What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 461

#461

The Conqueror of the Continent (2)

The Emperor of the Empire was looking up at the sky.

“······.”

– Whoosh······

But the sky of Venetian was just as silent. As always, there was no answer.

Only indifferent fallen leaves rolled across the dirt floor.

The absolute being, called the Main God of the world, never personally spoke to anyone.

Only old myths and ancient history books ardently praised her miracles like a one-sided love.

There is a day called ‘The Great Descent Festival of the Main God’ in this land, but in fact, there is no record anywhere of the Main God actually setting foot on the continent.

In short, her presence could only be learned and realized through the Aether [a mystical energy or life force].

Those born as royalty and those born and raised as commoners were all equal before the Main God.

She was a god who cursed the prince and poured grace on the common man in the street.

Before that great holiness, no one could avoid the pain of having their heart cut out.

“Hey, demolition team! It’s collapsing over there! Be careful!”

At least, that was the case in Riester.

“The sinners will be entering through the west and south gates! Maintain strict vigilance!”

“Make sure you don’t interfere with the Heroic Spirit’s play!”

“Yes, Captain!”

– Rumble······!

Frederic occasionally thought.

Perhaps the reason the Main God did not descend upon the continent was because she feared the humans here.

Because she was wary and avoided them in her heart.

The god may have come to loathe her own terrible creations.

“Still acting all serious, as usual.”

Suddenly, such a reproach came from behind. The Emperor frowned slightly and turned her gaze.

Her longtime friend, Karolin Mute, was swaggering towards her.

The knight seemed to be in high spirits after meeting her daughter, her face glowing.

One more person appeared on the somewhat desolate Lord’s Castle balcony.

– Beep beep

A small Divine Object [an artifact imbued with divine power] was with her as well.

“Is it because of that white line?”

Karolin asked casually, leaning her arms on the railing.

Then Frederic’s gaze turned upwards again.

The two shared a moment of silence.

“Hey, stretcher bearers over there! Pile them up in front of the aid station for now!”

“It’s a four-shift system, so take it easy! His Majesty will be here for the time being······.”

“Hahaha! Where did you pick that up?”

The bustling inner courtyard of the castle and the carefree sky beyond the high walls were visible.

And the white line that crossed it······.

Now there were three.

“······.”

“······.”

She could swear there were only two lines until yesterday, but the moment the Divine Object burst out of the black market from the depths of the underground, it changed like that.

The bloodied masses were too flustered to notice, but it was very clearly visible outside of Yeriho.

There was a sense that was buried because of the roar of the earth, but the sound of the sky tearing was definitely reaching their ears.

Of course, nothing else happened.

This meant that no black space opened between the white lines, no plague of the Main God was unleashed, and no strange occurrences like frogs or locusts pouring down occurred.

Nevertheless, one thing was clear: this, too, was the will of the Main God.

“At first, it was one line, then another mutation was added to make it an ‘L’. Finally, it’s become a ‘U’.”

“······.”

“Or is it an angled ‘C’?”

Karolin, who had muttered something pointless, scratched her half-shaved head and began rummaging through her coat pocket.

The Emperor quietly watched what her friend was doing.

Soon, a crumpled bottle appeared. A hollow laugh escaped her lips.

“Let’s take turns taking sips. I’m too lazy to go get a glass.”

“What is this?”

“Yesterday, in the village I passed through, there was a girl selling it alone in the cold. I bought the whole thing and gave it to my subordinates.”

“So what kind of alcohol is it?”

“I don’t know. She said she brewed it herself, but it tastes terrible.”

The Marchioness shrugged and handed her the bottle.

If Chief Secretary Laura had seen this, she would have fainted.

Originally, this could not happen and should not have happened.

It was absurd for food and beverages that had not been checked for taste and poison in advance to be given to the Emperor.

– Clink

But the other person was Karolin Mute. What could be the problem?

“······Ugh. It’s too sweet.”

