What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 426

The Land of Gods and Fairy Tales (5)

Around the same time, at the Venetian military camp.

-Swishhhhhh!

“Damn it!”

-Neigh!

“Let’s go! Hah!”

Clop, clop, clop! Commanders and knights hurriedly spurred their horses to retreat.

“Waaaaah!” The soldiers also dashed wildly across the field, which had instantly turned into a quagmire.

Muffled horn sounds signaled the retreat from all over the vast battlefield.

A fierce downpour, almost like an abnormal weather event, was pouring down without warning, blurring vision.

It was a weather change that often occurred in the neutral zone desert, but unimaginable in the dry inland of late autumn.

Creak— Crash! A catapult finally collapsed in the strong wind, and warhorses stuck in the gray mud wailed and struggled with their limbs.

At this rate, neither side could fight properly. They had to retreat for now.

-Neigh, heehee!

“Water attribute! Water attribuuuute!”

An old general croaked and shouted at the top of her lungs.

Even though her voice couldn’t penetrate the rain, she stubbornly screamed.

Then, drenched paladins staggered out from the group.

The waterlogged armor made everyone’s movements sluggish.

It seemed that even those who controlled water couldn’t handle such a sudden downpour.

Wasn’t there a saying that a priest couldn’t receive his own confession? [Meaning, it’s hard to solve your own problems.]

The old general waved her arms without even opening her eyes properly.

“This is the last one! Prepare!”

And she shouted, veins popping out. “Charge!” The paladins simultaneously reached their hands into the air.

“Jangjeooooon!” [A Korean onomatopoeia for a powerful magical attack.]

-Crackling!

Crack, crack, crack! The rain, pouring down like spears, instantly froze in the air.

Thousands, tens of thousands of ice picks gleamed coldly under the purplish-blue sky.

For a moment, the rain stopped in the land of the main god.

The soldiers, surprised anew, turned around with their mouths open.

As if the Milky Way had flowed down to the ground, a dazzling light slowly flickered everywhere.

It looked like snowflakes and seemed like a blessing from God.

In an instant, countless stars appeared in everyone’s eyes. And—

“Fireeeee!”

-Whoosh!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The dream turned into a nightmare and surged forward.

Hundreds of thousands of icicles, sharpened with murderous intent, poured into the enemy camp with a sharp noise.

It was like revenge for the night the meteor shower fell.

Ice spears, water-forged spikes!

“Liester—!”

-Pooooooo!

At that moment,

-Whoong!

-Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Kwagwagwagwang! Magic circles soared like clouds, turning even the sky red.

Large and small hemispheres rose from all over the place, protecting the Imperial army.

The ice attack, poured down like divine punishment, did not inflict any damage on the enemy country, Liester.

All the ice was neutralized by the defense magic, which was as red and intense as blood.

It was because their wizard division was strong.

Even as the entire army retreated, they never ran away first and guarded the rear.

The paladins bit their wet lips and gnashed their teeth.

If so, this was the end. For today.

“…Retreat! Lead the soldiers back to the camp!”

Finally, the old woman waved her long spear and shouted.

Hot steam was rising from her body.

“Repeat! All troops, retreat!”

“Do not abandon fallen horses and chariots! That is an order!”

“Retreat! Retreat!”

-Pooooooo, poooooooo!

Doo-doom! Doo-doom! Doo-doom! Wet drums echoed dully in the distance.

The soldiers screamed, a sound that was neither a scream nor a shout, and ran wildly.

Soon, the remaining Shinguk army retreated like the tide.

*

-Swaaaaa, swaaaaaa!

Before they knew it, the sun had completely set, and even as darkness dominated, the rain did not stop.

The Venetian soldiers were running around with shovels, widening the drainage ditches.

Fortunately, the water attribute knights were able to manage the situation quickly, but it seemed that it would take a lot of effort to recover from the flood damage that occurred while they were on the battlefield.

The rainfall, which would be recorded in history, was accompanied by fierce gusts of wind.

As a result, dozens of barracks collapsed or were twisted, and quite a bit of firewood and military supplies were ruined by leaks.

If the rain continued until tomorrow, the front line might be pushed back further.

That would be a problem.

Elise Venetian dried herself with her own heat and constantly wandered around.

She was anxious.

“Check the foundations of the collapsed barracks properly, and if the ground has weakened, rebuild them completely in a different location. The nearby barracks must also be evacuated. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“The air is cold and so is the rainwater. It would be a big mistake for disease to spread at a time like this. Distribute hot medicinal tea to all soldiers tonight. No exceptions.”

