What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 543

Sub Male Lead’s Hiatus – #543

Mystical and Auspicious (1)

-Chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp······

“Ugh······.”

From not too far away, I could hear the diligent chirping of morning birds.

I frowned slightly for a moment before tossing and turning.

The floor was hard, so no matter how I lay, my back and forearms ached a little.

After wriggling around to find a somewhat comfortable position, I felt a small warmth seeping into my arms.

Judging from the soft downy fur and small paws, it was easy to tell who it was.

With my eyes closed, I slightly raised the corners of my mouth to express my happiness.

Then, a little one, whether it was Demi or Leia, started licking my cheek, and the one presumed to be Rothy kept pressing my chest with its chestnut-sized head.

-Miyaa.

“Aigo, that tickles······.”

-Kkia!

Clearly, they were gestures to wake me up. I smiled groggily and opened my eyes.

For some reason, my head felt light and refreshed.

Beyond the white tent that served as a roof, the yellow sunlight was sparkling like shimmering waves.

‘Give me the firewood over here.’ ‘A ship is coming in! Oh, today!’ I could hear the soldiers’ loud and small voices from nearby.

‘Descended upon the earth and founded the empire······.’ It sounded like someone was singing the Liester national anthem in between.

It was a leisurely and peaceful atmosphere for the first time in a while. How did I end up sleeping here······.

“Ahem, Duke Dioph knocked out Francisca······. I lost my mind when I saw that.”

Counting on my still half-asleep fingers, I slowly tried to reboot my brain.

Perry misunderstood it as a game and started wrestling, clinging to my wrist.

In the comfort of the tent where dust motes danced, the events of last night floated up one by one.

From the brazier in the corner of the tent, there was a savory smell of bread porridge.

It seemed someone was putting old bread in and boiling it in the Shin-guk style [a cooking style from Shin-guk, likely involving boiling ingredients together].

“And then that······. What was it.”

-Kki-eung, kki-eung!

“Oh, I was arguing with the Duke and heard about the crystal ball exclusively for black magic. I went straight in and······. Huh!”

I jumped up! My eyes widened and my back straightened as memories flooded in like a tide. Oh my god!

“Crazy! Jung Yeo-seo, you crazy bastard!”

-Weooo.

-Kkiwoo.

My jaw dropped, and several robes that served as blankets fell below the bed.

In the meantime, I didn’t forget to quickly catch the rolling Divine Beasts.

Even I thought the shocking scenes flashed before my eyes at 16x speed!

‘You’re just a murderer······. A piece of trash who’s intoxicated with killing.’

‘Hey, Palace Lord. Stop it and get up.’

‘Suddenly, the sky doesn’t look good.’

-Kureureung······

Right, something felt off since then!

‘Kkieueung!’ I grabbed the Divine Beasts climbing on my shoulders and hurriedly looked up at the ceiling.

Come to think of it, it was too bright all around.

After the Four Dragon’s Heart awakened after two thousand years and presented a sea of fire to the sky, the sun had not risen here for days.

But now the interior was strangely bright. This was clearly ‘daytime’ no matter who looked at it. And, and―

‘Lord God! Red rain is pouring from the night sky!’

‘What?!’

-Swaaaaa······!

“Ah, goosebumps!”

Upon closer inspection, the white cloth making up the tent was covered with red spots.

The red raindrops that had soaked me last came to mind, and goosebumps rose all over.

So suddenly the darkness of heaven and earth disappeared and stars soared, and torrents of blood poured from the sky.

Recalling the past anomalies, no matter how hard I tried, my expression kept collapsing.

I hurriedly looked at the palms of my hands and my toes, but there wasn’t even a drop of blood, let alone a trace of water, so I couldn’t tell if it was a dream or reality.

I was lying down, cleanly washed and dressed in appropriate plain clothes.

I put my nose on my wrist and sniffed.

