What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 167

#167 Exit (3)

“The two priests residing in Yeongju Castle left together…”

I didn’t listen to Ganael until the end.

I rushed into the bathroom, scrubbed myself clean, and put on comfortable shirts, pants, and boots.

I had warm milk and three *chausson aux pommes* [apple turnovers] for breakfast.

Ganael looked like he was about to burst into tears when he saw how much I was eating.

I quickly finished preparing and stood before the boy and Benjamin.

“I’ve packed everything. Drinking water, snacks, painkillers, clean cloths, spare clothes, and an emergency dagger. The crystal bell is in here, and I’ve even included a hair accessory just in case.”

I said, touching the luggage bag across my chest.

Ganael’s face was pale, and Benjamin also looked very worried.

They said, ‘His Highness the Crown Prince and Sir Sarnese did it for the Prince’s sake,’ but they couldn’t actively stop me.

I tried to relax my face, which kept hardening with anger.

Even though I don’t have any physical strength, how could they leave me out? I’m your priest partner!

“Your Highness, what about guards? You can’t go alone.”

“Sir Johann will be there, so it’s okay.”

Ganael gaped at my answer.

I bent down one last time to hug Demi, Leah, Perry, and Tete.

As if reading my mind, Demi pressed his belly and whined.

Right, how can I deceive our leader?

“You guys stay in the castle. It might be more dangerous than the subjugation.”

-Squeak.

“I’m sorry. Protect our friends here instead. Take care of Tete too. Can you do that?”

-Kki-eung…

Demi’s black bean eyes became moist.

My heart weakened considerably, but I couldn’t bring myself to say let’s go together.

Even if they pointed out that Christel and that Crown Prince were doing the same thing to the divine beasts, I couldn’t help it.

Even with their outstanding abilities, these guys were small animals that couldn’t speak human language.

I clearly remembered Leah and Perry hiding and trembling in the corner of the reed field near the end of the monster subjugation.

Unless there was no other choice, taking the divine beasts as weapons was out of the question.

I was just a temporary ‘guardian.’

“I trust you, Demi.”

I shook hands with him and looked at Dduk-sim, who was sitting on the back of his hand.

The wren tilted its body and met my eyes.

“Dduk-sim, you’re a sacred object, so you can’t come with me. You know that, right?”

-Tweet tweet.

“Yeah, you’re the smartest bird in the world, so I won’t say it twice.”

I tickled the little one’s chest and got up.

Although I had some kind of deal with Dduk-sim, I wasn’t his owner.

Besides, it was ‘Biryeom’s Ark’ who warned that something might happen if sacred objects gathered.

If Dduk-sim went to the jungle where other sacred objects were gathered, a major accident might occur.

“I’ll be back.”

-Awoo.

Tete cried briefly.

After leaving the divine beasts, I glanced at Duchess Isabelle’s bedroom at the end of the hallway.

Eva didn’t seem to be awake yet.

She was young, and unlike me, she had no experience in this field, so she couldn’t accompany me.

“Please take good care of Eva.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Where is Sir Johann?”

“…He’s probably in the lobby.”

Benjamin answered quietly. I hurried to the castle tower lobby.

I was a little disappointed that Sir Johann didn’t stop the two protagonists, but I decided it was for the best.

If even he had left for the jungle, I wouldn’t have been able to have a strong escort.

-Tap, tap, tap!

“Good morning, Sir Johann.”

“Good morning, Your Highness.”

I ran down the last steps two at a time.

Sir Johann, who had his white hair neatly tied back as usual, saluted with one hand on his chest.

The servants who were filling Tete’s tank with new seawater also bowed.

I bowed back and quickly approached the paladin, pouring out my words.

“Since you’re here to escort me, please take me to where Sir Sarnese and Crown Prince Cedric are. I’ve packed everything I need, and all we need are two horses. If you tell Duke Blanquer’s consort,”

“Your Highness, I’m sorry, but I can’t do that for you.”

Sir Johann cut me off in a cool tone. I was momentarily speechless and looked up at him.

Ganael and Benjamin groaned softly, as if they had expected this reaction.

“Do you remember me telling you that you don’t know much about paladins?”

“Yes. Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?”

“This is one of those things.”

The mint-colored eyes curved gently.

“You were educated by His Highness Boutier, so I understand. You were taught that being by your partner’s side is the best course of action, and that’s actually true. You can see that just by looking at His Majesty and His Highness. The relationship formed by the sacred covenant is qualitatively different, but the essence is similar.”

“……”

“But the psychology of a paladin is terribly complex and contradictory. Their way of thinking is different from that of a priest.”

I gripped the bag strap tightly. This was an unexpected development, and I didn’t have time for this.

If he didn’t cooperate, I had to find a knight left in the castle and leave quickly.

I was about to say ‘Excuse me’ and try to get past him to go out the door when,

-Tap.

Sir Johann blocked me with a speed I couldn’t even see. I looked at him in surprise.

“Sir Johann.”

“To varying degrees, all paladins are obsessed with their priests. They forcefully try to obtain ether, but they also risk their lives to protect their partners. They also easily make illogical judgments.”

“Please step aside. I’ll cancel the request for you to be my escort.”

“That’s why they often left their partners, who had no combat abilities, in the barracks and went to war.”

“……”

His eyes darkened like the color of a storm. I couldn’t bring myself to continue speaking.

I knew that the ‘war’ he mentioned was from the war era.

But for a moment, the back of my neck felt cold, and goosebumps rose.

It sounded as if, if time passed and the original war broke out, the two men and women would leave me behind and go to the battlefield.

