What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 655

#655

War-Time Prohibited Person (3)

“……I don’t understand.”

Elise said, re-tightening the leather strap of her saddlebag.

Knights feeding beans to the horses nearby glanced at her.

The weather was bad.

Long before the Divine Kingdom army retreated to the ‘Puppeteer’s Path,’ the sky was unusually dark, and even at dawn, the sunlight was as faint as old thread.

The shadows cast by the dark clouds created a musty gloom all day long between the steep cliffs.

The weeds, flattened and enduring the cold all winter, were buried in the frozen snow and had not yet raised their heads, and even the common thickets of shrubs were all dead and crumbled black.

The sound of the wind was particularly bleak, making it feel as if spring would never come to this land.

Old knights said this was the empire’s ancient curse.

The soldiers of Romero Riester, who were defeated and retreated from this place, still wandered the Path as vengeful spirits.

“Is it that there are no soldiers, or are there soldiers but they are not coming?”

The Crown Princess checked her wrist and hand guards, then lowered her voice.

This was, after all, news about reinforcements.

There was no reason to instill unnecessary anxiety in the nobles who had just begun to follow her.

Moreover, the atmosphere in the military camp was not good due to the recent events at the ceasefire line.

“Kim went directly to the doorstep of the royal capital with his hometown friends. But he says he no longer sees any troops moving there, Your Highness.”

“……”

“The large territories around the royal capital have all entered into preparations for a siege in accordance with Your Highness’s orders, and they are mobilizing all available spare soldiers and militia. They are all locking their doors and preparing for a long-term battle. So, it seems that now……”

“Yes. It means they are not coming.”

‘I know the Divine Kingdom’s troop situation well,’ the Crown Princess replied curtly, looking at her palm.

The rough skin was a mess of dirt and scars.

“……I know well.”

A firm fist was clenched. The broken and cracked fingernails were all bruised.

The veil that had long covered her eyes. The wounds that had lacerated her heart. Self-loathing. Depression. Despair…….

No matter what all that had done to her, Elise was determined not to give in until the end.

In any case, the military affairs of this country were in this palm. At least, she herself firmly believed so.

Even if the political circles of the royal capital were rife with power struggles and schemes, this place was a battlefield.

And Elise had lived and breathed on the battlefield for almost her entire life.

Looking back, that too must have been a strategy of the Schneider family to hinder her growth and block her senses…….

“Let’s go.”

“Yes? Yes. Your Highness.”

Thanks to that time, she had also gained something.

Elise smiled faintly at Kuman, who was about to take the reins, and walked ahead with her beloved horse.

The stream between the sharp cliffs receded behind them.

-Clatter, clatter, clatter……

“Your Highness, then what will happen now?”

“What do you mean?”

“That…… Of course, it is said that no enemy has ever defeated our forces on the Path, but still, isn’t the opponent a massive army? It would be good if there were more reinforcements……”

The soldier stopped there and shut his mouth on his own.

As a mere private, he was afraid he had been too forward in front of such a noble person, and his heart sank.

The Crown Princess turned to look at him with eyes as blue as jewels.

Fortunately, she did not seem angry.

“I will personally inquire with Duke Schneider.”

“Yes, inquire…… Huh, are you going in person? To the Duke?”

“Isn’t that the only way? As far as I know, the Duke’s private army exceeds thirteen thousand, but the number gathered on the Path now is only eight hundred in total. No matter how many casualties there have been, even the number initially summoned was less than four thousand. What does this mean?”

“Oh, my goodness……”

Kuman’s already hollow eyes widened.

Elise continued in a cold voice.

“The troops currently defending the royal capital are all elite national soldiers, or, as you said, lords preparing for a final stand in their own territories.”

And the details of their private army management were reported to the Crown Princess meticulously every quarter.

Originally, the documents should have been submitted to King Christner, the rightful monarch and commander-in-chief of the Divine Kingdom, but after her madness appeared, most of the military affairs fell to Elise.

Despite various risk factors, including rebellion, there was only one decisive reason why every country on the continent allowed the operation of private armies by nobles.

‘Mana Beasts’ [Magical creatures fueled by mana, often dangerous].

“Unless Duke Schneider’s territory has suddenly become a living hell due to the appearance of a horde of high-level mana beasts, why would he be so sparing with his troops?”

“That’s right. That’s really true, Your Highness.”

“Other nobles are not like this. There may be an error of two or three hundred, but the sum of the soldiers going to the battlefield and the soldiers defending the territory is similar to the contents of the documents. Even those called the Duke’s dogs do not dare to play such number games with me.”

Elise held a dazzling golden spear in her right hand.

Some Divine Kingdom paladins called it the ‘Spear of Judgment’.

Kuman understood about half of his superior’s words and deeply feared the other half, nodding his head.

As they entered an area densely packed with tents, all the knights and soldiers who passed quickly bowed their heads before the Crown Princess.

Their eyes were filled with undisguised respect, affection, admiration, and longing.

More than half of them began to follow her silently.

Elise carefully observed the soldiers as she moved quickly.

-Thud, thud, thud……

“Their complexions are not good compared to last week.”

“Yes? No, is that so? I don’t know……”

Kuman once again spoke his thoughts like flowing water, then tapped his own mouth.

The Crown Princess was scanning every part of the cliff with a cold gaze.

