Youngest on Top - Chapter 9

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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 9

What?
What did you just say….

Before I could respond, Tom’s astonished voice reached my ears.

“That, that’s….”

He looked between me and the High Priest alternately as he spoke.

“This child is from our orphanage….”
“That was the case until now. Until Artemeia accepted the child as a trainee priest.”

Randel cut off Tom’s words.
The warmth that always softened his gaze had turned cold and distant.
That alone transformed his entire expression.

“Do you have any objections?”
“….”

At Randel’s question, Tom fell silent.

There could be no objections.
There shouldn’t be any, and even if there were, they couldn’t be voiced.
How could anyone dare to question a matter concerning the Octagon’s temple affairs?
Rather, this was a moment the orphanage should celebrate as glorious.
A trainee priest of the Octagon had been born—it was the sort of occasion worthy of hanging banners.

The High Priest approached me.
Not knowing what to do in such a moment, I simply hugged the rabbit doll tightly and looked up at him.

“Will you become my trainee priest?”
“Yes.”

He knelt down and opened his arms toward me.
I gazed at him silently.

I couldn’t believe it.
If I moved even slightly, I feared he would say it had all been a joke.
Even knowing how foolish that thought was, I couldn’t bring myself to move.

The High Priest waited for me patiently.

Thump…

After taking that first step, the next became slightly easier.

Thump, thump, thump-thump-thump!

Without hesitation, I threw myself into the High Priest’s embrace.
His large arms wrapped around me firmly.

A rigid chest.
But it was wonderfully warm.
Only after feeling that warmth did I truly comprehend that all of this was real.

I had been accepted as one of them.
This place would be my home from now on.

* * *

“Sae! You became a novice priest!”
“Congratulations! I always knew you could do it! There’s no other child among the novice priests who prays so diligently.”
“If anything, it’s overdue.”

The adults offered me their congratulations.
Being congratulated by so many people for the first time filled me with both joy and embarrassment.
With both cheeks flushed red, I bowed and said, “Thank you very much.”
The adults laughed heartily.

I moved to the study, cradled in the High Priest’s arms.
The High Priest spoke to me.

“Sae.”
“Yes.”
“From now on, you will hear the results of our investigation into how you came to be here.”

So they investigated me.
Well, that was only natural.
But am I allowed to hear about this?

“You’re now a member of this temple, and since it’s your story, you have every right to hear it.”
“Yes.”

I answered respectfully, but inwardly I was a bit surprised.

‘So they accepted me as a trainee priest without even knowing how I came here?’

I’d assumed they investigated first, confirmed my innocence, and then accepted me.
Then… was everything I’ve done here so far not in vain?
They accepted me based on who I am and my actions.

My chest felt oddly warm, so I absently pulled my rabbit ears straight up.

Meanwhile, the investigation report began.

That I grew up in the Orphanage.
That during my upbringing, I had no special contact with the Priesthood of Parmanasus.
And so on—the basic facts were briefly covered.

“Then a sacred artifact at the Orphanage activated, and I was transported here.”
“That’s strange. If the sacred artifact at that Orphanage belongs to Parmanasus, why was I transported here instead of there?”
“Did the priest who activated it modify the artifact’s coordinates? They must be quite skilled.”

The investigator shook his head at that.

“No. No one activated the sacred artifact.”
“Hmm?”
“The sacred artifact malfunctioned. I directly examined the artifact and found error codes in the activation records.”
“You certainly went to great lengths investigating the artifact. If Parmanasus found out, they wouldn’t let this slide.”
“I did my best. I even erased the error codes just in case. It seems Parmanasus still doesn’t know that a child disappeared from the Orphanage.”
“So Sae was caught up in the malfunction of the sacred artifact…”
“That’s why I sensed the sacred power of Parmanasus.”

Phew.
So this is how it all passes.

Now that I thought about it, I’d received an access failure error when I first made contact with the sacred object.
It seemed they’d deduced that I was caught up in this incident based on traces of that error.
Well, it was a natural way to think about it.

‘It would be strange if they thought I’d forcibly activated it with my superior divine power.’

As I nodded, my eyes met the Sirius Elder’s.

“For someone who got caught up in this by mere chance, you certainly seemed eager to become a trainee priest.”

It was a sharp observation.

