What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 427

The Sub-Male Lead Goes on Strike – Episode 427 (427/920)

#427

Longtime Acquaintances (1)

“I see it over there! A building with lights on!”

-Beep boop!

‘There’s only one house!’ Ms. Gain pointed into the distance, holding a leaf umbrella.

The horses, adorned with large leaf hats, gently shook their heads (Charles stubbornly refused to wear one until the end).

Tete was drowsy, half-asleep in the Crown Prince’s arms, and the other precious ones were nestled in the arms of friends.

I carefully put Dduk-ssim in my pocket and narrowed my eyes.

We had hurriedly gathered our laundry, erased any traces of our stay, and packed our belongings again.

If we had stayed, we would have ended up using a ton of Ether [magical energy source] or bailing water all night.

Without being able to move at all.

That was too dangerous. We didn’t have many options.

-Swishhhhh…!

Raindrops falling through the leaves dampened my cheeks.

The trees, having lost their autumn foliage in the heavy rain, were bare and dense.

Fortunately, the rain clouds didn’t obscure the moon, so a faint light was visible through the darkness of the forest and the shadows of the branches.

Even as my jaw chattered, the corners of my lips involuntarily curved upward.

It’s real, a real house!

“Sir Johan?”

“Yes, it’s there. I estimate about two people are staying there. It’s hard to be sure because of the heavy rain, though.”

“Do you think they’ll welcome us? Could it be a place where the Theocracy’s army is staying?”

Ganael asked with concern. White vapor rose from the boy’s mouth.

Sir Johan, guarding the rear, chuckled softly.

“I didn’t sense any Ether, and if that’s the case, there are only two of them, so we have the advantage in any situation. Even if they don’t welcome strangers, they won’t easily refuse the price we can offer. I didn’t see any Theocracy’s army nearby either.”

‘Don’t worry too much,’ he added in a calm voice.

I fumbled for the map with my pale hands.

I’m terrible with directions, so I don’t really understand it even when I look at it, but it said we had to go another day to reach the first city, Jericho.

Unlike the Empire, the Theocracy of Venetian was a country where the roads and transportation connecting cities weren’t well-developed.

There were main roads connecting major areas, but that was it.

In the case of small local territories, I heard that they maintained a level of independence equivalent to that of a small country, semi-forcibly.

The state religion, the Church of the Main God, firmly bound this reality together as a set of values.

It was a land completely different from Liester in every way.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but even the shapes of the plants felt unfamiliar.

“Your Highness, shall we go?”

This place was a very quiet rural area in the Theocracy, close to the western border.

I had learned that Venetian’s major cities were mostly concentrated on the eastern coast.

The royal capital was also close to the sea.

It didn’t seem likely that the Theocracy’s army would miraculously find us and chase us in this terrible weather, and it didn’t seem likely that a band of thieves would stay in a land where there was nothing to steal.

When I asked one last time, Crown Prince Cedric turned to look at me.

He was gripping the umbrella I had made for him tightly.

He looked quite displeased.

He doesn’t want to get wet, but he doesn’t want to use something this backward either.

“Don’t get distracted and lose your way.”

“When do I ever—”

“Let’s go.”

‘Neigh.’ Charles shook his mane to shake off the water and moved forward.

Some water splashed on Doria, who was next to him, so I subtly glared at the back of his black head.

Ms. Gain also joined in with her fiery gaze.

Doria didn’t seem to care at all.

“…Okay, let’s go. Let’s go.”

I grumbled, adjusting my magic stone glasses with their amazing waterproof function.

I know he’s not in good condition on rainy days, but he’s really prickly.

I heard Lady Elizabeth’s soft laughter from behind.

*

It was more than thirty minutes later that the group arrived at the quiet two-story house.

-Clop, clop, clop, clatter…

It seemed like ten minutes would be enough, but of course, the actual distance was longer than that.

It was a familiar thing for Johan, who had lived as a mercenary for many years.

Things seen in a secluded forest were not always the truth.

However, it seemed to be an unfamiliar concept to his master and the Water Droplet disciple.

In particular, Young Master Calamar looked very tired.

Seeing their faces, white with cold, it seemed we needed to hurry.

The Cardinal got off his horse as soon as he reached the shelter of the roof.

In the small garden, various autumn medicinal herbs were planted in rows.

Half of them were unusable due to the cold downpour.

‘Bethany Apothecary’.

That was the writing on the sign in front of the house. A small pill drawing was also noticeable. The man felt relieved.

“It’s not just a regular house, it’s a place that sells medicine.”

“Do you think they’ll have any rooms available?”

