What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 862

Cedric Mercedes Riester had absolutely nothing to do with this operation.

“You wanna poop, poop! You gotta poop right now!”

“Kuh-heuk…!”

“How do you know that!”

He swore to the moon he had no idea.

“Kyahahaha! You feel like you’re about to soil yourself! Your stomach hurts like hell, doesn’t it, you bastards!”

“That! That devil!”

“If you want to feel better, open the path right now! The secret medicine to stop your urgent need is right here in my hand!”

“Ah, Lord God!”

The man rolled his eyes around the room as if he couldn’t hear Gain’s voice at all.

He didn’t even care whether the Knights of the Papal States clutched their bubbling stomachs and stomped their feet in frustration, or twisted their bodies.

The heart of the Temple of Vigilance, the deepest room in the underground.

This was the last gateway to the sacred chamber where the Holy Plate lay dormant, and the entrance to the labyrinth ‘Labyrinthus’.

The space was built in the form of a perfect circle, and the milky-white ceiling was as white as the clouds in the sky.

He had been here once before, but his still imperfect memory retraced everything very slowly.

Long stone doors were located on both sides of the room, and right in the center….

“Ah, please! Captain! I’ll just go outside for a moment!”

-Thump, thump, thump!

“How brave, congratulations on being first! Here, take a medicine!”

“Good heavens, Eddie! You’re deserting your post…!”

One of the knights, unable to overcome the disaster that had befallen him, ran out the door.

The fingertips snatching the medicine Gain handed over were already turning blue.

Rophy, who was guarding Cedric’s side, quietly clicked his tongue.

The other knights were already pale to the neck and looked terrible.

Of course, not a single one of them could stand up straight. Someone cried out desperately like a religious person who had lost faith.

“Captain, Captain! I swear to God, we have to take that medicine! Otherwise, we’ll show a hideous sight here…!”

“Is that what you’re saying now…? Ugh!”

“Poop! That person is going to poop, public execution!”

“Shut! Shut your mouth! Don’t you know honor?!”

“He’s a pooper, he’s a pooper! He pooped in his armor while working at the Papal States!”

-Awoo, awoo, awoo♬

While Gain hopped from side to side like a crazy crab, shaking the medicine pouch—and while Tete sang along to her grotesque intonation—Cedric stared at the problematic door he had once passed through.

-Crack, crack…!

-Snap, snap!

“….”

Thick tree roots that had burst out of the stone wall were staining the pure white surface with jet black, living and breathing in bizarre forms.

‘World Tree’. It wriggled continuously without a moment’s rest.

Thinner and denser stems than roots sprouted like animal teeth through the long, vertically torn cracks, and Cedric quickly remembered that the crack in question was the labyrinth.

‘The Papal States is also well aware of the rumors about Labyrinthus.’

‘Most are absurd, some are exaggerated, and a few are malicious.’

…Ronald Lüpert. A servant of the Papal States who committed the deadly sin of inaction.

“Ughaaaa! I’m sorry, Captain! I have to go out too…!”

“Me too! I’ll be right back!”

“You guys, are you crazy!? Do you know where this is! Don’t, don’t leave your posts so carelessly…!”

“That’s right! Here’s the first-come, first-served medicine! You can trust this medicine because it’s effective! Even the nobles of the Imperial Capital who do one dance a day eat this and hold in their poop at the ball!”

“Agh, stop talking about poop!”

-Tak!

“Thank you!”

“I’ll go with you!”

“Me too! Ack, me too! Ugh!”

“All of you will be in the lockup, kuh-heuk…!”

…If they enter there and pass the guardian spirit’s test, they will be able to reach the sacred chamber safely.

Then, they will be able to directly check the condition of the Holy Plate without anyone’s interference.

Cedric still didn’t draw his sword and looked around one last time.

Most of the knights who had been standing around the round room had already scattered and disappeared.

What came into his view was Christel Lanbuier, who was waving his arms like a madman….

『Huk, this is really the limit! Captain, we have to go up too…. Aoh, I’m going to die…. At this rate, we’re going to face a disaster here!』

“Ah! Of all times, I can’t communicate again. Tsk….”

