Youngest on Top - Chapter 96

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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 96

“You….”

It was the very moment that child was about to say something to me.

“Young Master, she is still the Sacred Maiden! If you treat her that way….”

Someone hurried to intervene.
The dealer from that card game earlier.
The man I had selected as the dealer.

‘As expected, he truly is Demian’s closest aide.’

I had two reasons for choosing that man.
The first was, as I mentioned before, because he is Demian’s most trusted advisor.
The second was….

‘Because he is one of the architects who made Demian this way.’

Before my regression, I saw that man in the company of Beatrix.

But since he was working as a tea party attendant, I designated him as the dealer to observe him more closely.
To confirm whether I had seen correctly.

And my suspicion proved accurate.
The way his hands shuffled the cards with such practiced expertise, like a professional dealer.
That was because he had been trained to infiltrate anywhere.

Most of all, the red mark near his wrist bone that appeared when he dealt the cards.
That subtle mark, barely visible unless one looked carefully, was his distinctive feature.

‘He was working as an attendant because he received Demian’s order to watch over the Sacred Maidens.’

Demian trusted that man enough to make him his eyes and ears.
A man he absolutely should not trust.

The covert exchanges between that man and Beatrix remained vividly etched in my memory.

“Is Demian growing well?”
“He’s developing nicely. Just as you intended, Beatrix.”
“Poor child. Because of me, he lost his sister, his family crumbled, and now the cursed blade is gradually consuming him, making him forget his very emotions….”
“But in the end, won’t he be saved? If you think about it that way, he’s truly a fortunate child, isn’t he?”

Did Beatrix perhaps cause the Duke of Noishurael’s daughter to be lost?
I didn’t know.

But one thing was certain:

‘Beatrix exploited that situation.’

To the point where that child grasped the cursed blade of his own volition.

Ordinarily, he would have been consumed by it.
But Demian, at such a young age, overcame the cursed blade.
It was truly extraordinary talent and ability.

‘But even so, it must have been incredibly difficult.’

As evidence, Demian before the regression was gradually being worn down, just as Beatrix had said.
He was losing something profoundly essential to being human.

Beatrix was satisfied with that loss.
She would sometimes whisper to Amelia like a song.

“People must be incomplete and deficient by nature, you see.”

A hand with crimson nails gently grasped Amelia’s chin.

“Only then do they seek salvation from the divine and cling to it all the more.”
“….”
“The new Duke of the Northern Region, the Crown Prince of this vast empire—they will all seek your salvation, my dear Amelia.”
“Hmm~ I’m not quite sure about that.”

Amelia shrugged her shoulders and tilted her head curiously.

“But if they’re suffering, I’d like to help them as a Sacred Maiden!”

Amelia clenched her fist with determination and flashed a radiant smile.

Amelia had no way of knowing.
That all of Demian’s suffering stemmed entirely from Beatrix’s machinations.

“What are you doing, Demian?”

A voice piercing through my ears pulled me from my reverie.

Admiral Ekellan approached with his brow furrowed.
Demian’s intensity diminished upon seeing him.

“…Admiral.”
“Do not treat that child carelessly.”

Demian’s eyes turned glacial in an instant.

“Why?”
“Why, you ask.”
“Are you perhaps seeing that child overlapped with this one?”

A sharp, icy edge manifested across Demian’s face.

“Do you understand what insolence you’ve just uttered, you ignorant wretch?”

Demian’s visage turned toward me, brimming with fury, resentment, and anguish.

“That child is not someone you can speak of so carelessly.”
“…”

I said nothing and met Demian’s gaze directly.
My face was reflected perfectly in those blue eyes.
Just as his gaze wavered slightly, it hardened again, becoming even more resolute and piercing.

“Release your hand first.”

Demian showed little reaction to the Admiral’s command.
He merely continued to glare at me with those sharpened, icy blue eyes.

“Demian.”

Only after Admiral Ekellan called out to him again did Demian release his grip, as if shaking himself free.

I clutched at my completely crumpled collar.
Fortunately, my neck hadn’t been choked.
Still, being grabbed by a child twice my size proved to be more of a shock than I’d anticipated.
My shoulders and collarbone ached without exception.

“Sae, are you alright?”

The Admiral quickly approached me.
I assured him I was fine and offered him a smile.

Enrik: That bastard!
Enrik: I praised him for speaking only the truth, and this is what I get!
Enrik: How dare he lay hands on someone like that?!
Enrik: Hey, possess me right now.
Enrik: Hey! Hey!

