What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 399

Thud. Elissa stopped walking.

“……”

Before them, a tall limestone peak unfolded.

In the crevices of the rock, which shone white in the sunlight, trees with colorful leaves sat like spectators.

Beyond the rocks that surrounded the land like a windbreak, the strong scent of the eastern sea wafted.

‘Swish, swish….’ The faint call of the waves and the seagulls’ reply could be heard.

The sky looking down on them seemed too high and distant today.

For a while, no conversation passed between them.

Elissa then realized that Judith had lied to her.

-Whoosh…

“Suddenly……”

There was no ‘carriage that fell over in the lower village.’

The old woman had simply chosen a secluded place to teach her relative’s child.

The Crown Princess quietly lowered her eyelids.

A story of a human who wanted to become a god.

“I know.”

Soon, a calm answer flowed out. The two women’s gazes met indifferently.

“You must be talking about the legend of Count Ralph Gigolt. About 600 years ago, he coveted the Pope’s power and approached the Holy Grail, drank the holy water, and then his whole body burned up and he died. I remember learning it from the royal tutor when I was young. I heard it was a folktale that taught a lesson about human greed and ambition.”

“……Yes. There was such a thing.”

The old Duchess looked at the top of the rock and started walking again.

Elissa diligently moved her legs one step behind her.

The ground, hidden by the yellow grass, was a typical pile of stones.

There were many things to trip over, but the young woman crossed the rocks quite skillfully.

She maintained her balance with the power of pure muscle without using the ether [a magical energy source] in her body, and even enjoyed the leisure of calculating the throwing distance while looking at the wild beasts.

Judith captured her completely in her one eye and estimated. The Crown Princess had become stronger.

-Rustle, rustle, rustle……

She learned a lot in a short period of time, quickly absorbed it, and made it her own.

She showed a flexible way of thinking and attitude, making the fierce warning pale in comparison.

There were days when she hid alone due to anxiety and shock from time to time, but she recovered quickly like a young person.

There were still parts she didn’t understand, but she promised to work harder.

So, she had no choice but to give her a chance. She was someone who didn’t need to be coaxed or soothed.

She was someone who knew how to dust off her collapsed position and get back on her feet with a little stimulation and teaching.

Judith Camingha saw potential in Elissa Venetian.

So, she finally opened her mouth.

“The Venetian Theocracy is, literally, the country of the Main God. It has been so from the moment it was founded, and it still is. Only in the Theocracy were Paladins born, and the number of priests was also large. Even the common people in the streets will believe without a doubt that we are the closest beings to the Main God. You will think so too.”

“……”

“That was the cause of the corruption. That we were too close to God.”

‘Thump, thump, thump!’ The Cardinal of Earth began to climb the rock with her bare hands.

Elissa quickly grabbed onto the rock with her arms, which had become more muscular.

Her whole body was tense.

There was no other way, and neither of them hesitated.

“The severance of diplomatic ties was long, but you will easily understand if you think of the Liester Empire. Their folktales and traditions are all centered on humans. The mainstream is popular and common stories. Love, friendship, betrayal, faith… There is no record of anyone who coveted the power of the Main God or the Pope. You must know that their faith is more secular than ours.”

“……”

“On the other hand, the Venetian royal family has wanted to become like gods for a very long time.”

‘Clack!’ Elissa gripped a sharp rock with her trembling hands.

Her palms felt like they would be pierced by the rough and sharp surface.

But she felt like she couldn’t come to her senses unless she did this.

She couldn’t miss a single sentence now. She gritted her teeth and looked up at the Duchess.

The old woman was moving quickly to a high place without a rope.

The Crown Princess struggled to follow.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not that I have clear evidence. Even a member of the royal family cannot arbitrarily take out the royal family’s secret records, and taking them out is even more strictly prohibited.”

“……”

“But sometimes a hundred rumors are more powerful than a single piece of paper. You must be feeling it too. The work of deifying the royal family is not a matter of a day or two… If you take just one step outside the Duchy, you and I will be treated as beings no different from the Main God’s descendants.”

It was true a hundred times, a thousand times.

As Elissa, who felt the ‘fear’ [awe and reverence] of the people every minute and every second, she had no choice but to agree.

Her beloved younger sister, Yeseo, was publicly called the ‘Main God’s bloodline.’

It was because of her natural purple eyes.

Judith, leaning against the middle of the peak, took a breath.

It wasn’t because she was out of breath, but to carefully bring up the next words.

