What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 191

#191 When the Clock Strikes Many Times (2)

It was dusk.

-Rustle, rustle…

The ‘woman’ staggered onto the wide lawn.

She practically threw down the basket she had struggled to carry.

It was becoming truly difficult to breathe.

Her knees felt like they would buckle at any moment, but she decided to endure.

Endurance was part of her soul.

“Hah, huh, ugh…”

Emptiness, futility, vanity. Such empty words flashed through her mind.

Her body was protesting its limits.

In the small, peaceful territory of the southwest, which resembled its master, a cold wind did not blow.

To meet her end in a place that wasn’t cold might be the greatest luxury for an ‘orphan’.

It was a life of coming with empty hands and leaving with nothing.

The same was true for everyone in the troupe.

So, a lonely death was destined from the start.

But why did it feel so futile?

In her short life, what had she lived for so desperately, to the point of breaking her body?

“Ha. Hahaha…”

The woman gasped at the sight before her.

The Liester Empire was a prosperous land.

The current emperor was one who cherished his people and boasted firm authority.

Even a clown living at the bottom of the empire knew and had learned what kind of person he was.

But the emperor was too high up. That was her only complaint.

No matter how much a ruler loved and cared for his subjects, he could not possibly scour every corner of his territory.

It was physically impossible. A king was a human, not a god.

“No, that’s not right.”

The woman murmured. If he were a god, he might have been even more ruthless to her.

The continent’s fickle monotheistic god was sometimes chillingly cruel.

“…Why did I pray so hard?”

She had neither succeeded in revenge nor protected the one she held dear.

Looking back, it seemed she had never received the grace of the god in her life.

Otherwise, the end of her life wouldn’t be so cracked and parched like drought-stricken land.

-Quack, quack, kiruluk!

A flock of geese waddled nearby, shaking their wet feet. She envied them.

The woman stood blankly, greedily taking in the warmth of other beings.

That was her last theft.

And she waited for the end.

*

The horizon where the setting sun had disappeared was dyed dark purple.

Before long, the sky was studded with stars.

-Clatter, clack, clatter!

“There it is, Your Highness. The Marquisate Temple!”

Cristel pointed out the carriage window. I gripped Yuliter’s headdress tightly.

We had departed from Juliette Palace in a frenzy a few hours ago.

We had been too busy jumping into the carriage and getting on and off the portal to even put the headdress in a box.

In haste, I had carefully packed the crystal bell in my inner pocket.

When the imperial carriage appeared without notice, the two knights guarding the temple were visibly startled.

“Whoa, whoa!”

-Neigh!

A long line quickly formed at the entrance to the Serenité Marquisate.

As soon as the coachman opened the door, we tumbled out.

Dduk-shim was with us, and he soared into the sky in an instant and disappeared.

One of the knights, after confirming our identities, hurried towards the lord’s castle.

He was probably going to inform the head of the servants, Chantal. The other one quickly bowed.

“Greetings, Crown Prince Cedrick and Marquis Yeseo Fenetian!”

“Hello. Um, where is the painting? Joan’s new work, .”

I asked urgently. Just as the knight was about to answer,

“Oh? Isn’t that Flower Bud Marquis!”

A familiar face walked unsteadily from the end of the small temple’s colonnade.

A couple of soldiers who had been watching her saluted us breathlessly.

“Did you come down because it’s cold?”

It was Joan de As, the eldest of the fallen As barony.

Aside from the fancy cloth covering her head being thicker for the winter and her cheeks and hands being stained with paint, there were no major changes.

Her light brown skin glowed with health, indicating that she was eating and living well.

She swaggered, waving her arms, smelling of oil paint, and then, belatedly discovering Crown Prince Cedrick, she was horrified and prostrated herself.

Did you just recognize his face!

“Greetings, Your Highness. Yes.”

“…Where is the painting?”

The Crown Prince asked, sighing.

He seemed to have half-adapted to Joan’s absurd behavior.

Then Joan raised her head sharply and looked around at us.

