What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 127

#127 The Village Chief and the Angel (1)

-Clang, crack!

“Wow!”

A thick log split in half with a loud noise. Several elderly people exclaimed in admiration.

Eva, who had been waiting nearby, quickly placed a new log on the chopping block.

She looked like she was really enjoying it, a bright smile on her face.
The area in front of our lodging, which Christel called a ‘pension,’ was filled with the residents of Aitz Village.

I was told that the village chief hadn’t arrived yet.

“Remy is right. That blond young man is as beautiful as an angel.”

“Looks like he’s never done any hard work. His neck is so pale.”

As I joined the onlookers, the elders observed me with curious eyes.

I was embarrassed and just kept bowing my head.

“The young man’s eye color is so pretty and unusual. Is it purple?”

“Yes? Yes, it’s purple.”

An old man narrowed his eyes and asked.

I sat down on the ground, feeling somewhat nervous.

Come to think of it, I was the only one known to have purple irises throughout the entire continent.

Was it a lie that was bound to be discovered from the start?

“That is, well, isn’t that the color of the blessing of the Main God?”

“What are you talking about! That’s yellow.”

“Oh, is it?”

“Young man, please understand. That old-timer has only been to the temple once in his life, when he was baptized.”

A strange old woman said soothingly. I just slightly raised the corners of my lips.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the elders here were not well-versed in the details of religion.

Both gold and purple were symbolic colors of the Main God Church, but the former signified the Main God’s power, while the latter represented the Main God’s blessing.

The reason Prince Yeser was so popular in the Holy Nation was that he was born with both colors.

“Actually, I was nervous because strangers came, but I slept so well.”

“You too? I felt like I was having a dream about my grandchildren being born. Did the young man sleep well too?”

“Yes, thank you.”

I answered politely. The fact that they had good dreams and slept soundly was probably due to the influence of my ether [a magical energy or life force in this world].

“Young man, do you have someone you’re seeing?”

“Oh, stop bothering him and watch that! The lovers are both incredibly strong. They’re a great match.”

Grandma Marlene scolded the crowd and handed me a warm bag of popcorn.

I smiled awkwardly and thanked her.

Cedric’s 15-and-up wood chopping show had just ended, and now it was Christel’s turn.

I wondered what all the commotion was about since morning, but it seemed like the two of them had started some kind of competition.

I have no idea what the reason was.

Christel, with her hair neatly tied up, swung the huge axe without hesitation.

-Clang! Crack!

“Wow!”

“······.”

I glanced at the Prince, who was sitting on the fence, drinking water.

I never thought he would do something like this, but it seemed he was chopping firewood for the winter to earn his keep with the residents.

I guess he wasn’t someone who deserved to be called ‘Celegi’ [a derogatory term for someone lazy or entitled] after all.

Feeling my gaze, his eyes turned towards me.

I quickly turned my head and subtly checked inside my jacket.

······The difference in specs is too much, seriously. Are all ‘main male leads’ like that?

-Thud, crack!

“Lady Sarnese needs to work on her strength training.”

Sir Johan, who was boiling dove stew in the kitchen, came out with a ladle and said.

I looked up at him, holding Herrit and Demi, Stubborn, and even the fawn Chestnut in my arms.

“Does a Holy Knight need strength?”

“Of course. A knight should have basic physical strength and a good body. But Lady Sarnese has lived a normal life for nearly 20 years before awakening, so she relies on ether for all her physical abilities. Look.”

I turned back to Christel. Crack! Another log split. I don’t know how many that makes.

To me, it just looks like incredible strength and ability, but the Cardinal seems to see it differently.

“Lady’s muscles aren’t engaged. The special ether in her body is doing the work of the muscles. That greatly reduces ether efficiency. Until recently, the priority was her appointment as a Holy Knight, so we focused on technique. But now that the examination is over, we need to build her up from the basics.”

Sir Johan seemed strangely happy.

He then asked me, wearing an apron, to taste the stew.

I immediately gave him a thumbs up for the taste of his soup.

He had gotten a small, cheap chunk of beef and boiled it, but the vegetables were so fresh that it had a deep flavor.

