What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 374

#374

Desecration (3)

“Please, wait!”

It was a cry bordering on a scream. Judith Camingha slowly stopped walking.

The Crown Princess was running down the hill from afar.

Like a foal chasing after its mother’s tail.

Tripping on rough stones, staggering in a way unbecoming of a royal, her breathing completely disordered.

Desperately.

“Grand Duke!”

Judith’s one eye slowly turned.

Eliseo Venetian’s pale face peeked through the fog.

Waiting a moment longer, her splendid silver armor and jewel-like eyes appeared.

The old woman watched the approaching young woman, thinking. Still so young.

A time when it’s not too late to learn something new.

But on the other hand, she also wondered. Can this one really endure?

“I would like to hear more about what you said earlier.”

“······.”

Could she abandon the beliefs and ideologies of the Holy Kingdom’s royalty, which she had embodied throughout her life, and understand the beliefs of the Grand Ducal Family?

In Judith’s view, the greatest advantage of youth is its wondrous resilience.

Young people absorb even extreme shocks more easily than middle-aged people, showing a vitality that bounces back quickly like a rubber ball.

It is an appropriate time to start a second life, as wound recovery and forgetting are easy.

It is not too late to shake off the past and learn a new path, as their minds are not yet fully hardened.

But not all young people are like that.

Some will break, unable to withstand the external pressures, and some will become lost and collapse.

Of course.

“······Are you prepared?”

Moreover, the Crown Princess is not a commoner.

She must have been subjected to strong indoctrination in many ways for a long time.

“Yes?”

Eliseo immediately asked back. Judith looked at her, like a dim sun, and continued indifferently.

“It might be better to pretend today’s conversation never happened. For everyone’s benefit.”

“······.”

“I can protect the Grand Duchy’s people, and you can preserve the royal family as it is.”

“······No.”

‘I want a chance,’ The always firm baritone was trembling.

Eliseo herself knew how weak she must look.

But she had a gut feeling that if she backed down here, she would never be given any chance.

So, even though her stomach was churning and her whole body was cold, she had to muster her courage.

Like the moment she devised a plan to send her only younger brother to the enemy country to save him, and jumped into the front lines without hesitation.

Like back then, when she acted with a reckless conviction that it was better than her brother dying, even though she couldn’t see an inch ahead.

No. With an even stronger heart than that today.

“I will do anything to protect the princess and save the Holy Kingdom. Please, help me.”

“You don’t understand.”

The Grand Duke pushed back against the Crown Princess again.

Her deeply wrinkled face showed no emotion.

“The world you have lived in all your life will be turned upside down, and you will finally realize your own situation. You may even feel that you are more miserable than a beggar on the street. You might even realize that their lives are more genuine.”

“······.”

“Can you endure the shame and pain that will surge on that day alone? It will be hard for a royal who has grown up so delicately to bear. Regret will be like hellfire, and sorrow will be poignant.”

‘You might want to run away as you are.’ This was the elder’s last warning.

It was advice to think carefully and step back, as it would be better not to dabble with a half-hearted resolution.

Moreover, there was no familial affection or bond between the two.

This was practically the first proper conversation they had ever had.

If the worst came to pass, Judith would surely choose the Grand Duchy over Eliseo.

For the Grand Duke, who had lived as a recluse all her life, cutting ties with her would be easier than flipping her hand.

The old duke’s land was so independent that some called it a principality.

In short, to build a foundation of trust, Eliseo had to bet everything.

“I was incompetent and lost Yeser.”

The old woman silently stared at the young woman.

In her eyes, as blue as the distant sea, a hot ember was rising.

“I possessed the power of a cardinal-level paladin, and I had accumulated gold, silver treasures, and the status of a crown princess, yet I did so. I let him go so futilely before my eyes. I will never see that child again. I am a scarecrow with my arms and legs tied, unable to even collect my brother’s body.”

“······.”

“I have already spent countless days beating my chest in solitude. As no light enters day by day, there is no difference between day and night for me. But I cannot give up like this.”

“······.”

“I cannot lose even my youngest, Your Highness.”

A single tear streamed down her jade-like cheek. The Crown Princess quickly wiped away the moisture.

“I will risk my life to prevent Cornelise from being manipulated by the Duke. I will not stand idly by as Sneider devours the Holy Kingdom.”

