Youngest on Top - Chapter 72

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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 72

“Oh, look over there…!”

A child pointed toward a spot.
A procession of black war horses had arrived at the Main Gate.

It was a magnificent sight beyond words.
The knights returning from war radiated a palpable killing intent from every inch of their bodies.

The ones who had protected the temple from near ruin.
The greatest holy knights personally trained by Kaiser.
Though fewer in number compared to other temples, their elite quality was unmistakably evident.

Kaiser rode a black horse, clad entirely in pitch-black armor.
The black horse itself wore matching black barding.

Soon the knights passed through the Main Gate and reached the Plaza.
Kaiser dismounted and approached the High Priest seated at the upper position.

“Artemisia’s Sword offers his respects to the First Servant.”

‘So that’s Kaiser.’

The overwhelming pressure he emanated was truly extraordinary.
They said people trembled merely from Kaiser passing by, and now I understood why.

And it was indeed the case.
Though this was a triumphant procession returning from defeating monsters, the people couldn’t cheer—they only trembled.
Even the young children burst into tears.

‘…That’s somewhat unfortunate when you think about it.’

His appearance was merely a bit (?) frightening, but after all, he had sacrificed himself to protect these people and returned victorious.

Kaiser removed his helmet.
Hair the color of the night sea, a deep military blue.
Eyes as crimson as blood.
Even from a distance, his charisma was overwhelming.
And….

‘Wow.’

—Extraordinarily handsome.

Truly, Artemia’s blade that even the goddess of beauty herself would envy!
One could almost mistake the radiance surrounding him as an illusion.

The High Priest nodded.

“You’ve returned.”

The Elders and Priesthood welcomed Kaiser warmly and treated him with great respect.
Yet something felt off.

‘Is it just my imagination, or does everyone seem a bit cold toward him?’

* * *

The High Priest’s Office.
Kaiser placed a demon’s fang on the High Priest’s desk.

“My unit eliminated every last one, but if we fail to uncover why the corpses have begun to deteriorate abnormally, these strange phenomena may continue to manifest… What is it?”

Kaiser’s brow furrowed as he delivered his war report.

He had keenly sensed that the Temple’s atmosphere had shifted.
It wasn’t due to any visible changes in the buildings or their appearance.
Despite the winter season, the Temple felt warm somehow.
From the High Priest to the Elders and all the other Priests—their expressions had all grown gentle and serene.
Yet toward him, there was something distinctly—.

“Why do you all regard me with such scrutiny?”

I turned back, and the Elder and the Priesthood quickly averted their gazes.
My peer priest cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke.

“This is the list of merit gifts sent by the Imperial Palace to commend your achievements.”

The priest handed me the documents.
But Kaiser released his grip before I could properly receive them.
The documents nearly fell pathetically under gravity’s pull.

Kaiser quickly caught the documents.
Of course, with his reflexes, even if the priest had juggled the documents while handing them over, he could have caught them without difficulty.
So it didn’t really matter how they were handed over, but….

‘What’s this?’

My peers had always shown fear and reverence toward Kaiser.
But now their attitude was….
They were glaring at me as if I were a woman who had seduced someone’s wayward husband.

‘Damn. The comparison is crude, but that’s genuinely the look in their eyes.’

Kaiser paid no mind to the Priesthood’s attitude and examined the documents.
There were no major issues with the papers.

He nodded and glanced briefly out the window.
It was because the High Priest and the other priests had their attention directed toward the window.

From outside came the bright, cheerful laughter of a young child.
Had the trainee priests ever laughed like that?
In his memory, all the children were equally dispirited, unable to even make proper eye contact.
Pathetic creatures.

Kaiser moved toward the window where the sound was coming from.
Outside the window was a young girl, smiling brightly.

She was wearing trainee priest robes, but she looked far too young.
Tiny as a bean.

“Is that child also a trainee priest?”
“Yes.”
“Are you in your right mind?”

Kaiser let out a hollow laugh as he looked at the High Priest.

“You have no filter when speaking to your father.”
“I’ve heard that old kings are supposed to yield their throne to their young sons.”
“Insolent brat.”

