What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 538

#538

Theatricals (4)

“Rebellion?”

Werner’s eye tattoo twitched.

The dark mages standing in the corner of the bedroom immediately protested.

They were all survivors from the black market who had followed him here.

“Rebellion? What are you talking about? How did you manage the situation!”

“It must be a bad joke, for God’s sake!”

“Isn’t the underground prison operated by the Divine Authority? How could the prisoners escape on their own!”

Even with the lord lying in bed, critically ill, they all raised their voices disrespectfully.

Some even pointed fingers at the captain of the guard with angry faces.

The knights of Baron Baren frowned and exchanged glances.

They were fully armored, ready to depart, and had been busily securing the castle, trying to maintain order until they were summoned here.

‘Clang, clang!’ The flames outside cast red light through the windows of the lord’s bedroom.

The urgency of the situation was obvious to everyone.

The old captain of the guard gestured to the chamberlain who had entered with him.

She quickly nodded.

“Understood. You two, pack the lord’s winter clothes and shoes. Don’t forget the medicine. You two, pack the most valuable heirlooms in the boxes you brought. Hurry!”

“Yes, Chamberlain!”

Whether the robed group was bewildered or not, the servants and maids pushed past them, moving with purpose.

The captain of the guard silently strode towards the lord’s bed.

The Royal Preceptor [a religious advisor or tutor to the royal family] moved fluidly to block his path.

“Didn’t I ask a question?”

“Please step aside.”

“Rebellion, you say?”

Under the shadow of the deeply pressed robe, his beautiful lips twitched.

Even though every second was precious, his demeanor was unwavering.

The guest always exuded an unbelievably overbearing presence.

Presumably, he had lived his entire life as someone of high status.

However, the captain of the guard was also a man who had dedicated his life to the Baren barony, struggling to protect the family’s lineage.

He had never once rebelled against or questioned his lord.

He had only silently served the lord and his son, believing it was the right thing to do.

But not today.

“…There was a rebellion led by Lord Martier Jelstra in the underground prison.”

“What?”

Werner’s eyes twitched almost imperceptibly.

The captain couldn’t notice it because the room was too dark.

He explained in a completely different tone.

“He is under the command of the noble Princess Elysee. He served our barony’s people even before Duke Sem brought him to the lord’s castle.”

“And?”

“But you are not.”

His voice seemed to suppress a great deal of emotion.

Werner gritted his teeth and glared at the captain.

“Who do you think has kept your master alive until now?”

“I once believed it was you. When I saw the baron eating without pain for the first time in a long time, I truly thought it was you. My men believed it too.”

“…”

“But we were wrong.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Royal Preceptor instinctively took a step back.

A strong aura emanated from the captain.

He had heard that he was a 6th-grade swordsman, but he never imagined that he would be the first to defect.

Werner hurriedly turned his head and looked down at the lord.

Aveloner was also slowly turning his eyes to look up at him. A faint light flickered in his rice-bran-like, cloudy gaze.

“Sem… Our son…”

His skeletal, emaciated fingers moved desperately, trembling as they did.

There was a strange sense of déjà vu in his desperate voice and pale cheeks.

“Our son, once… One last time, I want to see…”

The Royal Preceptor’s chocolate-colored eyes widened.

For a moment, reality faded and his ears went numb.

‘Yeser, our son… I want to see him once. Just once would be enough…’

A scene, whether illusion or memory, flashed before his eyes.

‘Michael… Michael, I want to see you. So much…’

The man bit his lip and glared, daggers in his eyes.

Instantly, resentment surged from the depths of his heart.

His prosthetic hand, barely holding onto the edge of the blanket, trembled pathetically.

Red veins stood out on his white forehead and scarred neck, and suddenly, nausea churned within his messed-up insides.

“How dare you…”

Sadness. Anger. Despair. Resentment. Affection. Hatred. Regret. Lingering attachment. Antipathy…

And thousands upon thousands of emotions so distorted that they could no longer be named.

The commotion outside spread to him like a plague.

“How dare you. How dare this body, who do you think I am…? How dare you!”

He wanted to take revenge on the love of his life, no matter what it took.

Even if his daughter betrayed him and his sister abandoned him, he truly didn’t care anymore.

“How dare you!”

-Clang!

He will seize Baren and Atzuma, the weakest points of the Divine Kingdom.

One lord is on his deathbed, and the other is no better than his sister’s dog.

The two families are perfectly positioned to become mortal enemies.

Moreover, the North is a remote land where monster hordes frequently strike, making it uninhabitable.

So it couldn’t be easier.

He will wrap the soldiers of this place around himself like silk clothes and advance to the royal capital.

He will slowly devour the other cities along the way.

Starting with the noble families who are friendly to him, one by one.

By using Cornelli’s royal marriage as bait, he should be able to obtain at least dozens of promises.

“Step aside. I don’t want to treat the baron’s guest roughly.”

“You…”

The situation will become even more favorable for him if the eldest son is killed in action.

“Or we will arrest and interrogate you as Lord Jelstra insists.”

“You’re spouting nonsense without knowing your place!”

-Crash!

Yes, let the war go however it may. He will go to Kristana and make her kneel.

“Immediately escort the lord to safety.”

“Yes, Captain!”

