What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 320

#320

The Black Prince (4)

“Goodness.”

Wilhelmina responded immediately with warmth, her voice full of sorrow and her tone gentle.

“How much you must have suffered. I can hardly fathom the shock you, a person of such importance, must have endured.”

“Yes. Zanin has been present in every moment I can recall.”

“How could such a tragedy occur…”

Elysee made eye contact with Duke Sneider at the opportune moment.

His ordinary eyes looked back at her.

It was a gaze that pitied the young man’s wounds.

The wrinkles around his eyes were layered with feelings of sorrow.

Yet, the one who had been instigating Zanin for decades was none other than Wilhelmina herself.

He was the one who received reports on her every move and thoroughly controlled her.

The Crown Princess miraculously suppressed her emotional outburst.

That kind of acting was just like her father’s. So, she could handle it with familiarity.

“…It was because I was careless. As the heir to the throne, I was imprudent.”

By the grace of the gods, her voice flowed out without trembling.

Elysee thought her acting wasn’t bad.

She knew she was woefully inadequate to face a veteran of over sixty years.

She had wasted her life with both eyes and ears closed.

Even though she had many external activities, she had grown up among her father and aunt’s people for thirty years, so she was no different from a frog in a well [an idiom for someone with limited experience or perspective].

But now she had to break free.

To protect her mother and younger sibling, to salvage even the framework of the Divine Nation, she had to escape the well.

She had to do so to soothe the spirit of the deceased Yeseo.

“Why blame yourself? Do not let the sins of the wicked overshadow the virtues of the righteous.”

“I am grateful for your comfort.”

Whether she had to break through a stone wall, or crawl until all her fingernails fell out.

Even if she was covered in blood, she would do whatever it took.

“…The day the Crown Prince crosses over, our victory cry will resound!”

“Waaaaaah!”

The high-pitched voices of the cardinals and soldiers continued.

Elysee silently turned her gaze towards them.

“Shout towards the front lines!”

“Aaaaaaah—!”

A fierce roar, crossing the fields, passing through the valleys, shaking the mountains to their roots, spread out.

The cheers of thousands were as boisterous as a shower of fireworks.

Such noise was more than enough to awaken the beasts hidden in various places.

Those who were excited in that way would easily attack nearby villages.

It was obvious that this was the intended result.

That would endanger even the inhabitants of the territories occupied by the Imperial Army.

This was not Elysee’s way.

She was someone who believed that civilian casualties during war should be minimized.

But Wilhelmina Sneider did not treat the commoners who surrendered to the enemy with mercy.

The Divine Nation’s military commanders were the same.

The Crown Princess gritted her teeth.

“If the attendant was an Imperial spy, shouldn’t we also suspect his family?”

The Duke spoke cautiously. Elysee gave her answer as if she had been waiting for it.

“I would like to borrow your hand in that matter.”

“Shout towards the front lines!”

“Yaaaaaaah…!”

Against the backdrop of the sound echoing across the field, Wilhelmina stared at her for a long time.

It was her unique, penetrating gaze.

The Crown Princess used her sapphire-like, hard eyes as a shield.

For now, she had to give him trust. She couldn’t let him harbor even a sliver of doubt.

Whether it was a military training method or whatever, refuting and confronting him would only make things difficult for her.

She still had to appear as a puppet who knew nothing and relied heavily on her father and the Sneider family.

That was the only way her mother and younger sibling would be safe.

…Until she could properly wield a spear, that was the right thing to do.

“I could order the Count of the Court, but as you know, he is busy assisting His Majesty. He must be racking his brains day and night over the military audit. The Sneider family has many talented people, so I would like to receive support from the Royal Guard if possible.”

“…I will do my best, Your Highness.”

Wilhelmina bowed her head. After all, most of the Royal Guard would be her people.

Elysee looked down at the Duke’s sparse hair and thought.

There must be a weakness.

There was no way that someone who used even the clergy in remote areas as his henchmen would not have flaws or loopholes.

If the spiderweb was so dense, one of them must be broken.

If he was someone who controlled the entire Divine Nation beyond a simple ‘powerful family’—

There must be a gap between his fingers. She just had to find it.

She couldn’t give up.

“…Long live the Crown Princess! Long live!”

“Long live His Majesty the King! Long live! Long live!”

The soldiers holding weapons shouted madly.

The hot air brushed past Elysee’s forehead.

The Crown Princess turned her head and looked at the distant mountain range.

The large, red mountain, Trosart, came into view. He was somewhere beyond that.

The Crown Prince, who had gone berserk over his younger sibling’s death and fiercely joined hands with her.

The one who carried out the imperial order to save innocent lives.

The grim reaper who scattered the ashes of death on every battlefield he went to.

“…I will trust you.”

Elysee muttered. Then Wilhelmina bowed even deeper.

It wasn’t a word to her.

*

The next day came.

I haven’t been able to go near the center of the military camp since then, and I’m still dying of embarrassment.

