What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 515

Dragon King’s Onward March! (1)

At that moment, somewhere in the Atsuma barony.

“Move silently, without a sound!”

-Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle…

“Don’t forget your assigned roles, and practice them thoroughly.”

“As you all know, there must be no mistakes. Coordinate well with each other!”

In the narrow, dark underground passage, people lined up in two long rows, passing each other.

Each time the supervisors raised their voices, those walking with their heads bowed flinched and trembled.

Unable to even answer, they held their breath. Their ages and appearances varied.

Some women were dressed like blacksmith owners, while some men looked like ordinary herb gatherers.

There were also those who appeared to be cloth merchants or lumber dealers.

When the torch hanging on the wooden wall flickered, the cheeks of young teenagers briefly appeared before being swallowed by the darkness.

All of them had terrified expressions.

-Scuff, scuff, scuff, scuff…

“Don’t forget. If you’re afraid, you can go home at any time!”

“The choice is yours. We can erase your memories cleanly, so don’t worry.”

“You can go home if you want! But if you stay and participate in the experiment, you will definitely be rewarded.”

“······.”

At the parrot-like repetition, a young woman raised her head and looked back at the supervisor.

Her plump cheeks were stained with old tear tracks.

Now, ‘that room’ was truly just around the corner.
A space of terrifying rumors, where once you entered, you could never come out the same person.

As she hesitated, her trembling lips only slightly parted, the supervisor finally noticed her gaze and turned to her.

Her eyes were not visible under the helmet, but her cold gaze could be clearly felt.

The young woman, sweating profusely, finally mustered her courage.

Now, it has to be now.

“Excuse me, I want to quit…”

“Are you sure you won’t regret it?”

At that moment, a young voice suddenly asked from behind. The young woman was startled and turned around.

A woman of similar age, wearing a black robe, was curling up the corners of her lips as she looked at her.

Instantly, the back of her neck prickled, and goosebumps rose.

She felt like a mouse placed in front of a lynx.

“…It must have been a hard-earned opportunity. Isn’t it?”

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

She didn’t know who she was, but judging from her noble face and natural deference, she was a young lady from a high-ranking family.

Her accent wasn’t from the north either, making her even more difficult to deal with.

In fact, unlike the people moving in line, she was walking confidently in the middle of the hallway.

The supervisors didn’t say anything, so she must have been a noble who knew the lord or held a responsible position.

The young woman’s throat cracked with tension.

Her calloused hands trembled pitifully.

“Let’s see your name tag… Alain?”

“Yes, yes. That’s my name.”

“Alright, Alain. If you’ve come this far, you must have a desperate story to tell.”

The woman, after checking the messy name tag, whispered in an eerie voice.

Alain froze, thinking of her niece who had been bedridden for months.

The child was her only family.

In the meantime, the procession diligently moved forward, entering ‘that room’ one by one.

Her eyes darted around, and she swallowed hard.

“As you heard when you came here, Lord Atsuma has gone through a great deal of suffering. The story of his only daughter suffering from a severe imperial flu and lingering between life and death for a long time… is famous.”

“Of course. I know it well.”

“This experiment is an extension of that experience.”

“······.”

Alain’s eyes shook greatly. The princess continued to speak with a colorless expression.

“He, who brought his daughter back from an incurable disease, has finally called you here to share the same miracle. The young lady of the small barony is now healthy enough to go hunting alone.”

“Ah…”

“Of course, the choice is yours.”

The young woman gave a seemingly kind smile.

Alain couldn’t tell whether her anxiety stemmed from the woman in front of her or from the fear of the experiment.

“I hope you don’t make a regrettable decision. There are plenty of people who have received great rewards after the experiment. A few days ago, the first success story came out.”

The fact that the success story died before the day was over was, of course, a secret.

Alain blinked her innocent eyes.

“The atmosphere in the castle is good.”

“······.”

The two young women exchanged conflicting glances for a moment.

Of course, one of them couldn’t bear to look at the other for more than a few seconds and quickly lowered her eyes. It was then.

“Third Apostle.”

A knight, who had appeared without a sound from behind, called out to the young woman.

Sharp eyes moved immediately.

“What is it?”

“The Eleventh Apostle is urgently looking for you. A secret message has arrived from Baren…”

As the helmeted knight continued to speak, the woman waved her hand with an utterly indifferent attitude.

Alain, who had been stunned, realized that it was an order for her and hurriedly moved her feet.

The slowly moving line had stopped for some reason.

Hesitantly joining the line, the people in front and behind silently made space for her.

Now that she looked, there were several neighbors she vaguely recognized.

At that moment,

-Thwack!

Flinch! A sound like rocks breaking came from ‘that room’.

Everyone shrugged and glanced at each other.

With a pale face, Alain looked back at the young lady from before.

“······.”

But she seemed calm, as if she hadn’t heard anything.

And she didn’t look this way again.

*

I had a very vivid dream.

-Clop, clop, clop…

It had no particular meaning, but it was a dream that would remain a good memory for me.

‘Sam, when will I get my stigmata [a mark of divine grace or religious favor]?’

Gain, dressed in a beautiful colorful jeogori [traditional Korean jacket], asked while sitting on Doria’s saddle.

Perhaps because it was a dream, the background was somehow Korean.

It was endless, but our protagonist was invariably pretty.

Pink hair tied with a blue ribbon swayed gently to the sound of hooves.

The sky, embracing spring, was bright and warm.

I was alone in a dark flower palanquin [a covered litter or carriage, often ornately decorated], but somehow I felt cozy and comfortable, so I had a smiling face throughout.

