What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 737

Moonlight of Memphis (5)

Moonlight of Memphis (5)

Just a moment.

Could this be…?

“Your Grace, come up and take a look at this.”

“…What is it?”

-Heeheeing

“Quickly.”

Gibriel Diop frowned briefly but soon leaped onto the junk pile.

I pulled the secret door open as far as it would go so he could see.

The drawer’s bottom was lined with a luxurious, thick rug, and in the center sat a velvet box that looked like a long jewelry case.

The edges and decorations were all gold, making it clear to anyone that it was a valuable item.

Inside, there was an envelope that appeared to be a certificate of authenticity, also meticulously covered in gold dust, making it look extremely expensive.

I carefully opened the box, and the man paused.

His expression was indeed unusual.

“Isn’t this what I think it is?”

“…Certainly. It’s a well-made item. I don’t know why something like this is in the Holy Kingdom, though.”

He tilted his head and replied.

Yes! A lucky find while cleaning! I grinned and quickly took out the velvet box.

As Arumhardt approached as if he had been waiting, I immediately stowed it deep in his saddlebag.

Indeed, our Mademoiselle has a high taste.

“What are you going to use it for? It’s useless to you.”

“I’m going to give it as a gift. Oh, of course, I’ll ask Leopold for his understanding. Even though this is our land, it’s still something a friend inherited. If he says no, I’ll apologize and return it.”

“A gift? To whom?”

The Duke frowned.

Since there are many paladins around me, I understood why he would react that way.

I smiled awkwardly and scratched the back of my neck instead of answering.

I couldn’t help but glance at Sir Johann, but he seemed too busy to pay attention to us.

Soon, Diop’s face became expressionless.

“…I can guess.”

“It didn’t seem particularly necessary, but it bothered me. They’ll use it well if I give it to them, right?”

“They probably will. If it suits them well.”

….

“…Why, again?”

“Um, Your Grace. Can I ask you one more thing? I’m not a mage, so I don’t really know. That thing you just said…”

“A hundred francs per question.”

“What? That’s too expensive!”

Bargain Diop! I was so taken aback that I raised my voice, then quickly lowered it again.

Then, he raised one eyebrow and smirked.

“Don’t like it? Then three hundred.”

“Your Grace! I’m not asking anything difficult. Can’t we do two hundred?”

“Five hundred.”

“Ah, why does it keep going up?”

-Heeheeing

If you don’t want to answer, just say so!

Even Arum found his materialistic attitude quite distasteful.

As I was feeling awkward, he openly smirked.

There it is, that annoying face!

“Never mind, I’ll just ask François. He’ll answer for free.”

“Non-combat mages have their limits. Fine, four hundred.”

“Two hundred and fifty. Considering Your Grace’s expertise, I’ll go that high. I absolutely won’t go any higher.”

“Oh? The noble Princess is going to haggle? Then…”

Thus, we had a meaningless argument for several minutes.

To call it an argument, there were more moments where we chuckled and spouted nonsense at each other, but we were definitely bickering in earnest.

The argument stopped when Ms. Gain waved her arms in the distance, announcing lunchtime.

Doria, who came out with her, was also cheerfully pawing the ground.

“Princess! Today’s lunch! ‘War Fries (patatje oorlog) [Fries topped with mayonnaise, peanut sauce, and onions]’ with grilled sausage and a herring sandwich with pickled onions! And the drink is Memphis Mountain mineral water, which is good for the body and tastes great!”

“Sounds delicious. I’ll be right there!”

“There’s Olivier salad too! What’s that? Mom!”

‘Are you going to put me in a salad?’ Ms. Gain called out to Isabel in a booming voice and ran off somewhere.

Seeing her pink hair fluttering, I laughed like an idiot.

Duke Diop was also dumbfounded and cleared his throat briefly.

The anxious, uneasy, and stifling feelings, for that time, were as clean as turning a new page in a notebook.

It was truly a grateful thing.

*

Again, the sun set, and it was early evening.

