Youngest on Top - Chapter 85

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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 85

* * *

“Sae, you’re awake!”
“Are you alright?”

The moment my eyes opened, I found myself surrounded by worried faces, which left me feeling rather bewildered.
The High Priest gazed at me with eyes bloodshot and inflamed.

“You suddenly coughed up blood, so we were terribly concerned.”

Ah, yes—I had coughed up blood.
The memory of what happened before I collapsed had slipped my mind, obscured by the dream where I saw my brothers.
Randel gently smoothed back my hair.

“Thank goodness you’ve come to safely. You’ve been unconscious for over a day now.”

Devon wiped the moisture from his eyes with his sleeve.

“I’m being punished for my recent neglect of our precious one. The priests told me that Diana acted out terribly toward you, yet they only asked you to endure it. Is that what they said?”
“Well… Diaena is the Sacred Maiden, after all…”
“What are you saying? Since when does being the Sacred Maiden give someone the right to hurt their friends? Should we indulge every whim and tantrum she throws? Is that what a true Sacred Maiden is? Our precious one, you must have been so hurt.”
“…No, I wasn’t.”

I thought it was something I could bear.
It was bearable.

‘But why do I feel like crying now that someone understands?’

I bore it because it was bearable, so why?
It was a strange phenomenon.
Fearing that tears might spill out, I pressed my lips firmly together.
Looking around, I saw not only the adults but also the trainee priests—Ilay, Dmitri, Edmund, and Roana.

“Sae, you scared us!”

Roana let out a sharp cry and pulled me into a tight embrace.
Her eyes and cheeks were streaked with tears.

“Like back then… *sob*! I thought you were badly hurt… *wail*!”

Roana’s sobs subsided for a moment before she burst into tears again.
Was she referring to the fire incident?
It seemed painful memories had surfaced.

“It’s fine. Really.”

My body was truly unharmed.
But there was a more pressing matter than my condition.

“What about Diaena?”
“…For now, I’ve confined her to her room. She can’t leave.”

At that, the children erupted in protest.

“That impostor must be cast out immediately!”
“It’s not just expulsion—she must pay the price for daring to deceive Artemisia!”
“Because of her, Sae collapsed!”
“That’s not all! She treated Dmitri, Ilay, and Edmund like servants. I always thought something was off about her being called the Sacred Maiden.”

The adults tried to calm the children.

“The fact that the sacred relic Alpania is a counterfeit doesn’t necessarily mean Diana isn’t the Sacred Maiden. A verification process is needed.”
“Even so, the counterfeit clearly bore Artemisia’s sanctity, so that much is certain.”

That was true.
If Alpania hadn’t possessed sanctity, I would have recognized it as a fake the moment I saw it.
In other words, it wasn’t merely a replica of its appearance.

‘Which means….’

The Elders were thinking along the same lines as I was.

“Since it bears sanctity, it’s possible the functions were replicated as well.”
“In that case, Diana would be….”

Derrick swallowed the rest of his words.
I opened my mouth instead, for the children who didn’t understand.

“She’s a genuine Sacred Maiden, after all.”

The recovery room fell silent.
The children wore expressions of incomprehension, while the adults nodded with darkened faces.

“…Yes, we’ll need to investigate further how it was replicated.”
“First, we need to determine whether Diana is the genuine Sacred Maiden or not.”

There’s one reason why this discussion keeps dragging on.

‘The problem is that Alpania’s original doesn’t exist.’

A replica had been placed where the original should have been.

‘Then how do we determine it?’

As I pondered this, the High Priest spoke up.

“There is one method.”

I recalled the hypothesis that had flashed through my mind and lifted my head.
Could it be?
The High Priest stated the alternative with a solemn expression.

“We can use the Sacred Maiden’s Hall—Alys Celestia.”

At the High Priest’s words, the other Priesthood members voiced their concerns.

“B-but that’s far too dangerous. If she isn’t the genuine Sacred Maiden—.”
“Right, if someone who isn’t a Sacred Maiden touches it, she’ll be attacked immediately.”
“Even a newly awakened Sacred Maiden risks harm. Originally, it’s a sacred relic only permitted for a Sacred Maiden who has awakened two wings.”
“If Diana is the genuine Sacred Maiden and she’s injured while touching Alys Celestia in her weakened state….”

Kaiser tilted his head skeptically as he spoke.

“Well, I think it’s fine.”

Apart from myself and Ilay, Kaiser was the only one who doubted Diana.
Since Kaiser had been the one to raise the question, his words carried absolute weight.
Everyone fell silent at Kaiser’s statement.

“Is there perhaps another method?”

Randel raised his hand.

