What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 111

#111 The Emperor’s Waltz (2)

“A prince in servant’s clothes, is it?”

“……”

“This deal is starting to sound interesting.”

Emperor Frederique spoke cynically. I put the magic tool in my pocket and bowed politely.

“I greet the sun descended upon the earth and His Eminence the Cardinal.”

My hair was disheveled from taking off the eyepatch, and I was sweating from the Sword Master’s pressure, but she was right.

What we were about to do here was not a typical conversation, but a ‘deal’.

I couldn’t afford to falter.

Besides, this was the closest I could get to my true self.

‘Jeong Yeseo’ was just an ordinary commoner by this world’s standards.

“Alright, alright.”

Abruptly, the Emperor muttered with a displeased look.

Immediately, I felt a sense of relief and my body lightened. I looked up in surprise.

The air, now devoid of pressure, was surprisingly clear and refreshing.

Cardinal Boutier smiled at me.

“If we’re going to make a deal, shouldn’t the playing field be fair?”

I see. She had told the Emperor to withdraw her oppressive aura through their shared soul.

I smiled faintly and expressed my gratitude. The Emperor kicked an empty chair with her boot.

“Sit.”

“Thank you.”

If this were my first meeting with her, I would have been quite taken aback by this attitude, but now I knew this was a great favor.

As I sat down, Cristel and the Prince fixed their gazes on me.

Seeing them, the corners of my lips naturally lifted.

The protagonists had been a great help in getting me here from my confinement.

A grand banquet hall, a dazzling chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, a table that could easily seat thirty people, and four men and women in splendid attire.

I was clearly the most shabby person here, but I wasn’t alone.

I took a couple of deep breaths and began to speak.

“First, I thank Your Majesty for your boundless grace in coming all the way here. However, I never thought that Your Majesty would be unaware of what I am doing.”

I was sincere.

I may have missed some minor details, but I never expected the Emperor to be completely in the dark about the situation.

She chuckled at my words. Her expression seemed to say, ‘Go on’.

“The great nobles of Liester fear Your Majesty, but they also act freely. Your Majesty knows everything they do, and you let them be because you are confident that you can restrain them at any time. I suppose the same goes for me.”

“You’ve been studying a bit, haven’t you?”

She said, pouring wine directly into her empty glass. She seemed very relaxed as she offered wine to the Cardinal next to her. Of course.

“So, what’s the main point?”

“…I want the release of Lord Johann Haynes and the emigration of both him and his son to Liester.”

I said, looking directly at her. Fortunately, my voice didn’t tremble.

“The latter is unexpected.”

The Emperor frowned slightly for the first time. That alone was enough for me.

I began to unfold the information I had organized in my head, step by step.

“As you know, Lord Haynes is not an Archbishop, but a Cardinal-level Paladin [a high-ranking holy knight]. His divine power is weaker than that of Prince Aurel, but I have witnessed him using the Holy Scar.”

The faces of those present briefly stiffened. I calmly continued.

“Your Majesty is probably planning to hand him over to the Vatican and exert political pressure. But if you make Lord Haynes an asset of Liester, you will surely receive equivalent assistance. Perhaps even more.”

It pained me to have to treat him like a tool in order to save him.

“For example?”

“The Vatican is currently minimizing personnel changes.”

I had heard these words from Lord Haynes at the Evelyn Summer Palace.

‘The Pope is vacant, so it’s a time when unity is needed. I doubt another teacher will be dispatched.’

His explanation that another Paladin besides himself would not be coming.

“But even after the Prince and Lady Sarnese are ordained as Paladins, they will need a teacher for the time being. Both of them are excellent at handling Ether [magical energy], but they have not completed their training in the qualities and attitudes of a Paladin.”

The Emperor looked at her partner as if asking if this was true. The Cardinal quietly nodded.

I moistened my throat with the water Cristel pushed towards me and opened my mouth.

“Since the Vatican is not very favorable to Liester, even if they send a Paladin to replace Lord Haynes, they will send the same Archbishop-level or Bishop-level, citing personnel issues.”

“That’s right.”

“If you keep Lord Haynes as a Liester asset, Your Majesty will be able to have a Cardinal-level Paladin as a teacher for both of them without having to say a word of regret to the Vatican.”

“He tried to kill you. You know that’s attempted regicide [killing a monarch].”

The Emperor’s tone became a little sharper.

Her eyes seemed to ask if I was trying to persuade her with just that. Of course not.

It would be absurd to forgive such a great crime just because there was a shortage of teachers.

“That’s not all. I’ve heard that a Sword Master can take on up to thousands of soldiers. The same goes for Archmages. Cardinal-level Paladins are also on par with this, although there are differences in level depending on their divine power.”

“……”

“Your Majesty is a wise ruler, so I believe you are deeply interested in increasing the empire’s offensive and defensive capabilities. Even if it is not wartime, obtaining the power of a Cardinal like Lord Haynes is clearly a significant benefit.”

She stared at me intently, then slightly raised one corner of her mouth and said.

“You speak as if you’re a Liesterian [citizen of Liester].”

I had heard this from the Prince as well. I smiled bitterly.

“Political power over the Vatican and the power of a Cardinal—it would certainly be fun to weigh them. The Empire has never had a single Paladin.”

“……”

“But he’s a mercenary. Do you know what that means?”

I couldn’t answer immediately. The Emperor lightly shook her blood-red glass and continued.

“All Aurel and I knew about Johann Haynes was that he had been a mercenary before becoming a Paladin, and that he had a child. The Emperor and Cardinal of the Empire didn’t know his origins, let alone his history after becoming a Paladin. How do you think this was possible?”

I was momentarily speechless. I didn’t realize her information was so limited.

