What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 424

Sub Male Lead’s Strike-424

#424

The Land of Gods and Fairy Tales (3)

“To me, it just looks black, Your Majesty.”

That was Modest Bakari’s answer.

We stopped what we were doing and quietly turned to look at him.

The round silver-rimmed glasses gleamed softly under the magical lighting.

From the hearth, crimson flames occasionally flickered.

“As I mentioned earlier, Princess Juliette does not have a good influence on my precognitive abilities. This is the honest truth without any exaggeration. I don’t know if it’s because of her presence or some other reason… The line across the sky merely appears dark and ominous to my eyes. I have not obtained any other special information.”

‘I am sorry.’ The prophet, having said that, glanced at me.

His face was expressionless, but I could easily read the regret in the teenager’s eyes.

I raised the corner of my lips to indicate that it was okay, and he pouted and turned his head.

What are you sorry about? It’s the truth.

“······Tsk.”

-Rustle

Then, the Emperor clicked his tongue and scanned the paper in his hand again.

It was an item Ganael had brought from the Temple of Vigilance.

It was a copy of Toegye Gong’s [a renowned Korean Confucian scholar] settings, diligently transcribed by Herrit in crooked handwriting (or drawing style).

The child couldn’t read the content, so the sentences often broke off in strange places, and sometimes a few words were completely cut off.

The middle-aged man’s sharp gaze repeatedly landed and scattered across the paper.

This was clearly an operation to uncover the secrets or weaknesses of the Venetian Divine Nation, but in the end, they had failed to find anything about it.

Isabel examined it with a magnifying glass, but…

“I am sorry, Your Majesty. I cannot obtain any information from the second page either. Hanan says it is a language His Majesty has never seen before.”

“Indeed. It seems it is neither a divine language nor an ancient code of the Empire.”

“That is correct.”

“Only the Pope can read it… Or perhaps no one can read it. Either way, wouldn’t it be the will of God? In the end, I receive no new information.”

“······.”

Isabel fidgeted with her quill with a look of dismay. The Emperor’s long sigh followed.

My teacher gently stroked his hair, pondering along with him.

I carefully observed the adults and then turned back to my friends.

It seemed like a good time now.

Since we would be leaving soon, it was better to tell them the truth beforehand.

When I met Gain and the Crown Prince’s determined gazes, they slowly nodded.

Only then did I feel a little relieved. They already knew what I was thinking.

Thankfully.

“Your Majesty.”

“Yes. Don’t whine like a puppy; say what you have to say.”

When did I…? Never mind.

“The unidentified white line that appeared in the sky is probably because the World Tree is injured. I heard that the contents of the Holy Relic caused a terrifying light when they touched the roots.”

“I know.”

“And the World Tree is called the source of life.”

“Orelly seems to have explained that before too. About 30 years ago.”

“It is also the only entity that protects the world line.”

“······.”

At those words, the Emperor frowned and turned his gaze to me. He wouldn’t know this.

The word ‘world line’ itself would be unfamiliar. I cleared my throat.

Ropi, who had been watching the divine beast basket, hopped over to us.

“The reason the deceased Yuliter was able to create an artificial space and kidnap the Crown Prince’s party was because the World Tree was injured, making our world line vulnerable. In short, it was an environment where gaps could easily be exploited.”

“······This is the first I’ve heard of it. Why didn’t you say anything?”

The Emperor’s dark red eyes narrowed, and my teacher’s golden monocle also tilted.

Only Gain, Crown Prince Cedric, and Sir Johann remained calm.

I licked my parched lips. Well, you see.

“The fact that I came from another world is something you both know well. The fact that I have a family, a home, and a separate job as well. I know that you have experienced great confusion because of that alone. At the time, with our return and the Statia Rock Fortress incident, there were already too many mysteries.”

And above all, it was before I revealed the truth to my friends.

I was hiding everything alone, unable to grasp the situation.

I was keeping it all tightly wrapped up, unable to show my true feelings to anyone.

Even though the pressure was piling up to my chin, I stubbornly ignored it, pretending not to know because there was something more urgent.

Then, in the end, it burst out in an unsightly manner.

But I won’t act like that today. Now I have friends who support me.

“Actually, I can read all the writing on that paper.”

“What?”

“Yes?”

