Youngest on Top - Chapter 65

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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 65

Yet something felt peculiar.
Hadn’t that child been the one orchestrating our dealings from the start?

And yet in the Audience Chamber.
When we relocated to the Conference Room.
Through the endless corridors.
I hadn’t caught even a glimpse of that small child’s shadow.

‘It doesn’t matter. What business would that child have in a meeting anyway?’

I hadn’t come to this place to see that child.
I was here to make a critical decision regarding military rations, not to see her—my sole purpose was to ensure our forces—.

“Admiral…?”

The Temple Priest explaining the details called out to Admiral Ekellan.
But the Admiral’s gaze was fixed elsewhere.
Beyond the window.

Shimmer—
Golden hair glimmered faintly through the window pane.
Admiral Ekellan’s eyes widened.

“…!”

He bolted upright!
He immediately pushed back from his seat and stood.

“Admiral?”

The Temple Priests called out in surprise.
A fine tremor ran across Admiral Ekellan’s eyes.

It wasn’t golden hair.
It was merely yellow ginkgo leaves fluttering and falling in the wind.

Admiral Ekellan sank back into his seat with a sigh of deflation.

“…Continue.”

The Adjutant looked at his superior, Admiral Ekellan, with an expression of disbelief.
Ever since the Admiral entered the Temple, he’d been making it abundantly clear that something displeased him.
However, the problem was that the Adjutant understood exactly why.

The Adjutant swallowed a sigh internally.

‘He said he’d use that child as an example, but now that child isn’t even here.’

Now that things had come to this, it became clear.
That child Sae had simply wanted to discuss ingredients that wouldn’t spoil.

‘She wasn’t after the position of the Admiral’s adopted daughter.’

Of course, the Adjutant felt a fresh wave of emotion upon realizing this fact.
That small child had worried about the Navy and given considerable thought to how to strengthen it.

‘She’s quite admirable, really.’

Where in the world had such an angelic child come from?
The Admiral must have already realized this himself.

Yet seeing him pout like this meant he was simply upset that things hadn’t gone his way.
Perhaps because everything usually bends to his will, he had quite a childish side to him.

‘Well, he’s my superior, so I’ll bear with it.’

Disagreeable or not, what could I do when he was my commanding officer?
Reading the superior’s mood was also part of the Adjutant’s role.
The Adjutant deliberately glanced around and asked the Priesthood.

“Ah, but where is that child? Her name was Sae, wasn’t it?”

The moment the Adjutant mentioned Sae’s name, Admiral Ekellan’s ears perked up.
The Priesthood all responded with expressions of disapproval.

“Why are you looking for that child?”
“Since I won the wager, shouldn’t the Admiral present me with a reward?”
“Unfortunately, all the trainee priests are out on practical training today.”
“….”
“Every single one. Not a soul left behind.”
“I see….”

Practical training at this hour?
The Adjutant tilted his head in confusion, but he couldn’t very well press the matter.

“Haha, then shall we return to the contract discussion? We have a matter regarding the first-phase supply volume we require—.”

It was then that the Admiral, arms crossed, finally spoke.

“Where?”
“Pardon?”
“Where did they go for this practical training?”

* * *

‘Finally! A break at last!’

I sprang from my seat and stretched languidly in every direction.
For some reason, practical training had been suddenly scheduled.

Trainee priest practical training meant experiencing firsthand the work that the regular priests normally performed, divided among us.
Today’s assignment was to listen to people’s concerns and offer prayers on their behalf.

Since Artemisia Temple was gaining public attention, it was necessary to meet people face-to-face.
Even better if they became devotees through this experience.

‘But I’m exhausted.’

I tapped my shoulders rhythmically.
Truth be told, it wasn’t my shoulders that were tired—it was my spirit.
I’d rather be out there beating up the bad guys instead.
Listening to other people’s troubles was no easy task.

The woman in front of me was still sobbing with her head bowed, even though time was up.
Uncertain what to do, I shuffled my feet for a moment, then decided she might need time to compose herself, so I spoke up.

“Sae will be going now…”

At that, the weeping woman’s head snapped up.
Her cheeks were wet with tears, but her eyes now blazed with far more vitality—no, with outright fervor.

“Hic, yes! Just as you said, young Priest, hic, I’ll give that bastard a Holly Punch right between the legs and come back! Hehehic!”
“Uung… Patting… (Ung… Fighting…)”
“Hehehic, would you offer one final prayer for me?”

That much was no trouble at all.
I placed my small hand gently atop the bowed woman’s head.
And I offered a prayer to Artemia.

