What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 649

Believer’s Distancing (6)

“…Pope, my foot. He’s just a greenhorn [an inexperienced person].”

The Emperor quickly averted his gaze and retorted. This was also true.

“Of course, he’s a child in our eyes. A child who has returned from death once. But it’s different for Ronald Lüpert, the Vicar General [a high-ranking official representing the Pope].”

‘Click.’ Aurelia, having set down her brush, stared straight at her partner.

It was a look that demanded a conversation, so Frederick sighed deeply and put down the documents.

The Emperor had never won against that look even once. It seemed the dawn would be long in coming.

She carelessly tilted a wine bottle that had been open for a while and filled her glass.

After roughly wetting her parched throat with wine, she touched her temple and met the Cardinal’s eyes again.

“…How is Juliette these days?”

It was a question about the Princess’s condition.

“The vessel is greatly expanded. It looks precarious, as if it might break at any moment, but fortunately, the child’s mental strength is strong, so she seems to be holding up well. I’ve ensured she gets absolute rest, so if she doesn’t overdo it, she’ll calm down soon.”

“…”

“As I said, the position of Cardinal is right around the corner. Of course, we could stop here… To be honest, I wish we would.”

“You used to say you wanted me to become a Cardinal as soon as possible.”

Frederick chuckled with a smirk. Aurelia gave a faint smile.

“I did. But I think I was too greedy.”

“…”

“Seeing Cedric and the children suffering… These days, I wonder if it wouldn’t be okay to live like this. I wish we could stop experiencing bad things.”

“Speaking weakly. You’re getting old.”

The Emperor chuckled and stretched out his arm.

The Cardinal accepted the bottle with a look of defeat.

They weren’t the kind to get drunk from just a few glasses of wine in the middle of a battlefield.

They decided to share a drink together for the first time in a while.

“They’re adults too. They’ve already experienced all sorts of hardships. They’ll only become stronger in the future.”

“…Right. We just need to not block their path.”

Finally, a satisfactory answer came out.

The Emperor chuckled and changed the subject simply.

“The Princess has lost weight.”

“She eats so well that I’m not too worried about that part. I’ve also put Gibreel by her side. The problem is…”

“…”

“The double awakening of a cleric is an unprecedented anomaly in history. A messenger has already come from Fenetian.”

At the cautious question, Frederick clicked his tongue.

“Ah, they scribbled down some nonsense. Activating Crown Ether [magical energy] in a war zone during a war is a violation of the laws of war, or something like that. They were furious, protesting formally.”

“Violation of the laws of war? I’ve never heard of that. Is it actually true?”

“See, you don’t know either.”

The Emperor chuckled. Aurelia quietly sipped her wine, waiting for her partner’s answer.

“After having some of the less busy guys look into it, it seems there was such a law six or seven hundred years ago. Liester doesn’t train combat clerics, so there was no reason to pay attention to such clauses in the first place.”

“Yes. Clerics and Cardinals were very rare in our history.”

“Moreover, we even went through a severance of relations after the war era. It’s absurd that they’re trying to hold us back with outdated clauses.”

“So, what did you say?”

“I denied it.”

His expression couldn’t have been more nonchalant. The Cardinal ended up laughing out loud.

The firewood in the fireplace also crackled merrily.

The Emperor continued in a languid voice.

“Your commanders must have seen the Lord’s Archangel descending from the heavens, and if so, they must have also witnessed that he did not target the Holy State from the beginning, but was instead exposed to the great Empire’s attack magic, so we humans have no way of understanding the harmony of God.”

“Goodness.”

“Furthermore, I think I also said that we are protecting that angel, and he himself wants to belong to the Empire.”

“You’re really impossible.”

“Ah, the messenger returned with a face as pale as a skull.”

The Emperor toasted to his partner’s words. Aurelia refilled her empty glass with wine and laughed.

Confirming her relaxed face, Frederick finally returned to the main topic.

“…Vicar General Lüpert is not someone who moves easily.”

In the air, the gazes of the two contractors intertwined. Soon, the Cardinal nodded.

“That’s right. The Vicar General is famous for maintaining strict neutrality in any situation, and that has often worked in our favor. No matter what tricks the Holy State’s personnel within the Vatican try, he doesn’t waver that much.”

“…”

“But we must also understand that the Vicar General’s neutrality is very blind.”

“Blind?”

The Emperor’s head tilted. Aurelia continued calmly.

“He is waiting for the Pope, Frederick. A true master to serve with all his being.”

“…”

“The Vicar General has not changed a single element within the temple to this day. Everything is said to be exactly as it was before Her Holiness Irena passed away. As you know, he has no interest in the well-being of the residents in the neutral zone. The Vatican forces are only mobilized for minimal security.”

“Like a pathetic old man who doesn’t even know what he’s responsible for.”

“That’s right. But he believes he is preserving the world for a supreme being. He thinks that judging and acting on his own is a presumptuous act.”

“That’s not blindness, it’s madness.”

“I agree.”

The Cardinal answered, holding her wine glass with both hands.

Her beige eyes were shining resolutely.

“So, if the existence of a cleric who has achieved Crown and double awakening and spread six wings becomes known even to the neutral zone, he will surely want to see it with his own eyes.”