“Are you senile? The captain of the guard should be suppressing the rebellion at the front, not wasting time in the inner chambers!”

-Clang, clang!

If only he could witness her desperate cries and repentance up close.

If only he could completely erase Michael and the prince from her mind.

“If you don’t step back immediately—!”

-Thud!

The moment the Royal Preceptor’s left arm was grabbed by the captain of the guard,

“Attack!”

Werner ordered in a tearing, metallic voice.

The dark mages, who had been watching the situation with bated breath, immediately emitted green mana. Woo-woo-woo…!

-Papapapap!

“Cough!”

“Captain! Captain, no!”

There was no reason to hesitate.

“Oh my god! Dark magic! Dark mages!”

“Captain! No, aaaaaagh!”

“Take the lord and run! Hurry!”

-Saaaaaa…!

They were a group that had killed to survive since the day they escaped the black market.

*

Huh.

“…What was that just now?”

I looked up at the pitch-black sky, then looked in some direction, not knowing which way it was, frowned, and focused on what I was holding again.

Seriously, what is it? I slept well and rested quite a bit, but I’m still not relaxed enough.

Maybe my body has been stiff since last night. That’s because…

-Thump, thump, thump, thump…

Since the Four Dragons gifted the monster hordes in the night sky with a sea of fire, the sun hasn’t been rising here.

I don’t know what it’s like in other regions of the continent, but in Atzuma and Baren, you can’t find the sun anymore.

Naturally, the weather has gotten colder, and now there are nearly ten large bonfires around the guild meeting hall.

There’s also a broken brazier [a metal container for burning coals or wood] in our tent for decoration.

John had picked them all up from the ruins of the collapsed meeting hall. And…

-Zzzzz, zzzzz, zzzzz…

This was a small wooden mortar filled with medicinal herbs. I found it near the collapsed building as well.

I learned that this herb has sleep-inducing and pain-relieving effects during the herbal medicine class at the Liester Relief Center.

I memorized the smell and appearance because it’s a plant that grows well in any climate.

We’ve been staying here ever since we destroyed the meeting hall.

Now that we’ve captured the surviving Baron Eda Atzuma, we’re going to get everything we can out of her here.

The first person she meets after regaining consciousness has to be us, not anyone else.

Besides, a considerable number of the baron’s subordinates were seriously injured, so Tessa went to the Military Academy to request support.

Even if they’ve committed a great crime, we can’t just let them die.

They have to live and pay for their sins.

“Hmm.”

…Everything is going smoothly like this, but the problem is that the sun isn’t rising.

The white lines in question weren’t visible in the darkness anymore.

The Crown Prince, Francois, and Dioph made typical mage-like remarks, saying, ‘Isn’t the sky covered in ash?’ and Gain, Joan, and Grandpa put forward literary hypotheses, saying, ‘It seems the sun is hidden due to the wrath of the divine object.’

In the meantime, Admiral Corleone was trying to start a fight between the two opinions.

As the debate became more and more heated, John and I mediated, saying, ‘Both make sense.’

No, but. Wouldn’t this be a huge anomaly in another religion?

Is it an anomaly, judging by how restless the Elder is all day long?

What happens if the sun doesn’t rise like this?

-Squeak?

Oh, right.

“Yeah, just keep grinding like this. Then the good juice will come out. Wanna see?”

-Squeak.

Demi grabbed the mortar with both front paws, buried her nose in it, and then fell on her butt, surprised by the bitter smell.

The round body swayed back and forth like a swing, making me laugh.

When I bent down and smiled brightly, she came running towards me on her hind legs, waddling to retaliate.

The white tip of her tail, like it had been soaked in milk, was fluffy and lovely.

-Kiyaaa!

“Ouch, ouch. Jung Yeser is dying. I’m going to faint from Demi’s fist!”

-Kihing!

I stopped for a moment and played with the child, but there was a commotion near the ruins of the meeting hall.

I blinked, holding Perry and Leah, who had started to cling to my knees. What’s going on?

“…Areum found it!”

“Yes?”

Far away, Gain, who was searching the ruins, waved her hand at me.

Areum, Doria, and Charlemagne were with her.

Our horse friends also escaped safely following Rophy, but Doria had been experiencing some separation anxiety until today.

Since she didn’t want to be separated from her owner, her friends Areum and Charles naturally hovered around Gain as well.

I grabbed the mortar and drew an X in the air.

…It meant I didn’t understand.

“Areum…! Found something amazing! Everyone, come and see!”

Our protagonist also had a good voice.

I put the almost-ground mortar inside the tent, greeted Gyu, who was coiled up in the back—thanks to him, it’s not cold at all inside the tent—and ran to the scene with the lesser pandas.

What is it that everyone is telling us to come and see?

“…The Alexandre of Thrills!”

Francois, who arrived first, shouted in surprise.

I took a deep breath of the cold air and increased my speed even more.

Cedric, who was grilling meat, and Duke Dioph, who was searching for those buried on the opposite side, were also approaching at a fast pace.

What on earth…?

“Francois?”

“Good heavens, don’t come any closer. It’s a crystal ball exclusively for dark magic!”

The marquis, who had turned pale, looked back at me and warned.

I was so startled that I froze in place.