What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 474

#474

Grandpa and the Blizzard of the North Sea (6)

The Lord’s Castle, which we arrived at, was already a bustling marketplace.

“Lady Ye Seo, welcome!”

“Yes, thank you.”

The soldiers, who were moving urgently, discovered us and rushed over to take the reins of our horses.

I escorted Mr. Moren, busily looking around.

Bakari was fussing over removing the dust and bread crumbs from my robe.

Why has the atmosphere become so chaotic? It wasn’t like this even a couple of hours ago…

“Quickly, inform His Highness the Crown Prince! Hurry!”

“Yes!”

“Commander, the report to be submitted to the Frontier Lord is ready!”

“Duke Blanquer will review it first…”

“The monastery ward and the tent village relief center are full! What should we do with the new patients?”

“There are temporary beds prepared in the guild building. Start operating them all from now…”

New patients? Could it be that additional survivors have come up from the black market en masse?

Other than that, there seemed to be no reason for everyone to be so chaotic.

Around that time, the leader of the Fleur-de-lis called out to a passing magician.

“Hey, you.”

“H-Huh, Commander! Lady Consort!”

The woman in light armor bowed quickly.

Even though she was a combat magician, she seemed to have been deeply involved in managing the situation along with the non-combat personnel.

That meant the situation was unfolding that urgently.

Cloudy vapor was coming from her mouth as she approached.

“What is all this suddenly? Explain what’s going on.”

“Yes, a little while ago, hundreds of refugees entered through the North Gate of Yeri!”

“Refugees?”

I blinked and raised my voice.

It’s natural for refugees to occur during wartime, but this is Shinguk territory, so they must also be Shinguk citizens.

They might be afraid of the Imperial Army, but the fact that they came this way was surprising.

Could they have simply taken the wrong path?

The Venetian main camp is currently located northwest of Yeri Lake, and if they were refugees coming from the east, this place would be geographically closer than the Shinguk army base.

However, no matter how I thought about it, it was hard to understand.

The eastern part of Shinguk, the heart of the nation, is an area that the Imperial Army has not yet advanced into, so why are people…

Wait, not refugees fleeing war, but refugees seeking shelter?

Moreover, they entered through the North Gate?

“They say they are people who evacuated from near the North Sea with the Lord’s permission. The one who claims to be their representative is currently meeting with Duke Blanquer.”

“If it’s near the North Sea…”

Bakari trailed off, looking at me.

Without thinking any further, I entrusted Mr. Moren to the combat magician.

“Magician, please escort this person to a room. We will go to see His Highness right away.”

“I will obey, Lady Consort. As a matter of fact, His Majesty’s military conference has been convened. You should go to the main conference hall.”

“Thank you. Mr. Moren, I’ll see you later!”

“Good luck.”

The informant waved his delicate hand.

I hurriedly followed behind Bakari.

Arriving at the main conference hall, seeing only the back of the Prophet’s head, the atmosphere was already quite serious.

“You’ve arrived, Lady Consort, Commander.”

“Thank you, Ganael.”

After greeting Ganael, who was receiving robes at the entrance, I was guided by the soldiers and quickly found a seat.

Bakari headed to the opposite side of the table, and I went straight to the front.

Ms. Gain, who was standing near the head seat, smiled at me and stepped back a few paces.

I squeezed in between her and the Crown Prince as naturally as possible.

Cedric, wearing a shirt and vest—he must have been observing the soldiers’ training in the meantime—glanced at me and then turned his gaze back to the table.

Ropi was curled up under the seat where he was lying…

-Tap!

Sir Johann pointed to the northwest of the continental map with his black riding crop.

“As you know, this area is called the ‘Crescent Head.’ It refers to the northern part of Shinguk, lying in a crescent shape on the western side of the continent. It is also where the source of the Winite River is located. It tends to be cloudy and cold all year round.”

The Demi hanging on his shoulder perked up its ears.

The other commanders were also focusing all their attention on Sir Johann with serious expressions.

Fortunately, we seemed to have arrived at the beginning of the explanation.

Leia was nagging that she was sleepy, so I quickly held her in my arms. Shh, be good.

-Squeak

“And the southern part of Shinguk is called the ‘Crescent Tail.’ In particular, the southeast, which borders the Sea of Abundance, has mild weather and ample rainfall throughout the year, so it is often called paradise on earth.”

“Then, do refugees come from the north every year?”

“I can say that, but I’ve never seen such numbers. Usually, it was a case of about ten people unable to overcome the cold or fear and fleeing in the middle of the night.”

His Highness Stanislas clicked his tongue with a pained expression.

Upon hearing the answer, Emperor Frederick’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Father’s words are true. Something must have happened in the north.”

“Yes. I heard that the Lord’s son directly ordered the evacuation. He said he couldn’t protect everyone, so he told them to leave. Anyone would think a civil war had broken out.”

Frontier Lord Karolin Mute scratched her half-shaved head and grumbled.

After listening to her words, I racked my brains as much as I could.

Could the Lord of the refugees be the Lord that Mr. Moren spoke of?

‘I heard rumors that a certain viscount there has a nasty disposition.’

‘They say he doesn’t care about the means to save his homeland.’

‘While raising soldiers to fight the Griffin, he is preparing human sacrifices to offer to the monster.’

…Could a Lord who sacrifices living people to monsters, at the same time, drive his territory’s people far away to save them?

If he is a leader desperate enough to raise an army to fight a mythical beast, could he be capable of all those actions?

