What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 728

Magna Carta (1)

After hugging for a long while, Rin finally squirmed, complaining about the discomfort.

“Mommy······. Hot······.”

“I told you I’m not your mommy.”

Gain slowly pulled away, her voice muffled.

The child’s face quickly crumpled into a cry.

Isabelle was speechless, and even the Palace Lord next to her looked quite taken aback by her response.

The young Cardinal reached out and gently tapped the tip of Rin’s nose.

-Tok!

“······.”

The March dawn was now standing at a new starting line.

The baby opened her mouth wide, gazing blankly at Gain’s flushed cheeks and pink hair.

She, too, met Rin’s gaze with a steady look. Her eyes, curving into a smile, sparkled like stars.

“I’m not ready to be a mom. If I just take on the role haphazardly like this, both you and I will only suffer.”

“Woong······.”

“That won’t do. We shouldn’t be unhappy while living together. We need to find a way to become happier.”

“······Then······.”

“‘Sister’.”

The Holy Knight uttered the short word.

Rin, not understanding immediately, blinked her round eyes.

“······I think I can do that now. Of course, I’ll have to work hard.”

“······.”

“I’ll be your sister. Will you be my little sister?”

“······.”

It was an unexpected question. And a word no one had anticipated.

Rin bit her lip, looking at the person who had poured Aether [a magical energy source] into her, then looked up at Isabelle, who was holding her, and then made eye contact with Gain again.

Her little head moved busily, trying to read the adults’ expressions.

The baby’s subtle expression was quickly brightening as if by magic.

Rosy color returned to her plump cheeks, and her back, which had turned to water, slowly began to fill with skin again.

The child was so happy that small droplets of water floated from her body.

“Yes! I’ll be your little sister!”

“Great. Then, from today, you are Rin Rambouillet, the hero who saved her mother.”

“Oh my.”

Gain clicked her tongue and declared on the spot, and Isabelle laughed in pleasant surprise.

The Palace Lord, who had been holding her partner’s hand and constantly pouring out Aether, looked up at her other partner and smiled brightly.

It felt like facing a bright blue beach in the middle of summer, clearing her mind.

“Rambou!”

-Kkyaaaa!

“Yes, Rambou. We’ll come up with a middle name later when something strikes us. Or maybe we’ll hold a contest.”

-Kkihuwoo!

“Gain, that’s a bit······.”

The excited baby raised her hands in joy, and the divine beasts, who had been circling around them for a while, finally jumped into the chaos.

Lofi hopped onto the Crown Prince’s back, jumping up to his shoulders.

Watching the excited Tete flapping his flipper-feet, Johann Haines finally smiled slightly.

It was a moment when the laughter ringing in his ears and everyone’s emotions felt clearly within reach.

After contemplating for a long time, he realized that he was proud of his disciple. Dozens of pigeons circled around him as if dancing.

“Hey, Grand Preceptor who produced a Cardinal.”

“······.”

Just then, the mage called him from behind.

Johann quickly wiped away his smile and turned around.

Gibreel Diop, squinting his red eyes, stood with his legs crossed.

The man’s expression, scratching the side of his head with his staff, looked quite troubled.

“······Enough with the touching finale. You should come take a look.”

Less than an hour later, we were all gathered in the ruins of Maiker Raso’s study.

-Whoooo······

“Oh my god······.”

“It’s terrible.”

As expected, the place where the high waves and fierce storms had swept through was nothing short of ruins.

No carriage on the ground was intact.

There wasn’t a single person or even an ant on the main street that ran through the Lord’s castle.

It was nearly impossible for the main castle, which had been directly hit by a natural disaster, to survive.

The heart of the Lord’s castle, which had stood guard here for hundreds of years, was shattered overnight.

Not to mention the temple and the large bakery attached to the main castle—the training grounds, stables, barracks where the soldiers stayed, and even the large warehouse where we first arrived were all ‘plowed’ like spring fields.

I would have liked to use a different expression if possible, but it was hard to think of another verb when looking at the buildings that had been thoroughly destroyed from the roof to the foundation.

The long, muddy ground, gouged out by hundreds of meters, was clearly the trace of Gain being thrown around, and the expensive (formerly expensive) furniture floating over there was undoubtedly Gain’s mark.

For the record, she had already exhausted all her strength and was in a state of collapse, so she decided to rest with Isabelle on one side.

Rin, who had become her younger sister today, was with them.

-Have you come?

“Huk, Your Majesty Hanan. You’ve really suffered a lot!”

As I bowed 90 degrees to the soggy rag doll, Her Majesty, who was perched on a certain girder, waved her small hand as if to say she was okay.

She had been guarding this place since Gain activated the Saintess.

The Raso Lord’s castle had too many secrets hidden, and among them, the study had dozens of strange square doors hanging from it.

However, Her Majesty’s jet-black venomous vines were specialized in melting everything, so some of the doors were quite corroded.

Still, it was thanks to Her Majesty that we managed to salvage something; if she hadn’t been here, this place would have become a mudflat long ago.

