What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 433

#433

The Black Market Dingdongdaeng (3)

Just then, as everyone’s faces turned serious,

-Bang!

“Your drinks are here!”

“Eek!”

Surprised, we collapsed like dominoes.

Tete in my arms whimpered faintly, and Sir Johann, sprawled on the floor, groaned softly.

The lesser pandas inside the robe were clearly moving in waves.

Ah, Grandpa Innkeeper! You told us to knock seven times, but you just barge in?

“Goodness. Six people crammed into such a small space? You stick together so pathetically.”

‘Tsk.’ The old man clicked his tongue as if embarrassed, then hopped and skipped between us.

Then, he quickly cleared the desk, which was packed with all sorts of books and junk.

Half-melted scented candles and hourglasses were pushed aside without hesitation.

Clatter! A large tray was placed on the barely cleared space.

Three glasses of advocaat [a rich, creamy liqueur], as yellow and rich as egg yolks, and three glasses of anise milk, exuding a sweet fragrance.

As a bonus, a cup of iced coffee and seven freshly baked sausage rolls.

Sounds delicious!

“The snacks are a little extra. They’re quite savory. A special dish only served to the ‘Confessors’ in the basement. Noir, I brought coffee, so don’t even think about stealing the kids’ drinks.”

“Wouldn’t eat it even if you gave it to me.”

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

I swallowed hard and greeted him.

Immediately, the Crown Prince pulled me by the scruff of my neck, and I grabbed Gaine and helped her up.

Thanks to Sir Johann, none of us were hurt.

As I was dusting off the Cardinal’s back, the old man patted his full belly and left the secret room.

The group gathered around the drinks and small sausage rolls.

Now that I see it, the milk is for me, Sir Johann, and Prince Cedrick. That guy doesn’t drink alcohol, right.

“Princess, what do you mean that’s not the end?”

Lady Elisabeth, having moistened her throat with advocaat, asked in a hushed voice.

I looked at Sir Johann first. He nodded slightly, as if to tell me not to worry, making a barrier with subtle air manipulation.

The informant, back at the desk, began to sip coffee with his tiny hands.

I briefly worried if it was okay for such a young body to consume caffeine, but…

There was something more urgent at the moment. I gripped the milk glass tightly.

“That’s exactly what I mean. The information he gave us doesn’t quite add up. It bothers me.”

“It is strange. He was supposed to be a ‘penniless foreigner,’ but the saddle and decorations cost a lot of money, right? Why did he abandon them all? He could have sold them to raise emergency funds.”

Gaine whispered sharply. Then her partner immediately raised an objection.

“Imperial saddles and stirrups are all custom-made, and often have the royal family’s personal crest engraved on them. The Venetian royal family wouldn’t be much different.”

“Ha, that’s right. If they’re overly precious possessions, it’ll be harder to hide his identity. The horse’s excellent bloodline would also be obvious, so his route would be quickly discovered. Even if he rode out on a royal guard’s horse, it would be covered in rare leather and iron that are hard to obtain. Then he’d stand out alone.”

Ganael, who had been sipping his drink, quickly added. I agreed with that opinion as well.

Just like Charlemagne and Areum, horses raised preciously stood out.

However, if six or so of us were moving together, people would just think it was some noble’s excursion and wouldn’t take it seriously.

The people of the Divine Kingdom we met on the way to Yeriho were just like that.

Hardly anyone looked at us suspiciously.

But a man with shiny prosthetic limbs and tattoos on his face, moving ‘alone,’ was a different story.

He was too easy to remember.

Werner himself would know this well.

“He could have sold the horse and saddle for a high price and left, but he probably judged that to be too risky. Because he would leave traces of the transaction and clues in a specific location in some way. The Royal Secretary is a cunning person, so I understand why he abandoned the horse. Stealing the gloves was obviously to hide the prosthetic.”

“Then what doesn’t add up is…”

Sir Johann gently probed me.

I gulped down the anise milk and said solemnly.

“It’s the fact that he’s using the prosthetic limbs ‘uncomfortably.’”

The Prince tilted his head.

Soon his eyes widened, and a wildfire-like realization spread through his irises.

His reaction was bound to be the fastest. He is the son of a great mage, after all!

‘That guy must have lost an arm and a leg each. How is he moving around?’

‘I heard he has incredibly fancy prosthetic arms and legs. They’re said to be elaborate magical tools.’

Didn’t the apothecary, Toby, say that?

“It’s not a regular prosthetic. It’s a ‘magical tool.’”

“I see. I forgot about that point.”

The man muttered in a low voice. On the other hand, Gaine still didn’t seem to understand.

Lady Elisabeth and Ganael also furrowed their brows slightly.

