What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 476

How to Proceed (1)

Since that day, His Majesty the Emperor seemed lost in thought.

“What was the atmosphere like?”

“The commanders seem to be divided. Some say we should send a combat unit, while others say we should dispatch a small elite force to investigate the situation discreetly.”

“Indeed, I suppose so. It’s a sensitive time, after all…”

The next day.

David stood at the doorway, carefully talking with two middle-aged knights.

If you strained your ears, you could hear their murmurs quite well.

Frankly, it seemed like Sir Johann next to me was using his ability.

“Yes. Moreover, with the advance to the East imminent… His Majesty seems to be carefully considering various matters.”

“If friction arises with the North, the speed of our advance to the capital could be delayed, couldn’t it?”

“Indeed. It’s not a matter to be decided lightly. What did he say about the movement of the ant swarms?”

“His Highness Stanislaus seemed to consider that point important. The locals, including the administrators, regard this year’s north wind as ominous, and there’s also the possibility of griffins appearing…”

Could it really be due to the flapping of wings of a mythical beast? The air felt unsettled yesterday and today.

I pressed the rice straw firmly into the pillowcase, watching the adults’ reactions.

The massive first-floor prayer room of the lord’s castle, like a gymnasium, had become a scene of intense cottage industry.

Over there, dozens of Yerihol volunteers were bringing cloth suitable for blankets and sewing.

Right now, helping hands were desperately needed here.

Everyone was trying to be of assistance, seeking out work on their own.

“Indeed. What’s the situation in the South? Is that person still…?”

“Yes, Admiral Corleone continues to record victory after victory. It’s said that half of the Shin-guk navy flees at the sight of the ‘Hook-Arm Pirates’ without even fighting. The front line is currently up to the Evelyne Cape…”

There were hardly any survivors coming up from the underground anymore, but among the refugees from Bareun who arrived yesterday, there were quite a few sick and pregnant women.

As if they weren’t the end, crowds continued to pour in front of the North Gate until dawn.

The black market was already full of patients, and now they had to accept even more people, so basic household goods were running out.

Even taking things from abandoned shops and empty houses had clear limitations.

Thankfully, the Lesser Panda Trio provided wood and firewood, but that wasn’t the only thing lacking.

“…So, if only we could capture Gukseo. So many people are being sacrificed because of his great sin.”

“It may sound arrogant, but I honestly didn’t realize the situation in Shin-guk was this bad.”

“I agree. Although they can’t match the Empire in terms of territory and population, I expected them to be a solid country internally…”

“I also thought so, but you knights must not be complacent. Resistance will become stronger as we advance to the East.”

“Yes. Of course.”

Soldiers who weren’t on duty, participating in training, or assigned to other important tasks mostly helped to manage the lord’s castle.

I couldn’t just sit around.

I kept working at the relief center in between, receiving treatment from Bishop Blaise, and when I had free time like now…

“Finished!”

-Nyaa

“Excellent work, Princess.”

I came here to help make pillows. Sir Johann praised me as if he had been waiting for it.

But while I made one, he was already starting his fourth. His hands are so fast!

“Sir Johann, you’re really good with your hands. Maybe at night, with the lights off…”

“Yes?”

“You can solve a Rubik’s Cube in no time, can’t you? My siblings and I can’t even do it with the lights on.”

“…I don’t know what that is, but I’ll try to meet the Princess’s expectations.”

“Ah, it’s a toy shaped like a cube.”

“Honey, did you hear about the baby I delivered yesterday?”

Suddenly!

“Heok!”

I recoiled in shock. (The speaker is surprised by the sudden topic change.)

Then, a high and clear laughter rang out.

It was Karme, who wore two slender restraints around her neck and dressed as if it were midsummer even in winter.

She had been helping with the Imperial Army’s work ever since Sir Johann captured her near the border.

Usually, she participated in the golem research of non-combat mages or helped manage the vegetable inventory of the military camp.

It had been a while since I saw her this close. She looked better somehow.

“Why is it just the kitten and the white fox uncle today? Are the handsome prince and the pink princess spending some quality time alone?”

Wow, just imagining it makes me happy.

“Unfortunately, they are both busy. Sir Christel obtained information from Mr. Morhan and went out to scout the area with the soldiers, and the Crown Prince is training combat mages.”

“Oh my. I don’t find people who prioritize work over me attractive. Well, I guess it doesn’t matter since they are attractive in themselves?”

It was unclear who she was talking to.

She shrugged once, then picked up her sewing and sat down in the opposite seat.

Her posture was awkward, as if she intended to get up soon.

Then, after glancing at Sir Johann once, she shook her faded dark brown hair and opened her mouth.

“Listen. Two babies were born at the guild meeting hall last night, you know? I helped deliver one of them. I even cut the umbilical cord.”

Wow!

“Oh my goodness. You did something really wonderful, Karme! Are the mother and child both safe?”

“Yeah. Everyone’s very healthy. It was my first time doing something like that, and it was somehow touching. The baby is so red and small. When I said I was a paladin, the mother cried, saying it was such an honor!”

“Hahaha.”

“She even asked me to name the baby, you know?”

Her expression as she said that was tinged with embarrassment.

She was smiling brightly, but I could tell.

Karme looked at me and clutched the basket tightly.

“But I don’t think I should. I still have some conscience left.”