Anger, dismay, and understanding mixed in her cherry-colored eyes.

It was a color very similar to the wine she was drinking.

“Those who hired Haynes as a mercenary protected him.”

“……”

“Hiring a mercenary with that much ability means they’re plotting something they can’t openly talk about. The one who knows the secret soon becomes part of the secret. Do you understand what I mean?”

I swallowed hard.

So, those who had hired Lord Haynes until now had actively concealed even the Paladin’s identity in order to protect their information.

Because they had to remain hidden, and no one could find out, in order for them to be safe.

In fact, Lord Haynes’ employers included members of the Fenetian royal family.

Since those with such power had gathered, it wouldn’t have been difficult to disrupt the Emperor’s intelligence across the continent.

“You can’t trust Lord Haynes.”

“That’s right. He tried to assassinate you once, and he’s a high-level mercenary who we don’t know where he came from or how he’s been rolling around.”

She sighed and sipped her wine.

“I think you can use that in reverse.”

I calmly racked my brain.

“Lord Haynes probably knows a lot of secrets from the Holy Nation and high-ranking officials of the Vatican. Of course, there will be many cases bound by covenants, so Your Majesty may not be able to directly extract information, but you can certainly provide assistance in indirect ways.”

“You’re saying I should treat him as a spy?”

“That’s right.”

I gave the answer quickly. If I showed hesitation in my argument, it would be neither fish nor fowl.

“In exchange for commuting his sentence, order him to serve the Empire with his life and receive a covenant. That will secure at least minimal trust. If you also grant his son asylum and protect him, I guarantee you will gain his heartfelt loyalty.”

“Yes, the son.”

She frowned and tilted her head.

“That’s been bothering me since earlier. A ten-year-old snot-nosed kid, right? Is he in the Vatican?”

Only ten years old. For a moment, my chest felt tight.

Cristel reached her arm over the Prince’s leg and stroked the back of my hand.

Only then could I breathe.

“He’s in the Holy Nation’s… prison.”

The Cardinal, who had been silent, asked back with a troubled face.

I tried not to put any emotion into my words.

“Duke Werner blackmailed Lord Haynes with the child as a hostage. The child is a patient who suffers if he doesn’t take his medicine every day, but they say he is being imprisoned and not given his medicine.”

“…What?”

The Emperor’s voice dropped significantly. A hint of murderous intent flashed in her red eyes.

“So the Duke didn’t commission it with money.”

The Cardinal whispered. Despair and pity appeared on her face.

“Ha. So that’s your reason.”

The Emperor finally took off the cravat she had loosened.

She stared at me with a face that seemed both pained and troubled.

“What on earth is wrong with the Duke?”

“……”

I wondered that too. When I gave her a troubled look without saying anything, she spoke again.

“When the Prince first said he would naturalize you, I didn’t think much of it. But now I’m all ears. If you were my subject, I could just declare war and be done with it.”

My eyes widened. The middle-aged woman continued to speak without hesitation.

“I felt that the Duke was as cruel as a demon last spring. Someone who brainwashes a thirteen-year-old child and uses them as an assassin can’t be normal. Afterwards, I sent a letter expressing my regret to King Christana, but there was no reply. I don’t even know if the King checked the contents herself. According to spies, she’s been suffering from madness these days.”

King Christana’s madness. This was completely new information.

I forgot to even blink and stared at the Emperor.

“But if he blackmailed someone he could move with money in that way, he’s not even a demon. He’s no different from a devil sent by the gods for a test.”

She declared. I paused for a moment to catch my breath.

There was no point in getting caught up in emotions here.

The Emperor seemed to be even more outraged, probably thinking of her son, Prince Cedrick’s childhood.

Perhaps I could use her hot-tempered nature to my advantage.

‘He was very young when he was that sick. About a year old? Ether depletion was severe as soon as he was born.’

The story the Cardinal had told me at the annual prayer meeting lingered in my ears.

The Prince had been very sick since he was a baby. I turned my head and looked at him.

My eyes met his orange eyes at once.

I knew I had to speak coldly and calculatedly, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it in front of the person involved.

I still felt bad about exploiting the situation of someone who was suffering from ether depletion.

Then, he slowly moved his lips.

‘It’s okay.’

“……”

There was no wavering in his eyes. My jaw tightened on its own.

“Your Majesty. I want to help a child and his father.”

I turned my gaze away from him and spoke firmly.

The Emperor’s gaze immediately became entangled with mine.

“Please allow me to meet Princess Elysee. I have a plan to get the sick child out of prison. Only the gods know whether it will be carried out safely or not, but please grant me permission to at least make a proposal.”

“……”

“Your Majesty will gain a Cardinal-level Paladin as the Empire’s military power and tutor, while also taking a foreign high-level mercenary as a spy, and saving a child who is suffering for no reason and allowing him to reunite with his father.”

Then the Emperor clicked her tongue.

She also sighed deeply and swept her hair back.

I didn’t know what that meant, so I closed my mouth.

A few minutes of silence flowed like a few hours.

“Alright.”

“Oh my.”

The Emperor answered, and Cristel covered her mouth with both hands and exclaimed.

But you have to listen to the end to know what Liester is really saying.

“However, there’s a condition.”

“Yes.”

“You will never be able to meet the Princess and her party alone.”

That’s what I wanted.

I wanted to avoid being alone with her as much as possible, so I nodded happily.

The Emperor didn’t stop talking.

“And I need insurance too. If the Princess doesn’t grant your request, or if you can’t get Haynes’ son out, your plan will be in vain.”

“…That’s right. Please tell me.”

There was a pause of about a beat.

“I want you to be those guys’ official priest partner. Quit the temporary gig and become official.”