What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 281

#281

The Last King of the Thousand-Year Kingdom! (5)

Let me be honest.

-Be proud of your service♪

♬Because I am the king, the ruler, the master!

“Wow······.”

-Squeak······

It was an amazing performance. The red pandas stuck out their tongues and wagged their tails.

The lira, lute, and trumpet played a wonderfully cheerful melody.

The heavy drumbeats and mysterious flute sounds also created a splendid atmosphere.

King Hanan Lumayan sang with a charming voice, and the spirits showcased magnificent dances, as if they had been honing their skills just for this day.

It felt like watching a Broadway musical touring performance from a VVIP seat.

If the situation weren’t so bad, I would have enjoyed it to the fullest, but······.

-Awoo

“Oh dear. Not fun at all, is it? Should we put Tete to sleep since it’s boring?”

-Aeoo

The harbor seal’s black eyes grew increasingly bright.

I gritted my teeth, lulling him with a swaddle.

Of course, there are plenty of things here that a baby would like.

Sparkling gold and silver treasures, soft and pretty fabrics, and hundreds of (dead) people they’ve never seen before.

I don’t know what kind of magic they used, but even the lighting was constantly changing, dazzlingly.

On top of that, there’s an exciting performance of singing and dancing!

-Wahahaha! Oh, my♪

“Sant! Are you alright?”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The priest shouted as he was swept back and forth.

Having been released from Hanan’s grasp at some point, he was now being dragged around by the spirits, going here and there.

Still, compared to how completely out of it he was earlier, he seemed much more sane now.

It was thanks to the cute divine beasts calling out to him loudly and Joan giving him a refreshing earful of curses.

That was a little scary.

-Rustle!

“Ugh!”

I flinched at the loud noise and emitted ether. [Ether is a magical energy source.]

Joan’s jaw dropped, and her headscarf slid down.

It was like a poltergeist; gold coins were suddenly piling up in one place, forming a tower.

The Angry Baron let out a bustling exclamation.

“Wow, I’ve seen everything worth seeing in my life here!”

-Your lord doesn’t have this talent, does he?♪

“Aaaagh!”

Sant trembled pitifully at the top of the gold coin pillar in an instant.

Hanan’s eyes, bigger than our heads, gleamed. She clearly seemed to have lost her reason.

At first, I didn’t quite grasp it because I was taken aback by the familiar song, but now that I looked, the king’s condition was quite serious.

It wasn’t surprising that she had become like that after dwelling on anger and betrayal for a thousand years.

I would have gone crazy too.

-Boom boom, boom boom!

-♬My people, my command is not two, but three
You must listen carefully and carry it out properly♪
♪You’ve never served a master like me

Thinking that far, the lyrics somehow sounded eerie.

The chorus of red spirits echoed like a spell.

The song was already past its climax and heading towards the ending.

It was fortunate that I could catch the timing for sure because I knew the song.

I quickly checked on my friends.

Everyone was busy looking for India or searching for a way out of the crypt.

Sir John was flying through the air on the other side of the crypt.

Marion, sitting securely in his arms, reached out her fingers to carefully check the cracks in the wall.

The Crown Prince was opening a door on the floor.

I couldn’t see where Christel had gone, but it was really time to prepare.

I smiled brightly at the Cardinal, who met my eyes.

‘It seems like it will end soon. Please prepare!’

Then Sir John gave me a smiling look.

He said that if we didn’t listen to the end of the song, our souls would be free from the spirits.

I hastily gathered the cotton wool that the divine beasts had prepared earlier.

I firmly blocked Joan’s and the red pandas’ ears with it, put it in my own ears, and then tightly closed Tete’s earholes with both palms.

Sir John would block the sound, but we had to prepare just in case, ugh!

-Tan! Tan! Tan! Tan!♪

-Never! Served! A master!♪

The volume went wild! Hanan waved her arms as she sang the last lyrics.

Bang! Bang! Cold energy burst from her firm fingertips like celebratory gunfire.

The flowing fabric connecting her shoulders and wrists fluttered madly.

Her wavy long hair writhed ominously like the tongues of snakes, like the legs of an octopus.

The red pandas curled up like balls at her feet. Tete buried his head in my arms.

Come to think of it, she was also a paladin in her lifetime. [A paladin is a holy warrior.]

Marion explained that she was also the youngest Cardinal of Unio. [Cardinal is a high-ranking position in some religions.]

