Youngest on Top - Chapter 74

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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 74

“….”
“….”

The Holy Knights fell silent. But moments later, they began whispering among themselves.

“Sae’s face shows such genuine sincerity….”
“Yeah….”
“Either way, it’s cute… no, wait, if he’s saying that much, he must be serious?”
“I never thought anyone would actually like Kaiser….”

I was listening to the Holy Knights’ conversation when it happened.

‘Huh?’

Suddenly, I felt an intense gaze from somewhere.
When I turned my head, I saw familiar faces.

Why was Devon biting a handkerchief over there?
Sirius was glaring at Kaiser with a venomous look.
Derrick was absolutely pummeling an innocent tree.
Thud, thud.
The tree trembled as if an earthquake had struck.

When I turned back because I felt the back of my head might split open, it was the High Priest.
He looked as neat and composed as always.
Except for one thing.

He was clutching a rabbit doll tightly in his arms.

“…What are you doing, Daddy?”
“My hands were simply bored.”

So he’s holding a rabbit doll because of that?
The abnormal Temple Priest, Elder, and High Priest all turned their backs with a snap.
And then they disappeared, though it felt strangely lonely.
As if they’d all been rejected.

I tilted my head in confusion.
The Holy Knights chuckled at that.

“How fortunate for you, Kaiser.”
“Yes. Everyone seems desperate to earn that child’s affection.”
“Yet the Commander monopolizes the child’s love without lifting a finger.”

Kaiser spoke in an indifferent tone.

“It’s simply troublesome.”

The Holy Knights exhaled deeply with resignation.

“You’re truly heartless, aren’t you.”
“I would’ve been thrilled. Our Sae is so adorable. Right? How precious.”

Kaiser frowned at the noise and left the room.
Then he wandered here and there….

“Gasp!”
“Ugh!”
“S-Sae!”

I was still dangling limply in his grip.
Those who witnessed this sight gasped in astonishment.
All the while, I continued to discreetly deploy my divine power without Kaiser noticing.

And finally, I identified the true nature of that strange force.

‘Good heavens.’

He’s been contaminated by a demon?!

* * *

Lunchtime.
The Trainee Priest Quarters’ dining hall must be completely empty by now.
Since it’s the period for deciding godparents, the trainees aren’t eating in the Quarters.
Those who’ve already decided often dine together with their chosen godparent to grow closer.

‘And I’m clinging to Kaiser.’

Kaiser finished his meal in the Study, and I settled myself at his side.
Fortunately, eating together no longer felt awkward.

‘What a touching result of my persistent pestering.’

My nose tingled with emotion.
At first, whenever I tried to eat beside him, he’d leave and I’d chase after him, sometimes going hungry.

Anyway, I managed to squeeze myself into the chair with a grunt.
And I watched Kaiser’s meal with the keen eyes of a hawk.

‘Since there’s demonic corruption, I need to watch carefully.’

To combat demonic corruption, what we eat is especially important.
First, we need to become healthy.

‘So this is for Kaiser’s sake.’

I offered Kaiser a mushroom I’d speared with my fork, my expression solemn.

“Here you go.”
“….”

Let me be clear—this is for Kaiser’s benefit.
It’s not because I dislike mushrooms.

“S-Sae….”

Quentin hesitated at my actions, but I spoke with reverence.

“Eating a balanced diet makes you strong and healthy.”

Kaiser stared at the mushroom as if he wanted to burn it on the spot, then put it in his mouth.

“…!”

Kaiser eats mushrooms so well!
My eyes widened as I stared at him.
Amazing!

‘There’s actually someone who eats that squishy, strange stuff well?’

Even the High Priest disliked it.

Delighted, I pointed at the next dish and placed it onto Kaiser’s plate.

“Have this too.”

It was carrots.
And bell peppers too.
And broccoli as well.

Kaiser alternated his gaze between the vegetables piling up on his plate and me.

“….”

His stare grew intense, so I stammered awkwardly.

“Kaiser, do you… not like broccoli…?”

Broccoli was indeed too much to ask.
After all, there couldn’t be anyone who actually liked that green monster.
But then….

“Wow!”

Kaiser quickly popped the broccoli into his mouth.

Then, without complaint, he ate all the vegetables I had placed before him.

“You’re amazing! Thank you!”

When I looked at him with sparkling eyes, Kaiser let out a small cough.
And I liked Kaiser even more.
He was a hero who had conquered both the squishy monster and the green monster!

After finishing his meal, Kaiser rose from his seat.
I hurriedly chased after him, still chewing the last remaining sausage.

‘Hmm? He’s heading to the Training Ground with documents.’

Kaiser was extremely busy.
After the war, there was a mountain of matters to handle.
Yet he never skipped observing the training.

