What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 250

Sub Male Lead Goes on Strike – #250

The Peace of the Lord (4)

Things have gotten really bad, but there’s nothing I can do.

“Ugh…”

That’s even worse.

– Rustle, rustle

I put on a gown over my pajamas and sat in the cozy Juliette Palace, scribbling.

It was Saturday night again.

A week had passed since the Saturday dinner filled with the scent of Calvados apples.

It was late, and all the staff had gone to rest, so it was dark all around, but the area around the desk was warmly lit thanks to the silver candlesticks.

It hadn’t snowed for a while outside the window, but snowflakes had been fluttering again since last night.

– Clack! Crackle!

– Rustle, rustle…

If you held your breath, you could hear the sound of snow falling between the crackling of the firewood.

During that time, the Riester Imperial Palace was peaceful.

I don’t know what’s going on outside, but at least it was inside the palace.

According to Benjamin, Emperor Frederick’s crackdown was still going on enthusiastically.

The families of the Imperial Palace servants had been investigated before, but he said that the intensity would be much higher in the future.

The investigation of the great nobles, centered on the Aristocratic Council, was already over, and it seemed that they were now looking into the upper class who traveled between the capital and the territories.

Even the nobles who had studied abroad at the Vatican, as well as the priests, were subject to a full investigation.

If any circumstances of bringing in foreign capital were caught, it was difficult to avoid the persistent pursuit and interrogation of the Imperial Knights.

Even though they were doing such a massive house cleaning, it didn’t devolve into an atmosphere like fear politics or McCarthyism… That must be the leader’s ability.

“You were really cool that day.”

I muttered, recalling the Emperor at the birthday celebration.

‘Squeak?’ Demi, who was lying on her stomach in front of the fireplace, wriggled with curiosity.

Leia and Perry were already in dreamland, making colorful breathing sounds.

Ttuksim, buried deep between them, only showed a bit of her tail. A chuckle escaped.

“Your Majesty, I really respect you. It’s like you were born to be an Emperor.”

– Squeak

In reality, it was a persona created by constant effort and the passage of time.

Anyway, she was a really wonderful adult. Watching her made my heart race for no reason.

I still clearly remembered what the Emperor had declared on her birthday.

‘Some of you may want to believe that Prince Yeser caused this chaos, but in my opinion, anyone who *considers* this chaos is suspicious.’

‘······.’

Red eyes flashed with dignity. The audience couldn’t make a peep.

‘This is not chaos, but a cleansing. It is an act of removing the empire’s old dirt.’

She prepared for the possibility that the arrow would return to me.

She blocked the possibility of criticism in advance so that I, the victim, would not suffer secondary harm.

It was also a way to block the goals of Simon de Sarnese and Werner Venetian.

Thanks to that, no one suggested that I should be kicked out.

I want to be like Your Majesty later.

“······This is not the time to do this.”

I was sulky for a moment, then quickly returned to reality.

As always, all sorts of history books, , and various humanities books were scattered on the desk.

It was close to 12 o’clock, but I couldn’t fall asleep like this.

It was still difficult to go outside, and even if I did, it was difficult to do anything meaningful, so I had to build up my knowledge.

To be honest, I had no common sense about the world outside of Riester.

If you ask me what I’ve been doing for almost a year since I possessed this body…

“This was the best I could do.”

Adapting to a suddenly dropped alien world was a job in itself, so where would I have had time to study neighboring countries, feudal states, and neutral zones!

– Squeak

“It’s okay. I can work hard from now on.”

I have friends who can help. I encouraged myself.

Around that time, Demi slowly approached, grabbed the leg of the chair, and stood up.

It meant she wanted me to hold her, so I willingly put her in my arms and patted her.

Tete had been spreading warmly like a white cloud in her cradle since early evening.

She must have been fast asleep, as she had been quiet so far.

“Okay, let’s see again. The page I was reading is…”

Flapping, the notebook and book turned over at the same time. The records I had written before were clearly visible.

The pages I scribbled on in the early days of possession were already a little faded.

There were many pages with blotchy ink stains until April, but the organization became cleaner as I went back.

‘Avoid vs. Get Involved’, ‘Advantages of Avoiding: Can live until the war’.