“…”

“I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life. I’ve lived a life of sin. You almost became a victim, so you know. I was abandoned as a child and grew up without knowing parental affection.”

“…”

“Wouldn’t it be better for someone like the Princess to name the baby than someone like me?”

She brought up the main point as if it were nothing.

I fiddled with the rough pillowcase, choosing my words carefully.

Meanwhile, Karme continued to speak in a bright voice.

“There’s not much to learn from me. There’s nothing to emulate. What if I give the baby a name and it brings bad luck to the innocent child?”

“Karme.”

“I’m serious, honey. I don’t even know what a good name is because I’m uneducated.”

“…”

‘Nyaaang.’ Ropi meowed loudly and started cleaning her ears. I fully understood her feelings.

I sympathized with her desire not to taint or cause harm to the newborn baby with whom she had formed a special bond, as she cherished it.

But…

But.

“Karme, how is life in the Imperial Army?”

I carefully changed the subject.

The woman’s eyes, devoid of red eye shadow, were an ordinary brown.

“…It’s good. So good that I wonder if it’s okay. Even though there’s a war going on.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. At first, everyone treated me like a criminal, and since I am a criminal, I didn’t have any complaints about it. But after I caught the golem the other day, things changed a lot.”

“…”

“There’s a bespectacled mage who sometimes brings me meals. He told me last time that if I keep atoning for my sins like this for the rest of my life, I’ll eventually be able to be proud of myself? I didn’t really understand what he meant back then.”

She smiled and rubbed the sewing.

“But I think I might understand it these days.”

“…”

“That’s why I’m asking you, honey. I haven’t paid off all my debts yet. It’ll probably take me another ninety years or so. I can’t let the baby live without a name until then.”

“How about this.”

It wasn’t me who spoke at that moment, but Sir Johann.

I blinked in surprise and turned to look at him.

“What is it?”

“Ask the mother directly. Ask her if it’s okay for you, a grave sinner, to name her baby.”

“Sir Johann.”

“She might refuse after hearing the story. In fact, there’s a high chance she will. You will be hurt.”

“…”

“But it’s a necessary process.”

His tone was as soft as a gentle breeze, but the smile slowly disappeared from Karme’s face.

I fidgeted, looking back and forth between the two.

Only Ropi was leisurely cleaning her hind legs.

“You need to reveal your past self and step out from under the shadows. If you want to create a precious bond, it’s better not to hide anything. If you just want to pass by, you can keep lying…”

“…”

“What you need is not a name given by the Princess, but the courage to give it to yourself.”

At those words, her beautiful eyes widened.

Karme pursed her lips and looked at the Cardinal, then grabbed her basket and jumped up.

I instinctively stirred.

“Um, Karme.”

“The white fox uncle is right.”

…Pardon?

“The Princess is such a good person… I was just trying to pass on the burden, I guess. I’m ashamed.”

“Yes?”

“I’ll take care of it myself.”

Karme paused for a moment, looking at Ropi as if lost in thought, then rubbed her cheeks roughly with one hand.

Then, she gave us a nod and strode away.

Everything happened so quickly.

I stared blankly at her retreating figure…

“Gasp. Sir Johann.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“How could you say such a thing.”

“I apologize if you felt it was unnecessary interference. But…”

“Then, does this mean Sir Johann has finally found the courage too? Are you ready?”

“Yes?”

Confusion flickered across the man’s elegant face.

But I didn’t miss the fleeting opportunity, like a fierce beast. Jackpot!

“Have you finally decided to make François Herrit’s godfather? Really?”

“Good heavens.”

He rarely avoided my gaze, groaning.

I quickly scanned the people sitting in front and behind me, and after confirming that no one was paying attention to us, I lowered my head.

If I’m lucky, I might get an answer today!

“Young Master’s father, François is a good person. You can trust him. I guarantee it.”

As I was busily stuffing straw into the pillowcase—

-Thud!

“David! David, something terrible has happened!”

A knight covered in dirt ran up, shouting.

Her cheeks and the tips of her ears were red with cold, as if she had rushed here in a hurry.

David, who had been examining the process of making underwear and socks, straightened his back and turned to look at her.

The middle-aged man’s expression was ominous from the start.

“Weren’t you accompanying Lord Rambouillet a moment ago? To return so soon, what’s wrong?”

“C, corpses… Hundreds of corpses, seemingly from the black market, are lying a short distance from the outskirts of Yerihol!”

…What?

“They are all dried up like mummies, and Marquis Dhiem says they seem to be victims of black magic. His Majesty is greatly angered by this. The Crown Prince and Lord Rambouillet are urgently seeking partners!”

“I’m here!”

I hurriedly got up from my seat and raised my hand.

Ropi jumped down and started walking with her usual relaxed demeanor, but I couldn’t hide my confusion.

Black magic in the black market out of nowhere, what is it? Who on earth? What are they trying to do with such power…

“That’s why Gukseo was able to move so quickly.”

Sir Johann, who had finished his work in the blink of an eye, whispered in a chilling voice.

I looked up at him, feeling goosebumps on my neck.

“Hundreds of lives are enough to perfect his prosthetic limbs.”

“Good Lord…”

“It won’t take him a day to cross the continent.”

Crack! One side of the table he was leaning on broke.

I couldn’t believe what I had just heard.