I felt like I could eat ten bowls.

“Oh, young people would be comfortable and happy living here.”

“That old geezer is at it again!”

Grandma Marlene raised her voice at Grandpa Remy’s words as he watched us.

Certainly, if we were hiding in such a small town, even the infamous Werner would not be able to find us.

I smiled wryly as I watched the bickering elders, and then my eyes met the Prince’s.

The orange eyes flickered strangely.

“Listen, it’s beneficial for both sides. The young people are safe and comfortable, and we get someone to use their strength and read. What do you think, handsome young man?”

Grandpa Remy looked at the Prince and asked.

I thought he would ignore it, but for once, he gave an answer.

“······I desire rest.”

“See! The young man thinks the same as me,”

“Therefore, I will drag that one back.”

A fierce flame blazed in his eyes as he looked at me.

I was momentarily speechless and opened my mouth. No, who said I wasn’t going back?

“Oh my….”

Grandma Marlene muttered and avoided my gaze.

The Prince got up and strode into the house.

I stubbornly picked up one of the shirt buttons that had fallen to the floor.

I roughly knew what the ‘rest’ the Prince was talking about meant.

His ether was always unstable, and even the Hyegeom [a powerful artifact or technique] could not completely control it, so he wanted to keep me in the Imperial Palace.

I was also his partner.

“Are you already going in? Then I guess I won!”

Then Christel straightened her back and celebrated her victory.

Eva clapped, and the residents were delighted to have a good show and get firewood.

The popcorn I ate on an empty stomach was also delicious.

*

“······Okay. She’s here, Elizabeth! Come over here!”

Elizabeth, who had been dozing in the carriage, startled awake. Already, the sunset was visible through the window.

She was resting well and eating well by imperial order, but she was easily fatigued, perhaps because she was on edge about her friends’ disappearance.

She carefully laid Ganael’s head, which had been resting on her shoulder, on the seat.

The boy had been losing sleep for two days worrying about the Prince, and finally, today, he had received permission from Benjamin to come outside the Imperial Palace.

Elizabeth smiled gently and kissed her fiancé’s forehead.

He used to sing that he had good dreams every day when the Prince was around.

“Elizabeth! Hurry!”

Marquis François D’Huem urgently called out.

“Yes, I’m coming.”

She quickly returned to her role as the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guard and got out of the carriage.

She wanted to find her precious friends and feel at ease soon, and she wanted to make her fiancé happy, but surely that was nothing special.

François was a scholar who was very happy with even small clues and would get excited as if he had already met the Prince with just a little progress.

Perhaps the soldiers of Sarnese or the Blanquer Duchy would find Cedric’s group faster than she and the uncle.

They were said to be searching every nook and cranny of the outskirts of the Imperial Capital.

“Did you find anything?”

She asked dryly as she entered the tent.

Today was a clear day, but it was a space that had not been taken down in case the weather in August would bring rain again.

François widened his pink eyes and spread his arms wide.

“Rejoice! At last, I have discovered where His Highness the Prince has gone!”

“What did you say?”

The Count’s voice grew louder. François pouted as if that was the reaction he wanted.

“Are you newly amazed by the genius of François D’Huem? You must be! His Majesty will surely be amazed as well,”

“Just get to the point. So where is it? You, prepare to send out the horses immediately. Tell the Marquis’s carriage to prepare as well. Everyone, arm yourselves!”

“Yes, Deputy Commander!”

The Imperial Guards who were guarding François inside the tent moved quickly.

Elizabeth approached him as if she would grab the Marquis by the collar.

“Uncle, quickly.”

“Alright, look here! Here! The portal magic formula from the war era is much more complex than the ones used these days. Moreover, the code is double and triple locked, making it extremely difficult to obtain the coordinates. But from the beginning, it was certain that it was either north or south of the Imperial Capital.”

“You said that yesterday. The location.”

“The result was north, and among them, it was here.”

The Marquis’s ink-stained fingertip pointed to one spot on the map.

It was a part marked with a circle drawn with a quill. Elizabeth’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.

“······You’re not kidding me right now, are you?”