“In a place like this, it’s even more likely. There are many apothecaries who receive money from passing guests and provide rooms and food.”

“That’s a relief then. Thank you, Sir Johan.”

The master’s face brightened for the first time.

Johan smiled gently and walked towards the door.

A subtle light and warmth were flowing from inside.

In fact, enduring another day in that cave wasn’t the worst option.

However, the weather was strange.

The inland Theocracy usually became dry from autumn, and the air didn’t freeze this early.

Usually, the sea was much colder and more humid. But the way it was pouring rain was very unusual.

I had a feeling that things would go wrong if we stayed outside.

He also had to take care of the group’s health.

He had been camping out ever since leaving the military camp, so it wouldn’t be bad to lie down in a bed at this point.

-Knock knock knock

Besides, Johan had single-handedly dealt with nearly forty people over the past three days.

-Woof, woof! Woof woof!

On the first and second days, there were only two or three each time.

Judging from the fact that they weren’t very strong and there were few of them, it seemed that they didn’t intend to attack us from the start (‘W-we just came to deliver a message to His Highness the Crown Prince!’).

But in any case, they were people who had falsely claimed imperial orders and followed us.

There was no need to keep them alive, so he cleaned them up neatly.

Everyone except the Palace Lord and the attendant seemed to have a rough idea of what he was doing.

‘Sir Johan, are you bleeding?!’

…But today, there were quite a few. The opponents were also decent fighters.

To dismiss them as ‘miscellaneous demonic beasts’ would be difficult.

‘That guy can’t use Ether! Don’t back down!’

‘Kill him! We have to kill the Grand Preceptor to target that person!’

The Cardinal was quite skilled in combat, but it wasn’t easy to face more than thirty soldiers without using any Ether.

Since he had never formally learned swordsmanship, many parts were different from knights who had received Liester-style regular training.

It seemed that the person who had been sending subordinates for the past few days had made up their mind.

Since all the guys he sent had died and not returned, he must have been determined to settle things somehow.

But by the time the Flying Dragon’s Ark reached the military camp again, death would be a luxury for that person.

-Swish! Clang!

‘Kuh-ahhh!’

By the time Johan chased after and cut down the last fleeing person, it was already dark night.

The fact that the rain washed away the blood easily was convenient.

But everything else was annoying. First of all, he was very tired.

No one knew how many more would follow tomorrow, or if this would be the end.

In short, the situation and the climate were all bad.

It seemed better to take his master to a safe place for a day or two.

So he searched the surroundings while he was away from the group.

There were occasionally shabby inns or taverns on the way to the city.

If he handed over some gold, he could easily get two or three empty rooms and make them keep their mouths shut for life.

That would be enough for now.

-Woof woof! Woof!

The sound of a dog barking continued from inside the store.

Johan opened the door, raising the tension in his whole body in preparation for any eventuality. ‘Click, squeak….’

“Welcome. A customer at this hour—”

And then his eyes met hers.

‘Her’s.

“…Johan?”

In an instant, her mint-colored eyes widened.

-Clang!

A hand with protruding knuckles dropped a bowl.

Broken shards scattered everywhere, and freshly ground herb powder poured onto the floor.

‘Thump!’ As soon as the noise rang out, the woman’s husband hurriedly pulled back the curtain and rushed out.

In his hand was a menacing wooden club.

His lean body was puffed up like a frightened herbivore.

“What’s wrong, Nailly! Who is it! I’m going to teach them a lesson…!”

Then he couldn’t continue speaking. The man’s face went blank as he discovered the paladin.

He had an expression as if he were dreaming, as if he had stopped breathing.

“Good heavens…. You….”

They were once Johan’s close friends.

The ones who had witnessed the demise of mercenary Josefina Haines.

The neighbors who had run while shedding tears, holding young Herrit.

The people who remembered the last days of that small village as clearly as a painting.

‘How can you leave her! How can only we go!’

‘We can’t help, Nailly! Johan is a paladin!’

‘Josefina is lying there! My friend is there!’

‘I know, I know!’

Nailly and Toby, the married couple.

“…Hello.”

‘It’s been a while, nice to see you.’ He couldn’t bring himself to say that much.

He knew he was shameless. So Johan just gave a bitter smile.

Toby started shedding tears first at that sight.

‘Thud!’ The thick club rolled pathetically on the floor. Everyone’s appearance was a complete mess.

Today, it wasn’t just the weather that was bad.

*

Ms. Gain and my mouth dropped open.

“Wow, thank you for the food. Awesome.”

“Thank you. At this late hour…. Thank you so much for your consideration.”

Words of gratitude flowed out involuntarily.