Enrik had been absolutely furious since earlier.

‘It doesn’t hurt as much as when Enrik grabbed my collar and threw me into solitary confinement.’

Enrik: …That was.
Enrik: That had its reasons.
Enrik: If you hadn’t fought seventeen-to-one and fractured the wings of seventeen angels, I wouldn’t have done it.
Enrik: But back then you were sturdy, and now you’re just a water balloon that’ll burst if I squeeze too hard.
Enrik: …Did it hurt a lot?

Seeing Enrik make excuses like this was somewhat unexpected.
In any case, after some hesitation, he fell silent, which was a relief.

The real reason I had tried to avoid Demian.
It was because I had failed once before the regression.

Even now, the adult Demian was like the north wind itself—he granted his presence to no one.
And that applied to me as well.

‘That’s exactly why I liked him.’

He didn’t torment me like everyone else did.
To Demian, I was the same as everyone else.
Everyone, that is, except for one person—Amelia.

That’s why I wanted to be helpful to him.
At least so he wouldn’t have to wield the Demon Sword anymore.
Or to rid him of that advisor gnawing away at him.

I had only passed along a few pieces of evidence, but for me, it took tremendous courage.
But.

“What, are you making another move on the Duke?”
“How much more of Amelia’s things do you need to steal before you’re satisfied?”
“Do you really think the Duke would even glance at someone like you?”
“You don’t know your place! Fine, today I’ll teach you exactly where you stand!”

Before I could properly explain myself to him, I found myself surrounded by all manner of accusations.

Demian stood a step away, looking down at me.
His expression was unreadable, impossible to discern what he was thinking.

It was Amelia who saved me.

“My goodness! Everyone, please stop. Are you alright?”
“Demian is so wonderful, I suppose that’s why we acted this way. Demian, please forgive us, won’t you?”

That memory was still so vivid that I didn’t want to get involved.

‘…Sigh, really.’

But seeing him hurt as if the word “precious” had become a sharp blade piercing through him.
The Demian I met again was far younger than he had been then.

‘I’m the problem too, the real problem.’

Even as I thought this, I approached that child once more.

“Come now, be a good child.”

Demian’s eyes narrowed.

“What—.”
“Since you’re hurting, don’t strain yourself.”
“….”

I rose up on my tiptoes.
Even then, my hand couldn’t quite reach his head.
Compared to Demian, I was utterly diminutive.

Left with no choice, I grabbed his collar and yanked it sharply.
This was absolutely not retaliation for him grabbing my collar earlier.
Absolutely not.

“…?”

Demian paused for a moment, regarding me with surprise.
The expression of someone thinking, ‘How does such a small child possess such strength?’
How delightful.

“There, there. Don’t hurt yourself.”

I patted his head gently.
Just as the child, his brow furrowed, was about to swat my hand away—

“And—.”

I whispered something into his ear.
Demian’s eyes widened considerably.

The moment Demian opened his mouth to respond—

“What are you doing?”

A sharp voice cut through the air.
It was Kaiser.

“Step away from me this instant.”

With each advancing step, a palpable killing intent rose into the air.
It was as though he meant to cleave Demian in two with a holy blade.

“…It wasn’t me—the child is the one clinging to me.”

At Demian’s words, Randel laughed gently.

“Our Sae is such a kind child that she was simply trying to remove an insect from your clothes.”
“So you deliberately attach insects to yourself to capture my rabbit’s attention?”

A sharp glint flickered across the High Priest’s silver eyes.

‘…Who in this world deliberately walks around with insects attached to themselves for such a reason?’

Yet everyone except me was utterly serious.

“I should remove that insect.”
“Insects are harmful.”
“Indeed, pests must be eradicated.”

‘Wait, why are they trying to catch an insect with a sword?’

I was horrified when I saw Kaiser drawing his blade.

‘Surely the High Priest and Randel won’t do something like that?’

I looked at the two of them with hope.

‘No, wait. I was wrong.’

Why were they condensing divine power to catch an insect?
As though they meant to blow someone’s head clean off.

In the end, I had no choice but to step in myself.

“Sae promised to take a walk with the Sage. So why did you suddenly come here?”

When I placed my hand on my waist, the three men froze.

“…It’s just that you were taking so long.”
“We were worried something dangerous might have happened to our Sae.”
“Yes, you could have fallen in the water.”

Water was indeed trickling through the greenhouse.
Though it was shallow enough that if I fell in, it would only reach my knees.

“Besides, that guy went in there.”

