Youngest on Top - Chapter 68

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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 68

‘Mint chocolate is incredibly intense.’

I unwrapped the mint chocolate and took a bite.
It felt like ice crystals formed instantly in my mouth—the sensation was overwhelming.

Shiver!
My entire body trembled as I swallowed hard.

If it’s this strong, why would anyone dislike it?
Isn’t strength the best quality?
I couldn’t comprehend it.

“Wow, can you really eat that, Angel?”

Teodor’s eyes widened as he watched me consume the mint chocolate.

“Yeah. It’s delicious.”
“Angel, you’re so strong!”

His eyes sparkled with admiration.

“Amazing! You really are an angel!”

Teodor raised both hands in delight.
Then suddenly, he began coughing.

Cough, cough!
I assessed Teodor’s condition as I listened to the rough coughing sounds.

He had improved considerably, but he wasn’t fully recovered yet.

‘Rubab is quite a stubborn illness, after all.’

Ilay scooped Teodor up and laid him on the bed.
He tucked the blanket snugly around him and spoke in a deliberately stern tone.

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“I’m not pushing myself.”

I waited a moment, and soon the coughing subsided.

I took Teodor’s hand.
Closing my eyes, I offered a prayer to Artemia in my heart.
Simultaneously, I poured healing divine power through our joined hands into the child.

After a moment.
As the light faded, I opened my eyes.

Ilay was watching me quietly.

“When do you think he’ll recover?”
“It’ll take a bit longer.”
“…Should I tell the adults after all?”

More than anything, his desire to ease his younger brother’s suffering weighed on his mind.

“Going to the temple doesn’t mean you get better right away. You know that, Ilay.”

This was why Rubab was considered such a troublesome illness.
Rubab was a disease that only improved when the divine power and the patient’s wavelength aligned.
If the wavelengths didn’t match, even the High Priest couldn’t cure it.

Yet there was one person.
In the temple, there existed someone who could heal regardless of that wavelength.

‘The Sacred Maiden.’

And Artemisia Temple had no Sacred Maiden.

Even if we visited other temples that had one, the outcome was predictable.

‘They would never treat him without compensation.’

Especially since he was the younger brother of a trainee priest from another temple—they would demand even more.

“….”

Ilay shifted his gaze toward Teodor.
Teodor met Ilay’s eyes with a noticeably more relaxed expression.
Ilay gently stroked the child’s hair.

I watched the scene unfold before rising from my seat.
It seemed the brothers needed time alone together.

“I’m going to see the stars with Saelika. A shooting star is falling tonight.”
“Don’t go far. Just watch from in front of the house. The forest here is dangerous.”
“Okay.”

I stepped outside the house with a light patter of footsteps.
Looking up at the sky, the moon had already risen higher than before.

I waited for the shooting star, but it never appeared.
Disappointed, I lowered my gaze and saw the forest.

‘Oh, a squirrel!’

A small squirrel scampered up the tree with quick, bouncing movements.
The squirrel paused briefly on a branch, then leaped nimbly to another.

‘How cute!’

Why was it awake at night?
Curious, I chased after the squirrel with quick, eager steps.

“Don’t go far. Just watch from in front of the house.”

Ilay’s warning flashed through my mind.

What could possibly happen?
In a remote place like this, I’d be stronger than anyone I encountered.

If there were villains like those who had tormented Ilay, I’d beat them down without hesitation.
Clenching my reliable fists with confidence, I strode boldly into the forest.

* * *

The squirrel quickly vanished between the trees.
Disappointed, I peered pointlessly from one tree to another.

‘Is it here? Or over there?’

Then something caught my senses.

‘People?’

I detected signs of human presence in the distance and stopped in my tracks.

People in the forest at this hour of night?
And there were several of them.
My instincts screamed danger.

Ordinary people don’t venture into the forest at night.

Those who do are either friends of animal companions like myself.
Or they’re Rangers or adventurers.
And the rest are….

‘Criminals.’

