What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 765

The Sub-Male Lead Goes on Strike – Episode 765 (765/920)

Buying a Maiden (4)

A moment later, Hilda, a Pantheon priestess and acquaintance of Sir Johann, stood before us.

“Ragged Girl? She’s a madwoman often seen around the Pantheon district lately.”

“Pardon?”

She approached, carrying a large basket brimming with dried fruits and cheeses.

Apparently, the Pantheon priests had heard about ‘Hilda’s guests’ and shared food with us (so we were discovered in just one day).

I already felt guilty for not being able to help with the work, and I was even more hesitant to accept the food, but I couldn’t argue against the sentiment that it was ‘the sincerity of those who give.’

Gibreel Diop, who usually loves snacks, immediately stuffed a dried fruit into his mouth.

Cedric watched his sixth cousin intently, and only after confirming that he wasn’t showing any adverse symptoms like vomiting or fainting did he allow the rest of us to taste it (“What, were you using me as a guinea pig?”). Sir Johann didn’t touch any of it, though.

“If she’s a madwoman, does that mean she’s not in her right mind?”

I asked, looking out the window of the multipurpose room.

A strange woman in a torn robe had been wandering around the temple lobby for twenty minutes already.

Hilda nodded, taking a few dry cloths from the empty basket.

“It seems she lost her home and family at a young age. She barely remembers anything properly. She keeps repeating that the Sneider Duke’s residence is scary, but when I ask her why, she can’t answer at all. Maybe she’s a servant who was kicked out of that house…”

“Does anyone know her?”

“Not among the priests. We have quite a few visitors to the Pantheon.”

Hilda shook her head.

It would be difficult to remember the faces of all the believers while working in such a large religious institution.

“But she’s quite devout, so she comes here to pray once a day. She’s not carrying weapons or bothering people, so we let her rest.”

At those words, Cedric asked sharply.

“Have you ever tried to heal her?”

“Of course, I have. We have a friend who specializes in spiritual healing. But her spirit is so closed off…”

“Ah.”

“Yes. It seems she suffered a major mental shock. We couldn’t delve too deeply.”

“······.”

Hilda, who had answered readily, held the basket in her arms again.

She looked like she was asking if we had any more questions.

I somehow ended up watching Sir Johann, who was just looking back at his friends with a faint smile.

It was a kind of ‘okay’ sign!

I quickly reviewed the questionnaire in my head.

“Um, Hilda, about the Valentin family.”

“Viscount Valentin’s?”

“Yes. I heard rumors that the viscount’s daughter and granddaughter are famous in this area.”

“Oh, they’re more than just famous. You saw Princess Dorothea yesterday, right?”

She rolled her eyes and laughed.

“The princess’s mother is the viscount’s only daughter, Lady Herarda. It hasn’t been officially announced that she’s the heir, but everyone expects her to take over the family. She’s like a hero in the royal capital.”

“A hero? But from what I heard yesterday, she’s not a war veteran.”

Ms. Gain tilted her head.

Then Hilda widened her eyes and made an exaggerated expression.

“She’s as admired as a war veteran by the people of the royal capital. She’s the head of the local defense force here.”

“Wow…”

-Kkia…

Leia and my mouths dropped open. I closed the divine beast’s jaw and vaguely thought.

Then perhaps, that defense force at the street corner we saw from afar…

“No wonder no one questioned her jumping in with a sword. She’s an amazing person.”

“I haven’t met her personally, but I heard she goes around with knights and volunteers during the day, taking down the Fallen [monsters]. If you live in the royal capital, you’ve probably received help from her at least once. Her and the second young master of the Roseharder County. Everyone admires them.”

“Why the second young master of Roseharder?”

Ms. Gain’s eyes sparkled.

“He brings all sorts of supplies from the Rose Garden [Roseharder County’s territory] outside the royal capital and distributes them to the people. He’s a promising bishop, and he’s so physically imposing that he’s good at physical labor. He’s a bit prickly, though.”

The last sentence was almost a whisper.

The second son of Roseharder is setting an example worthy of the son of a count.

“…By the way, Lady Herarda’s son has been missing since the night before last, and we only found out yesterday, thanks to Princess Dorothea coming all the way here and causing a fuss.”

‘It’s really too bad. We need to find him quickly,’ Hilda muttered with a pitiful voice.

A moment of silence passed, and she seemed to think that our curiosity had been satisfied, so she gave a brief greeting.

I quickly brought up the last question.

“Hilda, have you heard any rumors about Werner Fenetian, the Prince Consort?”

“…His Highness the Prince Consort?”

She turned to me with a very embarrassed look. It was a reasonable reaction.

People who had clearly smuggled themselves in from the Empire were asking about a royal family member who was even blamed for the war.

“Just answer what you know.”

“Goodness, I can’t answer if I don’t know anything!”

Hilda shrank her shoulders and protested as Sir Johann warned her.

“I’m sorry. All I know is that he ran away to somewhere in the Holy Empire. I heard that a long time ago, too.”

“It’s okay. It would be more surprising if you had information.”

“But someone that high up would definitely stand out.”

The priestess said, firmly tightening her jaw and cheeks.

“Of course. There’s even a saying that royals and priests can’t hide their aura, right?”

We spent another half day in the Pantheon multipurpose room.

We couldn’t go out and fight the Fallen during the day—otherwise, our friends would become famous people in the royal capital—and it was difficult to conduct an overt investigation, so we decided to hold a meeting here and reinforce our strategy until nightfall.

It was a bit flimsy, but we had made one promise.

-Thump!

-Awooong

When we spread out the map of the Holy Empire on the old table, Lofi was the first to jump up, stepping on the paper and wagging its tail as it passed.

Then five heads gathered together.