Looking at the memos from the past, when I had big dreams, I couldn’t help but laugh.

I’ve tried it, and you can somehow live even if you get involved.

– Flapping…

I was back to where I was studying. I picked up a quill and counted the sentences.

I also looked at the large continental map spread out like a tablecloth.

∙ Neutral Zone

– Area where the ‘Temple of the Boundary’ is located

– Vast deserts, settlements of ethnic minorities, etc. spread around the temple

– Various ancient relics are sleeping

– No army can enter (only Vatican soldiers, excluding indigenous warriors)

– Currently, all Riester people are prohibited from entering (except for some caravans and those with guaranteed identities; quarantine is required)

Thankfully, the map was the latest version that Ganael had obtained.

There was an onion-shaped land between Riester, which occupied a large part of the west of the continent, and Venetian, which straddled the east in a narrower shape.

No. Onion is just my idea, and the continentals thought this place resembled a tulip bulb.

A long time ago, the continent was one country. The country’s name was Unio.

The capital was near the Temple of the Boundary today.

In short, the current neutral zone is a sparsely populated desert, but until about a thousand years ago, it was the center of the homeland flowing with milk and honey.

The Unite River still passes through it, but at the time, it seemed to have flourished like the Egyptian civilization in the Nile River basin.

When Unio was split into two countries, the battle for the capital was fierce, of course…

‘This place, this place is where the peace of the Lord blooms. If you want to see blood here, you’ll have to kill me first!’

Juuuuk. I underlined a piece of children’s history book.

At the time, Pope Mateis Roseharder suddenly appeared in the middle of the city and stopped the battle.

Historians pointed out that the timid man acted too late.

It was after many people had lost their lives and countless relics had been buried in the sand.

‘Your Holiness, it’s dangerous, so please leave!’

‘No! I will not move a single step. Stop sacrificing innocent people!’

Anyway, the man’s appearance was effective.

Even the two forces that were fighting desperately had no choice but to retreat in the face of the Pope’s threat.

In a war where justification was important, it was impossible to dare to abandon religious legitimacy.

He trembled, but steadfastly protected the bleeding believers.

As a result, all armies retreated from before the Pope’s eyes and were never allowed to return.

That was Mateis’s only and eternal achievement.

The land where the Pope’s house was located remained a neutral zone on the continent.

“This is where Eliser said he would meet me. I must have judged that it was difficult to 100% trust the Imperial Family at the point when I was framed… So I wrote a letter.”

I tapped the map with my fingertips. A fancy envelope placed on one side of the desk caught my eye.

The Serenite’s crest firmly sealed the entrance.

That was what I had written, repeating anguish and worry day and night.

I had no idea what Prince Yeser’s handwriting was really like.

For the same reason, I was a little scared because I hadn’t replied to King Christner’s personal letter.

I wondered if I had been nosy, and I thought that the situation could get worse because of me.

But this time, a strange intuition urged me. I was convinced that I was already writing letters in the Prince’s handwriting.

That’s because I, who had never ridden a horse when I was ‘Jeong Yeser’, easily rode a horse here thanks to the Prince’s experience.

I had a knack for most social dances and was good at New Kingdom greetings.

I don’t know ancient languages well, but I could easily read both Venetian and Riester characters.

In short, the basics that I had to learn to survive in the Toegye Gong [a famous Korean Confucian scholar] worldview were already all done with the Prince’s help.

So I gained confidence. I thought I could send a letter to Eliser.

If I could prevent the war by taking a little risk, what couldn’t I do?

‘Should I write about Jeyuk too?’

‘If it’s Jeyuk…’

‘I’m talking about the pig statue on the mantel in the drawing room. The red one.’

‘Oh. You mean that bust.’

Benjamin, who belatedly recalled that Jeyuk was Cornelise’s work, managed his expression.

He seemed to be about to say that it was an eyesore no matter how you looked at it, but I laughed it off because I didn’t want to embarrass him.

I got help from my friends throughout the writing of the letter.

The greetings and closing remarks were based on the Imperial Family’s Book of Etiquette, and I asked the Crown Prince to check it again (“…I’m surprised that you know how to write.” The guy who received my question calmly mocked me. He sometimes hits the nail on the head like this).

