Youngest on Top - Chapter 90

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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 90

Sniffle.
My nose kept running, tears streaming down my face.

Randel’s lips parted slightly.
He looked taken aback.
Or perhaps he was overwhelmed.

Tears blurred my vision, obscuring his eyes from view.
Still, I gathered every ounce of courage and spoke to Randel.

“So, so… Randel.”

I clasped my hands together earnestly.

“Will you become Sae’s father…?”

The tears I’d been holding back finally spilled over.
As my vision cleared, Randel’s face came into sharp focus.

He was staring at me with a face twisted as though he might cry.
A side of him I’d never seen before.

“Could I… could I really do that?”

His trembling breath fell softly against my ear.

“Could I really, truly be worthy of that?”

His voice wavered uncontrollably.
Like a migratory bird that had lost its way home.

I pulled him into a tight embrace around his neck.
And I nodded repeatedly.
I wanted to answer with a strong, confident “yes,” but instead, my voice broke into a choked sob: “Y-yes…”

We held each other like that for a long while.

How much time had passed?
With the warmth we shared between us, my tears gradually subsided.

I lifted my head gently from Randel’s embrace.
He gazed down at me as though he had been doing so since ancient times.

His beautiful jade eyes were bloodshot and reddened.
Yet a tender smile graced his lips as always.

“I am Sae’s father.”
“Yes. Randel is Sae’s father.”
“Sae is my daughter.”
“Yes. Sae is Randel’s daughter.”

We repeated the same words several times before breaking into soft laughter.
My chest felt ticklish and warm, as if filled with cotton candy.

Randel gently bumped his forehead against mine.

“From now on, I will place nothing above you.”

Despite the playful gesture, his gaze burned with unprecedented intensity.

“Not even my own life.”

I was startled by those words and looked at Randel in shock.

“Don’t say that!”
“…?”
“Your life is precious. Don’t be foolish.”

Randel looked at me with surprised eyes before breaking into a soft chuckle.

“But to me, nothing is more precious than you. You are one person too.”

I pondered his words for a moment before speaking.

“Gromon will protect Randel. I will.”
“….”
“I will protect Randel so that he can always be healthy and happy.”

Ripples of emotion gradually spread across Randel’s face as he stared blankly at me.
Soon his entire face was suffused with laughter.

“You….”

Randel pulled me into a tight embrace.

“I simply cannot defeat you.”

—he whispered thus.

* * *

“Sae, what do you think of this? It’s a list of New Year Festival events. I’m curious if it pleases you.”
“I’m so troubled choosing a dress for the Sacred Maiden’s coronation ceremony. They all suit you so well!”
“Our youngest looks beautiful in any adornment. I truly cannot decide.”

I stood surrounded by adults with a bewildered expression.
They were all occupied with gauging my mood, asking my opinion, and discerning my preferences.

‘…It feels strange.’

Of course, the adults had adored me even before Diana arrived.
But now….

“Gasp! Sae just flinched!”
“The lace must have irritated her!”
“Our youngest’s skin is! So delicate and soft and fragile! Even slightly rough lace leaves her easily bruised!”
“Which costume workshop made this dress?!”
“This wretched dress that hurt our youngest! It doesn’t deserve to exist!”

…It was somewhat frightening.

Sirius, who had incinerated the dress until not even ash remained using holy power, came rushing toward me with fervent determination.

“That was a close call. Our youngest never shows when she’s in pain.”
“We need to watch her carefully. If her eyebrows move even 0.3 degrees, that’s a sign of distress!”
“We won’t let this child suffer alone again like before.”

Hmm…
They all seemed to feel quite guilty toward me.

Enrik: Wow, things are crazy, absolutely crazy.
Enrik: This has never happened before, has it?
Enrik: How are you feeling?

‘It’s strange.’

I was being treated as the Temple’s most precious treasure.
Even though I wasn’t doing anything.

Enrik: Haha, that makes sense though.
Enrik: You’re the Sacred Maiden, after all.
Enrik: One who was born in the third generation, skipping over two predecessors.

I understand that.
I always thought the same thing when I looked at Diana.
But now that I’m the one being treated this way, I don’t understand why it feels so strange and uncomfortable.

Before, I worked hard and was useful to the Temple, so it made sense that they cherished me.
But now they cherish me even though I’m doing nothing?
It felt too odd.

Enrik: You’re…
Enrik: An idiot. You’re the Sacred Maiden. Your mere existence is helpful.
Enrik: Even if you weren’t helpful—
Enrik: Ugh.

Enrik fell silent for a while.

