What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 348

#348

Gilt Return, A Breath (10)

“Ah….”

I froze, bewildered and unsure of what to do.

The sound of children chattering below faded into the distance.

The sacred object, ‘Divine Palace of Trees and Wood,’ seemed to tremble for a moment.

I stroked the ancient tree as if to soothe it, but the ominous encroachment did not stop.

The wind that brushed my cheek felt terribly cold.

The bow touched by Sir Johann was getting moldy, and eerily splendid poisonous mushrooms were blooming.

The wood grain was now dying, turning black like charcoal. Hwaaa, cheeee….

“Sir Johann.”

“It’s alright.”

The man standing on the precarious branch replied. It was the same reaction as always.

The relaxed smile, drooping eyes, and soft voice were all as I knew them.

But strangely, he didn’t seem alright at all. He was definitely different from usual.

His scarred fingers stubbornly gripped the bow.

Amidst the confusion, I tried to calm down. This was my mistake.

It was my fault for believing he would naturally succeed. There is nothing ‘natural’ in this world.

Sir Johann was a cardinal, but before that, he was a person, and his condition could be problematic at any time, but I didn’t consider that.

I should have prepared a Plan B. Even in wartime, especially in wartime, I should have been more careful.

‘They say it’s enough if the soul smells fragrant.’

‘Sir Haines smells good enough to handle it, so it’ll be fine.’

We said such things, knowing nothing. I blinked slowly.

Over the face of the paladin, feigning peace, a summer day’s expression soaked in pain seemed to flash.

At the same time, the conversation I had with Emperor Frederik echoed in my head like a warning.

The banquet hall of Romero Palace, the night I succeeded in my ‘deal’ with her.

‘You can’t trust Sir Haines, can you?’

‘Yes. He’s attempted assassination once, and he’s a high-ranking mercenary who I don’t know where he came from or how he’s been rolling around.’

Why did those words come to mind now of all times?

‘I was a mercenary even before I awakened as a paladin.’

‘From a very young age. Mercenary work was the job that paid the most, and it was something I was good at.’

‘I have a son to take care of.’

His voice sounded hazy, like a foggy mountain.

Before I could trust Sir Johann, I had called him to the temple backyard and had a meal with him.

At that time, the paladin said that he had worked as a mercenary since he was a child.

He had a sick child, so he had no choice but to pay for medicine.

‘Even I would find it hard to trust someone like me easily.’

…No. I didn’t want to recklessly imagine stories I hadn’t heard directly from him.

Hugging the startled Dduk-sim tightly, I bit my lip.

I waved to the children on the ground with a smiling face, checked the bundle of leaflets floating in front, and quickly turned back to him.

The man still hadn’t taken his hand off the Divine Palace.

I lowered my voice as much as possible and called out to him hidden in the dark thicket.

“Sir Johann, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you too hard.”

“It’s not too much.”

“I’ll think of another way.”

“I can do it.”

“No. If it’s an act that burdens the Divine Palace, it will be the same for Sir Johann. No one, including me, wants such a result. No one should get hurt. Besides, Herrit is watching.”

“Marquis.”

“The sacred object is so kind, so you don’t have to worry. It will wait for us. I will prepare carefully and do it myself. How about this? I’ll pull the bowstring and shoot, and Sir Johann can attach the bundle of leaflets to the arrow…”

“You’ll do it yourself, Marquis?”

The sharp question pierced my ear. I flinched and looked at him.

The mint-colored eyes were emitting a cold light like the scales of a reptile.

Then, as if by magic, my voice wouldn’t come out.

Dduk-sim spread his small wings to the fullest and hugged me.

It was only after a few seconds that I realized the wren was remembering ‘that day’ and was afraid.

“Leave it to me here and go down. The sacred object will never be destroyed, and neither will I.

‘I will fulfill what you desire.’ The man’s tone was gentle. I calmly opened my mouth.

“I refuse. You don’t have to go through such trouble. You might be cursed by the sacred object. I don’t know why, but it seems the Divine Palace doesn’t suit Sir Johann,”

“You don’t know why, you say.”

My mouth snapped shut. For a moment, I had the illusion that my jaw was trembling.

His eyes slowly drew a curve. It didn’t feel familiar at all.

“Then you shouldn’t be here even more.”

“Sir Johann, wait a moment!”

My body began to float up. I desperately stretched out my hands and clung to the tree.

Kaddeuk! Reading my mind, the Divine Palace grabbed my arm with a thin vine.

But that was the extent of the resistance.

My shoulders trembled and quickly became stiff, and I couldn’t hold on any longer.

In the first place, a ‘fight’ between Sir Johann and my physical strength was absurd.

