What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 906

The Finale and the Overture (8)

For some, his mere survival is a stark testament.

While all witnesses would attest to this, Arno van Roy was a distinctly different case, having halved his remaining lifespan while walking a precarious tightrope alone.

Whether it was my imagination or not, a slight breeze seemed to stir in the room each time he drew closer, and I blinked as I felt it abruptly cut off a moment later.

Did the wind just suddenly stop with a whoosh?

As I stood there bewildered, Cedric chuckled softly beside me. Surely…

“Is that you, Sir Johann? Did Sir Johann block Lady Lan’s wind?”

“How many other air-attribute Cardinals are here who could block the power of an air-attribute Cardinal?” [Cardinals are high-ranking mages in this world.]

“Ah…”

I hastily scanned for Sir Johann.

He was guarding Their Majesties Frederick and Prince Aureli, standing behind them with a rare, cold expression devoid of any smile.

Following his gaze, I saw ‘Lady Lan’ crossing the courtroom with a light step.

The gown embroidered with delicate colors, the sleek shoes, and the golden circlet adorning his white forehead all shimmered.

Unlike the last time I saw him, the man’s face was flushed with color, and though his expression was grave, he didn’t seem as distressed as before.

“…That’s a relief, truly.”

He’s recovered a lot…

-Step, step, step…

“…Roy? Roy is alive…?”

“…”

For someone else, however, his return was nothing short of a nightmare.

Wilhelmina Sneider, in the defendant’s seat, stared at Lady Lan with eyes that seemed ready to pop out of their sockets.

The trembling lips and quivering jaw laid bare her shock.

The gallery was also buzzing with commotion, as the Venetian nobles, only now realizing Count Roy’s true identity, were deeply shaken.

Some even exclaimed, ‘This is simply outrageous!’

-Bang, bang, bang!

“Silence!”

“Witness, place your hand on the Bible and swear an oath.”

Yet, in all the tragedies that unfolded on the battlefield… there was not a single lie.

A certain Cardinal, driven mad, killed all his own brothers before becoming a double agent, and a certain heir to the throne, dreaming of a new nation, returned to the royal capital only to lose his life to his father’s scythe.

Only one person was involved in both of their profound misfortunes.

“The witness swore allegiance to the defendant as her twelfth apostle through black magic, but was fortunately freed by our mages’ intervention. Thankfully, there are no major side effects that are visually apparent.”

“Witness, please testify fully regarding the defendant’s alleged black magic and treason.”

“…”

For a moment, a heavy silence filled the courtroom. Lady Lan seemed to be pondering his words.

The murmuring audience soon quieted down, and all eyes turned to the man on the stand.

He slowly raised his head and scanned the gallery.

Soon, the man’s gaze paused at a certain lady’s seat.

“…”

She was seated near Duke Sandtwa Diderick and the Count and Countess Etzardt Roseharder.

Seeing the woman’s reddened eyes and the lace handkerchief clutched in her hand, something suddenly came to mind.

The profile of a beautiful woman engraved on Lady Lan’s cameo, which I had once glimpsed at the Duke Lasso’s estate.

‘Hessina…’

‘You must meet and greet Hessina again! You won’t get another chance if you close your eyes now!’

…Could it be…

“I have heard testimony that Duchess Wilhelmina Sneider tortured and abused the spirit of the sacred object, Lan, thereby plundering its life force. All of that is true.”

The Count immediately averted his gaze and began his testimony in a gentle voice.

I abruptly snapped out of my reverie.

Prince Yesser turned to me and smiled silently. I almost missed the beginning.

“As a subordinate of Grand Duke Judith Kamingha and an apostle of Duchess Sneider… that is, as a double agent between the two forces, I infiltrated the Jericho black market to find the missing national letter of Werner Venetian. There, I clearly witnessed the spirit being persecuted and its power plundered by black mages. Not long after, the black market collapsed, and I barely managed to escape with the only piece of evidence.”

“What is that evidence?”

“The Lan fruit.”

“…What? What did the Count just say? The Lan fruit?”

“Yes, the fruit of frenzy that drives people mad! Why, it’s from the legends!”

‘Wow!’ Exclamations erupted simultaneously, and the gallery was now in an uproar, as if a fire had broken out.

While Count Roy calmly composed himself, Sir Johann moved silently from the dais.

I naturally tensed up, clenching and unclenching my fists.

He went down and handed a small wooden box to the imperial delegates, which was soon passed to the judge and then to the high nobles of the aristocratic council.

Marquis François, having opened the box with gloved hands, nodded in surprise.

“The detailed composition will require further analysis, but the fruit emits a subtle light. It is definitely not mana [magical energy]. It clearly contains aether [a mystical substance].”

“Good heavens!”

The imperial nobles fluttered their fans in astonishment.

I smiled faintly as I watched Sir Johann return to his place.

He had once buried the fruit somewhere in the royal capital to prevent it from being stolen. He found it well.