Beyond the hundreds of hidden watchtowers and even more gun emplacements, she could clearly feel the faint breaths of those who relied on her.

According to the few residents of nearby villages, the Path was a sculpture carved by the chief god himself.

That was precisely why it had become such a naturally advantageous battlefield like now…….

‘Even ignorant villagers like us know it well, Your Highness. We hide flat like ticks in that place and wait to ambush the enemy, and when they come deep into the middle, we just rush out all at once……!’

‘Even six-year-old children naturally play like that in this land. It is the chief god’s trap with no room to escape. You will surely be victorious.’

‘That’s right, that’s really right.’

‘Long live the Crown Princess!’

“……Desertions are increasing. You must also know something about it.”

“Ah, that…….”

‘Are you talking about the winged angel?’ Kuman succeeded in not blurting out his stream of consciousness this time.

He just muttered to himself. Elise continued in a low voice.

“After rumors began to spread that the being who fell to the Imperial Army was the incarnation of the chief god, or an archangel, the young soldiers were greatly shaken.”

“……”

There was nothing to say. It was a natural occurrence.

This was a land where the repercussions of the 1st and 2nd fleets sent from Riester still remained.

Moreover, on the very day of the Chief God’s Descent Festival, rumors spread wildly that an angel emitting Crown Ether [A powerful, divine energy] had descended from the sky to the Imperial headquarters.

The Venetian headquarters was truly turned upside down.

With thousands of witnesses, it could not easily be dismissed as a rumor, and the greatly frightened soldiers deserted in groups of a dozen or so from that day on, taking advantage of the night.

Even the young nobles were wavering like reeds, so it was a very troublesome situation for a leader.

……However, she was certain. Despite all those adverse conditions.

“We will turn the tide here.”

“……”

“We will win, solely with our own strength, even to give them faith.”

If it was a land ‘designed to be unbeatable,’ she was determined not to miss the opportunity.

Elise strode towards Wilhelmina’s tent, which was visible just ahead.

Kuman swallowed hard and glanced back.

From the nobles in shining armor to the young ones who were barely seventeen, already hundreds of soldiers were following the Crown Princess’s back.

He felt strangely dazed and almost stopped walking.

“Was there any news from Lord Zeistra?”

Oops!

“Ah, yes. Yes. Kim and his friends went all the way to the foothills of the Memphis Mountains and inquired in all directions, but there was not even anyone who claimed to have seen someone with a similar appearance to him. It’s truly a ghostly matter. He must be hiding properly…….”

Kuman wondered if the expression ‘hiding properly’ would be comforting to the Crown Princess, but anyway, he ended up muttering such words again.

Elise clenched her jaw so hard that her molars ached, then relaxed her expression.

Thinking of her missing father, she was chilled to the bone and nauseated even in her sleep, making it difficult to spend the night.

She was now even confused as to whether she wished for his miserable death or his desperate survival.

Elise sometimes dreamed of killing her father with her own hands and woke up screaming.

So this time, she asked for news of someone whose safety she only wished for.

“……From the Rose Garden.”

Cornelisser had to know nothing.

That young and pure child had to be protected at all costs until the very end.

“As it happens, I have received a letter from the Count of the Court, Your Highness. To be precise, it was sent to Your Highness by his eldest son…….”

Kuman whispered brightly and hurriedly rummaged through his pockets.

He was finally able to deliver good news to his master, and for the first time, a smile—

“Crown Princess, Your Highness.”

“Heok.”

Just then, a voice as dry and indifferent as the desert rang out.

Kuman almost bumped his nose against the Crown Princess’s armor.

The commoner soldiers who were walking at a similar pace shrank their shoulders as much as possible.

“……I was looking for you anyway, Duke.”

“You have personally come when sending a soldier would have been sufficient. I am honored.”

Duke Wilhelmina Schneider, who was just opening the tent and coming out, gave a flawless bow to the Crown Princess.

Following that, a silence more dizzying than a cliff flowed between the two.

Wilhelmina smiled warmly, carefully observing the nobles who had followed in the Crown Princess’s footsteps, and Elise rolled her eyes, glancing at the tent far behind.

Her teacher, Grand Duke Judith Kamingha, was visible.

There seemed to be no need for a long introduction. The two were not in a relationship that required such formalities.

“There seems to be an uncharacteristic mistake.”

“A mistake, you say…….”

“The number of private soldiers you reported to me from the Duchy does not match the number of troops actually mobilized. Surely, nearly ten thousand are not guarding the Duke’s residence alone.”

“Oh.”

“Do you have anything to say?”

“…….”

The answer did not come quickly.

Today, Wilhelmina was alone, but she wore an expression of ease as if she had gained a thousand troops.

An indescribably strange premonition scratched past Elise’s intuition.

She felt an inexplicable displeasure.

“……I am sorry to have caused unnecessary worry to someone so busy. I am deeply humbled, Your Highness.”

“If it is not a conspiracy to rebel taking advantage of the chaos of war, it would be wise to present proper grounds regarding your private soldiers.”

“Yes. I will show that to you soon as well.”

The Duke gave her answer in an extremely proper manner. Elise suddenly frowned.

‘Show that to you soon’?

“……This Wilhelmina Schneider will offer the victory of the Path to Your Noble Highness.”