What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 275

#275

Langbujet Caravan and the Intruders (5)

Paladin Johann Haynes shot out into the desert like an arrow.

-Whoo-oong!

-Paa-aaaa!

Intense sonic booms chased after him as if in a race.

The sand erupted in large firework shapes, creating a hazy dust storm.

His white hair scattered like a dancer’s fingertips, and the caravanserai quickly receded behind him.

His oasis-like mint-colored eyes glanced back.

There was no one at the window anymore. His two disciples were admirably quick on the uptake and swift in action.

Their mana sensitivity was also excellent, enough to protect their master, who was always a step behind.

-Whirr, whirr!

“······.”

The Cardinal’s gaze returned to the front.

A swirling black cloud was rising into the sky.

To the uninitiated, it might have looked like a rain cloud.

But if it were such a welcome sight, the man wouldn’t have come out this far to meet it.

Nor would he have jumped out of the inn window, or separated himself from the person he had to protect with his life.

-Whirr whirr whirr!

-Weeee-ing······!

A deafening cacophony shook the heavens and the earth. The opponent was a familiar presence.

In the wake of those creatures, only the bones of humans and beasts remained.

Johann, who had wandered the Shin-guk [a fictional kingdom] and the desert as a mercenary since childhood, had naturally faced them before.

Monsters that quietly slumbered in dark caves, only to awaken in a flash at the slightest touch and devour their prey.

Superior demonic beasts with shells as hard as amber.

Black Amber Wasps.

-Whirr! Whoong whoong!

“Khaaa! My ears! Ugh!”

“Jump into the water! Quick!”

“Aaaaaaah!”

Scattered blood droplets and piercing screams.

The knights who had encountered the swarm in front were flailing their arms madly as they ran.

They were the ones who had set out to find the ten-year-old girl, India.

Judging by their direction, this commotion had originated from the ruins.

They or a group of tomb raiders must have awakened and angered the demonic beasts.

They had all left on horseback, but only two were still mounted.

If they had grabbed the reins, they would have been less endangered, but they seemed to have chosen to sacrifice the horses as bait and run.

‘Heeheeing! Heeheeheeing!’ In the distance, horses lay scattered, having become food for the swarm of demonic beasts.

Humans often made very irrational decisions when faced with urgent situations.

The Black Amber Wasps now moved with the precision of a flock of migratory birds, swelling in size.

The dark, massive shadow resembled the head of a venomous snake.

It was their specialty to intimidate by mimicking larger, more threatening beasts.

Johann’s eyes shone calmly.

“Aaaagh! Father!”

“God of Shin-guk!”

-Swishhhhh······

Amid the hellish screams, a white wind gathered in the knight’s palm.

He wasn’t happy about using his powers in front of the Papal State’s lackey, but there was no other way.

The Blessing of the Open Sea, the Hyegeom of Mars, and the Ark of Bireom [likely powerful artifacts].

It would have been strange if the demonic beasts hadn’t reacted, with three divine objects nearby.

In any case, if he didn’t stop them here, they would overrun the inn and the village.

Then his master would open the Holy Land without hesitation for the sake of the helpless.

It was safer for his identity to remain hidden until they reached the Papal State.

Above all, his lord wanted the peace of a ten-year-old child he didn’t even know.

Just as he had done for Herrit. That was enough.

Johann closed his eyes. The knight’s robes billowed out.

Like a solitary lily, serene amidst the carnage and chaos.

“Damn it! Pour water on them!”

“There’s none! I said there’s none! I left it on the saddle!”

“Haaagh! It hurts! It hurts so much!”

Flash! His eyelids snapped open. His right hand was raised straight.

The parched air immediately obeyed him.

-Wheeeee!

-Whoo-oong······!

The light breeze that wrapped around his forearm began to spin rapidly clockwise.

Soon, the gentle breeze turned into a gale, and the serene jade-colored gaze transformed into the dark center of reincarnation.

-Kwaaaaaaa!

“Ugh!”

A fierce wave of energy stirred the sand and soared into the sky.

The survivors were thrown back mercilessly by the near-explosive impact.

Sasa삭! Sharp grains of sand, like shards of glass, flew in all directions, but left no trace on the paladin’s collar.

The vortex relentlessly engulfed the swarm of Black Amber Wasps and pierced the firmament.

It trapped them in a wall of wind, preventing them from flying anywhere.

Whirr, weeing, weee-ing! The wasps buzzed wildly in resistance. But today, they were out of luck.

