What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 80

#080 Knight’s Honor and Middle-Aged Romance (4)

I was overwhelmed as soon as I stepped out of the carriage.

The crowd before me seemed to number nearly a hundred.

I pushed through the murmuring crowd and greeted Marquis François D’Huem.

“Greetings, Marquis.”

“Your Highness! I trust you are well. What are your feelings at this moment?”

My feeling was that I wished he would just leave me alone.

The duel hadn’t even started, but the Marquis’s light pink eyes were already gleaming with excitement and delight.

I couldn’t fathom why someone who should be tending to their southern territories was in the Imperial Capital again.

“Well, I hope there won’t be any major accidents.”

“Indeed, a truly priestly attitude befitting a royal. But the price for insulting His Highness the Prince’s honor will not be light! Welcome, Lady Christel. That’s a lovely hat you have.”

“Thank you, Marquis. I envy your jacket as well. Are you officiating today?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.”

Why is someone of the Marquis’s stature trying to attend every event in the Empire?

While the two drinking buddies chatted amiably, Benjamin and Ganael, who had gotten out of the carriage behind me, approached.

Sir Johan Haines was with them as well.

The nobles seated in the tiered seats constantly fluttered their fans and scrutinized me, and I tried my best not to be conscious of them.

There were several high-ranking nobles I had met at the ‘Victory Celebration,’ but most were people I was seeing for the first time.

“Is this space exclusively for duels?”

I asked, and Benjamin nodded.

“Strictly speaking, it’s a place for royal duels. Since magic cannot be used inside the Imperial Palace except for the training grounds, this place was prepared on the outskirts. The training grounds are also exclusively for the Imperial Family, and holding a duel in the Imperial Palace could feel like a major threat to the opponent.”

“That makes sense.”

I would feel the same way.

Just being forced to compete with a member of the Imperial Family is already a burden, but if the arena is the Imperial Family’s home ground, I would feel intimidated before the fight even started.

I carefully took in the duel venue.

The battlefield was located northwest of the Imperial Palace, where a branch of the mountain behind the Juliette Palace extended.

Large trees with lush leaves provided adequate shade and a wall in the rear.

To the left was a massive tiered seating area, decorated with expensive mosaics, creating an atmosphere that made it difficult for anyone but nobles to sit there.

The right side was directly connected to the outer wall of the Imperial Palace.

It was as if the ‘rooftop’ in ‘Oh, you think you’re so good at fighting? Follow me to the rooftop’ was this place when referring to the Imperial Palace.

“Let’s go, Your Highness! I will personally escort you to your seat.”

“Thank you.”

Even though there were attendants from the Imperial Palace, the Marquis insisted on escorting me himself.

I didn’t even feel like trying to win against such a powerful celebrity, so my party and I silently followed him.

Upon closer inspection, the VIP seats in the center of the seating area were empty.

I hated to admit it, but that was probably our spot.

“Marquis, are there usually this many spectators at Imperial duels?”

I asked.

The duels I had seen in books or movies usually only involved the two parties and a few witnesses, but today there were far too many spectators.

“This is the first royal duel in over twenty years. Most nobles have had their servants line up since dawn to get a good seat.”

‘It’s a madhouse,’ I thought, nodding.

I was glad I didn’t bring the Lesser Pandas to such a chaotic and frightening place.

Though I wouldn’t have been able to stop Dduk-sim from showing up.

“Is Grand Duke Blanquer strong?”

“Yes, he’s an 8th Circle mage, so he’s among the best in the Empire. What else would you expect from the Blanquer bloodline? But he won’t be able to defeat Your Highness.”

He winked and wiggled his fingers. His dramatic gestures were still the same.

“Of course, he won’t die. His Highness wouldn’t take the life of his cousin, and Grand Duke Blanquer has received the grace of the Divine Artifact for generations. Longevity is a characteristic of that family.”

What?

“Divine Artifact?”

I asked back, doubting my ears.

There were a total of four Divine Artifacts in the Empire, two of which were held by Christel and Prince Cedric, one each.

The ‘Ark of Bireom’ in Evelyn did not choose an owner and remained in the bell tower.

That meant there was one left,

‘There are Divine Artifacts in the northern and eastern parts of the Empire.’

Cardinal Boutier’s voice flashed through my mind. The northern part was Evelyn.

