What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 746

Omen (1)

Or the old man known as the ‘One-Eyed Hermit.’

“…I’ve come to bum a smoke.”

That was the first thing the Grand Duke of the Theocratic Kingdom of Fenetian uttered in the imperial presence.

“……”

“……”

Frederica Liester did not dismount, nor did she offer any particular response to the request.

Judith Kamingha’s eyes, gleaming like rusty blades, were fixed on Frederica’s left side.

The black leather eyepatch covering her right eye was worn, and the royal armor, which appeared to have been stored for a long time, was covered in scars and dust.

Her wrinkled and calloused hands were empty, and her gray hair looked as heavy as if it carried the weight of the world.

Frederica’s blood-red gaze quietly took in the old woman’s appearance for a moment.

Kamingha also stared back at her without wavering.

Then, those who followed the Emperor exchanged silent glances and shifted uneasily.

The knights, fearing their lord’s silence, raised their voices even more.

They warned sharply, weapons raised.

“Your Grace, what is the meaning of this? Even on the lawless battlefield, you are well aware that there are proper etiquette and procedures between the royal and imperial families!”

“Please step back. We are showing courtesy to the Grand Duke out of respect for our Emperor, and because we are knights who value respect and honor.”

“If you had sent a messenger with a request…”

“Enough.”

Finally, the monarch spoke. The knights immediately shut their mouths and stepped back.

Soon, there was no barrier between the Emperor and the Grand Duke.

Frederica gestured to Lorenzo Corleone, the Marquis.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

“The honor is mine, Signora.”

The old gentleman, as graceful as a painting, dismounted.

He rummaged through his saddlebag and took out a small box.

Soon, a cigar from the Marquisate, famous for its luxury goods, was lit. ‘Tss…’

“The Grand Duke is in luck. This was the last cigarette.”

“I owe you a great debt.”

Kamingha replied emotionlessly, sucking on the cigar until her cheeks were hollow.

While the old woman savored the cigarette, the Emperor gestured to the knights surrounding her.

Soon, the elders gathered the young men and quickly scattered in all directions.

For a moment, only old clouds and cigarette smoke drifted through the sky of Cheonro.

“…As you well know, the Holy Stone Bomb is not the end of it.”

‘Hoo.’ Finally, a smog-like word was exhaled from the old woman’s mouth.

Frederica still looked down at her without getting off her horse.

The Grand Duke didn’t seem to want anything more than that.

Her eyes were as dry as drought-stricken land.

“Wilhelmina Schneider has finally revealed her ambition and no longer intends to hide it.”

“……”

“Right now, thousands of Schneider’s private soldiers are heading south of the capital.”

“……”

“That’s right. The purpose is to threaten my territory and shake up even the Crown Princess.”

The Grand Duke took another puff of her cigarette. Frederica spoke heavily.

“I heard that half of the Grand Duke’s troops are scattered throughout the country.”

“You know it well. It was to find the escaped national seal.”

The old woman replied, exhaling hazy breath.

“But until now… not a single strand of hair has been found. If this is not God’s will, then that person is surely cursed.”

“…I don’t think you came here to chat with me.”

“Instead, I have received several reports of seeing the Emperor’s cavalry.”

The Grand Duke’s voice was very low and indifferent.

Camille Bacari realized what she meant after a few moments and flinched.

However, the Emperor did not bat an eye.

“Interesting. I didn’t know you came to give me information.”

“It’s the opposite, Your Imperial Majesty.”

The Cardinal’s eyes flashed sharply for a moment.

Frederica recognized the gaze at once.

“……”

That is the eye of someone who is prepared for the end.

“Schneider intends to delay the Imperial Army greatly here. And ultimately, he will try to end the life of the Crown Princess.”

“The Duke has started a civil war. Nothing surprising.”

The Emperor said, raising an eyebrow. The Grand Duke answered naturally.

“I will hold them back here.”

“……”

“What did you just say?”

The Duke Cecil Blancar, who had been listening quietly, asked back in surprise.

The shoulders of the knights who inhaled also stiffened.

‘Do you know what you’re saying?’ The Emperor raised a hand to stop one young man from speaking.

The old woman continued to speak in a voice as dry as dead roots.

“It is not only the Holy Stone Bomb that blocks your path.”

“……”

“If you are the Emperor of the Empire, you must know the name of Adriana Albina, the Countess.”

“Isn’t she the Cardinal of the Theocratic Kingdom’s Earth Attribute? I haven’t seen her on the battlefield for a while.”

Frederica’s information was accurate.

The Countess Albina had fought a life-or-death battle against Count Arno van Loy here, and perhaps she could be said to have ‘won’ that desperate fight and returned.

The Grand Duke, holding a cigar in her hand, rummaged through the junkyard of memories buried in a mess.

“…Having lost a beloved priest and wounded by heartbreak, the Countess betrayed the King long ago. I heard that she followed Schneider solely out of revenge against the King.”