In an empty room in the annex of the Raso Lord’s castle, the final interrogation of the Rose Garden knights was taking place.

The interrogator in charge was none other than me.

-Paaaah…!

“Ugh!”

“Your Grace!”

For a moment, my vision blurred, and I felt as if someone was strongly pushing against my forehead.

Beyond the sanctuary that brightly illuminated the room, the eyes of a portly elder seemed to gleam.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them, staggering at his formidable aura.

I heard an auditory hallucination of a seasoned cardinal sternly scolding me. ‘Ahem! You scoundrel!’

“Oh, Teacher!”

-Saaaa…!

“Your Grace, be careful!”

Whoosh…! My body, having lost its balance, floated into the air.

Ms. Gain, who had quickly approached, grabbed my hands.

I looked at Sir Johann standing in the corner and whispered, ‘Thank you.’

Although I was pushed back by the cardinal’s scolding, I had no aftereffects such as headaches or dizziness.

The Crown Prince, having visually confirmed my perfectly fine state, asked in a low voice.

“What’s going on?”

“Those knights are under the protection of a priest much stronger than I am. I can’t break through with my current abilities.”

Then, a deep valley formed on his artistic brow.

I leaned on him and stood on my own two feet. Thud!

“Does that mean Court Count Etzardt Roseharder has brainwashed them? Like the lackeys of Sneider?”

“No, rather than brainwashing… There’s a thin shell-like thing covering the outside of the knights’ vessels. It seems to be a protective barrier that literally protects their minds.”

I whispered, looking back at the knights.

The ones whose eyes met mine shuddered as if they had seen a ghost.

Only after a few seconds did they realize it was because of my purple eyes (which even I had forgotten about lately).

It was still a mysterious color to the people of the Empire, so it would have been even more surprising to them, who frequently visited the royal palace.

“Could it be… Could it be that you are… Prince Yeser, who has been resurrected?”

“For now, please be aware of that.”

“Yes?”

As I calmly answered, the tightly bound knights looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

‘Oh, may the grace of the Lord be with that poor soul.’ Such a prayer could be heard from the center.

Before long, all eyes were on Sant again.

This was a pattern that had been repeated several times since earlier, and each time, the frightened youngest young master would lower his head as much as possible and hide behind me.

Just like right now.

“Sant, do you know those people well?”

“I only know their faces, faces and names, Your Grace. I’m not close to any of them. It’s been quite some time since I left home…”

“Are they perhaps knights who are good at lying or acting?”

“Ah, they would never be such people. My father hates dishonest people the most, and our brothers were also strictly educated in that regard. If they are knights of the territory, morality… is even more important.”

Sant said in a trembling but clear voice.

I exchanged serious glances with Ms. Gain and Cedrick.

There were a total of three knights, all in their prime, from their late thirties to early forties, and all were swordsmen.

And according to the results of François’s initial interrogation, they were the ones who had crossed the Memphis Mountains in search of Cornelise and Isel under the orders of Court Count Roseharder.

The leader among them stated that it was a complete coincidence that they had entered the Cobine mountain village.

They said that they had followed the faintly glowing wagon wheel tracks even at night and happened to find a place with people.

We were well aware of the wheel tracks, so it was difficult to conclude that they were lying.

“In short, there’s no way to get information about the Rose Garden from them.”

The Crown Prince summarized our situation in one line.

His Majesty Hanan, sitting on his shoulder, also clicked his tongue.

Ms. Gain diligently counted on her fingers.

“Those people know that we’re imperial soldiers, that we’ve taken over the Duchy of Raso, and even that we have Princess Royal and Isel with us. Rather, we’ve provided much more information, haven’t we? Isn’t this dangerous?”

“Shall I take care of it?”

Sir Johann, who had approached silently, asked gently.

I almost reflexively asked, ‘Take care of what?’ and was horrified.

Sant’s face also turned as white as rice cake.

“No, no. It’s alright.”

“It’s alright for now, Sam.”

