What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 218

Sub-Male Lead’s Strike – Episode 218

#218

Faith, Hope, Age of Exploration?! (1)

December 21st, morning.

“The country is a mess.”

That was Frederique Liestelle’s assessment of the current situation.

Orelie stroked her arm with a troubled expression.

Only a few people were present in the Imperial Palace audience chamber.

The Crown Prince and Elisabeth. Duke Simon de Sarnez and Archbishop Eugenie Keshier.

And a near-dead Imperial Guard.

“We agreed not to say that in public.”

“Then I’ll rephrase. My national administration skills are a mess.”

“Frederique.”
The Cardinal whispered soothingly.

The only soul connected to her had been rampaging with irritation and self-reproach for days.

Orelie released her ether, as vast as a river, and enveloped the Emperor’s soul.

A religious partner existed for moments like these.

Although she was also handling half the role of a political partner after Alexandre’s death, this was her main job.

To stabilize the other’s vessel and be a mental pillar.

‘Haa…’ The Emperor, feeling the partner’s ether, took a long breath and opened her eyes.

Even if one wasn’t a Paladin, they could sufficiently feel the influence of sacred power.

The cherry-colored eyes, which had been jumping around, calmly settled down. Soon, her stern lips opened.

“I sent nearly forty Imperial Guards, and only two returned alive. One died before enduring the torture, and the last survivor is now before me. And this man testifies that Johann Haynes massacred the Imperial Guard, and Yeseo Venetian was behind it.”

“……”

A heavy silence lingered.

The soldier, wrapped in bandages all over his body, trembled like an aspen tree, kneeling in the lowest position.

“Elisabeth. Did I understand correctly?”

“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Deputy Commander solemnly replied. Her gray eyes struggled to remain calm.

“Is it also true that Archbishop Keshier vouches for this man’s testimony?”

“Yes. As soon as I secured the guards’ testimony, I dispatched the Imperial carriage to the Central Temple to bring the on-duty bishop. This happened around 2:30 AM today. Archbishop Eunha, who happened to be at the temple, recognized the urgency of the situation and volunteered. Eunha opened a circle [a magical or divine ritual] in the presence of myself and two other guards and received the returnees’ confessions.”

“Ether reaction?”

Elisabeth hesitated to answer quickly and swallowed hard.

The Emperor’s voice lowered.

“There was none.”

“……”

The young knight affirmed with a respectful bow. It meant that the two soldiers’ words were ‘truthful.’

Crown Prince Cedrick, who had been quietly guarding his mother, opened his mouth.

“Archbishop Keshier.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“I believe the man had something to say about the Imperial Guard Commander.”

Then the Archbishop respectfully replied.

“That is correct. There was a statement that the Guard Commander protected the Prince’s party and led them to the Dium Marquisate.”

“His purpose?”

“He didn’t seem to know that far. He was just a soldier…”

The old man gave a troubled look. The following words were very cautious.

“However, for a Marquis, a noble member of the Imperial Family, to harbor someone accused of treason is of impure intent…”

“Eunha.”

Duke Sarnez gently interrupted.

His left face, not covered by a mask, was as serious as ever. It was the attitude of the Emperor’s confidant.

“Please refrain from unfounded remarks. It could be a serious matter.”

“…I apologize for causing concern to such noble individuals. I am getting old, and my judgment is not what it used to be.”

Keshier immediately backed down. The Emperor calmly observed the two.

She knew what the Archbishop meant.

A great noble with the legitimacy to challenge the throne was protecting the Prince, who was raising soldiers from an enemy country, willingly embracing him.

What that implied was disturbingly clear.

It was a hypothesis that even a commoner in a store or a clown on the street could not ignore.

Treason.

“Simon.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“You said you sent the Imperial Capital Defense Force to the south. How is the search going?”

“There have been no results even on the land route leading to the central region. However, at the portal leading to the Marquisate… A Defense Force knight fought with a knight from the Marquisate and returned injured.”
The Duke said quietly.

A mere family knight dared to resist the Emperor’s public authority with force.