“Well… I pray to Sae every day.”
“Pray?”
“I asked her to let me meet Artemeia. That’s what I prayed for.”
“….”

The Sirius Elder fell silent.

Tch.
Even I had to admit it was a ridiculous answer.
How could I explain myself here?
A priest serving none other than Artemeia herself.
And it wasn’t even a lie.

“Sae is particularly fond of Artemeia.”
“Artemeia is the best! She’s the strongest!”
“Yes, that’s the proper attitude for a trainee priest.”
“Down with Parmanase! Death to them!”
“Excellent, excellent!”

I was praised.

“Well then, that settles it.”

The High Priest placed his hand on top of my head with a soft pat.

“Yes, we don’t need to worry about Parmanace either. The Orphanage won’t want it known that a child they lost came to us.”
“Even if they find out later, the Temple will assume that Sae got separated from the Temple and happened to meet one of our priests passing by, and was taken in that way. That’s what I told the Orphanage.”
“Good.”

The High Priest gazed down at me quietly.
He seemed to have something to say, so I waited patiently.

“…What kind of place was the Orphanage?”
“Hm?”
“That bastard was trying to lay hands on you earlier.”

Ah.
He was worried.

“You don’t have to talk about it. Forget it.”

Watching him ask and then immediately change the subject with such clumsy hesitation, I felt my lips threatening to curl into a smile.
The Orphanage where I’d been was actually a decent place.

“The Orphanage was nice.”
“Nice? Even with a guy like that?”
“If you listened well, they didn’t hit you.”
“…And if you didn’t listen?”
“Then you’d go to…”

The reflection room, and so…

The High Priest looked at my face and suddenly furrowed his brow.

“That’s enough. Don’t think about it.”

I realized he was deeply misunderstanding.

“The teachers didn’t hit us.”
“…”
“The children were merchandise of the Orphanage. We were told not to get damaged.”

Thanks to that, I got along well enough.
They didn’t starve us to preserve the merchandise’s quality.

Since my reincarnation as a human, I had lived in only two places.
The Orphanage and the Parmanasus Temple.

‘Compared to the Parmanasus Temple, the Orphanage is paradise, really.’

Yet the Study felt unusually quiet.
I lifted my head and glanced around.

‘Why do they all have that look?’

The Priesthood gazed at me with expressions that seemed choked with emotion.

“You are not merchandise.”
“…?”
“Your name is not a number.”
“….”
“A place is not good simply because it doesn’t beat you and provides food.”
“….”
“Never call that place good again.”

The High Priest’s gaze was so intense that I simply nodded quietly.

“Yes.”

The High Priest still regarded me with a dissatisfied expression.
What had I done wrong? Why was he looking at me like that….

“Now, now, Sae will come to understand on her own. She will have many experiences ahead.”

At the Elder’s words, the High Priest’s eyebrows twitched before he set me down on the floor.

“Go play.”

Hearing those words for the first time, I couldn’t respond immediately and only blinked.

“Go play.”
“Yes!”

I nodded vigorously.
I’d play with all my heart.

Holding Randel’s hand as we left the study and walked, the Sirius Elder followed behind us.

“Elder.”
“I have something to discuss with the child.”
“Of course.”
“I meant for you to leave?”

Randel simply smiled without answering.
Sirius sighed, saying “Honestly,” and looked down at me.

Sirius was one of the people who had most opposed my becoming a trainee priest.
I steeled myself.

“Saeliqa.”
“Yes.”
“Let me make one thing clear. I didn’t disrespect you because you’re an orphan or because you grew up in the orphanage.”
“…?”

Well, of course not.
It seemed I’d only just learned I was an orphan.

“I didn’t disrespect you—I was simply cautious. Not because you’re an orphan, but for another reason.”
“Yes.”
“The fact that you’re an orphan changes nothing.”

Sirius continued speaking in a cold, measured tone.

“I won’t treat you kindly out of pity for being an orphan, nor will I scorn you for it.”
“…”
“Since the High Priest has accepted you as a member of the temple, I will follow his decision.”
“…”
“But never forget that I am always watching. You should never have become a trainee priest. You didn’t take the examination. That means you haven’t proven your qualifications.”
“I’ll prove it to you!”

At my response, Sirius snorted and turned back toward the study.

