What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 670

#670

Cross Purposes (3)

“······Explain yourself.”

“What? Explain what?”

Suddenly, Cornelius looked at the girl with wide, startled eyes.

Eleven-year-old Iseul Roseharther wore a stiff expression today.

A large leather bag hung on her high, rounded shoulders, which was unusual.

Iseul usually enjoyed hunting with her father and uncle, often leaving the Rose Garden.

But since Cornelius had arrived as a precious guest, she hadn’t gone out once.

She had merely followed the Princess around, saying, ‘That’s not allowed, this isn’t allowed. That’s not allowed either.’

But today… She’s wearing sturdy shoes. And gloves?

“Iseul, where are you going? It’s late.”

“That depends on Your Highness’s answer.”

“Huh?”

The Duchess retorted sharply, and the Princess realized that she was dressed similarly.

She had no right to talk about the time.

While the child was searching for words, the priest silently closed the kitchen door and locked it from the inside.

‘Click!’ Cornelius, who didn’t even know there was a lock here, looked as if her eyes would pop out.

Uh?

“Um, what are you doing?”

“I’ve been thinking about why Your Highness is trying to run away.”

“······.”

She knew it would come back to this.

But no matter how much it was Iseul, she wouldn’t be able to stop her today.

The Princess hardened her expression and began searching the kitchen cabinets.

Salt, pepper, red pepper powder. The seasonings that the Holy Knight hero, Sir Christel Rambouillet, always carried on his adventures.

He said those three were essential no matter what you ate. Salt, pepper, red pepper powder. Salt, pepper…

“Here it is! Salt, pepper!”

Fortunately, it was on a shelf within reach!

“Are you going to find the Prince who has been resurrected?”

“······No. Don’t think I don’t know anything just because I’ve only lived in the castle.”

“······.”

To be exact, that was true until the war.

Young Cornelius lived in the deepest part of the royal castle, enjoying the finest clothes and the finest food.

Everything went her way, and the servants praised and flattered the Princess unconditionally, no matter what she did.

They praised her as a future great royal and lauded that she would be loved by all the people.

Cornelius didn’t know the exact meaning of every word, but she believed without a doubt that it was the truth being poured out on her.

Her mother’s love was absent, and her father’s love was empty.

Her sister’s love was busy, and her brother’s love had faded.

The child, raised lacking affection, readily accepted any beautiful words.

Naturally, she became bloated with emptiness.

‘May I dare to say that surviving this war and continuing the lineage of the Holy Kingdom and the royal family as the precious Second Princess is the most sacred duty given to Your Highness.’

“······I’m not going far away. I’m not trying to cause trouble, and I’m not trying to do anything bad.”

“······.”

The Princess realized only after coming to the Roseharther estate.

That she was a frog in a well [naive and inexperienced] made by adults.

That she didn’t know too much, and now even learning new things was overwhelming.

It was learning far earlier than her peers, but the child didn’t think so.

“I want to see how the people are doing. There’s a war going on.”

“······.”

“If I stay here, I’ll keep not knowing. The servants who came with me from the royal castle don’t tell me anything. They say I can’t go out. They just keep reading me books and say they’ll call a musician.”

“Your Highness.”

“It’s not that I dislike those things. I like books, and I like the violin······.”

“You like paintings the most.”

Ah. Cornelius blinked and looked at Iseul.

The girl, whom she had always thought was indifferent and dull like a bear, was talking about her like that.

“Sir Christel Rambouillet and… You also cherish the lizard I caught for you.”

“······Yeah. Rose is my friend. Thank you for that. Anyway.”

The Princess awkwardly said, rubbing the sugar powder on her hands on her pants.

She was disappointed that she couldn’t find the red pepper powder, but it couldn’t be perfect since it was her first adventure.

The child closed her bag again and slung it over her shoulder.

It was a bit heavy with the lizard tank, but it was okay.

“······I’m going. I’ll meet the people and come back soon. I’ll come back faster if Iseul tells the Count.”

Maybe she would be caught by the knights as soon as she left the gate.

“I will go with you.”

······What?

“What did you just say?”

The child asked with her mouth wide open.

