What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 443

#443

Devil’s Claw, Wreck of the Abyss (7)

“Crazy? Aren’t they Wilhelmina Schneider’s henchmen?”

Gain’s voice dropped sharply. I quickly nodded my head.

The group huddled under the window, holding their breath.

Even the protagonist with good eyes was saying that, so I definitely wasn’t seeing things.

Those masks looked like they had crow wings attached.

Soon, the Crown Prince’s sharp nose twitched like a black panther hunting prey.

Kina and Willem clung to me, watching him.

I heard someone gulp. A long spiderweb hung in the dusty corner of the room.

“…Those are the half-masks I saw in the swamp that day.”

See!

“Their destination is the spice shop across the alley.”

“But why are they wearing red robes? Isn’t that the uniform of the Doomsdayers? What was it, the City of Delusion?”

“The City of Twilight.”

I carefully pointed out. Gain smiled sheepishly and moved on.

Around that time, Sir Johan, who had approached silently, lowered his posture beside us.

The startled twins flinched. Wow, he really makes no sound at all.

The kids must think he’s Herrit’s ghost!

“They certainly look different from the black-robed group we saw that day. I don’t feel any Ether [a magical energy] either. Let’s amplify the sounds outside a bit.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t be surprised.”

-Meow

The clever Lopi bumped his forehead against my chest.

It was a move to prepare for the noise.

I whispered a warning to the children in advance.

Poof! Soon, my ears went numb as if I were underwater…

-Thud, thud, thud!

“How can you say that now? The black market is one of our most important suppliers, how can you!”

Wow, they’re definitely whispering, but it sounds incredibly loud!

“Ah, well. It’s like being poor in the midst of plenty. I thought there would be more corpses because of the war, but not at all. Those barbaric Empire bastards burn everything to a crisp, so there’s nothing to salvage! They’re just beasts. What can we do?”

The Crown Prince’s brow furrowed beautifully. I quickly grabbed his sword hilt and stopped him.

“It’s a disaster… Even the Third Apostle is very worried. Have you heard about the Fourth Apostle?”

“No. What happened?”

“He ended up taking responsibility for the Statia Secret Chamber incident and stepped down. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t his responsibility, but… you know the Lord’s temperament well.”

“Oh, dear.”

“Yes. Since he’s gone, wouldn’t the next one be the one before him? There are rumors that the First and Second Apostles died a long time ago. The Fifth Apostle disappeared in the Salt Swamp.”

“Ah, I heard about that. That’s a big problem. The atmosphere here is also ominous these days! It’s not just because of the war. Black mages have been…”

-Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-ling!

Oh my!

I was so engrossed in listening that the spice shop door opened and a sharp noise erupted.

The startled children covered their ears with both hands.

I frowned and calmly waited for the next story.

‘Welcome!’ The owner’s shrill greeting pierced my eardrums.

Clunk, thump!

“……”

And it was quiet. No sound could be heard from outside now.

Gain fluttered her long eyelashes and looked back at the teacher.

Sir Johan gave his usual troubled smile.

As he withdrew the Ether, a thin breeze swept through his white hair.

“I thought so, but it’s not an ordinary store after all. It’s completely blocking external Ether.”

“Wow… What are those people? I can understand the black mages, but the others are too funny. They talk about the end of the world, but they’re actually on Schneider’s side? And there’s even a branch in the basement?”

Her watery eyes sparkled.

I patted the very anxious children and whispered that everything was okay several times.

Corpses and disappearances—scary words flowed out, and they seemed to be frightened.

Even if they didn’t know exactly what was going on, children had a unique sense.

I lost my father when I was ten years old, and that night, just by looking at my mother’s expression and my brother’s attitude, I instinctively knew that something had happened to my father.

Looking at their young faces, I suddenly remembered that time.

My brother and I were very young.

But listening to the words of my father’s firefighter colleagues, aunt and uncles, I vaguely realized something.

‘Oh, Yeseo. You’re still so young…! What should we do, you’re too young!’

‘Our Hyunseo, you’re the class president and smart, so you know? Now you are the pillar for your mom and Eunseo. You and Yeseo have to work together to protect them.’

‘Why are you saying that? The kids are still in elementary school! Stop drinking soju [Korean distilled rice liquor]!’

