What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 327

#327

Wreck! The Great Adventures (5)

Frederique stared intently at the old man. His wine-red eyes were calm.

A long cloak flowed down from the throne, and Durendal, still untouched, stood guard beside him.

For a while, only the noise from outside the barracks filled the space between them.

Even that wasn’t too loud, as it was the heart of the camp.

Elisabeth, like a statue, stood guard behind the cardinal.

“······.”

The sacred stone bead in her palm emitted a gentle energy, as if to soothe her.

The headache seemed to subside again. The Emperor slowly opened her mouth.

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Then I shall consider myself not to have come here today. I would retreat like a coward who couldn’t say anything, just as I have always done.”

Cardinal Ari Schott slowly straightened his back as he replied. The monarch frowned slightly.

She had never been fond of beating around the bush since she was young, and she didn’t like the metaphors of high society or flowery language.

Her mother used to say that she was like her father in that regard.

But this directness was clearly a temperament inherited from her grandfather, Romero Riester.

Soon, a husky warning came out.

“If you want to talk to me, you’d better use straightforward sentences. I’m a simple person.”

“Hahaha.”

It was a barbed joke. Ari laughed and looked at the monarch.

A mysterious light dwelled in his hazel eyes.

Frederique sensed that the story he was about to tell contained very important information.

It was the instinct of a seasoned beast.

“The old man was imprudent. I will follow Your Majesty’s will.”

“······.”

“As a companion of Cardinal Boutier… you must know what ‘neutral faction’ means in the Papal States. Usually, it refers to a group of clergymen who are not aligned with either the Empire or the Divine Nation.”

He opened his mouth, leaning on his cane. The Emperor waited for the rest of the story without reacting.

The deeply wrinkled eyes became blurred as if longing for the past.

“But in reality, those who are neutral suffer from constant persecution and oppression. They are often criticized for not speaking out properly even on minor issues. Especially from the Venetian side… That kind of pressure is severe.”

The old man faintly curved his eyes. Frederique’s forehead furrowed.

She was a ruler who had little interest in the Papal States, and the direct imperial family had been educated that it was right to be so.

The Papal States were a completely independent institution.

Moreover, Riester did not collect religious taxes or pour money into it.

She was active in lobbying when necessary, but she did not try to dominate the Papal States.

Since no Holy Knights were born, such work was fundamentally impossible.

The old voice flowed like an ancient stream.

“This has been going on for a very long time. The Divine Nation has been such a country for a very long time. They force faith on those who know nothing, use it as a weapon, and further utilize it as a means of domination.”

“······.”

“Such times have reached a thousand years. The majority of the people still do not know much about religion. They believe that His Majesty the King and his children are like gods. We, the neutral faction… are a gathering of old men who are fed up with such history. We are wanderers who have voluntarily abandoned our nationality.”

“Traitors?”

The Emperor asked a blunt question.

The old man tapped his cane with his fingertips, looking pleased.

“If only we had the power to be. Of course.”

A brief light flashed in his tired eyes. In his eighties, he still had a fearless side.

He did not flinch even at the precarious question, but rather responded with an even more dangerous answer.

Frederique tilted her head, and the old man bowed his head.

“The power of the Chief God is strong and great, Your Majesty. It is difficult for a few powerful nobles to break down the solid faith of the whole. We are all eggs that have been broken against a rock once.”

“······.”

“For example, the late King Lilianer devoted great efforts to deifying the royal family. He drastically reduced the function of temples to educate commoners and punished those who opposed it as treason. It is said that he did so for the sake of conscripting priests and unifying national opinion… but it was not the right direction.”

“If you want to criticize your king, you don’t have to talk to me.”

The Emperor pointed out in a low voice. It was a prompt to get to the point.

On the other hand, it was also a signal that she was ready to hear the Cardinal’s ‘information’.

Ari gave a benevolent smile. He had truly come here at the risk of everything.

To the granddaughter of the warlord and a pacifist, a terrible hothead and the owner of a cool judgment.

This was perhaps the last chance to save the fading faith.

“······We neutral old men hold a general assembly once a quarter. It is a trivial tea party in an era when His Holiness the Pope is absent, and even the Vicar General does not participate.”

“Let me guess. Was that yesterday?”

“You are truly wise.”

The Emperor snorted, and the Cardinal let out a quiet breath.

Elisabeth was worried that the old man, like an old tree, would collapse.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“And we… have agreed to ask Your Majesty for help and provide you with the necessary information. It was a long meeting.”

“Ask for help?”

“Yes. I would like to implore you to save the dying Venetian.”