“······.”

“I, the daughter of His Majesty, will not give up. So please, give me your teachings.”

The Grand Duke was silent for a while.

However, the gaze that looked at the Crown Princess was fluctuating hotly, like a force deep within the earth.

“How did you leave the Second Princess?”

“Martier Zeirstra is protecting her by her side. She is the only subordinate and friend I have ever personally gained in my life. I can trust her.”

“Who else can you trust?”

“······I cannot call it my power, but Court Count Etzart Rossehader is staying in the royal capital. I have heard that he often clashes with Duke Sneider and that their tendencies are different. The head chamberlain of the royal castle is also trustworthy. He is the younger brother of Count Pauman.”

“Pauman?”

The Grand Duke’s one eye widened. This was a rather intense reaction, and Eliseo was surprised.

Pauman was not a family of great wealth, and it was unexpected that a recluse elder in the frontier knew about them.

“······Is he a relative of Annemarie Pauman?”

“Yes?”

“No. The head chamberlain is good enough.”

Then, a moment of silence flowed.

Judith quietly looked at Eliseo, then sighed as if the ground would swallow her whole.

Of course, this young woman would know.

That her declaration had countless lives hanging on it like grains of sand.

That with this one change, hundreds of years of time could be changed entirely.

“Let’s go to the Grand Duchy.”

“······Right now?”

The Crown Princess’s voice grew louder.

She didn’t even know where this was, and the Grand Duchy was a remote area along the eastern coast.

The old woman lightly chided.

“Then will there be a chance later? Don’t think about using the same trick twice on Wilhelmina Sneider. Count Roy will also lie low for the time being. Judging by the calm skies, it seems that the two countries have entered a truce by now… We must make the most of such an incident.”

And she turned her back and strode away.

Eliseo, bewildered, froze for a moment, unable to move.

She glanced at the bonfire she had been lying by, and then looked for the moon in the sky.

But her hesitation did not last long.

“······Your Highness! I will accompany you!”

The young woman hurriedly followed the old woman. The corners of the old woman’s lips slightly lifted.

Soon, the two figures disappeared without a trace beyond the sea of fog.

*

Where was I?

-Caw, caw, caw…!

Ah, right. The giant stone castle!

“As far as I know, Annemarie was Yuliter’s handmaid. It is written so in my grandmother’s records. Look here, Lord Rambouillet.”

“Ah, amazing······.”

I didn’t know where this was, and it wasn’t a reassuring situation.

It was certain that this wasn’t imperial territory.

The cliffs, as big as buildings and as eerie as a haunted valley, and the castle intricately carved into them, didn’t look ordinary to anyone.

From a distance, the building looked completely buried in the rock. It was like camouflage painted on.

The magnificent fortress had an overwhelming feel, and crows circled in the distant sky, cawing ominously.

The air was too cold for early autumn.

The fog was still thick, making it difficult to grasp the surrounding geography.

My other friends were piecing together their experiences in Mankrans Village like a puzzle, keeping their voices as low as possible.

“So, let me summarize. First, Mankrans was full of buried paladins? That means there was a lot of ether [aether, the fifth element] accumulated there. In short, there was the potential for spacetime to be distorted at any time. On top of that, Yuliter’s remains were scattered in the village. So, Yuliter created a crack in the past timeline…? What was it, what did the Marquis say?”

“The hypothetical space.”

“Ah, yes! It was a suitable place to open a hypothetical space. But apart from that, because the paladins were buried there, the moon halo grass bloomed enormously. So, the hallucinatory fog arose. And because it had the property of mimicking the ether of a priest, we were constantly uncomfortable. Here, people are going missing······.”

“Yes. As a result, the Marquis’s lunar phase theory was correct. According to Lord Haines’s explanation, moon halo grass usually blooms and scatters pollen around the time of the new moon. It must have been to avoid the gaze of the main god, but it was no coincidence that the disappearances occurred around that time······.”

Lady Elizabeth’s calm voice continued.

I peeked my head out from behind the boulder where I was hiding with my group.

It was to observe the fortress once again.

The lesser pandas climbed onto my shoulders, not wanting to be outdone.

“······It’s really quiet. There’s not even a single guard, let alone someone looking out.”

-Kkit

-Eung

-Kku

The divine beasts seriously responded. It seemed suspicious to them too.