It was also impossible for the gentle earth sacred object to go against the cardinal as free as the wind.

-Wooddeuk…!

“Ah, sorry!”

The thin vine finally tore like a piece of paper.

Pudeok! Startled crows flew in all directions.

‘Marquis?’ Eva, finally sensing something was wrong, called out to me loudly from below.

Things weren’t going according to plan, and I was floating in the sky, so she was bound to be anxious.

The paladin gestured towards the empty air without hesitation. Hwik—

“Ugh!”

-Hwiuuuu…!

With the feeling of my body sinking to the ground, I landed safely.

I didn’t fall or shake.

Eva and Herrit ran up to me with startled rabbit eyes.

“Ah….”

“Yeah. Dad’s okay, Herrit. It’s just that there’s a part that doesn’t quite match the Divine Palace, and it seems like it’s taking time to adjust.”

“Why did you send the Marquis down? Sir Haines isn’t doing dangerous things alone, is he?”

“Don’t worry, Eva. Everyone will be safe.”

I took the trembling young lady’s hand and stroked the eyes of the boy, full of worry.

I did my best to make a seemingly okay expression.

I wasn’t a cardinal, so I couldn’t give Sir Johann a divine message.

I thought about asking Dduk-sim, but I was worried that both of them would get hurt.

In the end, all I could do was reduce my words and take care of the children.

-Jjeojeojeojeok…!

-Uuung, ssareureureu…!

Suddenly, a sharp wind began to blow in the mountains.

The blue leaves of the Divine Palace trembled, and some instantly turned red, becoming falling leaves.

Even though it was midday, a cold shadow fell on the heart of the forest.

The sensation brushing my neck was ominous.

I quickly took off my cardigan and wrapped it around the two children, and put Dduk-sim in the bag.

Opening the sacred ground, I looked up at the sky at the same time. My heart sank.

-Ureureung…

Ominous dark clouds were rolling in.

It was the picture I wanted, and also the picture I didn’t want.

Sir Johann was now hidden by the lush branches and leaves and could not be seen.

Herrit flinched and stretched out his finger.

“Ah…!”

-Kkiiiiiik…

“Oh my. Marquis, the Divine Palace is getting sick!”

Eva’s expression that it was ‘getting sick’ was very accurate.

The tree disease that started from the cardinal’s fingertips was spreading to the entire ancient tree.

Bluish mold, unpleasant spores, and foul-smelling mushrooms.

Suspicious moss and swarms of terrible grubs covered the stump like a disaster.

White breezes were gathering near the man.

Seeing him made me feel like all the blood was draining from my body. I couldn’t just stand by and watch.

But I couldn’t leave the children here and move, no matter what.

In a hurry, I took Dduk-sim out again.

“Dduks, I’m asking you. Protect these kids. Can you do it?”

-Bbibbippi

“Yeah, three times.”

I still didn’t know what it meant, but I put the little one on Eva’s palm and firmly gripped the sacred ground.

After confirming that the young lady had opened the sanctuary, I walked forward through the storm.

‘You have to be careful!’ The child’s cry was buried in the wind and quickly faded.

This wasn’t supposed to be such a complicated event.

What I thought was to come here, coax the Divine Palace, shoot an arrow, and send leaflets to the kingdom to disrupt public opinion, a simple picture.

But maybe this is natural.

My friends no longer follow the development of ‘Toegye Gong’ [a famous Korean scholar and politician].

No, Sir Johann is a person who never appeared in the original work.

“Sir Johann Haines!”

-Hwiiiiing—!

-Kureureureu…!

At the same time as my shout, the wind grew stronger.

My body staggered so much that it was hard to go further, and the ground around the Divine Palace began to sob.

The white hair that was always noticeable was nowhere to be seen.

The bundle of 10,000 leaflets was also gone.

I shouted at the top of my lungs, lighting up the sacred ground.

[Sir Johann, please! The Divine Palace is in pain!]

-Hwiuuuu…!

[So please don’t torment yourself!]

At that time,

-Jjeojeojeojeojeok—!

“Ugh!”

Ssuk! The ground collapsed and my body fell down.

Brown bangs fluttered quickly in front of my eyes. This wasn’t because of a golem or an earthquake, it wasn’t!

-Kureureureung, Kwadeudeudeuk…!

“Keuheok, thanks, I’m alive!”

It was because the Divine Palace, unable to overcome the pain, shook its roots and writhed.

The remaining roots that sprang up from the underground wrapped me up in a flash. Ugh, it hurts!

“Gently, gently! My waist will break!”

“Aaaagh!”

The scream I shouldn’t have heard sent shivers down my spine. I hurriedly looked around.

