’s going on? This is completely different from last time.”
“I heard they discovered gold in Artemisia, but….”
“Still, they should’ve used it elsewhere. I never thought they’d waste money like this on the building.”
“I vaguely heard something about construction… Wasn’t that supposed to be demolishing the fire-damaged building?”

The bewildered voices of the Temple Priests reached even the Trainee Priests.

Shedmen’s teeth ground together audibly.
But soon he opened his mouth, feigning composure.

“Where would Artemisia get money? They must’ve sold all that gold they found and poured everything into constructing the new building.”
“I, is that so?”
“They’re just trying to make the exterior look impressive. It’s a scheme to lure in believers.”

Only then did smiles return to the faces of the Reyatan Church’s priests.

“How pathetic their desperate struggle is.”
“They must be drowning in debt then.”
“Exactly! To decorate to this extent, they’d have sold all the gold and still gone into debt!”
“Fools. They’ll collapse on their own. Hahahaha!”

Strong incense is burned to mask the stench of death.
Just as that, this too was merely Artemisia’s final death throes.

The priests chuckled among themselves as they entered the Main Temple.

* * *

After finishing my meal, I surveyed my surroundings.

‘The atmosphere in the Trainee Priest Quarters has been unsettled since morning.’

Well, it made sense.
Today was the first day of the assembly meeting.
The children pretended otherwise, but they were clearly agitated.

I carried the empty tray outside after clearing it completely.
The children were training without me even asking, shouting “Let’s go! Come on!” as they practiced.

“Is this what a mother’s heart feels like…?”

My fist of justice wasn’t even blazing with fire, yet they were diligently training on their own.

Just as I was murmuring with a sense of pride.
The children noticed me and approached cautiously.

“Sae….”
“Hmm?”
“Um, do you think we can do well this time…?”

I stared intently at the children.
They avoided my gaze with embarrassed expressions, scratching their cheeks.

“No, we did work hard. We’ve definitely improved compared to before. But….”
“A Sacred Maiden appeared in the Reyatan Church this time.”
“From what people are saying, she’s incredibly fast.”
“Yeah…. Among the other temples, it’s rare for a Sacred Maiden of this generation to appear so early.”

The children were completely dispirited.

“When did you say you’d crush the Reyatan kids?”
“Oh, we did say that! We just wanted to humble their pride….”

That’s right.
When I first locked the training hall door, the children had boasted about crushing Reyatan’s arrogance.

‘And that day, I learned they had lost to Reyatan.’

That was the reason for the children’s dejection.

The memory of defeat.
And now their opponent even had a Sacred Maiden.
Everyone knew that the presence or absence of a Sacred Maiden in a temple made an enormous difference.

“So you’re not going to do anything about them?”
“No! I want to! I really do want to, but the problem is….”

The children exchanged glances hesitantly.

“…whether we actually have the strength to take them on.”
“Sae, what do you think…?”
“We’ve gotten stronger though, right? Right?”

I tilted my head at their cautious words.

“I don’t know either. I haven’t seen the Reyatan children.”

How could I possibly know if they could win when I didn’t even know their opponents’ strength?

The children’s expressions turned dissatisfied.

“What’s that supposed to mean! You should be giving us some courage!”
“Yeah! After pushing us around like that! Don’t you think you should be instilling some hope in us?”

The children protested loudly as if they hadn’t been trembling with anxiety moments before.

“True. I did push you around quite a bit.”
“Quite a bit? A bit? Seriously, is that what you call ‘a bit’?”
“If you’d done it twice, we’d all be dead!”
“I came back after seeing Artemia’s face. I almost said goodbye to this world!”
“So why are you still anxious?”

The children froze at my question.

“The Reyatan children are weaker than me.”
“How could you possibly… wait, I guess you would know.”
“Yeah, you don’t even need to see them to know that….”

The children swallowed hard as they recalled my fists.
I nodded in acknowledgment.

“So are you afraid of Reyatan or afraid of me?”
“Well, obviously…”

The children’s eyes all turned toward me at once.
I shrugged my shoulders.

“Then there’s no need to be afraid.”

The children’s expressions transformed instantly.

“Heh, what were we even worried about? We, you know? Right? We’ve endured that hell.”
“Yeah, yeah. How many times have we been beaten? Now even ordinary punches don’t hurt anymore.”
“If I don’t get hit now, it feels weird, like… like I haven’t started my day!”

The children quickly regained their spirits.
Though there was something a bit odd mixed in at the end…

I smiled broadly.

* * *

The priests of the Reyatan Church entered the Main Temple.
The reception hall was lined with Temple Priests of the Artemisia Church.
The High Priest and Elders were seated at the place of honor.

The eyes of the Reyatan priests widened in astonishment.

“Oh my…”
“What on earth is this? That graceful countenance…!”
“Goodness, Lord Reyatan…!”

The young girls in particular were in absolute turmoil.

Anatullio High Priest, whose appearance was so divine one could mistake him for a statue of a god rather than a human.
Sirius Elder, with his sharp, piercing gaze—reminiscent of a noble wolf of the snowy peaks.

“How can elders possess such graceful features…?”
“Oh, I’d open my eyes even without divine blessing.”
“Shh, our bald one might hear… oops.”

Such radiant beauty that makes one’s true thoughts spill forth uncontrollably.
Had the trainee priests of the Artemisia Church truly lived their lives gazing upon these sacred visages?

‘Our side is bald.’
‘The tops of our heads are completely bare.’
‘Ah, Reyatan… why didn’t you distribute the hair evenly?’

The trainee priests’ gazes flickered back and forth between Shedmen and Artemisia’s High Priest.
Shedmen clenched his fists with a murderous expression.