“Did you come to see my painting in advance? Marquis, are you that interested in art?”

‘I’m glad I sent the sketch.’ She smiled like a rascal.

Her face, covered in white paint, reminded me of the three troublesome treasures I had left at the Imperial Palace.

When I looked at her with desperate eyes without answering, Joan awkwardly wiped her nose.

“The completion is all done. It’s hanging in the lobby, but it can be modified before the public opening. You can see it as soon as you go inside.”

“Please confirm that it is safe inside.”

I immediately requested the temple knight. He nodded reliably and ran to the lobby.

Lady Elizabeth gestured, and some of the guards accompanied him.

“Were there any suspicious people?”

The deputy commander asked sharply.

Ganael was hiding behind his fiancée, only peeking out his head.

Joan rolled her eyes and opened her mouth.

“Hmm… Who are you looking for? This is a temple. Anyone comes. The Marquis told me to let anyone come and go freely, regardless of status. When I was painting the Marquis, everyone in the neighborhood came out to watch.”

“What about people who came today? They would have been alone. A woman wrapped in robes, and her height is only about Sarnez’s [Cristel’s]. She might be in poor health.”

“Well. Oh!”

At my question, she gapped. A suddenly raised index finger hovered in the air.

Cristel, with a look as if she had eaten four sweet potatoes in a row without milk, asked, ‘What is it?’

The artist frowned deeply.

“Well, but… she wasn’t that suspicious.”

“We’ll be the judge of that!”

Cristel showed a fierce reaction. It was then.

“Your Highness! Marquis!”

The temple knight who had gone to the lobby rushed out. Our eyes focused.

He bowed respectfully and reported the situation. His face, flickering in the torchlight, was pale.

“The , has fallen to the floor. It seems someone tried to move the artwork but failed. There is blood pooled at the scene, apparently left by the culprit. The blood trail leads to the back door, and the guards are currently searching the temple grounds.”

Cristel’s, mine, and the Crown Prince’s gazes quickly met.

Joan shouted, ‘My masterpiece!’ and ran inside. Lady Elizabeth gestured immediately.

“Haynes and I will take care of the two of you. All of you chase after Victoire, and you go to the lord’s castle and accurately convey the situation. Don’t miss a single drop of blood!”

“Yes, Deputy Commander!”

“Yes, Lady Elizabeth!”

The guards scattered with a few torchbearers.

We moved as one without speaking.

Quickly entering the temple lobby, we saw bloodstains scattered on the floor.

Sir Johann bent down to observe the blood closely. I hurriedly whispered to him.

“Sir Johann, you mustn’t taste it this time. You might get sick.”

“Haha. I’ll keep that in mind.”

He replied in a soft voice.

I don’t know what he went through while living as a high-ranking mercenary.

Turning my gaze, I saw Cristel standing blankly, looking at Joan.

The young artist was stroking the frame of her painting, relieved.

I thought it would be about the size of the Mona Lisa, but the canvas was as tall as the Crown Prince!

“That was close, it would have been a disaster if it had been torn or scratched!”

“…That’s a relief.”

I barely answered.

Joan’s new painting, , was a finished work on a different level from the preliminary sketch I had received before.

Each strand of golden hair was so vivid that it seemed you could grab it.

The purple eyes, which met your gaze from any angle, were so full of life that they were mysteriously vibrant.

I don’t think I’ve ever smiled brightly in front of Joan, but how she imagined and painted such an expression was uncanny.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t my face, but it was still incredibly embarrassing to see it like this…

“It’s worth possessing. It’s so pretty.”

Cristel muttered as if possessed. I doubted my ears.

“Excuse me?”

“Sell it to me, Ms. As.”

Cristel said firmly. Joan blinked her lemon-colored eyes.

I immediately waved my hand.

“Sir Sarnez, you mustn’t forget the purpose of your visit. We are here to catch Madame Victoire,”

“There’s an old saying: Buy pretty things even if they’re expensive. Even if you regret it later, pretty things remain.”

You just made that up!

