What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 336

Free Liester’s Free Marquis (4)

Midday in the desert. Once called the ‘Neutral Zone.’

-Whoosh······

The Great Liester encampment led by the Emperor was bustling.

Everywhere facing Venetian [referring to the Venetian Empire, a major power in this world] was busy preparing for guests and events.

The monarch was also planning to conduct a review today.

Knights and soldiers hurried around, anticipating the arrival of the carriage.

“To the right! Just a bit more! Good, that’s it!”

“Sir Haines will dismount first, so no escort is needed. Yes.”

“You there! Raise that imperial flag higher!”

The sky was flawlessly clear, and the late summer sun poured down intense rays.

The dry wind blew, making the tent shade relatively cool.

The carpet laid on the sand was red and vibrant.

The soldiers lined up on both sides stood straight, facing forward.

Their faces showed a whirlwind of dozens of emotions.

Tension, anticipation, fear, excitement. Half belief, half doubt.

The news was that someone who had been revered throughout the empire had returned alive.

From the moment the message arrived, the entire camp had been turned upside down.

Even the high-ranking nobles expressed shock and joy at the Crown Prince’s personal acknowledgment.

It was a miracle with more than enough impact.

If it were true, it was a clear blessing from God and a symbol of victory.

“The Emperor is arriving!”

-Pooooooo······!

The horn sounded, and the majestic drumbeat spread widely across the sandy plain. Doom, doom, doom······!

The tens of thousands of soldiers lined up in an orderly manner moved their feet simultaneously.

Thud, thud, thud! The sound of armor and boots moving was perfectly synchronized.

The pointed spears all pointed towards the sun, and all the swords on the ground lowered their blades under Durandall [likely referring to a specific command or signal].

No one dared to move their neck or turn their eyes.

Then, at the highest point, under the white banner embroidered with gold thread, a noble figure appeared.

It was the Emperor, Frederique Liester.

-Step, step, step

“Your Majesty.”

Elizabeth escorted her meticulously.

Unlike the adjutant, whose eyes were red, Frederique ascended the platform with a cold expression and gait.

Numerous great nobles in armor greeted her and bowed.

The monarch encouraged those who were injured, allowed the eldest to kiss the back of her hand, and then sat down.

The dark red cloak, resembling her eyes, fluttered majestically.

Around the throne, large and brilliant piles of sacred stones stood tall like longevity rocks.

All were filled with Cardinal Boutier’s golden ether [a magical or spiritual energy], which served as a pain reliever, alleviating the suffering of the leader who was separated from her partner.

Of course, Frederique never showed signs of hardship unless she was alone.

The great nobles inwardly marveled at their lord’s strength.

“······I see the carriage.”

Elizabeth reported. The Emperor saw the same but remained silent.

The nobles and knights surrounding the banner squinted.

In the distance, a large imperial carriage was entering from the direction of the Holy Kingdom.

Without any escorts or advance officials, just a coachman and two horses.

The older nobles looked at each other, anxious.

Since the Crown Prince had personally confirmed it, it couldn’t be the trickery of some evil spirit.

It couldn’t possibly be a con artist’s scheme.

Her Majesty trusted her son very much.

However, it was difficult to erase a trace of unease.

“Weren’t we too hasty in making this so big······?”

“Shhh. Lower your voice.”

They were seasoned politicians before they were fighters.

They knew too well what influence today’s meeting would have and how much potential it held.

-Clatter, clatter, clatter······

Before they knew it, the carriage had entered deep into the encampment.

The wheels, covered in red cloth, were caked with mud, and the manes of the fine horses were damp.

It was said that there had been a lot of rain in the front, and indeed there had been.

The coachman calmly slowed down and stopped the carriage at the edge of the carpet.

‘Gulp.’ The sound of a noble swallowing was loud.

Frederique waited with a沉잠한 [calm/composed] gaze for the coachman to open the door.

-Click

The first to appear was the white-haired Grand Master, known as the Emperor’s sword.

He was also famous for being impossible to read.

The straight-backed man escorted someone from inside the carriage.

The soldiers’ eyes began to roll like dice of fate.

-······Shuffle

A young man stepped out of the carriage. He had ordinary brown hair.

“Hmph······.”

Some of the nobles on the platform sighed.

No imperial citizen was unaware that the deceased’s body was enshrined in Juliet Palace.