The High Priest and Kaiser were in a godfather-godson relationship.
Of course, it was quite different from other such relationships.
Normally, the godson respects the godfather, and the godfather shows benevolence to the godson—but this was not the case here.

‘Just looking at their eyes, they’re enemies. Sworn enemies.’

The people in the room swallowed hard.
There was probably no godfather-godson relationship as hostile as this one.

Kaiser raised his eyebrows slightly.

“That child wasn’t born during the Messis period, was he?”

The Messis period—commonly called the Harvest Season.
It was a time when children with talent in sacred power were born over approximately five-year cycles.
Coinciding with the birth of the Sacred Maiden.

The timing of births for children destined to become priests was relatively clear.
This was how order within the Temple was maintained, and how different temples could share generations.

“It’s rare, but there are cases where children with talent are born outside the Messis period.”
“It’s an exceptional case. Normally, there would be no need to take them in as trainee priests.”

Those not born during the Messis period were weak.
In other words, they possessed only half-talent.

The High Priest spoke while reading Kaiser’s report.

“True, but this child has more talent than any of the other trainee priests.”

Then the other Elders began to add their voices as well.

“The High Priest is right. Do you know what remarkable things that child has accomplished since arriving at the Temple?”
“You must know that our children achieved victory in the gathering with Reyatan.”
“It’s all thanks to that child. She trained the trainee priests and helped them awaken.”

Their tone was one of pride.
Kaiser let out a scoff.

“In my eyes, she’s still just a child who can’t even properly fend for herself.”

A sharp gaze from one of the Elders turned toward Kaiser.

“Do we appear to lack such poor judgment?”
“Perhaps the day for you to finally rest has come.”
“This child was accepted after careful deliberation by everyone in the Temple.”
“Careful deliberation doesn’t guarantee a wise decision.”
“She’s an admirable child who came alone to become a servant of Artemisia.”
“All the more suspicious then. A child of her age came alone? And you accepted her?”

The Elder and Kaiser exchanged heated arguments back and forth.

Then the High Priest opened his mouth.

“There’s no need for lengthy words.”
“There is.”
“Experience that child yourself directly.”
“I was already planning to do so.”

Kaiser gazed out the window at Saelika with piercing eyes.

“I only believe what I’ve confirmed with my own eyes.”
“Once you experience it, you’ll understand.”
“I hope that will be the case.”

With those words, Kaiser left the study.
Thud.
The moment the door closed, the Elders expressed their indignation.

“That rude bastard!”
“That one could never develop manners. Ah, Artemia.”
“Damn it! Why did Sae decide to make such a person her godfather!”
“She probably didn’t know his true nature. Once she realizes what he’s really like, she’ll immediately choose someone else.”
“That’s at least welcome news.”

It was right as the Elders were fuming.
A bright voice called out from beyond the window: “Now it’s Tae’s turn to throw!”
The Elders’ eyes instantly grew misty.

“That wretched one shouldn’t hurt the child.”
“Yes, I’m worried that such a gentle and kind child might be hurt.”
“If he hurts her! He’ll pay the price! A price befitting his actions!”

That was when.
Another Priest spoke carefully.

“But, who knows?”
“What do you mean, who knows?”
“Kaiser might recognize Sae’s true worth and make her his goddaughter.”

Kaiser?
Sae?
Everyone blinked their eyes.
They imagined Kaiser holding Sae and bouncing her around, then shook their heads with a “Yikes!”

“No way.”
“That could never happen. Not with that Kaiser of all people.”
“We’d be lucky if he doesn’t get annoyed and abandon the child.”

Right.
If he abandons her, you’re dead—strongest Holy Knight or not.
The Priests’ eyes gleamed fiercely.

* * *

Kaiser emerged from the Study with a furrowed brow.
Even a cursory glance around revealed that the Temple’s atmosphere had completely transformed.
Centered around that young child he’d glimpsed through the window earlier.

As we stepped outside the Main Building, the junior priests were fawning over the child, coddling and pampering her.

“Look at this! Look at this! Our little Sae threw the ball so far!”
“Ah, put her down already. If her cute little legs stop growing because of this, what then? Carrying her around like that—”
“Sae’s legs can stay short forever! I’ll carry her wherever she needs to go!”