“Would I ever do such a thing with His Highness the Prince involved? Even I couldn’t believe it and checked three times, so I understand that reaction, but,”

“That’s impossible. Or, is it fortunate instead?”

She wiped her face dry with a dumbfounded expression.

If he was there, in such a place, the situation was not as bad as she thought.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but laugh at the inevitable sense of futility.

Elizabeth roughly ruffled her dark green bobbed hair. François steadied her.

“George.”

“Yes. You are the genius of the century and one of the best magicians in the Empire. So go to Ganael and the Imperial Palace immediately and tell His Majesty the news. I’m going to get my friends.”

The Count poured out words like a waterfall.

With a face that hadn’t even been properly shaved, the Marquis smiled dazzlingly and nodded his chin.

*

Christel and the Prince went to help Grandma Marlene with her farm work.

Sir Johan was making jerky in the kitchen, and Eva and Herrit went out to play in the nearby flower field.

None of us outwardly showed any anxiety.

“······It’s all dry. But they’re still not here.”

-Squeak

-Chirp

-Peep!

San, lying comfortably between the white fluttering sheets, was visible.

I anxiously watched the entrance of the village with the animals.

All of our clothes hanging on the clothesline were fluffy, but even though the sun was setting, the village chief had not appeared.

The Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony was tomorrow. Tomorrow!

The rehearsal would have been over long ago, and the eve festival would begin shortly.

But the Prince and I had not yet returned to the Imperial Palace.

My heart tightened, and my chest felt heavy.

If Emperor Frederick had postponed the ceremony, I would feel even more guilty.

The whole empire was eagerly waiting for the event, so what on earth had I done?

I don’t regret it, but······.

“I’m totally that right now. A nuisance character.”

I muttered. Then Chestnut jumped around me, drawing circles.

It looked like he was saying, ‘But you saved me, so think positively,’ which made me laugh wryly.

I stroked the back of his neck, quickly took down the laundry, and sat on the bench to start organizing our luggage.

No matter how I looked at it, it was a huge accident, but I couldn’t just sit idly by.

I had to finish all the preparations so that we could leave immediately.

“Prince, look!”

At that moment, Eva’s bright voice tickled my ears.

Four small hands suddenly appeared in front of me.

Herrit and the young lady, who had emerged from the sheets, were smiling brightly.

In Eva’s palm was a handful of small, chick-down-like flowers, and in Herrit’s hand were a couple of pebbles about 3cm in size.

They were made of a completely transparent material, so you could see the lines on your palm clearly. It didn’t seem like glass.

“What are these?”

“The flower seems to be medicine that Herrit eats. We found it near the foothills.”

I blinked in surprise. When I repeatedly asked Herrit, the child nodded.

I heard that you had to pay a lot of money to get it in the Holy Nation, but it was a miraculous thing to be able to get it in a place like this.

My mood brightened rapidly.

“That’s really great, Herrit. Congratulations. Let’s dig up a lot before we go back. If possible, I’ll try to grow it in the Imperial Palace too.”

“And there’s this too.”

Eva put the flower on my lap and picked up the transparent pebble that Herrit was holding.

“It’s very amazing. Please watch.”

Soon, a golden ether orb floated from the young lady’s fingertip.

Demi stuck out her tongue, showing interest.

The ether particles lingered in the air for a moment, then were sucked into the pebble as if they had found their home.

Then, like fireflies, they were trapped inside the pebble and moved around.

I felt goosebumps at the shocking scene.

There was a substance that could trap ether, even though it wasn’t a ‘vessel’ or a sacred object?

“Prince Yeser?”

It was then.

A voice that I had heard often, a voice that was all too familiar, was heard.

I felt a second thrill and turned my head creakily.

A shabby carriage without a roof came into view.

The cargo bed was loaded with all sorts of mail, meat, and oak barrels.

The woman sitting alone in the driver’s seat looked back and forth between me and the young lady, and was shocked.

Surprisingly, the first one to open her mouth was Eva.

“······Agnes?”

The mountain keeper of the Juliet Palace’s back mountain, the first discoverer of the lesser pandas, and the person who supervised Eva’s temple cleaning.

Agnes Ricciotti had appeared in Aitz Village.