What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 72

#072 Not If It’s Just Me (2)

“His Majesty values the three of you highly. Otherwise, the punishment would have been much harsher.”

Benjamin said, a hint of amusement in his voice. He deliberately added ice to the warm hydrangea tea.

The summer palace’s lounge was perfect for our needs. It was ideal for lifting our spirits and organizing our thoughts and information during tea time.

Behind the magnificent, mansion-like palace was a small, somewhat overgrown forest.

Within the forest were several pavilions with white tiles and orange roofs. The pristine sofas and chairs, along with the seemingly freshly placed flowerpots, were fascinating.

It was astonishing how, even though stepping just one foot off the tiles meant being surrounded by grass and trees, the area under the roof was decorated like a perfect indoor space.

“His Highness the Prince is, of course, the Emperor’s only son. Lady Elisabeth is His Highness’s closest friend, so she must have been viewed favorably as well. Lady Sarnese is the precious daughter of Duke Simon de Sarnese and was once considered a marriage prospect for His Highness.”

“Indeed. I also thought the punishment was quite lenient.”

I nodded and began to eat a beignet [a type of fried dough pastry]. Today’s beignet was filled with stewed cherries and cranberries, sprinkled with powdered sugar on top. It melted softly like a sweet dream as soon as it entered my mouth. Both its shape and taste were reminiscent of a French donut.

“Besides, the trouble the three of you caused… perhaps it reminded His Majesty of his younger days.”

The middle-aged man added gently. I chimed in.

“I’ve heard stories of His Majesty causing trouble with Cardinal Boutier.”

“That’s true. Usually, Archduke Evelyn would clean up the mess. He probably saw that in the three of you and was secretly pleased.”

That explained it.

Three days ago, the dinner with the Emperor and the Cardinal had proceeded in an incredibly tense atmosphere. But considering that, the punishment given to Christel, the Prince, and Lady Elisabeth was quite light.

In the end, everyone except me and the Prince had a few glasses of absinthe [a strong, anise-flavored spirit], and the atmosphere relaxed.

According to Ganael, if he had done such a thing, he would have been locked in the underground prison without question.

“If it had been someone from a family not on good terms with His Majesty, they might have even been accused of treason.”

The boy sitting on the small sofa chattered.

Indeed, it would have been strange if there hadn’t been any repercussions for bringing a pirate ship into the Imperial family’s territory.

I chuckled and sipped my hydrangea tea.

The past three days at the summer palace had been very peaceful.

The Emperor and the Cardinal had only come for a ‘summer retreat’ and hadn’t taken a vacation, so they were busy handling state affairs in their respective offices.

Knights hurriedly traveled between the Imperial Palace and Evelyn, acting as messengers.

Lady Elisabeth left for Mutte County the day after the banquet. She said there were many things to check, such as whether the border count’s knights had captured the pirates thrown into the sea and how the aftermath was being handled.

Christel and her teacher, Sir Johann Haynes, remained at the summer palace. There was an imperial order for them to take classes with the Prince, who would be staying here for the time being.

The two didn’t spar as wildly as they had in the Imperial Palace. Moreover, the Prince was busy handling the affairs of the Duchy of Evelyn, which had been neglected.

I alone was enjoying the peace in many ways.

-Swish…

The northern wind swept through the leaves and grass. The refreshing feeling made the corners of my mouth lift.

Benjamin and Ganael, after making sure I was eating and drinking well, opened the books they had brought.

My daily life had been mostly like this for the past few days. I also slept well.

I opened my notebook and picked up my quill as always.

∙ Avoid vs. Get Involved

The writing I had scribbled the day before greeted me clearly.

I glared at the two words as if they were enemies.

With my abilities, I might not be able to avoid getting caught up in Christel’s narrative forever.

That was what I had learned from this experience.

Until now, I had believed that if I just did well, if I kept my wits about me and avoided the two protagonists, a way to survive would naturally open up. But now, coming all the way to Evelyn with them and spending the summer here, I was a bit skeptical.

If the author of ‘The Fallen Prince’ needed me in Christel’s story, if they were planning to fit me in somehow next time, my resistance would be futile.

Besides, the two of them had even saved me from falling off the cliff.

I rubbed my forehead, where I had headbutted the Prince’s Adam’s apple, for no reason.

∙ Avoid vs. Get Involved

– Good points of getting involved: It will be easier to obtain information.

I added that sentence and stared intently at the paper again.

Generally, the protagonist tends to be the center of new information. Christel is lively and full of curiosity, so there would be no better partner than her to acquire vivid knowledge of ‘The Fallen Prince’.

Perhaps I could even get a clue to go home. Because her adventures would be full of things I couldn’t learn from books or classes.

But…

– Good points of avoiding: I can survive until the war.

Feeling strangely thirsty, I crunched one of the ice cubes floating on top of the hydrangea tea.

The dilemma branched out from this point.

If I avoided the two and didn’t interfere with the original storyline as much as possible, the war was likely to happen as it should. The author probably wouldn’t skip such an important event that even the popular ‘second male lead’ died in the middle of it.

In this case, the only thing I had to do to survive was to minimize contact with the two protagonists and endure in a safe place until the war ended.

“Ha…”

However, if I didn’t resist getting involved with the protagonists, if I were to be with Christel and the Prince in the future…

The original ‘The Fallen Prince’ might not even have a skeleton left.

Even now, both of them had become paladins, and I had become a ‘real’ priest, completely changing our occupations.

Adding more uncertainty was too risky.

Unlike the two, I was a very ordinary human. I made frequent mistakes, my athletic ability was terrible, and I wasn’t someone who made decisions like a main character or a member of the Imperial family.

If I got involved and the story flowed in an unknown direction, and as a result, the point of my death was brought forward…

“That would be a mess.”