I quickly elaborated, pushing up my mana stone glasses.

“Francois taught me that the definition of a magical tool is quite narrow. For example, the glasses I’m wearing now are not strictly magical tools. That’s because they are items made using only the properties of mana stones. Anyone who has mastered mana stone craftsmanship can make something like this, and once completed, it can be used semi-permanently. The mana stone telescopes used by the Riester Navy are based on the same principle. But magical tools are different. They are precision items that require periodic ‘mana injection.’”

“Wow, amazing.”

The protagonist’s mouth dropped open.

‘That’s right, like the magic lighting in the Imperial Palace!’ She clenched and unclenched her hands, excited.

I nodded quickly.

“Yes. So, the same would be true for the Royal Secretary’s prosthetic limbs. He’s not just an ordinary nobleman, but the King’s husband. If he’s wearing something like that, it would naturally be a top-notch magical tool, but if his arms and legs are so uncomfortable that he has trouble eating and running…”

“The magical tool’s mana is running out.”

Sir Johann pointed out sharply. The young count blinked.

Soon her mouth opened in a circle.

“Good heavens! Then he must be looking for a mage right now.”

“Yes. He’ll be desperate for someone to pour mana into him. The Royal Secretary himself is an ordinary person who can’t use ether or mana. But if he abandoned the horse after coming to Yeriho…”

“He must have received mana from around here. He would have found a new horse too.”

Gaine said, munching on a sausage roll.

Her chubby cheeks looked like a squirrel, which made me laugh for a moment.

I took a bite of the bread and eagerly offered my opinion.

“Yes. But there’s something strange. If the Royal Secretary met a mage here and received his power, I think that story should naturally come out from Noir. Shouldn’t it be more than just ‘he abandoned the horse’? You’re a great informant who collects news from outside Yeriho as well.”

“……”

At my words, my friends simultaneously turned to look at Noir.

His chubby cheeks puffed up.

“Do you have a complaint about my information? Which family’s children are these, bringing troublesome air attributes and making the old man uncomfortable?”

Huh!

“Oh, how did you know?”

I hurriedly tried to fix my expression and asked.

I could feel Sir Johann had dispelled the barrier.

The toddler cleverly crossed his short legs and snorted.

“Even like this, I’ve lived longer than all of your ages combined. Do you think I wouldn’t know a paladin is blocking sound?”

“……”

“My priestly robes aren’t cheap imitations either.”

His voice was clear. I met the eyes of the child dressed as a priest for a long time.

Right, let’s just ask directly. That’s why we came.

“The person we’re looking for—”

“You have milk on your mouth.”

“Sorry.”

Thump! Noir threw me a napkin, so I hurriedly wiped my lips.

I drank the same milk, but the Prince and Sir Johann were perfectly clean.

I guess I was the only one who was hungry.

I could hear Gaine and Lady Elisabeth giggling behind me.

Embarrassing. Is this why I can’t get a date?

“Um. If the person we’re looking for got a new horse here, and as you told us, made a couple of servants, and… If we assume he did other important business as well.”

“Yes.”

“Is it possible that Noir wouldn’t know about that?”

“The possibilities are endless. Isn’t that what our lives are like?”

…That’s not the profound teaching I was asking for. Especially not from such an incredibly cute baby face!

“Just kidding. If it happened in the ‘Market,’ I wouldn’t know either. The rule is that events there don’t leak outside.”

“Market? Are you talking about a marketplace?”

“Like a five-day market [a periodic open-air market]?”

“Let’s end the transaction here.”

While Gaine and I were diligently putting up question marks, Sir Johann suddenly cut off the conversation.

He silently did his job while receiving the pouring gazes.

Huh? Isn’t our business not over yet?

-Clatter

“How much would the compensation be?”

“It took a long time, so I should get a few gold coins… But I’ll take something else today.”

Father Herrit put down his empty glass and asked, and Noir readily gave his answer.

We looked at each other with confused faces.

In the meantime, the Prince was glaring at his teacher with an annoyed look, so I told him not to.

Let’s wait, he’ll explain it to us later. Eat a sausage roll, it’s delicious.

“Are those things you’re holding in your arms divine beasts by any chance?”

Crazy!

“No, no? Not at all?”

Good. That was natural. I hid my bulging belly with my baggy robe.

Noir raised an eyebrow.

“Then why is there a pufferfish on the floor?”

“Ack, Tete!”

-Awoong

I was horrified to see the freshly wriggling seafood.

When I quickly opened my arms, the youngest, who was completely awake, was looking at me with eyes as big as chestnuts.

I was speechless at the innocent gaze.