“Duchess Sneider has long injected the extract of that fruit into His Majesty Christaener, creating his madness.”

“…”

But with the testimony that followed, the vast courtroom froze completely.

The voices that had been busily exchanging opinions vanished in an instant, like devices that had been switched off.

Sneider’s guarantors, who had been silent all along, also widened their eyes like saucers.

I could tell how shocked Marquis Sise was just by looking at the back of his head.

The prince beside me silently clasped his hands together. I squeezed his hand again.

“…Witness, what is the meaning of this…?”

“The Duchess spoke in the presence of apostles and saints. She said she was looking for the lost Lan fruit…”

‘The byproducts of that fruit are running out, and it is difficult to care for the well-being of His Majesty the King, who resides in the royal palace.’

‘To soothe His Majesty’s wounds from losing his lover long ago, I made medicine with the extract of the Lan fruit and offered it to him. It was for the peace of mind of a precious person.’

“…That she was using it to drive the king mad.”

There was a brief silence.

A few seconds later, the courtroom quite literally exploded.

“Roy, you must be truly insane!”

“By the grace of the blessed Arian!”

“Sneider, how can you call yourself a Duke of Venetian after doing such a thing! I can’t believe it!”

“Knowing that her subordinates, who had sworn oaths on their hearts, could not reveal her secrets, she confessed with confidence.”

“Judge! Sentence that man to death immediately! Now!”

“How dare you! How dare you slander and try to bring me down! Do you think I don’t know you’re a royal dog under the orders of Kamingha—!”

-Bang, bang, bang!

“Everyone, be quiet! Silence!”

“Good heavens, how could you do such an atrocious thing…! Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment!”

“So His Majesty has been taking poison for the past twenty years!”

“Oh, Sneider! The gods will not forgive you until the day the continent sinks!”

“Shut your mouth! What do you know about the destiny of the gods that you dare to spout such nonsense!”

“Kill him! Kill that traitor and show that justice still lives in Venetian!”

-Bang, bang, bang, bang!

“Si-lence!”

Finally, a shout that echoed throughout the entire room erupted.

Those who had risen from their seats and were pointing fingers seethed with uncontrollable rage, and those who had fainted from shock were once again carried out by their servants in droves.

A certain noble, venting his frustration, threw something at the courtroom.

Thud! A well-folded fan hit Wilhelmina’s head and fell to the floor.

The Duchess stared straight ahead with her mouth tightly shut.

Marquis Sise’s thick shoulders could be seen trembling faintly.

I struggled to catch my own ragged breath.

However, Their Majesties Frederick and Prince Aureli remained unshaken.

“Does the witness have anything else to say?”

“…Your Honor, regarding the grave acts of treason mentioned by the witness, we have another witness on our side whom we wish to summon.”

A noble from the imperial delegation stood up from his seat with a solemn expression.

Her crimson robes, adorned with gold leaf, stood tall.

The audience instinctively knew that the next witness was no ordinary person.

“…We request His Majesty Christaener Venetian, the King of the Holy Kingdom of Venetian, as a witness.”

“Ah…”

Thus, the King made his way to the Pantheon [a grand hall or building].

-Rumble…

While Christaener Venetian was ascending the witness stand, everyone in the hall was standing in shock and dismay (by that time, dozens of audience members were showing signs of dehydration and exhaustion).

The only ones who did not stand were His Imperial Majesty and my teacher.

Only when the King, attended by Benjamin, was seated did everyone sit down again.

Christaener was extremely pale, and there was no light in his light peach-colored eyes.

However, his attire was clean and simple, and his hair was neatly tied up below the back of his head.

Around that time, I realized that the prince’s hand had become excessively cold.

Children and divine beasts had been deliberately kept out of the courtroom, and I thought it was a good decision after all.

If Cornelise were here, the prince would have had an even harder time.

The King swore an oath, just like the other witnesses, and answered the questions of the imperial delegates.

“Your Majesty, please explain the situation before and after the onset of your poisoning symptoms, that is, your madness.”

“…I… Shortly after losing my lover, the priest Michael, I began to suffer from madness of unknown origin.”

She opened her mouth calmly.

“With all due respect, Your Majesty, your lover…?”

“Although it was never officially announced, the fact that Michael was my consort was well known both inside and outside the royal palace. He was…”

The King hesitated for a long time before finally looking up at Prince Yesser and declaring in a clear voice,

“He was also the father of my son, Prince Yesser.”

“Oh…”

A deep sigh erupted from the gallery.

Of course, the King had never publicly stated the prince’s origins until now.

It was a hundred times wiser not to reveal it in order to protect her child.

The prince closed his eyes for a moment, and I glared instead.

With the determination to take in all the hundreds of gazes fixed on him.

The King’s voice that followed was as dry as sand.

