What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 500

#500

A Big Shot Arrives in Secret (3)

“Teacher! People on horseback!”

“Looks like they’re from the Baron family, Sam!”

The marching students began to buzz loudly.

I suddenly remembered the explanation Tess had given me.

She had said, ‘Only the Lord can ride horses on school grounds.’

And the campsite on the beach was clearly part of the vast school grounds.

Realizing that made my mouth drop open.

A very sturdy horse was digging through the frozen sand at the front, kicking up sand as it ran.

A red dragon and shield were embroidered on the fluttering black cloth. Clatter, clatter, clatter…!

“Goodness, that’s right. It’s the Baron Varen’s crest.”

Tess, who had been walking at the rear of the students, walked forward, surprised.

At his signal, the other teachers also turned in this direction.

Grandfather and Jibril Diop immediately blocked my front and back.

Since the lizard kid’s stability was the top priority, Gain and the Crown Prince, and Sir Johan, didn’t approach me (for reference, François was resting at school with Tete and Lopi).

Hugging the Hyegeom [a type of sword] wrapped in a bundle, I turned around.

The mana beast fur of the robe hood fluttered, obstructing my view. Whoosh―!

“Oh, shoot!”

-Clatter, clatter, clatter!

The man at the head of the group was as big as a refrigerator, even on the saddle.

The horse he was riding was also muscular and a little intimidating.

Cedric and Charlemagne boasted a beautiful balance like a painting, but this was a different kind of… balance.

His cheeks and forehead had several terrible scars.

I was puzzled because I had heard that the lord, Abelloner Varen, was a woman.

‘What’s going on without notice?’ ‘Did something big happen at the Lord’s castle?’ The students’ whispers spread like rough waves.

Are these people her agents? What’s their business here?

“…….”

-Gulp.

The expressions visible beyond the many backs of heads were all grim. I felt strangely nervous.

Soon, the group that had come right in front of the students got off their horses.

-Thud! Thud, thud!

“Oh my! Headmaster, welcome!”

“Young Lord Sem!”

…Huh? What?!?

I was so shocked that I almost popped my eyes out.

Young Lord Diop also let out a dumbfounded breath.

The expressions I had heard about the Lord’s son quickly flashed through my mind.

‘Our young lord, the poor young lord….’

‘The young lord visits the school every other week, but he has difficulty with the teachers and has rarely communicated smoothly with us.’

‘Basically, he’s on our side, but because of his gentle nature and weak spirit….’

Gentle nature and weak spirit, you say!?

I’m not the type to judge people by their appearance, but that person’s appearance is giving me too much information!

“Young Lord, why didn’t you come to the school headquarters and instead came all the way to the campsite….”

Teacher Lena, the student director, bowed politely to him.

Following her, the third-grade teachers and students bowed in unison.

I quickly composed myself and gave a Shin-guk style greeting [a formal greeting, likely involving a bow].

Then, Young Lord Sem awkwardly waved his big hand.

It was the gesture of someone who didn’t know how to treat subordinates at all. His thick fingers were also covered in scabs and burns.

“That is not a problem. The Lord’s castle is completely closed, so there is no way to get in or out… I escaped through a gap where the security was lax. The road to the school is too bright, so I headed this way.”

“Yes? Young Lord, then what about your mother?”

Tess, surprised, raised her voice.

Young Lord Sem’s cheeks turned red in an instant when he found her.

He had looked to be in his mid-thirties until now, but with that expression, he suddenly looked like he was in his early to mid-twenties.

The man’s bobbed hair was a mess, and it was mottled gray like dark clouds.

He twitched his chin and limbs like a broken robot for a moment.

The third-grade students giggled quietly and pushed each other.

“That is… She and I can no longer talk. Neither as lord and knight, nor as mother and son. It’s a pity.”

“What do you mean? Surely, you can persuade the Baroness to restore support for the school―”

“It would be better to have this conversation in the tent. It’s not something the students should hear.”

The Young Lord cut her off in a somber voice.

A look of bewilderment spread across Tess’s face.

Lena and the other teachers hurriedly patted her on the back.

They seemed worried that a heavy story would drag on in front of the students.

Some of the class leaders who met my eyes already had stiff expressions.

Early-blooming children are usually quick-witted.

Seeing that made me feel bad.

“There, I see a staked-out site. Let’s go and finish preparing the camp before the sun goes down.”

Finally, His Highness Stanislaus changed the subject in a booming voice.

The teachers barely nodded and stepped back. Shuffle, shuffle.

The Young Lord stared blankly at Tess’s retreating figure as she moved away from him….

“…….”

He briefly turned his gaze toward us. I hurriedly bowed again.

I guess I’ll have to formally greet him later.

Hello, we are the Somaek Guild.

*

“Haa….”

‘The Lord has been completely seduced by Bojena.’

Thud, Young Lord Sem stated as if dropping a heavy stone.

‘The priests say she is using drugs, but the problem is not just the drugs.’

‘The problem is the Lord’s mind. The Lord’s heart.’

Only then did I properly look at his cheeks.

I could see recent handprints crossing over the old scars.

The Young Lord’s eyes were red and swollen.

‘She has already sent a messenger to Atsuma, and the Atsuma barony is greatly angered, saying that this is an act that tarnishes their family’s honor.’

‘To truly prepare for war, we should at least send a reconnaissance team to check the situation… But she has firmly locked the castle gates and does not allow anyone to enter or leave.’

