What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 128

#128 The Village Chief and the Angel (2)

I placed the flowers and pebbles the children had brought on the old bench and stood up.

“Why, why here······.”

Agnes stopped the carriage in a fluster and stepped down with a very embarrassed look on her face.

Demi recognized her and wagged his tail excitedly.

Eva and I couldn’t close our gaping mouths. Why was Agnes here of all places?

“Hello, Agnes. What brings you······.”

She bowed to Eva and me, and I greeted her, feeling dazed.

Question marks filled the faces of the three of us, except for Herrit.

Silence fell as we didn’t know where to begin to resolve our questions about each other.

Agnes was the first to speak.

“Your Highness, I am the representative of this Aitz Village. So, I visit the elders every month, but,”

“Huh?!”

Eva raised her voice. The young lady’s dark brown eyes widened.

The story I heard from Grandma Marlene and Grandpa Remi yesterday swirled in my head.

The child from the most educated family in Aitz, working in the Imperial Palace.

A person who can read and write and meets important people. A kind and capable young man.

That was Agnes, the Imperial Palace’s mountain caretaker. The two old people’s explanations were flawless!

An unexpected twist left my tongue stiff and the back of my head tingling. I should have asked for her name sooner.

No, how could I have imagined that the village chief would be a friend!

“So, um. Are you coming from the Imperial Palace?”

I barely managed to form a logical sentence.

Just then, Prince Kristel and Cedric were walking towards us with rakes and pickaxes.

The sight of them walking side by side looked good, but this was not the time.

I waved frantically at them. Hurry up and come over!

“Yes. Today, I had a lot of luggage, so it took a long time to come around the mountain. Usually, it takes three hours,”

“Just a moment. I’m sorry.”

I interrupted her. It was because I thought I had just heard something very strange.

“You said you came around the mountain.”

“That’s the mountain you see in front of you.”

“······Could that be.”

“Yes?”

Eva and I narrowed our eyes. Agnes’s eyes narrowed along with ours.

“Agnes. Is that mountain behind the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes, Princess Blanquer. It is.”

-Thud!

Kristel, who had come closer, dramatically dropped her rake.

The two protagonists alternately scanned Agnes and me.

The prince, who quickly grasped the situation, frowned.

“······The altitude looks completely different.”

Tell me about it. From the Juliette Palace, it looks like a very low mountain!

“Y-Your Highness, the noble Prince!”

Agnes, greatly surprised to see the prince, quickly paid her respects.

Only then did I realize what a bolt from the blue this must be for Agnes.

She had been working hard at the Imperial Palace and came to do another job after work, only to find several people as high as the sky [royalty and nobility].

I dry-washed my face and calmly opened my mouth.

“Agnes, we······. I don’t know how glad and fortunate I am that Agnes came. So, Aitz Village is.”

A burst of laughter escaped as I tried to speak. It was Sir Johan, who came out of the kitchen, who completed the question.

“Does that mean this is the village beyond the back mountain of the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes, Grand Preceptor. That’s right.”

“······.”

Silence flowed at Agnes’s answer. Then,

“Sniffle.”

Kristel sat down and started laughing, almost crying.

Demi and Dduk-ssim stuck to her, whimpering and beeping.

No matter how I looked at it, they seemed to be enjoying it together. Don’t pretend you knew all along!

“That means we can get to the Imperial Palace quickly from here.”

I blinked and tried to sort out the situation.

I felt like we had all become rice buckets [idiots], and I was speechless, but anyway, looking at the results, it was a good thing.

If we left right away, we would be able to arrive in time for the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony.

The prince looked west with deep eyes.

Darkness was falling on the village where the sun had already set.

“That’s······. Your Highness, it will be difficult to leave now because it is late.”

Agnes said with a troubled face. She seemed to have grasped the situation as well.

After all, she, a servant of the Imperial Palace, must have had a lot of work because of the investiture ceremony.