Why does something embarrassing happen here once a day?

“Angel, Ayko, no. Heineken-nim!”

“…Yes, I’m coming!”

I rubbed my burning face and ran to the tent.

Heineken, why was that the only name that came to mind at that moment?

Even though I don’t know many Dutch words, I couldn’t live because I was so embarrassed.

Even if these people don’t know the inside story, the result is the same.

Rather, they call me ‘Heineken’ with a straight face, so I’m twice as embarrassed.

Why did a guy who can’t even drink bring up a beer company?

I was going to think of a pseudonym, but I completely forgot, again.

“Did you call me, Hwino-nim?”

“Yes. I’m sorry. The stake here is loose and needs to be re-hammered, but it’s not easy for me to do it alone because the wind is strong.”

“It’s okay. I’ll hold it for you.”

“Thank you, Angel-nim.”

Hwino said quietly. I quickly put the stake between my feet and sat down.

He chuckled, saying, ‘You’ve really gotten the hang of it now.’ I smiled along because it wasn’t wrong.

The Honing residents, including him, often helped with the Imperial Army’s chores, which helped them adapt to each other quickly and maintain a good relationship.

Yoaner and other village representatives seemed to be frequently called by the commanders.

I heard that they provide necessary information to Riester and help bridge cultural differences.

It was a necessary task since the two countries had severed diplomatic relations for over 30 years.

The kids, led by Kuhn and Yan, were popular figures who monopolized the soldiers’ affection these days.

Conversely, the Empire also carried out repairs on the village huts and iron fences.

When the irrigation canal was blocked the day before yesterday, it was quickly cleared thanks to the wizards’ help.

-Thung! Thwoong! Thung!

Today was a similar situation.

The stake of the Imperial Army barracks was causing trouble, and Hwino, who happened to find it while passing by, decided to fix it on the spot.

He wiped away the sweat and swung the wooden mallet.

I watched the pillar digging deep into the ground and thought.

-Thwoong! Thang!

“…”

When will my ether return?

I can’t just stay here hammering stakes and living as neither this nor that.

I have to go home someday.

I don’t want to think negatively, but the anxiety is growing.

If I don’t regain my strength and Dduk-sim doesn’t wake up like this.

If all I have left is ‘the Prince’s keepsake’….

What should I do then?

Realistically, I have to prepare for such a future, but it’s hard and scary just thinking about it.

For now, I just want to pretend to be crazy and stay positive.

I was afraid that if I slept with my head turned that way, things would really go wrong.

In fact, I meditate every night before going to bed and imagine using ether while holding the Seed of Growth.

It seemed like it would be good to do image training steadily.

If I could draw strength even for a day, anything—

-Heeheeheehing!

“Whoa! Whoa!”

Surprise! I flinched and turned around. Hwino was also terrified and stiffened.

A black horse as big as a village hut, to put it mildly, was raising its front hooves.

Right in front of us!

“Heok!”

“Get out of the way!”

Ugh! Without thinking, I grabbed Hwino and rolled to the side.

Clatter, thud! A large hoofprint remained where we had been just now.

‘Calm down, calm down!’ The knight holding the reins was very flustered and coaxing the horse.

I almost got kicked by that leg.

I dusted off Hwino’s back and gaped like a goldfish [an idiom for staring blankly].

Crazy, why is Charlemagne here? Where did his guardian go!

“Sir Knight! What’s going on!”

Soldiers ran out of the opposite barracks.

Some who found us asked if we were hurt. I’m okay, thank you!

“I don’t know. It was fine when we were taking a walk, but suddenly it got excited—”

-Heehing! Heeheeheehing!

“Ouch!”

Charlemagne couldn’t calm down and started to stir again.

He was already big, but now that he didn’t listen to people, he looked as scary as a wild beast.

The stableman was running busily from afar.

I gathered Hwino’s belongings and assessed the situation. The knight was right.

Charlemagne was a thoroughbred horse raised in the imperial family since birth.

He had received the best training on the continent and always faithfully followed his owner, Crown Prince Cedrick.

He was never grumpy. He had even let the troublemakers ride him once or twice, so I was sure.

What on earth was the story—

-Heeheehing!

“I think he’s acting like this because he left his partner behind!”

The stableman said, tearing at his apron.

Uh? Looking again, it was the imperial palace stableman, Odre. He followed me all the way here!

I was so happy that a smile formed on my face.

“What are you talking about? Charlemagne didn’t grow up alone!”

The knight raised his voice. I was only inwardly appalled.

Teacher, are you really a knight? If the horse is snorting, don’t make a loud noise!

-Clatter, clatter!

“Be careful!”

-Thwack!

At the same time as my warning, the black horse kicked the knight who raised his voice with its hind legs. Oh my god!

-Crash, bang!

“Good heavens!”

The man’s body flew up and, in the place where he crashed, pots fell over and firewood spilled out.

The horrified soldiers rushed to him.

