What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 332

Sub Male Lead’s Hiatus – Episode 332 (332/920)

#332

Each One’s Great Adventure (10)

Southern Riester Empire. Border region.

-Pooooooo!

A soldier blew a huge horn. ‘Swaaaaaa-‘ The field grass trembled and lay down.

Then, a man carrying a drum gritted his teeth and began to swing his arms.

‘Doong! Doong! Doong! Toong!’ To the eerie sound of the drum, the knight at the forefront drew his sword. ‘Seureung!’

“Avenge! Retaliate and redeem ourselves!”

“Show no mercy to those who have tarnished our honor!”

“Charge!”

It was the height of midday, with the sun shining brightly.

The battle to defend the border was endless.

“Long live the Riester Empire!”

-Damn it.

Hanan cursed in Isabel’s voice and stopped.

‘Waaaaaa!’ Thousands of soldiers poured out from behind her and rushed forward.

On the opposite side, soldiers holding weapons were also rushing in.

The vast summer field was blue and blood-red at the same time, hot and chilly.

It was also a place where life and death endlessly intersected.

It had been like this for months.

“Haaaah!”

-Clang, clang, clang!

-Kaang! Kwaang! Teong!

Swords and spears clashed, while shields and helmets collided.

‘Aaaagh!’, ‘Iaaaah!’ Screams and cheers erupted simultaneously. Blood spurted and tears fell.

The soldiers’ eyes were a chaotic mix of fear and fighting spirit.

The king could find countless similar scenes in his crumbling memories.

Kagaang! Her gaze drifted to the distant past and quickly returned to reality.

“Do not retreat! We must protect our homeland!”

“The Lord blesses us! Rise up!”

“Aaaaaah!”

-Isabel.

The king whispered, touching his forehead. Strands of light green hair, wet with cold sweat, fell down.

It was a bad sign.

‘I’m sorry. I think my body is tired.’

A gentle resonance filled the vessel [Hanan’s body, acting as a vessel for Isabel’s spirit].

Hanan nodded roughly and readjusted the white whip.

Of course, she wasn’t tired at all.

In her past life, she was the strongest cardinal on the continent, and for a thousand years, the resentment accumulated in the ruins had decayed, creating a powerful poison.

This level of battle couldn’t deplete the ether and yin energy of a holy knight.

But Isabel was different. She had lived a life far removed from fighting and was thin and weak.

Although she had recently started exercising…

-Kuh, is this the limit?

Her legs were trembling, making even light leaps impossible.

Even the armor felt heavy. Hanan could sense Isabel’s restless energy.

‘I’m sorry.’

-No. You’ve done your best.

The bronze eyes emitted a deep light as they stared ahead. It wasn’t a lie.

The fact that Isabel’s body had endured months of battle was thanks to the power of her pure faith.

In addition, her love for her daughter and the empire, and her grief for Prince Yeseo, had taken root as a firm will.

‘Ugh, cough, cough!’

For the first week, Hanan was very worried because she would faint or vomit as soon as she returned to the barracks.

It was only natural, as she had witnessed the horrors of war with the eyes of an ordinary person.

Hanan advised Isabel not to overdo it.

She wouldn’t use the life force of the Incarnation, but she couldn’t prevent physical exhaustion or psychological burden.

From the beginning, Frederick Riester had strongly opposed her participation.

Even if she possessed the power of a cardinal, he was concerned that her ordinary mind would collapse.

However, Isabel did not give in. She never cried in front of others.

‘My daughter is at sea.’

And she always said that.

Even when she had no appetite, she ate diligently, and even when she couldn’t sleep, she slept diligently.

In the morning, she trained with the soldiers, and at night, she drew tactical maps herself.

Three merchant guilds, including the Rambouillet Caravan, cooperated in transporting military supplies to the south.

Viscount Clement Rambouillet shed tears every time he barely had a chance to see his daughter’s face.

‘Father, don’t worry. His Majesty Hanan is protecting me, so I’m the safest person here.’

‘I need to help here so that our Pink Tama [Christel Rambouillet’s nickname] will have less burden.’

Then the old man would smile weakly and leave with the carriage procession.

‘We are proud of you, daughter. I love you.’ The affectionate farewell lingered in the wind for a long time.

Hanan was the only one who knew how much Isabel sobbed alone that night.

-Haa.

It seemed that even that had reached its limit. Hanan gritted her teeth and gripped the coral whip tightly.

Her weapon was now called a relic.

‘The Cursed Coral Whip.’ It was a good thing that she had the ability to match it.

-I must prepare for the final blow.

‘Yes.’

Isabel replied resolutely.

‘Long live Riester!’ ‘Long live the Emperor!’ Thunderous shouts shook the ground and echoed in the sky.

Hanan watched the knights galloping on horseback, clad in dazzling armor.

The tips of their swords, pointing at the sun, shone brilliantly.