That was the development that I had desperately wanted half a year ago. But…

“I’m helpful. I’m an archbishop. I can confidently say that my ether quality is the best on the continent. I may not have combat abilities, but I have defensive abilities, and I survived the monster subjugation without any major injuries.”

But not now.

I didn’t want them to get hurt or be in danger without me.

Damn it. I’m not even the protagonist, so it’s okay if my position changes in half a year.

People’s thoughts change as they live!

“Please let me go.”

“Sir Martier Jeilstra escorted Princess Elysee to the Imperial Palace, right?”

It was an irrelevant remark. I frowned and nodded.

Then Sir Johann said in a chilly voice.

“Your Highness, you know better than I do, but Sir Jeilstra is a clergyman. Yet, he wields an axe and is as strong as any swordsman or magician. Because he’s a combat priest.”

…I didn’t know. It was news to me that Martier was something like a ‘combat priest.’

I gritted my teeth, realizing what Sir Johann was trying to say.

He smiled awkwardly.

“You’re not as strong as him, Your Highness, so I can’t let you go. I was ordered by His Highness the Crown Prince to protect you and the castle here.”

*

Damn it.

-Rumble!

The mountains rumbled again.

This time it didn’t lead to an earthquake, but a white flash flickered in the distance.

I sat on the windowsill, hugging the divine beasts and grumbling. I felt powerless for the first time in a while.

Of course, I knew that staying out of it was advantageous for survival.

I had no intention of acting recklessly and dying early.

But, well.

“Your Highness, why did you only eat two plates of *steak et frites* [steak and fries]? Our chef is the best in the Empire, you know.”

Eva, who was sitting at the tea table drinking *café au lait* [coffee with milk], pouted.

She wasn’t really asking because she didn’t know, but she seemed upset that I was picking at my lunch.

I smiled bitterly and apologized. Then our young duchess immediately changed her target.

“Ganael is the same. Viscount So is an 8th-grade swordsman, but is there any need to look so glum? He’ll come back without a scratch. All the priests in our castle are healing priests.”

Ganael, who was sitting across from me and was the same age, was startled and nodded.

Still, Eva comforted him in that way several times, and the boy looked better than he had in the morning.

I chuckled and turned my gaze out the window.

“……”

So, I knew best that Prince Yeseo was a supporting character for Toegye-gong [a reference to a historical Korean scholar, implying someone of great importance].

When the two men and women gained experience and leveled up somewhere, I could just clap and say, ‘Oh, that’s great.’

Since they were the protagonists, there was no way they would die, and the possibility of them being carried back seriously injured was slim.

I understood in my head that everything was just a worry, but I felt so stuffy that I couldn’t eat well.

It felt like I sent kids to a well.

“Well, I’m going back.”

Only then did I turn my gaze sharply. There was a commotion outside.

The knights and soldiers guarding the rear of our castle tower seemed to be dissuading someone.

An old woman in an archbishop’s plain clothes was setting out with a lot of attendants, servants, and porters.

I put my ear to the slightly opened window, and the voices became clearer.

“If you had left then, we wouldn’t have stopped you either. But now Yeongju Castle is closed, and no one can leave the castle until the Duke declares it safe. The road is dangerous, Madam.”

“It’ll be safer than the guest room anyway. I almost died from being hit by the lighting!”

She raised her voice, brandishing her staff. Ganael, who had approached the window, whispered.

“It’s Archbishop Eugene Kessie. In the plaza yesterday…”

At the boy’s words, a scene suddenly came to mind.

‘This is crazy. I’m getting out of here.’

The elderly woman who threw the words at the Duke while putting on her jacket. I blinked.

“She hasn’t left yet?”

“I don’t know what she’s thinking. That’s the person, Your Highness. The archbishop who refused to meet you in Serenite.”

My mouth slowly opened.

On my first territory inspection, I had definitely wanted to meet the archbishop of the southwestern diocese, which included Serenite.

But the other party refused because she was busy, and Benjamin explained that it was because she was wary of me.

That was that old woman.

“Get out of the way. My believers are waiting for me.”

The troubled knight eventually chased after her.

Even after the figure disappeared beyond the window frame, I could hear the voice begging, ‘Please stay inside.’

I was listening as if it were someone else’s business when I suddenly came to my senses.

Jackpot. Then there are no knights in the back now.

“Guys, it’s finally your time to shine.”

I buried my face in a bunch of lesser pandas and whispered darkly.

Ganael and Eva flinched at the same time.

*

“Perfect. Our divine beasts are the best. Messengers of the main god, I will continue to serve you.”

-Squeak!

-Awoo!

-Kkihem.

Leah, Perry, and Demi asserted their superiority in order.

I nodded like a car air freshener and sat with my legs out the window.

Just in case, I put on the bag I had packed again, carefully checked the vines wrapped around my body, and took several deep breaths.

Benjamin, who had heard the news, was standing side by side with Ganael, looking at me.

Eva had already gone down to the lobby. It was to distract Sir Johann.

“Don’t worry. I’ll put a divine message on one of the soldiers and enter safely. I won’t go to the battle point, I’ll just check from afar. If you two seem to be okay, I’ll come back right away.”

I have no intention of becoming a nuisance character by acting recklessly.

I planned to run away as soon as something felt strange.

“Please be careful, Your Highness.”

Benjamin pleaded, holding the vines tied to the bedpost tightly.

I gave him a thumbs up and smiled, then descended the wall of the castle tower without hesitation.

Jeong Yeseo returns with .