What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 144

#144 The Greatest Show on Earth! (3)

Benjamin and David cleared their throats.

“What’s going on outside?”

“There’s something more important than that, Marquis.”

Christel whispered resolutely.

Even in the darkness, I looked down at her sparkling blue-gray eyes.

“It’s about Emil de As, the head of the As Merchant Guild. He’s a very bad guy.”

“…How did Sir Sarnese know that?”

“Huh? How did you two know?”

The protagonist asked back. Right next to her, Crown Prince Cedric let out a long sigh.

*Don’t do that, the humidity is rising.*

“I found out while interrogating his sister, Joan de As,” I whispered.

Christel wasn’t present during Joan’s interrogations, so it was difficult for her to know the situation.

As the story continued about the art fraud at the auction house and how Emil hadn’t properly paid his sister for the paintings, she frowned deeply.

“I thought he was just an immature brat, but he’s not even fully human. What a moron….” Christel muttered fiercely to herself.

I tried my best to pretend I didn’t hear and brought up the next point.

“And, it was difficult to confirm, so I didn’t tell Sir Sarnese, but… there was also a statement that the guild leader was aiming for your husband’s position. They said he was ‘blinded by social climbing.’”

“That’s right.”

She looked straight at us and whispered. I blinked in surprise.

*You knew? Or did you find out after meeting him separately?*

“That guy thinks he’s really great. He has a severe case of narcissism. The problem is, he doesn’t stop at satisfying himself but also schemes against other people. He elevates himself that way.”

It was a great relief that Christel hadn’t fallen for him, but Emil was like an onion; no matter how much you peeled, something kept coming out.

Her tone was sharp.

“He slandered the Marquis in front of us. What an idiot.”

“Me?”

“That figures.”

The Crown Prince muttered coldly. I groaned and changed my posture.

The temperature difference between the two was extreme, so I couldn’t help it. *It’s a little better. No, it’s the same.*

“What does he gain by slandering me?”

“Everyone is friendly with the Marquis, so he must be jealous. Did he think we would like him if we didn’t like the Marquis?”

“……”

This was a bit embarrassing.

*I wish I had some divine beast or snacks, but my hands were empty, making it hard to shake off the awkwardness.*

I quickly pulled out a sacred stone bead the size of my pinky nail from my inner pocket.

These were processed for experimentation by the imperial blacksmith Frank, so the sizes were consistent.

I placed one in the palm of the Crown Prince and Christel, and the two men and women stared at me intently.

I made a plausible suggestion.

“We haven’t experimented in the dark before. Since we’re here, let’s try it out before we leave.”

“Very well.”

Christel smiled and fiddled with the bead. Then, she continued without hesitation.

“Anyway, it’s not like our liking for the Marquis is one-sided, right? The Marquis likes us too, so we’re close, but the guild leader doesn’t understand that.”

“……”

“Relationships can’t be built on one person’s tyranny.”

Her gaze intertwined with the Crown Prince’s.

Instinctively feeling like I should avoid it, I stretched my neck back.

Christel raised the corner of her lips. A belated greeting flowed out.

“It seems like it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other and talked like this, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The eyes, accustomed to the dimness, captured the movement of the Crown Prince’s eyebrows.

There were no particular words, but it was clearly a favorable gesture.

They hadn’t been taking Sir Johann’s classes together, so it must have felt like a long time.

*I 괜히 held my breath in the middle, feeling strangely itchy.*

*I wonder if Eunseo felt like this every time she read Toegye Gong [a prominent Korean Confucian scholar].*

“So, what are you going to do? It seems like we need some cider right now.”

“Cider?”

The Crown Prince asked back at Christel’s words. She replied, “It’s like cidre [a sparkling apple cider].”

“It has bubbles, so it feels refreshing when you drink it. We need to give As a cidre-like, cool revenge.”

“Actually… I was thinking of proceeding with the investigation as is. Reporting to His Majesty and having the imperial family and the Imperial Guard step in seems like the cleanest picture.” I whispered.

*I don’t dislike cider developments, but I’ve never done such a thing in my life, so I didn’t even think about putting it into action.*

But our protagonist seemed different. Her blue eyes sparkled like 귀화 [purification/becoming one].