Enrik: Fool.
Enrik: Idiot.
Enrik: …That thing I said before about you being useless,

‘To be precise, he said I wasn’t even helpful—I was just getting in the way.’

Enrik: ….

Enrik fell silent for a while.
Since the Temple people had been cackling and laughing every time they made a fuss over me, it was actually a relief for me.
I only had to pay attention to what the adults were saying.

That was when it happened.

“Oh, as expected! I knew that necklace would suit you perfectly. Truly, the eye of a genius like myself!”

Gerald swept into the room with both arms spread wide in a flourish.

“How much trouble I went through to find a color that matched our little baby priest’s—oh, pardon me, our little Sacred Maiden’s eyes exactly. Of course, being the genius that I am, I found the perfect shade.”

Gerald approached me and winked.

“I can certainly feel the reward for overcoming that hardship.”

Truly a consistent man.
At that moment, a weary voice came from the doorway.

“You rascal, surely you weren’t like this every time you saw an apple?”

Admiral Ekellan entered the room with a furrowed brow.
Gerald jumped in surprise.

“A-Admiral!”
“You must have been doing this for quite a while if even the apple isn’t startled anymore.”

Admiral Ekellan scooped me up and cradled me in his arms.

“Don’t do that anymore. The apple might rot from seeing something so strange. Right?”

The Admiral grinned widely at me.
Then he playfully ruffled my long hair, running his hands through it.

‘He really seems to be obsessed with my hair.’

I lost count of how many hair ornaments they gifted me to congratulate my awakening as the Sacred Maiden.

“I’ll pass.”
“Hmm?”
“I need to decline.”
“Really? I brought responses from people saying they’d attend your Sacred Maiden coronation ceremony.”
“…!”
“Even members of the imperial family? They’re all people of power. The kind our apple likes.”
“…!!”
“If such distinguished guests attend the Sacred Maiden coronation, Artemisia Temple’s prestige will skyrocket.”
“Stop right there!”

I threw my arms around Admiral Ekellan’s neck.
When did I ever say I’d go down there?
I’m planning to live here for the rest of my life.

Admiral Ekellan’s narrow eyes curved leisurely as he chuckled softly.

* * *

In truth, Artemisia Temple had deliberated on the matter.
Whether to announce the Sacred Maiden’s emergence to the outside world immediately, or to keep it hidden.

Of course, immediate announcement was better for the Temple.
Why else would other temples make such a grand spectacle promoting their Sacred Maidens the moment they appeared?

Moreover, Artemisia had made an announcement once when Diana completed her Sacred Maiden verification.
Though a coronation ceremony hadn’t been held, the true Sacred Maiden needed to step forward publicly to overshadow the fake’s shadow.

However, the Priests worried about Saelika’s safety.

“The issue is Sae’s security.”

Everyone nodded at the High Priest’s declaration.

“She awakened as a Sacred Maiden at such a young age that she’ll be vulnerable, and if she has to manage official schedules….”
“That’s not all. There are forces targeting us. Sae will be under concentrated fire.”
“Yes, didn’t she experience so much in less than a year?”

From the arson to the demon that infiltrated and impersonated the Sacred Maiden.
All of it was connected to other temples.

“At this point, no one would wish for Artemisia to rise again.”
“They will all try to trample us.”
“They’ll tell the powerful figures close to them not to attend the Sacred Maiden’s coronation either.”
“We’ll start from the very beginning, mired in filth.”

Admiral Ekellan, upon learning of such talk circulating, shrugged his shoulders.

“What does it matter? I’m here.”

He grinned wickedly and nodded languidly.

“Hold it. The coronation. Make it more brilliant and grand than anyone else’s. Crush the spirits of the other temples.”

The head of House Ekellan, the most powerful among the powerful, had spoken.

“I’ll make it happen for you.”

* * *

‘I was truly thrilled back then.’

Saelika trembled with emotion as she recalled those days past.
Was this the taste of power?

‘Joining hands with Admiral Ekellan was definitely the right move.’

There were moments when things felt slightly odd, but where else could I find such a reliable backing?
I nestled quietly in the Admiral’s embrace.

That was when it happened.

“Admiral Ekellan.”

At the cold voice, I lifted my head to see Kaiser approaching with long strides.
The Admiral’s face broke into a playful grin.

“Well, well, so I finally meet the famous Holy Knight. I saw you in that maritime demon battle… was it five years ago?”

Kaiser didn’t bother responding. Instead, he extended his hand toward me.

“…?”

Confused by his gesture, I stared blankly at him, and Admiral Ekellan chuckled.