They were skilled and strong warriors.

They were the upper class, called the great nobles, and they were always trained to be at the forefront of the battlefield.

They didn’t show fear and assisted Hanan admirably.

It was a very satisfactory land. That cheeky prince’s service wasn’t bad.

-Thud, thud, thud!

“I see catapults! Strike the 11 o’clock direction!”

“Combat mage division! Deploy all defensive magic formations!”

-Zhiiiiiing!

So it would be alright.

Even if Isabel was out of commission, they could hold out for a day or so under their command.

-Go forth! Do not look back!

Hanan roared in a dignified voice.

Some of her summer-colored hair, pulled up, danced like a mane.

The brave swordsmen immediately responded to the resounding cry.

“The Cardinal is protecting us!”

“Do not be afraid! The Lord’s power is with the Empire!”

“Aaaaaah!”

Maces cut through the air, and armored horses neighed and raised their front hooves.

‘Papat!’ Hundreds of arrows, coated with poison, drew parabolas simultaneously.

Hanan glared fiercely at the catapults advancing in the distance.

They weren’t loaded with holy stone bombs, but they were dangerous.

The Shin-guk forces, who had only been pushing soldiers forward as arrow fodder, had been pouring out a crazy amount of supplies in the past few days.

Because they were passive in fostering mages on a national level, they had few magical tools or weapons.

However, many explosive-laden carts and cannons were visible.

The battles, which had previously been at the level of ‘checks’ or ‘threats,’ now seemed to openly aim for ‘invasion.’

…The front lines or the situation in the north might be bad.

It might be a strategy to break through the bottom while the Imperial Army is struggling.

There was still no contact from the Emperor, but the monarch should always consider the worst.

-I will destroy those. Are you ready?

‘I can endure it.’

A resolute resonance was heard.

Hanan quietly took a deep breath and gently scraped the surface of the ether within her body.

Power control always had to be careful. For her Incarnation, like steel feathers.

-Heup.

The shout was short.

-Kwaaaang!

With an explosion like a cannonball, Isabel’s body shot forward.

The spot where she had been standing was greatly sunken, turning into a tomb where dozens of enemy soldiers were sprawled.

‘Keuhaaaak!’ The allied forces, swept away by the shockwave, quickly crouched down and were safe, but the enemy soldiers were bounced away like skipping stones.

Everyone was shocked and took a step back when they saw Hanan, who had suddenly appeared in the middle of the enemy lines.

At the same time, brave Shin-guk knights grabbed their weapons and surrounded her.

‘Long live the Venetian Shin-guk!’ The moment the horses with sharp horseshoes on their front hooves charged without giving any gaps—

-Hwiriririk! Cheolseok, cheolseok, cheolseok!

“Keuhaaak!”

-Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwaang!

Hanan began to spin at high speed in place, wielding her whip.

It was an invisible speed, and because a tremendous amount of ether was emitted, her body floated up.

‘Aaaagh, aaaaagh!’ ‘Save me!’ Heart-wrenching screams instantly devastated the area.

‘Heeheeheeng!’ The horses rolled their eyes, seeing their owners whose armor was broken and flesh torn off.

It was a festival of blood, dirt, iron, and white.

A radius of nearly 1 km was helplessly subjected to disaster-like force.

It was by no means human power.

And it was just the beginning.

-Cheolseok!

The whip, which last hit the ground like a wriggling fish, coiled around with a whir.

Hanan’s surroundings were full of marks clawed by a beast.

The groans echoed through the heavens like a terrible symphony. The king reached out her left hand without hesitation.

And clenched her fist.

-Kugugugung!

At the same time, a chilling rumble came from afar.

The bewildered Shin-guk forces looked at each other and shouted something.

“…Sea! Evacuate! It’s the holy knight’s divine power!”

“What?!”

Those who had first gone to war today.

Those who didn’t know what war was, why it happened, or why they had to fight.

Life played by the nobles, unable to overcome the pressure of the lord, or exchanged for a few bags of flour.

Ignorant of writing and the world, playing in the hands of the nobles.

Only because they were born as commoners.

-Kwagagagang!

Hanan Lumayan did not want such a country. So she dreamed of reform.

And was murdered. By Yuri Venetian.

“The catapult is falling!”

A tearing shout rang out from somewhere.

In the distance, catapults with tall watchtowers and strong designs were slowly collapsing.

Even the Imperial Army had shocked faces in places. This was not because the wood was broken.

It was not because the screws were loose or the steel wires were cut.

-Jeojeojeok!

-Kieeeeek…

It was because the ground under their feet was sinking, and the black underground was opening its mouth and swallowing them.

The wriggling venom spread to the ground like spider legs.

-Chiijijik…

“Euaaaa! Run away!”

“Heuaa, heuaaaak!”

“Waaaagh!”

‘Kwagagagang!’, ‘Kugugugung!’ Giant weapons carrying house-sized rocks collapsed one by one.