The two people’s gazes became intricately entangled.

“It may have been an effective means of governance a thousand years ago. The faith of the people would have been more firm and absolute than it is now. The power to control water, fire, earth, and air would have exerted unimaginable power in any era. Especially in a society where magic is looked down upon even more.”

The last sentence was as sharp as a knife. The Crown Princess’s eyes immediately darkened.

Legalizing magic was one of the policies she had dreamed of since she was a princess.

Even from a young perspective, mana [magical energy] was a means to make people’s lives more convenient.

But only Court Earl and a few powerless nobles supported her.

Most were silent, and the powerful did not even listen to Elissa’s words.

There were criticisms that black magic and evil arts were rampant in the shadows, and what would happen if the country recognized them.

There were also bitter remarks that if there was such tax revenue, it should be invested in building temples and training clergy for the people.

Looking back, that must have been Wilhelmina Schneider’s intention as well.

She must have been afraid that ether would be pushed back by magic.

“……But it went too far.”

Saying that, the Duchess lightly jumped up the steep cliff.

‘Clack!’ Soon, the old woman’s back disappeared completely.

Elissa calmly moved her arms and legs to change her posture.

To leap greatly, the footing had to be stable first. The moment she stretched out her right foot,

-Rumble!

“Ah!”

The balance of her body collapsed and her leg sank down.

‘Thwack!’ The Crown Princess grabbed a tree in the rock crevice with amazing reflexes and held on.

Her jaw trembled with the tension that came with the aching of her arms.

She unconsciously looked down. ‘Clack! Clatter!’ Broken stone debris was falling to the distant floor.

The salty wind passed by, messing up her baby hairs.

Around that time, the Duchess opened her mouth again. From beyond the distant peak.

“My mother told me that the Venetian royal family has a secret technique passed down to them that can take the power of the Main God and become a true god.”

“Kuh.”

Elissa bit her lip.

And she climbed the vertical cliff alone like a villain.

Her fingernails broke and blood oozed from her knees, but she didn’t care.

She had experienced worse injuries on the battlefield.

Thinking of those who were dying somewhere at this moment, these injuries were nothing. Really nothing.

The altitude was slowly but surely increasing.

“I haven’t actually read it, so I don’t know the exact contents. But my mother, as a princess, had many opportunities to see King Lilianer up close. Before she died… she said that.”

-Waggle!

“Ugh!”

The rock that Elissa was holding crumbled powerlessly.

Her spine tingled and her heart sank.

She gritted her teeth and put her arm into the cracked limestone crevice.

In an instant, the back of her hand was peeled off, revealing blood and flesh.

It was painful, but there was no other way.

To endure, to overcome the cliff and fly freely.

“‘Listen, Judith. His Majesty coveted the Empire’s sacred objects and started a war.’”

……Her eyes slowly closed. She didn’t want to believe it.

“‘He tried to kill the Main God by collecting nine sacred objects.’”

Her breath caught in her throat, and her lips began to tremble.

“‘Ulitar Statia was just being used. As the puppeteer’s most cherished doll.’”

That made her stomach churn. Her mind went cold and she felt a strange sense of falling.

Elissa desperately clung to the cliff.

“‘Because they were too close to the Main God, and therefore arrogant… the royal family dared to harbor disloyal thoughts.’”

Suddenly, the day felt too cold. The terrible truth knew no end.

“‘They are trying to cut open God’s belly and seize even greater power.’”

“……”

“‘Run away, my daughter. Before you die of poison or go crazy. Protect the people of your territory and never look back at the royal family.’”

A strong taste of blood lingered on the tip of her tongue. It was still okay. She could still endure it.

Elissa opened her eyes wide and looked up at the sky.

And she desperately thought of the people she had to save.

Her younger sister, who was too young to die. Her mother, who had lost her lover and gone mad.

The people who were being manipulated without even knowing it.

“‘Venetian has been cursed by the Main God. Calling this country the Theocracy must be for that reason.’”

Red blood vessels stood out in her piercingly blue eyes.

‘Clack!’ Elissa struggled with the cliff.

Her head was dizzy as if struck by lightning, and she felt nauseous from the overwhelming sense of betrayal and disillusionment.

For a moment, she wanted to run away. She also wondered if this was all a lie.

It was a powerful defense mechanism that had taken root in her mind for thirty years.

But every time, the aspects of the Duchy she had directly experienced flashed before her eyes like murals.