Of course, there was no smell of blood, only the scent of soap I had brought from the military camp.

-Kkii?

“Blood-red rain like blood······.”

Heo. We’ve experienced all sorts of bizarre things so far, but this was a bit too eerie.

‘Toegye-gong’ is not some apocalypse [Toegye-gong is likely a reference to a historical figure or concept, here used sarcastically to imply the situation is not an apocalypse]······.

“Ah.”

‘You······. Did you hurt Francisca?’

‘Juliet, I told you to stop.’

‘Did you even kill Eda Atsuma’s husband!’

-Papat! Kwaaa―!

I flinched. Suddenly, I remembered that I had broken Sir Johann’s soundproof barrier.

The violet-colored vision and the ether [magical energy] that overflowed as if breaking a bowl.

‘[Did you kill him?! I’m asking if you killed his family to shake that person to the roots and use him!]’

‘《Choice······. Necessary, sacrifice······.》’

‘[Don’t bullshit me!]’

Then, Sir Johann, who approached in an instant, pressed on my vitals, but I didn’t faint and screamed.

Unable to believe it, I hurriedly groped my neck.

Of course, there were no bruises or injuries.

‘[You’re just a murderer from the bottom of hell!]’

-Kwakwakwang―!

Every time I screamed, thunder poured from the sky.

I was so angry that I couldn’t see anything, and looking back, it seemed like it was probably an ether explosion.

I could feel Ms. Gain’s cool energy, but unfortunately, her voice didn’t reach me at all.

And the anger only grew uncontrollably.

‘[You’re just using those people to fill your vile cause! You’re manipulating their lives like tools! You don’t care even a bit about what kind of lives they actually live!]’

‘《I······.》’

‘[Shut up!]’

-Paaaa―!

Finally, the ether exploded, and the roof of the tent was completely blown away.

In a world completely dyed in platinum, I clearly witnessed the scene of the problematic crystal ball breaking in two.

At the same time, all the strength drained from my body······.

I heard that child’s voice. So clearly.

‘Little brother is the scariest when he’s angry, in our house.’

“······Oh my god.”

I was breathless. I turned pale and hurriedly got up from my seat.

Suddenly, I felt nauseous and dizzy. But I couldn’t lie down any longer.

I had to clearly confirm with my own eyes whether ‘that’ which I saw last before losing consciousness was true.

The little troublemakers also rolled around and followed me. The current situation was dizzying, and I couldn’t help but wash my face dry.

I leaned my swaying body against the edge of the bed made of stacked wood.

“······I made such a fuss. Everyone must have been very surprised. What time is it now? How long did hyung [older brother or a term of endearment] sleep?”

-Kkiwoo.

“A day? It’s only been a day?”

Demi replied lightly, and I blankly asked back, unsure if I had understood correctly.

Thinking about the time, I suddenly felt impatient.

Picking up any robe that had fallen on the floor, I quickly walked to the entrance of the tent. Flutter!

“Palace Lord.”

“Eok!”

My heart is falling out!

Because of the white-haired paladin who appeared without a sound, I fell back into the tent!

“Oops, oops······.”

“You woke up early. Aren’t you overdoing it?”

To be exact, Sir Johann floated my body, which was about to do so, in the air.

The excited Divine Beasts were dangling from the hem of my robe.

I said several times that I could stand on my own two feet, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me down.

I eventually gave up on touching the ground and looked down at the Cardinal.

His mint-colored eyes were scanning me meticulously from head to toe. It was like a living airport security checkpoint.

“······Good morning, Sir Johann. How long have I been out?”

“You’ve been asleep for a day. You used that much power, but your recovery is amazing.”

“······I think so too.”

I muttered, looking down at Demi.

He really slept for a day. Our kid can really speak human language.

-Kkithem.

“How are the other friends? What’s the atmosphere in the navy? How are grandfather and Admiral Corleone······.”