‘What we are fighting for, how we will prepare for the mana beasts. It’s as if she has completely forgotten about such things.’

We were sitting in front of the fireplace in the center of the tent, reviewing the story from a few hours ago.

The old, rusty iron bowl occasionally made a clanging sound.

The lizard on my palm was limp like syrup and had no strength at all.

Only the warm heat of its small body was the only clue proving that this creature was still ‘alive.’

‘Why didn’t you hold on more strongly?’

Tess stood up abruptly and glared at him.

‘Tess, don’t be like that!’ Her fellow teachers earnestly dissuaded her.

But Tess’s position was understandable enough. The students here were too young.

The elderly and infirm had all left the territory, and the only people left here were those who were prepared to die.

Having teenagers who had dedicated their sparkling youth to mana beast subjugation as students, the fact that the Lord’s precious son had not been able to defeat his mother….

‘How can you be so weak! Don’t you know that you, the Young Lord, the Headmaster, can save hundreds and thousands of lives!’

‘Calm down! Tess!’

‘Our children have bet their entire lives, but how can you!’

Perhaps it would seem like an unacceptable weakness.

‘…I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Teacher Tess. But I had no choice but to escape the castle.’

‘….’

‘The Lord imprisoned Her Highness the Princess’s messenger and virtually ordered her to be killed.’

‘Goodness!’

That was shocking.

This was a major crime that could be considered treason at any time.

I quickly exchanged glances with the paladins.

‘Could it be… Could it be that the Lord has declared that she will defy Her Highness’s orders?’

‘Not only that.’

The Young Lord had a very pained expression. A blood-boiling voice rose from his throat.

‘Martier Jielstra. A priest with that name came to the Lord’s castle.’

I hurriedly covered my mouth with my fist. Gain gritted her teeth to suppress the sound.

‘He is said to be a famous person from out of town. I remember hearing his name a few times. There were also rumors that he was Her Highness the Princess’s right-hand man… That person helped our territory’s people and used ether in various places, and was noticed by the knights and entered the castle.’

‘But the Lord imprisoned him.’

The Young Lord buried his forehead in his hands. His hairy back of his hands was trembling finely.

I was very surprised and asked again.

‘Imprisoned? You mean she did that even knowing Sir Jielstra’s identity?’

‘Yes. The priest advised the Lord to immediately open the gates of the Lord’s castle, bring in the people, and focus on preparing for mana beast subjugation. But she….’

She didn’t listen.

Rather, the Baroness charged Martier with the crime of stepping on her territory without her permission and deceiving the people with ether.

The Princess’s battle priest became a death row inmate overnight. It was an unbelievable reality.

‘As the teachers know well, I am a fool when it comes to politics. I’m better at wrestling with mana beasts.’

‘But at that time, I could clearly see one thing. My mother had crossed a point of no return, and the only way for me to protect the people was to fight together.’

‘…So I escaped the castle as if running away. Only these seven knights are following me.’

The Young Lord eventually trembled his lips and shed tears.

No one could say anything to him anymore.

It was a very unexpected hand that patted his drooping shoulder.

A never-before-seen old swordsman from a mercenary guild he had never heard of.

‘You’ve had a hard time.’

“I was most shocked that Young Lord Sem is twenty-one years old.”

Suddenly, Gain said that.

Knowing it was a joke to make us laugh, I slightly raised the corners of my mouth.

Sitting far away, she couldn’t play footsie with me as usual.

“…Forward!”

“Hut! Hut! Hut! Hut!”

Outside, the students’ shouts echoed endlessly.

We all had the Chinese character for river (川) embroidered between our eyebrows.

Hmm.

“Clearly, Berner is acting alone.”

The Crown Prince summarized the situation in a low voice. Sir Johan tilted his head.

“It’s not easy to understand. Wasn’t Her Highness the Princess one of his political foundations? Not only is he selling information from Duke Schneider’s secret chamber, but now he’s even trying to kill his son’s subordinate….”

“Suddenly, he’s taking a stance that he’ll fight both of them. Why is he doing that? Like a crazy guy with nothing to lose.”

Gain crossed her arms and grumbled.

I muttered quietly, looking at Dduk-sim who was sitting on my shoulder.

“…Maybe that’s really his psychology, Gain.”

“Yes?”

Her blue eyes widened.

But if I try to put myself in Berner’s shoes―which is by no means an easy task―maybe that’s the right interpretation.

“That person must have thought I was dead. He’s a man who has crossed the border several times to set up a plan to kill me. From the beginning, that was a state that couldn’t be called sane. No matter how much resentment you have, ordinary people wouldn’t do that. Usually, they’re just satisfied with getting rid of you in front of them, right?”

“…….”

“But I came back alive. We spread leaflets on a large scale, and that must have reached the royal capital. There’s no way he wouldn’t know about me.”

“Does that mean the guy was stimulated?”

“Isn’t it possible? I read that Berner Venetian is a man who has tremendous pride in his beauty. He also has a strong pride as a royal. But now he has lost one arm and one leg, and he has also been burned. Rumors are circulating everywhere that I have come back to life. In addition, Princess Eliser must have pushed her father. Maybe even Duke Schneider.”

“…….”

“If he’s mentally cornered and only making increasingly extreme decisions. Then an even faster capture is needed. Because his actions will become increasingly difficult to predict.”

I habitually stroked the lizard and said solemnly….

-Flap!

“Aaaagh!”

Until the guy suddenly woke up!

Wow, I almost had a heart attack!