“Return to dust.”

Ssaeeeck! At the same time, gears formed in the center of the whirlwind.

The soft whisper and the gruesome noise mixed together in a bizarrely natural way.

-Papatapat!

-Kwakwakwakwa!

“What on earth is that······!”

The search party, buried in the sand, gasped.

It was a sight too terrifying to be called the power of the Shin-guk.

The sky, which had been covered in black with evil insects, cleared, and a jet-black whirlwind was raging in its place.

Unable to bear the miraculous sight, two or three soldiers finally lost consciousness.

A knight raised a trembling finger.

“Th-there! The wind is killing the wasps! It’s cutting them like blades!”

“Good heavens!”

-Pabababat!

‘Kieeeeeek!’ A cry of pain, a maddened wind, and the gruesome sound of the demonic beasts’ bodies being torn apart echoed through the desert.

‘Uwaaaack!’ Some who watched couldn’t overcome their fear and nausea and vomited.

Johann calmly watched the demonic beasts being pulverized before turning his gaze.

The Papal State knight flinched and widened his eyes as their gazes met.

He seemed to have recognized the paladin even in the chaos.

He gaped, unaware that sand was entering his throat.

The fingertip pointing at Johann trembled incessantly.

“Y-you, could it be······. Are you that commoner!”

The opponent appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties.

He was old enough to know better, but he lacked tact.

Well, being demoted to this region at his age meant he must have been quite incompetent.

Johann said in a reprimanding tone.

“You’d better keep your mouth shut.”

“It is you! ‘The Papal State’s Cleaner’, cough! Keuheuk!”

He grabbed his throat and collapsed to the side.

The veins on his forehead and neck stood out tautly, and his face flushed red as he suffocated.

‘Sir Knight! Sir Knight!’ The soldiers grabbed him, who was gagging, and screamed.

Johann remained indifferent even as he watched them turn pale.

Murder was not a difficult thing for him.

It was an act he had committed countless times to survive, and one he would commit without hesitation if necessary in the future. But······.

“Khaaa! Cough cough! Keulleok!”

The paladin withdrew his power.

“Are you alright! Can you breathe now?!”

“Kkulukkkuluk! Heoeok!”

Today, this was enough. He wanted to return with as clean a body and mind as possible.

His still young disciples had never stained their hands with human blood.

His Royal Highness the Prince still believed him to be a ‘good person,’ even after he had almost killed him.

His son, who had gained weight since coming to the Empire, smiled all day long for no particular reason.

The man wanted to live up to all those expectations.

“Keolleokkeolleok, you! How dare a commoner lay hands on a noble! If my mother knew······.”

“Do you want to end up like that?”

Johann asked, gesturing to the Dragon Soar [likely the whirlwind]. Unlike his gentle tone, the content was terrifying.

The survivors trembled as one, looking up at the storm of slaughter.

Torn wings and mud-like fluids from the demonic beasts swirled together.

Kwakwakwakwa······! Wheee-ing······!

-Kieeeeeek!

“······What do you want! Is it money!?”

“Keep what you saw today a secret.”

When the middle-aged man asked, spitting, the paladin answered plainly.

The soldiers stared at him with blank faces for a moment.

Did he really think that was possible when he said such a thing?

Surely a whirlwind of this size would have been visible not only from Cha-um Village but also from the next settlement.

What were they supposed to report when they returned······.

“You can say that a giant sandstorm struck the swarm of demonic beasts, miraculously saving the village.”

“Hu, heoe······.”

“Don’t talk about me anywhere in the desert. Unless you want an early death.”

‘Ssaeeaeaeck!’ No sooner had Johann finished speaking than the wind intensified.

His long white hair fluttered like a warning, and his drooping eyes curved as if urging them on.

It was an expression with as little warmth as a sliver, like the smile of an ancient statue.

The search party was immediately terrified.

So they nodded their heads frantically, covered in sand.

*

I stared out the window in astonishment.

Demi, Leia, Perry, and Tite also opened their small mouths wide in turn.

The crystal bell in my arms was silent, as if it had never rung noisily.

It no longer emitted light.

“What is this······.”

-Wheeeee!

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. It was like a scene from [a popular adventure movie].

From the horizon beyond Cha-um Village, a mountain-sized sandstorm swallowed a swarm of black beetles (though I wasn’t sure, that’s what it was in the movie) in one gulp and receded.

