What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 172

#172 The Hollow Archpriest (2)

Calm down, Ye-seo.

“Benjamin, Ganael.”

Calm down.

“I think I’m about to become unemployed.”

I wasn’t entirely successful at being calm.

Having grasped the situation, I approached with the divine creatures clinging to me and made my declaration, witnessing the shadows deepen on the faces of the two attendants in real-time.

A tearful Ganael waved his hands, exclaiming, ‘That will never happen! You’ll regain your Ether soon!’

Benjamin nodded politely.

Oh? Wait a minute.

“How did you know?”

I blinked.

I hadn’t mentioned that Ether wasn’t flowing, but they seemed to already know about my condition.

Benjamin exchanged a glance with Ganael and then cautiously began to speak.

“Since the Prince… lost consciousness, the nightmares have returned to how they used to be. All the staff at the Juliette Palace feel it keenly. However, no one speaks of it aloud.”

Ah. Right, that was a thing.

“It’s not that we’re suddenly suffering from nightmares. It’s just that it’s become similar to the winter before the Prince entered the palace. We didn’t want to shock you, so we kept it to ourselves.”

“……”

“We’ve simply returned to normal, Your Highness. Please don’t be disheartened.”

‘Rather, we’ve been indebted to you, a noble person, all this time. We are deeply grateful,’ the middle-aged man smiled kindly.

Ether truly wasn’t flowing from me, and even the ordinary people around me knew it.

If that was the case, then the Crown Prince must also be aware of my condition.

I barely managed to nod, trying to gather the scattered fragments of thought.

I couldn’t stay panicked the whole time. I needed to calmly plan for the future.

“Did His Eminence Aureli leave anything for me?”

I asked. My teacher would have been the first to examine me in the Imperial Palace.

There was no way she wouldn’t know about this special situation, and since her godson needed a priest partner, perhaps the Imperial Family was even more desperate than I was.

At my question, Benjamin and Ganael nodded in unison. My expectations were correct.

“She left a few books and a letter for you to review. She also mentioned that she would visit again when she had time.”

Ganael answered cautiously. I bit my lip determinedly, soothing the harp seal on my back.

Yes, now that I had returned to the palace after a long time, it was time to resume my previous routine.

I had to study hard at the Juliette Gosiwon [a type of private study room or library] and eat well.

I couldn’t let my will be broken just because my superpower had disappeared.

I had decided to survive no matter what and return home.

The next day arrived. It felt like returning to March, right after the possession.

The first week of living as a diligent examinee, with no abilities, just trying to survive.

“‘The priest dies’… That’s not it.”

I was out on the first-floor terrace, basking in the warm autumn sun.

I had heard that the Imperial Capital had a mild climate year-round, except for the hot wind season, and it was true.

Even in mid-October, the air was relatively warm until sunset.

The spacious table was laden with snack plates and teacups, and various books were spread out, including and commentaries on the Main God Church.

A notebook page summarizing fluttered in the breeze.

The letter that my teacher had given me was placed squarely in the center.

“Listen, Tite. There are two main reasons why a priest can’t use Ether.”

-Aeung

I explained to the harp seal on my lap.

“One is when their heart stops. Then they can’t generate Ether in their body anymore. They die.”

-Woowooh……

It was too scary a story for the little one, Tite pulled his black eyes and nose back and became flat like a nude kimbap [a Korean dish similar to sushi rolls].

Then, the red pandas who were gnawing on the spines of books on one side of the table swarmed over and beat me wildly with their fluffy tails.

Outsiders would never know, but the divine creatures of the Empire were so ferocious and violent.

I let out a hollow laugh and apologized.

“Sorry, I scared your youngest. I didn’t do it on purpose.”

-Kieung

“I’ll reflect on it. And the second is, losing Ether by breaking a covenant. This is similar to the case of a paladin.”

I recalled some facts about the covenants of the Main God Church clergy.

If they broke their covenants, they would receive a penalty called ‘loss,’ but while the priest’s penalty was random, the paladin only received the divine punishment of ‘sealing of power.’

Conversely, it was also possible for a priest to unfortunately suffer the sealing of power.

Looking through the historical records, there were indeed cases where people lost their Ether and returned to being ordinary people instead of losing money or memories.

However, this seemed to apply only when a very serious covenant was broken.

“But what about me? I’ve never broken a covenant. So it’s not this either.”

I crossed out lines in my notebook. In the first place, I had only made a covenant once.

That was already five months ago. The night the hot wind was approaching.

[I swear.]

‘He’s making a covenant with me.’

I promised Sadie that I had not colluded with the Divine Kingdom and would not do so in the future.

I hadn’t broken that, so I hadn’t had my Ether sealed as a penalty either.

Of course, my body didn’t fall into the typical case.

Cardinal Boutier’s letter came into view again.

‘…I heard that the Prince caused an Ether surge on the day the sky opened in the Main God’s sky. I didn’t see it myself, so I don’t know if it was a surge or another symptom similar to a surge.’

That day, Lady Elizabeth and Crown Prince Cedric had witnessed me.

The two didn’t know that the ‘Wish Relic’ was inside me, so it would have looked like an Ether surge.

Considering the intense golden Ether explosion followed by spitting blood and fainting, it was a reasonable conclusion.

‘If it was a surge, I think the Prince’s vessel may have been temporarily closed due to the impact at the time.’

‘I am conducting research assuming it is a kind of aftereffect. I am also investigating whether there have been priests who have lost their power for a certain period due to Ether surges.’

Aftereffects… I stroked Leia, who was dangling from my neck, and muttered to myself.

I was trying to organize my thoughts when Perry grabbed the quill and wouldn’t let go.

Demi was sprawled on the notebook, not moving.