It’s quite common for wanted fugitives with bounties on their heads to hide in the forest at night.
Just as common is burying dirty deeds and secrets in these woods.

‘Ilay did warn me the forest was dangerous, but this isn’t far from the house.’

What if they were unsavory characters?
I recalled the debt collectors I’d encountered when I first visited Ilay’s home.

‘…I can’t have those kinds of people lurking in the forest near the house.’

For Teodor’s safety when he’s alone without Ilay, I should verify who these people are.
And if they truly are unsavory, I’ll deal with them.

‘If my opponent is a criminal, it’s better to conceal my identity.’

I pulled the hood of my robe down over my head.
I’d donned this dark robe to slip out of the Temple undetected.
Never did I imagine it would prove so useful.

I concealed my presence in the darkness and crept toward the suspicious group.
The suspicious group had even built a large campfire.

A typical fugitive criminal wouldn’t dare light a fire like that.
Were they actually skilled operatives?

The bright firelight flickered and danced, casting the forest’s shadows into motion.
The shadows of the large men intertwined with the thicket’s shadows, creating grotesque shapes.

They were burly figures far more resembling vicious criminals than adventurers.

‘So they really are criminals?’

Should I strike now?
I crept closer, quietly gripping my morning star.
For now, I intended to gather more information.

There were many men.
I was alone.
Their backs were turned so I couldn’t see their faces, but at a glance, their armaments were clearly impressive.

But since they were drinking, wouldn’t I have the advantage?
Some were even humming songs—they appeared quite intoxicated.

‘Ah, but there are far too many ability users here—’
“What are you doing, lurking about like a rat and spying?”

A voice whispered near my ear.
I gasped in shock, drawing in a sharp breath.

My back had been caught, yet I hadn’t sensed it at all.
I tried to shake free and spin around to flee.

Smack!
My opponent easily knocked my arm aside and seized my collar.

“Ugh!”

My back slammed hard against a massive tree.
The force and speed behind the shove were far from ordinary.
My back throbbed with considerable pain.

“Ow, ow, ow…”

My attacker paid no heed to my groans.
Instead, their grip on my collar tightened even further.

As my collar dug deeper into my neck and my breath began to catch, my assailant moved with efficient precision, yanking the hood I wore clean away.
The opponent pushed back the hood I was wearing with a clean, efficient motion.

My partially obscured vision suddenly cleared.
My half-obscured vision suddenly cleared.

“Ah, hey there…”

I raised my right hand and waved it awkwardly.

“You’re crazy.”

In Ricardo’s form.

“You…”

The boy who saw my face, Shuri’s eyes twisted.

* * *

The moment I was pushed while being grabbed by the collar, I realized my opponent was Shuri.

I even sharpened my eyebrows slightly.
To appear as I had when I last encountered Shuri at the Black Market.
To appear as he did when he encountered Shuri in the black market before.

“For some reason, there seemed to be way too many people with special abilities.”

They were all subordinates of Shuri whom I had encountered before.

“Do you… remember my name…?”

It seemed Shuri had recognized me as well.
Perhaps he couldn’t recall my name?
If that were the case, it might be fine to let him forget it entirely.
Completely and cleanly.

Shuri glared at me without releasing his grip on my collar.
His unwavering gaze was so intense it felt as though it might bore right through my face.

“Hehe…”

I scratched my cheek and laughed awkwardly.
Shuri’s eyebrows twitched.

“Ricardo.”

His voice was chillingly low.
He pronounced my name as if cursing an enemy rather than addressing a benefactor.

I laughed as harmlessly as I could manage, hehe, hehe.

“Yeah.”
“Fancy meeting you here.”

Shuri’s lips twisted into a crooked smile.
The flickering light of the campfire illuminated his face.
His deep-set eyes and prominent nose cast shadows across his features, making his smile appear all the more menacing.

“Yeah… quite the coincidence. Good to see you.”
“Yes, I’m delighted as well.”

He certainly looked delighted, but not in any positive sense.
It was the look of someone spotting a con artist who had absconded with their money.
The look that said, well, well, fancy running into you.