Ms. Gain!

“It will be alright in the future too. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Please tell me if you need anything.”

Father Herrit answered as kindly as an angel. I crossed my arms and pondered.

“Then what should we do with those people… Should we just keep them as prisoners?”

-Tok, tok, tok

At that moment, someone knocked on the door with a familiar rhythm. Sir Johann immediately opened the door.

It was François.

“Your Highness.”

The Marquis was wearing an apron that servants wear, as if he had come from taking care of the children.

He bowed without any unnecessary gestures and whispered to Cedrick.

“With the cooperation of Duke Leopold Raso, Madame Rambouillet has sent four homing pigeons towards the Cheonro. They will arrive at the battlefield by tomorrow at the latest.”

“……”

The Crown Prince nodded gravely once. We looked at each other in silence.

Far outside the window, pigeons fluttering their wings under the secret moonlight caught my eye.

“……Hmm.”

I couldn’t grasp it right away, but it seemed that the situation would be resolved soon.

Because His Majesty would give a reply soon.

*

That night, I had a dream【Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!】

“Surprise!”

Flap! I was startled and threw off the pillow, jumping up.

Hurk, what was that just now? What was it?!

【What else could it be, you bastard!!!! It’s your brother!!!!!!】

“Aaaaaah!”

I screamed like the burglars in as I looked at the phoenix sitting on my lap.

The phoenix also flapped its wings as if it had seen something unsightly.

The long tail feathers and blue mane fluttered in a fierce Jajinmori [A fast Korean rhythmic pattern] rhythm.

The lavender eyes were a complete mess of anger, annoyance, and worry.

But it was I who was dumbfounded, speechless, and about to faint. Of course!

“Brother! Cough, cough! How did you get here!”

Really, God help me, Jung Hyunseo! You almost made me throw up from shock!

【I waited until you were lying down and dreaming, then spammed the space bar and came right in, why!!!!!!!】

“Dream? You can enter my dream? Is that possible? No, if there was such a setting, I would have used it sooner!”

【I’m sorry, but you don’t really believe that there was such a setting in Toegye [A famous Korean novel], do you? Of course, I borrowed a scene that I could use by looking through the previous content??】

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Extremely flustered, I apologized vaguely without properly understanding what was going on.

The phoenix glared at me with a ‘you better know’ look.

As I quietly watched my brother preening his feathers with his beak, I finally felt a tingling in the back of my head and a scene slowly rising up. So…

‘-Wake up, Prince. There is not much time.’

‘Your Highness. Nikki.’

‘-Yes, it is your wren.’

‘This isn’t just a dream. So, it’s a dream, but… you’re borrowing space?’

‘-You’re clever. I like you after all.’

…A long time ago. On the way to the Blanquer Duchy after receiving the ball invitation.

At that time, Bi-ryeom’s Ark had borrowed a dream space to warn me.

So, my brother is now bringing that setting back as a kind of ‘precedent.’ Probably.

【You haven’t been sleeping well lately, so there’s not much time. Listen carefully.】

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

Suddenly, the phoenix spoke with a sharp gaze. I flinched and straightened my back.

【…Hyung [Older brother (used by males)] is going to talk to Mom. Right now.】

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

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

SMPU TWSB What Happens When the Sub Male Lead Goes on Strike When the Third Wheel Strikes Back ขอทีผมคนนี้อยากหนีจากบทพระรอง 男配角罷工的話會發生的事 서브 남주가 파업하면 생기는 일 섭남파업
Status: Completed Author: Native Language: Korean
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[English Translation] Imagine waking up not as the hero, but as the second fiddle in your sister's favorite romance novel! That's exactly what happened. Except, this isn't just any supporting role—it's a fast track to a tragic war and an untimely demise. Forget destiny! This second lead is rewriting his fate. He's dodging the main characters, embracing a life of leisure, and counting down the seconds until he can finally go home. Can he escape the predetermined plot, or will he be forever trapped in a romantic fantasy gone wrong?

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