What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 524

#524

Dragon King’s Onward March! (4)

“Tess, did you just see······.”

“Yes?”

I hurriedly turned around, but the teacher seemed too busy memorizing the path to have noticed the servant.

The knight leading the way was the same.

His helmet narrowed his field of vision, and he changed direction every ten steps or so, so there was no way he would notice a passing hand.

The fact that the corridor was dim as the sun set also played a part.

And the child disappeared so quickly.

“······No, it’s nothing.”

I diligently moved my feet, glanced at the family portraits hanging on the wall, and then turned my gaze in the direction the girl had disappeared.

The pace was too fast, and that corridor was already out of sight.

But I had a strange feeling. If I wasn’t mistaken······.

“On one cheek, there was a dark red spot like a burn.”

-Bbit

Dduk-ssim, hidden in my arms, replied in a small voice that only I could hear. It was a sign of affirmation.

Around that time, the guide, who had been moving with a clanging sound, stopped abruptly. Clang!

“Here it is. If you’re comfortable, I’ll take you right inside.”

I was surprised; I thought Dduk-ssim had been caught.

“Yes, please.”

The entrance to the banquet hall felt smaller and more modest than I had expected, but that might have been because I had become too familiar with the Liester Imperial Palace.

The relief decorations and coloring of the exterior walls of the Guild Hall continued seamlessly to the interior, but it didn’t feel very grand.

In any case, this was not a lord’s castle, so everything could not be the best.

Two knights who appeared to be gatekeepers gestured towards the guide.

She knocked on the wooden door a couple of times with her arm, which had bumpy armor protruding from it. Thump, thump.

“······.”

“······.”

“I hope you have a good time.”

It didn’t seem like any sound returned from inside, but the knight greeted us curtly.

Then, without warning, he threw the door open. Clunk, squeak!

“Th, thank you.”

I answered awkwardly, quickly straightened my clothes, and looked inside.

Tess untangled her twisted glasses strap and whispered that it was okay.

Then, I met the eyes of two unfamiliar women.

“······.”

“Welcome, Priest. I’ve heard the stories.”

One of them looked to be about my age, and the expression on her face as she smiled at me was somehow eerie.

Judging by the fact that she was wearing good clothes and sitting right next to the head table, she seemed to be from a noble family.

And at the highest seat at the table······.

“It’s nice to meet you, Heineken Priest. My name is Eda Atsuma.”

A middle-aged woman with sunken cheeks, pale to the point of being blue, and as thin as if she hadn’t eaten for dozens of days was sitting there.

The Baroness had dark circles under her eyes, and her lips were bloodless, giving her an overall atmosphere that didn’t seem like a living person.

Her dress, made only of achromatic colors and a slight blue tint, looked like a ghost’s blanket.

Sparse gray hair was visible in her updo, which was decorated with a coarse net.

I recalled the picture I had seen in the hallway a little while ago and hurriedly shook it off. It was thanks to Dduk-ssim in my arms pecking at me with his beak.

“······Hello, Baroness. My name is Heineken, a priest of the Main God. I am honored to be invited like this.”

“I am a merchant who travels with this person and sells tobacco. Please call me Tessa.”

As Tess and I gave a polite greeting in the style of the Shin-guk [a fictional country or culture], the two people returned a painted smile.

So far, everything was going according to plan.

However, I was nervous because I didn’t know how things would turn out in the future.

I was guided by an unknown young lady and took a seat to the right of the Baroness.

Following that, Tess sat next to me, and as a signal to him, a side door opened and several servants entered carrying large trays.

Just in case, I carefully examined their faces, but the young servant I had seen in the hallway was not there.

Lavishly decorated meat dishes were placed one after another on the table.

The large silver candlesticks throughout the table trembled as if sobbing.

“I heard that the Priest was here, so I urgently called the chef from the lord’s castle. It’s humble, but please be generous.”

Baroness Atsuma said, staring at me. I swallowed hard with tension.

“······Wow. Thank you.”

It’s definitely not because I’m hungry. Absolutely!

*

At the same time.

Cedric Liester and Johann Haynes, in a corner room on the second floor of the conference hall, were facing a rather unfamiliar situation.

“······.”

“······.”

In the darkness lit by a few lamps.

Orange and mint-colored eyes were facing each other, not deviating even a little.

It was certainly a sight that anyone would call a painting.

To be exact, if it were Elite Seo, she would admire it as ‘beautiful like a painting,’ and if it were Ham Gain, she would ask, ‘Is this a jpg [a common image file format]?’

The two had been facing off in a state of standstill for that long.

Since they were rarely left alone, the air was suffocatingly tense and hot.

-Awoouk?

-······.

-Weo Woong

Except for the two divine beasts and the half-divine object that they each carried in their arms, there was nothing to fill the silence between them.

However, the difference in their ways of thinking and years of experience was stark.

Cedric, as the Crown Prince of a nation, was always the one giving orders first, and he was in a position to ask again and again if he didn’t get the answer he wanted.

It was as familiar to the man as breathing.

He had a strong innate desire to win, and he had lived his whole life surrounded by those who supported him.

Decisively, he was eight years younger than Johann.

That meant that the one to break the silence first was determined.

“······It sounds like you’re going to command me.”

“You understand exactly, Your Highness.”
The Crown Prince spat out as if chewing, and the Cardinal answered gently.

Tite, held in Johann’s arms, blinked her innocent eyes.

Lopi looked at the baby and bulged his white belly greatly. It was a sigh in its own way.

“The operation details must have already been decided.”