“I agree as well.”
“Hmph, what’s gotten into you, agreeing with me—”
“I’m not agreeing with you. I’m agreeing with the High Priest.”

The Elders, too, nodded after a moment of deliberation.

“If there’s only one method remaining, we have no choice.”
“A false Sacred Maiden? Preposterous. We must reach a conclusion as soon as possible.”
“Then it’s decided.”

The High Priest commanded.

“Bring Diana to the Wing Chamber.”

* * *

“Are you alright? You don’t have to see this yourself.”
“I’m fine.”

Randel expressed concern for my condition, but I made my way to the Wing Chamber.
I needed to confirm it with my own eyes.
Besides, my body wasn’t in such terrible shape.
If anything, I felt a strange vitality coursing through me.
It was as though I couldn’t quite control this surging energy properly.

The murmur of voices filled the air.
In the center of the Wing Chamber, crowded with people.
Alys Celestia, a sacred relic granted only to the Sacred Maiden throughout the ages, floated majestically in the air, displaying its noble form.
The wings attached to Celestia’s body remained folded neatly, having not encountered the Sacred Maiden.
Beneath it, Diana sat trembling pitifully.
The High Priest stood before Diana, looking down at her.

“Diana.”
“Sob… High Priest…”

The High Priest remained unmoved even at Diana’s pitiful expression.

“I trust you understand why we doubt you.”
“No! I really am the Sacred Maiden!”
“If you truly are the Sacred Maiden, then you should be able to grasp Alice Celestia.”
“That’s…!”

Diana’s face drained of color as she glanced around desperately.
She was searching for an ally, but no one stood with her.

“B-but! I only just awakened! I’m weak. What if I lose control of my divine power by accident?”
“We’re not asking you to wield Alice Celestia properly. We only wish to observe your reaction—there’s no danger in that.”

As the conversation dragged on, the other Elders chimed in.

“You need only grasp it for a moment. We simply wish to confirm that the sacred relic doesn’t reject you.”
“Your body won’t be harmed by such a brief contact, so have no fear.”
“But… but!”

As Diana desperately refused, Kaiser let out a soft laugh.

“Is there some reason you won’t grasp it?”
“Kaiser…!”

Diana looked at Kaiser as though he were a lover who had betrayed her, but the crimson eyes gazing down at her were utterly cold.
Realizing she could no longer escape, Diana began pleading in a different way.

“I’ll do it. But I have one request.”
“What is it?”
“P-please… just give me one more day…”

That too was nonsense.
Randel laughed.

“If the truth of being the Sacred Maiden would change simply by granting you another day, then that result would be a lie.”

Her lips curved into their usual smile, but her face was sharper than ever before.

“We’ve wasted enough time. Go ahead, take it.”

Kaiser stepped forward and placed the Allis Celestia into Diana’s hands.
Diana had resisted taking it until the very end.
The moment the Allis Celestia touched Diana’s hands—

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Screeeech—!
A piercing shriek tore through the air as black smoke billowed from Diana’s body.
Kaiser’s eyes widened, and with a single glance, the pitch-black smoke scattered into the wind.
And what was revealed—

“A, a demon!”

Pointed ears and serpentine pupils stretched like a snake’s.
Two horns sprouted from atop its head.
It was a humanoid demon.

“Damn it, how did a demon get in!”
“Even without a Sacred Maiden, how could a demon infiltrate the Temple!”

Everyone fell into shock, stumbling about in confusion.

“Evacuate the children!”
“Holy Knights, come forward!”
“Get the children out and seal the doors!”

The Priesthood moved frantically to vanquish the demon.
It was strange.
The chaos felt oddly distant, like something from another world entirely.
As if I alone had sunk beneath the water’s surface.
Everything outside felt muffled, distant, and fading away.

‘There’s a demon right before my eyes, and yet why—’

Why am I.
Only looking at Alicestia.

My eyes were fixed on Alicestia.
Alicestia.
The Sacred Maiden’s sacred relic floated silently in the air as if calling out to me.
As if waiting for me to grasp it.
With a flutter, the folded wings spread open slightly.
The wings moved as if beckoning to me.

‘Ah….’

I couldn’t think of anything.
Demons? Diana?
Everything else was trivial.
One step, then another.
Without realizing it, I slowly walked toward Alicestia.

“Sae?!”
“Youngest!”

Everyone’s calls reached my ears sharp and clear.

“Gasp!”

It was already too late.
My hand had already grasped Alicestia.
And in that moment.

Whoooosh—!
A blinding light burst forth, dyeing everything around me.

