What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 283

#283

The Last King of the Thousand-Year Kingdom! (7)

Hanan Lumayun began to tell us a story from a very long time ago.

A time when she was still alive.

An era when her homeland, Unio, thrived as the sole nation on the continent.

A thousand years of memories buried in the sand and eroded by the wind.

-······Yuri Venetian was my Marquis. An ambitious Cardinal. He was a remarkable elder statesman of the East, driven and accomplished, admired by all.

A weighty voice resonated.

Beneath the thick eye makeup that covered even her temples, her ornate eyes seemed lost in the past.

The woman’s large form rippled like the surface of a calm lake.

The cloth wrapped around her head stretched out in all directions, like fingertips reaching for the old days.

Beyond the spirit body, gold and silver treasures sparkled like the Milky Way, incessantly adorning the queen.

In the distance, candlelight flickered, and the spirits listened to her words with respectful attention.

-I, too, trusted and respected Yuri. Even after ascending the throne, I learned much from him, who was my elder. He often treated his subordinates harshly, but I believed he did so only to maintain order in the palace. But…

Yuri Venetian harbored a darkness far deeper than I had imagined.

I knew that he, nearing seventy, must have seen much hardship in his life.

It spoke volumes that he served as Prime Minister, surpassing the Liester Ducal House, which had close ties to the royal family.

But it turned out that the Marquis held a very dangerous belief.

No, the word ‘dangerous’ was not enough.

-In short, he believed that the most powerful figure in the political world and the most powerful figure in the religious world should be one and the same. He thought the Pope should rule the continent.

I quickly turned to look at Marion.

The child sitting next to Sir Johann nodded at me.

That was the beginning of Unio’s division.

-I don’t know what the faith is like these days, now that the continent is divided in two, but back then, the Pope and I held similar status. Some people followed the Pope even more closely. But my opinion differed.

Hanan was a very progressive figure by the standards of the time.

I heard that the Lumayun royal family itself originated from a noble family of a minority group.

She believed that the Pope’s authority would weaken over time.

It was a world where the Main God did not reveal its true form.

There was a limit to saving the people through religion, so she believed that the secular ruler should take care of the country and fill in the gaps.

Above all, she thought that power should be concentrated in one place for the country to prosper.

It was truly extraordinary foresight, considering that religion held much more sway than it does now.

-The people are not fools or livestock. How long could a system last where the Vatican collected religious taxes and the King collected national taxes once more? Surely they are not still doing that, are they?

“The Pope is not present here. And Liester does not collect religious taxes.”

I answered quickly before finishing my water. As a Marquis, I had studied taxes a little.

Ironically, I don’t know about Venetian’s situation.

“Venetian collects religious taxes. However, the difference is that it also goes into the national treasury,” Sir Johann explained instead.

Hanan clicked her tongue and asked why the Pope was absent.

This time, the Crown Prince opened his mouth bluntly. “The Main God did not prepare him.”

Then the spirits were startled and buzzed. The Queen blinked in astonishment.

‘The world is just as bad as it was!’ Such a sigh also echoed.

-Thus… Gradually, the conflict became acute. Yuri began to openly gather forces. It was not difficult because he was originally a Cardinal from a powerful family. But I was different. I was a two-year-old upstart who had just ascended the throne, and the only one who sincerely believed in my political philosophy was Duke Lazar Liester.

In fact, a rebellion was brewing. Shadows fell on her deep eyes.

Duke Liester was a famous Swordmaster and the royal fencing instructor, and he raised knights without discriminating against those from minority groups.

If they were skilled, he did not make a big distinction between nobles and commoners.

In short, he was an outsider in Unio’s political world.

He was rich and powerful, so everyone fawned over him, but that was it.

He was not someone who could become the center of power, she said.

-To accept the Pope as the sole emperor meant that only the priests and paladins who followed him could seize power. But clergy were usually born into noble families. No, I should say the causal relationship had changed. Only families that consistently produced clergy were structured to become nobles.

“That’s kind of shitty.”

Joan, who was chewing jerky, said abruptly.

I was worried that it was too blasphemous, but Hanan was not offended, surprisingly.

She looked down at the painter and smirked.

Her impression softened so much when she smiled that I felt dazed for a moment.