The Emperor, who had been resting on the Cardinal’s lap, rose up. The two adults looked straight at me.

Bakari, as well as Sir Erbe and David, also looked surprised.

Gain quickly approached and stood by me.

The Crown Prince half-shielded me, and Ropi stood with his tail raised high, facing away from us.

The Emperor, watching the scene, let out a sigh.

While I was choosing my words, my teacher finally spoke first.

“The Holy Relic is a record box containing the will of the Chief God. It is a space where the most pure will of the Great One is accumulated. Until Herrit approached it, no one had even thought of using the divine object to make contact.”

“I see.”

“The prevailing interpretation was that only the Pope could open it… And it had been a long time since the owner of the divine object had appeared on the continent. So it was a reckless gamble for us.”

“Yes.”

“But you, Yesseo, are saying that you can read it fluently?”

I hurriedly waved my arms.

“It’s not because I’m a great person, Your Highness. It’s just that it’s my native language, and it’s not originally used here. But―”

Flash! A memory flashed through my mind.

【If it’s okay, I’d also like to ask what month and day it is in the Holy Calendar. I’m also curious about exactly where this is.】

The day I crash-landed in Honing Village.

‘I, I am sorry, angel. What are you saying…? We, we are lowly and ignorant, so we, we cannot understand the words you use in the sky…’

Clearly, there was a sudden language barrier.

I could understand Hwino and Kuhn’s words, but they couldn’t understand my words at all.

I had to go find my friends, but I couldn’t even communicate, so I was so bewildered that my vision went dark.

Even in the midst of that, it was difficult to refuse the raspberries offered by the child.

I put the ripe red fruit in my mouth and chewed it thoroughly.

It was surprisingly delicious―

‘Wow. This is really good. I could sell this!’

‘M, my goodness! The angel speaks Venetian! Oh my!’

‘Wowwww!’

Yes, that’s right!

“After returning here, I started speaking fluently after eating the food here. Before that, I also couldn’t communicate.”

“How mysterious. So these are the characters from the world you were born in?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What is written there?”

My teacher asked gently. I immediately opened my mouth.

“That…”

And then I froze for a moment. But I can swear it was really just a moment.

The series of actions of clenching my fist, swallowing my saliva, and tightly closing and opening my eyes was very short and quick.

The moment I uttered the next sentence―

“Enough.”

“Yes?”

Did I mishear? I almost bit my tongue.

Emperor Frederick was staring at me with the same expression as usual.

She flicked her chin once and waved her hand.

“Stop. Take your companions and go back to rest.”

I was confused. I blinked, looking back and forth between the two of them. I haven’t even started yet?

“Your Majesty, what I have to say is…”

“Your judgment is correct.”

Thud, those words flew at me. What are you suddenly talking about?

“There are already too many mysteries.”

“······.”

“And this body has too much to protect.”

The realization spread very slowly.

Gain and my lips, which had been stiff, slowly parted.

The Emperor, who had slowly risen from her seat, approached us.

Ropi puffed up his back and threatened with a ‘Hiss!’, but she didn’t even twitch an eyebrow.

Soon, blood-red eyes looked into me from close range.

It was a gaze so deep that I couldn’t dare to fathom it.

“I’ll hear it later.”

“Ah…”

I see.

“It’s cumbersome to have burdens in both hands right now.”

“······.”

This person already has an idea.

Even though I didn’t give a proper explanation, she pieced together the context and figured out the general truth.

She shares a soul with my teacher, so her insight is doubled, and the amount of indirect information she has obtained by observing me is also considerable.

Thus, the Emperor, who made a comprehensive judgment in an instant…

“Keep it to yourself for now.”

She chose ignorance. She ‘decided not to know’ the secrets of this world.

In a position where there are already too many things to consider, the monarch chose not to receive information by her own will.

Because she cannot handle the additional disorder that it would cause right now.

Now was not peacetime but wartime.

Today was the day when blood was spilled on the plains until just before sunset.

Moreover, it had been a full seven months since she had met her partner and taken a proper rest.

Even that would be over in a few days, and the Emperor would have to pour all her attention back into the country.

She had no mental capacity to spare for the identity of the Chief God or the principles of the world.

“······.”

So she was saying that it was difficult right now. Really, right now.