‘The Blanquer family is an ancient family of mages in the eastern part of the Empire.’

…And the family’s territory was located in the east. Is this how things are going to play out?

“Are you saying that the Blanquer family is guarding a Divine Artifact?”

“That’s right, Your Highness. It’s called the ‘Shrine of Trees.’ It’s famous for its ability to grant long life to those who serve it.”

I knew that from reading the fairy tale written by Evelyn’s Grand Duke, or rather, National Preceptor Alexandre.

However, there was no mention anywhere that the Divine Artifact was located in his family’s territory, the Blanquer family.

The Divine Artifact guidebook also only showed the locations of the Divine Artifacts in illustrations, so it wasn’t very helpful.

‘Sarnese’ was the name of the Duke’s castle, but more importantly, it was a place name, so the letters were prominently displayed, but that wasn’t the case for other territories.

Damn it. Is it okay to get involved with such a family on bad terms? Is this development okay?

“Well, I hope you enjoy the spectacle.”

The Marquis D’Huem, who had guided us to the empty seats, smiled brightly and went back down the stairs.

Benjamin and Ganael began to rummage through the picnic basket.

Christel, who was receiving snacks from the two, looked at me with concern.

“Your Highness, you look very serious. Don’t worry. No one will die.”

She smiled reassuringly and handed me a basket the size of her palm.

The savory smell of popcorn wafted up. Biting into the corn kernels made my vision even clearer.

The conversation I had with Christel in the carriage a little while ago came to mind.

‘That’s right. I want to see the remaining Divine Artifact too.’

…Is this a coincidence? Can I just ignore this?

Is it a positive development for the protagonist to be curious about the remaining Divine Artifact, and for the ‘main male lead’ to clash with the heir of the family guarding it?

“All the major guests have arrived. Now, let the sacred duel begin!”

No sooner had Marquis D’Huem’s words fallen than polite applause and the sound of fans clapping echoed.

It wasn’t as intense as the reaction during the ‘Great Demon Beast Subjugation.’

However, the atmosphere surrounding the space was so tense that it felt like it could be torn apart at any moment.

Soon, a man walked out from the left side of the battlefield.

It was clear to anyone that he was Grand Duke Robert Blanquer. I carefully observed the man.

Eun-seo had said something like that once.

‘Little brother, if they’re handsome, they’re important characters. You have to pay close attention when you read.’

‘Even if they’re a little ugly, they can still be important characters.’

‘No, ugly people are often just extras.’

‘That’s true.’

‘But a handsome guy can’t be an extra. He’s someone who does something.’

It didn’t seem like a completely wrong hypothesis. Just looking at Christel and Sir Haines sitting next to me, that was the case.

Christel was the protagonist of ‘Toegyeong,’ and Sir Haines was a mercenary who moved at the request of the Crown Princess.

I frowned.

“…He’s handsome.”

Grand Duke Blanquer seemed to be about the same age as the Prince, tall and slender, with a handsome face.

If Jeong Eun-seo had seen him, she would have said, ‘So what’s his name, where does he live?’

At least he didn’t look like someone who would be seriously injured or log out in a place like this.

While I was lost in thought, the audience stirred.

“Good heavens, His Highness the Prince is as radiant as ever today.”

“I thought the sun had risen in the south. It was His Highness the Prince.”

All sorts of praises poured out from behind the fans. Then, the man in question appeared on the right.

Jet-black hair, like the dawn before sunrise, fluttered in the wind.

Jewel-like orange eyes stared straight ahead.

Just looking at his unparalleled face and the aura he exuded, it already seemed like he had won.

A sword at his waist, one, two, three…

“No, why are there four swords?”

“Isn’t he going to cut off your limbs one by one with those, Your Highness?”

A noble sitting behind me whispered. I smiled bitterly and turned around.

“Thank you for the explanation, Madam.”

“It’s an infinite honor. I see you here.”

“…Lady Belial?”

My eyes widened.

The old woman, with her white hair elegantly styled and wearing a deep jade-colored dress, was clearly Sarah Belial, the editor-in-chief of . [Presumably a well-known publication or media outlet in this world.]

It had been about two months since we last met. My party turned to look at this side, with slightly surprised expressions at my reaction.

Everyone except Benjamin looked a little surprised.