In the dusty scene, the knight was thankfully getting up on his own.

He seemed to be unharmed thanks to wearing armor.

Before I could take a breath, a crowd sensing the commotion began to gather in the alley.

It was clear that they were approaching without knowing exactly what was going on.

I blocked Hwino and swallowed hard. Isn’t this more dangerous?

-Heeheehing! Heeheeheehing—!

“Uaaaaaah!”

It’s dangerous!

As Charlemagne began to rampage in earnest, the soldiers fell backward and ran away in a frenzy.

The black, fine tail hair scattered in all directions.

A lot of white was visible in his big eyes.

The even teeth were clenched, and the nostrils flared wide.

The tall head was held upright.

The ‘horse body language’ that I had studied diligently for a while flashed through my mind.

The knights, pale with fright, blocked the horse and looked back at the stableman.

“Bring a sedative, a sedative needle. Quickly.”

“Oh, no, I can’t say that! The stuff in the military camp is poisonous because it’s for high-level magical beasts, sir. Charlemagne is His Highness’s beloved horse. If you use the medicine wrong and his body gets hurt…!”

“Is it okay for more injured people to be added during the war? I’m afraid he’ll run to His Highness’s barracks. We have to calm him down before precious people get hurt!”

“But, but….”

Tears welled up in Odre’s eyes.

She was someone who cherished the imperial family’s horses like her own children, and I, as the protector of Arum Hart, knew that well.

No matter how much it was for human safety, she couldn’t arbitrarily administer a sedative for high-level magical beasts.

I hurriedly got up and approached her.

Hwino made a suffocating sound, but I didn’t care.

I handed her a handkerchief, and Odre’s eyes widened. We meet again in a place like this.

“Hello. May I ask what you mean by the horse leaving its partner behind?”

“That’s, that’s….”

The woman stomped her feet. Her upset heart was as clear as a stream.

“Arum Hart… There’s a horse that used to share a stable with that kid. Charlemagne is picky and couldn’t make friends, but he was surprisingly close to that child. But Arum Hart’s owner….”

‘Couldn’t come with us.’ Odre finally sobbed and buried her face in her hands.

The handkerchief, held so tightly that her fingertips turned white, was stained with droplets.

I couldn’t bring myself to part my lips and turned to look at Charlemagne.

-Heeheehing, heeheeheehing!

“Everyone get out of the way! Don’t stand there blankly, step back!”

“Yes!”

…That was me.

Because I died, because I left this place without a word, Arumi remained in the imperial palace.

Charlemagne, who came out to the distant battlefield, became an outcast again.

Even if he finished his walk and returned, there was no friend in the stable.

He must have truly hated that. So—

“I’ll borrow this for a moment.”

I took out the horse brush hanging from Odre’s waist.

I remembered when the Crown Prince himself brushed his beloved horse in the stable one day.

The stableman was horrified and stopped me. She was now completely pale.

It’s okay.

“I’ll talk to him.”

“Ah, it’s dangerous…!”

-Heeheehing!

Clatter, clatter! I observed Charlemagne kicking in all directions.

The ownerless reins were flying like sparks.

Seeing the bloodshot whites of his eyes, a familiar sense of guilt washed over me.

I moved slowly, and the knights grabbed my arms.

“Are you crazy? Get back. You’ll die if you’re wrong!”

“Don’t do anything reckless!”

“Don’t worry. He’s a good boy.”

I made my voice as soft as possible towards the black horse.

And I tried my best to imitate the warmth I had felt that day.

‘Charles.’

“…Charles.”

-Heehing…!

“Charles. It’s okay.”

-Clatter!

Then the black horse pawed once,

-Puhreung, puhreureung….

He snorted and shook his mane. Then he lowered his neck gently.

The corners of my mouth naturally drew a curve. The surprised knights lost strength in their hands.

I slowly came out of their midst.

Before I knew it, the distance between the horse and me was only a few steps.

I moved as slowly as possible because I didn’t want to scare him. Charles breathed roughly and was wary of me.

“Charles, that’s right… I’ll take you to your room.”

-Puhheung….

“Good boy. You’re not alone anymore.”

‘I’ll be there for you until you meet Arumi.’ I whispered and brought my hand to his cheek.

I could see his long eyelashes shaking. But he didn’t blink his eyes too much.

That was a relief.

-Tok

As my fingertip touched him, Charlemagne let out a long snort and lowered his neck even more.

I finally smiled brightly and hugged him. He recognizes me.

I’m sorry. I’m sorry, sir.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you would suffer because of me….”

“Clear the way! Quickly!”

That’s when it happened.

The alley suddenly became noisy, and a middle-aged man with escorts rushed towards us from over there.

I raised my head for a moment and momentarily doubted my eyes. This can’t be happening.

This is really impossible.

Why did that person follow me all the way here? It’s too dangerous!

“This way, David-nim!”

My jaw dropped automatically. Charles snorted just like his owner.