“Hehehe, I told you. The taste is so bad you’d rather die.”

The knight chuckled and took the bottle from her friend’s hand.

Gulp, gulp. This time, red liquid flowed down Karolin’s throat.

The two Sword Masters shared the cheap liquor several times.

Dduksoomi watched them, occasionally grooming its feathers.

After a long time, Karolin spoke again.

“How is the young Palace Lord doing?”

“······She’s asleep, they say. There’s nothing particularly wrong with her body, so she’ll wake up if she rests.”

“Too tired?”

“That could be one reason. The royal physician said her pulse is weak.”

“Well, what she saw underground must have been quite a shock. She must be relaxed now. That kid is just a soft priest after all.”

‘Unlike us.’ The middle-aged woman added, shaking the bottle that was already empty.

Frederic chuckled and stared at the land beyond the distant walls.

– Whoo-oo-oo······

The black market of the Divine Nation had collapsed.

Its existence was only known through rumors.

What the Riester Imperial Family primarily needed was news related to the political and business circles of the Divine Nation.

Such intelligence mainly came from the capital, where exchanges between nobles were active.

Information about the black market was good to have, but not essential.

From the perspective of other countries, ‘underground’ was an unknown area where even the approximate scale was difficult to grasp.

If she had asked the Grand Scholar, she could have obtained a specific answer, but unfortunately, there had been no need until now.

That place was thoroughly recognized as a district for vagrants.

‘It is a land where the laws and rules of the surface do not apply.’

‘Shadows want to remain in the darkness. They are a group that has given up on the light themselves.’

Occasionally, spies referred to the black market in that way.

Even those were just passing remarks, so perhaps even her mother only knew that much.

Wasn’t it a space that had never even appeared in history?

“Haa······.”

But in that place, the Divine Nation’s vast underground economy was operating.

It was a hotbed of corruption and serious crimes, frequented by high-ranking nobles and priests, and a site of blasphemy where sacred Divine Objects had been tortured and exploited for a long time.

It was not a hideout for petty criminals who smuggled trivial magical tools or drugs.

Since the children rescued the Heroic Spirit and shattered the black market, over a thousand people had emerged from that place.

In the midst of this, it was not even possible to confirm whether Werner Fenetian was alive or dead.

The Emperor instinctively sensed that the situation would escalate.

Perhaps even a snot-nosed child in the marketplace could see it at a glance.

That today’s incident would have a huge impact on the political and business circles of the Divine Nation.

“······Prepare yourself, Your Majesty.”

The Marchioness, who had been following her gaze, said casually.

Frederic rolled her eyes and looked at Karolin.

“What preparation.”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You’ve been doing politics for so long, you’ve only become more cunning.”

“······.”

“You will soon become the conqueror of the continent. The Divine Nation cannot withstand this.”

‘Swoosh······’ An ice-cold wind ruffled the two women’s hair.

The alcohol did not stay with them for long.

The air was thick with the unique scent of Venetian.

The forests here were very different from the forests of the Empire.

The spring water here tasted completely different, and the soil here had a color she had never seen before.

Even the sunset in the sky and a piece of the night looked different colors.

All of it was beautiful and precious.

The mere 30 years of severance had created a terribly deep gap, but Frederic did not deny the truth.

It was just unfamiliar.

“I know, it’s not like you have nothing to fear, right?”

“······.”

“It’s all new. The era when the continent was one was a thousand years ago, so it’s practically the first time for everyone. Honestly, I’m also in the dark. Being a Marchioness is not easy, but you’re bound to pass on an even harder position to me later. How much more will my daughter suffer?”

Pfft. A burst of laughter escaped at those words.

A pair of suns were rising in her khaki-colored eyes, which contained the desert.

“But who knew things would turn out like this.”

“No one knew. That ‘soft priest’ kid would become the spark of war.”

“Spark? Isn’t Palace Lord Yeseo just kindling?”

Karolin threw a sharp joke. The two laughed, shaking their throats.

