What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 79

#079 Knight’s Honor and Middle-Aged Romance (3)

‘Grand Tutor Yi,’ is this really okay?

“Benjamin, you have mail. You’ve been getting a lot lately.”

“Thank you. Sit down and have some juice.”

“Thank you. Are you perhaps seeing someone?”

While I was lost in worry, Benjamin and Ganael were chatting happily in a corner of the indoor training ground.

I watched Benjamin open the colorful envelopes and organized my thoughts.

So, yesterday, Prince Cedrick challenged his cousin, Duke Robert Blanquer, to a duel.

It was because the Duke had been badmouthing me.

Since there was a class with Sir Johan Haynes today, I wanted to talk to the Prince directly if possible.

I appreciated him standing up for me, but a fight with a relative bothered me.

Even if they were worse than strangers, even if there had been no contact since the Royal Consort was exiled from the family, they were still related by blood.

But the Prince was absent from class again. Yesterday’s issue wasn’t the only reason.

-Chirp, chirp

“Toughie, are you feeling stuffy? Should I let you out?”

The wren, who had been sitting on my lap, fluttered up.

It didn’t seem to be stuffy because it was indoors.

It pecked at my chest with its small beak and flapped its wings.

Tilting its head this way and that, it seemed to be asking me to take out what was inside.

It must have been curious after seeing Ganael hand it to me a little while ago.

“It’s an invitation. An invitation to the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony.”

I chuckled and replied.

When I took out the card I had put in my pocket, Toughie sparkled its sunflower seed chocolate eyes and chirped, demanding I open it immediately.

The card, adorned with a splendid imperial crest and delicate gold leaf, contained the date of the investiture ceremony and a greeting.

The ‘Council of Nobles,’ a consultative meeting of the Riester high nobles, was yesterday.

And in that meeting, the Prince’s investiture as Crown Prince was approved unanimously.

He was scheduled to become Crown Prince on his upcoming birthday.

“Judging by the fact that the invitation was made in advance, His Highness the Prince’s position seems very solid.”

Sir Haynes, who had approached unnoticed, said.

He had shaved and neatly tied back his white hair.

Looking behind him, I saw Christel holding hands with Sant, doing a ‘friendship test.’

It was funny to see Eunseo Jeong teaching hand games that she hadn’t done since the first year of high school.

Apparently, receiving Ether with such short contact would reduce Sant’s burden by creating gaps in between.

But it just looked like she was doing it for fun.

“The Prince is the only imperial grandson, after all. And he has no flaws to speak of.”

I replied, thinking of ‘Saydi’.

The reason he probably hadn’t ascended to the Crown Prince position until now was the issue of becoming a child, but I didn’t know what his current condition was.

I figured he was doing it now because he had the Hyegeom and it was manageable.

“I suppose so. May I sit next to you?”

“Of course.”

It wasn’t my training ground anyway.

Sir Haynes sat down on the onyx-carved, lilac-colored sofa.

At the same time, I felt as if all sides were suddenly blocked off.

I looked at him, slightly surprised.

Christel, Benjamin, and Ganael were all away from me.

Feeling my tension, the three lesser pandas quickly climbed onto my lap.

“Sir Haynes.”

“Rest assured. I just have something to ask you.”

Toughie quickly flew up and pecked at Sir Haynes’ hand with its beak.

The Holy Knight, as if it didn’t hurt, looked at me with a languid face.

“I was wondering if you received the letter I sent you.”

“What… Could it be.”

Sir Haynes had never directly delivered anything to me.

But as soon as I heard his words, something immediately came to mind.

I subtly raised my hand and placed it on my chest.

I could feel the crystal bell and ‘Wisill’s’ suspicious note in my pocket.

“Did Sir Haynes put them there?”

“Yes. It was a request from Princess Elysee Venetian. So you checked.”

The mint-colored eyes curved slightly. I barely managed to hold back my breath.

The Holy Knight from the Papal States was a person of Elysee Venetian. ‘Wisill’ was indeed the Princess.