Cornelius finally realized why Iseul looked so stiff today.

The bag strap held by the young priest’s hand was stretched taut as if it would break.

The Duchess was in a state of extreme tension!

“······I didn’t tell my grandfather.”

“Huh? Why?”

The Princess asked as if the girl had made a big mistake.

Then Iseul answered as if it were natural.

“Because I am Your Highness’s companion.”

“······.”

“······‘Friend,’ that is.”

The following sentence sounded a little unsure. Even her usually calm eyes were shaking.

Quite a bit of silence passed.

The Princess stared blankly at the priest, and only when she heard people’s voices from outside the kitchen window did she come to her senses.

For some reason, she felt a tingling in her chest, and she almost stood there like that.

There was no time for this!

So, um…

“Th, thank you. I didn’t know Iseul thought of me as a friend.”

“······If you wish, I will try to talk more in the future.”

“It’s okay! Seven words a day is enough. And, um. It would be a great help if Iseul came with me. We are a Holy Knight and a priest, after all.”

As if she had been waiting for that answer, the young priest’s face finally brightened.

Iseul slightly raised the corners of her lips and rubbed her short hair.

It was an expression Cornelius had never seen before.

“Okay. Let’s go together and come back soon. I don’t want to go to scary places either.”

“Yes. I know a nearby village. I also know the way.”

“That’s great!”

The Princess suddenly spoke loudly and quickly covered her mouth.

Soon, the two children stood right at the kitchen entrance without either of them saying anything first.

As Iseul unlocked the lock and opened the door slightly, the lizard from the tank in the bag climbed onto the Princess’s shoulder.

Fortunately, there was no one in the hallway.

Only the faint hymns of people could be heard from the distant Rose Garden.

Cornelius said last.

“You know. If we come back safely, I’ll give Iseul an award as the Princess.”

“······Thank you.”

“Iseul will become my Royal Consort.”

“Yes? Yes?”

The Duchess, who was in shock, moved her lips with a reddened face.

Even though she was young, she knew very well what a Royal Consort was!

“But I, I am a woman.”

“Roseharther is conservative. It’s no big deal in the royal family.”

“Gasp······.”

Cornelius had recently learned the word ‘conservative’ roughly.

And ‘Royal Consort’ was someone who became a partner of the royal family and lived with them in the royal castle.

She could tell just by looking at her father.

She said that when her sister got married someday, her sister’s partner would also become a ‘Royal Consort.’

“Then let’s go. The gate will be locked after today, right?”

“······Yes!”

-Tap!

Thus, it didn’t even take a few minutes for the two girls and a lizard to disappear into the darkness.

The servants who had fallen asleep early after putting the Princess to bed. The busy maids. And the adults who were taking care of state affairs during the war, before they could even look under the lamp.

*

Finally, the dawn of March 1st broke.

However, it was still a time when the traces of night were thick enough to call it dawn.

The new and cold air had a dark blue tint, and a faint winter smell came from the breeze whenever white breath flowed.

I woke up early, purified myself [performed a ritual cleansing], and had already finished all the preparations.

I wore the magic stone glasses reinforced by François and the robe doubly and triply enchanted by Camille and the Nuit sisters.

When I packed the bag again, I received advice from Benjamin and Ganael and carefully selected only what I really needed to bring.

I decided to just hold the most important Holy Staff in my hand as a weapon.

Anyway, I was a weakling who couldn’t even hold a sword, so there was nothing else to hold.

Last night, the Master blessed the staff several times and kissed my cheeks and forehead.

The Divine Beasts lined up together to receive his kisses.

-Purrr, purrr

“Oh, please take good care of Uncle too. Uncle can’t ride a horse at all without Areum now. You know? Other friends have a hard time even pretending to get on the saddle.”

-Pheehee

Hahaha. Thanks to Areumhardt, who openly laughed at me, I was still able to smile.

Areum was a child who had no experience in expeditions, but I was grateful and proud that he seemed to be trying to relieve my tension.

I gently stroked his mane and neck and checked the saddlebag one last time. This side contained a dagger and rope in case of emergency.

Around that time, I could hear Ganael and Benjamin tidying up the room inside the cabin.