The expectation that the prince’s body, neither pale nor decayed, would be resurrected here was too far-fetched.

Even so, this was a development quite different from expectations.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on the young man like arrows.

-Squeak!

-Squeal!

And the gazes were quickly dispersed.

It was because the famous ‘Divine Beasts’ jumped out of the carriage and dashed across the carpet.

The flustered young man held the smallest of the beasts in his arms.

“······Mi, sorry. You promised to be good.”

-Squeak

“······Let’s do that later. Okay?”

The young man’s soft voice was barely audible.

Following him, a middle-aged man with a peaceful face dismounted.

Elizabeth blinked blankly. She wondered if her ears were malfunctioning.

She had decided not to cry today, and she shouldn’t cry in this place, but tears seemed about to pour out.

She desperately called out to her friend in her heart.

Saydee······. Is it real? Is this really happening?

“Okay, let’s go. Thank you.”

As the paladin and the middle-aged man embraced the Divine Beasts one by one, the situation seemed to be roughly settled.

Lastly, the priest got off, carrying a white baby Divine Beast in a cute basket.

The four calmly began to walk towards where the Emperor was.

Frederique meticulously observed the unfamiliar young man.

“······.”

He had neat eyebrows, clear skin, and his features were quite handsome and pleasing to the eye.

His clear brown eyes held intelligence and warmth. His walking style and speed were exactly like the prince.

Even the hint of determination that flickered in his frightened expression resembled him.

The light orange summer coat, which was far too big for his shoulders and chest, had a magnificent imperial crest embroidered on the sleeves.

The knights who discovered this stirred greatly. The Emperor finally let out a sigh.

It was absurd to think that he had obtained and worn it without even knowing what it was.

It seemed that authority did not reside in the moment of receiving the miracle of the Chief God.

Just as ‘Yeser Venetian’ had always been.

-Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle······

As the group passed the midpoint of the carpet, the soldiers’ murmurs spread throughout the encampment.

The sight of whispers spreading without anyone moving was truly spectacular.

Frederique knew exactly what questions they had without even asking.

‘Isn’t that him?’

‘Right, his hair color is the same as mine. And he doesn’t look like a priest.’

‘Hey, his clothes look expensive.’

‘Is he a con artist?’

‘No way. What kind of trouble would he be courting!’

‘The Divine Beasts are calm, though. Doesn’t that mean he’s the one?’

‘Hey, Divine Beasts are said to like humans anyway.’

Nevertheless, the young man walked on steadily.

There was someone else who couldn’t adapt to the hostile atmosphere.

-Awooo, awoooo······!

The Divine Beast in the basket finally burst into tears! The crowd’s whispers grew louder.

Elizabeth, who knew the little one well, flinched. The Emperor decided to watch the situation for now.

“Aigoo [Korean interjection expressing concern or endearment]. Are you scared? Oh, our Tete is scared. Come to hyung [Korean term for older brother, used affectionately].”

As the priest, who had been restless, held out the basket, the young man put the Divine Beast he had been holding into it.

‘Our Demi is brave, so you can bear it for a moment, right?’ A gentle voice was heard.

The man smiled brightly, as if he had never been flustered, and held up the Divine Beast wrapped in swaddling clothes.

He also bowed slightly towards this side. Then the other three bowed in unison.

It seemed they were sorry for being late. Oh my.

······It was a scene that Alexandre would have soaked his sleeves laughing at if he had seen it.

“Hyung is here! Wow, it’s not scary at all now. Right?”

-Oooo······

“There are people Tete knows there too? Huh? Who could it be?”

-Oong

It didn’t matter that the Divine Beast was drooling.

The young man took out a handkerchief with a very natural gesture, wiped the baby, and held up an affectionate index finger.

It was to put it in the small mouth. The pace was now as slow as a snail.

-Swish······

Soon, dazzling ether soared. That wasn’t all.

“······Good heavens!”

‘Oh, my God—!’ The crowd was horrified by the purple-tinged irises.

Some, too old to witness such a thing, collapsed.

The Emperor clicked her tongue and ordered them all to be taken to the barracks.

The young man was horrified to see the soldiers, who had been upright, suddenly creaking.

Conversely, as if that was enjoyable, the baby Divine Beast folded its black eyes into crescents.

It also wiggled its shrimp-like torso and small flipper feet.

Then, the Divine Beasts held by others flapped their ears and raised their voices.