Numerous questions and assumptions swirled in my head at the same time.

I opened my mouth with a calm voice.

“Is it a request, not an order?”

“You’re sharp.”

“Answer me first.”

He looked pleased at my words.

“Yes, it’s a request. I’m not loyal to the Princess, but to the money she pays me.”

“Are you saying a Holy Knight is acting as a mercenary?”

Then his voice lowered.

“I don’t pursue things like knightly honor. I’m quite famous in this area behind the scenes.”

A moment of silence flowed. A renowned mercenary.

The fact that he was not Elysee’s loyal subordinate but merely a relationship tied by money was perhaps a favorable situation for me.

He wouldn’t know what kind of person the real Prince Yeseo was.

“Is that all? Was delivering the letter the entire request?”

“The content was twofold. One was to deliver the letter without anyone noticing…”

Sir Haynes moved like a gentle breeze and lifted the teapot on the table.

He poured noni tea for himself into an empty teacup, and with one hand, he stroked my teacup.

It was a strange action.

“Of course, there’s no poison. Protecting the Prince is my job.”

“…”

The Holy Knight checked his fingertips and said cheerfully.

I watched honey being added to his tea before firmly opening my mouth.

“I cannot reply to Her Highness.”

“That’s fortunate. I didn’t receive such a request either.”

He smiled like a painting and drank his tea.

At the same time, I felt a popping sensation in my ears, and the surrounding air cleared. The secret room had disappeared.

Demi immediately whined and burrowed into my arms.

I slowly stroked its back.

Hugging Leah and Perry tightly, it seemed to calm my troubled mind.

I had made a promise to the Prince not to contact the Divine Kingdom.

I was relieved that I wouldn’t break the promise in any way.

Then there was only one thing to confirm.

As soon as I gathered the Ether in my body, Toughie, who had flown onto my sleeve, cried out as if counting down.

“The Holy Ground doesn’t work.”

At that moment, Sir Haynes, who had read my intention, said. The flow was cut off.

“I am a Grand Inquisitor-level Holy Knight. I’m sorry, but with the Prince’s current divine power, you won’t be able to discern the truth of my words.”

The eyes that met mine were smiling awkwardly.

It meant that lie detection through confession would not work on him.

I felt slightly empty and let out a sigh.

Unconsciously, I turned my gaze and met Christel’s eyes, who was looking this way.

Her brightly smiling face seemed to say that everything would be alright. It was troubling.

And the protagonist’s intuition was truly amazing.

At this point, she could go out to the Imperial Capital’s central market and set up a mat [fortune-telling stall].

“Prince, did you fight with Sir Haynes?”

“Huh? No.”

Since I hadn’t fought, I immediately denied her words.

The pink hair on the opposite seat of the carriage swayed suspiciously.

The blue-gray eyes narrowed. Only the clattering of hooves was carefree and cheerful.

“You’ve seemed subtly awkward yesterday and today.”

“We’re not close, after all.”

I gave a wry smile.

In fact, I hadn’t yet decided how to treat Sir Haynes after the conversation the day before.

Toughie, sitting on Christel’s shoulder, made a ‘pee-bo pee-bo’ sound.

It roughly felt like, ‘You’re terrible at lying, human.’ Was it a sense of inferiority?

“I understand that the Prince seems to be a bit picky with people. It took a long time to become close with me and His Highness the Prince.”

Fortunately, Christel seemed to accept my excuse at face value.

I thought there was room for debate in the proposition that we were close, but Benjamin and Ganael had recently said something similar.

Besides, I was now on my way to the outskirts of the Imperial Palace with Christel.

It was because the duel between the Prince and Duke Blanquer was about to begin.

Standing in for honor, sharing secrets with each other.

Had we become something similar to real friends?

“I’m a bit excited. I wonder how His Highness will punish him.”

“Lady.”

“He said he’d leave him alive, but he didn’t say he’d leave his limbs attached.”

Crazy. As my jaw dropped, she laughed out loud.

