What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 387

#387

Discovery (5)

Finally, Frederick turned to the sword that silently stood guard by his side.

Cardinal Johann Haynes tilted his head with an innocent look.

“Your command?”

…So, this one is involved too. Tch, trying to deceive me, are you?

“Never mind.”

For now, he decided to watch.

“The possibility of the Princess and the Grand Duke returning safely is not zero. We are in positions of responsibility for countless lives. We must not exclude the two Cardinals from the enemy’s forces and must calculate conservatively.”

“I agree with Duke Blanquer. We cannot afford to fight a war twice. We must approach this with the utmost caution…”

The great nobles continued their heated conversation over refreshments.

Proposals, challenges, and Q&As that didn’t consider anyone’s feelings flew around like tennis balls.

The Emperor of the Empire valued free discussion and did not limit time or speaking rights.

This principle remained unchanged even during wartime. Her philosophy was roughly as follows:

‘Speak your minds freely. Let’s have a battle of logic among yourselves. I will listen attentively. I’ll side with the winner.’

…Or maybe not.

“Do you think the number of the second support army gathered in the desert is adequate?”

“Of course. More have gathered than we hoped for. It’s all thanks to Princess Juliette’s efforts. I heard she attended most of the fundraising events, big and small.”

“Yes. Even those who rarely open their coffers have donated generously to the war effort. It’s truly remarkable.”

“It’s been a long time since the social season in the capital has been more lively than in spring.”

“She’s the most influential person in the capital these days, so what else would you expect? Haha.”

‘Rumors of your deeds are spreading far and wide. Thank you.’ A noble sent greetings to Serenite.

Frederick quickly rolled his eyes, pretending not to care.

The young Marquis was forcing a smile of humility.

The Crown Prince, sitting next to him, glanced at him briefly.

But just as the priest turned his head, their gazes cleverly avoided each other.

Christel Rambouillet blankly stared into her water glass, lost in her own thoughts.

The Emperor closely watched the atmosphere between the young ones.

If it were a common lovers’ quarrel, she wouldn’t even bother to pay attention.

But these children rarely fought.

They were even less likely to be playing around carelessly during wartime.

“Well, if you’re that scared, we’ll have to step in.”

-Clang!

“Look here, Prince Diop!”

Meanwhile, a war of nerves was unfolding over the deployment of the combat mage division.

It was because Djibril Diop shrugged his shoulders and provoked the swordsmen.

Some of those provoked rose to their feet and pointed fingers.

Modest Bacari sighed deeply and cleaned his glasses.

Frederick simply let his fifth cousin’s behavior slide.

Although he was indulging in wine and women and acting foolishly, he was naturally gifted when it came to fighting.

Djibril was also the first to find Cedric and his group, who had been missing for a month.

He didn’t show it outwardly, but he cared quite a bit for his only sister.

When searching the plains with Cecil Blanquer, he reportedly stayed up for four nights straight, even giving up alcohol.

Afterward, he was the first to declare that he would search the north.

‘It doesn’t seem like Marguerite is here, Your Majesty. Give me two million soldiers.’

‘…Do I owe them to you?’

He disliked the sight of him acting like a playboy, using his noble lineage as a shield, but knowing he had a good intuition, he readily gave him the soldiers.

If he trusted and entrusted him, he would do more than his share. Today was no different.

He let them figure out the best course of action among themselves.

The Emperor, who had been watching the pride contest between the mages and swordsmen, turned her gaze.

Among the old generals on the other side, a discussion about public opinion warfare was in full swing.

“How is the plan to distribute leaflets in the Holy Nation going?”

“Weren’t you present at the last report? Ah, that’s right. I’m sorry to hear that.”

“The first operation was a great success, but there was some resistance in the second. The Holy Knights of the Holy Nation created high winds to block the leaflets.”

“Still, they must have reached quite far inland. After all, aren’t they arrows from the Divine Bow?”

“Indeed, indeed.”

“In any case, you said the leaflet distribution operation will not stop. It’s so effective for such a low cost…”

“I hear the reaction is enthusiastic in the Empire, along with the [a periodical]. My husband says there are so many anonymous nobles contributing with boiling patriotism.”

The performance of Marchioness Serenite was generally well-received.

The citizens who witnessed the resurrection of the dead with their own eyes showed almost fanatical faith.

It was a time when each person’s faith was fervent, so the effect was better than expected.

The Emperor did not read a single line of the letters sent by her partner from afar carelessly.