“…It was about ten years ago. I couldn’t possibly not know that the national letter was involved in his death. Werner was extremely jealous and had noticed Michael’s existence early on, so he must have done something. I thought that the mutilation of Michael’s dead body was also the result of his influence. The problem was…”

“…”

“The problem was that Michael was a priest dispatched from the Vatican. I knew that he was investigating the leak of the top-secret documents of Irene Sneider, the Pope.”

Whack! Duchess Sneider’s head snapped up. I flinched and looked at her.

The criminal had been glaring at the prince and me as if she wanted to kill us at every opportunity, but now the target had shifted to the King.

The Duchess’s neck moved like a broken machine, creaking and groaning.

Curses dripped from her cracked lips like blood.

“Your Majesty, quietly, quietly, quietly…”

It was chilling.

“…For the first day or two, I was lost in the grief of loss and didn’t realize it, but when my head cleared, I was able to realize it quickly. My last conversation with Michael kept ringing in my ears.”

‘I’m talking about the special case of Irene Sneider.’

‘Circumstances have been detected that suggest she was threatened by the Sneider family during her lifetime.’

‘Sneider must know something important, Your Majesty. Perhaps the family has learned the secrets of the old Pope that even the Vatican doesn’t know.’

‘…Can you take responsibility for that statement?’

“If Werner committed murder… the force that condoned and concealed his crime must surely be Sneider.”

“Ah, God…”

The audience members who grasped the meaning of the testimony began to turn pale one by one.

They tried to alleviate the shock of the moment by covering their mouths or their faces with both hands.

But there was no way to stop the incoming tidal wave of truth.

Some of the criminal’s guarantors slumped to the bare floor.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”

“The Vatican documents that Pope Irene secretly took to her family… It must have been an act to prevent them from being revealed to the world at all costs.”

“Your Majesty!”

Wilhelmina’s cry was no different from a scream.

She sprang to her feet with bloodshot eyes.

The Imperial Guard immediately restrained her, but the criminal thrashed wildly, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“Your Majesty! Do you even know how hard I’ve worked to fill Your Majesty’s vacancy all this time! Your Majesty!”

“Defendant, please sit down before our military uses force.”

“Around that time, I was in a state of having identified that one of Sneider’s sources of funds was going through a suspicious route. Michael’s death and Sneider’s suspicious flow of funds. If I had investigated these all at once, I could have definitely dug something up, but…”

“I went mad because of you?! Who on earth was the one who used madness as an excuse to smash the royal household and commit atrocities every day!”

“…After the onset of madness, the state documents were scattered. Some were found as ashes in the fireplace one day, and I think I saw dozens of them in Werner’s bedroom.”

“Falling for a lowly desert tramp! A king who doesn’t recognize loyal subjects and is only paranoid! Didn’t you really know that you were letting the country be eaten to the bone—!”

“Defendant!”

“Just before the end of this war… I finally heard the story after cutting down the chief of staff with my own hands.”

“…”

And like a comma, there was a space in the courtroom.

Christaener faced Wilhelmina with empty eyes.

“Chief of Staff Pauman… That man promised Sneider his brother’s success and injected me with poison for a long time.”

The audience gasped.

“Lies—! Are you making up stories now to get rid of an old man, even though you’re the supreme ruler of the royal family—!”

The criminal spat bubbles from her mouth and screamed.

I watched her to the end without turning my gaze away.

Crash, bang! The Duchess, who had kicked over chairs and tables, could not control her struggles and rolled around on the floor.

The restraints and chains howled with a deafening sound.

While the Imperial Guard knights harshly suppressed her, the imperial delegates repeatedly requested to the judge.

“Regarding the Vatican documents that the Sneider family took away, we request an additional witness. Duke Leopold Lasso of the Venetian Holy Kingdom.”

“Also, we submit the papal document in question, which Duke Lasso transferred to Lady Juliette, as evidence, Your Honor. ‘MAGNA CARTA JUDICIORUM’ [Latin for ‘The Great Charter of Judgments’].”

“Stop it, stop it—! Do you have to kill someone to stop your rampage?! You’re plotting to bury a helpless old man alive!”

The criminal was sweating all over her body and spitting blood from her mouth, but the trial was not interrupted.

The knights calmly sat her down again and tied her tightly to the chair with ropes.

Meanwhile, King Christaener, holding Benjamin’s hand, staggered down from the witness stand.

The prince and I watched her small back for a long time.

Afterwards, Duke Leopold and his chief of staff, Dolph, stood in the courtroom.

They began with the story of the dead Duke Maiker Lasso and eventually testified as much as they knew about the ‘Godslaying’ document.

It was already at the point where the royal capital had been devastated, and most of the audience had heard some rumors about the Godslaying plan.

However, by the time even the wicked scheme of the first King Yuri Venetian was revealed, half of the Venetian nobles had left the courtroom.

Before long, the trial was nearing its end.

I waited for Wilhelmina Sneider’s final statement, but…

“Your Honor, finally, we submit various pieces of evidence and related reports found in the Sneider territory as evidence.”