‘Hyung isn’t sick anymore, I’m not overdoing it. I’ll sleep with you in your playroom today.’ Only after coaxing them for a long time could I get the writing utensils back.

Black letters ran quickly across the white paper.

∙ A ‘Gate’ to go home has opened

– Cause 1: The four divine objects gather in one place and activate

– Cause 2: The four divine objects gather in one place and activate + the Wish Relic activates

…Perhaps Cause 2 is a closer guess to the truth.

I replayed the scene I saw that day, frame by frame.

-Woo woowoong!

First, the four divine objects, including Dduk-sim, emitted light.

Then, they shot straight beams like laser pointers towards the center of the sky.

Shortly after, an abnormal reaction appeared in me.

‘Thump!’

My heart beat loudly once,

‘Heok!’

I had difficulty breathing and felt very ominous at the same time.

The sensation that the whole world was rejecting me constantly pressed down on my peripheral nerves.

The last thing I saw was Ether bursting out of me and drawing a straight line towards the sky. Then….

-Kkiiii!

“Sorry. Hyung grabbed you too hard. Does it hurt a lot? I’m really sorry.”

I startled and woke up from my reminiscence at Leia’s cry. My palms were damp.

The red panda clinging to me was surprised and opened its mouth.

I quickly apologized and patted its back, and the weak temporary guardian lay down next to Tite, saying he was going to die.

All I could do was diligently rub his black belly and say ‘hoo’.

With the other hand, I continued to write neatly in my notebook.

– Gate opening principle (speculation): Four divine objects touch the sky > Something happens > The Relic activates > Grants the wish to go home

“……Sounds plausible? Looks okay.”

I muttered.

If this is all correct, the ‘something happens’ part is particularly important and mysterious.

Until now, the Relic inside me had been quiet.

Of course, it provided a large amount of incredibly pure Ether, and my sacred ground was larger than other archpriests, probably thanks to the divine objects, but that was it.

It had never directly responded to my wishes or feelings.

Hmm. If I use my imagination.

“The other four divine objects laid a kind of foundation. So the usually docile Relic activated. But after that, Ether doesn’t come out.”

-Kkureureu

Demi and I looked at each other and tilted our heads.

“Could it be that it used up all its power opening the gate?”

-Kkureut?

No……. That seemed unlikely.

In the first place, it was also the power of the Relic that gave the dead Prince Ye-seo a second chance, that is, planted me and turned back time. At least that was my guess.

If the divine objects were disposable, I wouldn’t have been able to possess such a huge amount of Ether as it was. It would have just saved me and that would have been it.

Besides, Christel, who had a divine object dwelling in her like me, had not lost any of her power.

I frowned, chewing on orange peel like squid legs.

Then is it really an aftereffect? When will it get better?

-Ppireureu, ppibbibbi

At that time, Dduk-sim, who had finished his afternoon walk, landed on the terrace railing.

I was about to greet the wren when I was startled.

“Dduk-sim, come here. What did you bring?”

I saw something shining next to his little feet.

I was terrified that he had stolen a jewel from the Emperor or an Imperial Palace guest!

-Ppi

“Bring it without turning around. One.”

-Ppirit

“Two.”

-Ppireureu

“Two and a half.”

-Ppibbo!

Dduk-sim looked back at me as if he couldn’t win, and somehow managed to carry the gold piece, which was as big as his body, and spat it out in front of me.

Then, with very dissatisfied flapping, he climbed onto Tite’s back.

What, are you going for a drive because you’re angry?

“What are you going to do if you develop such bad beak habits? Huh? Who taught you this?”

-Ppiai

“If you do this, I can’t even tell people that you’re a Jung family wren. I’m embarrassed.”

I carefully examined the glitter that Dduk-sim had brought. This looks like some kind of insignia.

The Liester Imperial Family crest in the center, crazy.

“Jung Dduk-sim, you this……”

I gaped at the innocent-looking troublemaker.

I hurriedly put the burdens on the table and stretched my waist out to the railing.

I saw a familiar silhouette in the distance of the garden.

A man wearing formal attire and a fancy cloak, accompanied by an attendant, was standing there, probably after attending an event somewhere.

Seeing that one spot on his chest was empty, it seemed that Dduk-sim had stolen the insignia from there. His orange gaze became entangled like a skein of thread.

“……”

The Crown Prince didn’t come this way or greet me.

Then, as if he hadn’t seen anything, he went straight into the Romero Palace.

It was a perfect disregard.

“……I have to apologize.”

I muttered.

I wanted to properly apologize because I had hurt that guy, but it seemed difficult to even create an opportunity right now.

“You can at least deliver a letter, Cedric.”

Elizabeth complained.

Eva, who was sitting close to her, looked anxious the entire time.

It wasn’t just the two of them who looked dark.

On the right side of Cedric, who was sitting at the head of the table, Christel sharply shone her blue-gray eyes.

“I understand if it’s confinement for protection. His Majesty did the same when Princess Elysee came, and the Prince… is in the most powerless situation right now.”

“……”

Her voice grew smaller.

Despite Cardinal Boutier’s advance notice, Christel was deeply disappointed as soon as she entered the Imperial Palace.

Even though she came to Romero Palace, which was close to Juliette, she couldn’t feel the Prince’s warm and clear Ether.

Like a bad trick or a perfect magic trick, there wasn’t even a trace.

The paladin’s instinct naturally despaired and grieved.

But that was that, and this was this.

Prince Ye-seo was a friend before he was her partner.

“But I don’t know why you’re blocking letters and gifts. Why are you going this far?”

“There’s no need to discuss the will of the Imperial Family.”

The Crown Prince growled.

Then his Ether raged wildly, threatening and intimidating Christel.