“Princess, you have truly done a great service. You are indeed the grace bestowed upon the Empire by the Lord.”

“…You flatter me.”

Her beautiful voice trembled. Frederick quietly watched the young man.

To draw out the full power of Liester and to protect those she cherished, that child spared no effort, regardless of time or place.

Oreli and the Imperial Palace attendants sorted out events with appropriate influence, and the young Baron As and the Minor Duke Blanquer spread paintings and rumors throughout the country.

Recently, a writing craze was sweeping through the young nobles of the capital.

It was thanks to the immense popularity of the courtly romance novels serialized in .

He was now becoming a vanguard leading the forefront of public opinion.

The Emperor slowly parted her lips.

“…Well done, Yeseo.”

Then the brown-haired young man flinched and lowered his head.

The usual mischievous and bright face was nowhere to be seen.

He was acting as if he had committed a crime even after receiving praise from the Emperor, which was extremely displeasing to see.

She was frustrated because she didn’t know what had happened to make him like this.

Oreli would have dug into his heart like filleting a fish with her unique gentle tone, but unfortunately, Frederick did not have such an ability.

Should she build him a garden in a scenic spot to comfort him?

She didn’t know what young people liked these days.

Her only son still had a troubled look on his face.

Just as the middle-aged woman was about to frown―

-Knock, knock, knock!

“Dear Emperor, esteemed everyone! Excuse me. If it’s alright at this point, may I, François Duhem, deliver the news you’ve all been eagerly awaiting?”

The handsome man, who had knocked on the table three times, rose from his seat with dramatic movements.

Frederick sighed and leaned back against the chair.

The nobles also had expressions that said, ‘Here it comes.’ Finally, it was starting.

“…Do as you please.”

“Madam.”

At her gesture, the Marquis approached fluidly, kissed the back of her hand, and stepped back.

The sly wink was a bonus. He seemed to have recovered somewhat after sleeping well.

François drew in the air with his white-gloved hand.

-Clang, clang, clang!

Upon confirming this, the soldiers moved in unison and brought in a large wooden board.

The sight of the plank covered with red cloth was astonishing.

Duhem was true to form, preparing such a spectacle even in the midst of being incredibly busy.

Yeseo and Christel showed interest for the first time.

All eyes in the room were on the handsome man.

“This is the story of ‘The Hermit’s Rock Fortress,’ once believed to be the Lord’s Castle of Statia!”

-Flap!

“Ooh!”

As he dramatically removed the cloth, a map of the northern plains was revealed. Some nobles showed a good reaction.

François swept back his hair handsomely and pointed to the map with his mace.

With visual aids, the explanation sank into their minds.

The Emperor stroked the sacred stone on the armrest of her throne and listened attentively.

It was all sent by Oreli.

-Tap!

“First, this is the area where we made an emergency landing after breaking through the Mistgrass Fog. Naturally, we thought it was a ruined Lord’s Castle. But after returning and checking the location, it wasn’t. The Lord’s Castle of Statia is located in the northwest of the plains, but this is clearly in the northeast, closer to the inland. Also, it is not shown in various materials, including old maps. So, this is not a Lord’s Castle. It is a second space built by the Count’s family, perhaps a secret place from the beginning.”

“Hmm…”

Some nobles who heard the news for the first time were confused.

Yeseo and Christel also had bewildered expressions. The Marquis looked around the room and continued.

“Terrible experiments were being carried out underground on humans and divine beasts, but the entire castle, including the laboratory, collapsed due to the appearance of a golem. Since then, the Imperial Army has been conducting rescue operations day and night… This also ended as of six o’clock yesterday evening. It was because our own casualties were almost about to occur. The castle is currently difficult to access due to its unstable foundation.”

‘There are no survivors among the test subjects,’ the man added in a heavy voice.

Isabelle, greatly shocked, covered her mouth with her hand.

The back of her hand, once as smooth as marble, now bore the scars of battle.

François gestured to Elizabeth and added.

“The Vice Brigade Commander captured some of the fleeing leaders…”

“…Without a single exception, they bit down on the poison in their molars and committed suicide. Judging from the fact that the priests’ persuasion and enticement did not work, they seemed to be under strong mind control.”

The young man replied in a blunt tone. ‘Lord,’ prayers and sighs flowed from various places.

Christel, who had been very uncomfortable, gulped down water.

She had long since devoured all the snacks in front of her. The Emperor closed her eyes and opened them again.