There was also the whining of the lovely Divine Beasts mixed in. I quietly looked around.

“······.”

More than half of the forces guarding the cabin were conscripted and not visible.

The military camp seemed quiet today, and it seemed noisy today.

I could constantly hear the sound of weapons clashing and carts rolling somewhere in the alley, but no one was raising their voice as usual.

The tension pressing down on the air felt so clear that I could grab it.

It didn’t feel like the Liester military camp I knew, so I felt thirsty for no reason.

Now, only the personnel guarding the main camp, non-combat personnel, relief center personnel, and other workers would remain here….

I wasn’t.

I am going to the battlefield with His Majesty, my friends, and countless Liester Imperial soldiers.

Right now.

“Lord Palace Master.”

“Oh my gosh!”

“Heok!”

Startled, I jumped about ten centimeters on the spot, and the man who called me was so surprised that he bounced about ten centimeters as well.

The person who accidentally rode a seesaw in the air with me staggered, clutching his chest.

When I quickly grabbed his shoulder, a whisper of thanks immediately came out.

This is not a skit….

“François? What brings you here at this hour?”

“Shh.”

‘Please lower your voice.’ The handsome man pressed his finger to his lips and looked around.

He had a serious face as if he were filming a spy movie, but even so, he would have been spotted by Djibril Diop on the way here.

“Why? Is there something serious going on?”

I still whispered in the same tone. Anyway, we are friends.

“You could say that. In fact, it is a very serious situation. I need the Palace Master’s cooperation.”

“Me? Now?”

I was flustered and looked around.

A big battle would start in a few hours, so why would the Marquis come here secretly (?) and ask me for help?

Even wearing this dark robe, and carrying a shiny mace in his hand.

At first glance, he was even wearing armor similar to mine inside….

Uh?

“Wait a minute. Isn’t that armor?”

-Purrr

“That’s right.”

“François, you are a non-combatant.”

And a very, very, very important VVIP-level research personnel in the Imperial Army.

“You didn’t put your name on the list of expeditions today either.”

“Yes. In fact, my name will never be on any list. Probably until the end of the war.”

“But why······.”

“I have to go today. Please take me with you, Lord Palace Master.”

“Y-yes? Cough.”

I was so surprised that I coughed. I quickly buried my snout in my forearm and looked at him.

But the Marquis didn’t look like he was joking. Seriously?

“Wait a minute, ahem. Is there a special reason why you want to go on an expedition? If so, it would be better to get a short permission from His Majesty rather than sneaking out like this—”

“His Majesty, my master, has already gone to the front lines.”

“Then······.”

“And after thinking about it carefully last night, you and your party have no insurance at all.”

“Insurance?”

I frowned, unable to keep up with the flow.

Surely you are not talking about something like Silbi.

“When any of you are in great danger or injured, wouldn’t it be faster to come back if I am there? I can go all the way to the Imperial Palace as it is. You are someone who can’t even kill an ant, so you will need my instant teleportation skills depending on the situation.”

“I can kill ants.”

“But you don’t kill them unnecessarily.”

“Yes.”

“That’s exactly it.”

What is ‘exactly it’?

I had the urge to say such a retort, but anyway, it was a convincing statement.

Even so, Sant was included in our ‘cavalry.’

No matter how well-organized the tactics are, people with zero combat power are rushing into the middle of the battlefield….

It would be better to have insurance. Hmm.

“Still, Marquis Dhiem.”

“Yes, Marquis Serenite.”

“Where did you leave the Marquis’s words and come alone?”

“I also carefully considered that point, but it seems better to ride together since I have to take the Palace Master whole in case of emergency.”

“······.”

This is also a subtly convincing opinion, but am I too nervous right now and my judgment is clouded?

I looked at Areum with worried eyes.

The white horse nodded with a ‘I don’t care’ expression. Hmm. Is that really so?

“And about the reconnaissance plane.”

“Yes?”

Even reconnaissance planes are coming out here?

“The condition of the reconnaissance planes that the Holy Kingdom army has been flying towards us is somehow unusual. If this continues, something big will happen on the battlefield.”