What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 9

#009 The Imperial Palace’s Top Instructor (1)

“Wow, the Imperial Palace is like a city itself.”

“Hahaha.”

Ganael laughed at my words.

The day I regained consciousness after fainting, Ganael came to see me with a swollen face and burst into tears again.

Betrayed by the twins, who had been like friends, and with me barely surviving a life-threatening situation, the young one must have been so shocked.

Compared to then, his complexion had improved a lot in the past two days.

-Clatter, clatter

I leaned back into the swaying carriage, looking out the window.

Today was the first day I was exploring beyond the Juliette Palace and its gardens, venturing into other parts of the Imperial Palace.

“It’s 10:40. I’m glad we can make it on time.”

“Indeed, thank you.”

Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 11 AM. That was the time Cardinal Aurelie Boutier had mentioned for a possible interview.

Frankly, I didn’t think she had set aside that time for me.

What was one hostage prince to her, that the most respected clergy member in the empire would clear her schedule three times a week?

With that in mind, I briefly mentioned it during breakfast, and Benjamin and Ganael were so shocked they nearly had a fit.

‘What did you just say?’

‘Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 11 AM. She said I could come and ask anything freely then…’

‘Benjamin, I’ll get the formal attire!’

‘Ganael, summon the Romero Palace servants too! Tell them we need a carriage.’

‘Yes!’

Startled by their enthusiasm, I replied, ‘It would be nice to go today. I had a lot to ask,’ and Benjamin…

‘It’s not just that it would be nice to go, Your Highness, you must go.’

…glared at me. That was around 9 AM, a little while ago.

If I had my way, I would have taken another day to rest.

I knew it was urgent to extract information from the Cardinal, but after experiencing a life-threatening situation, I wanted to clear my head, even if just for a moment.

When I read web novels, the protagonists always calmly deal with the next crisis right after resolving a major incident, but I couldn’t understand how they could be so mentally strong.

Well, no. That’s because they’re the protagonists, and I’m just a supporting character, so it’s natural that I’m a bit weaker.

I comforted myself, telling myself that I was doing my best.

“Good morning, Prince Yeseo. Welcome to the Imperial Palace.”

“Hello.”

While lost in thought, I reached the top of the stairs of the Imperial Palace.

A servant who seemed to hold a fairly high position was waiting for us at the entrance.

Only then did I realize that the Cardinal’s words were not empty promises.

“I understand this is your first time at the Imperial Palace. I will personally guide you to Cardinal Boutier’s office.”

“Thank you.”

I obediently followed the servant, with Benjamin and Ganael guarding my rear.

The official name of the Imperial Palace was ‘Snar Palace,’ but almost no one called it that, and most people simply referred to it as ‘The Imperial Palace.’

When Benjamin told me that, I didn’t think much of it, but seeing it in person, I understood why.

In other words, no other description could express the overwhelming scale and splendor of the Imperial Palace.

The ceiling height seemed to be over 30 meters [approximately 98 feet], and everything, including the pillars, the portraits on the walls, and the decorations, was enormous.

The smooth marble floor stretched seamlessly into every corner, shining brightly without a speck of dust.

If the Juliette Palace was a business hotel, the Imperial Palace was definitely a 7-star hotel where a night costs 40 million won [approximately $30,000 USD], or something like that.

“This way.”

As we walked along the corridor on the second floor, the servants working in the Imperial Palace noticed me and quietly greeted me as they passed.

Most of them stared at my eyes for a particularly long time. My purple irises must have been fascinating.

“Your Eminence, Prince Yeseo Fenetian has arrived.”

“Come in.”

When the servant knocked on the large mahogany door, a kind voice responded.

Benjamin stepped back, saying, ‘We will wait outside.’

“Have a fruitful time, Your Highness!”

Ganael clenched his fists and whispered.

*

Fruitful time, good.

“H-Hang on, just a moment!”

“Your activation is too slow. You need to firmly grasp the flow of aether within your body.”

“Haaack!”

-Thud!

That was the fourth time already.

“Ugh…”

I rolled my body half a turn to get up from the floor.

The Cardinal’s grand circle, the ‘Sanctuary,’ was pushing me all the way to the door, leaving me with little room to stand.

Wasn’t this supposed to be an interview? When did it turn into a practical training session without any protective gear?

“You even have time to think about other things.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

My mind snapped back to attention.

As she quickly reduced the size of the Sanctuary, I swiftly moved to the center of the room.

It was the spot where the symbol of the High God Church, the downward-pointing arrow, was largely engraved.

“Got it!”

And I quickly opened the Sanctuary.

It was amazing that I could summon the circle with just my will, without intending to offer a prayer or receive a divine message.

Compared to the Cardinal’s Sanctuary, which boasted luxurious patterns, it was at the level of a kindergarten scribble, but still, I had deployed it.

“Then try to defend it.”

“Huh? Your Eminence, that’s cheating…!”

Maintaining her own Sanctuary, she strode towards me and attempted to collide with my insignificant circle.

-Charrrr!

Like sparks flying during welding, golden embers danced wildly in the gap between the two Sanctuaries.

“Just a moment!”

“Endure it.”

“Kugh…”

It was similar to a headache, but the sensation was closer to pressure than pain.

A huge, invisible force was pressing down on my head, feeling like it was pushing me away, telling me to ‘go away, step back.’

Even though the Cardinal hadn’t laid a finger on me, I felt my heels sliding back.