‘Have they all lost their minds?’

How could they be so carefree and scattered at a time like this?

“Everyone’s lost their senses.”

Just as I shook my head.
Neat footsteps approached.
It was Randel.

“Well, they’re all in their right minds. Unlike you, obsessed with blood.”
“Feeling suicidal again, are we?”
“Can you even kill me?”

Randel and Kaiser faced off tensely.
It was Randel who backed down first.

‘I’m the adult here. I’ll exercise restraint.’

Randel’s demeanor was unusually sharp today.

“Don’t think you’re the only one who matters, Kaiser.”
“But.”
It’s true that believers have flocked here because of your deeds, but it wasn’t you who upheld and sustained Artemisia Temple.
“Then who?”
It was the High Priest and the Elders. You know better than anyone how hard they work.”

Randel glared at Kaiser with a stern expression.
Kaiser chuckled and asked.

“Right, but why are you making their hard work come to nothing?”
“Come to nothing?”

Kaiser glanced at Randel.

“I’ve heard rumors about that child too. She summoned a divine beast and found treasure to make the temple prosperous?”
“Yes. She’s a remarkable child.”
“Money? I understand funds were acquired. That’s good. Victory over Reyatan? Yes, she’ll receive some attention for that. So what.”

Kaiser’s gaze sharpened.

“Artemisia has no Sacred Maiden.”
“….”
“Without a Sacred Maiden, nothing fundamentally changes. We cannot ascend further, nor can we reclaim our former position.”

Randel frowned but offered no counter-argument.
Saelika had changed many things.
But ultimately, what we need most is a Sacred Maiden.

A being who can unify all the temple’s power and commune with the divine.
Without that Sacred Maiden, our circumstances will inevitably revert to their former state.

Kaiser spoke in a low voice.

“Understand this. Merely slowing our decline changes nothing.”
“….”
“Yet to forget the situation and giggle over one child being cute is nothing but foolish and childish.”

Kaiser turned his back and departed.
Randel opened his mouth again.

“Perhaps. Is that truly so?”
“Still spouting nonsense.”
“Only after you see that child yourself, High Priest, will you understand.”

Kaiser glanced back at Randel.

“Both of you speak nothing but drivel.”

Nothing would change.

As Kaiser strode out of the Main Building, the holy knights waiting outside followed in his wake.

* * *

‘He’s finally here!’

I lifted my head sharply.
Kaiser had finally emerged.
I tossed aside the stick I’d been holding to draw pictures in the dirt and rushed forward eagerly.

“Hello there.”

Kaiser brushed past me without a glance.

‘Wow, I was completely ignored….’

I quickly scurried after him.

“You’re Kaiser, right? I’m Sae.”
“….”

Kaiser finally stopped walking and looked at me.

‘I need to make a good impression.’

What should I do? How could I look good to him?
I racked my brain quickly, but nothing came to mind.
Kaiser began walking again.
Desperate, I suddenly bent at the waist.

“Thank you so much!”
“Why are you—”
“Kaiser, you defeated the evil monsters. You protected the people.”
“….”

Kaiser gave no response.
His pace neither slowed nor quickened.
As if I didn’t exist at all.

‘This won’t be easy.’

Getting him to listen to even a single word is truly difficult.
It reminds me of when I first arrived at the Temple.

‘No, that’s not it. That’s not right.’

I’ve simply grown too accustomed to the bewildered expressions of the Priesthood.
Originally, I was never one to easily win people’s hearts.
An orphan, brought to the Temple by the power of the Parmanace sacred relic….
I’ve climbed mountain after mountain to reach this point.

‘I must climb this mountain too.’

Kaiser is the cornerstone of Artemisia’s Holy Knights.
No matter how much the High Priest takes my side, if Kaiser turns a blind eye in a crisis, it would be catastrophic.

‘If Kaiser pretends not to know when they come to retrieve me from Parmanace….’

A chill ran through me.
My entire body erupted in goosebumps.

“Tsk, tsk…!”

It was at that moment I was stamping my feet anxiously.

—————
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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