“Artemia, I beseech you. Please hear the fervent plea of your servant Sae. I humbly ask that through this child’s hands, your divine will be fulfilled, and that your iron judgment fall upon this philanderer’s most vulnerable place.”
(Artemia, I, your servant Sae, beseech you most earnestly. I pray that through this innocent child’s hands, Artemia’s will be accomplished, and that Artemia’s iron retribution descend upon this philanderer’s most vital spot.)
“Hehehic! I, I believe! In Artemia!!”

The woman cried out her faith.

Good.
I left the Prayer Room.

“Mission accomplished. Mission complete!”

When I stretched out on the sofa in the Lounge, the children who were already there immediately gathered around me.

“Sae, you worked hard. Get some rest.”

No, if I’m going to rest, go play somewhere else.

Surrounding me as I lay there, the children resumed their conversation.
It seemed they’d been discussing the Duke of Noishurael from the north and Admiral Ekellan from the south.

That was the topic.
Who was stronger—the Duke or the Admiral!

I’d heard this was the kind of argument that happened over drinks.
But our children were having theirs quite wholesomely in the Temple’s lounge.

“So, Honeybread, who do you like better—the Duke or the Admiral?”
“Obviously the Duke, right? The Duke is stronger! He slaughtered thousands of demons all by himself!”
“What are you talking about! The Admiral is stronger! He’s the invincible Sea King who’s never lost a single battle on the ocean!”
“Huh? Honeybread, Honeybread—who do you like better?”
“The Duke, obviously!”
“It has to be the Admiral! Obviously!”

The children pressed me for an answer, each offering their own reasoning.

“Ummm….”

Why were they even asking me such a thing?

“The Admiral.”

Admiral Ekellan, obviously.

“I like the Admiral better.”

Even if I grew close to the Duke of Noishurael, he would never prioritize us above all else.
He had too many connections with other temples.

‘Unless he found his own daughter. But that’s nearly impossible.’

Admiral Ekellan, on the other hand, had no ties to any temple.
Only us—soon to be his trading partner.

So even if I had to choose blindfolded, it would be the Admiral.

I wanted to grow close to the Admiral soon.
To become close, and then—.

‘Use the Admiral as my backing and crush all the other temples!’

Just imagining it made me giggle with delight.

At that moment, I felt an odd gaze from somewhere.

Whoosh!
I bolted upright from the sofa and immediately turned my head toward the window.

“…?”

There was no one there.
Only leaves rustling gently in the breeze were brushing against the windowpane.

‘Am I just on edge from exhaustion?’

I shook my head and lay back down.
The children were loud, but their chatter wasn’t unpleasant to listen to.

* * *

Petty as they were, the Artemia Priests absolutely refused to reveal where the training grounds were located.

But who was Admiral Ekellan?
The man who could locate pirate hideaways on remote islands hidden across the vast ocean and eliminate every last one of them, the man who had exterminated entire colonies of deep-sea monsters.

Finding a mere training ground was easier than chewing gum.
Of course, it was his Adjutant who had actually discovered it.

In any case, once Admiral Ekellan learned the location, he headed straight there.

And the moment he spotted the child’s blonde hair through the window, he heard that question.

“Who do you like better—the Duke or the Admiral?”

The children were comparing him to that northern brute, the Duke of Noishurael, whom he wouldn’t mind grinding to dust.

‘Obviously I’m better!’

It was a most intriguing topic.
Admiral Ekellan enhanced his hearing with aura, catching every single word without missing a beat.

‘Who’s saying that northern bastard is stronger!’

That fellow is definitely from the North. I’m certain of it.
The North has an atmosphere that deifies the Duke, so he must have been brainwashed since childhood and grew up that way.

“Hmm? Who likes honey bread more—honey bread?”

Admiral Ekellan found himself perking up his ears unconsciously, waiting for the answer.

“Tae-e-nun…. Jedommi.”

Admiral Ekellan’s eyes widened to the size of basins.

“Jedommi is better.”

The child’s voice came through crystal clear.

‘Ha, what is this really.’

Did she think I’d be pleased by such words?

She was simply stating an obvious truth.
After all, my superiority compared to that Northern fool is beyond question—it’s absolute fact.

‘Truly, truly. At least she has discerning eyes.’
“…Please restrain yourself, sir. Your mouth will split from smiling.”

Admiral Ekellan brushed aside his Adjutant’s remark and issued him an order.

“Listen, go right now to Yutra Boutique and sweep up everything for girls, organized by type. While you’re at it, go to that Bakery I visited before and buy all the limited-edition eclairs—no, actually, just buy everything they have that’s limited edition.”

Then he shook his head.

“No. I’ll go buy them myself.”
“Sir?”
“You have no sense of taste. The things you picked out last time—that little one didn’t wear a single item.”

Admiral Ekellan glanced out the window at Sae.

