What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 767

The Sub-Male Lead Goes on Strike – Episode 767 (767/920)

Pimping (6)

The deal with Lady Dorothea was swift!

“…This is the method. What do you think, Lady?”

“I like it!”

The girl snapped her fingers and answered without hesitation.

I smiled and looked up at the Lady’s nanny. Of course, she was flustered behind her.

I heard that Dorothea’s tantrum at the Pantheon had reached her mother, Duchess Herarda, and the child had been severely scolded since morning.

That’s why she appeared before us with such swollen eyes.

As the Valentin barony was already providing a lot of relief supplies to the Pantheon, they sent clean cotton cloths, candles, and precious fruits with Dorothea today as an apology.

“You are wise indeed. You have the makings of a great baroness in the future.”

“Hehe!”

…I felt really sorry for manipulating a child, but we couldn’t afford to be picky right now.

As Hilda said, the Valentin family was respected by the entire royal capital, and as Gain said, if they were so hostile to the Sneider duchy, we had to use them for now.

I carefully bent my head towards the Lady’s ear.

The demi [small, often cute, mythical creatures] and other divine creatures also trembled their whiskers and put on a serious act.

“The rumors circulating about the Sneider duchy recently are not just rumors. There is an evil conspiracy and a dark entity lurking within.”

“Conspiracy… entity…!”

-Kkiheo…!

As I whispered secretly, the child’s eyes grew bigger and bigger.

“We have obtained a lot of intelligence about this as the best and strongest mercenary guild in the kingdom. Not even a terrible war could stop us from roaming the continent.”

“Intelligence…!”

-Awoo…!

“Yes, secret information. Now, Lady, you also know our secret.”

“Secret…!”

Dorothea’s lips rounded out as she concentrated to the fullest.

Children generally loved sharing secrets with adults (no matter what the content).

I suppressed the urge to poke the child’s nostrils and rummaged through my bag seriously (Gain was also clenching both fists, probably feeling the same way).

Then, I took out what I had prepared in advance for the young guest’s visit.

-Rustle!

“Mister, what is that?”

“It’s a contract. Lady, you’ve grown up enough to make difficult deals on your own.”

“Contract…!”

-Weok…!

Maybe it was just my imagination, but Dorothea’s dumpling hair seemed to be getting bigger.

The excited child’s cheeks were blushing like apples.

When I took out the clicking pig-butt pen and put it in her small hand, the child’s eyes rolled around as she saw a ballpoint pen for the first time.

I quickly put on a determined look.

“This is… a pig pen that symbolizes our guild. A person who has this is recognized as an honorary member of Somaek. I will give it to you as a sign of trust, Lady.”

“Honorary, wow…!”

“Oh, my. Giving a kid something worse than a magic quill, ugh!”

Thud! I heard the sound of a certain duke getting hit somewhere by the main character.

Hilda, who was standing at the door, hurriedly covered her mouth.

I continued speaking without changing my expression.

“Please read it carefully and sign it.”

“Okay.”

“Please check it together, teacher.”

-Kkit

Then, the nanny hurriedly bent down and examined the lines of the contract.

Since there was nothing really special in it—it was simply for Dorothea to feel good—she also seemed relieved.

I checked that Dorothea’s name was written clearly and shook hands to thank her for the good deal.

The child did not even receive a copy of the contract from me, but she shook hands with a proud face.

The observing divine beast Demi also willingly allowed jelly contact.

“Then, please take care of me.”

“Okay. I’ll take care of you too. Thank you!”

I’m sorry, Dorothea. When you grow up, scold me a lot.

I muttered to myself and opened my notebook wide.

“You’re welcome. From now on, if you just cooperate with a simple Q&A, we will try our best to find Prince Yef.”

*

Night has come.

The 33rd Cavalry Regiment, please raise your heads and go out of the Pantheon to start searching.

-Tagak, tagak, tagak…

“Hey, what were you thinking when you lied?”

“Lied?”

-Kkieong?

Leia and I blinked and asked back.

Then, Jibril Diop let out a dumbfounded laugh.

The wizard was in charge of guarding me tonight.

Gain, Cedric, and Sir Johann went to check if other imperial cavalry regiments had entered the royal capital.

They also planned to patrol near the royal castle to see how strict the security was, and if possible, check the shift times. They planned to ask about any useful information.

So tonight, it was just me, the divine creatures, Arumhardt and Fondue, and Diop.

I pushed up my slipping magic stone glasses and pulled my robe down deeper.

Before we knew it, we had left the Pantheon Square and were quite far away.

“The little kid who disappeared, his name was Yef, right? Frankly, how can you easily say you’ll find him when he might have been killed by the corrupted? Do we even have the time for that right now?”

“The prince’s point is valid, but as I said, I judged that the Valentin family is a necessary card for us right now. It was important to make a connection somehow, even if it was forced. In addition, I am still sure that Yef is not dead.”

“On what basis?”

“Look over there, prince.”

The man turned his indifferent gaze to the direction I gestured.