『Don’t, don’t back down! We have to endure by putting strength into the Ether! No matter how, no matter how much the Papal States is just a shell today…. Hoo…. Who will protect the Holy Plate if, if we’re not here…. Ugh….』

Only two knights were leaning against the wall with their legs crossed in a very ambiguous posture.

Cedric used the meditation method he had learned from his teacher to miraculously maintain a state of emptiness.

Leia, looking at the pitiful humans, curled up her brown body and lay down.

Surprisingly, only Gain was the one who grasped the hidden meaning of the act.

“Wow, poop! The Divine Beast is lying down in the shape of poop! Poop!”

『It’s obvious, obvious! She’s going to talk about poop again!』

“There’s only one left? There’s really only one urgent poop medicine left? Poop!”

『How many times have I told you to shut your mouth!』

Cedric tilted his head, letting their incomprehensible screams pass through one ear.

This operation seemed to contain very primitive, vile, low-grade, and petty content, but in the end, the key was to ‘first’ commit a crime and make them collapse, thereby covering up this side’s sin.

Therefore, Cedric should never subdue them by using a sword, mana, or Ether.

But the last two were quite tenacious beyond imagination.

…Could it be that they are willing to endure even the ‘liberation’ of pain here?

The Crown Prince inwardly appreciated their determination to throw away even their life-like honor. Right then—

“Pfft!”

The human warship’s offensive that would sink them poured out.

Cedric couldn’t believe the sound he heard right next to him and turned to Gain for the first time.

“Pfft, pfft! Onomatopoeia is a universal language. Pfft!”

Is she crazy?

『Ack, awoo, stop it!』

“Pfft, pfft!”

-Wee-eck

『…Ah, Captain! I’m sorry! I’m sorry, I’ll go first!』

『Wait, no! No! No…!』

In the end, a subordinate knight, unable to withstand the internal and external pressure, made the first move.

Before Gain’s sentence, ‘Congratulations! You have obtained the last urgent poop medicine!’ was even finished, he shoved the pill into his mouth and ran up the stairs like lightning.

Cedric silently turned his gaze towards the one who was called the leader of those who had left.

He, who had been leaning against the wall, was slowly collapsing. Very slowly….

-Thump!

『Kuh-heuk, Crown Prince….』

-Clatter!

An empty canteen fell from the fallen man’s waist and rolled across the floor.

It was a de facto declaration of surrender. The Crown Prince recognized the withered flower hanging from the lid at a glance.

It was a purple tulip that the Divine Beasts had bloomed.

…The end of filthy desire was a filthy defeat.

-Kkeuaek

Leia stuck out her tongue as if she had seen a truly dirty sight.

Rophy kept covering his nose with his front paws and washing his face like a cat.

Cedric began to walk towards the labyrinth without hesitation.

Gain quickly followed behind him.

“Ha, did you see that? My ability? My potential to knock down more than a dozen knights with just my words?”

“….”

“Wow, the rhyme was amazing just now, right? They also soiled themselves, right?”

“….”

-Step, step, step….

To be honest, he didn’t really want to talk to her.

Serenete’s only regret was that she hadn’t seen Lanbuier’s true colors.

-Snap, tick, crack…!

The World Tree, sensing the approach of humans, opened its mouth wide.

The two men and women stepped into the darkness of the maze without any hesitation.

Then Leia and Rophy also jumped over the entrance and followed.

-Kkia!

“But really, the more I think about it, the more amazing the Prince is, right? I thought it was just water parsley, but when I found out….”

-Scratch, scratch, snap!

…The entrance quickly closed its mouth again. Soon, the maze room became quiet as if it were a lie.

*

At the same time.

The uninvited guest who came to see Chief Ronald Lüpert early in the morning was none other than Prince Yesser Venetian.

“….”

『….』

Between the taciturn old man and the young man, only the luxurious teapot was diligently steaming.

The Chief was wearing a gown over his nightgown and came out to greet the distinguished guest.

The Prince slowly sipped the black tea that Benjamin had tasted more than ten minutes ago, and looked across at Lüpert.