“Hmm, this child seems to prefer being held by me.”
“I doubt it. My arms are better than some stranger’s.”
“A stranger? No, this is someone she’s so comfortable with that she loves being held by him. More like an uncle, I’d say?”
“An uncle?”

Kaiser smirked, his eyes gleaming with arrogance as he looked at Admiral Ekellan.

“You think that compares to being a father?”
“What?”

Admiral Ekellan’s eyes widened in shock as he asked for clarification.

“You don’t mean…?”
“That’s right. I’m this child’s godfather.”

Kaiser grinned widely as he spoke, looking incredibly smug.
For some reason, he had an incredibly smug expression on his face.

“This is insane! That Kaiser is taking in a concubine? I know that bastard’s temperament well! Because of that son of a bitch, I suffered so much in that battle back then…!”

It truly seemed unbelievable to him.
It seems like something really hard to believe.

Thank you for taking care of my daughter.

Admiral Ekellan reflexively pulled me closer into his embrace.
From that position, a battle of wills between the two men began.
And so the battle of wills between the two men began.

“No, you’re really building up momentum, aren’t you?!”

The air trembled uneasily under the ferocious aura.
Despite the window being tightly shut, my hair swirled and whipped about in the wind.

‘Ugh!’

My senses were still too keen—exposure to such an aura like this was overwhelming!
Yet the eyes of the two men glaring at each other were already sparking with intensity.

A situation on the brink of explosion.

“Why is the atmosphere in this room—”
“Randel!”

Randel, who had just opened the door and entered, sensed the ferocious aura and tilted his head in confusion.
I leaped out of Admiral Ekellan’s embrace and rushed over to Randel with quick steps.

“Sae, your energy is vibrant today too.”

Randel smiled warmly at me.
As I clung tightly to his leg, he laughed and simply lifted me up.

‘Phew… Randel’s sacred power is truly soothing…’

So different from those ferocious men.
It felt like being deep in a peaceful forest.
No wonder I mistook myself for a Priest of the Blessing lineage.

As I clung to Randel, even the aura that had seemed ready to explode could not invade my space.

Yet somehow, the room had gone quiet.

“…?”

I lifted my head slightly to find both men staring at me with shocked expressions.
It was like watching a wife who had strayed from her husband…

‘No, that can’t be it.’

The two men who had turned their gaze away from me now began to glare at Randel instead.
As if they would kill him.

* * *

Kaiser’s mood had not been good lately.

“Kazamin! Kazamin!”

That child who would chase after me persistently, no matter how much I complained.
That child who would never leave my side, even when I told him to go.

‘Why isn’t he coming?’

The child had been quiet lately.
I thought he would follow me day and night now that he had started venturing outside his room.

‘…I preferred it when I didn’t see anyone.’

It was truly fortunate that the child had recovered.
But I was happier when he stayed in his room and no one else came around.

Back then, there was no interference from anyone else.
I could feed him, put him to sleep, and have him all to myself….

‘What am I thinking.’

Bang!
I suddenly slammed my hand on the desk, startling only Quentin.

‘…I hate taking care of children.’

I had looked after that child only because I became his godfather and had to fulfill my responsibility.
It was nothing more, nothing less.

But.

“Randel!”
“You like him that much?”
“Of course! Randel is Sae’s daddy!”
“Hehe.”
“And Sae is Randel’s daughter!”

The child who had never come to me was giggling and absolutely delighted with Randel.
They stuck together so closely they seemed inseparable.

‘…That brat chose me as daddy first…!’

It was infuriating that Randel, who was chosen later, was acting more like the father.

I was the first.
Randel was merely an additional option.

The reason I was so angry was because it was unreasonable for an option to be treated as the first choice.
There could be no other reason.

‘But why are those two always stuck together every single time I see them!’

After enduring several days of my superior’s outrageous behavior, Quentin finally spoke carefully.

“Sir, why don’t you go see Sae instead?”
“What for.”
“Well….”

Because you’re throwing a tantrum from not seeing that child.
But Quentin, unable to say it outright, laughed awkwardly.

“Admiral Ekellan has arrived. He came to see the child.”

Kaiser shot up from his seat.
This was just visiting the Admiral after a long time.
After all, the Admiral and I could be called comrades of sorts.
But.

“Randel!”

Kaiser’s eyes twitched as he watched Saelika laughing happily in Randel’s arms.
That was when it happened.
News arrived that would sweep the three men in the room into the maelstrom of war.

“An invitation has arrived for Sae!”

Into the very vortex known as the Partner War.

—————
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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