“You said you dug up the ground last night, Ms. Gain, along the ‘summoning circle’ perimeter.”

I drew a circle around the royal capital’s border with my fingertip.

“Yes. That unit… the assembly… I was on my way back from hearing them incite people. I dug with all my might, but it was no use. No matter how much I dug, I only found big, flat rocks.”

“It’s an amazing city, the more I look at it. The ground should be weak since it’s surrounded by the sea and canals, but they’ve laid rocks under the soil to build a solid foundation.”

“The summoning circle of the main god must be hidden much deeper than that.”

‘The royal capital was once the territory of the first king,’ Cedrick added.

I nodded promptly.

Okay, physical destruction of the summoning circle is confirmed to be impossible.

A cunning person like Yuri Fanetian wouldn’t leave behind such a simple-minded solution in the first place.

Anyone could dig around the border of the royal capital if they wanted to.

“Then, the royal palace remains the top priority. Also, Werner is currently missing one arm and one leg, so we might be able to catch him if we search every nook and cranny of the royal capital… But his goal is also the royal palace anyway. Our movements are already restricted, and it would be too dangerous to draw attention to ourselves by trying to find him.”

“Yes. And Hilda is right. It was a mess in the black market, and it was a mess in the northern part of the Holy Empire. He’s an attention seeker anyway, so he can’t stay hidden. If we’re lucky, he might just show up on his own.”

Gain tapped the map with her index and middle fingers.

When our eyes met, a silly smile escaped me.

“What’s an ‘attention seeker’?”

“A shortened term for ‘attention seeker.’ Someone who does weird things on purpose to get attention from others.”

“You shorten everything.”

“Everyone has a bit of an attention-seeking side. You’re no exception, Jebi.”

“Why are you picking a fight?”

“Tonight, I’ll check if there are any traces of other cavalry units reaching the royal capital.”

“Ah, yes. You said you plan to go to the theater and check the cloakroom. The name is…”

Sir Johan’s hand, shining with two rings, slid across the map.

I repeated the name of the theater in my mind several times.

When I suggested sending the Empire’s exhibition convicts as shock troops, what made it easier to persuade the high-ranking officers was this.

Nobles from the Holy Empire who defected to the Empire knew the terrain, characteristics, and landmarks of the royal capital better than anyone else.

Where to gather without attracting attention, where to store letters or items.

And where would be a safe place to meet without raising suspicion.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they all had safe houses like Sir Johan.

“And while we’re attacking the royal palace… Isabel and her group will arrive at the Rose Garden. Around here?”

-Tap tap

“Yes.”

I wonder if they’ve arrived safely by now?

If they learn the secret hidden deep within the rose garden, they’ll be able to stop the summoning circle from activating at least once.

Because it’s a countermeasure prepared directly by the ancient Pope.

“But, Master, will that little girl really come today?”

While I was lost in thought, retracing the slow but steady plan, Gain suddenly asked.

Cedrick also tilted his head, curious about it. I smiled at them both.

“Dorothea is a stubborn and whiny child, but on the other hand, she has a great desire for achievement and confidence. It’s not easy to carry a sword at that age and lie down, saying she’ll find her brother herself. It’s beyond just being disobedient; she wants to accomplish something with her own hands. She wants to be a meaningful help to adults.”

“Ah.”

“So I suggested. If she secretly cooperates with our group, I’ll also help her find her brother.”

To be exact, I said this.

‘Princess Dorothea, it was really wonderful to see you admit your mistakes and reflect on them. I learned a lot today too.’

‘Hehe… What’s the big deal…’

‘Your nanny is really proud of you too.’

‘Hmph… Do you think Tea is stupid? Just shouting isn’t everything, you know? Sniff.’

The dumpling-haired girl seemed to have heard the word ‘everything’ often recently.

I praised the child’s vocabulary enthusiastically. Then I whispered.

‘My friends and I are actually… quite high-level personnel from the Holy Empire. But if only you keep it a secret, Princess, we can provide the help you need to find Prince Yep. And that’s without pay.’

‘…High-level personnel… Without pay?’

Those were still difficult words for the child. Of course, I deliberately chose only those words.

I’m sorry, Miss Dorothea.

‘The highest-level mercenary guild in the underworld, SoMaek [a fictional mercenary guild]. Have you ever heard of it?’

“I’m going crazy! You told a baby about our guild?”

-Squeak!

‘You used that again!’ Gain collapsed on the table and started giggling.

Peridot, who was there at the time, also ran around, enjoying himself.

I shrugged and looked back at my friends.

Dioph was laughing in disbelief, and Sir Johan also looked amused.

Cedrick silently raised one eyebrow, which meant he found my improvisation quite interesting.

“That’s all I could think of at the moment. And isn’t it a pretty good offer?”

We had nothing to lose. At least, that’s what my simulations showed.

“Your Highness, you said that the ragged girl you saw yesterday and today was suspicious. You also said you were concerned about her mentioning the Sneider Duke’s residence.”

“Yes.”

“Gain, you said that Princess Geralda Valentine was quite aggressive towards Marquis Citron. It seemed that her antipathy towards the Sneider forces was much greater than we had vaguely imagined.”

“That’s right, ahem, that’s right.”

The water droplet partner cleared his throat and answered. I adjusted my glasses and pointed my finger in the air.

“I’m going to use those two things at once.”

-Knock knock knock!

Just then, someone knocked quickly on the door of the multipurpose room.

We all turned to look at each other at the same time. Hilda wouldn’t knock like that, would she?

“I’m coming in!”

Soon, a prim voice rang out from outside the door.

The moment Gain and Dioph made dumbfounded expressions—

-Bang!

“Tea’s here, neighborhood uncles! I’m here to make a deal!”

“Oh my…”