I still hadn’t seen the Prince’s face until today, so I felt uneasy.

He must have had his own reasons for acting that way, but living as an ordinary Korean for my whole life and suddenly becoming the reason for a royal duel was quite a dynamic event.

I was even getting nervous.

“Come to think of it, Benjamin has been acting suspicious lately too.”

“Benjamin?”

As I blinked, Christel clicked her tongue.

She seemed to be trying to change the subject for my sake, but even I could tell that my reaction was lukewarm.

“He’s been receiving a lot of mail. Could it be that he’s found someone to date?”

“Benjamin has been exchanging letters with someone steadily since I entered the palace. I thought he was sending them to his family.”

“Hmm.”

She tilted her head. She continued, ‘The atmosphere was strange.’

The envelope I saw the day before was quite pretty, but I didn’t think I should guess based on that, so I kept my mouth shut.

Benjamin, Ganael, and Sir Haynes were in the carriage following behind.

If Benjamin was dating, I had a lot of questions I was curious about.

However, I felt a bit hesitant to ask about his personal life first.

Personal life… Personal life, huh.

I quietly watched Christel, who was looking out the window.

I heard that nobles would also come to watch the duel.

But no one would be able to overcome her presence.

The voluminous and flamboyant style of pants and white boots, the luxurious cravat and sparkling brooch were top-notch at first glance.

With a dainty hat on her head and opera glasses in her hand, Christel was dressed as the perfect spectator.

She seemed to have not only adapted to life after possession but also to be very happy.

I was curious about what she was thinking.

While Sir Haynes appeared before me, the Prince applied for a duel with a relative, and the Crown Prince’s investiture date was set, what was the protagonist aiming for?

Now that she considered me a friend, it seemed like it would be okay to ask.

Maybe I could get a hint about the future.

“Lady, what is your dream for the future?”

No, why did those words come out like that?

Trying to ask a suddenly serious question, I put too much force into the sentence.

Christel widened her eyes and turned her gaze to me. I gave an ambiguous smile.

“Suddenly?”

“It’s not that, um. Are you getting along well with the Prince?”

Ah, that’s not it either… A long breath flowed from the tip of my nose.

I was curious if Christel had developed feelings for him as in the original work.

It was true that I wanted to know if Grand Tutor Yi was flowing properly despite the many changes.

I didn’t intend to throw such a fastball.

“You’re asking a suddenly interesting question, Prince. You’re a charmer.”

Christel replied in a very cheerful tone. The tips of my ears burned with embarrassment.

She tapped her opera glasses and continued.

“With His Highness the Prince… At first, it felt like we were studying together because we couldn’t die, but now it’s not bad. It’s not comfortable, but I’ve gotten used to it. And now you’re here too, Prince.”

I nodded. A wedding invitation seemed imminent.

“I don’t know what my dream for the future is yet. Until my memories return, I want to try many things without regret. I don’t want to be in trouble when that happens, so I don’t plan on committing crimes or evil deeds.”

She was speaking indirectly, but I understood what she meant.

She was preparing for the time when her possession was resolved and the ‘real’ Christel returned.

She was trying to enjoy the current wealth, power, and freedom to the fullest, but she was trying to keep a certain line in order not to cause trouble for the child [the original Christel].

Considering that, she also hijacked pirate ships. Is it okay because it’s strictly a righteous act?

“That’s right. I also want to see the remaining divine object. I have one, and His Highness has one, and I touched ‘Bireom’s Ark’ in Evelyn.”

“I see.”

Divine object. This was the hint I wanted.

I quietly fell into thought.

A story that unfolds with the protagonist collecting divine objects like Dragon Balls wouldn’t be bad from the author’s point of view either.

It’s easy for readers to understand, and the process of gaining abilities is intuitive,

“Ah! Prince Yeseo’s carriage has arrived!”

A very familiar voice struck my ears. I quickly raised my head.

At the same time, the carriage slowly stopped.

“Just now, that,”

“It’s the Nation’s MC [Main Character], the Nation’s MC!”