I muttered. Survival. What was most important was survival.

If I had possessed the Emperor or the Cardinal and was in a position to save Prince Yeser, I would have worked hard from the beginning to lay the groundwork to prevent the war.

But I was the prince himself and a hostage. With limited freedom of movement and in a position where I could be in danger at any time, a passive attitude was the only way to survive.

I already had one means prepared, but…

If there was another way to guarantee safety, that would be great.

“…A deal.”

Suddenly, I remembered what I had thought about the Prince a few days ago.

I quickly turned to the front page of my notebook.

∙ Sadie and the Suspicious Letter

I had a note that I needed to get back from the little one. I was also thinking that the only reward I could offer him was Ether [a magical energy source].

But when I thought about it, it was the same for the Prince and Christel. I could offer the same conditions to the two of them.

The problem was that they wouldn’t be as desperate for me.

I prided myself on my Ether being of the highest quality on the continent, but…

“Benjamin, I’m sorry.”

I ended up calling Benjamin, who was sitting on the opposite sofa. I needed advice from an adult.

He immediately looked up at me. His deep eyes seemed to calm my mind a little.

“If I want to make a deal with someone, but the cards I have aren’t very good, what should I do?”

I asked. Benjamin tilted his chin slightly.

“My product is of very high quality. I’m confident it’s the best. But the product itself is common… The other party can easily find a substitute anywhere.”

The Prince could get Ether by calling the Archbishop if he wanted to, and Christel was no different. She had tested me a couple of times, but that was when the monster subjugation was just around the corner, so the situation was a bit urgent. If she took her time to find a partner, the Sarnese family had the ability to search temples throughout the empire.

“But that means there’s nothing that can beat the Prince’s product.”

“That’s probably true. Maybe.”

“Then the Prince has the best card.”

Benjamin replied calmly.

Ganael, who had belatedly looked up from his book, blinked and listened to the story.

“Anyone who makes a deal with the Prince must be someone of considerable status. Such people are not interested in mediocre things. They are only eager to get their hands on something as precious and rare as themselves. They will accept any of the Prince’s demands.”

“Oh.”

I hadn’t thought about it in terms of social class. I was only considering lines like, ‘These days, Ether is more about quality than quantity, customer.’

So this is pin-set marketing [a marketing strategy that focuses on exclusivity and high-end products].

“If I may add one more thing…”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

I straightened my posture and said. Benjamin smiled kindly.

“Nevertheless, the most important thing is trust. To make a contract, there must first be mutual trust.”

It was as if he had seen through me. I smiled bitterly and lowered my gaze to the table.

I saw a brioche de Vendée [a rich French bread], braided and puffed up like Christel’s hair.

“Prince, is it difficult for you to trust the other party?”

Thinking that I wanted to eat bread, Ganael quickly put down his book and cut the brioche.

I burst out laughing as I was handed a warm piece of bread.

“I don’t know. Thank you.”

At least I could trust Christel. She was Jeong Eun-seo’s ‘favorite’ and a righteous protagonist. If I earnestly asked her, she might somehow become my shield. On the other hand, the Prince…

“I think I want to trust him.”

The boy asked me innocently.

A chance. It’s something you give when you’re in a position to give it.

“I’ll think about it. The brioche is delicious. You should eat it while it’s warm too.”

I handed a piece of bread to Ganael and Benjamin as well.

Anyway, I didn’t have any intention of proposing a deal right away.

The terminally ill supporting character had to carefully choose where to set foot while watching the flow.

* * *

“Today is Ether training. Your brother is going to tear up the sanctuary today.”

-Creak!

Even at the words of the guardian in pajamas, Demi seemed to be in high spirits.

The room I stayed in at the summer palace was about twice as big as my room in Juliet Palace. It was fortunate that even if I deployed the circle to its maximum, it didn’t overflow out the door.

Servants were making a fuss late into the night because tomorrow was my birthday. I didn’t want to add more commotion here.

Everyone was tiptoeing and whispering because the Emperor and the Cardinal were resting, but it was just as chaotic.

I also wondered if they should be treating a hostage this well.

No, I’m okay with it. The Emperor allowed it, so I’m grateful, but… I felt a little sorry because I was in a position where I couldn’t give anything.

“Should I receive confession tomorrow?”

-Creaking

I could do that much.

I hadn’t fulfilled my role as a priest since the first and second days I came to Evelyn because I was resting. No one was forcing me to do it, but I still felt bad for not doing anything about it when I had volunteered to do it first.

Leah couldn’t stand it for a moment and pressed down on my instep. It meant to release the Ether quickly.

“Okay, Korean people do everything quickly.”

-Faaa…

I quietly lowered my eyes and opened the sanctuary.

With the feeling of a very small amount of Ether escaping my body, the golden light brightly illuminated the room. The ceiling and part of the wall, which were accented with blue, turned green.

The gold decorations shone even more brilliantly. The three lesser pandas were excited and hopped around.

I looked at them and recalled the words of Cardinal Boutier.

‘As you know from reading the books, there is only one way to evolve the Ether circle. Use it often, circulate it often, and apply it often.’

Even that was only possible if you had talent. If you had a small natural vessel or little Ether, the priest had to stay at the same level for the rest of their life.

‘Prince, you can be a good cardinal. So don’t give up and play with Ether.’

In a world where retiring as a bishop was a lifelong honor for a priest, she was naturally setting her disciple’s goal as a cardinal.

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed faster for me to die in the war, but it was a good thing that my teacher was full of enthusiasm.

-Beep beep beep beep

At that time, the wren, which had been dozing on the pillow, fluttered and sat in the center of my circle.

“You’re not asleep yet. Did you come to watch?”

-Chijik!

Then the sanctuary shook for a moment. I widened my eyes. It was like a phenomenon like radio interference.