No, why?
Either way, I’m still your benefactor, aren’t I?
I felt a bit wronged.

“It’s the first time someone has ever slipped away from my grasp.”
“….”

Why do I feel like I’ve been giving people their first experiences lately?
Roana, Admiral Ekellan, and now Shuri….

“I didn’t slip away. I just went home.”
“Without even asking my permission.”
“You’re not my master. I’m your benefactor.”
“You’ll have to pay the price for daring to scribble on my face.”

Ah….
I had nothing to say to that.

After I sealed away part of the curse, Shuri fell asleep in an instant.
So deeply that he didn’t even wake when I drew on his face.

‘I used too much power and my mind got all hazy!’

It was difficult to maintain my rationality.
(Honestly, I was a bit annoyed.)
Shuri’s cheeks were so pale and smooth. Like blank canvas.
(And honestly, I was a bit annoyed.)
It seemed like I could create a masterpiece if I drew on that canvas.
(And honestly, I was quite annoyed.)

So before I knew it, I just….

A baby on the right cheek.
A kitten on the left cheek.

I ended up scribbling them on.

But this was beyond my control.
It was far too tempting to refuse.
(And honestly, it was completely infuriating.)

‘Still, I worked for free without asking for anything in return, so surely you could overlook this much, right?’

“Hmm? Don’t you think you should pay the price for that?”

Apparently not.

“Ugh…”

I searched for an excuse, rolling my eyes dramatically.
Ah, that’s right!

“It’s a service.”
“Ha.”
“Thank you for using me?”

Shuri let out an exasperated sigh.

“Puhaha! Still the same, absolutely the same!”
“Every time I see you talking back to your master like that without backing down, it’s amazing.”

The large men waved their hands in my direction.
I waved back slightly to acknowledge their greeting.

But what came next wasn’t particularly welcome.

“Do you know how much I got scolded by the master for just letting you go back then?”
“I was completely fooled! You really have an incredible talent for deceiving people!”
“Truly the remarkable talent of a con artist!”

I didn’t deceive anyone.
They made their own assumptions.
I pouted my lips.

“Why are you here?”

Shuri asked me a question.

‘A friend’s house was nearby, so I just followed a squirrel.’

Even I had to admit it was an absurd answer.
Moreover, it could have caused trouble for Teodor.

“A night walk?”
“A night walk.”

His voice was utterly unconvinced.

“A falling star. I’ll make a wish.”

I continued shamelessly.

“I’ll wish that Shuri doesn’t get hurt.”
“Do you really think I’d believe such nonsense?”

Yet even as he said this, Shuri released me.
He seemed to have concluded that I harbored no malicious intent.

I rolled my captured neck around carefully.
Thanks to my young age, even with all this movement, my bones didn’t crack audibly.
The Elders would creak and pop with every movement they made.

Then the men approached me with smiles.

“It’s been a while, Ricardo.”
“Want some candy?”
“Which was tastier back then—banana milk or strawberry milk?”
“Banana, right?”
“Strawberry!”

The large men tossed me around with their massive, pot-lid-like hands.
They patted my head, slapped my back and shoulders.

It was a sign of affection, but these were fundamentally strong people.
I swayed back and forth like a reed, growing dizzy from it all.

Whoosh!
A hand shot through the gap and seized my arm, yanking me forward.
It was Shuri.

“Is this another coincidence? Why were you hiding and watching?”
“If he’s a bad guy, I’m gonna beat him down.”

He said this while raising his fist.
Shuri shook his head slowly.

“You have no fear.”

His cold gaze swept across my face.

“You’d do well to treasure that life of yours. You haven’t forgotten that I have my reasons for keeping you alive, have you?”
“Are you worried about me?”
“Nonsense.”

Shuri spoke flatly.

“If you can’t manage your own life, I can take care of it for you.”
“You mean protect me?”
“I could also confine you.”

Confine me?
Could Shuri also have somewhat peculiar and distinctive tastes?

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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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