“I am sorry, but that is precisely why I should lead Your Highness. To proceed with the plan as it is, you need unwavering judgment in any situation.”

“Are you underestimating the discernment of the heir to the throne?”

“Of course not. However, Your Highness tends to be overly shaken by matters involving your partner. Am I mistaken?”

“······.”

Cedric’s jaw tightened.

He wanted to retort that the Grand Preceptor was not much different, but he knew that was not the case.

Johann was a Holy Knight with stronger self-control than him. At least, that’s how the man felt.

His martial power itself was also formidable, and he possessed a vessel that did not require additional supplies for a long time once he received Ether [a magical energy source].

However, it was a completely different matter for Elite Seo, the Marchioness of Serenite, to command him versus Johann Haynes commanding him.

He could accept the former for some reason, but the latter made him feel a sense of rejection that sent shivers down his spine.

It was truly a sensation that went against his instincts.

Moreover, he was displeased that the teacher was openly treating him like a deficient child.

“······.”

-Nyaooo

Around that time, Lopi, who had climbed onto his shoulder, looked at the clock and cried.

The eyes of the two disciples rolled quickly. It was almost time for the Baroness’s banquet to begin.

Elite had said that she ‘didn’t have any appetite because she was nervous,’ but they knew that the Palace Lord was secretly strong-hearted.

So, it was up to them to do well now.

-Tok, tok

Gugu, who was hiding in the Crown Prince’s coat pocket, tapped his chest.

Crimson eyes keenly looked down.

“······.”

The divine object’s plump tail was pointing to the new Holy Stone hanging around his neck.

The piece that had been cracked and empty for a long time had long been boldly discarded by the Palace Lord.

The light given to him again was dancing brighter and healthier than ever before. ‘Sararar······.’

‘Sir Johann is Your Highness’s teacher. He strives only for Your Highness’s growth, without calculating any situations or benefits. Aside from your parents, how many other people in the world are like that?’

The voice he had heard just a few hours ago vividly lingered in his ears.

‘If Your Highness shows him how much you’ve grown, Sir Johann will give you even greater teachings. From my perspective, it seems like he cherishes both of his disciples quite a bit. And that’s also true.’

‘So, you can get along well. I’m going, trusting only in the two of you.’

‘Aja aja fighting [Korean expression for “fighting!” or “go for it!”].’

He now knew for sure what the added sentence meant.

It was a word of encouragement to fight well.

“······.”

Of course, it couldn’t have meant to fight with the teacher.

He snorted at the absurdity of his own thoughts.

After a while, he completely hid the necklace under his shirt and said.

“······I’ll do as the Grand Preceptor wishes.”

“Oh.”

Johann was genuinely a little surprised by that statement.

If he had even a shred of faith, he would have easily uttered even the ‘Main God’ of ‘Main God have mercy.’

He was confident in persuading his disciple, but he had expected it to take a little longer.

“However, it’s better to set an example as a teacher.”

“I don’t know when my precious disciple became so mature.”
The Cardinal took a step, gently raising the corners of his lips.

Cedric barely suppressed the rising anger at those words.

Instead, this time he thought of his mother and godmother.

He recalled the two of them, who endured something dozens of times a day, and tempered themselves more deeply instead of lightly uttering sentences.

-Click

······Then the flames subsided a little. He felt that this process was not so cumbersome.

It felt like he could hear Gain’s tinkling laughter somewhere.

It was still unpleasant, but not hateful.

“Then I will follow Your Highness’s orders.”

“What?”
The Crown Prince, who was checking his weapons for the last time, raised his eyes sharply.

Johann, who had bowed his head diagonally, opened the door and stepped aside, smiling brightly.

Swearing on the sacred moon, Cedric had seen that look somewhere before.

A vivid scene suddenly stirred in his head. In the very near past······.

So, earlier today.

‘Your drawing skills have improved a lot in the meantime, my son. You could be a polo player and a painter.’

‘Hehehe.’

‘You learned well from the Baron. Is this Daddy?’

‘Uh-huh.’

Whack! The Crown Prince’s brow furrowed at last.

“How dare you.”

‘Squeak,’ the moment he couldn’t bear the anger that was rising like wildfire and lunged forward—

“It’s this way.”

‘Whiririk!’ Johann instantly pulled his body away and drove his disciple out into the hallway.

What appeared before the man’s eyes were two knights of the barony patrolling the hallway in full armor.

Scorching heat shot out in a straight line towards them.

The man’s black glove quickly swung the scabbard. ‘Ssaeeeeek!’

-Kagang! Kaang!

“Ugh! Ugh!”

-Tung! Teong! Kikiging!

“Eup! Keuheok! Ack!”

The two knights, who were suddenly beaten to a pulp, fainted on the spot and were dragged into the room.

Of course, Johann was in charge of dragging them in.

How could he let the esteemed ‘commander’ do such a thing?

He also blocked the noise well, and delicately adjusted the airflow in case the guys woke up.

“It’s a good start, Your Highness. Shall we change and leave right away then?”

“······.”
The Grand Preceptor asked his disciple cheerfully. The answer flowed out from the other side instead.

-Awoong!

*

About an hour had passed since the banquet began.

-Clatter, clatter

“······.”

In the meantime, I thoroughly followed Gain’s guide.

Thanks to that, a normal conversation had been flowing without any problems so far.

Her advice was very concise and ultimate.

“I’m glad the food suits your taste. This is especially a dish that our daughter also likes.”

“Oh, really?”

······Yeah. She said I just need to do ‘Oh, really?’ well.