“I have to see such a precious duel in person.”

“You’re going to write an article.”

“Of course. During the Demon Beast Subjugation, the three of you left straight for the Imperial Capital, didn’t you? How regrettable that was.”

She answered, twirling her opera glasses.

The reason we went straight to the Imperial Capital as soon as the subjugation was over was clearly to avoid her persistent requests for coverage.

Everyone knew that Lady Belial had even come down to the Marquis D’Huem’s territory at the time.

I quietly swallowed hard.

The giant of the press was watching, the Prince was about to beat someone half to death, and the opponent was from a family that possessed the Empire’s last Divine Artifact.

Moreover, the protagonist had been steadily building connections with the Divine Artifacts.

She didn’t know it, but I had also absorbed the Divine Artifact in the ‘Temple of the Boundary.’

“The witnesses are entering. As rumored, Sir Mute is His Highness’s witness.”

Lady Belial said with amusement and leaned back.

I turned to face forward again.

Sir Elizabeth, dressed in her own formal attire rather than the Imperial Guard uniform, stood next to the Prince.

Her expression was calmly subdued.

I’ve never read a romance novel, but it was clear to anyone that this was not a good sign.

Even if I couldn’t stop the duel, I needed to give the Prince a hint.

If he seriously injured the Grand Duke, something big might go wrong.

“Oh my, who is that over there? A healing priest?”

“That’s Lady Eva Blanquer, the Grand Duke’s younger sister. I heard she’s receiving her bishop ordination next week.”

The nobles sitting in front of me whispered. I followed their gaze and turned my head.

A woman in a priest’s robe, who looked to be in her teens, was tying her scarf to the Grand Duke’s sword hilt.

That’s it.

“Lady Sarnese, please lend me that handkerchief.”

“Again?”

Christel’s eyes widened, but she took out a sky-blue handkerchief and handed it over.

Come to think of it, there was also the one I borrowed from the Imperial Archives last time. Seidi burned it to a crisp.

“Thank you. Charge both of them to His Highness.”

I got up from my seat.

I could feel the gazes of those around me gathering, but I took a deep breath and pretended not to notice.

“I will.”

The protagonist smiled as if she had read my intentions.

I nodded once and quickly went down the stairs.

The thought that I might be meddling again suddenly popped up.

But a bad feeling never lies. There was no harm in being careful.

*

“…What is he doing?”

“It’s encouragement.”

I stared intently at the swords hanging from the Prince’s sword belt, and began to tie the handkerchief to the ‘Comet Sword of Mars,’ which I had seen often and become fond of.

I moved my hands as slowly as possible to buy time.

I could feel the Prince looking at me with an absurd expression from above.

Without paying attention, I went straight to the point.

“You must not seriously injure the Grand Duke.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know if you know, but Lady Belial is here.”

“I don’t need to be mindful of that person.”

The Prince retorted sharply.

Sir Elizabeth, who was standing next to us as if guarding us, was looking at me with an interesting expression.

“I know. But the Blanquer family borders the Holy Nation in the eastern part of the Empire, doesn’t it? Someday, the Grand Duke will take on that important role. Is there a need to inflict an irreversible injury?”

Adding, ‘It’s a loss for the Empire,’ his eyes narrowed.

“You speak as if you’re a Riesterian.”

Honestly, I thought it wasn’t wrong.

“The Grand Duke insulted you and your father as the master of Romero.”

The low, heavy voice settled down. I slightly frowned.

He’s not my father, but the Grand Duke was definitely wrong. He needs to be scolded.

“I won’t just let it go as the master of Romero.”

“You can end it quickly without hurting him. You said you were overwhelmingly strong.”

I said.

No matter how slowly I tried to tie it, thanks to my experience in doing little Jeong Eun-seo’s hair every morning, my hands never slipped.

The initials ‘C. S.’ engraved on the handkerchief were clearly visible. It was perfect.

“Thank you for applying for the duel on my behalf. But I hope you will consider the future and deal with him appropriately. I’m saying this for both of you.”

“Both of us?”

He relentlessly pressed. Oops, Christel’s story shouldn’t come out here.

I immediately pulled out an excuse.

“The Grand Duke is someone who will protect the border, and you are my friend, Your Highness. I just mean that I hope there won’t be any repercussions for either of you.”