It felt like witnessing a colossal whale, like Monstro [a whale from Pinocchio], eating krill on land.

The sudden crisis was resolved even more suddenly. It was amazing and bewildering.

No, I mean, thank goodness, but······.

Does this even make sense? Is it true that the heavens always help the main couple?

“Good Shin-guk. This is truly a miracle of God! Don’t you think?”

Joan exclaimed loudly and jumped up from her seat.

Her lemon-colored eyes, searching for paper and charcoal, sparkled with inspiration.

Conversely, Sant, completely drained of energy, collapsed.

‘Kieeii!’ The troublesome kids, belatedly excited, jumped up and down, attacking his stomach.

The Crown Prince slowly sheathed his sword and turned around. His gaze and mine locked instantly.

“I guess so. The wind just happened to, heok!”

A tingling sensation ran down my spine in an instant. I quickly jumped up and clung to the window frame.

The Crown Prince looked at me with a surprised expression. Hey, I have a good memory too!

“India, Your Highness. That child is still in the ruins!”

“Ha.”

He let out a sigh with a ‘well, of course’ expression.

Listen, saving people’s lives isn’t a simple matter!

“Isn’t that the direction of the ruins? Maybe they accidentally disturbed an ancient tomb and were cursed······.”

“Your imagination runs wild.”

Crash bang! Slam!

“The tomb alarm must have gone off, right! It’s the curse of the mummy!”

Cristel hurriedly ran over, opened the door, and shouted. I nodded right away.

As expected, Ms. Gain knew something.

Crown Prince Cedrick finally sighed, but he didn’t know anything about this genre, so he could react like that.

What can you say to someone who hasn’t seen or [another adventure movie]!

“More importantly, are your family members safe?”

“Yes, everyone is fine. They were very surprised, but they said they enjoyed the wonderful sight.”

Well, I guess that’s typical of Cristel’s family. Anyway, I’m glad everyone is safe.

While Cristel asked about our well-being and talked about Joan and Mirani, I carefully observed the situation outside.

Due to the aftershocks, things were knocked over and flower pots were broken here and there.

Fortunately, it seemed that no one was seriously injured.

The buildings were sturdy enough that there were no cracks.

Then, people who appeared to be villagers rushed into the caravanserai, looking for the manager, Monica.

I also diligently looked around. How far did Sir Johann go?

Monica is over there!

“Heoeong, eoeeoeong! My sister, heuk, heongheong······.”

“Shhh. It’s okay. Marion, everything will be alright.”

I widened my eyes.

Monica, who had roughly stopped the bleeding from her eyebrow with a towel, was hugging and comforting a young child.

The braided girl in her arms was tear-streaked enough to worry about dehydration.

That child was ‘Theologian Marion,’ India’s sister.

A terrifying energy had emanated from the direction of the ruins where her sister had gone, so anyone would react as if they had lost a loved one.

A feeling of pity filled me like a rising tide. I quickly turned to the Crown Prince.

“If Monica is okay with it, I would like to use my healing power to treat her wounds. And help calm the child down.”

“······.”

That look is easy. It means I can do as I please.

“Thank you.”

I smiled brightly and leaned out the window again.

Cristel came right next to me and stuck close.

“Monica! Oh my, why is there blood!”

“It’s okay. I just got cut a little by the shelf.”

“Call a doctor! A doctor who knows how to stitch! Monica is hurt!”

“Oh my goodness. Marion, come here. Don’t cry.”

‘We’ll find your sister, don’t worry.’ The villagers, who surrounded Monica and Marion, offered their sincere condolences.

They busily took care of the patient and handed the child a water bottle.

Just as I was wrinkling my nose because a corner of my heart was aching,

“······Huh?”

The little girl and I made eye contact. Marion stopped crying and opened her mouth wide.

I was flustered and quickly touched my face. I couldn’t feel anything.

A chill ran down my arm in an instant.

My glasses are gone.

“Your Highness, I think that baby saw Your Highness?”

“Yes······. I think so.”

I muttered in a daze.

The iris-colored camouflage glasses (1614 S/S Duem Rose Limited Edition) made by the Empire’s genius handsome inventor were not on my nose.

I had foolishly let my guard down and exposed my purple eyes!

-Tak

At that moment, Sir Johann appeared, handing Marion a handkerchief and blocking her view.

I felt sorry and embarrassed to him, so I quickly crouched down under the window.

Father Herrit, it’s too late. I got caught again in the same pattern as last time!