“Can you feel the sacred flow?”

“Yes…”

There was no way I couldn’t.

The ‘aether’ residing within me was wriggling wildly near my heart, as if resisting her powerful force.

It was different from when I blocked the assassin twins.

On that day, I was so busy screaming and entrusting myself to luck that I couldn’t even sense the existence of aether.

But now, I could clearly feel it.

Something that felt like a liquid and a gas, something pleasantly warm like an electric blanket.

“Grab it tightly.”

“Yes?”

I met Cardinal Boutier’s eyes.

With her purple hair draped to one side and a fish-like mitre [a type of ceremonial headdress] on her head, she had the same relaxed atmosphere as when I first met her.

The words she spoke, curving her beige eyes into a round shape, were subtly scary and harsh, so I swallowed a groan.

Still, I had to do as she said.

It seemed that the Cardinal was trying to teach me something right now.

Faithful to her somewhat rough vocabulary, I suppressed the aether.

“That’s right, like that.”

To be precise, I imagined myself doing so.

It was as if I was thinking of a sashimi knife striking down on a wriggling flounder.

Was this what they called image training?

“Good, now endure it for 10 seconds. One, two…”

As the count began, her Sanctuary began to push into my Sanctuary in earnest.

-Charrrr!

The golden sparks flew up violently.

The round edge of my circle was precarious, as if it would break at any moment.

“Kugh…”

“Five, six…”

Ten seconds felt too long. I could feel cold sweat forming on my forehead.

I tried to circulate the aether to my toes.

I felt like that was the only way I could support my body.

-Cheek!

“…Nine, ten.”

As soon as the counting was over, both Sanctuaries disappeared.

My Sanctuary evaporated with a thud, like a fluorescent light turning off, while the Cardinal’s Sanctuary softly vanished as if seeping into the floor.

“I’m going to lie down for a bit…”

Without even hearing her reply, I flopped down on the High God Church symbol in the middle of the office.

“Hoo…”

“That is your ‘divine power.'”

I barely turned my head to look at Cardinal Boutier.

When she told me to seize the aether, her eyes were dripping with coldness, but now she had a kind face again.

“Not to mention ordinary people, many priests do not distinguish between the concepts of ‘aether’ and ‘divine power.’ Many believe that the two are the same.”

“I-I see.”

In fact, I was one of them. I had only crammed from books, so my foundation was bound to be weak.

I was surprised that she understood my words, which had been haphazardly mixing the two words, so well.

“If aether is God’s blessing, then divine power is the ability to control it. It is the power to control and command.”

I nodded involuntarily. It was definitely easier to understand when I experienced it with my body.

“The total amount of aether contained in the soul, or ‘vessel,’ is determined from birth, but divine power is not. If you work hard on your training and do not neglect circulation, you will steadily become stronger.”

‘This person is a good lecturer.’ I admired inwardly and slowly raised my body.

As I took a deep breath, I could feel the turbulent aether gradually calming down.

“Thank you for your kind words, Your Eminence. But…”

“I said I would resolve your questions.”

It was an answer that accurately predicted my question, ‘Why are you giving me these teachings?’

She smiled and quickly returned to her chair.

Unlike my surroundings, which had become a mess, the large desk and the mountain of documents behind her were still intact without a single movement.

“I said that aether is innate, but I know that your aether is an exception. I thought it was natural for you to be curious about a power that you don’t know where or how it came from. Or was it not?”

“…No, you are right.”

I roughly dusted off my wrinkled clothes and took a seat on the sofa at her gesture.

“No matter how much aether you possess, it is useless if you lack the divine power to control it. Conversely, even if you have little innate aether, those with excellent divine power can do many things with delicate adjustments.”

It was an explanation that easily entered my mind.

She paused for a moment, then carefully broached the subject.

“During the hostage negotiations, the envoys from the Divine Kingdom said that you were just a nominal bishop. They said that you grew up without proper priestly education in the royal palace, so you would not be a threat to anyone. So, Her Majesty and I only knew that much.”

“…”

“But the fact that you defended a priest-level clergyman and a holy knight alone, and the fact that you endured my power today without any training…”

‘No matter how I look at it, you seem to be a proper bishop-level clergyman,’ she smiled gently.

“Then do you see me as a threat?”

“If I wanted to see you as a threat, I would.”

It was an ambiguous answer.

“But I think you could be of great help to the Liester Imperial Family, and to the future of the Empire.”

“Yes?”

I widened my eyes as words with sudden weight were poured out.

“Because you are a hostage, your return home is distant, but in fact, even in the Divine Kingdom… Now that things have come to this, they will not want your return.”

“That is, indeed, the case.”

I mentally recalled Prince Yeseo’s damned family tree.

Werner, the father-in-law of the nation, sent me as a hostage and even deployed assassins to solidify the position of his beloved daughter, Crown Princess Elysee.

All he wants for me is death in a foreign land.

“May I ask what you want from me?”

If the Cardinal was trying to make some kind of deal in exchange for her teachings, I was willing to consider it.

It would be much safer than the Emperor recognizing me as a threatening bishop-level clergyman.

Of course, it had to be something that didn’t involve Princess Christel, the protagonist of ‘Toegye Gong,’ or Prince Cedric.

“You are a clever child.”

She looked straight into my eyes.

“There is a child.”

“A child?”

“Yes, I want you to help that child.”

It was probably a delusion, but somehow, that gaze felt earnest.