What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 323

#323

Wreck! Great Adventures (1)

Dusk.

A sun shower was falling on the deck. It was a welcome rain that cooled down the heated atmosphere.

-Swish······

“Land! Land ahoy in the 11 o’clock direction!”

-Splash, splash!

The drenched soldiers laughed and exchanged glances.

‘Yahoo!’ Some ran to the Romero figurehead and shouted with joy.

The Great Liester Navy fleet had been heading to land for the past two days to load supplies.

They decided to move while the Venetian side was taking a breather.

Of course, they didn’t move all at once; only a third, including the admiral’s ship, was scheduled to land.

The war situation was still relaxed.

No matter how skilled Emma Corleone was, she couldn’t eliminate casualties entirely, but the Imperial Navy was strong.

The admiral’s orders were executed swiftly and accurately.

Everyone seemed to know that their survival rate increased about fourfold just by listening to her.

Only three battleships had sunk in the past four months.

They were no longer the navy of the war era, struggling against the Divine Kingdom.

-Thump, crash!

“Dinner time, Lord Rambouillet!”

“Lord Rambouillet! Come out quickly. You can see the Imperial land over there! It’s the South!”

“I came out just in time. Oh, that’s good.”

Cristel grabbed her aching side and walked out onto the deck.

The pain always came on rainy days, but it wasn’t unbearable.

A pill would make it disappear completely.

She had scars from the burns, but she wasn’t the type to care about such things.

Of course… she felt very sorry for her friend, the original owner of this body.

She had developed a habit of apologizing every time she saw her own stomach.

‘Live! Just live! Get revenge or do whatever you want!’

‘Hwaaaaa!’

-Swish!

-콰aaang! [Sound of explosion]

But there was really no other way at that time.

If she hadn’t jumped in, the guy would have died.

Cristel twitched her nose and leaned against the mizzenmast.

The damp wood felt tingly against her spine, clearing her mind.

The strong smell of salt and the sea breeze embraced her.

Sigh, now I can finally breathe.

-Swish······!

“Hoo······.”

Gain had loved the sea since she was young.

It was open on all sides and could go anywhere, giving her an endless sense of liberation just by looking at it.

In high school, she and her sister often took Line 1 [Subway line in Seoul, South Korea] to the coast of Incheon.

There was no better escape to heal her bruised sister.

She was fine with the scenery full of container ships and cranes.

When the salty smell started to come from afar, the sisters could walk for thirty minutes or an hour without getting tired.

-Flutter, flutter······!

“Yes, I’m going to taste Imperial food for the first time in a while!”

“I’m going to seduce handsome men in every restaurant I go to. Just you wait!”

“Wash up first, wash up! All the young masters in the neighborhood will run away!”

“Wahahaha!”

As soon as the news spread, the soldiers who had been waiting in the cabins rushed out and expressed their excitement.

Most of them were from feudal states, but the reason why they welcomed the Imperial land so much was obvious.

Unlike peacetime, they could visit Liester without any special procedures, and they had expectations of meeting handsome men and beautiful women there.

The area around the mainsail quickly became crowded.

Cristel looked around from a higher place than them. Her vision was still the same.

“······That’s right. What are you going to do first when you get on land?”

“I’m going to sleep in an inn! It’s my dream to lie on a quiet bed all day long.”

“I’m just going to see the world. It’s been over a hundred days since I’ve only seen you guys, and my eyes are hurting.”

“Who are you telling!”

Hearty laughter erupted from all sides. People who were a little blurry but working hard to live.

Even if the saturation and brightness were low, it was a landscape with each person’s own happiness.

At first, she felt a sense of alienation from everything and had a hard time getting attached. But now it was different.

Pink hair fluttered, absorbing the rain.

-Step

“Are you planning to meet your mother?”

A gruff question flew from the front.

Gain quickly raised her head and looked for the owner of the voice. It was Admiral Corleone.

Standing at the end of the upper deck, she was looking back at her with a magic stone telescope in one hand.

Over the past few months, Cristel had come to respect the middle-aged woman quite a bit.

It was annoying that she flirted with her every day, and she was still angry that she tried to put her in a tank twice….

“I wish I could, but she’s defending the southern border right now. I don’t know what will happen.”

“A mother and daughter fighting for the Empire….”

She smirked and took out a cigar from her inside pocket. It wasn’t a sneer.

Aside from being completely crazy, the admiral was a great leader.

All the members believed in and relied on her like a god.

Such responsibility could be burdensome, but the woman never wavered.

Although her own pleasure was the top priority, the admiral’s appointment was excellent in that it ultimately brought enormous benefits to the Imperial Army.