Lady Elizabeth and Ganael, who were from noble families, followed us and showed their manners.

The group was sitting at the table in casual clothes, each with a towel wrapped around their roughly dried hair—Ms. Gain had made everyone sheep heads. Of course, the Crown Prince refused like Charles—.

I thought I had often had ‘a table that would break’ here, but today it felt like that expression was about to become a reality.

The old and narrow table was full of chipped plates, large and small pots, and bowls.

Clatter, oops! The Crown Prince quickly grabbed a water glass that was about to fall.

But Toby didn’t stop there.

“This is our house’s special hachee [a type of stew]. It’s made by boiling leftover beef, and hachee should originally be made with leftover meat. Please eat a lot while it’s hot.”

“Even meat…. Thank you for the food, Mr. Toby.”

“Wait, I’ll make some space here for you. You have to be good at Tetris for this.”

“It smells good!”

I kept saying hello, and Ganael was very excited about the local food of the Theocracy that he was tasting for the first time.

He glanced at his fiancé once and then focused on his meal again.

I kept putting meat on the boy’s plate.

-Squeak?

“Yeah, it’s super delicious. Do you want some tomato?”

-Squeak!

I scraped the bowl clean and handed a piece of tomato under the table.

Demi firmly grabbed my wrist and began to crunch on the fruit.

Tete in the basket wiggled his belly and rolled his eyes around.

Ms. Nailly was watching the precious ones with amazed eyes.

Of course, I didn’t explain that they were divine beasts, but she must have been amazed because it was the first time she had seen such animals.

When her eyes met mine, an awkward smile came out.

I chewed the hutspot [a Dutch dish of mashed potatoes, carrots, and onions] that I had stuffed in my mouth and swallowed it.

I could feel the fluffy and soft texture of the potatoes.

“Hahaha. These guys are incredibly good at understanding what we say.”

“…I heard that you are precious people under Johan’s protection.”

“Ah, yes.”

I reflexively straightened my posture.

It felt like this was going to lead to an important conversation.

Mr. and Mrs. Nailly were very kind to us.

I heard that the two of them were friends of Sir Johan. It was truly a miraculous coincidence!

“Then, excuse me, but are you nobles of the Venetian Theocracy? Or are you affiliated with the Papal States?”

“Ah, well.”

“Nailly.”

“I’m asking that person, Johan. Because you will never tell us honestly what you do.”

The woman cut off his words sharply.

“Hic.”

I was surprised and hiccuped. No, I must have eaten too much too quickly.

I don’t have such a weak diaphragm that I hiccup just because I’m surprised!

“I heard a rumor that you were wanted and left for the Papal States. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s what I heard anyway. But recently, I heard that you went to the Empire.”

“……”

“Hiccup!”

Water. I need to drink water!

“I don’t know if it’s a false rumor or the truth, and we have no way of confirming it…. The villagers scattered after that day. Everyone lives in better territories than before, now. We exchange letters sometimes.”

“Hiccup.”

“Your Highness, here’s water. Stand up and bend over.”

Yes, yes. Ms. Gain knows that method too. Thank you.

“I just hope that you and Herrit are healthy in body and mind. That’s all we need.”

“……Hiccup.”

Ah! Can’t I even do this right, Jung Yi-seo. They’re having an important conversation right now!

“You came during the war, bringing strangers and looking like drowned rats, but it doesn’t matter. We just need to hear the truth, that’s all.”

“Your Highness, should I pat your back?”

“Hiccup.”

“Are you doing well?”

Nailly’s voice was gradually drowning in water.

I felt like throwing my diaphragm into the water.

“…Yes, Nailly. We are doing better than ever.”

I bent over almost 120 degrees and drank water again, and then my eyes met Sir Johan’s.

It was so absurd that our eyes could meet in this position.

I felt endless shame and guilt.

In the meantime, the Crown Prince was looking down at me with eyes that had witnessed the most pathetic creature in the world.

Hey, who is the guy who said he would make a sacred oath with me!

“These are precious guests whom I serve with all my heart. Marchioness?”

Huh, it’s me. It’s my turn!

“Yes. Let me formally introduce myself, Ms. Nailly. I am….”

I quickly straightened my back and fixed my collapsing sheep’s head.

I heard Lady Elizabeth’s familiar sobbing sound from behind.

My fingertips were almost cherry jubilee color. There was no need to check my face.

…Wait a minute, do I have to say a fake name now?

“I am….”

What should I do?

Ms. Gain is next to me, and I can’t think of anything else, crazy….

“I am Heineken.”

“Pfft!”

Finally, the main character fainted next to me.

I clenched both fists and tightly closed my eyes.