Youngest on Top - Chapter 98

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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 98

Zaphrez, observing Demian’s expression, quickly noticed that the child’s gaze was fixed upon the flower.

“If the Sacred Maiden of Artemisia Temple truly possesses such remarkable abilities, that would be fortunate. However!”

Zaphrez spoke with conviction.

“Did not Artemisia recently announce a fake as the Sacred Maiden?”
“….”
“It turned out to be a demon beast, I hear. We cannot entirely rule out the possibility that this might be the same.”
“….”
“The current Sacred Maiden is quite unusual in many respects, is she not?”

The child was indeed unusual in many ways, just as Zaphrez said.
The way she stared at me with wide-open eyes, the way she waddled when she walked.
And the things she said to me as well—.

“Judging by her age, she was not even born during the Messis period. A child of such tender years must have limitations in her talents.”
“….”
“It would be remarkable even if she were an exceptional Trainee Priest, yet they claim she is the Sacred Maiden.”
“….”
“Artemisia is in such dire straits, is she not? I trust they would not deliberately present another false Sacred Maiden, but….”

His words carried an undertone suggesting they very well might have done exactly that.

Demian, who had been listening to the prolonged silence with measured words, finally opened his mouth slowly.

“You speak as though it would be undesirable for that child to be an exceptional Sacred Maiden.”
“That cannot be. I merely wish to exercise caution so that you do not make a wasted journey, given how much you have come to expect—.”
“Did you apply such rigorous standards to the other Sacred Maidens?”

He had not.
There had been no need to.

‘The other Sacred Maidens were all chaff.’

Though they had awakened as Sacred Maidens with remarkable speed, when examined closely, they were utterly unremarkable beings.

Typically, when a Sacred Maiden awakens, temples announce it quickly and promote it extensively.
They strive to gather even a few more believers.

‘But that’s what amateurs do.’

There are temples that don’t reveal to the outside world even when a Sacred Maiden awakens.
The deeply rooted temples of Octagon were precisely such cases.

‘They don’t need to use a new Sacred Maiden as bait to attract followers—believers find them on their own.’

They certainly had the luxury.
The luxury to focus on stabilizing a newly awakened Sacred Maiden rather than immediate promotion.

The higher the temple’s rank, the greater the expectations for their Sacred Maiden.
They hone their abilities to exceed those expectations before presenting them to the world.
A thorough strategy.

‘But suddenly, a Sacred Maiden is born in Artemisia!’

A situation as barren as an empty house.
Thanks to that, Artemisia achieved a spectacular debut beyond anything imaginable.
Capturing the attention of all society!

‘It’s only a moment anyway. Once true Sacred Maidens emerge, Artemisia will be nothing but…’

The problem was Demian taking an interest.

Demian had to live a life showing no interest in anything and continuing to fail.
It sounds cruel, but this too was for Demian’s sake.

‘Only through continuous disappointment will the salvation our Sacred Maiden bestows taste all the sweeter.’

Zaphrez changed his expression and spoke with genuine sympathy.

“The most important thing is finding the young lady, isn’t it?”

A pause.
At the word “young lady,” Demian’s movements froze.

“My only concern is that very matter.”
“….”
“If Young Master is interested in the Sacred Maiden of Artemisia merely to find the young lady, that is perfectly acceptable. There is no problem whatsoever.”
“Is there some other reason, then?”

Demian’s sharp gaze pierced toward Zaphrez.

“Surely Young Master is not comparing the young lady to that Sacred Maiden—”

Boom—!

With an explosive sound, the lamp beside Zaphrez shattered into fragments.

“Your audacity pierces the heavens themselves.”
“My apologies.”

A long gash opened across Zaphrez’s left cheek from the lamp’s shards.
He bowed his head without even wiping away the blood.
Yet he did not cease speaking.

“Even now, the young lady must be waiting for her brother. So please, Young Master, steel your resolve and do not be swayed by distractions!”

He resembled a loyal retainer offering counsel at the cost of his own life.

“Leave.”

Demian’s blue eyes were filled with a chilling murderous intent.
Zaphrez genuinely felt the threat of death.

“My apologies.”

He bowed repeatedly and hastily exited.
His face, glimpsed for a moment, was filled with the anguish of a devoted subordinate.
The torment of knowing his master’s wrath yet being compelled to speak.

Click.
But the moment the door closed, Zaphrez’s expression shifted.
A faint smile bloomed at the corners of his lips.