‘He must be a conscientious commander.’

I shouldn’t get in the way at the Training Ground.
He’d be occupied reviewing documents and overseeing the Holy Knights.

I watched the training from a distance, keeping my separation from Kaiser.
Fortunately, today’s training wasn’t particularly difficult.

‘Well, it hasn’t been long since they returned from war, so it would be hard to conduct high-level training every single day.’

The knights were handling a ball made heavy with holy power.
They were divided into teams and competing, with the team that scored more points winning.
Shooting the ball into the goal from the shot line earned 2 points.
Shooting from outside the shot line earned 3 points.

‘This is like that game Ilay told me about. Basketball, was it?’

But with body protection and the movement of a ball imbued with holy power, it certainly seemed like effective training.

‘Wow.’

The score climbed steadily, making it fun to watch.
So far, Quentin’s team had more points.

I clapped my hands, cheering for both sides equally.

“Go, go!”

The Holy Knights were completely absorbed in the game.
They were running around, drenched in sweat.
The Bald Knight tumbled toward the team bench while trying to retrieve the ball.

“Ugh!”

I was startled and looked at the knight.
The team’s knights were urging him to be substituted out of concern for injury.
Then the Bald Knight spoke with a gallant expression.

“When will the Squad Captain’s glorious era arrive?”
“What are you babbling about?”
“It is now…!”
“No, go get healed by the healing priest first.”

While the Bald Knight and Squad Captain were bickering.
On the opposite side, a knight advanced toward the goal with the ball.

‘Oh no, they’re going to get blocked.’

Then the Red-Haired Knight standing beside me remained still for a moment before speaking.

“The right hand merely assists.”

The man with the ball bounced it off the ground with a bang and passed it.
And then.

Swish!

The ball went into the goal.
After a long stretch without scoring, this hard-earned 2 points finally came.
The man who assisted and the man who scored slowly approached each other.
And then clap!
They high-fived.

A knight from the same team shouted.

“You idiots! The ball’s going to the other side. Aren’t you going to defend?!”

From the bench, the Squad Captain was shouting.

“It’s just a scratch! Get treatment, I said get treatment!”
“The age of glory…!”
“Ah, who’s going to restrain this madman!”

In the midst of this, Quentin took another shot!
The ball went in with a sharp thwack sound.

“So fun! So fun!”

As I shouted excitedly, Quentin, who was running, looked at me.
He passed the ball to his teammate and approached me.

“Want to try, Sae?”
“Can I? But this is training. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“It’s fine. A Trainee Priest growing stronger is the Temple’s joy.”

Quentin smiled and led me forward.
I eagerly entered the Training Ground.

The Holy Knights passed the ball to me.
But then.

‘Ugh, it’s so heavy.’

Even I, with more sacred power than adults, found it difficult to handle easily.
My hands were too small, and the ball was too large—just gripping it was a challenge.

“You bounce it like this. It’s a special ball that responds to sacred power, so if you concentrate well, you’ll be able to handle it too.”
“Hngh….”

I groaned and bounced the ball.

‘Oh!’

It really does bounce well off the ground.
If I can master my sacred power, I’ll get the hang of this.

The knights chuckled and exchanged knowing glances.

“Alright then, let’s resume the match!”

With a sharp crack, they struck the ball away from me.

“That’s Sae’s ball!”

I scrambled after the knights.
I tried to mimic what they were doing, but I couldn’t manage to steal the ball from them.

‘If I could just make my sacred power the same density as the ball and create a magnetic force…!’

Since I’d never attempted it before, it was far from easy.
Meanwhile, the knights moved with remarkable ease, wielding sacred power as naturally as breathing on a battlefield.

“Come on, Sae! Over here!”
“The ball’s right here.”
“Come on, come get it!”

The knights were having a grand time teasing me.

“Ugh!”

Frustration welled up inside me as I chased after the ball desperately.
Before long, it became many against one.
The knights versus me.
The knights seemed to be playing with me for fun, but I was genuinely upset.

‘Faster! I have to run faster!’

Using sacred power while running breathlessly was incredibly difficult.
Now I understood why this was training.
Even though I was trying hard, I couldn’t catch the ball, and my face naturally fell into a frown.

“Whimper….”

I was so focused on the ball that I was making such sounds without realizing it.

“Huh?”
“Kaiser…”

The knights turned to look at one spot.
Kaiser had set down his documents and was approaching us.

“Can you really call yourselves Holy Knights if you torment a single child?”
“Oh, no, we were just… Sae is so cute…”
“We’re sorry! Sae, forgive us—”

Just as the knights were apologizing to me, saying they’d gone too far.
Kaiser spoke again.