If all the living evidence had disappeared, and if they could not pinpoint the mastermind, then there was only one place they could focus on.

“You secured the underground reagents. What were the results?”

“To tell you the conclusion first, Your Majesty. That is…”

The Marquis’s pink eyes trembled slightly.

He looked at each of the commanders gathered in the room one by one.

They were all trustworthy individuals, and he had no choice but to believe that for now.

But if his guess was correct, this was too shocking.

It would be difficult to prevent the words from leaking out, and it might cause repercussions as terrible as the experiments there.

He was a magitech scientist who valued morality and ethics.

Even if he was called a weirdo and a madman.

The man gave a picturesque smile.

“I apologize. The reagents were corrupted, so we could not conduct a proper examination.”

And he bowed deeply in apology. The nobles groaned as if they were disappointed.

However, Frederick sensed it.

That the Marquis would soon seek her out separately and convey something very terrible.

“…Understood.”

It was information that only the Emperor could decide the direction of.

She tilted her chin as if she didn’t care.

“Move on.”

“Yes. Next is the intelligence from the neutral clergy of the Papal State.”

‘Clang, clang, clang.’ The soldiers brought in a new wooden board.

The room erupted in extreme dissatisfaction at the word Papal State.

“I don’t know if we can trust those people.”

“Those who have abandoned their nationality, wouldn’t they abandon their trust too?”

“Ahem. Ahem!”

In some ways, it was a natural result.

They had promised to pass on the information needed by the Emperor of the Empire.

They had warned about Trossart’s dungeon as if to show off, and later they had also conveyed the weaknesses of the Cardinal-level Holy Knights.

But that was all.

The old men did not inform them about the Mistgrass Fog in the Statia Plains.

They also kept silent about the phenomenon of people disappearing around the time of the new moon, as well as the story of the unidentified rock fortress.

Some argued that they were subtly clouding the Empire’s judgment with clever tactics.

Some commanders saw the initial intelligence as a kind of bait.

“Is their whispering really necessary? We are not an army blessed by the Lord!”

It was right after the Crown Prince had returned after being missing for more than a month.

It was a situation where distrust was bound to take root.

François wiggled his eyebrows as if he understood.

“I also do not fully trust the Papal State. Grand Master Ronald Lüpert of the Desert is still not cooperating with the Empire. However, Cardinal Ari Schött, the leader of the neutral faction, has sent a personal letter.”

His mace pointed to the second wooden board.

The nobles grumbled one by one, but focused on the letters in front of them.

The Marquis read the contents of the letter in a pleasant voice.

“‘The Statia Plains are in the palm of Duke Sneider’s hand, and we were unfortunately ignorant of this. Because it is a land thoroughly veiled in secrecy…'”

“Oh ho!”

“Isn’t that a possibility?”

“Indeed!”

The room instantly became noisy.

Those who were angry and those who were cautious were divided like water and oil.

Even in the midst of that, the Emperor was watching Yeseo, who was moving differently alone.

The Marquis took advantage of the gap between the Waterdrop Kid and Fabrice Béranger talking―

-Slide

Quickly pushed his snack plate in front of her.

It was piled high with untouched biscuits.

Isabelle blinked in surprise and quickly nodded.

Soon, Christel, who had finished talking, discovered the bowl in front of her.

‘Is this ours too?’

‘Uh-huh, the knight over there said he wasn’t going to eat them and gave them to us.’

‘…Thank you.’

The child began to munch on the cookies.

Seeing her sucking up only sugar with her swollen face, it seemed like something had deeply hurt her.

And what about the Marquis, who couldn’t even say a word to her?

What could be said about her son’s attitude? It had become troublesome. The Emperor quietly concluded.

It wouldn’t be resolved by leaving it alone.

“…These people have sent other intelligence this time. It’s about the Salt Marsh in the southern plains. Strictly speaking, this is not part of the Duchy of Sneider,”

“Marsh is good. Send out reconnaissance.”

The Emperor suddenly spoke. The tent became calm as if water had been poured on it.

François drooped his eyebrows with a troubled expression.

His master was not someone who made such impromptu decisions.

Even more so in a state of having no information.

“Your Majesty.”

“The Prince and the Rambouillet kid should be enough.”

As she spat out those words, the gazes of the two kids gathered on her. It was too early to be surprised.

“Take Serenite with you in case you lack Aether [magical energy].”

“Excuse me?!”

The Princess, horrified, turned to her and gaped.

Frederick raised the corners of her lips bitterly.