Randel squeezed my hand and smiled.

“Shall we go? Mogen and the other priests have prepared a party.”
“A party?”
“Yes. A celebration party for Sae becoming a trainee priest.”

My eyes widened in astonishment.

A party!
A party celebrating me, no less!
It was my first time.

Seeing my eyes sparkle with delight, Randel chuckled softly.

“You’re that happy?”
“Yes!”

After answering enthusiastically, I belatedly remembered something I’d forgotten.
Only invited guests could attend a party.
I hesitated before asking quietly.

“Um, was Bunny invited too?”

Clutching the rabbit doll tightly, I asked, and Randel’s eyes widened slightly.
He soon smiled and gently tapped Bunny’s ear.

“Don’t worry. Bunny was invited too. And so was I.”
“What about Daddy?”
“…The High Priest.”

His answer seemed slow for some reason.
Randel glanced away briefly before speaking to me.

“He wasn’t invited.”
“Really?”

Even so, how could the High Priest not receive an invitation?

“Yes. He wasn’t invited.”

Randel drove the point home once more.
His smiling face was always gentle and considerate, as it had ever been.
There was no way such a face could tell a lie.

‘How could this be.’

But thinking about it differently, it was only natural.
Who would want to invite their boss when having fun?
Randel seemed to respect the High Priest quite a bit, but this was a different matter entirely.

‘The High Priest must be quite the stick-in-the-mud when he’s relaxing.’

I nodded and patted Randel’s hand reassuringly.
Hang in there with work!

* * *

Time flowed swiftly.
I opened my eyes with a sparkle, my hands still clasped together.
The moment morning prayers ended, I gauged the sacred power within me.

‘Excellent. I’m completely recovered now!’

The sacred power I’d depleted from forcibly using Parmanace’s sacred relic had been fully restored.
Thrilled, I bounced out of bed with a spring in my step.

In doing so, I caught sight of my reflection in the window.
Myself dressed in a trainee priest’s vestments.

I’d grown quite accustomed to it by now, but I still loved it, so I brushed the hem of my robes absently.

“Sae, are you ready?”

Randel smiled warmly from outside my room door.
I nodded vigorously and grasped the hand he extended toward me.

“Yes!”

Beyond my divine power being restored, there’s more good news.
Finally, today.

‘My subordinates—no, the trainee priests are returning!’

“You seem quite eager about this.”
“Yes!”

I answered enthusiastically, and Mogen, who had drawn near without my noticing, grinned widely.

“Well, there’s certainly reason to be excited. All the young men in this cohort are quite handsome, after all.”
“Handsome?”
“It means they’re good-looking.”

I understood what handsome meant well enough.
I’d only asked because he said there was reason to be excited, thinking he’d use a different word.

“Word’s already spread to the village about how handsome they are. Especially Ilay—even I have to admit he’s remarkable—”
“Mogen.”

Randel covered my ears with his hand and glared at Mogen.
Mogen flinched and fell silent.

‘That hardly seems like something worth covering my ears over.’

I tilted my head in confusion and looked up at him, and Randel smiled warmly as if he’d never worn that stern expression at all.

‘Ilay, you say?’

When I heard the name Ilay, one person immediately came to mind.
Anyone who knew the future would think of ‘that man.’

The ruler of the underworld.
The black hand that grips gold.
A magnate who owns a casino the size of an entire city.
And the master of one of the continent’s three greatest Information Guilds.

That casino served as a place for illicit dealings among the high and mighty, where the filthiest and most sordid secrets were traded.
As its master, Ilay wielded information and gold to inevitably achieve whatever he desired.

‘Like some kind of hidden mastermind, you could say.’

I recalled the rumors I’d heard and shrugged my shoulders.

‘It must just be someone with the same name.’

No matter how corrupted the world had become, it made no sense for a former priest to become a criminal running a casino.
That was impossible.

I grasped Randel’s hand firmly and moved forward.
Randel walked at an extremely slow pace to match my stride.
Given that such a kind and gentle person as Randel was here, I found myself looking forward to meeting the trainee priests.

But our long-awaited first meeting turned out nothing like I’d expected.
Not even close.

“What are you saying, you little thing.”

A young man laughed mockingly as he looked down at me.

—————
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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