As if responding.

-Kioo!

-Kieeng!

-Kihing!

“······Something’s going to happen.”

Frederique immediately covered her forehead. A Sword Master’s intuition was so sharp.

Elizabeth looked at her with a surprised face. It was then.

-Awooooo—!

The flour-dough-like white Divine Beast cried out loudly.

‘Awoooo, awooo, awooo······!’ The sacred echo spread throughout the desert.

Those who had been busily murmuring widened their eyes and looked around.

The young man seemed worried that the baby was sick (it didn’t seem so at all) and was concerned.

At that moment—

“Marquis! There’s something in the sky!”

Sant pointed to a high place.

Elizabeth immediately put her hand on the scabbard and raised her gaze. And she gaped.

“What is that,”

-Swish—!

Amidst a shower that cooled the desert heat,

-Pat-pat! Pat-pat-pat, thud-thud! Splat!

“Aaaah! What is this!”

-Thud-thud! Splat-splat!

“Oh! It’s fish!? It’s raw fish!”

‘Wow······!’ It had been five months since they were stationed in the sandy land.

No matter how much the Emperor spent on military rations, tasting fresh seafood in the barracks was truly like ‘finding a needle in the desert.’

But now—

“Quick, take off your helmet! Collect them in your helmet!”

“The ground is hot, they’ll die quickly, hurry!”

“This is rockfish! I’m going to cry!”

Plump, lively seafood was pouring down from the sky like hail.

All were plump and full of meat, and the variety was astonishing.

Not only the soldiers but even the great nobles who had been calmly watching the situation instantly beamed.

Elizabeth stood quietly with trembling gray eyes.

She had seen such a scene in the past.

A mischievous miracle that had occurred at an auction house in a free city one autumn.

‘Mr. As. How will you repay the crime of deceiving the Divine Beast as a demonic beast and selling it to the Crown Prince?’

-Awooo!

‘The pink noona [Korean term for older sister, used affectionately] and the black hyung are hungry too. Should I give them a lot to eat?’

“George.”

Flinch. Elizabeth looked back at her lord in a hurry, shedding tears.

The middle-aged man’s gaze was also directed at her. He had a smiling face.

“Don’t just stand there blankly, go.”

It was permission. The adjutant immediately kicked off the platform and ran to the wet ground.

She forgot to answer the precious one, forgot to greet him.

She completely forgot that she had once refused to stay by his side.

She just ran around like a little kid who hadn’t received proper etiquette training.

The brown-haired young man, who found her, widened his eyes.

“Lady Elizabeth, it’s raining—”

Whack! She hugged the unfamiliar but familiar priest.

Where he stood, it did not rain. It was all bright, warm, and welcoming.

Tete cried happily and burrowed into her arms.

Then Benjamin and Sant hugged the two, and the Divine Beasts clung to Elizabeth’s back.

A gentle voice embraced her as she sobbed, her shoulders shaking.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for being late······.”

“Annie······. Ganael cried a lot······. That child, her heart hurt so much······.”

And in the following sentence, the priest also buried his face and said nothing.

Frederique quietly looked down at the little ones, then smirked at the seafood constantly falling from the sky, shook her head at the cheering soldiers, and······.

She met eyes with Johann Haines. The paladin bowed to the Emperor in a perfectly drawn posture.

It was a gaze that skillfully concealed satisfaction, but it was there.

Unbelievable.

“······I have more to think about.”

The Emperor said to herself, touching her temple.

The inland infiltration strategy at the forefront. The northern defense strategy and the southern Unite River basin breakthrough strategy.

Now, even that guy’s safety and ‘propaganda and public opinion warfare.’

On top of that, there were mountains of things she personally had to ask and wanted to ask.

The middle-aged man lightly suppressed a smile.

“Your Majesty, it’s an urgent report from the south.”

At that moment, a knight who had hurriedly climbed onto the platform knelt down, catching her breath.

Frederique just flicked her finger to let her speak.

The woman looked back and forth between the insane situation at the front and her lord, then quickly grasped the priority and nodded.

“Lady Christel Rambouillet has acquired a new divine artifact and is coming up to present it to Your Majesty. Also, news that our allies in the south have achieved a great victory in the border area with the support of the navy, and have occupied a barony in one fell swoop.”

A moment of silence passed. The Emperor eventually frowned at the excessive amount of information.

“······What?”