“The Imperial Fleet is scheduled to enter the north today. So the Admiral went up to the North Sea, and your Palace Lord’s partners went to deal with the remaining Atsuma Knights. There are paladins marching north, but the rest are a ragtag bunch, so it won’t take long. His Majesty the Prince Consort and Marquis Dhiem are still here.”

“······Thank you.”

It was an answer that vaguely missed what I wanted. My lips turned into a chicken butt shape for a moment.

Of course, I was very curious about the well-being and recent situation of my friends, but there was something else that was immediately scratching at my nerves.

“······About the sky, that thing.”

“Yes, that thing.”

“······.”

The man’s drooping eyes curved refreshingly.

There was something after all. I didn’t see it wrong either. I clenched my fist tightly.

“How did it go? Is it still there by any chance?”

“It’s still there. But no one can read the contents.”

“······.”

My heart sank. Only then did the commotion outside become more clearly etched in my ears.

It was the voices of the navy soldiers.

The sentences I hadn’t heard when I was lying in bed a little while ago.

The stories of these people, which are always vividly alive to me.

“······Mamma mia! It’s terrifying. How can we keep fighting with that kind of thing right above our heads?”

“Ah, we’re from a feudal state that used to sing and fight even when the sky was falling! At least it’s a relief that broken pieces aren’t falling right now.”

“That’s true.”

“Anyway, it’s true that the Venetian is doomed. We don’t have religion, but do we lack sense? There’s no way Shin-guk soldiers won’t lose morale even after seeing that.”

“Then what about the Imperial Army?”

“Hey, you bland pasta! We’re gaining momentum and pushing forward right now, so it’s unconditionally a good thing for us!”

“That’s right! Maybe the march speed will be faster than what the higher-ups are saying······.”

Eum······.

For a moment, no conversation took place between Sir Johann and me.

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

“Then, the fourth white line······. That appeared and completed the spear. At the same time, the darkness in the sky disappeared without a trace.”

“‘Spear(窓)’. Is that what you call it?”

“Oh, usually. That’s what it was called where I came from.”

I lowered my voice and whispered, and the Cardinal nodded as if he understood.

I swam diligently and approached him.

“······Anyway, I have to see the spear again in person. I’ve rested enough, so I think I can go out.”

“You read the letters written on it.”

“Yes. There are things I need to check related to it······. If I remember the contents correctly, we’re not in a situation where we have any leeway right now. It might be a bit urgent.”

I was seriously whispering in my own way, but Sir Johann had a strange look in his eyes since earlier.

Besides, he didn’t seem to have any intention of stepping aside. I eventually frowned.

“Sir Johann, are you listening to me?”

“······I’m sorry. I just thought I should tell you that you should wear glasses when you go out.”

“Magic stone glasses? Ah, it’s good to take care of that.”

Thank you! As soon as the Cardinal put me down on the floor, I quickly rummaged around the bed.

Fortunately, there were glasses neatly folded right next to me.

It was a relief that they weren’t broken and were still intact even after that commotion.

Oh, I have to take my Gaga bag too. There’s wash water here too.

I should at least wash my face like a cat to look like a human being before going out······.

“Huh?”

I flinched. I was startled by my own reflection in the water. I felt a strange sense of déjà vu for a moment.

“······Why is this color like this.”

My neck tilted involuntarily.

I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again, and I changed my position in case I had seen it wrong because of the light, but there was still no change.

I tried to calmly check my vessel and heart condition as much as possible.

“······.”

But the sight in front of me remained the same. I raised my blank face and looked at Sir Johann.

“Hey, why are my eyes purple even though I’m not using ether?”

It’s not even in energy-saving mode. I’ve completely turned off the faucet right now?

“······I wonder.”

Father Herit smiled with a troubled expression.

He leisurely put his hands behind his back and asked back like this.

“Perhaps it’s because you used Crown Ether while defending me?”

“Yes?”

······Excuse me?