“That’s the standard way, but the guild leader will obviously try to get away with a fine. Even his sister said that he would have loopholes to escape, right?”

That was true. Emil was trying to resolve his sister’s crimes with money as well.

Even if legal action was taken, he would likely slip away like a 미꾸라지 [loach, a type of fish known for being slippery] and quickly restore his image.

The art fraud auction was also likely to leave only Joan as the villain. Then….

“That guy wants honor and believes he can be perfect if he just has status. So, we need to torment him with that to make an impact.”

Christel said slyly. Just listening to her voice, she sounded like a villain.

“We need to embarrass him in front of a lot of people.”

“Interesting.”

The Crown Prince immediately responded. It was new, but I was a little worried because they were both so combative.

*

The strategy meeting ended in an instant. The plan itself was simple, so there was nothing to add.

Lady Elizabeth’s cheeks had been red ever since we came out of the closet, but thankfully it wasn’t a cold.

Ganael confirmed that there was nothing to worry about at all.

Christel suddenly looked into the face of the 소백작 [small count/countess]. The two burst into laughter.

That’s how the next day came.

September 1st. The beginning of autumn and the second day of the As Auction House’s Sacred Object Week.

It was the start date of the operation.

“Ugh.”

I groaned in the rattling carriage. The experiment we conducted in the closet yesterday also failed.

∙ Sacred Stone Test Results

– Supplying special ether while running (intense exercise): Failed

– Supplying while asleep (peace of mind): Failed

– Supplying small amounts for a long time (one drop per minute): Failed

– Supplying large amounts at once: Failed

.

.

.

– Supplying in a dark place: Failed!

A page of the notebook was filled with the word ‘Failed.’

While the Crown Prince was busy with state affairs, Christel, Sir Johann, and I took the time to conduct various tests with the sacred stone.

The only case where the sacred stone maintained its shape for a long time was when I simultaneously opened a circle and supplied ether to a holy knight.

It seems that the power of the priest greatly affects the stability of the mineral….

“Hey, Marquis.”

I perked up. Joan, sitting across from me, was looking at me with a somewhat intimidated face.

“Are you really okay with this? I don’t belong in a place like this. What if the nobles at the auction house see me and laugh?”

She rattled off.

Joan, the painter and attempted robber, had come to cooperate with our operation, half voluntarily and half involuntarily.

After washing up, putting on new clothes borrowed from the 영주성 [lord’s castle] servants, and dusting off the scarf she wore on her head, she looked presentable.

Benjamin and Ganael still seemed dissatisfied with her speaking informally to me.

Lady Elizabeth, who had also boarded to monitor Joan, felt the same way.

I tilted my head in a different sense.

“Is that how you see yourself?”

“I’m proud of myself, but the standards of the higher-ups are different, right? My hair is like this too.”

‘I don’t exactly have the image of a well-educated artist, do I?’ she grumbled.

I stared at Joan’s jaggedly cut hair. Come to think of it, I was curious about that.

“May I ask why it turned out that way?”

“One of the gang members was in debt because he was taking care of his mother. I paid it off by selling my hair.”

“……”

“Is it boring? If you’re not happy, put me back in jail or buy me an expensive wig.”

Joan snapped. I thought there might be a story, but I didn’t expect it to be like this.

I smiled and replied.

“That’s wonderful. It seems like it will be trendy in the capital.”

“What….”

“Oh, right, this is the magic tool I explained this morning.”

I took out a pair of ear cuffs from my pocket. Joan’s mouth dropped open.

These were items worn on the ear cartilage, and this time, Christel personally purchased them from the 르고 종합 무역소 [Leugo General Trading Company] for party supplies.

She was currently riding in the Sarnese ducal family’s carriage following behind.

The Crown Prince was riding in the imperial carriage ahead.

“They say it erases the wearer’s presence for 15 minutes on one side, 30 minutes in total. It’s disposable, and you activate it by touching the magnetic ore attached here three times. Use it once when the carriage door opens in front of the guild building, and then….”

That’s when it happened.

-Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!

Someone knocked loudly on the window. We were startled and looked out the window.

*What on a running carriage,*

“Toughie!”

I exclaimed in a sigh. My eyes were about to pop out.