Frederique wore a truly confused expression for the first time in a while.

She frowned in annoyance.

The adjutant looked at the old man with a flinch.

Unfortunately, he didn’t seem crazy at all. What is all this about?

“······Are you entrusting the rebellion you dream of to me?”

“That’s how it could be expressed, Your Majesty. I dare not deny it. But what we ultimately want is ‘neutrality’. It is the minimum balance and order.”

“······.”

“It is unfortunate, but it is an old thing that the precious members of the royal family regard faith as a political tool. It would be presumptuous to try to overturn even this foundation through Your Majesty. This is solely the task of the Venetian.”

“······.”

“But what dominates the Divine Nation today is not the royal family.”

-Clang!

The sacred stone beads in the Emperor’s hand clashed sharply.

The Cardinal poured out his passionate words with dry lips.

“Duke Sneider, setting up His Majesty and his daughters, who are suffering from madness, as scarecrows, has swallowed that land for decades. The Venetian cannot look after himself, cannot reflect, and has become a barren land that cannot move forward…!

“Goodness.”

Elisabeth sighed and covered her mouth with her hand.

The Emperor recalled numerous possibilities with a blank expression.

Wilhelmina Sneider, an imperial spy, was the one who periodically reported the affairs of the royal family and the royal capital to her.

Her role as a spy began in the Duke’s father’s generation.

In short, she was one of the many legacies that the late Empress had left her.

But it was a rotten apple.

Frederique had never ordered interference or subversion of the Divine Nation’s internal affairs.

The sharp eyes narrowed like needles.

No one knew yet which side would be upset.

“According to the rumors, she is everywhere. Also, she is nowhere. In just one generation, she has permeated every corner of the Divine Nation, and no one feels awkward. Only those who look at the Divine Nation from the outside can sense a vague disharmony.”

“Like the Chief God.”

The Emperor calmly stated the fact. The Cardinal agreed with old and familiar despair.

“Yes. We had hoped until the very end, but… we learned that the poor prince had passed away. The fact that there is no one to hold the reins in that land.”

“There should be a grown-up princess.”

“Ah. The Chief God does not care for her.”

‘Kyrie, eleison [Lord, have mercy].’ He prayed as if sick with old divine words.

Frederique interpreted the old man’s religious sentence in extremely realistic words.

‘Eliseo Venetian has no proper power.’

Moreover, if she grew up under such a father and aunt…

If she lived watching her younger brother enduring death and her mad mother, and a baby who knew nothing…

‘You haven’t changed at all.’

The Emperor muttered, recalling last summer.

It would have been easier to let go and be stained.

In theory, that would have been ‘clean’ for everyone.

But the reason why he couldn’t do that and endured was because the young man resembled the late Empress or his grandfather’s temperament.

She could never know.

Frederique realized that she had grown up in a very affluent environment.

“So please… I advise you not to get caught up in the Duke’s schemes. Above all, I would like to tell you to pay special attention to the Trossart Mountains. Surely, before you advance inland, you will lose your strength there.”

“What’s going on in Trossart?”

Elisabeth, who had been listening quietly, suddenly asked. Embarrassment and worry appeared on the young man’s face.

She was deeply worried about Cedric, but she did not follow him to fulfill her duty to assist the Emperor.

Bakari, the captain, accompanied him, but the two were not very close.

After losing the prince, Cedric completely closed his heart.

Now he was virtually alone.

“There are many demonic beasts.”

“Ah… If that’s the case, it’s okay. His Highness the Crown Prince is the winner of the Great Demonic Beast Extermination. The elite troops are with him, so,”

“And there is a very mysterious cave.”

Ari said, turning to Elisabeth. The knight flinched.

“A cave? Are you talking about a dungeon?”

“It’s similar, but it’s a much more wicked cave than that. If the demonic beasts from all over the mountains enter there to take refuge… no one can catch them. Afterwards, they evolve into stronger monsters.”

“What?”

“What did you say?”

The Emperor’s voice was sharp. It was the first time she had heard of it.

Except for those who defected to the Empire, none of the spies left in the Divine Nation had ever given her such intelligence.

So, if it wasn’t a lie, it was the Venetian’s top secret.

The Cardinal said, leaning on his trembling cane.

“If a low-level demonic beast enters, it transforms into a mid-level demonic beast of the same species and appears. If a mid-level one enters, a high-level one appears, and rarely, if a high-level one hides, a legendary one appears. Duke Sneider cannot be unaware of this. He must have made some moves.”

“Goodness. Is that true?”

“If Your Majesty orders, I will make a covenant.”

“······.”