Even on the day when a storm hit and two ships were lost overnight, she fearlessly threw herself into the ocean.

-Splash!

She floated the broken battleships until her mana was almost gone, and rescued the wounded and commanders from the burning planks.

Among them, the moment Cristel was most shocked was….

‘Emma! Be careful!’

-Swish, thud!

‘Kuk!’

The moment a thick arrow pierced the admiral’s shoulder.

Gain momentarily covered her mouth and had all sorts of thoughts.

What would happen to this battle if that person died here?

Could other commanders replace her? Could I take over?

No, it’s impossible. Her vision was dark and dizzy. Then who on earth would the Imperial Fleet―

‘Hahahaha…! It’s fun!’

Crazy?

‘Your courage is commendable!’

-Whirr!

The admiral burst into laughter as if nothing had happened and threw her hook arm into the enemy lines.

‘Clang! Splash!’ The archer who shot her was instantly caught and dragged into the sea.

Before he could even resist properly, a red magic circle lit up the entry point.

‘Woo-oong…!’ Then the surrounding sea turned eerily red.

It was impossible to tell whether what was gushing out was the middle-aged woman’s mana or the blood of the dead.

‘Aaaaaa!’ In an instant, the bubbles subsided, and the Divine Kingdom marines were heard screaming in horror.

Emma didn’t give them a chance to reorganize.

She quickly threw shurikens [Japanese concealed weapon] with her left hand, which didn’t use magic. Black poison gleamed under the moonlight.

-Swish, swish, whirr!

-Thud, thwack, thud!

‘Heuaaak!’

‘Cough, kuk!’

Cristel blankly swung her whip around.

No, she had been flying around like a pirate even before that―

‘The day an mermaid calls my name has come. Today is my lucky day!’

She’s still a crazy human!

-Snap!

The admiral broke the arrow stuck in her shoulder in half and then,

‘If you are willing to die, I will accept it! Is there anyone else who wants a duel!’

She roared, her eyes flashing with madness. It was as if she had lost all sense of pain.

She was walking alone on the water between the burning ships.

The Divine Kingdom army was horrified by her ferocious, beast-like force….

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Oh my gosh. Quit smoking.

“…I was thinking that it’s land worth risking your life to protect. The Liester Empire, I mean.”

Cristel replied with an embarrassed face. She said it as if she was making excuses, but she was sincere.

The rain had stopped before she knew it. She stared at the faintly visible land in the distance.

-Rustle, swish….

“….”

It’s a place where precious people are.

It’s a place where people return warmer hearts when she gives them warmth, and where people wait who are happy when she laughs.

It’s a place where the prince’s beloved friends live.

Every day was happy when she was with them.

Sometimes they fought or cried, but they were all hot sincerity, so she didn’t regret it.

It was a series of emotions that she had never felt before she possessed this body.

People talked about stability and belonging. She realized for the first time that it was so good.

“You have great patriotism at a young age.”

“Well, there are those reasons, but….”

If she had to leave suddenly like when she first woke up, she would definitely be very sad.

Gain decided to accept herself, who had come to truly love this world.

So she decided to protect it firmly.

‘Become stronger.’ The method was the same as before.

“Because I don’t know when the prince will be back.”

“….”

“I still believe it.”

Emma chewed on her cigar without saying anything. Cristel appreciated this aspect of the admiral.

She didn’t pity her, look at her strangely, or try to comfort her.

She just looked at her with a ‘is that so’ look. That was comfortable.

“I want to greet him with a smile when I meet him again. I want to tell him that we’ve been healthy enough and that we’ve endured well enough. That we really worked hard.”

It felt like her throat was tightening for no reason.

Cristel stroked the whip in her arms and calmed her emotions.

Isabelle, who begged and screamed that she couldn’t send her to the battlefield alone, came to her mind.

That day, the two mothers and daughters hugged each other and promised. Let’s do our best to protect ‘us.’

Like the moment we were saved from the Sarnese Lord’s Castle one winter night.

“I’ll welcome him, saying I’ve been waiting. I have to protect it well until then.”

Cristel said cheerfully. Suddenly, she remembered the prince’s confession to her.

In a secluded corner of the Imperial Palace.

‘I… have to go back someday. But the people here naturally talk about the future where I am.’

At that time, she thought it meant returning to Venice.

The clues accumulated unknowingly over time.

Even the parts that she had passed by without much thought in the past were big clues when she looked back.

The most vivid and vibrant person among countless lives.

The black hole that was pierced in one autumn sky. A strange veranda seen beyond it.