The wren was enthusiastically pecking at the window. It didn’t end there.

“Demi, hey! You’re going to break your ankle!”

“Marquis, please calm down.”

The 소백작’s voice, saying that, was also trembling tremendously.

That was because Toughie was flapping its wings while gripping a lesser panda about twenty times its size with its feet.

Benjamin and Ganael began to pray, looking up at the sky.

I was horrified and gaped.

I deliberately left them behind because I was afraid of an accident, but they followed me like this?!

“Why….”

Subsequently, the carriage slowed down. It wasn’t because the coachman had discovered them.

Seeing that the As Guild building was right in front of us, it seemed that guests attending the auction had begun to disembark from the carriages ahead.

I quickly opened the door and embraced the troublemakers. Demi pressed hard on my ribs.

-Squeak, squeak

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I thought you guys would be uncomfortable because there are so many strangers.”

-Peep, peep, peep!

“I didn’t leave you behind because I hated you.”

-Grumble!

For some reason, they kept scolding me.

Especially Toughie, even after getting into the carriage, kept pecking at the window with its beak.

Ganael finally looked outside and gasped.

“Marquis, look over there. The guild’s carriage is leaking water!”

“Huh?”

I carefully grabbed Toughie and looked beyond the glass to confirm.

What the boy pointed to was a cargo carriage with the As Guild’s crest emblazoned on it.

The carriage was heading towards the back door of the building, and when the double doors at the rear rattled, a large amount of water poured out through the gap.

It looked like there was some kind of mobile bathtub inside.

I was flustered and looked at the wren and the lesser panda.

“Is that why you’re doing this?”

-Squeak

“What’s inside?”

-Peep

I wish I could understand what they were saying…. Everyone had a troubled look.

Joan, seeing this spectacle for the first time, was completely넋이 빠져 [넋이 빠지다: to be stunned/mesmerized]. I repeatedly looked out the window.

At that moment,

“Gasp.”

A white tail passed through the gap in the carriage door, and a pair of black eyes flashed.

Goosebumps ran all over my body. I quickly turned to look at the group.

Benjamin, sitting inside, nodded. I wasn’t mistaken.

“Just now, that….”

“It’s not human. But it’s definitely a living thing.”

The 소백작 said calmly. The guild’s carriage had already turned the corner and disappeared.

Our carriage was also moving slowly. It was almost time to get off.

Joan and I exchanged glances.

“Does your brother trade living auction items too?”

“Rare magical beasts have appeared a few times.”

“Then was that also a magical beast?”

Ganael asked. I shook my head.

Because the crystal bell in my pocket was too quiet.

Besides, if it were a magical beast, Demi and Toughie wouldn’t have flown all the way here to find me….

Could it be.

“A divine beast?”

-Squeak!

-Peep!

They cried out vigorously as if it were the correct answer.

My mouth dropped open at the unexpected development, and the back of my head throbbed.

Clearly, today’s operation was very simple and clear. But how did it end up like this….

“Demi, are there other divine beasts besides Leah and Perry?”

“I think so. As soon as we go in, we need to meet the guild leader and ask him to take down that auction item, or order him to….”

As I answered Ganael’s cautious question, Demi and Toughie grabbed my collar and cravat and pulled wildly.

It was a desperate gesture to quickly go out and save the mysterious divine beast.

Everyone held their breath and watched the scene. Soon, Demi’s eyes welled up with tears.

-Squeak….

“Damn it.”

In the end, I handed only one of the two ear cuffs to Joan and wore one myself.

Lady Elizabeth was greatly surprised but didn’t stop me.

I bowed to my friends who understood me first.

“Thank you. Please take care of Demi.”

“Marquis, please be careful.”

“Don’t worry about this side.”

“I’ll tell His Highness and Lady Christel.”

-Grumble!

Benjamin, Ganael, Lady Elizabeth, and Demi replied in turn. A smile naturally appeared.

At the same time, the carriage came to a complete stop.

“Yes, I trust you. See you later.”

Tap, tap, tap. Joan and I tapped the gems on the ear cuffs three times.

As soon as the coachman opened the door, I slipped out silently.

Then, I quickly walked towards the alley and issued a command to the sky.

“Jung Toughie, guide me.”

-Peep peep!