The faces of the territory residents who relied on each other and kept their smiles even during the war, and the faces of the Paladins who no longer used ether.

“……So, I ended up helping a Paladin who wanted to break free from the shackles.”

The Duchess’s voice was now echoing close by.

“It’s easy for a knight to abandon ether. All they have to do is make a promise and break it. I just volunteered to be their witness and promised to live as their patron for the rest of my life.”

‘It’s really nothing.’ The sentence resembled a sigh.

It was filled with deep guilt and deep regret.

Elissa finally stepped on the last rock crevice and reached the top.

-Whoosh……!

Soon, the cool sea breeze embraced her as if welcoming her.

She staggered for a moment, but quickly regained her balance.

The Crown Princess looked at the Duchess with a breathless breath as if she had run a long way.

The bulging blood vessel on her temple was blue. Her wet eyes were trembling.

It wasn’t fear. It was just pure hatred and anger.

“Does Duke Schneider also have the same ambition? Like you said, is he trying to collect the sacred objects to achieve his ambition?”

“……I planted Count Arno van Loy to find out, but the Duke was not an opponent to be taken lightly.”

The old woman said with a sigh.

‘Swish, swish, thud…!’ The waves crashing against the cliff scattered like dandelion seeds.

Elissa waited quietly for the words to follow.

“I heard that those who want to become his apostles must offer their hearts and swear allegiance through black magic.”

“What is that……”

“It means that the Count has nothing more to tell me. Every time he passed on information, his remaining lifespan was cut in half.”

‘That is my original sin.’ Judith looked at the horizon with a mournful look.

Elissa gaped blankly.

While she was wandering around, belatedly taking her first steps and practicing running at full speed…

Someone was literally sacrificing their life.

With the single thought of one day destroying Schneider.

“However, he doesn’t seem to be collecting the sacred objects. Unlike the successive kings who were priests for generations, the Duke is an ordinary person with no mana or ether. What can he do with the treasures even if he has them? There are already sacred objects that have chosen their owners, so the possibility of it happening is low.”

“……”

“According to the Count’s letter, he wants to manifest the power of the Main God in this world. And to become a divine being. Not in the distant future, but right now.”

It was a plausible story.

Wilhelmina Schneider, whom Elissa knew, was a staunch pragmatist.

The Duke was not the type to recklessly throw himself to gain power that he could not grasp.

He didn’t seem like someone who would devote his life to posthumous glory.

Then what is his real intention?

She couldn’t have broken through the royal family’s barrier and looked at the royal family’s secret records…

What method is he using to covet the position of God? How is that even possible?

“‘Human experimentation.’”

…….

“That was the end of the clue.”

‘Thud, thud, thud…!’ The intense blue struck the limestone cliff and writhed.

Elissa looked at Judith with her eyes wide open as if they would spill out.

Her heart seemed to stop for a moment at the realization. Her eyes went blind for a moment, and her ears seemed to go deaf for a moment.

The goosebumps that spread like mold throughout her body did not subside even after a few minutes.

The Duchess’s one eye silently stared at her. The old woman’s long nagging was over.

Now the choice was up to the young woman. The next thing to decide was the heir to the throne.

“……I will go back right away.”

A more firm answer than ever came back. The Crown Princess looked straight at the Duchess.

The blood vessel that protruded from her temple was blue. Her wet eyes were trembling.

It wasn’t fear. It was just pure disgust and anger.

“What are you going to do when you go back?”

“I will stop him. Now that I know what he wants and what he is planning, I will stop him no matter what.”

“He has abundant resources and manpower. Alone—”

“No.”

-Woo-oong!

‘Whirr—!’ From the Paladin’s feet, newly born golden flames exploded.

Her blue eyes were flashing fiercely like a ghost fire.

In the hot gaze, the Duchess found Christiana Venetian of her childhood.

A smart, caring, and once more brilliant talent for a wise ruler than anyone else.

“I will no longer give him leeway. I will not allow him any time.”

“Then how about the aftermath,”

“I will leave that to you, Duchess.”

“……Huh?”

While the old woman was making a dumbfounded voice for the first time,

-Kwaaaang!

Elissa jumped off the cliff in one breath.

Her body, which had burst out ether after a long time, was embedded in the ground, leaving a huge pit.

It didn’t end there. She immediately shot out at full speed towards the border. ‘Koo-oong!’

-Saaa……!

Then a strong shock wave covered the cliff.

Duchess Camingha swept back her hair, which was scattering in all directions, and smiled a little.