“Understood, Your Highness!”

“Check if the aid station has enough manpower. Report to me immediately.”

“I obey your command!”

The knights and soldiers bowed and scattered. Their armor was all messy with mud and fallen leaves.

Elise, who had given rough urgent orders, ran towards the commander’s barracks, forgetting her dignity and majesty.

There was no time to enjoy a bath or rest.

Flutter! All eyes were on her in an instant. Everyone stood up to greet the acting King.

However, the Crown Princess’s gaze was fixed and unmoving.

She made eye contact with ‘her’. A chill ran down her spine.

“…I heard an urgent messenger came. What’s going on? How is Father?”

“I am deeply sorry, Your Highness. It is a letter from Count Roseharder’s residence in the royal capital.”

Duchess Wilhelmina Sneider calmly replied.

There was no agitation on her aged face.

A silence as heavy as a boulder flowed through the hall.

Elise took a moment to catch her breath as she looked at the envelope on the silver tray.

If it was a communication from the Count’s residence, it must be a letter from Cornelisse, who had taken refuge there, to her.

It was not news of her father’s death. But it was not news that he was alive somewhere either.

The Crown Princess bit her lip at the terribly twisted and tangled situation.

“…Duchess.”

The author must have played a trick.

At the moment Martier didn’t notice, she committed subtle and cunning acts, avoiding her eyes and ears.

She smuggled her father somewhere. She lured him out and scattered him like mist.

I swear to God, it must be.

“Inquire.”

“….”

However, there was no evidence anywhere in the world. As always.

Because Wilhelmina Sneider was the one who didn’t leave evidence that was unfavorable to her.

“Has there been any contact from Count Roy?”

Eventually, Elise changed the subject. The Duchess bowed gracefully.

“I am sorry to say that there has not been. But the Count is a young and excellent Cardinal. If you give him a little more time, he will surely find His Majesty and return him safely.”

“…I see.”

However, thanks to the mercy of the Main God, the heir to the throne, who was driven to the edge of a cliff, had two or three things to rely on.

Sapphire-like eyes shone brightly and then sank.

Martier, who had run all the way to the military camp to deliver the news of her father’s disappearance, left a letter saying that she would atone for her sins and left again overnight.

She disappeared without even coming to greet her in the morning, fearing that Elise would let her rest.

She bitterly felt her responsibility and was more determined than anyone else to capture Werner.

The Crown Princess trusted the priest’s stubbornness and tenacity. So she let her do so.

The second was the private soldiers of Grand Duke Judith Kamingha.

They also had to consider the possibility that they had been discovered by the Duchess, but in any case, the fact that thousands of soldiers had begun searching all over Shinguk was positive.

If the Grand Duke’s men found her father first, he would no longer be able to escape anywhere.

Even if he desperately wanted to, he would not be able to cross the river of death [die].

And finally, the third.

“If the Count asks for support, tell me. I will give him anything.”

Count Arno van Roy.

The very fact that the Duchess sent a man who was a Cardinal as a search team meant her father was alive.

If she had already killed her father, there would be no need to waste the power here.

And if he was a Count who had literally devoted his life to the Grand Duke, he would not hide or kill her father, even if he had received a secret order from the Duchess.

Even if he found him, he would not inform the Sneider side first, and even if he had to subdue him, he would not harm him.

She didn’t know him well, but she was sure of it. Elise trusted the Count’s sacrifice.

“Thank you for your grace.”

Then Wilhelmina bowed again.

The Crown Princess silently looked around the audience, then strode to the table and sat in the seat of honor. Thud!

Then, she snatched the letter that had flown in from the royal capital in a very authoritative manner. Thud!

“Let’s move on to the next agenda. Have you been in contact with the support troops in the rear?”

“Ah, Your Highness. Landslides have occurred in various territories leading to the mainland….”

The commanders hurriedly sat down and began to report one by one.

Elise maintained a consistently cold expression.

She felt the gaze of a persistent snake, but pretended not to notice until the end.

“The embankment cannot be touched carelessly, so it is better to wait for the rain to stop….”

“The Empire is refusing to negotiate. As an ally, there is no other way to persuade them….”

After the news that her father had run away, the atmosphere in the military camp was very uneasy.

She couldn’t even waver. Rustle. The Crown Princess clenched and unclenched the envelope in her hand.

And she thought of her beloved siblings.

*

-Swaaaaa!

“This is a big problem. At this rate, we’ll be stuck here all night.”

Gain said worriedly, looking out of the cave.