The elder, who had scanned me carefully, gestured with her chin.

-Little one. You should take care of that one first.

“······Ah.”

I followed her gaze and gasped.

“······.”

Beneath the ruins, which were even more desolate from the water, Duke Leopold Raso was sitting down.

His eyes, looking up at the dawn sky, were as empty as the shells of bird eggs.

A few meters away, Maiker Raso’s body lay stretched out, stabbed by a sword.

The face of the deceased was covered by a white handkerchief, making it impossible to see.

Her Majesty looked at him and said with a sigh.

-The flow of Aether is as weak as a living corpse. Who knows if his heart will stop and he’ll stop breathing.

“······.”

-A priest will be needed now. Go.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

I nodded quickly.

I entrusted Tete to Cedric, who had a mountain of work ahead of him, and carefully took a step, under the strict protection of Lofi. Step, step, step······.

“Lofi, watch your step. There are a lot of sharp stone fragments.”

-Awoong

“Please be careful not to hurt the Duke either. There are a lot of broken glass pieces over there.”

“······.”

As I approached and spoke, Duke Raso slowly turned his head to look at me.

His large eye sockets were swollen, as if he had cried a lot for several hours.

Both of his earrings had disappeared, and his blue eye makeup had completely melted away, making it impossible to find.

I chose my words for a moment, watching the man wipe away tears with his sleeve.

But soon I realized that I couldn’t comfort him with any words. Of course.

So I made a more ordinary suggestion.

“······May I sit next to you? If it’s okay, I’d like to provide you with Aether. For your peace of mind.”

“······Thank you.”

He barely managed to say in a hoarse voice. Fortunately, he seemed to have some will left.

I sat down on the wide stone floor that the Duke had made room for, and put Lofi on my lap.

And as I unfolded a small sanctuary, the dark color of dawn brightened a little.

-Saaaa······

“······.”

-Hurry and examine these. There’s no knowing how much of the contents have been destroyed.

While we were sitting silently, the ancient king spoke solemnly to her friends.

The Duke and I didn’t start a separate conversation, but kept an eye on the group from afar.

Clang, clang! Ka-gang! The metal doors that had been filling one wall like a flat chocolate bar were falling off one by one under the merciless attacks of the mage and the Holy Knight.

Of course, enormous treasures poured out from within.

Diamond ore the size of Gain’s head, all sorts of ledgers that seemed to have been collected for at least hundreds of years.

Golden ritual tools that were national treasures at a glance, beautiful coffins and scepters given only to the Venetian royal family······.

-Kwaga-gang!

“······Here, all the Sun Halo Grass is here. That damn old hag.”

“An amazing amount.”

I heard Cedric’s genuinely admiring voice.

I swallowed a groan as I looked at the sacks of Sun Halo Grass, which occupied nearly ten compartments.

My god, even that alone could help all the children in the mountain village.

No, there would be much left over. Even if they were fed generously three meals a day, it would last for a year or two······.

“······I’ve been thinking.”

“Yes?”

It was a voice that sounded like it had been badly wounded by the cold wind. I quickly turned to look at the Duke.

“I want to cremate my mother’s body······. In a place where the people of the territory can see it.”

“······.”

This was a topic I hadn’t imagined at all. I blankly stared at his profile.

The man looked up at the dark blue sky and said quietly.

“I can’t possibly enshrine her in the Lord’s castle along with my ancestors······. I can’t help it even if I’m pointed at as a reckless son.”

“······.”

“I know it’s my selfishness, and you may think I’m truly shameless for committing the crime of patricide, but I really······. I just feel like I want to be free from her now······.”

“Not at all.”

I answered clearly so that the Duke could hear.

Then he turned to look at me with golden shimmering eyes.

Dark red blood was dried all over the man’s cheeks.

“I don’t think you’re shameless at all.”

“······.”

“The mother was the one who first drew a weapon against her child, and she was the one who abused and assaulted you for decades. I think the Duke’s actions were the last act of self-defense to protect himself.”

“······.”

“And your judgment was right. Someone responsible has to save this territory and take care of the people and animals of the territory.”

The Duke’s gaze trembled as he listened to my words.

His tightly clasped hands, the desperate heart that had nowhere to turn but to grasp his own hands, filled my vision.

So I conveyed it to the man as it was.

The story that the children of the secret mountain village would definitely have told.

“So what you did last night saved not only yourself but everyone in the Raso Duchy. Coby, Finn, Frida, their families······. Think of the connections you made in the mountain village. And what about the sick animals there?”

“······.”

“This was a just recapture against a traitor. Don’t believe it if anyone says otherwise. The Duke is too naive.”

“Haa······.”

As I added with a light joke, a hollow smile finally appeared on his lips.

It was a short and shallow smile that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely······.

“Look, the sun is rising.”

I pointed to the east, smiling back.

Indeed, the red morning glow was brightening from the direction of the capital.

I told him with only sincerity.

“Congratulations. On welcoming a new morning as a free man.”

“······.”

It was the moment when the Duke was hesitatingly moving his lips.