The monarch’s red gaze sank like dead blood.

“…Everyone, step back. I will discuss this with my partner and son.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Obeying the Imperial order, everyone paid their respects and stepped back.

Only the closest aides, such as Natalina David, remained at a distance.

Some silence flowed in that state. The Crown Prince sighed.

-Whoosh!

At the same time, flames soared from the braziers on both sides of the carpet.

David gasped and looked at her master.

However, the two adults remained silent, as if they had expected it and could tolerate this much tantrum.

-……Tap, tap!

-Thump, thump, thump!

Then, hurried footsteps flowed in from the rear of the audience chamber.

Through the secret door opened by the chamberlain, Laura, uninvited guests were appearing one after another.

Not only Elisabeth, who had just left, but also Duchess Eva Blanquer… and…

“A rebel, a kid, and even a roe deer. Now that I see it, the Imperial Palace is a mess too.”
The Emperor said, looking at Sant, Herrit, and Chestnut, as if dumbfounded.

Orelie smiled and looked back at her.

“If you keep doing that, I’m going to tell the Prince to raise a puppy too.”

“Orelie.”

Frederique said sternly. Cedrick also frowned as he looked at those who followed.

“What business do a priest and a child have here?”

“Priest Sant did amazing things with Herrit at Claire Square yesterday.”

“Show us, Priest. Quickly!”

Elisabeth and Eva said, their eyes shining.

Although the Duchess’s eyes were swollen and many friends were not here, the atmosphere in the audience chamber was completely different from ten minutes ago.

Sant, who respectfully bowed to the Imperial Family, looked down at Herrit.

The child blinked his mint-colored eyes and opened the leather bag hanging on Chestnut’s back.

The roe deer, which had grown quite a bit, pawed the ground.

-Rustle, rustle

“Is the Grand Preceptor’s salary insufficient?”
The Cardinal worried. It was because the child had taken out a whole bunch of what looked like advertisements.

Frederique snorted, but Sant handed the paper to Laura.

Laura immediately presented it to the Emperor. The Prince’s orange eyes followed.

“…Sarah Beliard’s anonymous letter has been transformed into a flyer.”
The Emperor summarized after scanning the contents.

“Yeah. There are also rumors about ‘Sky of the Heavens’.”

Orelie added.

The propaganda, which mixed some facts about the Prince with many lies, was surprisingly provocative.

Even a little careful reading would reveal a lack of logic and evidence.

However, if this was found in Claire Square, not in an upscale residential district, the opponent trying to cause confusion was not the upper class.

Incitement doesn’t need to be meticulous and accurate in the first place.

“They’re trying to tarnish public sentiment about the Prince.”

If the foundation is undermined, it is easy to shake the upper part as well. It was the basics of intrigue.

“Yes, this time I’ve been thoroughly disliked. Or…”
The Emperor said, looking back at her son.

She had an expression that she believed in her partner and wanted to believe, but was annoyed to death by the situation that was pulling her in the opposite direction.

“Don’t worry, Herrit collected most of them!”

“What?”

The mother and son opened their mouths at the same time.

Sant proudly stroked the child’s back and explained.

“I thought it was time for Herrit to get a haircut, so I took him to a barbershop in the square. Until now, Sir Johann has always taken care of it…”

To summarize the long and talkative story, it was like this.

Sant, who wanted to show Herrit the skills of an expert, took the child’s hand and went to a nice salon with glass windows.

They even waited for a window seat to open up so they could watch the crowds in the square.

After waiting a full 30 minutes to start getting his hair done in the prime spot, Herrit suddenly pointed to the passersby outside the window and groaned.

‘What’s wrong, Herrit? Are those guys pickpocketing or something?’

He shook his head. He looked very serious.

Sant took out the writing utensils he always carried and handed them to the child.

The answer that came back clearly was shocking.

‘Those people are talking bad about the Prince. I want to go and punish them.’

“Reading lips is Herrit’s specialty. So, I hurriedly left after cutting only half of his hair, and the child ran up and snatched the flyers from their hands!”

