What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 180

#180 Decoding (6)

‘First, the Sun Halo Herb has been confirmed to affect the aether [magical energy], not the vessel.’

‘…I see.’

His breath caught in his throat.

The Emperor and the Cardinal continued their conversation. Cedric couldn’t bear it any longer.

Even knowing he had to endure, he wanted to escape the sounds, the light, the gazes, at least for that moment.

The thought that he should stay and discuss future plans with his mother briefly crossed his mind, but it soon vanished.

Having decided on the disposition of the Holy Stone and herbs together, he now wanted to be alone.

He quickly strode away. It was a childish and impulsive decision.

-Thump!

-Swish…

A chilly breeze blew as he stepped onto the balcony.

But his body and mind were so hot that no ordinary cold could freeze him.

So he didn’t care. If possible, he wanted to stand there all night.

Burning his heart out alone where no one would notice, scattering the ashes, and then simply returning to being the Crown Prince.

He knew well that his mother and godmother must be just as desperate as he was. His dark hair scattered aimlessly.

“……”

‘The vessel’ cannot be fixed.

If the soul could be repaired, humans would have become immortal.

Knowing it was an age-old truth, what had he been expecting?

A gloved hand clenched tightly into a fist.

Crack, the edge of the railing carved from rock crumbled.

-Click

Just then, an uninvited guest entered, opening the unlocked door.

He didn’t need to check the face or voice to know who it was.

Even hundreds of steps away, it wasn’t hard to sense him.

The one who possessed an aura like a treasure hanging around the Crown Prince’s neck was only one person in the entire continent.

Even though he had just regained his strength, his exquisite aether remained unchanged.

The one who filled the place called the ‘Cold Palace’ with unnecessary warmth.

“Get out.”

Cedric growled without turning around. He didn’t want to talk to him right now.

He was acutely aware that he was in a very vulnerable state. He couldn’t show this side of himself.

“I will be quiet.”

Then a calm voice returned.

The priest didn’t feign kindness, nor did he ask him unnecessary questions.

Then came the sound of someone sitting in a chair.

Cedric was now amused at himself for not being able to drive him away.

He was sick and tired of a life swept away by aether and blinded.

He wondered why he was born with such a fate, and what exactly the Main God was testing him and his family for.

No… To confess, such curiosity had long since evaporated.

Cedric was similar to Frederick, yet different.

He worshiped the Main God, yet he hated him.

-Beep!

“Oh dear.”

The Prince muttered in embarrassment. The sound of small wings flapping was also heard.

“Ttukseom [a pet name], why are you here? Did you come out in your sleep?”

-Beebeebee

“To return that? You said it was yours.”

It was a troubled tone. The Crown Prince let out a hollow breath.

“I’ll give it to you tomorrow, tomorrow.”

-Beep

“That’s right. You’re the kindest wren on the continent.”

Cedric couldn’t help but turn around. Their eyes immediately met.

Even in the dim light, the Prince’s eyes sparkled like amethysts.

He opened his mouth with a slightly troubled look.

“I’m sorry. I was going to stay still, but Ttukseom came out of the blanket.”

“……”

That was the second most absurd sight Cedric had seen recently.

The first was the moment the Prince had broken into the room next to his bedroom.

This time, he was holding a teacup filled with sage tea in one hand, and a thick blanket tucked under his other arm.

On the plate on his lap was a large Tarte Tropézienne [a cream-filled pastry].

The wren sat on the Prince’s shoulder, tilting its head with an innocent look.

In its beak was the imperial insignia that the Crown Prince had recently had stolen.

Cedric finally frowned at the bean-like eyes that seemed to ask if there was a problem.

“What is that mess?”

“David prepared the tea for me. Lady Elizabeth got the blanket, and I got the tart… I thought you might be cold and hungry.”

The Prince explained. A snort escaped him.

It was absurd that someone thought a fire-attribute Holy Knight would feel cold, and even more so that it was one of his close aides.

But above all, the most outrageous was the Prince in front of him.

Cedric, forgetting even the memory of a few minutes ago when he had ordered him to leave, snapped.