To give trust, I unconditionally included the middle name. My sister is Wisil, and I am Rosna.

I opened Christner’s personal letter that I had received last time and looked at it all day long.

I wondered if there was anything that could be of help.

…I completed it after making such a fuss, but it was futile and sad because it was returned without any traces of being read.

“Not now, but.”

– Squeak

That was exactly until a week ago. There was no time to despair.

People might be dying at the border at this very moment, so I couldn’t just dwell on the returned letter.

In the place where I lived, two world wars occurred with a gap of only 25 years.

When I thought that something similar might happen here, my heart would drop even while I was sleeping, and I would get up.

“The letter is done… I have this on my birthday. Should I tell you in class on Monday?”

– Squeak

When I pointed to ‘February 22nd – Great Descent of the Lord’ written in my notebook, the divine beast complained.

She also pressed her belly, as if telling me to go to bed quickly.

I soothed her and checked the time. My mouth dropped open.

What did I do that it’s already 1 o’clock!

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was this late.”

– Squeak

“Oh, I hate you. Let’s go to sleep. I’ll stop studying.”

Tomorrow is Ganael’s birthday, so a lot of guests were scheduled to come from the morning. I quickly got up with the notebook in my pocket and Demi in my arms. Sleep was important.

*

The next day, February 14th, was very clear.

The always beautiful interior, as well as the outside, was dazzlingly beautiful with snow piled up.

The cold had also subsided.

It was weather that was in many ways perfect to call it Ganael’s birthday.

The big golden eyes sparkled with overflowing affection.

I carefully looked into the room and quickly received the cake from the kind Laurence.

“Ta-da!”

Then, I entered with a beaming face.

I didn’t forget to move carefully so that the candle wouldn’t go out.

‘Wow!’, ‘It’s so pretty!’ Soon, exclamations poured out from all directions.

When I presented the cake decorated in sky blue and gold in front of today’s protagonist, the friends who had gathered around added a word each.

Most of them were similar words. ‘Ganael, hurry up!’ Or ‘Make a wish quickly, Ganael!’

“Yes. Hooo…!”

“Waaaa!”

The child laughed quietly and blew out the candles.

The seventeen candles that went out all at once were exactly seventeen.

That was why a scene from had been lingering in my head for several days.

I whispered softly enough for only Ganael to hear. ‘Thank you always. Happy birthday.’

Then the boy’s eyes became moist.

“May the blessing of the Lord be with you.”

“Ganael, happy birthday!”

“Happy birthday, Ganael!”

“Congratulations. I hope you are happy!”

“Always be healthy.”

“…Thank you all, sincerely.”

The Juliette family, including Benjamin, and Eva, Sant, and Sir Johann, greeted in a row.

David from Romero Palace and Agnes from Sanjiki also added kind words.

Ganael had a face full of happiness that made me feel good.

‘Yap!’ Christel quickly took the cake with her index finger and smeared whipped cream on the boy’s cheek.

Laughter erupted. The moment Pierre followed her and smeared cream on his friend’s nose,

– Poong!

“Aaaagh!”

“Good Lord!”

A small magic tool firecracker exploded!

Then, colorful paper butterflies began to flutter around Ganael.

Everyone was mesmerized by the amazing sight.

Marquis Francois looked at us and laughed pleasantly.

“Hahaha! You were very surprised. I’m sorry, Madam.”

“It’s okay. You made a very beautiful thing, Marquis.”

He, who had come up from the territory again for today, kissed Isabel’s hand and introduced his invention in a flash.

The Crown Prince, who was sitting proudly on the sofa, let out a silent sigh.

It was like watching a scene from a sitcom, and a burst of laughter flowed out.

I was impressed that he had attended on time even though he was making all sorts of faces, so I…

– Tuk!

Huh?

“Sant, you dropped this.”

“Ah! Thank you, Prince Yeser. I almost lost it!”

The priest bowed deeply and expressed his gratitude.

His already round eyes widened even more, so the envelope I picked up must have been a very important item.

I smiled faintly and unconsciously looked at the outer envelope.

‘In commemoration of the Great Descent of the Lord in the Holy Year 1614

Pilgrimage schedule to the Temple of the Boundary’

…Huh?