He generously offered a gold coin! All eyes in the square were on the child.

Giving the paper with the Prince’s name on it earned gold.

The word ‘reward’ spread quickly.

Tearing one off the wall and picking one up from the floor earned a whopping two gold coins.

The ripple effect of the new alchemy was enormous!

“So… you punished them with money?”

“You could say that, Your Highness. I collected all the ones scattered in the square. It was about 200, and it didn’t even take an hour!”

“Heung, heung.”

Sant said excitedly, and Herrit smiled shyly. The Emperor let out a hollow laugh.

“Where did you get so much gold? The Grand Preceptor isn’t one to teach you such economic concepts.”

“……”

Then the child twisted his body and looked at Cedrick.

His white cheeks were flushed with gratitude.

Elisabeth shrugged her shoulders because this situation was funny and absurd.

Other kids save their allowance to buy snacks and ribbons, but Sir Haynes’s child bought public opinion with his allowance…

“David.”
The Prince, staring at the child, quietly called the aide.

David nodded immediately and recorded in his notebook. ‘Herrit’s allowance tripled.’

“I will be meeting Duke Cecil Blanquer in the near future.”

Suddenly, the Emperor changed the subject. The Count protected Eva’s shoulder as if to shield her.

Herrit and Sant also took her hands. The two royals looked at each other.

“Didn’t you say that the same ink was found in the anonymous letter and the letter that Blanquer sent to the Duchess?”

“Yes.”

“Also, considering that the end of the letter implies the Prince’s downfall and that the Count suddenly died…”

“Someone instigated it. They used the Count, who had ill feelings towards the Prince, as a messenger and then disposed of him.”

Duke Andreazzi, the culprit of the founding ceremony terror incident, was the same case.

The Emperor nodded at the Prince’s answer.

“There’s no way the Duke would quietly let his son’s death pass. He will definitely come to me.”

“Yes.”

“What will you do?”

Two eyes of completely different colors, resembling flames, intertwined in the air for a long time.

The Emperor’s voice became chillingly low.

“It’s time for the Imperial Family to move.”

Cedrick saw a hallucination of aura exploding from his mother.

It was the anger of a pure Sword Master without a single speck of dust. It was a fitting reaction.

Through the reports of the Duke and the Archbishop a little while ago, they succeeded in glimpsing the overall picture.

Now there were two possibilities.

If they were of the Imperial bloodline, they had to dissect both sides one by one.

Clear possibilities and a thin thread of anxiety.

Sarnez and Dium.

“You will have to confirm one of them with your sword.”
The Emperor whispered the training of a beast. They were fundamentally different from Orelie Boutier.

Even if they didn’t want to hurt them, they had to be able to suspect them.

That was the destiny of the adjutant.

Everyone was gathered in the living room of the Dium Estate.

I carefully said, patting Demi and Tete, who were asleep in the twin cradles.

“It is reckless to push to the Imperial Capital. That would be like confronting Her Majesty’s army. That’s exactly what the Duke is aiming for.”

“I think so too, Prince. Also, taking half of the Knights is a big risk. It’s a time when my brother is ailing, so we have to consider the security of the territory.”

Lord Erbe Dium took the words. Friends were buzzing everywhere.

We were having a heated debate about how to safely reach the Imperial Palace and how to clear our name.

Since the news that we couldn’t even send a message to the Emperor, we had been eating and talking together here.

Marquis Francois Dium, who woke up around noon, looked somewhat tired, but this time, he raised his hand and spoke.

“Ailing? Aren’t you joking too much? Call me a sickly, handsome young brother.”

“Is someone almost forty still young?”

Sixteen-year-old Ganael sent someone to the grave with an innocent expression.

When the Marquis became quiet, the fourth, Maria, raised her arms and shouted.

“How about this? We’ll never get caught by anyone! Flee to the Principality of Corleone!”

“……”

“Then re-enter illegally through the portal! Isn’t it amazing!”

The place became as cold as if Christel had poured glacial water on it.