‘Instead, we are the pillars for these kids. We’re all going to go to the youngest’s college graduation, right, huh?’

‘……’

‘We can help with all the outside work! Frankly, we can buy Eunseo diapers every week! We’ll go to school open houses and sports days, and we’ll take care of everything we can while Seonah is going to the hospital. But the family’s will is the most important thing for a family to endure. If the family wants to survive. Is there anyone among us who doesn’t know that?’

…Our lives had completely changed.

And that we could never go back to the way things were.

“It’s okay. You two have been doing well so far, so nothing will happen in the future. You guys are really brave.”

“Yes.”

“That’s right. Don’t worry about anything. Your uncles and aunts will help you.”

“Even Claw?”

“Of course, even Claw. He’s family.”

I smiled brightly and straightened the children’s hair.

The siblings’ expressions relaxed.

“……”

At that moment, I made eye contact with Djibril Diop in the corner.

He was staring at me intently from the shadows of the dark bookshelf.

No, maybe he was looking this way and thinking something else.

Does he have something to say? If he has a good idea, he can say it right away.

-Rustle, rustle

While we were having a meaningless staring contest, Crown Prince Cedric was bustling beside me.

I turned my head and was horrified.

The red satin lining of his robe was very clearly exposed.

Wh-Why is he suddenly taking off his clothes!

“You can’t do this here.”

“There’s enough information, so we’ll infiltrate that place.”

What?!

I covered the children’s gaping eyes, then lowered my hand, thinking it was okay since there was no exposure, and blinked a beat late, realizing what he meant.

Sir Johan replied gently.

“That’s the most reasonable plan at the moment. There’s a high risk of falling into the black mages’ tricks if we go into the alley, but we didn’t feel any mana or Ether from them a little while ago.”

Only then did the calculator in my head start to work.

“So….”

That side is a relatively easy opponent. I knew roughly what the plan was.

The fact that the red Doomsdayers, the ‘City of Twilight,’ were subordinates of Duke Schneider also made sense when I thought about it carefully.

At first glance, it seemed like the two had nothing to do with each other, but Wilhelmina Schneider was a human who wanted to become a god herself.

What she needed was, after all, an ‘environment’ where the advent of divinity was desperate.

People who have enough food, clothing, and shelter and live happily usually don’t seek God.

But it’s different if people are in despair, no one trusts the current leaders or superiors, and everyone secretly longs for the appearance of a hero.

The Duke probably started working underground in Yeriho, which was called the ‘City of Monasteries,’ to create such an atmosphere.

I don’t know if this is the first base…

But at least it would have been an important stepping stone. If all our hypotheses are correct.

“Heineken, you’re thinking the same thing I’m thinking, right?”

“Probably. Besides, that store is at the entrance to the Salt Pillar area, so the probability of us getting lost is low. It’s a good strategy in many ways.”

“Ah, I didn’t think that far. You’re so smart.”

Gain winked refreshingly. I felt a tingling sensation on the top of my head for a moment.

I quickly turned my eyes to the children.

“Now we really have to separate for a while. Never come out of the house, and always stay with Claw. Can you promise me?”

“I promise.”

“That’s easy!”

The two children readily hooked their little fingers. My hands were filled with small warmth.

“Our group is all there is. No one else will come to pick you up, so you have to lock the doors well. Do you know what Uncle means?”

“Yes.”

“We’re all grown up, so don’t worry. Claw said he’s not going anywhere either.”

Willem puffed out his shoulders and said. Gain and I, surprised, looked at each other.

“Claw said that? It must be very difficult for him to be here.”

“Yes, Pink Princess. He’s waiting for someone. He said he wants to stay here until that person comes back.”

“……”

Kina added. Waiting? Did he have a master he served?

But I heard that it’s been a long time since the owner of a divine object appeared on the continent….

I turned to both sides to ask for my friends’ opinions, but the two people—the owners of the recently appeared divine objects—also had puzzled looks.

In the meantime, the Crown Prince was wearing the robe inside out, so it was all red.

Even in the midst of seriousness, I couldn’t help but think about him.

Hmm, he’ll need a mask.

Some time later, the spice shop ‘Alika’s Land of Fragrance.’