‘No matter how remarkable one’s abilities, in the end, he’s still just a child.’

A child severely starved for emotional connection, at that.
One whose mind was being consumed by the cursed blade.

Then, Zaphrez caught sight of a figure approaching from across the way.

Tall frame and sturdy build.
And a handsome face like the southern sun.
It was Admiral Serge Ekellan.

“Admiral Ekellan.”

Zaphrez bowed respectfully.
The Admiral regarded him with a cold gaze, saying nothing.

“The Young Master is not in a good state at the moment.”
“Move aside.”

The Admiral said nothing more and passed by Zaphrez.
He went directly into Demian’s room.

* * *

Contrary to Zaphrez’s expectations, Demian was remarkably composed.
The Admiral’s lips curved into a crooked smile.

“Your aide said you’d be in quite a state.”
“It was far too obvious a provocation.”

Demian chuckled softly, leaning back against the sofa with his head tilted.

“Wasn’t he your most trusted aide?”
“Trusted?”

Demian looked at the Admiral as if he’d heard something peculiar.
The Admiral’s brow furrowed.

‘That northerner has ruined the boy completely.’

If the Admiral’s aide had heard that, they would have cried out, “Admiral, what are you talking about!”

“Let me correct myself. The dog that receives the most food.”
“That’s true.”
“Then why?”

He was asking if I’d fallen for the provocation.

Demian turned his gaze away from the Admiral.
Normally, he wouldn’t have interpreted Zaphrez’s words as provocation.

But strangely, his mind felt clear and his senses sharp.
Everything was lucid and distinct.

If there was an exceptional Sacred Maiden, it would be Zaphrez’s job to investigate more actively.
Yet it was strange that he spewed negative remarks without even conducting a proper investigation.
He’d even touched upon Demian’s sensitive point.

“Beware the dog’s shadow.”

Words entirely different from the bright, childlike tone from before.
Beware the dog’s shadow.

‘The dog’s shadow might actually be a wolf’s shadow.’

The shadow of a wolf trying to devour me.
In the ambiguous hour between day and night, one cannot tell if the shadow belongs to a dog or a wolf.

In other words, even a creature pretending to be a dog will reveal its true shadow in such ambiguous times.

So I must make Zaphrez ambiguous, confuse him.
Whether Demian trusts me or not. Whether he acts according to my will or not.
Only then will he reveal his true nature.

‘…Seeing this, he’s certainly clever.’

A sharpness unbecoming of a child.
Yet the face that had smiled brightly while offering the flower was nothing but innocent.

Seeing Demian’s silence, Admiral Ekellan shrugged his shoulders.
He stretched out across the sofa and spoke.

“Since you’ve come all this way, you could have stayed at the same hotel as me.”
“I prefer being alone.”

Demian was still at an age where he needed a parent’s touch.
Yet he spoke so bluntly—that solitude suited him better.

What pained Admiral Ekellan’s heart even more was that it actually seemed true.

That’s why he was surprised.
When Saelika had said she was suffering over this child.
How she’d immediately recognized that Demian desperately needed help.

‘That child has a tender heart.’

After hesitating for a moment, Admiral Ekellan opened his mouth.

“…Demian.”
“Yes.”
“You—.”

Admiral Ekellan shook his head after searching for words several times.

“Never mind.”

Even when he left his words unfinished, Demian showed no curiosity.

“Do you truly have no intention of becoming my son?”
“However many times you ask, the answer remains unchanged.”
“Ha, how disappointing.”

Admiral Ekellan let out a soft chuckle.

Then, his eyes caught a single flower resting on the table.
A small, pitiful bloom that clashed entirely with Demian’s barren existence.

“What is this flower? You certainly didn’t pluck it yourself.”
“…I received it.”
“Received it? You didn’t ignore it—you actually took it with your own hands when given?”
“The other party forced it into my hand.”
“Is it even possible for someone to force something into your hand?”
“….”
“Fine, let’s say they forced it on you. But you didn’t throw it away right there—you just brought it along.”

A playful, mischievous smile bloomed across the Admiral’s surprised face.

“Who gave it to you?”
“….”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I think I know who it is anyway.”

Watching the Admiral chuckle, Demian furrowed his brow.

It was a thoughtless action on my part.
When my hand touched that child’s, I felt something strange.
I was so distracted by that sensation that I simply forgot to discard it.