A few more people could be seen through the small window.

-Click, click, click…

Gain was holding a brown ferret in her arms.

Its milk chocolate-like body was smooth, and its round eyes were incredibly cute.

Where did that cute friend come from?

‘……Well. It’s not like there’s a set time for that.’

Around that time, Sir John, wearing an jade-colored coat over a white dopo [a type of traditional Korean overcoat], replied slowly.

The man was riding leisurely beside his disciple, and the wide-brimmed black hat and neatly tied topknot of white hair created an incredibly new feeling.

Even in the midst of all this, I felt like he was hesitating.

Why?

‘Princess Eliser awakened her stigmata at twenty-six, you said. That’s the youngest record ever.’

Gain whispered again.

Pretty flower shoes were visible and hidden under the scarlet skirt.

‘Then can’t I be fast too? I’m honestly full of talent, and I have divine power inside me.’

‘Great power comes with a great price, disciple.’

‘······.’

‘To be honest, I…’

Father Herrit trailed off, unlike his usual self.

The jade and coral woven hat strings danced gracefully.

I repeated to myself several times that I must never forget this dream.

I can’t forget this scenery. No way.

‘I wish you two would never awaken your stigmata.’

‘······Huh?’

Gain frowned and looked back at her teacher.

That was very unexpected for me too, so my mouth dropped open.

But ultimately, wasn’t that why you were training the kids so hard…?

‘There’s no such thing as a sacred wound (聖痕) [stigmata] in the world.’

‘······.’

‘To have obtained a stigmata means that you have overcome a difficult ordeal. It could be your own death, or the death of someone close to you.’

‘······.’

I quietly swallowed the bursting breath.

The story of Josefina, whom I didn’t even know, came to mind, and one side of my chest felt heavy.

Sir John was now confessing that he did not want his disciple to grow for extremely personal reasons.

Gain also looked surprised.

‘You are strong enough as you are. You might even become the most powerful high priest on the continent.’

‘But,’

‘And your partner wouldn’t want you to risk your life to face any ordeal.’

‘······.’

That’s right… That’s right. If there was such an incident, I would definitely be there with them.

They would definitely try to stop me because it was dangerous, or even try to leave me behind, but then I would disguise myself and follow them.

I was their best friend and divine power partner.

I even jumped off the twelfth floor of an apartment, so what couldn’t I do now.

Of course, I definitely didn’t try to die. Absolutely!

‘Cedric.’

At that moment, the entire flower palanquin rumbled.

I didn’t know where this sound was coming from, so my eyes widened.

When I moved my head from side to side, beads flew around in front of my eyes. No―

‘It’s a real bead.’

This is an incredibly luxurious beaded ornament… Wait, is it a crown?

I gasped and quickly grabbed the ornament.

-Clack!

‘Ouch!’

The crown on my head was pulled down and it hurt! Only then did I belatedly check my attire.

There was an eye-catching embroidery on the voluminous black sleeves, and in my left hand, I held a jade scepter (圭) [ceremonial jade tablet] made of white jade and wrapped in gold.

I was dumbfounded by the overly detailed dream.

My family and I quite enjoyed watching historical dramas…

‘Celine’s most precious treasure was Frederick.’

Roar, the flower palanquin rumbled again like a car engine.

I gave up trying to figure out the origin of my clothes and looked out the right window.

And I was momentarily stunned.

‘And wouldn’t Frederick’s most precious treasure be you?’

‘Wow…’

The crown prince, wearing a black silk (黑緞) [heavy silk satin] dragon robe, was moving forward on Charlemagne’s back.

I dropped the jade scepter with a thud and hurriedly picked it up again.

When a person sees something too shocking, their tongue malfunctions for a moment and they become speechless, and that was exactly the case with me right now.

He looks more Western than anyone else, but a manggeon [Korean traditional headband] and topknot suit him amazingly well.

Is that why he’s the top romance fantasy male lead that transcends time and space? It’s really unbelievable…

‘That works.’

‘The two are very similar. In that they poured all their devotion into the treasures of their lives.’

Um, what were you talking about? It seemed like we had made a lot of progress while I was distracted.

The grandfather’s kind voice continued above my head.

‘Even in the busiest of times, they put golden time in a basin and poured it out solely with love for them. They had a disposition to focus on today, not yesterday or tomorrow.’

‘······.’

‘So, my dear. Learn from them.’

The deep and affectionate sentences echoed all around. It was a warm tone that somehow made me sleepy.

Crown Prince Cedric was silently looking up at something.

Since I was in the palanquin, his sharp jawline and nose were clearly visible.

‘When you don’t know how to treat a cherished being, be faithful to the present.’

‘······.’

‘If you do, the path will become clear, and there will be less regret in the future.’

Even with those words, the usual determination was not visible in his crimson eyes.

I stared blankly at him and thought.

If you’re consulting with grandfather, it must be a big concern.

Wouldn’t it be okay to tell us…?

‘Princess Consort.’

At that moment, I heard a call from a very familiar middle-aged man from the left window.

I turned my head unconsciously―

“Ugh! Ugh―”

I woke up just before suffocating! Immediately, a hand as big as a pot lid covered my face.

I was embarrassed because I didn’t know what this was, but it seemed like grandfather had blocked my mouth.

His embarrassed face was dimly visible between his thick fingers.

Huh, what on earth is this…

“Shh. We’re crossing over to Atsuma.”

“Gasp.”

My eyes widened.

Now that I see, I was trapped in a sleeping bag. Along with the elder on his saddle.