“That’s quite a sight.”

“I was going to offer you some refreshments if you spoke to me later. You might need them.”

“What if I ignore you?”

The Prince finally drooped his eyebrows. He didn’t seem to have thought that far. Foolish….

“Still, isn’t it better than being alone when things are tough?”

“……”

“Having someone to ignore, well. I don’t mean you should ignore me, though.”

He smiled and continued. ‘You should show basic respect between friends.’

Then he looked past the balcony door at the Emperor and the Cardinal.

His face was serene, as if he could wait forever.

His kind eyes were overflowing with respect and affection. There was no need to guess.

The Prince was already giving his heart to everyone here.

Cedric gritted his teeth at that flawlessly pure deception.

Isn’t it enough if the Empire is pleased?

“……”

He admitted it. He didn’t want the Prince to return to the Holy Kingdom.

He wanted him to choose Liester on his own, without being forced by the power of treaties or the authority of the Imperial Family.

The Crown Prince silently looked down at the priest’s feet.

“Aren’t you really going to drink the tea? It’s getting cold.”

…I swear to the Main God, I had no intention of hurting him and tying him down.

Neither of the two adults would ever support such a method.

But flames kept rising from within.

The abnormal and illogical violence of the Holy Knight flowed out, squeezing through his weakened reason.

Sparks rose from between his tightly clenched fists. The magic tool gloves were burning.

-Sizzle…

He didn’t care. He was a man who had lived his life burning through hundreds of pairs of gloves.

And the Prince was still his only chance.

“Then I’ll just take a sip.”

The ominous noise was drowned out by the gentle words. The Holy Knight slowly raised his left hand.

Internal desires and fears began to whisper terrible words.

‘He will leave someday.’

‘If I can’t hold him, it’s better to burn him.’

‘Why is Rampage bad?’

The wren’s urgent chirping faded beyond his eardrums. At the same time, his vision turned red.

Blood vessels bulged in his temples, and the swamp of pain opened its maw. Whoosh…!

-Thump!

It was then. Someone burst through the balcony door and leaped outside.

“Ahem!”

-Crackle!

A stern command immediately fell, and the Prince’s arm froze white up to his shoulder.

Only then did he snap back to his senses. The back of his neck felt cold, and goosebumps ran down his spine.

The man checked on the Prince with wide orange eyes. The look in his eyes as he looked at himself was….

“Are you alright? Ttukseom was making a lot of noise just now. Sir Sarnes, the Prince is going to get frostbite on his arm at this rate.”

“The Prince is the one you should be worried about right now!”

Christel de Sarnes exclaimed, as if frustrated.

The surprised Prince looked at her, stopping himself from comforting the bird.

His blue-gray eyes seemed to be filled with rough waves.

“What’s the problem again, Your Highness? Please tell me.”

“Sir Sarnes. I think now is….”

“No, it was truly a touch-and-go situation. The Prince was almost about to become a noble barbecue.”

She said sharply. The Prince’s eyes widened.

It was a natural reaction since he couldn’t feel the aether of others.

But it had really been dangerous a moment ago.

Cedric clenched his mouth shut, melting his left arm by creating flower flames.

The eyes of the two men were directed at him.

“Don’t even think about running away. The teacher felt it in the room too.”

His teeth ground involuntarily. Johann Haynes was a teacher with a subtle, persistent, and annoying side.

He was contemplating jumping off the balcony as the Prince spoke.

“If it’s because of the vessel, it’s okay to talk about it later. Please tell me when you want to.”

“……”

Cedric turned to look at him in surprise. He hadn’t expected him to deduce that far.

Cheap pity or fear was not reflected in the purple mirror. He calmly continued to speak.

“Since the aether is returning, I can help you again. You have the necklace I gave you, don’t you?”

‘You haven’t used it yet.’ He muttered to himself. Christel added, feeling overwhelmed.

“If you save it too much, it’ll become poop. Please use it when you need to.”

Then she poured out words like a waterfall.

“I can always put out the fire. But you have to tell me the circumstances so I can prevent fires. If you keep it all to yourself, how will I know when it will explode again?”