“I’ll be on your side.”
“Huh?”
“Take the ball.”

That voice was cheating.
The overwhelming pressure made me obey without thinking.
I quickly grabbed the ball.

“Shouldn’t you all be training? You start too.”

I immediately began running.
The knights scrambled after me.

Though I had a head start, the ball kept slipping from my grasp.
I was exhausting my stamina from running, so I couldn’t properly control my holy power.

“Come on, Sae. Are you going to let them take it now?”
“No, no way!”
“Hahahaha! How adorable!”

I had the pride of an angel, after all.
No matter how strong they were, I couldn’t lose when it came to wielding holy power!

But I was surrounded on all sides.
It looked like they were about to steal the ball…

Shruuuuu.
With that strange sound, light began radiating from a certain point.
The knights who had been trying to steal my ball froze in place.

‘It’s a seal.’

Looking at the source of the light, it was Kaiser as expected.

“Run.”
“Understood…!”

I bolted forward with rapid footsteps.
The knights seemed frustrated that they’d been sealed all at once and couldn’t move.
Their expressions shifted.
Being sealed must have been a matter of pride for the Holy Knights.

‘Huh, their expressions changed.’

Just moments ago,
“Haha~ Sae, look over here~”
they seemed to be playing with me.
But now they had a murderous intent.

Ching—!
The knights pooled their strength and broke the seal.
Then they immediately charged toward me—no, toward the ball.
They looked like a stampeding herd of buffalo.

“Ahhhhh…!”

At this rate, they’ll steal it from me.
Kaiser had created this opportunity for me.
It was when the Bald Knight came to grab me.
I let out a sharp cry and slipped between his legs.
And finally I approached the goal, but…

‘It’s too high!’

The goal loomed before me like a towering mountain.

“The ball—!”
“The ball is here!”

Five excited knights charged toward me.

‘Oh no!’

That was the moment.
Kaiser nimbly slipped between the knights and scooped me up in both arms in one fluid motion.
It was what you’d call a princess carry.

“Throw it.”
“Mm!”

I hurled the ball with all my might.
And with a sharp whistle—
The ball soared perfectly into the goal.

“Yaaaaaay—!”

Cheers erupted from the bench.

“Well done, Sae!”
“That’s right. Splendid!”

My heart soared with exhilaration.
I scored! I actually scored a goal!
Before Kaiser arrived, all I could do was chase the ball.
I wrapped my arms tightly around Kaiser’s neck.

“Kaiser is the best! So cool!”
“…”
“Sae really, really loves Kaiser!”
“…”
“Really, truly!”

Smack.
In my excitement, I even planted a kiss on his cheek.

‘Did I overdo it?’

But something felt off.
Kaiser had gone rigid.

* * *

That night.
Kaiser returned to his study after finishing his conversation with the Elders.

“You’ve arrived, sir?”

Quentin, who had been waiting there for some time, greeted him with a beaming smile.
Since this was the first time he’d welcomed Kaiser so enthusiastically, Kaiser shot him a questioning look.

“Here, sir. This is the liquor you favor.”
“…What is this.”
“It just finished aging, you see.”

The other knights all seemed to be in on it, catering to Kaiser’s mood in perfect unison.

‘What are these bastards up to?’

Kaiser’s eyebrows twitched.
As he took his seat, Quentin poured liquor into a glass and spoke.

“Admiral Serge Ekellan visited the Temple. Are you aware?”
“I’ve heard.”
“I inquired what the matter was, and it seems the Navy and our Temple have entered into a business contract.”
“The Elders wouldn’t stop bragging about it.”
“Yes. They seal food ingredients with Heal magic to prevent spoilage. Quite remarkable, wouldn’t you say?”
“….”
“Apparently, it was that child Saelika’s idea.”

Kaiser offered no response.
Yet Quentin smiled knowingly.
Having served him for so long, Quentin understood his superior’s nature well.

‘If he truly hated hearing this, he would have told me to stop wasting his time and go work instead.’

Silence is consent, or so they say.
The Holy Knights exchanged meaningful glances and continued speaking.

“Moreover, thanks to her, we’ve even established a distribution contract with the White Pearl Guild.”
“The contract itself is remarkable, but there’s something even more important.”
“Yes, we can now procure other goods sold by Whitepearl at lower prices, easily and quickly.”
“Isn’t that a complete advantage in terms of supply?”
“This too is largely thanks to Saelika’s efforts, I hear.”
“That girl is truly remarkable.”

They all praised Saelika endlessly.
And while doing so, they glanced at me with knowing smiles.
I didn’t particularly like it, but…

“Hmm, well…”

Kaiser lifted his chin arrogantly as if he’d just heard his own praises sung.

—————
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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