Sitting alone on the long reception room sofa, he still looked as dry and stiff as an old tree.

The Prince had encountered him a long time ago in the Venetian New Nation.

It was before his lovely Cornelisse was born.

“…Your Highness resembles a straight-grown rubber tree.”

The Prince finally opened his mouth. The Chief quietly raised his eyes to meet him.

“It’s a compliment. Rubber trees are truly useful timber, aren’t they? The color is beautiful, it’s not too heavy, and it’s even sturdy, so it’s loved by carpenters all over the continent.”

『….Thank you very much.』

The old man bowed his head. The Prince continued to praise him in a gentle tone.

“The sap flowing from the tree is also very useful, I hear. As it happens, I heard that Your Highness has also made a name for himself as a versatile clergyman since his youth.”

『You flatter me.』

“However, rubber sap is said to be toxic.”

『….』

“It’s dangerous to touch it with your bare hands, so you should be careful. Don’t forget, Benjamin.”

The purple eyes curved beautifully towards his servant.

The middle-aged man politely paid his respects.

“But old rubber trees don’t even produce sap. So, it’s used as timber….”

『….』

“Even this is vulnerable to pests and easily rots, so it must be treated with preservatives, so I understand why the Imperial Family doesn’t make furniture out of rubber trees.”

『Prince Your Highness.』

The Chief opened his mouth. The Prince blinked with a natural face.

『….I think there must be a reason why you came to visit me early in the morning to say these things.』

“Oops.”

『I heard that you accompanied Crown Prince Cedric from the Imperial Capital. As far as I’ve heard, he’s planning to hold a sacred ceremony for the Lord God who bestowed the glory of victory on the Empire….』

“You don’t like long introductions. I understand.”

The Prince glanced at the door of the huge reception room, then smiled again and sipped the tea.

The only light that illuminated the dark room was the magic lighting and a couple of golden candlesticks.

Perhaps because sunrise was near, the sound of knights hurrying through the hallway occasionally leaked in.

Then there was a moment of silence.

“…Then shall we get to the point?”

-Clink

Yesser Venetian, who put down his glass, spoke in an indifferent voice.

“Knowing about the Sneider family’s ‘Godslaying’ plan, why didn’t you take any action?”

『….』

The Chief’s wrinkled eyes widened. The two men’s eyes met.

“King Yuri Venetian’s ambition to bring down the Lord God. The summoning circle built under the Royal Capital. The last Pope, Irene Sneider, knew all of that. Or is that not so?”

『How….』

The old man’s lips slowly parted.

The purple iris was reflecting a cold light like the intaglio [engraved or depressed design] of the moon.

“‘MAGNA CARTA JUDICIORUM’ [Latin for ‘Great Charter of Judgments’]. Pope Irene informed her own family of such a secret. So it is no exaggeration to say that the Sneider family’s desire grew from the seeds sown by the Pope.”

『….』

“Why did you just watch knowing this? To protect the honor of Irene Sneider, who was praised as the Holy Emperor? Or is rotten faith still faith?”

‘It’s an idea that I can’t understand.’ It was clearly a questioning sentence, but the Prince’s voice was so soft that it sounded like singing an old hymn.

The Cardinal stared intently at the royalty in front of him.

He couldn’t accept the current conversation, which was like the curse of dawn.

『….How did you, who woke up in the Imperial Palace after once dying, obtain such information?』

“How dare you.”

『….』

“Don’t you dare mention his death. You don’t deserve it.”

‘I’ll ask again.’ The Prince smiled, gesturing towards the door again.

‘His death.’ That was also a sentence he couldn’t understand.

“Did Pope Irene Sneider leak the Venetian royal family’s Godslaying plan?”

『….It’s not a leak.』

Finally, the Chief answered in a dark voice like a messenger of hell.

The Prince aimed at him without wavering.

『….Her Holiness tried to completely and forever destroy the Venetian royal family’s scheme. But her own family, the Sneider family, betrayed her.』

-Bang!

『Good heavens, how….!』

At that time, the door burst open and another old voice echoed through the hallway.

Lüpert was shocked and turned around.

There stood dozens of clergymen, including Cardinal Ari Schott.