If so, what attribute would it have been? She can’t use ether itself now because she’s a ghost,

-Won’t be―!♪

-Babbam Bbam! Babbam Bbam!♬

“Heo······.”

My thoughts were cut off. The final music was raging like a storm.

Hanan and the spirits began to dance a fast and frantic dance.

It was a sight that made my eyes go blank even though my ears were ringing.

They seemed possessed, and the dance of death felt like a kind of exorcism.

It was a lament that was becoming increasingly fierce, pulsating strongly, and red mist bursting out like a sigh.

Each note played carried a dagger-like emotion.

-Thump! Thump! Thump!♪

“······.”

I felt like my blood was running cold for a moment. Sant, sitting on the red throne, had his eyes closed!

“Gummy bear priest!”

“Sant!”

Joan and I shouted at the same time.

Then the young man opened his eyes wide and frantically covered his ears. At that moment,

-Pat!

······All the noise disappeared. Even the reverberation beyond the cotton wool turned cleanly to zero.

I quickly looked up at the ceiling. Marion and the white-haired paladin were smiling sweetly.

Crown Prince Cedric was expressionless, but Sant’s eyes were as big as saucers, wondering if he couldn’t hear anything.

Demi, Perry, and Leah were constantly flapping their ears. Our plan had succeeded!

‘······What’s going on.’

The king, who finished the song in an elegant pose, moved her lips in embarrassment.

Deep bewilderment was evident beneath the thick eye makeup of the long-lived.

Surprise and anxiety filled the empty eyes of the spirits as well.

Until a little while ago, it seemed like there was still a similar feeling of expectation flickering.

‘Why isn’t anything happening? Why······.’

-Pat!

-Why is it still the same!

‘The same, the same, the same!’ A roar close to screaming shook the crypt.

It felt like my eardrums would burst because Sir John released the air again.

If I hadn’t been wearing cotton wool, my head would have been ringing.

I immediately reduced the size of the sanctuary and moved to the corner with Joan.

It wouldn’t be good to catch Hanan’s eye right now.

She was only looking at Sant earlier, so it was okay, but now I didn’t know if the sparks would fly to Joan or the little ones.

The red panda trio ran across the gold coins.

Sir John and the Crown Prince were also coming back.

-You! How dare you cover your ears? No, no······.

-Clatter!

Her sharp nose knocked Sant over, chair and all.

‘Heuaaak!’ The priest screamed and tumbled into the gold field.

I looked at him worriedly. Fortunately, it seemed like he hadn’t been hurt so far.

A hint of sadness flashed in the woman’s eyes, stained with anger.

-What kind of sorcery did you use? You’re mocking me like your cowardly ancestor did!

“Ah, no. I······.”

-You’re making fun of me!

Whirr! The outline of the ghost, resembling flames, spread in all directions.

It wasn’t hot, but it was terribly red and threatening.

Everything from her cheeks to the tips of her eyelashes was all fire.

Sant quickly got up and hid behind a pillar.

He didn’t forget to exchange glances with me as he ran away. His round eyes were very determined.

He meant that he would hold out alone and buy time.

He was also a clergyman who could deploy a sanctuary, although weak.

I nodded immediately and greeted the group.

Let’s trust Sant.

“Did you find anything?”

“It seems that the path we used is all there is on the ceiling side, Your Highness.”

“There were a lot of old words written on the wall, but there wasn’t enough time to read them all. There were no strange symbols or pictures. There’s no sign of India either.”

Braided Marion whispered. I sent a smile to the child and turned to the Crown Prince.

He answered bluntly.

“The door hidden on the floor leads to another path.”

“Really?”

“It was a trap.”

The corners of my lips lifted slightly and then drooped again. He made a dissatisfied expression.

“Are you going to face thousands of venomous snakes without even avoiding the rocks properly?”

“Oh, no.”

It was a snake pit? You should have said so earlier. I waved my hand roughly and looked around.

Christel was still nowhere to be seen.

“Don’t worry, she’s nearby. She’s safe. It seems like she’s looking for a path in a different way than we are.”

Then Sir John said soothingly.

I thought so, but I was relieved to get a definite answer,

-I won’t forgive you!

“Tteuaaaak!”

“Aaaagh!”

-Screech!

-Awoo!

We rolled through the treasure field, screaming loudly.

My heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would pop out of my mouth.

Hanan, who hadn’t paid attention to us since waking up from the whip, was looking at us for the first time.

She leaned her forehead against the golden dome of the sanctuary and glared at us like beasts.