The Reyatan priests had no time to gauge Shedmen’s mood.

It was because of another graceful face standing beneath the elders.
The female priests and young girl trainee priests flushed at the sight of Randel.

Perfectly proportioned facial features.
Gentle, delicate eyes.
Even his height and body proportions were flawless.

And that wasn’t all—besides Randel, they were all handsome and well-favored.
Derrick with shoulders of immeasurable breadth and a solid, dependable physique.
Mogen, who appeared ordinary at first glance but possessed a face that was absolutely extraordinary upon closer inspection.

‘Artemisia may lack power, but she certainly has beauty.’
‘Perhaps the reason they’re still at the Octagon is because believers keep coming for those looks?’

Even reasonable suspicion crossed my mind.

The same was true for Helene, the Sacred Maiden of Reyatan.
Helene also regarded Artemisia’s priests with an intrigued expression.

‘Not bad. Though it seems Artemisia’s finest hasn’t arrived yet.’

Just as Helene was thinking this.

“Welcome to Artemisia Temple.”

Anatullio, the High Priest of Artemisia, began his greeting.

Helene tilted her head with a slight hum.

“Sacred Maiden, is there anything uncomfortable about your accommodations?”
“If there’s anything that troubles you, please let us know.”

The trainee priests whispered urgently among themselves.

“Now that the High Priest’s welcoming address has begun, there shouldn’t be anyone else arriving, correct?”
“Yes. Is there someone you’re looking for?”

Helene murmured while smoothing her long hair.

“Kaiser.”
“…!”
“I wanted to see him.”

The great Holy Knight who kept the Octagon standing even without the Sacred Maiden of Artemisia.
The name that came to mind when one thought of Holy Knights—that ‘Kaiser’.

‘No matter how I think about it, it’s such a waste.’

It was a pity.
A man of his caliber shouldn’t be in a place as inferior as Artemisia.

Wouldn’t it be better for him to serve someone as noble as myself rather than waste his life in such a place?
Kaiser was someone who ought to be at my side instead of here.

‘Well, there will be plenty of opportunities ahead.’

Reyatan would become the Octagon anyway.
Surpassing this pathetic temple.

‘It wouldn’t be wrong to extend my hand to Kaiser then.’

Helene smiled with an arrogant expression.

* * *

I waddled my way to the Main Temple and arrived.
Then I grabbed the corridor curtain and hid my body.
Or rather, I tried to hide.

“Sae?”

If only Mogen hadn’t discovered me….

I hesitantly asked.

“Is it okay if I watch?”

Mogen laughed somewhat awkwardly, but soon spoke affectionately.

“You must be quiet.”

I quickly nodded and said “Shh—,” pressing my finger to my lips.
Mogen, who was supposed to be the quiet one, let out a groan.

“Ugh, so cute….”
“No. Be quiet.”
“Ngh…!”

After giving Mogen a stern look, I turned my gaze to the reception hall.
Shedmon Elder was bowing his head in response to the High Priest’s welcoming greeting.

“We are truly grateful for Artemisia’s warm hospitality.”

He looked at the High Priest with a friendly smile.
But his eyes were intensely challenging.

“We have prepared a gift for you.”

As he spoke, his lips curled into a smirk.

“Knowing Artemisia’s ‘situation,’ I couldn’t possibly arrive with so many people empty-handed.”
“What?!”

One of Artemisia’s priests cried out indignantly.
Shedmon merely laughed as if amused by their outrage.

“Please use it well for tomorrow’s banquet. We’ll have guests from outside, and we must maintain appearances, mustn’t we? Especially for the Octagon.”

‘That bald Reyatan bastard…!’

He’d spoken with courtesy, but it was unmistakably mockery.

You’re all so poor you can’t even afford to treat us properly, can you?
Can you even provide decent food?
We’ll just make do with what we brought ourselves.

—That was precisely what he meant.

But our High Priest didn’t even bat an eye.

Shedmen let out a snort of laughter at the sight of our High Priest.
He seemed to think, ‘Surely you must be seething inside?’

Then Sirius spoke up.

“I understand Reyatan’s reluctance to impose upon us.”
“Ah yes, when even a single grain of barley is precious—”
“The assembly is meant for comfortable fellowship, and as a subordinate temple, Octagon naturally wishes to show deference to Reyatan.”

In that moment, laughter burst forth among our priests.
Sirius’s true meaning was crystal clear.

‘Tribute? Then we gratefully accept.’

What Reyatan had brought to mock us with had been transformed into tribute.

Shedmen’s face—indeed, his entire head—flushed as if about to burst.
The way he trembled resembled a boiled octopus.

‘Well done, well done!’

Sirius, who handles external affairs, truly excels!
With a single phrase, he’d completely crushed that arrogant Shedmen.

I nodded with satisfaction.
They couldn’t even muster a response.

‘I worried for nothing. There was no reason for me to look into this myself.’

The adults would handle things here just fine.
With that thought, I left the Main Temple.

In the back, they were carrying the gift that Reyatan had brought.
Given that he’d mentioned using it for the banquet, it was likely food ingredients.

‘I wonder what he brought?’

Since he was being so showy about it, I hoped it was expensive ingredients.
So we could feed the children well.

As I approached, the adults welcomed me.

“Sae’s here.”
“Why, are you curious what this is?”
“Yes! Tasty things good!”

I threw my hands up and shouted, and the adults chuckled softly.
I scurried after them to the kitchen.
The adults opened the box.

Inside the box was….

“…!”
“Ugh…!”

─Spoiled meat.

—————
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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