-Beebeeit!

The sacred beast chimed in noisily. Cedric didn’t give an answer.

Revealing his secrets to someone required a level of trust that was worth risking each other’s lives.

So….

“If Your Highness speaks, I’ll reveal a secret too.”

Christel declared solemnly. This time, the eyes of the two men gathered on her.

“It’s not an ordinary or common story. It’s a very shocking secret, so you might not believe it. You might say you never want to see me again. But it’s real, so I’ll bet on it.”

“Sir Sarnes.”

“I wanted to tell someone too. I can’t stand being stuffy for the rest of my life. You two are very welcome. I’ll wait until Crown Prince speaks first, as Your Highness said, but since there’s no guarantee, I’m giving you a stimulus.”

“……”

Then the Prince’s eyes wavered precariously.

Strangely enough, Cedric felt curiosity about Christel’s ‘secret’ when he saw that face.

He didn’t know why, but he had a feeling that her story was hiding a great inside story.

The watery gaze stared intently at the man.

“Deal?”

She held out a small fist with words he couldn’t understand.

After a moment of silence, Cedric raised his arm quite familiarly.

It was a deal he had nothing to lose anyway.

It was the same as if nothing had happened if he didn’t open his heart for the rest of his life.

“……I accept.”

The Crown Prince bumped his fist against the fist dripping with cold water. The Prince groaned softly.

The commotion ended like that.

A night when the crescent moon gained strength and swelled.

Many things were decoded, and new things to decode appeared.

For example, Yeseo Venetian, who was looking at the starry sky with a worried expression.

*

I was really nervous that day, but thankfully, nothing happened.

That means the Crown Prince didn’t suddenly reveal anything about his physical condition, and so Christel didn’t confess that she was a transmigrator.

In fact, it had been peaceful for over a month.

I slowly but steadily regained my strength, and in the meantime, the Sun Halo Herbs in the Imperial Palace greenhouse grew rapidly, and the Emperor and the Cardinal searched the country for patients with Divine Disease and the remains of the Holy Kingdom army.

As we entered the beginning of winter, it felt like everything was back to normal.

The Juliette ban was lifted on the day the Emperor visited.

I went to the temple to receive confession as usual and learned the teachings of Cardinal Boutier.

I also attended Sir Johann’s classes, took the Lesser Pandas for walks, and watched Tite’s backstroke for two hours.

As I did so, the memories of that time gradually faded. Even the hole-punched sky.

“There will be a lot of people everywhere on the last day. Please be careful.”

“Benjamin is going with me. Don’t worry.”

I smiled at the middle-aged man.

Then I put on an Imperial-style coat and put on the thick boots that Pierre had brought.

November 30th was a pretty special day.

Because it was the end of the Harvest Festival, which made the whole country and the Imperial Capital noisy.

“Your Highness, the carriage is ready!”

Ghanael, who appeared sparkling at the door, said with a smile.

The boy was very excited about the thought of strolling with Lady Elizabeth.

I hugged the sacred beasts and got up from my seat. Demi whined and wrapped around my ankle.

It was a high-level move to prevent the fruit shuttle from going out. A burst of laughter erupted.

“I’ll be back early. I want to take my brother with me, but there are too many people.”

-Kureureureu

The Lesser Panda opened its mouth and cried, then wriggled up the table.

Then he curled up and lay down on a certain history book.

I now knew what book he was pointing to just by looking at part of the cover.

Demi was completely hooked on certain words these days.

. . Our sacred beast had big dreams.

“Okay. Later, if the Pope appears and purple smoke rises on the border, I’ll let Demi watch from the front row. Even if I have to ask His Majesty.”

-Kieung!

I soothed him with a laughter-filled voice, rubbed his belly and back a lot, and left the room.

Several imperial carriages and guards were visible outside the window.

My heart was fluttering because it was my first outing in a while.

After carefully packing Sant’s housewarming gift, the cold and refreshing air brushed against my cheeks.

I got into the carriage with a bright expression.

Sant’s naturalization celebration party, Harvest Festival, group meeting with friends.

Only fun and comfortable keywords!