What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 769

The Sub-Male Lead Goes on Strike – Episode 769 (769/920)

The Broker (8)

“…Greetings to the little sun of the Licester Empire. It is an infinite honor to serve the second most precious person under the heavens.”

“You’ve worked hard during these difficult times.”

“It is merely my honor and joy, Your Highness.”

The cloakroom attendant of the Royal Opera House—no, an old spy of the Licester Empire—bowed respectfully before Cedric.

The Crown Prince acknowledged him with a nod before surveying the dressing room to which they’d been led.

Hanging on the wall was a faded advertisement featuring a black ballet shoe made of cloth, surrounded by blood-red climbing roses.

Despite the dim lighting, Cedric immediately recognized the title of the famous Licester classic.

‘‘.

The nameless spy said in a calm voice.

“Many cultural remnants from before the war still exist in both countries. I hear there are quite a few traces of the Divine Kingdom in the Empire as well.”

“That’s right.”

“It seems there was once a real exchange, right? I never thought I would see that opera title here again.”

Gain opened her eyes wide and took off her hood.

Looking at the old poster, she felt a strange sense of nostalgia. Their commotion at the Imperial Opera House felt as distant as if it had happened decades ago.

She suddenly wondered what Lady Yeser was doing now.

As soon as they exchanged brief greetings, Johann got straight to the point.

“Including you, how many ‘birds’ [spies] from the Empire are here?”

“We are a decentralized organization, so we don’t regularly meet or confirm each other’s well-being. However, the last time we checked, at the beginning of last month, there were three ‘birds’ in the royal capital.”

“Three?”

“The city is not small at all, but there are only three? How did it decrease so much?”

Cedric and Gain asked simultaneously.

The spy respectfully put his hands together and explained.

“Since you’ve come all this way, you probably know the general situation… The Venetian state before the war and the post-war Venetian state are virtually completely different countries. In particular, since His Majesty King Christiana has been reclusive since the Empire’s declaration of war, the security of the royal capital has rapidly deteriorated. It’s not surprising that the people here are suffering from rumors about the Princess Royal and the appearance of the Fallen.”

“The priests of the Pantheon were talking about the King’s survival.”

“Yes, I also believe so. In any case, it seems that the order of the Royal Guard is being maintained because the King is still alive. However, since both entry and exit are controlled…”

“It will be difficult to obtain internal information. There aren’t any secret passages or tunnels in the Royal Castle, right?”

‘I asked just in case, even though there probably aren’t any,’ Gain quickly added, raising her finger.

The spy smiled gently and nodded.

“That’s right. Some ‘birds’ went to war as nobles of the Divine Kingdom, and others are presumed to have fled in the chaos. Since their reasons for serving and their loyalty to the Empire are all different, it’s difficult to say for sure whether all three ‘birds’ are still remaining.”

“Have any other Imperial troops visited the theater?”

The Crown Prince asked in a low voice.

The Royal Opera House had been designated as one of the meeting places since the Imperial Army partisans left their headquarters.

His Majesty the Emperor also knew that there was an old spy here, and the building was only separated from the Venetian Royal Castle by a main street.

The middle-aged man took a thin envelope from his pocket.

-Rustle!

“Here it is.”

Johann took it from him and opened it.

The document was a report written over several dates, and the handwriting was consistent.

Three pairs of eyes quickly scanned the paper.

“The 30th and 31st Cavalry Regiments are now in the royal capital… Centered around the 49th Cavalry Regiment…”

Gain’s whisper crept through the shadows of the dressing room.

The contents written on the paper were very straightforward, without difficult metaphors or polite greetings.

It was estimated that at least half of the Imperial special forces, which numbered in the dozens at the time of departure, had advanced to the outskirts of the royal capital, which left them speechless.

Even with a rough calculation, there were already over a hundred knights who had made it through the chaos in the Puppeteer’s Path to get here.

Also, according to the document, communication between the cavalry regiments was slow but reliable (although it seemed that some had lost contact), and they were devising a strategy to deplete the Royal Castle’s forces in advance before the Imperial Army reached the royal capital.

The royal capital itself was reported to be in a state of disorder, as if it had already been captured…

“…Wait a minute. Wait a minute, wait a minute.”

Soon, Gain’s mouth dropped open.

“‘March 22nd’? They set the date for the general attack like that? What day is it today?”

“It’s March 18th. It will be the 19th soon.”

“No, then there are only three days left. Wow, crazy. Today is Christel’s birthday.”

‘I completely forgot. What should I do?’ Suddenly, too much information filled the young Cardinal’s head.

Cedric frowned, mirroring the water droplets splashing wildly in one corner of the bowl. Noisy.

“Happy birthday, Your Eminence.”

“Yes? Ah, thank you.”

The spy spoke in a kind voice, and Gain received the congratulations with a dazed look.

Cedric engraved every line of the report in his mind until the very end.

‘…Soon, the little sun of the Empire will arrive in the royal capital. We plan to display his symbol in the darkest sky as a signal for all cavalry regiments to recognize.’

‘That is the beginning of the Royal Castle’s general attack.’

‘We have named this operation. May His Most Gracious Emperor and Her Most Noble Cardinal bless our future.’

“…”

Operation ‘Collapsing Babel’.

The Crown Prince’s sunset-colored eyes darkened.

The remaining time was three days.

One might think it was ‘only’ three days, but on the other hand, it was probably the most generous timeframe they could afford.

Even the special forces carrying out the infiltration mission into the royal capital couldn’t be completely unaware of the situation at the front lines.

Recently, His Majesty’s silver obelisk had soared into the sky, so a large-scale Imperial Army rushing into the royal capital was now inevitable. It was only a matter of how fast or slow their march would be.