‘Stop! Everyone shut up and do push-ups!’ The voice that shouted that in the bar.

The question asked by His Majesty Hanan of the Chaum Ruins. ‘What is the reason why the shell and the inside are separate?’

And when she asked about it, the prince’s difficult answer.

‘But, if you give me time….’

‘Can you wait a little longer?’

On a desert night, a fluffy whisper touched her cheek.

Cristel readily accepted his request.

She didn’t want to pressure her friend with this.

She wanted to give him enough time because she knew it was a difficult confession.

She decided that she would tell him everything on the day the prince told her his story.

That was fair.

‘Yes. I’ll wait.’

‘Instead, here’s a reward.’

Tap, tap, she joked to ease the mood.

After that day, he seemed to have made a decision.

Cristel also prepared several sentences.

To avoid burdening him, a light and short answer would be good.

As if it were no big deal. As if it were something everyone experiences once in a while.

With a big smile.

‘Nice to meet you! Actually, I possessed this body too!’

…That’s what she was going to do. Really.

“Something’s up.”

A low voice pierced her ear. Gain turned her gaze to the unusual atmosphere.

Emma had already turned her back on her. The air was strange.

The soldiers, who had been noisy for a while, had become quiet as if cold water had been poured on them.

There was only the setting sun in the clear sky, and there were no enemy ships in the sea, but the tension was high. What is it?

-Slap, swish….

-Squeak, squeak

Only the sound of the waves and the ship dancing could be heard.

The first mate on the first floor deck looked up at Emma with a flustered look.

Cristel hurriedly approached her. The admiral had a magic stone telescope to her eyes.

Why is this so uneasy?

“What’s there? Has the Great Whale Monstro returned?”

She was half serious. The middle-aged woman twisted her lips bitterly. ‘Squeak, squeak….’

“It’ll be more fun than that.”

“Yes?”

“There was a reason why the Divine Kingdom guys ran away.”

‘Tuh.’ She spat out her cigar and muttered as if cursing.

At the same time, changes began to occur several miles away.

The sea, which had been just blue, was suddenly turning dark.

It was as fast as if someone had poured paint on it.

The dark blue was rapidly approaching the Imperial Fleet.

‘Lord, have mercy.’ The magician commanders were the first to be shocked and clung to the railing.

Tap, tap, step! Urgent footsteps echoed on the deck.

“Everyone back to your positions! Prepare to fire!”

“Archers and magicians gather towards the capstan!”

“Yes!”

Damn it! Cristel finally grasped the situation.

She quickly took out her whip and swallowed two painkillers from her pocket.

‘Rustle, rustle!’ The waves were rising rapidly.

Every time the huge sailing ship moved up and down, the sailors’ terrified groans poured out.

“Aaaaa…!”

“Oh my god, what is it?”

“Focus. The opponent is nothing!”

‘Swish!’ Emma declared, drawing the sword of the commander standing next to her.

The masts creaked, and the huge cloths fluttered in fear.

By that time, Cristel could also feel a clear energy.

Then a bold and rough voice poured out.

“It’s just a common legend-grade monster! Be careful because it’s wearing a divine object on its head!”

“Yes!”

Gain’s jaw was about to drop at the explanation that followed. Time! Time!

“Wait a minute, Emma!”

“Don’t call my name now. It’s irritating.”

“What’s more irritating than a divine object on a monster’s head!”

Cristel flapped her arms as she chased after her.

Even in the midst of all this, the sailors were moving in unison to make full preparations.

It seemed like she was the only one who was dumbfounded. This was also absurd!

“I’m sorry, but please explain. Why is the Divine Kingdom’s water attribute divine object, no―”

In the first place, how can a monster and a divine object be attached to one body? Does that make sense!?

*

“Hmm?”

I quickly turned to look at the barracks. What was that just now?

“…You’re distracted.”

Ah!

“I’m sorry.”

I quickly turned my head and tapped the stirrups of Charlemagne.

After checking the reins, saddlebags, and girth one last time, I patted the horse’s butt a couple of times.

The black horse wagged its tail as if it felt good. I smiled and slowly stepped back.

Who did Charles take after to be so gentle and handsome?

“Ha….”

The crown prince let out a sigh that came from his solar plexus.

Then he lightly climbed onto the saddle with a ‘tap!’.

I tried my best to hide my twitching lips.

I thought it would be better to look back, so I politely bowed and stood next to David.

The middle-aged man, who met my eyes, gave me a faint smile.

-Clatter, clatter….

I ended up laughing out loud.

“Hahaha.”

That’s because today was already my fifth day on the job.

I’m not getting fired and I’m still working!