A place where big shots mainly buy souvenirs from the black market.

“Please, Alika. Is there really nothing you can do? Is it really that difficult?”

“I don’t know.”

“Oh, no. At this rate, we won’t be able to get test subjects anywhere! We’re about to run out!”

Those wearing red robes and black robes were surrounding a woman, begging earnestly.

Most of them were wearing jet-black masks like crows.

The owner of this place, called Alika, was wearing a black and red checkered dress, and in her hand, she held the throbbing heart of an animal.

It seemed like she had slaughtered something in the space behind the curtain.

Her blood-red hands and her black hair pulled up formed a bizarre harmony once again.

She put it in a glass bowl as if it were nothing, then poured an unidentified liquid into it.

The robe group was shocked and took a few steps back.

-Sizzle…!

“Oh, oh!”

“Don’t worry. It’s just the process of extracting the fragrance of the magic beast. No poison will come out. Haven’t you seen it for a day or two?”

“No, you handle corpses… Just in case.”

Some stammered excuses.

The woman smirked and busily walked around behind the counter.

The narrow store was filled with test tubes with white steam rising from them.

The cupboard right next to the entrance was densely packed with various perfume bottles.

A wooden statue of a girl and a rabbit was placed in front of the entrance.

Somewhere, the sound of gears turning constantly tick-tock could be heard.

It wasn’t just the noise from Alika’s pocket watch.

This was a store where the lights never went out 24 hours a day.

“The situation is serious now, Alika. The Statia Secret Chamber has collapsed, and the Salt Swamp has been ruined, so our superiors are very worried.”

“I know you’re in a hurry, but tsk. You know very well that corpses without ties are precious even in the black market. How can you try to take them at the same price?”

“Oh, come on, isn’t it all for the good of each other? Thanks to him, you can continue to do business because the black market is safe, and we are for the great plan…”

“Didn’t other regions also have ‘secret chambers’?”

She picked up the flamingo bone hanging on the wall and said loudly.

Then the guests coughed.

“Ahem. There are circumstances for this.”

“There’s no reason to tell you about our supply problems, is there?”

“Huh. That’s right—”

-Bang!

At that time, the store door opened without warning.

‘Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-ling!’ The bell on the door rang loudly.

Everyone’s eyes were on the entrance.

“What….”

-Step

There, a very sturdy man was standing. A moment of inexplicable tension flowed.

He hadn’t opened his lips yet, but he exuded an overwhelming aura just by his presence.

His obsidian-black hair swayed gracefully in the darkness, and his broad chest was clearly that of someone who had trained with weapons for a long time.

Overall, it was a very unfamiliar appearance.

However, judging from the fact that he was wearing a red robe and a black half-mask, he was undoubtedly a member of the ‘City of Twilight’—especially one who knew the circumstances of the secret chamber and could come and go.

Perhaps he was a comrade who had visited from a very distant region.

“…Wh-What’s going on?”

The eldest of the crow-men finally mustered up the courage to ask. The man replied as if he had been waiting.

“Living test subject.”

“Heok! Th-That reminds me…!”

‘Oh my!’ Some covered their mouths with their sleeves in amazement.

Even Alika, who had seen all sorts of things in the black market, frowned.

Looking again, the man was carrying a human wrapped in a black robe over his shoulder.

It was unbelievable that they hadn’t noticed it at first glance.

The uninvited guest continued in a blunt tone.

“The Third Apostle said he wanted a test subject.”

“Well, that’s true, but… As you know, if it’s alive, it must show the qualities of a paladin [a holy warrior]. Even if they haven’t awakened, one of their parents or grandparents must have had the disposition….”

“You’re being picky.”

“Yes. Of course, if we include collateral lines, there are quite a few….”

The robe-wearing old man suddenly trailed off. His wrinkled eyes slowly looked up at the man.

“But… You. Strangely, you’re not using honorifics?”

“It seems to meet your conditions.”

“Huh?”

The old man tilted his head. At the same time, crimson eyes under the mask flashed sharply.

Alika instinctively gripped the flamingo bone like a weapon—

-Whee!-

“Aaaah, get out of the way!”

The man threw the body he had been carrying over his shoulder! The moment everyone was shocked and ran towards the door,

“Where do you think you’re going!”