“Your Highness, I’m sorry! I was caught right away!”

Sant, hanging upside down in her grasp, apologized. His comeback was faster than I thought!

-How dare you trespass into my tomb, wander around presumptuously, and scribble with ignorant fingers······.

“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry, Your Majesty Hanan Lumayan.”

I immediately stepped forward and apologized. Joan tried to stop me, but I pushed forward.

This was something I had to apologize for.

I calmly explained the situation and spoke with sincerity.

“We came to find a lost ten-year-old and it turned out like this. It’s as if the child was kidnapped, so I think she left those marks to ask for help from the adults who were following. I will make sure to erase the graffiti cleanly and warn the child so that the same thing doesn’t happen again. I will inform the villagers that this is Your Majesty’s tomb and ask them to be careful. I apologize like this.”

-······.

“Also, I understand that you are not receiving adequate protection. We will request the necessary repairs and guards from the Vatican,”

-If you woke me up from my sleep.

The king cut me off.

I had the illusion that tears were welling up in her large, glass-like eyes.

The ornament covering her forehead was trembling.

Joan and I swallowed hard and looked up at Hanan.

-Wouldn’t you have to pay that much atonement······?

The stern voice dropped sharply.

Only then did I realize that I was not mistaken.

She was truly desperate now.

The spirits emitted a dull light and guarded their lord.

-Are you trying to say that everything was a mistake? You kill us with frustration, crush our heart shells, and tear apart even the scraps of our remaining souls!

“Huk. Keueuk······.”

I barely swallowed a groan, looking at Sant, who was being held upside down by Hanan.

I felt sorry and guilty for his face, which was red from the blood rushing to it.

I shouldn’t have sent him alone. He’s still young. I’m much older than him.

“······I’m sorry. So that you don’t get hurt like this again,”

-A thousand years!

The woman’s voice crashed like a storm right in front of me.

I squeezed my eyes shut and barely straightened my staggering knees.

The sensation of my hair scattering was vivid.

Unlike us, who were completely disheveled, Sir John and the Crown Prince stood nobly like sculptures, facing her.

Marion buried her face in the Cardinal’s back and trembled. Hanan let out a desperate cry.

-Do you describe the humiliation we have suffered for a thousand years with mere wounds! You don’t know anything. We have lost so much. We don’t remember what we were like in life, what we cherished and what we hated, or even how we lost our lives······!

‘Do you know the misery of forgetting even the reason for being angry!’ She waved her arms wildly.

Please! I was anxious that something would happen to Sant, so I stepped forward even more.

Demi clung to my boots, but I ignored her.

By now, the veins on the priest’s forehead were bulging. He was breathing heavily, probably because it was very difficult.

The harbor seal in my arms trembled. I pleaded, holding my teacher’s staff so hard that it would break.

“Your Majesty, I misspoke. Please forgive me.”

-I am bound by my resentment and cannot escape! I am suffering from the curse I uttered myself and must remain trapped here forever. Until Roseharder frees me!

I opened my eyes wide even amidst the ringing in my ears. This was an unexpected behind story.

The reason she wanted ‘three services’ was not ultimately to take revenge on the Roseharder family.

Hanan had a face that looked like it would collapse at any moment.

However, spirits were beings that could not shed tears.

“Your Majesty.”

-But this guy rejected me. He blocked the spell with a wicked method and made even my innocent people spend another thousand years here again!

“Please listen. It’s not Sant’s fault. We―”

-So I will kill him!

The king raised her arm high. ‘Kkeuaaaa!’ Sant soared to the ceiling with a whoosh.

“No!”

The situation escalated to the extreme in an instant. I was horrified and ran.

There was no time or reason to think about the consequences. Demi cried loudly from behind, but I pretended not to hear.

I punched the Crown Prince’s arm that was holding me back and shook off Sir John with all my might.

As soon as I barely broke free from the men, I rushed at Hanan.

Knowing that ether doesn’t work on spirits.

But I couldn’t just stand by and watch.

Because that child was about to meet his father soon and said he was happy now.

[Please stop!]!

-Paaaa······!

At first, I thought it was the light of the sanctuary. But it wasn’t.

Hanan, greatly surprised, regained her posture and stepped back.

The spirits rushed into the wall like a wave. I was horrified by the unfamiliar radiance.

To be exact―

-Ah······. How can such a young one possess the ‘roots of the temple’!

From all over my teacher’s black, rusted holy staff, a faint beige golden light was being emitted.