-Yes, ‘it was shitty.’ I thought that families that did not produce clergy should also be able to have a voice. Especially among minority groups. Magicians, swordsmen, poets, painters. Those skilled in civil engineering and architecture.

‘Theologians and scientists. Inventors and diviners. Alchemists!’ The Queen’s eyes sparkled.

Her gaze became distant, as if fixed on a faraway star.

Even though I wasn’t close to her, I could be sure.

Hanan deeply loved her country and was clearly a leader who dreamed of paradise.

“Then, then why did Marquis Venetian only like clergy? Because he was a Cardinal, Your Majesty? Was he greedy?”

‘Theologian’ Marion asked in a small voice like a sparrow.

Although she was trembling, she was a brave and smart child.

Sir Johann laughed softly and put a blanket around the child’s shoulders.

The Queen looked at the girl for a moment, then gave a low answer.

-Looking back… Yuri judged that it was reasonable. I believed that the King should bear the burden of the country, but he wanted a structure centered on the Pope. That was definitely the easier path. The people’s respect for the clergy was naturally obtained. There was no need to try to gather support or listen to their voices.

‘Lazar called him a snake-like old man, but that was a judgment based on his own experience.’ She spat out the sentence like a sigh.

The anger that had endured for so long faded into black and white, and the woman came to understand the old man on the opposite side, whom she could not understand.

The spirits drooped their shoulders as they looked at her.

For a while, a heavy silence lingered in the crypt. It was Sant who carefully brought up the subject.

“That… I heard that our ancestor betrayed Your Majesty. But, well. Excuse me, but our history books don’t teach that… I’m sorry.”

The priest hunched his round back as much as possible.

‘I’m the youngest, so I’ve never received in-depth education at home.’ His voice was barely audible.

-…Ha.

Then the Queen let out a hollow laugh. Her expression instantly hardened like stone.

She silently looked up at the ceiling, took several deep breaths—

-Paaaaa!

“Heooock!”

“Euaaaack!”

She emitted a fierce aura! We were thrown out without any time to prepare.

I curled up like a pill bug, protecting Demi and Tite in my arms.

My eyes were naturally closed at the floating sensation. The inside of the crypt was full of hard pillars and stone walls.

Please let my head be okay, please!

-Thud! Thump, thump! Clang!

“Augh!”

“Ayaya.”

“Mommy!”

-Kkiuu!

…It didn’t hurt as much as I thought! I blinked slowly.

I was surprised, but it was just like rolling lightly down a hill of gold coins.

The floor was softer than I thought, as if there was a mattress hidden underneath.

The other Divine Beasts, friends, and Marion were also fine.

The Crown Prince next to me was rotating his wrist. I guess he fell with a breakfall [a technique to break a fall and minimize injury].

-Pinwheel…! Pinwheel…!

The spirits cried out eerily, pointing at Sir Johann. All their eyes were wide open.

I smiled faintly and nodded to the Cardinal.

The man also returned a playful bow.

Yes, it was thanks to his power that we were safe.

-Haa, hoo… Mateis Els Roseharder is…

‘He was my friend.’ Hanan, who had unleashed her wrath, declared with difficulty. It was in the past tense.

The two had been friends since they were four years old.

They studied together at the Temple of the Boundary and were always together.

The combination of a rowdy princess who liked to fight and a timid nobleman who only delved into books was surprising to everyone.

But Hanan liked him because he encouraged her, saying ‘It’s okay, it’s cool’ even when he saw her weak side.

Mateis considered Hanan, who took him everywhere despite his love for letters, as his only friend.

The two people who grew up like that became the King and the Pope.

-Purple smoke rose from the temple chimney, and his name appeared on the Holy Grail [symbolizing his election as Pope]. Even Count Roseharder was surprised to hear that his son had become the Pope. To be exact, all the people of Unio were shocked. Because he wasn’t even a Cardinal. I was the only one who was calm.

‘I always thought he was Pope material.’ The woman’s voice seemed to fade away.

The rippling hem of her clothes also calmed down. We listened intently, forgetting to breathe.

-When the internal strife began to surface, I asked Mateis for help. Because I knew he was on my side.

“But did he refuse?”