It must be absurd and worrying that a man who is supposed to ascend to the Crown Prince tomorrow is in a place like this.

“Was the investiture ceremony postponed?”

“Yes? No, I haven’t heard anything like that.”

Agnes shook her head at my question. It was a great relief.

Emperor Frederick and Cardinal Boutier clearly believed in our return to the palace on some basis.

I said persuasively.

“Agnes has a carriage, so can’t we do something about it?”

“There is no road to cross the mountain. If you cross it, you will go straight to the Imperial Palace, so you shouldn’t build a road in the first place. There is a barrier, but it is best to prevent access itself.”

Damn it, that’s right. I thought of the forest path I had used to arrive using the portal.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t crossing the mountain, but passing through it vertically.

“The mountains are also rugged. Do you remember when Your Highness and Princess Sarnese came out for field learning last time?”

The mountain caretaker asked us carefully, looking at us. I recalled what had happened a few months ago.

Before leaving for the ‘Great Demon Subjugation’ to the south, there was definitely such a time.

Kristel and the prince had a big fight, and the indoor training hall was destroyed, so the Emperor and the Cardinal, who were angry, decided to have an outdoor class.

At that time, we fought against the ‘Dodok Bull’ in a vast field.

“The mountain behind the Juliette Palace was just a hill. It was flat.”

I said. Agnes nodded.

“Yes. When you climb the mountain behind the Imperial Palace, you will see a wide basin. If you pass through the basin, you will see a large peak. That is the mountain you see now.”

Our heads turned to the mountain at once.

So, the place where we enjoyed the picnic at that time was a low and flat basin, and that tall guy is next······.

Uh?

“Oh my, the Divine Lantern is already rising!”

Grandpa Remi, who came out of the house across the street, said loudly.

I widened my eyes as I looked at the place he was pointing to.

Orange lanterns, just like the prince’s irises, were appearing on the ridge, one by one.

Demi clung to me and climbed onto my shoulder. He seemed to want to see from a high place.

-Squeak

“They fly like that only on the eve of His Highness’s birthday. They are so pretty, but sometimes they fall here and cause a headache.”

The grandfather’s tone was casual, but it was a special experience for us.

“Wow······.”

Light spots spread out in the sky, dyed southern purple.

The lanterns, which were initially three or four, gradually increased to five, six, seven, eight, and nine.

Everyone lost their words for a moment and looked at the scene.

I remembered a scene from an animated movie that Eun-seo loved.

Chestnut stomped his feet in admiration. Kristel stroked the boy’s back and muttered.

“Pretty······.”

“The eve has begun.”

I flinched. I woke up from my reverie at the prince’s words. His eyes met mine.

“Is that what signals the start of the eve?”

“They always fly the Divine Lantern in the Claire Square of the Imperial Capital.”

“Do people gather?”

“Yes.”

His eyes and voice were calm. Kristel asked.

“Does Your Highness also attend the eve?”

“Every year.”

The group became quiet as if cold water had been poured on them. Little Haines clung to his father’s leg.

I quickly turned to the mountain caretaker.

“Agnes. If we go around the mountain by carriage from now on, how long will it take to get to the square?”

“Your Highness, it is dangerous at night because there is no light. The foothills get dark quickly. It would be better to leave early in the morning······.”

“What is all this talk? Agnes, what’s going on?”

Grandma Marlene, who was carrying a sickle on her shoulder, suddenly said.

Grandpa Remi, who had been watching us, also looked embarrassed.

They were used to calling them bachelors, but suddenly they were calling them Prince and Your Highness, so they must have been surprised.

I have to apologize and explain to them······.

“I can escort His Highness the Prince. If Your Highness allows it.”

At that time, Sir Johan, who was standing behind me, said softly.

He meant that he would fly over the mountain with the prince.

I looked into his mint-colored eyes and looked down at Herrit.

The child was holding onto his father’s shirt with his hands. I couldn’t ask him after all.

“Sir Johan, please leave with Herrit tomorrow.”