The wren seemed to like the joke, chirping cheerfully.

An awkward silence lingered between them for a while before fading away.

“······Frederic.”

“What again.”

“Your ancestor, Arian the late Emperor, didn’t lead the troops with the intention of building a country from the beginning either. You know? But he still remained a good ruler.”

“Are you teaching me the history of the Imperial Family now?”

“It’s not like every Emperor can know everything. I learned our family history from my husband.”

“Hahahaha.”

“It’s a secret from Elizabeth.”

This was very funny. Frederic burst into laughter for the first time in a long time.

Dduksoomi also jumped up and down on the railing, enjoying himself.

The Emperor looked down at the Divine Object, shrugged her shoulders, and reached out her hand.

Then the wren quickly rubbed its belly against her finger.

A small, soft warmth like cotton touched her.

– Beep beep beep

“······”

– Beep bo bo―

A deep smile remained on the corner of her lips. This Divine Object was an old friend of Alexandre.

Perhaps there was a reason why this guy didn’t return to Herrit right away.

“Anyway.”

“Anyway what?”

“Hey. Just because your partner isn’t by your side right now doesn’t mean there’s no one to help you.”

Then Frederic’s expression changed strangely.

Isn’t it obvious, she was the ‘Emperor’!

“You don’t think I know that, do you?”

“Damn it, Frederic Eve. That’s always the problem with you. When someone takes the plunge and says something cool, just go with it!”

– Knock knock knock

At that moment, someone knocked on the balcony door. The two knights’ eyes moved simultaneously. A handsome man gave a painted smile. It was Francois.

“Excuse me during your precious conversation, Your Majesty. I have brought Duke Jibril Diop and Duchess Marguerite Diop as you ordered.”

“······.”

“How long shall I have them wait?”

The Marquis asked softly. The smile disappeared from the Emperor’s lips.

The Marchioness frowned as she grabbed the bottle.

“Is it because of ‘that matter’? Cedric said he wanted to just let it go.”

That’s right. To be exact, the Crown Prince requested Marguerite’s deep soul healing.

In addition, he prepared and submitted a list of nobles who had approached the Duchess when she was a minor in the past—which looked like Elizabeth’s statement—and stated that he wanted to speak with the siblings’ mother, Duchess Bonheur Diop.

Regarding this case, he said that he had secured the testimony of his teacher, Johann Haynes.

This was a judgment that the old Cedric would never have made.

This was not an answer that the child of the past could have imagined.

There was no room for leisure in his young life, so there was no time to look into the lives of others.

The Crown Prince had changed. Thanks to giving someone a place by his side.

“······Since the next Emperor says so, I can’t refuse.”

And Frederic was inwardly pleased with her son’s change.

The middle-aged woman nodded her chin towards Francois.

“Let them in right away. I need to hear their story.”

*

The next day, in a drawing room of Yeriho Lord’s Castle.

‘Slosh’.

The sound of water, which others could not hear, reached first,

“What are you doing here?”

Then came the voice. Cedric, who was sitting on the long sofa, silently moved his gaze.

– Creeak

“······.”

Pink hair and watery eyes were visible through the slightly opened door.

She seemed to have just finished sparring with her teacher, as she was exuding a strange heat.

The Crown Prince turned his gaze back to the book he was reading. Of course, there was no answer.

Christel’s face crumpled.

How annoying.

“······Wait, does this also connect directly to the Palace Lord’s bedroom? It seems like it? I can feel the Aether too well?”

‘What, is it a hidden space?’ Gain, who had opened the door as it was, strode into the room.

It was unclear why she was sniffing her nose, saying she could feel the Aether.

Cedric glared at her for a moment, but chose silence because he did not want to cause unnecessary commotion.

An unexpected event occurred there.

– Thud

“······.”

“······.”

The Water Paladin sat next to him.

Instead of heading straight to the Palace Lord’s room.

And their eyes met.