Kaiser gestured with his chin toward Admiral Ekellan.

“I’m different. What kind of relationship do Demian and I have?”
“You used the Crown Prince as an excuse to go see the kid.”
“An excuse? I was being sincere—.”

While Admiral Ekellan and Kaiser bickered back and forth, I glanced around.

Demian had already left the greenhouse.

* * *

Inside the carriage returning to Artemisia Temple.
Admiral Ekellan spoke to me with a stern expression.

“When I see Demian, I’ll give him a proper scolding. Tell him never to do that again.”

Demian wasn’t the type of child to listen just because the Admiral scolded him.
Sensing my gaze, the Admiral’s expression grew dejected.

“That is, he’s not normally like that….”
“I understand. Sir, it’s because he cares so much.”

Admiral Ekellan’s eyes widened slightly.
He then looked at me with deeply sunken eyes and slowly nodded.

“…Yes. This child carries deep wounds.”
“….”
“Our Sae can see that, it seems.”

The Admiral’s expression grew distant as he gently grasped a strand of my hair.
Soon after, he shifted his expression back to his usual cheerful and mischievous demeanor.

“Ah, that boy needs to experience the warmth of the Southern Region’s sunlight. Being stuck in the North where the sun barely reaches and only cold winds seep through—that’s why he’s in such a state!”

Though his words were playful, I could sense the sincerity beneath them.

‘Indeed, Admiral Ekellan would want to bring Demian with him too.’

But with his biological father still alive and well, he couldn’t forcibly take him away.
Besides, Demian wouldn’t want that either.

“Let’s not speak of that boy anymore.”
“After all, our Sae will never meet him again anyway.”
“Not in this lifetime.”

His tone suggested that even if such a meeting were to occur, he would ensure it never happened.
As for how he would ensure that….

‘No, I shouldn’t think about it.’

Seeing the three men with their eyes gleaming sharply, it seemed better not to dwell on it further.

‘At least Demian didn’t see me being grabbed by the collar.’

Even after sensing the awkward atmosphere, things had come to this point. If he had witnessed that as well….
Ugh, I didn’t even want to imagine it.

‘But it feels like I’ll see him again soon.’

Because of what I said at the end, it seemed I would face him again before long.
Since speaking up would only make things worse, I kept my mouth firmly shut.

‘Rather, today’s punishment!’

I gazed at the towering pile of sacred relics, my eyes sparkling with delight.
The expressions on the other Sacred Maidens’ faces as they watched the relics until I left were truly a sight to behold.

‘Hehe, I can feel the sweet sting of defeat from these losers!’

I grinned widely as I clutched the sacred relics in my hands.

‘I’ll put these to good use.’

In many ways.

* * *

Demian gazed out the window in silence.
Yet his gaze was not directed at the landscape.

He was recalling the small child he had just met.

‘….’

His blue eyes moved slowly as he looked down at his right hand.
The very hand that had seized the child by the collar.

‘When that child grasped my hand—.’

There was something strange about the sensation….

“Young Master?”

Demian snapped out of his reverie at the sound of his name being called.
Turning his head, he saw Zaphrez, his aide, looking at him.

“My apologies. I called several times, but received no response….”
“….”
“I was in the middle of reporting on the Sacred Maidens we met today, but shall I submit it in writing upon our arrival instead?”
“Not necessary.”

Zaphrez faltered at the curt response.

“After all, the Sacred Maiden from Artemisia was the only one worth paying attention to at that tea party.”
“However, Sacred Maiden Eyrene has also shown considerable promise recently—.”
“That was merely an advantage she possessed due to awakening early and being the oldest among them.”
“….”
“And yet she suffered a complete defeat to the youngest Sacred Maiden, who has only just awakened.”

Zaphrez fell silent for a moment before a smile spread across his face.

“As expected of you, my lord. Your insight is beyond compare. However—.”

He carefully posed a question to Demian.

“Did something perhaps occur between you and the Sacred Maiden of Artemisia?”

Demian’s azure eyes fixed upon Zaphrez with an unwavering gaze.
Zaphrez maintained his composure as best he could.
Despite the countless years spent at Demian’s side, whenever he was regarded with such eyes, his heart felt as though it were sinking beneath his feet.

But if he faltered now, it would only seem more suspicious.
Zaphrez spoke with deliberate nonchalance.

“I merely thought something might have transpired before I arrived. And now you seem somewhat different from your usual self….”
“Different from my usual self?”

Demian’s voice took on a sharp edge.
Displeasure flickered in his azure eyes.

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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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