Even considering various variables such as weather and terrain, the 22nd was by no means an early date.

“…What are you looking for, Pen? Use mine.”

Gain took out a pig-shaped pen from her pocket.

Cedric took it without hesitation.

And he signed it with a flourish below the operation report.

We ended up going off track.

To be honest, I tend to get stressed when things don’t go according to plan (and it seems that Djibril Diop is the same), but strangely, tonight I kept acting spontaneously.

Even so, I wasn’t anxious or nervous at all. Rather, I felt a strange conviction and confidence growing, which was also strange.

This isn’t the Licester Empire, and it’s not an easy territory where we can wander around as we please.

Is this what they usually call ‘relying on intuition’?

…That’s right. We followed the ragged young lady to the wealthy neighborhood north of the Royal Castle.

We set out to find Prince Yep, and in reality, we came with a mission to infiltrate the royal capital, but we are completely sidetracked.

“Thank you, Prince. My phone is fully charged!”

“What is ‘fully charged’?”

“Ah. It’s short for perfectly charged… Ugh.”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Unchuh uh mnuhmnuh.”

‘What do you mean, ‘fully charged’?’ Her mouth was blocked by a palm the size of a pot lid.

She suddenly looked like a human being ambushed by an Alien [referencing the movie Alien, where a creature bursts from a person’s chest].

Leah on my shoulder watched me with an interesting look.

We, who had just gotten off the horses, were walking through the residential area, holding the children’s reins.

Perhaps because most of the nobles had left for their main residences, the area considered the wealthy district of the royal capital was as quiet as a ghost town.

The only thing illuminating the twilight was the eye of the Main God floating in the sky, and there was no sign of patrolling guards or pedestrians. The mansions, where you had to walk for a long time to pass the gate, were all covered in darkness and asleep.

There were no windows with lights on, nor any pets wandering around the courtyard. Except for the sound of our footsteps, there wasn’t even the slightest bit of common daily noise.

Only the jagged, ugly garden trees and dry grass were showing the reality of this place in all its nakedness.

“…Hey, do you see that open gate? Someone just went in.”

An abandoned city.

The poor have nowhere to go, so they endure with fear as their friend, and the rich run away to distant pagodas and do not fulfill their responsibilities.

“Guh ahgahsshiyuh?”

For reference, she said, ‘Is that the young lady?’

“Yes. Come on. Leave the kids here.”

Just in case, we left the two horses on the side of the road so they could move freely, and we walked with quick steps, bending over as much as possible.

I pinched Diop’s back hard only when I reached the iron gate where the ragged young lady had entered.

It’s suffocating now, so stop it, you jerk!

“Puh-ha!”

“…What, was it a servant of this house, not Sneider?”

The Prince rubbed his back and glared at the nameplate hanging next to the gate.

I also gasped for breath and hurriedly checked the identity of this house.

‘Sarhentini’.

“…Sarhentini? This is the Duke of the Divine Kingdom…”

“Shh.”

“Eubeub.”

This time, a long index finger blocked her mouth without warning.

She suddenly looked like a sea snail pressed by chopsticks.

Leah watched me with a similar look as before and enjoyed it.

I deliberately made a ‘tuh’ sound and spat his finger far away. Don’t do it!

“Ah, what the hell are you doing?”

“That’s what I want to say? Come on. I just saw someone going behind that gatehouse.”

Without listening to his answer, I started walking ahead with big steps, and I heard a ‘huh’ sound from behind.

I quickly passed through the main gate as if I was about to lie flat on the ground, and quickly hid myself in the bushes with the skill of someone who had sneaked around here and there in the past.

Diop came in next to me a few beats late and sat down, crumpling his unnecessarily thick arms.

-Creak…

“…”

Right now, the small gatehouse of the Sarhentini Duke’s residence was in front of our eyes.

It seemed to be a space used by gatekeepers or servants, as it was very close to the main gate.

The red-painted wooden door was open about two spans, and a yellow and faint light flowed out from inside.

I inhaled silently.

“Prince, that…”

“Yes. It’s not just one person, as you said.”

“Could it be Yep? Dorothea’s younger brother.”

“I don’t know yet.”

I couldn’t tell who the other person was, but the ragged young lady was really not alone.

The shadow of the woman created by the candlelight moved around as if she was treating someone.

Well, she stole chicken near the canal a little while ago. Was she trying to take that to her friend? But why here of all places? Was it because she was a servant of the Sarhentini family, as the Prince deduced? If so, I can understand why she doesn’t live on the streets in the canal… No, wait a minute. Hilda said that the young lady hardly remembers anything properly.

“…”

“This kind of…”

Someone’s voice leaked from the gatehouse.

For some reason, my lips were getting dry and my heart was pounding.

Tension rose, making it difficult to even blink my eyes carelessly.

But certainly, it wasn’t a child’s voice like Yep’s.

As my thoughts reached that point, I felt a strange sense of relief.

Yes, if she had kidnapped a child on such a roadside, someone would have witnessed it. It’s also strange to just keep him without revealing any demands to the guardian. Above all, I don’t think that young lady is that evil.

So that shadow is not Yep, but…

“Bringing this kind of raw thing as food! Are you mocking me now!”

-Thump!

A sharp brown eye was visible through the crack in the door.

“Ah…”

Instinctively, my breath tightened. No.

“I, I’m sorry… I’m sorry, sir, please…”

“You useless thing! Can’t you light a fire? How can someone who has lived as a servant all his life be so idiotic…!”

-Crash!

A black robe. Pale skin. Light purple hair.

Our eyes met as if it were a lie.

“Huck, huff, huff… !”