I took a deep breath and looked over her shoulder.

My teacher, sitting on the sofa, was sending me a warm smile.

The two of them have the same mind. As always.

“······I will obey the imperial command.”

“How admirable.”

The Emperor smiled and then tapped the tip of my nose and stepped back.

I rubbed my reddened cheeks with my sleeve.

I never dreamed that things would turn out this way.

But when I think about it, there is no decision more like Frederick Ricester than this.

“Your Majesty, what you just said…”

“I said later, Erbe. You go and catch up with your brother too.”

The middle-aged man retorted with a hint of laughter.

The Captain of the Guard, who had been standing blankly, scratched the back of his head and stepped back.

Then Bakari handed him some bread as if doing him a favor, and Ganael and his group, who had been holding their breath, burst out laughing.

I giggled along and turned to look at my friends.

The Crown Prince, letting out a soft sigh, was sweeping back his hair. Our eyes met briefly.

Oh, you were surprised too?

Your mother is always on top of us.

*

“Then, we will take our leave.”

“Good night, Your Majesty. Your Highness.”

“Yes. Go to bed early.”

“Sweet dreams.”

Frederick gestured vaguely, and Orelly added kind words.

The children, carrying a lot of luggage, bowed politely and left the tent.

Carrying a large divine beast basket and even an ugly suitcase, it was hard to tell whether they were royalty or a gang of local thugs.

In the meantime, the cat divine beast slipped under the monarch’s bed and disappeared into the darkness.

Following them, Isabel and Erbe also left the camp.

The smile disappeared from the Emperor’s face. She was frighteningly silent.

“······Orelly.”

“Yes. The temple doesn’t have the information we’re looking for. Yesseo’s secret is irrelevant.”
A lyrical answer immediately returned. The husky voice was even lower.

“Whether it was a thousand years ago or a year ago, we must assume that the Venetian side swept everything away.”

“Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a single line of records from the fall of Unio.”

“······.”

“They don’t leave behind any unfavorable evidence from the beginning. That’s their way.”

‘I’ve never seen such ruthless bastards.’ Frederick clicked her tongue, twirling a water glass instead of a wine glass.

Orelly gently grabbed her wrist to stop her.

The Emperor gave up, put down the glass, and obediently untied her partner’s hair tie.

However, it was too early to fall asleep. There was one more thing.

She, holding the ribbon, called the wind.

“Grand Preceptor.”

-Flutter!

Johann Haynes, who had left smiling a moment ago, opened the tent and returned in just a few seconds.

However, no one, including David, was surprised.

I don’t know what he told the children, but he wouldn’t even need to make excuses.

The man bowed respectfully before the Emperor and the Cardinal.

Nothing that could be called an expression appeared on his smooth face. White hair flowed down silently.

The Emperor opened her mouth calmly.

“When you leave with my son and the children, I will not send any communication for a week afterward. Of course, there will be no reinforcements either.”

“Yes.”

“You understand what this means.”

Then Johann slowly raised his head.

Mint-colored eyes were filled with a chilling murderous intent.

It was a sentence that didn’t need to be pondered over twice or three times.

The Emperor announced the plan to dispatch the Crown Prince’s party deep into the Divine Nation in a place where all the commanders could hear.

Even though it was unknown whether there was a traitor inside.

After the ‘Duke Simon de Sarnese incident,’ most of the Ricester ruling class was purged.

However, it was difficult to see that as solving everything.

Because real rats are inherently hidden, not even showing their tails.

There were beings everywhere who abandoned all greed for survival, went deep into holes, and even gave up their five senses.

Cheats who held onto a life force more tenacious than cockroaches, plotting for future generations…

It was never an uncommon story.

“Of course. What kind of disposal do you want?”

So if there is a guy who follows, invoking the Emperor’s name for 7 days, that person is a sinner.

There are no exceptions.

“Cleanly.”

“I obey the imperial command.”

The man answered respectfully. Orelly, combing her hair, added kindly.

“You always work hard, Johann. Please take care of the children this time too.”

The Holy Knight slightly raised the corner of his lips. This was not a laborious task at all.

In his homeland, called the ‘Land of Gods and Fairy Tales,’ he was going to be freer than ever since he was born.

Cleaning up trash was easier than eating.

…His master, who likes to eat, might think differently.