Joan asked bluntly. She already looked angry at Mateis. Her immersion was amazing.

-No, he made a promise. As a King, as a friend, as an equal leader… That he would always respect me. That those who had not received the power of the Main God should not be cast out of His embrace. He said such flowery words. So I committed the sin of complacency.

She paused after saying that. The story ended terribly simply.

-On the day the Venetian forces attacked the palace, an ultimatum with the Pope’s seal arrived.

“…”

-I denied reality. Even as I watched the vassals and knights dying bloody beside me, I believed that it was not Mateis’s will. I shouted that I would meet him directly until my throat was hoarse, and I fought while destroying the entire palace and city. But he did not take a single step out of the temple. Until I…

‘Until I die here.’

She whispered. That was the end. Hanan lowered her eyelids and clenched her mouth.

The spirits leaned on each other and barely maintained their souls. We fell into silence.

I didn’t know what words to use to comfort her, whether it would be comforting at all, or whether she would even want it.

I didn’t know anything, so I couldn’t dare to part my lips.

At that time, Peri poked his nose out of Sant’s arms.

Then he suddenly cried out to the Queen!

-Kkiiing!

Aigo! I took a deep breath and bit my lip. The woman silently stared at the Divine Beast.

The priest looked at her and didn’t know what to do, then opened his mouth hesitantly.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for this too, and that.”

-…

“I, I am still ignorant. I don’t know why he made such a decision, why he betrayed Your Majesty. So I hate to say this, and you may be offended. But… But it is true that my ancestor caused great pain to Your Majesty. You have been suffering for a thousand years…”

-…

“And I have lived with many, many privileges as his descendant. So I think I should be in a position to apologize…”

-…

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”

Sant bowed his head. Peri also obediently lowered his tail.

A short gasp came from above.

As if we had promised, we lowered our eyes and waited for Hanan’s answer.

The longer the silence lasted, the more anxious and uneasy I felt.

It would be nice if she accepted the apology, but she had been trapped in her tomb for so long—

-…Next, I will declare two wishes. You living beings must remember them clearly so that there is no need to ask again.

“Huh?”

I raised my head in a fluster. Joan’s jaw was about to fall off.

I couldn’t believe the Queen’s reaction.

The spirits were also shocked, and those who appeared to be knights rushed forward and knelt before Hanan.

They looked up at her earnestly and burst into tears.

-Aaaa, aaaaa…!

-Your Majesty, Your Majesty! How can you do this so easily!

-Revenge, revenge, revenge…!

The red souls trembled and spread like bloody tears.

Those who had forgotten much could not even form proper sentences.

Hanan quietly raised her arm, which was full of ornaments.

The surroundings became silent in an instant.

-I want your rest.

-…

-I know that you have not been able to rest, trapped by my regret. Would there have been joy in wandering the desert, bound by the past, and living as a sleepless soul? Would you have felt the worth of your life?

-…

-It would be fortunate if you did not resent me.

-Ah, no, no!.

-Don’t send us away. Don’t send us away. Don’t send us away…!

The spirits screamed.

They knelt at the Queen’s feet and sobbed without tears, clinging to her clothes and shouting.

It was a sight that was hard to watch because it hurt my heart.

But Hanan looked down only at us with a straight posture. There was not a trace of wavering in her firmly closed jaw and straight eyes.

I looked at her and thought.

This person would have been a good ruler even in life. She must have been extremely loved.

-So I will not miss this opportunity. I will bring you peace and free you from this terrible cycle.

“Give us your orders. We will serve you.”

So I received her words without hesitation. I wanted to listen to her.

If it was something we could do, anything that didn’t hurt someone, we would gladly do it.

-…All the souls wandering in the desert are those who served me. So tell the powerful to erect monuments in various places and engrave prayers so that they can rest. Also, have a priest above the rank of Archbishop preside over the Eucharist [a Christian ceremony commemorating the Last Supper] to soothe their souls. Then they can be sent to the Main God.

“I will obey your command.”

I bowed respectfully. My friends also bowed together.

The spirits’ wails flowed out incessantly. The Queen continued to speak without wavering.

-Also, I want one living body. The more devout in faith, the better.

“Yes. Yes?”

I freaked out and cracked my voice!