* * *

Whoooosh—!
As the blinding light poured down, everyone shielded their eyes with their hands.
A demon appearing in the Temple—an unprecedented crisis.
But such a light?
Sae, as if bewitched, heading somewhere?

“W-what is this?!”
“Sae! Saelika!”
“No!”

The Priesthood called out to Saelika in desperation.
They all tried to resist the light, but it was futile.
It was a helpless moment where nothing could be done.

Soon, as the light gradually subsided.
Saelika floated within that radiance.

“Sae…?”
“Her hair…?”

The short hair that had been cut from the fire now grew long and flowing.
Her half-open eyes gleamed with an otherworldly blue brilliance.
Moreover, the fading light became a halo, enveloping Saelika’s body like wings.
And that mystical aura.
A holiness that no demon could ever imitate radiated from Saelika.
Such an aura could only be witnessed in this single moment.
The High Priest clenched his fist and cried out.

“Saelika has awakened as the Sacred Maiden…!”

The Elders and Priesthood widened their eyes at those words.

“A-a Sacred Maiden awakening?!”
“Impossible!”

Their shock at the sudden awakening was brief.
The Priesthood accepted the reality unfolding before their eyes and began to rejoice.

“She’s truly the Sacred Maiden!”
“A true Sacred Maiden has appeared in the Artemisia Temple!”
“Allis Celestia has responded! It cannot possibly be false!”

Whoosh.
Saelika, who had been floating in midair, descended slowly.
Kaiser caught the child in his arms.

Allis Celestia fell to the ground, and the radiance no longer shone upon Saelika’s body.
She had lost consciousness completely.
Her half-open eyes were now tightly shut.

“Is Sae alright?”

Randel hurried over to Kaiser’s side.

“She’s safe.”

Kaiser gazed down at Saelika with a faint smile.
The child sleeping peacefully seemed free from all worry and concern.
I had to make sure that even when her eyes opened, her face would remain this unburdened and clear.

‘She’s my daughter, after all.’

Randel released a sigh of relief at Kaiser’s words.
Beneath Randel’s feet, now wearing a gentle expression, Diana lay pinned down.
Or rather, the demon lay pinned down.
The demon was tightly wrapped in Randel’s vines.
But before Randel could do anything further, it was already trapped within the awakened Saelika’s—the Sacred Maiden’s—domain, foaming at the mouth and unconscious.
Randel smiled wickedly and tightened his vines.

“So then, shall we have a deep conversation about what exactly happened here?”

* * *

“What on earth has happened?”
“Why hasn’t Sae woken up?”
“Shouldn’t we call in priests from other temples?”

Saelika does not awaken.
The High Priest and the Elders, along with every member of the Priesthood and trainee priests, felt their hearts burning with anguish.
Not only had they failed to recognize the Sacred Maiden right before their eyes, but they had been carelessly attending to a false Sacred Maiden.
Moreover, they had even pressured Saelika to be considerate of Diana, as if Diana was the one being troubled by Saelika’s presence.
The instruction to be considerate of Diana had been due to the Sacred Maiden’s awakening.
A Sacred Maiden’s divine power becomes unstable before and after awakening, causing her to collapse and cough blood.
If divine power runaway occurred, she could die, so caution was necessary—yet Diana was the fake and Saelika was the real one.
Deceived by the fake, they had treated the real one with contempt.
The priests who had scolded Saelika felt they deserved to strangle themselves.
Moreover, Saelika was younger and smaller than Diana, making her situation all the more dangerous.
Furthermore, what they discovered when attempting to lay Saelika in her own room made everyone’s skin crawl.

“W-what is this? Why is the child’s room like this?”

The High Priest entered the room carrying Sae himself and was horrified.
After Diana had wreaked havoc and left, the room remained in complete disarray, never properly tidied.
Exactly as Diana had swept through it like a storm.
Shards of broken pottery crunched underfoot, clothes were scattered everywhere, and the wardrobe doors hung wide open—as if a thief had ransacked the place.
At the High Priest’s shock, Kaiser let out a bitter laugh.

“You didn’t know? This is what Diana did to Sae. She claimed to be the Sacred Maiden and called Saelika a thief who stole her things because she was the youngest.”
“What…? How could she say such a thing.”
“Well, no one protected Saelika, so it was possible. Everyone indulged Diana’s every word.”
“….”
“You need not concern yourselves anymore. She is my daughter, and I will protect her.”

The Elders and priests who had followed the High Priest inside were all shocked.
They had no words to speak.
They had never imagined, not even in their dreams, that Saelika had endured such humiliation.

Then, a priest came running and cried out.

“S-she’s awake!”

At those words, everyone rushed to Saelika’s room.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————