Soldiers fell, ran away, and were crushed to death by rocks rolling on the ground.

Hanan gritted her teeth, glaring at the Shin-guk commanders running on horseback.

At the sight of those so-called upper-class knights putting the weak forward without knowing honor, easily showing their backs, and not resisting unjust rulers.

At the sight of them repeating the past and not moving forward.

-Eut…

Her small body rapidly lost strength. Hanan staggered greatly and supported herself by kneeling.

It was the limit to barely cram the whip in her hand into her arms.

Isabel’s consciousness was gradually fading.

The Imperial knights, realizing the situation, were approaching quickly. Tagak, tagak, tagak!

“Lady Isabel!”

“Your Majesty!”

“Take her to the rear immediately! Call a healing priest and prepare clean water!”

“Yes!”

The moment the knight supported her, Isabel’s soul went into rest.

Hanan, left alone, did not close her eyes until the end and watched the battle situation.

This was a very wise action.

-Ha.

Because everything was very different today.

-…Reorganize the mage division to the front line and move the infantry to the middle ranks. Unless the swordsman is a high-ranking one, have them retreat to the back as well. Put healing priests who have been combat-trained in the rear. Otherwise, many lives will be lost.

“Yes?”

The knights who were watching her condition flinched and asked back.

Hanan did not give an answer, but slowly raised Isabel’s powerless finger.

-Do you see it?

“Ah…”

The devastated field.

Beyond the numerous dead and wounded soldiers, and those fighting bravely, several dots were visible.

The knights’ eyes gradually widened.

‘Heot, irya!’ The Imperial Army commanders, who had grasped the situation first, ran at full speed towards the main camp.

It was to reorganize the ranks and enter reorganization.

The old Imperial nobles were more quick-witted than expected. Isabel said it was because they were a generation that had experienced the war era. Hanan chuckled weakly.

‘God bless me.’ It was a word that these blood clots often uttered.

“Could it be…”

-Yes, they are holy knights.

“Waaaaaa…!”

The dots became lines, and the lines became three-dimensional.

Before they knew it, the Shin-guk army, filling the horizon, rushed in with thunderous shouts.

At their forefront were knights burning with flames.

It was a sight that could not be mistaken.

It wasn’t a torch, but real ether burning massively on the palm of their hands.

The pale knights quickly put the fallen Hanan on a stretcher.

Even in the midst of this, she faithfully gave instructions and orders so that her subordinates would not be confused.

“All troops! Gather around Count Weiss!”

“It’s the Holy Knight Order! Retreat! Temporarily retreat!”

“Do not fight back! The mage division will deal with them!”

“Retreat! Defend the front!”

‘Tagak, tagak, tagak!’ The young knights ran quickly, guiding the soldiers everywhere.

They waved the imperial flag and blew the horn. ‘Pooooooo!’ The Imperial Army retreated from the field like a tide.

The south was not the core engagement area of this war.

So the holy knights had never rushed in, and no large-scale army had been投入ed [invested/deployed].

So this was clearly an unusual flow. The large weapons that were hard to see….

The knights started running with the stretcher. It was an instinctive and reflexive run.

“Your Majesty! We will take you straight to the military camp!”

-There is no need to do that. It would be enough to drop me off in front of that.

“Yes?”

“Did you not hear me well?!”

Those who were running with fire on their soles shouted, glancing at her.

Hanan turned her shaking head and looked towards the Winite River.

It seemed that they could not yet capture it with their eyesight.

She laughed in vain, wondering if there was such a thing as this kind of joining [unexpected alliance].

This kind of thing did not happen in her last decisive battle.

The river water spreading like a wave to the wide entrance….

-Gooooooo…

-Kugugugu!

“What was that just now?”

“Did you hear it too? Isn’t it the Shin-guk army’s sound?”

The energy of a water droplet baby, just like her mother, straight and newly clear.

“Iaaaaaaa…!”

A third force was rushing in like a tidal wave from the south.

Some of the Shin-guk forces, who were recklessly charging towards the Imperial Army, hurriedly looked to the side and grabbed the reins.

But they could not reverse the flow that had already begun. That’s how war always was.

It was a collection of behaviors that were more simple, ignorant, and foolish than imagined.

So they couldn’t stop.

“Strike, it’s been a while since a ground battle!”

“Euaaaa! Long live our Admiral!”

Even while witnessing the Riester Empire Navy performing miracles by drawing water from the Winite River.

Even while watching the ‘crazy sight’ of over a thousand soldiers running on the water surface.

“What is that…!?”

“Mother! Mom! I’m here! I did something!”

-Swaaaaa!

Christel Rambouillet, sitting on the highest wave, waved her arms and shouted cheerfully.

The crown adorning the child’s head was sparkling as if reflecting all the light in the world.

Hanan finally laughed and closed her eyes.

I can rest for a while.