“You didn’t wear it again today. Tsk, tsk. You’ve never bought a gift for a woman before, have you?”
“The Admiral personally checked each item and said they were all excellent, sir.”
“Let’s go.”

The Adjutant, suddenly having his taste criticized, protested.
Admiral Ekellan simply ignored him and moved forward.

Hmm, hmm, hum—Admiral Ekellan didn’t even realize he was humming to himself.

What followed was a whirlwind of shopping.

“This belt is far too wide—it ruins the drape of the dress. Don’t you have something narrower?”
“Ah, the design is cute, but the heel is too high. If the child falls, who takes responsibility? It’s too uncomfortable. Won’t do.”
“Now, now. Not that murky purple, but this clear, transparent purple like this! Just like my eyes!”

After thoroughly ransacking the Yutra Boutique, Admiral Ekellan headed straight for the Dessert Cafe where he’d first met Saelika.

“I apologize, sir. Unfortunately, the apple cream eclairs are a limited sale, and today’s stock has sold out. Perhaps something else instead—”
“No, I don’t need anything else. Get the owner. Now.”

Admiral Ekellan withdrew a blank check from his pocket and signed it.
He then thrust it toward the owner, who came rushing over in a panic.

“Close the shop today.”
“Pardon? Admiral, surely you don’t mean our establishment—”
“What are you talking about? I’m paying double today’s projected revenue. In exchange, start making those limited eclairs right now.”
“What?”

Admiral Ekellan stared at the bewildered owner with wide eyes.
The owner hurried inside and began slicing apples.

And Admiral Ekellan’s eccentric behavior quickly became the talk of the town.

The king of the Southern Seas, a great lord, and a legendary philanderer.
Admiral Ekellan was always the subject of countless rumors, but nothing like this had ever happened before.

“Admiral Ekellan personally bought a gift for a woman? His Adjutant always used to do that.”
“He did buy it himself, but it’s not for a woman—it’s for a young girl. A very young one at that.”
“I’ve heard rumors that his Adjutant has been sweeping up all sorts of items for girls before this…”

Those who had pieced together Admiral Ekellan’s actions stared with their mouths agape.

“C-could it be—!”
“It seems like it, doesn’t it?!”
“Could he have found his daughter—!”
“B-but there was no newspaper article about it.”
“He might have kept it secret.”

The rumor that had started on Arcade Street swelled and grew like a cloud.

* * *

I gazed at the man before me with weary eyes.

A gleaming bald spot.
Not just his crown, but the corners of his eyes glistened with tears as well.

Already two hours had passed.
The man had grabbed me, sat me down, and had been pouring out his tearful story.

“My father wasn’t even bald! So why me! I’m only eighteen!”

This was the seventy-ninth time I’d heard this story.

Honestly, when I first heard it, I felt terribly sorry for him.
But after listening to the same story for over two hours, I felt like I was actually dying.

‘This isn’t something I can even fix for him.’

There was an even more serious problem.
My mind had grown so exhausted that my childish self kept trying to surface.

“Even my grandfather has a full head of hair! So why only me? Why just me!”

Exhausted.

“Sigh… You might want to ask if it’s from my mother’s side, but my mother also has a full head of hair. So why! Why only me!”

Drowsy.

“To spend my entire life like this, without hope!!”

I was so hungry….

‘Snap!’

I was bringing my thumb to my mouth when I startled myself and quickly grabbed it with my other hand.

Sae, you’re not a baby.
You can’t suck your thumb.

“Just one strand! One strand remains! If even this last leaf—this final child—falls away…! I cannot go on living.”

Every time the Priest shook his head, a single strand of hair swayed before my eyes like a solitary leaf.

Left, right, forward, left, back.
The movement was far too tempting.
My fingers twitched with desire.

‘No, no. No! Resist!’

I screamed at myself internally, but my hand was already reaching out.

Thump.
Before I knew it, my palm had landed squarely on his smooth, shiny crown.

“Priestess…?”

Eyes looking up at me.
Disbelief flickered in the gaze of the Priest who had been so full of self-pity.

Disbelief?
Disbelief toward Artemia?

‘Oh no! Absolutely not!’

I exerted all my mental strength and improvised desperately.

“H-heal!”

The light reflected off her shiny scalp, gleaming far more brilliantly than usual.

“Let us pray. Artemia, I beseech you. Your servant Saelika implores you. I nearly failed just now. Grow, hair, grow! Oh, become full and thick. No! Become lush and abundant! Artemia! Let it be lush and abundant!”
(Let us pray. Lady Artemisia, your servant Saeliqa beseeches you. I almost died just now. Grow, hair, hair! Oh, it’s so smooth. No! Abundant, abundant! Lady Artemisia! It’s abundant, abundant!)

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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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