“What about the content regarding the ‘Griffin’ that the refugees testified to?”

I flinched. I opened my mouth slightly at His Majesty’s question.

I got goosebumps, wondering if what I was thinking inside would become a reality.

Are you saying that they really ran away here because of a mythical beast?

Surely not?

“It is difficult to give a definite answer on that part.”

Sir Johann tilted his head as if he was troubled. There’s something that the great Grand Preceptor doesn’t know!

“Until a few years ago, I accepted and resolved various requests, but it was rare to be dispatched to the north. Perhaps that means there were no nobles there who would be checked by the powerful. I only roughly know the ‘Sea Dragon and Griffin Legend,’ and I don’t know the other facts.”

“Sea Dragon and Griffin Legend?”

-Ah, about that….

Her Majesty Hanan, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interjected.

Everyone’s eyes moved towards her.

The King frowned slightly at Isabel’s beautiful forehead….

-Oh, I can almost remember it. I’m sorry.

“It’s okay.”

Lady Elizabeth stroked her back and comforted her.

Bakari, who was standing next to me, immediately sent me a signal.

I raised my hand quickly. Just leave it to me!

“I know about that, Your Majesty.”

“You do?”

“The Lady Consort?”

“To be exact, I heard it from the informant Mr. Moren a little while ago.”

As the Crown Prince and Ms. Gain turned to look at me at the same time, I quickly added an explanation.

Then, His Majesty immediately nodded.

Francois already had incredibly expectant eyes.

I patted Leia’s back and calmly began to tell the story.

The ancient dragon with the blue sea in its heart, and the Griffin clan that tried to dominate the sea but fell for the dragon’s provocation.

The nightmare-like nights of the snowy season.

The conclusion was that the long battle between the two great monsters met the harsh environment and fierce rumors unique to the north, creating today’s folklore.

“It’s a folktale that only natives of the North Sea area know well, and Mr. Moren said he heard it from minstrels. Very few people believe that Griffins really appear there. Logically, it can’t be every year.”

“······.”

The Griffin we met last time was a very special case.

That guy was a product of the ‘Reverse Dungeon,’ swallowing monsters and spitting out stronger evolved forms.

I wonder how the golem ‘Armando,’ who is blocking the entrance, is doing these days.

Carmel still mutters that name these days.

I tried not to stray from the point and took out the last sentence.

“It is probably speculated to be an attack by another monster from the monster realm [우족, a term for monsters from another dimension]. Personally, I think it’s a mid- to low-level group returning to the north like migratory birds…”

“But the Lord of the refugees, Baron Baren, specifically mentioned ‘Griffin.’ What do you think about that? Mr. Know-It-All.”

Thump. Jibril Diop, on the opposite side, asked, tapping the table with his cane.

What, another quarrelsome tone.

I didn’t even expect him to suddenly become friendly, but nothing had changed since our last conversation.

I clenched my jaw.

“Well, I’m not Mr. Know-It-All, so I don’t know that far.”

And I retorted with puffed cheeks. Have you never seen a Mr. Chatterbox before?

-Screech!

“Your Majesty!”

At that moment, the door to the main conference hall opened and a knight rushed in.

Everyone’s attention was instantly focused on her.

Four soldiers followed behind the knight, two of whom were leading a woman who appeared to be a commoner, bound with ropes.

Surprised, Ferry quickly climbed onto Ms. Gain’s back.

David, who had been silently attending behind the table, was truly shocked!

“Good heavens, what are you doing? What justification do you have to bring that person here?”

“I deserve to die, David. But this person is the administrator representing the refugees, and a little while ago, she made a significant testimony under the [Shintak, oracle]. Duke Blanquer, after confirming this, ordered her to be sent up here immediately. He said that Your Majesty, the two Highnesses, and the commanders in the main conference hall should know first.”

“······The Duke?”

The middle-aged man’s eyes widened.

Duke Blanquer, Eva’s mother, had a cautious personality, almost to the point of being excessive.

She would never do something like this. Just how great of a thing did she say….

“Let her speak.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The Crown Prince’s icy command fell, and the soldiers quickly knelt the woman. Thud!

I carefully observed the person who was said to be the administrator of the refugees.

She looked almost sixty years old at first glance.

Her gaunt body was trembling with fear, and her frostbitten fingertips were chillingly blue.

Even though she was a stranger, I couldn’t leave her like that. I hurriedly looked up at the highest person.

“Your Majesty, please.”

“······Tsk. Do as you please.”

“Thank you!”

I hurriedly took off the coat I was wearing under my robe and approached.

Ms. Gain quickly followed and protected me.

Before the administrator could even realize it, I wrapped her back with my coat and took out a hot water bottle from my pocket and placed it in her wrinkled hands.

Then, her hollow eyes trembled and looked up.

Seeing her gaunt cheeks and pale lips, my heart ached.

“Ah, ah······. Ha······.”

Soon, a dry and cracking voice flowed out.

“It’s okay. No one will hurt you. We just want to know your story.”

“The, the Griffin······. Traitor······. Corpse, corpse······.”

“I’m listening. Speak slowly, breathing as you speak. It can be very slow.”

I smiled brightly and took a deep breath.

I exaggeratedly raised both shoulders with a ‘huff’ sound, and then let them droop again, exhaling the air for a long time.

Then, the woman, who had been blankly looking at me, began to catch her breath a few beats later.

Her expression was definitely relaxing as warmth returned to her body. That’s a relief.

“That, that is······.”