Good Lord. Frederique took a deep breath and covered her forehead.

The ether in the bead swirled around and looked at her.

The warm golden tail was faintly beige.

‘Don’t worry. It’ll be okay.’ It was as if she could hear the voice saying that right next to her.

It’s not okay at all. Besides, you’re going to cause another accident.

“Elisabeth, choose the five fastest horses and send them to the front immediately. Tell them that the battle with the demonic beasts must end with a kill. Summon all the staff and inform Duke Cecil Blancquer of the situation in the rear. To François as well. We need to get expert advice.”

“I will obey your command!”

The dark green bobbed hair moved like a knife. Ripples began to form in the Emperor’s eyes.

Somehow, it had been too easy so far.

*

I’m going to tell you, today.

Right now. Immediately.

I can’t live like this.

-Stomp, stomp, stomp······

“Oh, Heineken! Are you going to work again?”

“No, Titania. I have something to say to the higher-ups for a moment. I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

I bowed politely with a bulging straw bag on my back.

Then the residents of Honing Village, who were busy shoveling, waved their hands and laughed.

“Oh! We’re almost done, we’re enough. Have a good talk!”

“Come and have a late-night snack with us. We’re going to grill potatoes.”

“Yes, Hino. Rest while eating first.”

For the past few days, they had been working hard to excavate the ‘Chief God’s Swords’ that were embedded around the military camp.

Originally, it was the chores of the imperial soldiers, and the residents had no reason to approach it because they suffered from skin diseases after touching it.

However, it was confirmed that there was no problem if they did not touch the sword with their bare hands.

Also, according to the wizards, it was safer to wrap your hands with ‘paper’ rather than leather and make contact.

Since then, everyone has been working with thumb gloves with paper on top of the cotton.

The children even drew various pictures on the outside, which made it cute.

“I’ll be back, kid. Don’t run around.”

“Yes!”

Kun, who has clean skin and doesn’t wear a mask, shouted firmly.

The child, who was lucky enough to meet a healing priest, was now perfectly fine without any pain.

I smiled at him and immediately turned to the center of the military camp.

I felt energized after saying hello to good people.

Yes, let’s go back to the beginning. Let’s not live in a daze.

It’s better to get hit sooner rather than later, so it’s better for me to reveal it quickly.

Dragging it out will only increase the sense of fear.

At worst, I’ll be locked up in prison for the rest of my life and have my ether extracted, right?

······Don’t be afraid.

“Hello, volunteer!”

“Hello.”

“Yo! You came late!”

“Hello, knight.”

Holding the backpack tightly so that no one would take it, I walked while chatting with familiar faces.

I had packed all my luggage, ready to be kicked out tonight.

I had Steadfast and Crystal in my arms (when I returned to the barracks that day, she was crying a lot by herself).

I even wore a clean cardigan, shirt, and slacks.

Some people were surprised by the awkward clothes.

But I guarantee that anyone would have acted like me.

‘Is that your ether?’

······If nothing had happened for a whopping three days.

No, really. I’m scared to death!

-Step, step, step

“Haa······.”

I thought I would be caught this time no matter what.

I would have thought so if I had been dragged away with Lord Trossart.

I was suspicious no matter how I thought about it that day.

A prisoner of the Divine Nation who escaped from a broken prison, and a commoner trembling pathetically beside him.

Two tolls of unidentified ether. Besides, this side matched Prince Yesser’s sound.

How did that happen again?

The reason why Eliseo didn’t say anything to me at that time was because the prince and my voice were the same!

“Ah, my head hurts.”

Why didn’t I think of that? I should have listened to the audiobook.

I rubbed my throbbing forehead and walked, looking only at the ground.

First, I had to solve one thing at a time.

The most urgent thing was that there had been no change in me since the tyrant dragon incident three days ago.

This was strange no matter who looked at it.

Of course, Crown Prince Cedric hadn’t looked for Charlemagne in the meantime, and thanks to that, I hadn’t run into him······.

“If they had interrogated the Lord, the truth would have been revealed. Why are you leaving me alone?”

What are you thinking? What if I, uh? What if I do something bad?

“······No answer. Only rush.”

I muttered solemnly and adjusted my bag.

I know you’re busy with the aftermath, and you may simply not have the time to pay attention to a guy like me―

I really can’t stand it anymore. I can’t breathe. I’m so scared that I can’t sleep.

“First, find David and, uh!”

Thud! A white hand reached out from the barracks alley.

I was gagged in an instant and dragged into the darkness.

Wow, what! The hand is small, but the strength is amazing… Huh?

“Shh. Shh!”

Bakari?!