“…”

“Whether our child is fit to be Pope. Whether the rumor that she was resurrected from death is really true.”

“Put your worries down.”

So said the Emperor, who drained the remaining wine.

The barracks, shrouded in the darkness of dawn, were only dimly lit in the areas where there was light.

“No matter how much he struggles and writhes, it’s all useless unless purple smoke rises from the temple chimney.”

“…”

“Isn’t that the condition?”

“Yes. It’s proof that the Pope has been chosen. You know it well.”

The Emperor chuckled.

On the floor of her desk, piled with documents, was a large map of the continent.

Hundreds of sun-like, round, five-colored wooden pieces decorated the continent densely.

This was her own chessboard, showing the location and size of the rearguard and main camp, as well as the supporting forces of the Corleone Principality and the Imperial Navy.

The wooden pieces representing other human resources were all star-shaped and stood upright in various places on the desk, each with its own meaning.

The ruler’s red eyes scanned Trossart and the Statia Plains, the Salt Marsh, the Yeriho Black Market, the northern coast of the Holy State, and nearby territories in turn.

And then aimed again at the Puppeteer’s Path.

“…”

Deep enough in.

The Puppeteer’s Path was the fastest way to the royal capital of Fenetian, and now Liester had no other choice.

Sending troops to the north and striking down from there was impossible because the Memphis Mountains surrounding the royal capital were too high and rugged.

The mountain range that stretched out from the eastern coast and surrounded the capital, also known as the ‘Natural Fence’, continued sporadically to Trossart, creating very difficult terrain.

Moreover, the south was even more troublesome.

In particular, the Kamingha Archduchy, which bit the tail of the crescent moon, had been struggling for two months with the army of the principality led by Prince Lorenzo Corleone himself.

The resistance was so strong and the ‘Rebecca Walls’ surrounding the coast were so formidable that the landing of the marines seemed distant.

Admiral Corleone’s capture of Cape Evelina was a feat not seen in over 400 years, but Judith Kamingha was not an easy opponent.

Then the only thing left was a frontal breakthrough.

-Tok, toktok, toktoktok…

“…He’ll be here soon.”

‘There’s no need to save the cards we can use.’ The blood-red eyes sharpened like the hands of a clock pointing to the hour.

The Emperor’s fingertips were drumming on one side of the map at an irregular pace.

Aurelia silently got up from the bed and looked into her partner’s intentions.

Soon, the two people’s fingers intertwined like constellations in the sky.

Beyond the Puppeteer’s Path, in a distant land, crescent-shaped wooden pieces were scattered.

‘Partisans [resistance fighters]’.

With such labels.

*

Yeah, I thought there was nothing I could do right now.

-Squeak…

I know I shouldn’t go out recklessly because it could disrupt the order of the military camp, and I shouldn’t go to see my friends first because there are friends who need to rest, and I know I have no choice but to trust my friends and wait.

I know in my head that I have to do that even if I’m frustrated and upset.

I’ve been an adult for about ten years, so I know that I have to show at least ten years’ worth of adulthood.

-Kkii?

“Shh, shh.”

But, you know. No, really.

“…Is that person really sleeping?”

-Woong

I had never thought that being indoors was stuffy when I was just going back and forth between work and home, but being trapped in a cabin was driving me crazy.

It was like the inner kiln was boiling without the outer kiln even heating up, but there was really nothing I could do.

I think I’m really okay now, and right now I’m most worried about Gain, Cedric, and Sir Johann.

I wanted to see with my own eyes how they were doing, even if it was from a very, very far distance.

I found out by chance while eating dinner that there is a security gap for about 10 minutes at exactly this time, exactly on this side of the window.

Actually, I overheard the guards talking outside the window. I’m sorry.

“…”

Before opening the window, I stared intently at Gibreel Diop, who was crumpled on the single bed.

I waved my hand in front of his face and blew on his forehead.

“Kuhul…”

“He’s really asleep.”

-Kkia

Peri cried as if to say, ‘See? I told you so.’

I nodded solemnly and threw a black robe over my pajamas.

I also put on Francois’s magic stone glasses and slung on my Gaga bag [a type of bag].

I’m just going for a short walk alone, so I don’t need to pack heavy.

“Let’s leave a few things behind. Rope, emergency money, digestive medicine, comb, your towels…”

I expected it, but there was no end to the things coming out of the bag. Well, I am a peddler.

“…Wait a minute, where did all the plastic go? I collected the chocolate wrappers that the kids threw away in this pocket.”

Then, I frowned as I rummaged through the inside of the bag.

I used to give chocolate to the children in Honing Village and only get the plastic wrappers back.

I was going to take them home and throw them away because they would emit bad smoke if burned and wouldn’t rot if buried in the ground, so I had gathered them separately.

I definitely did… I deliberately packed them deep inside so I wouldn’t spill them anywhere.

“What are you looking for so hard at this hour?”

Flinch!

“…Did you lose the imperial crest or something?”

“…”

From across the familiar darkness, the combat mage was getting up and talking.

Goosebumps rose and my jaw dropped.

The person who had been snoring until just now had eyes shining like a lie, so I was momentarily speechless.

“No, that…”

…Wait a minute. Crest?