Her clear voice echoed through the dim interior.

I carefully wiped Dduk-sim’s tail feathers, then nodded, hugging Perry, who had jumped over next.

Lea, who was fluffy and dry, had been lying in front of the campfire and sleeping for a long time.

Tete was resting in the Crown Prince’s arms for the first time in a while.

We were lucky enough to find a place to avoid the rain.

It was a limestone cave about 500m away from the forest path.

-Crackle, crackle….

The Crown Prince’s campfire warmed the air, so we didn’t suffer from humidity or cold.

However, our clothes and hair, which had become damp, were very sticky.

Around that time, thanks to Demi, who cleverly made a partition with large leaves, we were able to change our wet clothes into spare clothes without blocking each other’s eyes (even those were wet in places).

The clothes we took off were strung on wooden skewers, and a small fire was lit separately below.

Sedric’s rice cooker company was now a good dryer manufacturer.

He was a very coveted talent.

Now that it had come to this, we also dried the soggy jerky from our bags and simply grilled ham and bread for dinner.

But our worries were not over.

“I still can’t see him… I wonder if he was washed away somewhere? I can’t feel the ether either.”

It was because Sir Johann had not returned.

He had left to catch a monster before it started raining, but there was still no news.

Moreover, we had not left any clues on the road to let us know our location.

That was what Herrit’s father had taught us.

‘I can find you anytime, so don’t bother leaving clues.’

‘You don’t have to follow me. I hope you understand that this is a decision for your safety.’

“You can’t feel the ether either?”

“Ah, this is something we promised each other. We decided to keep suppressing it normally because we never know when we might be caught by the Shinguk paladins. It’s useless if only the Palace Lord uses her power.”

“…I see.”

A sigh-filled voice flowed out involuntarily.

I tried not to think too negatively.

Sir Johann had always caught small monsters or food, so I wondered if he was late because he was doing that this time too.

Maybe that’s it?

There’s no way that a Cardinal like him would be overwhelmingly pushed back by someone, and if that were the case, Gain and the Crown Prince would have definitely sensed the ether….

“I’ll go.”

At that time, Sir Elizabeth, who was sitting next to Ganael, volunteered.

We were surprised and turned to look at her.

This was also the action at the top of Sir Johann’s ‘do not do’ list, and the weather outside was still the worst.

A fierce wind was blowing and the temperature was practically early winter.

Occasionally, even thunder struck, causing the precious children to jump up and down. Rumble, crash!

“Sir Elizabeth, I am against it. The time and environment are too dangerous right now. We must not be separated.”

Besides, it was night and we couldn’t see an inch ahead.

“I feel the same way, Sir Mute. Let’s stay together. At least until dawn….”

Ganael agreed with me and grabbed her arm.

The Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards shook off the boy’s hand with a firm gesture.

“No, I have to go. The Crown Prince and his partner should be here, but I am not.”

With that, she stood up resolutely and looked around the three of us.

Even in the midst of the serious situation, I witnessed Ganael’s very hurt face.

A corner of my heart sank. The Crown Prince frowned.

“Elizabeth.”

“Sedric, Sir Haynes is late, unlike him. I can be back soon.”

“You’re worrying. The teacher is a Cardinal.”

“Even if the opponent is His Majesty the Great Emperor, my opinion is the same. We must not let anyone be left behind.”

While the conversation was going on, the rainwater that had accumulated up to the cave entrance began to overflow.

‘Eww.’ Gain made a strange noise and sent the water back out. Charrrrr…!

But the amount coming in was even greater.

We couldn’t keep doing that all night while minimizing ether operation.

I hurriedly got up and exchanged glances with Perry. What should we do?

Should we block it with something like a log? Would it be useless anyway if there was a gap? Still, anything—

-Tak!

“Palace Lord.”

Huh!

“Sir Johann!”

“Sir Haynes!”

The homeroom teacher came! We were delighted and ran to him.

Sir Elizabeth especially had a relieved expression.

Lea, who had woken up in a hurry, rolled her body diligently.

The man standing at the entrance of the cave was soaked from head to toe.

I hurriedly handed him a towel and scanned his whole body. What on earth happened….

Crazy!

“Sir Johann, are you bleeding?!”

“Ah. It’s not my blood. Don’t worry.”

“But you came empty-handed today without even a monster. It seems like you fought a lot.”

Ganael made a tearful face.

‘Unfortunately, my hand slipped and I missed it.’ The man smiled faintly at everyone.

“More than that, I think I need a place to stay. I found a place to stay that you can stay in.”