Then, he frowned slightly.

“Oh, what do I do, what do I do! What about my brother…! Aaaagh!”

“Uncle… Uncle, wake up, Uncle…”

Over the body of someone lying stretched out, a knight was covering him with a white cloth.

Several people who appeared to be servants of a noble family were holding the shoulders of the sobbing bereaved family and comforting them.

The residents of the same district were also standing next to the two with mournful expressions.

Diop quickly grasped the situation and clicked his tongue.

“…So. Even if the corrupted kill people, they don’t drag them somewhere. Does that mean that if the kid was dead, he would have been found on the street long ago?”

“Yes. When you think about it, the corrupted have no reason to kidnap people. They already have the physical abilities of a paladin, so they are stronger than ordinary people, and according to Hilda, they rarely travel alone. Most of them attack humans in a one-sided manner like that… They probably absorb the vessel until it dies and then throw away the body.”

“Since they can’t get ether from a priest, they steal even the vessels of ordinary humans?”

“That’s right. Of course, it seems that they have a considerable level of violence regardless of ether.”

And I began to compare the name of the store written in my notebook with the signs in front of me.

It was the place Dorothea had told me was the last place her brother was seen.

Diop hummed lowly and agreed as if he couldn’t win.

“Well. If it was certain that his son was dead, his parents couldn’t be so calm.”

“Did they seem that way?”

The person who single-handedly ruined Marquis Citron’s fountain speech.

The person who suddenly drew a sword and stormed in, refuting all the marquis’s claims point by point in front of hundreds of people.

It was the story of Duchess Herarda Valentin.

“She was quite calm. She didn’t seem to be hiding the sadness of losing a child.”

“Then, those knights over there are likely to belong to the Valentin family.”

I poked several places with the end of my pen.

Knights in armor were diligently riding around, visiting bars and glass shops.

They exchanged short conversations with the owners and customers, and sometimes showed a piece of paper from their pockets.

Leia wagged her tail as she watched the scene quietly.

“…Is what hyung [older brother or male friend] says right? Is that perhaps a composite sketch of Yef?”

-Kieung

“I see. So the barony is also searching for the prince.”

I stroked the child’s small back and slammed the notebook shut.

Diop looked at me and made his unique teasing expression.

“Why, have you given up already?”

“Halfway.”

“…Really?”

“I don’t think he’s here, prince. Yef disappeared around here, but he’s no longer on this side. I think we should look elsewhere.”

As I peered into unlit buildings and dark alleys, the prince quickly turned Fondue’s horse’s head and blocked Arum’s path.

Then, he stared straight at me, shining his red eyes like taillights.

“Explain properly. I’m not a paladin who blindly believes your words like some people.”

“The opponent is a missing child, prince. Especially for a child like Yef, the golden time is only about three hours.”

“‘Golden time’?”

“The fastest and most appropriate time to find a lost child. Usually, most children can be found within three hours, but they say that the chances of finding them are slim even if it’s only been over two days. The disappearance remains prolonged as it is.”

“…But.”

“Yes, but. The current royal capital is not an ordinary city. It is a land where dark clouds hang heavily and the corrupted walk around and harm people during the day. Dorothea emphasized several times that her brother was very smart, and the accompanying nanny also supported this opinion. Even though he was only a five-year-old young master, he was usually known for being very bright, and he was not a troublemaker. Even on the day of his disappearance, that place…”

I pointed to a store where a faint light was emanating.

The prince’s eyeballs moved quickly.

“He said he went to the music store to pick up the violin he had entrusted for repair.”

“…Certainly, he is unusually smart and mature. According to the statement, he doesn’t seem like a kid who would follow a stranger. If it was a kidnapping case, there wouldn’t be so few witnesses.”

“That’s right. If it was a kidnapping, the culprit would have already conveyed their demands to the Valentin barony. Whether it’s money, political action, or whatever. If we exclude a few possibilities like this…”

I whispered quickly and met his gaze. Diop raised one eyebrow.

“That guy, he’s hiding.”

“He’s hiding somewhere.”

The man’s Adam’s apple made a deep sigh.

“Very tightly, too.”

“Yes. A riot broke out because the corrupted appeared, and the terrified child ran away as it was… There’s a high probability that he got lost.”

“He must be too scared to come out now.”

That was very likely.

Since you don’t know what will happen if you go out on the street alone carelessly, a smart child would choose to protect himself until his guardian comes to find him.

…That’s just a very hopeful story. Let’s believe that for now.

“Let’s go over there first. That alley seems to be the most secluded in the vicinity. It’s also the closest to the music store.”

“…”

The man’s face was suspicious of my choice, but he escorted me with the attitude of a royal family member anyway.

However, it was uncomfortable that it was too dark and there was almost nothing to see.

This is the royal capital, so the prince can’t just take out his magic wand and light it up…

“…Ah.”

I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten for a long time.

“What again.”

“Prince, please charge my cell phone.”

Then he frowned slightly.

“…Where and how do you want me to do it?”