“You’re so open-minded.”

“Don’t emulate that aspect, Ganael. Everyone, focus. Joan said she saw a suspicious person. We need to continue hearing her statement.”

I calmly scolded the two children.

Joan tapped the edge of the canvas and frowned.

“I don’t remember how far I got.”

“Ah, I should have brought cider.”

Cristel sighed. I wasn’t flustered.

“You said you saw someone who wasn’t very suspicious.”

“Right! That’s right. She was wearing a robe full of holes and staggering, so the soldiers even helped her to the sanctuary. That was about two hours ago. I thought she came to pray because she was in a lot of pain, but,”

-Bwee-bwee!

At that moment, Dduk-shim flew into the room, crying loudly.

He sat on the Crown Prince’s shoulder and hopped, shook his tail on Cristel’s arm, and finally landed on my palm and chattered wildly.

The little guy’s small chest repeatedly puffed up and deflated busily.

“Calm down, Dduk-shim. You’re going to explode. What’s wrong?”

-Bwirrrr, bwee-bwee, bwirrrr!

I gently stroked his belly with my thumb.

His black eyes sparkled as he looked at me intently. Could it be.

“Did you find Victoire?”

-Bwee-bo!

The inside of his bright yellow beak opened wide. Correct!

“Sir Johann.”

“Leave it to me.”

When I urgently called his name, he understood the meaning of my words in an instant and gave an answer.

At the same time as his mint-colored eyes curved, a warm breeze began to blow.

*

…This is really absurd.

-Flap, flap!

How is this possible?

“Marquis, you’re not heavy at all! You’re as light as a feather!”

“I understand…”

I said that and shut my mouth.

And I quietly snuggled, looking at any part of the night sky.

Yes. I was ‘snuggled’ by Cristel de Sarnez, the protagonist of !

I had always thought that when Dduk-shim transformed into the Ark of Biryeom, I had to personally pull or lift the other person in order to fly with them.

I believed that the ark greatly reduced air resistance, but my strength was also needed to some extent.

But the divine object that ignored the laws of physics and flew with one wing was different.

Now that I see it, anyone can fly as long as they don’t fall off me.

‘Wouldn’t it be easy to fly if one person held the other?’

‘Yes, I’ll try.’

When Cristel suggested it, I naturally thought that I would be holding her and flying.

The result was the opposite.

I was amazed that Cristel, who didn’t know the principle of Dduk-shim’s flight at all, came up with this idea.

The wings are attached to me, but the protagonist is doing aerial walking…

“Hahahahaha!”

Lady Elizabeth no longer hid her laughter.

The Count and the Crown Prince, who were flying with Sir Johann’s power, were as relaxed as if they were out for a walk.

I was the only one embarrassed at this party. Cristel smiled at me as beautifully as a star.

It felt like my face would explode before Dduk-shim did.

-Whoosh!

At that moment, the ark dived sharply. Cristel screamed with pleasure.

I quickly checked the ground. The destination where Victoire was, was also a familiar place.

Behind the lord’s castle, a small hill with a large lake. The place where we had a picnic.

A small, precarious figure was standing in the middle of it.

“I smell blood.”

Sir Johann said. We landed nimbly on the lawn.

Cristel carefully put me down. Then the ‘woman’s’ back reacted calmly.

“Have you come.”

The old robe and long hair were fluttering in the breeze.

Although it was different from when she imitated Cristel, it was still a clear and young voice.

I replied with a wry smile.

“Yes. I thought you seemed very tired.”

“…”

“I want to help you. Grandma Pom.”

“Hehehe.”

At my words, the woman began to laugh softly.

The clear tone gradually became rough, and the upright waist slowly bent.

We watched the scene in silence.

‘Cough, cough!’ The body that was shaking with a rough cough barely stopped after a long time.

She moved her thin neck and slowly looked back at us.

Under the moonlight, the wrinkled eyes were not unfamiliar.

“I brought an apple… It’s a fruit as pretty as the Marquis. Would you like a bite?”