She had slept well and woke up in a warm blanket, was in a good mood, and wanted to play with her older siblings, but she was bored because they were just muttering among themselves, so she ended up causing an accident.

It’s 200% our fault, so we can’t scold her!

“So, ahem. This friend here. Really likes seafood… I sometimes give it to her as food, but today she doesn’t seem to like it.”

“There’s no need to make excuses since I won’t tell anyone. I’m just happy to see a divine beast in front of me, something that’s hard to encounter even once in a lifetime.”

“……”

“I guess my body isn’t completely cursed either.”

Noir said to himself as if self-deprecatingly and smiled faintly.

In an instant, a very dark and deep shadow crossed over the child’s forehead.

It was just for a moment, but it felt like I had witnessed the informant’s true face.

We stared blankly at the little one.

The mature yet youthful eyes slowly observed the group.

They looked lonely at first glance.

“……If it’s okay, show me the divine beast. I want to make that today’s payment.”

-Kkia!

“Oh my, you’re excited. You liked that someone you met for the first time said you were pretty?”

-Kkiung!

“Our Demi should debut.”

As I chuckled, the divine beast—knowing what that meant—arrogantly raised the tip of her nose and smiled brightly.

Ganael, who had been hiding her, rubbed her cheek against Demi’s and smiled broadly.

We were moving to the guest room upstairs in the tavern.

Having finished the meeting with the informant Noir, we were planning to proceed with a search of Yeriho based on the information we obtained from there.

To do that, we had no choice but to stay here for the time being. However, what bothered me was…

“Sir Johann. Are you going to keep what Noir said about the ‘Market’ a secret?”

I whispered quietly. Then a troubled look crossed the man’s face.

Uh oh? Really?

“We’re a team. We decided to tell each other everything without hiding anything. Is it okay for a teacher to do this to his students?”

Gaine grumbled, comforting Perry.

But Father Herrit didn’t say anything in the end.

Even the lack of a short reply made me even more nervous, and my curiosity grew like a snowball.

Meanwhile, the innkeeper, who was far ahead, seemed very excited.

Six group guests requested two of the largest rooms, so he must be thinking he hit the jackpot today.

Lady Elisabeth, unable to watch any longer, added to the conversation.

The narrow, dim hallway was filled with our whispers.

“Sir Haines. Wouldn’t it be better to tell us quickly if you know something? We are chasing the Royal Secretary who committed a great crime and ran away. It would be a great pity if we missed him right under our noses.”

“……”

“What is it anyway? Ugh, should I just ask the kid we met outside earlier?”

Gaine straightened her back and grumbled. Oh, now that I think about it…!

‘Hello, sirs. Are you going to the Market?’

‘No.’

‘Then I’ll take the horses to the stable.’

The girl who greeted us at the entrance of the tavern also mentioned the ‘Market.’

I blinked and turned to look at the Prince.

Ttuksimi, hidden in the hood, and he were frowning in unison.

“If the errand boy knows, the innkeeper’s knowledge must be even deeper. Since the Grand Master doesn’t seem willing to cooperate, let’s ask him directly.”

“Here, these are the two rooms right next to each other! I clean them day and night, so you can use them right away. If you need anything, ring the bell. The room on the left is a bit smaller, so it would be perfect for two ladies to sleep in. Oh! Will you be adding breakfast too?”

The innkeeper, who had turned to look at us, was beaming.

He shook his thick body from side to side and showed us the keys.

I glanced at Sir Johann, then clenched my fist tightly and looked at the innkeeper.

The Cardinal had a look of disbelief. Yeah. Don’t underestimate things!

“Excuse me, Innkeeper. I heard there’s a ‘Market’ that even Noir doesn’t know about—”

“I’ll take care of you personally. So.”

In the end, Sir Johann stopped me. I was surprised and closed my mouth, looking up at him.

The man was pleading earnestly, which was very unfamiliar.

As we fell silent in an instant, the innkeeper glanced at us.

His white beard twitched constantly.

“What, are you going to another inn? Our tavern’s guests are rough, but the atmosphere in the rooms isn’t bad. You can see the temple and the lord’s castle far away from this room! You can see the forest from here!”

“Yes, that’s great. We’ll check in right away. Please add breakfast for six people. Please take care of the cleaning and laundry in the morning!”

Gaine quickly replied.

Only then did the old man put eggs in both cheeks [expression of relief and satisfaction] and strutted out.

And as soon as he turned the corner of the hallway and disappeared—

“Sir Johann?”

-Aeuk?

“What’s wrong with you?”

-Kkiing!

“Your attitude is bad, teacher.”

-Ppibo!

“Sir Haines, what’s the problem?”

-Kkiheung!