“Your Highness, I’m fine.”

“Herrit won’t be fine. It’s only been three days since he met his father again.”

At my reply, Sir Johan looked down at his son. I smiled and continued.

“I heard that they found a flower near here that is used as medicine for Herrit.”

“Jackpot!”

Kristel was sincerely happy. Sir Johan stared at me in surprise.

“So you have to take care of that too. If you tell His Majesty, you can grow it in the Imperial Palace greenhouse or garden. Princess Eva knows where the flowers bloom.”

“Your Highness.”

“I will take His Highness the Prince.”

I declared. My voice seemed to tremble. Everyone’s attention was focused on me for a moment.

The orange eyes, submerged in the twilight, shone clearly.

“The eve is not important.”

The prince said quietly. He seemed to be saying that he couldn’t understand my actions.

That could be the case.

We now have Agnes, and if we leave at dawn, we will arrive in time for the investiture ceremony.

“No, it’s important.”

“······.”

I looked straight at him.

“It’s a moment when many people gather to celebrate Your Highness’s birthday and the Crown Prince’s investiture, and I think it’s also your duty to accept it happily.”

Kristel, who was sprawled on the floor, nodded as if it was the right thing to say.

Looking at the protagonist who was on my side, I felt a little more confident in what I was about to do.

“And it would be nice if you could go early and sleep comfortably. There is a main game tomorrow morning.”

“······.”

“Also, you came all the way here to help me treat Chestnut. I want to help Your Highness return to the Imperial Palace.”

I smiled. The prince stared at me silently and snorted lowly.

“So you’re going to drive the carriage yourself?”

“No, Agnes said that night trips are dangerous. I don’t know the way either.”

If I drive, I might end up going to the Diem Marquisate.

I swallowed hard and looked at Kristel.

To be exact, at Dduk-ssim, who had been sitting primly on her shoulder.

“Dduk-ssim, come here.”

-Peep

The wren cried in response and fluttered down to sit on my hand.

Blinking its black eyes as if it didn’t know anything.

“Remember when I said I wasn’t your owner?”

-Peep

Dduk-ssim tilted its body.

I raised my arm to face the divine creature and made a small suggestion that only it could hear.

“So let’s make a deal.”

And so, wings were attached to my back again. A large one-sided, light purple.

-Flap!

“Ugh, Dduk-ssim! Gently!”

My feet floated off the ground and my body swayed.

The residents who came out in droves after hearing the news cried out, ‘Oh my!’, ‘Goodness gracious!’, and prostrated themselves on the ground.

I smiled bitterly.

I said, ‘It’s okay’, ‘You can watch’, but the elders just trembled and bowed their heads.

I was especially sorry that Grandma Marlene and Grandpa Remi seemed so scared.

I was worried that it would be a bad memory for those who had treated us so kindly.

My eyes met Kristel’s.

“Don’t worry about the elders. I’ll take care of them. Princess Eva and Sir Haines are here too.”

She smiled brightly and grabbed my arms to pull me down.

Behind her, Eva’s eyes, looking at Dduk-ssim, ‘Biryeom’s Ark’ [a legendary bird], were sparkling.

Herrit had been fidgeting with his hands, wanting to touch the feathers.

I checked the vines that Demi had tightly wrapped around my body for the last time, hugged the lesser panda and the roe deer once each, and stood facing the prince.

Vines were wrapped around his waist as well. The man looked down at me.

“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

Why are you saying scary lines? You’re the male lead, so saying those words will raise a flag [create romantic tension or foreshadowing].

“I don’t have a fear of heights.”

I answered bravely.

Of course, it’s a little scary, but I’m okay with going up to swaying bridges or glass observatories.

“That’s not the problem. There are more than 10,000 people in the square,”

-Flap, flap!

“Uwa!”

The Ark interrupted the prince’s words and flapped its wings greatly.

I screamed strangely and flew more than 5m into the air.

The prince quickly jumped up and inserted his boots into the long vine.