“……”

Heartbreak. Frederica scoffed.

However, too many lives had been lost under the yoke of love to scoff at ‘that kind of love’.

For decades, hundreds, or thousands of years.

So, Romero Liester’s bloodline mocked itself instead of laughing at someone.

“So, the heartbroken Countess wants to face the Empire’s First Sword?”

“No. That would be too easy a death for the Apostle.”

The Grand Duke, who had sucked on the cigar until her cheekbones protruded, looked up at the Emperor, exhaling black smoke.

The thick, pungent smell of the cigar lingered between the two like a harbinger and then disappeared.

Camille felt a chilling unease and looked across the eastern sky.

-Gooooooo…

“……”

The darkness that only he could see was gradually expanding its territory.

His hand holding the cane was constantly filled with sweat.

Finally, the Grand Duke recited.

“…The Countess will soon self-destruct, and no ordinary human can stop it.”

*

Excuse me?

Did I hear you wrong?

“‘Mad Death’? What does that mean?”

Trickle. I wrung out the washcloth in the basin and asked again.

In the meantime, my friends were standing around the bed—which looked threatening to anyone, but Gain dismissed it as a ‘get-well visit’—and were watching Count Arno van Loy.

One person would have been enough, but they were in a flock like zealous flamingos, watching everything from the healing priests re-examining the Count’s surgery site to prescribing additional medicine.

When Her Majesty Hanan passed by, she scolded them not to ‘lose their humanity,’ but everyone just looked brazen.

Fortunately, the Count was safe.

After starting to receive my aether [a mystical energy or life force], his recovery speed noticeably increased.

Just a moment ago, he had a simple meal of pea soup and took the painkillers I had brought from the main camp.

“Hey, answer quickly. Our Princess is asking.”

“The Monarch is asking.”

“……”

Gain chewed on jerky and rudely urged the Count (Rindo gnawed on cheese).

At this rate, it’s hard to tell who the protagonist is and who the villain is.

I heard somewhere that holy knights are either immature or beasts until they die, is that true?

My friends tended to believe in whatever I did, but when it came to things involving holy knights, their attitude would change completely, like today.

“Hmm…”

“It’s okay, Count. Take your time.”

I sighed silently and wiped the man’s pale face with a towel.

Then he smiled faintly, holding the cameo necklace in his hand.

The fox-like, elongated eyes widened weakly.

“…No. It’s just that I… I’m not sure how much I can say, so I was rummaging through my memories.”

“Does a prisoner of war have the energy to choose his testimony?”

The Crown Prince, with his arms crossed, snapped sharply. Then the Count smirked.

The fox-like, elongated eyes widened weakly.

“I wish that were the case. I seem to have… a lot of attachment to life.”

“……”

“You can call me a coward.”

He pressed his hand against his heart.

His cheeks, exhaling a long sigh, and his swaying eyes were filled with a sliver of fear.

It was completely different from the relaxed appearance I had seen in the black market.

I quietly examined him and paused.

The thought that maybe, just maybe, flashed through my mind like lightning.

…Really, maybe.

“Count, did you swear an oath to Wilhelmina Schneider? Are you not just a double agent, but have you given your heart and life? Like Baron Eda Atsuma of the Theocratic Kingdom’s north?”

“……”

He showed no reaction, just silently looking up at me.

But we could clearly see.

The slightly trembling eyelashes, the movement of the Adam’s apple… and with the eyes of someone who foresaw death.

“…Oh my god.”

“Crazy.”

I had seen this expression dozens of times in the shelter.

Gain and I were shocked, and Jibril Diop, who was putting his feet on the table over there, made a disgusted face.

“What, are you crazy? You cut down your own lifespan for the sake of efficient espionage?”

“…’Mad Death’ is a euphemism for the suicide of a noble holy knight in the Theocratic Kingdom.”

Count Loy gave an answer to another question instead of giving us a definite answer.

I looked at him with trembling eyes.

Gain quickly covered the back of my hand.

‘Suicide of a holy knight’?

“This is… different from rampage. Rampage is an unavoidable ‘phenomenon,’ a kind of tragedy that happens even if you don’t want it…”

“……”

“Mad Death is, in effect, a suicide bombing. Isn’t it?”

I couldn’t believe it. It was a story that was hard to accept.

Gain had an expression that sincerely despised the concept of ‘Mad Death,’ and I quickly turned to look at Sir Johan.

He tilted his head with a face as cold as the north wind.

“That’s a word I’ve never heard of.”

“That’s natural. Rather than admitting that a family member took innocent lives and committed suicide… it would be much more honorable to cover it up by saying they died in a rampage.”

The Count continued with difficulty.

I looked back at the fruit pouch on the side table that he had managed to protect.

“A holy knight who has reached the frenzy of death and is prepared for Mad Death… no one can stop him. Even if a holy knight several times stronger comes.”

“……”

“And Adriana Albina, who has nothing to lose, will self-destruct in Cheonro.”