Amidst the fierce noise, swirling debris, and twilight, red curly hair fluttered.

“No! Eva! Herrit!”

The two children were hanging in the sky, wrapped in roots.

-Kureureureung! Jjeok, ureureung…!

“I’m sorry for hurting you! I will never harm you! Please let the kids go!”

My voice cracked with fear and desperation, and cold sweat flowed down to my chin.

Dduk-sim, who was wrapped around Herrit, was fluttering weakly.

Seeing one of his wings abnormally enlarged made my heart sink.

He used too much power coming here.

He can’t bring out his true power yet.

“Heuaaak, Marquis!”

“Please! I was wrong! Those kids don’t know anything! If you want revenge, I’ll take it!”

My vision shook violently, and my head hurt. It was cold and hot, and hot and cold.

I bit my lip, looking at the crescent moon of the sacred ground shining bluishly. There was a strong taste of blood.

Even in this moment, Sir Johann didn’t come down from the bow. He must have heard everything, but why,

…Ah!

“Is he trying to go berserk? Is Sir Johann about to go berserk like that!?”

-Saaaaaa!

The Divine Palace’s jewel began to emit a bright light as if affirming. I was shocked and shocked again.

Kwagaagang! Lightning struck the top of the bow. My breath caught in my throat and my head turned white.

Then the cause of the rampage wasn’t important right now.

The ancient tree’s intention in grabbing the children was far from harming them.

While being surprised, hurt, and confused, it was trying to evacuate those kids and me—

-Kwareureu, Hwiriririk!

“No! Don’t throw them!”

“Aaaaagh!”

Ssaeeeek! Eva, wearing my cardigan, was thrown far away into the sky.

A feeling of nausea washed over me from the shocking impact. In the moment I froze without even screaming,

-Paaaaaaa…!

A brilliant light burst out from Herrit’s direction.

It was so dazzling that it hurt my cornea, so I buried my face in my collar. The thin cloth quickly became damp.

The palm of my hand, marked by fingernails, smelled faintly of blood.

Peolleodeok! I heard a loud flapping sound nearby.

It seemed like I was even hearing hallucinations because I was going crazy. I trembled and slowly raised my head.

-Peolleok, peolleok!

And I stopped breathing at the unbelievable sight. Time flowed very slowly.

“…Herrit?”

The person in front of me was someone I had never seen before.

“Eung [yes].”

The young man, who looked to be in his late teens, smiled softly and replied.

Even though it was our first meeting, I was sure that he was Herrit.

The clear jade-colored eyes were the child I knew, and the warm smile was also the child I knew.

The hairstyle that resembled François, and the height as tall as his dad, were also the dreams of the child I knew.

And behind Herrit’s back….

-Palladak, pallak!

There were ‘two’ wings shining in periwinkle. It was Biryeom’s Ark [a sacred object with the power of wind].

I took a short breath, feeling an endlessly overwhelming emotion.

My mouth kept opening and a foolish smile flowed out.

Yes, the number 3.

‘They say one sacred object has three unique abilities.’

‘Let’s take you as an example. You can control air, open a fabricated space, and transform.’

-Bbippo!

That day at our house, I was so flustered that I miscounted the numbers.

That was why Dduk-sim kept bouncing while watching me study the Divine Palace.

The power to control air is a basic attribute that is not included in the three abilities of the ‘Ark.’

Also, ‘Biryeom’ is an imaginary bird that creates wind. Wind, and wish.

The power to project the appearance desired by the lord.

A miracle that gives him a temporary physical entity.

“…You saved Eva. Thank you so much.”

Dduk-sim chose Herrit as his master.

“Heu-heung.”

My eyelids heated up and the tip of my nose tingled at the somewhat familiar voice.

I smiled brightly as I received the young lady in Herrit’s arms.

The child was perfectly fine without a single scratch.

Although she was unconscious, both her breathing and pulse were normal.

Her forehead fell weakly, and an unconscious moan-like prayer flowed out.

Lord God, thank you….

-Seureuk

Then a large hand and familiar wings covered the back of my hand.

The Divine Palace root tied to my waist also patted my butt.

By the time I wiped my cheeks, I finally burst out laughing in vain.

You were so scared that you threw the child away and are comforting me?

“…Now let’s go save Dad, Herrit.”

I said with a choked voice. The eyes I met resembled Sir Johann, and were also different.

The jade stone that shone alone in the rough storm was no longer alone.

“Uncle will help.”

Then a smile that dyed the whole world white returned.

“Okay.”

-Paaaaat!

The young man spread both wings and soared into the sky at the same time as his answer.

I burst into laughter amidst the wildly fluttering hair and clothes.