“Right. Is it an abandoned castle? It’s too… There seems to be something there.”

I frowned and muttered.

We were quietly hiding as Lord Johann had said.

The paladin had gone to scout the problematic castle with Francois an hour or two ago.

I wanted the Marquis, who hadn’t fully recovered, to stay with us, but he insisted until the end, so I couldn’t help it.

Thinking about it, I think he was subtly trying to talk about Herritt’s godfather on the way.

I hope that goes well too, and I hope they both come back safely.

I wonder how far they’ve infiltrated.

“Ugh. It’s cold.”

I shivered and curled up again.

I’m not usually very sensitive to heat or cold, but no matter how I think about it, the weather here wasn’t September.

At best, it was late October or early November.

The two protagonists and Lady Elizabeth seemed fine, but even Fabrice, who was from the south, was trembling his lips.

Did we suddenly come all the way up north while crossing the rift? Why?

How did it get so twisted?

-Thud!

Huh? Just in time, Crown Prince Cedrick threw off his ceremonial robe.

I was delighted and glanced at him.

He didn’t even look this way, so it seemed like he just threw it off because he was hot.

As expected, fire attribute is the best in the F/W [Fall/Winter] season!

“Awesome.”

I grinned, picked up the coat, and asked the warm lesser pandas to help keep the others warm.

Then, Perry ran to Duke Fabrice and hugged him tightly.

Leah lay down next to Princess Diop, who was lying over there, and Demi took a seat next to Carme.

I moved my mouth diligently. Thank you. You’re so kind.

“So, all of Yuliter’s alter egos were important memories to her. ‘Yulus’ was a childhood nickname, and ‘Eta’ was… According to Baroness Ingrid’s records, it was a pet name that the late Emperor Romero used to call her. Since Grandma Annemarie was a handmaid who came from the Holy Kingdom, she must have had deep affection for her.”

Christel counted on her fingers and continued to speak.

I pretended that I hadn’t been doing anything else and focused on the conversation.

“It seems that way. But since you can’t create a real human, you must have covered the moon halo grass with illusions.”

“Really. Somehow, the texture of the person felt exactly like a flower. It was cool.”

My two best friends were neatly organizing the incident in their heads.

In particular, the vice-commander of the guard had many people to report back to, so this process was even more necessary.

I calmly mulled over my friends’ conversation.

Memories. Fragments of Yuliter Statia’s memories······.

「Don’t worry, Yeser.」

「Please take care of my sister and brother.」

Then, was Prince Yeser, whom I met in the white space, also a ‘part’ of him? Not the whole?

But I instinctively recognized him as ‘him.’

I was deeply convinced that he was the complete and clear Yeser Venetian, not a guardian spirit or an illusion. I swore that there was no room for doubt. What was different about him?

How did I know that day?

“Again.”

“Huh?”

I flinched and turned to the side.

The Crown Prince, leaning against the rock, was observing me with sharp eyes.

“What is it?”

“You are too lost in daydreams.”

······This guy scolds me like a ghost every time I think about Toegye [Korean Confucian scholar].

I wonder what he knows.

“No, well… There are times when people have a lot to think about while living. I’ve heard that it’s good for brain health to space out on purpose. Of course, you’re not thinking when you’re spacing out, but anyway.”

I’ll tell you soon, so please wait a little longer.

“······Does that mean you use violence? You?”

I was flustered and blurted out anything, and his orange eyes narrowed as if he didn’t understand.

Hahaha. I laughed aimlessly, sending ether through the sanctuary.

Come to think of it, there’s a lot to teach this guy.

Later, I should tell Ms. Gain to teach him all sorts of fun games.

What would be the most interesting thing for a twenty-year-old crown prince with a romance fantasy male lead setting?

“Ah!”

Suddenly, a lightning-like realization lit up my mind!

I impulsively grabbed the Crown Prince by the collar. A sensation similar to shock electrified my whole body.

“What are you doing? Do you want to be locked up in the palace?”

“Crazy. It wasn’t memories. Those alter egos aren’t Yuliter’s memories, but······.”

Only my lips moved silently.

They weren’t Yuliter’s memories, but fragments of her ‘setting.’

“Oh my god······.”

“Serenete?”

Yuliter does not appear in the main story of .