I never expected Zaphrez or Admiral Ekellan to read so much into it.
Had I known, I would have thrown it away long ago.

“Pffft!”

Admiral Ekellan, watching Demian’s expression, finally burst into laughter he’d been holding back.

“…?”
“It’s just that the same blood as mine flows through you, I suppose.”
“…That’s hardly a novel fact. The Admiral and I share 25 percent of our genetic material.”
“Ah, so that northern bastard really did ruin the child.”

Admiral Ekellan shook his head and spoke.

“You were planning to throw away that flower, weren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“Yes, I was thinking the same thing.”
“…?”
“Don’t do that. Why don’t you keep it?”

Demian regarded Admiral Ekellan with eyes that couldn’t comprehend.
Admiral Ekellan smiled with a grin.

“Who knows? The flower might not wither.”

Not wither?
Demian furrowed his brow as he gazed at the flower.

Aside from blooming in winter when it should only flower in spring, it was nothing special.
It held no value whatsoever.

Only those hands, flushed red from the cold.

‘…The Admiral wouldn’t speak without reason, and if it’s a flower that won’t wither, it’s worth observing.’

Depending on when it withered, he could verify the Sacred Maiden’s abilities.

Demian’s face remained expressionless as he stared intently at the flower.
Watching him, Admiral Ekellan’s lips curved into a bittersweet smile.
Still, hope had taken root.

Perhaps that child could soothe Demian’s wounds.
As she had done for him.

* * *

A night with the moon hanging high.
I secured the rabbit pouch Mogen had made for me and took a deep breath.
I had trained diligently, waiting for this day alone.

“Why are you trembling more than I am?”

I turned at the voice from behind, and Ilay approached with a soft laugh.
Though he spoke with an air of ease, his face was slightly tense with nervousness as he took my bag from me.

“You have to do your best.”
“…You don’t have to try so hard.”
“I want you to do your best.”

Ilay regarded me quietly.

“Thank you.”
“Mm!”

Today was finally the day I would go to treat Teodor.

‘It’s fine. My fever hasn’t risen recently, and I’ve grown accustomed to the connection.’

Though I hadn’t yet made all the power truly my own.

‘Still, this much is worth attempting.’

I clenched my fist tightly and stepped out of the temple with Ilay.
And then….

“I never imagined the Sacred Maiden would slip out through a dog hole.”

As I lifted my head, moonlight shattered against the young boy’s silhouette.
Demian stood with a crooked stance, looking down at me.

“That’s not something someone standing in front of a dog hole should say. Weren’t you the one trying to get in?”

I was startled by Ilay’s words.
Seeing him stand guard with sharp alertness, it seemed he regarded Demian as an intruder.

‘Demian is the Crown Prince of Noishurael!’

Yet surprisingly, Demian had little to say about Ilay’s attitude.

“I came because I sensed a presence.”
“Loitering near someone else’s temple in the dead of night—that hasn’t changed.”
“Isn’t the temple open to all people? Besides, I didn’t even enter the temple.”

A strange standoff had begun.
Perhaps because of their silver and black hair, the atmosphere felt all the more confrontational.

Ilay, shining brighter beneath the pale moonlight.
Demian, by contrast, exuded a dangerous aura as if melting into the darkness.

‘…This is the temple wall, so it shouldn’t draw anyone else’s attention.’

I hastily grabbed at Ilay’s sleeve.

“He’s someone I know. The Crown Prince of Noishurael.”
“I’m aware. I saw it in the newspaper.”
“You did?”

But why was he being so hostile?
Wasn’t Ilay supposed to be the incarnation of social grace?

Ilay sighed deeply and looked toward Demian.

“Then please continue loitering around the temple. We’ll be taking our leave.”

His words were lengthy, but ultimately meaningless.

“A mere Trainee Priest wouldn’t dare speak to me that way. And—.”

Demian strode toward me with long steps.

“My business is with the Sacred Maiden.”
“With me?”
“Yes.”

I waited to hear what he had to say, but Demian remained silent.
Those inscrutable blue eyes simply gazed at me intently.

“I heard about the Crown Prince.”

Only after a long pause did Demian’s lips finally open.

“The flower withered.”
“…?”

A flower?
Could it be the one I gave him a few days ago?

I stared at Demian with bewilderment.

‘No, then would the flower wither?’

Is that why you came looking for me?

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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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