What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 357

#357

The Prince, the Saintess, and the Wardrobe (7)

-Whoooosh…

Eerie wind howled, and the mist beckoned.

Cristel and Cedrick wore matching grim expressions.

Judging by the intensified flow of strange ether, someone was definitely beyond the thicket.

Considering its nature, it was clearly pure ether.

But why did it feel so unpleasant?

“…I’ve never seen anything like this. Actually, the fog has never been this bad either. This used to be a nice place with good weather.”

Finally, Karme muttered seriously.

*Rustle, rustle.* Cristel checked the whip in her pocket and turned to look at her.

It seemed like smoke, but there was no reason for that. Besides, the criminal looked genuinely bewildered by the giant nettles and thorny vines.

Mangkranz Village seemed to have gone to ruin in a rather extraordinary way.

As Gain got off Doria’s back, the Prince silently pulled out a dagger from his saddlebag.

How many of those does he carry around?

“It seems there’s someone on the other side.”

“Yes, it looks like a priest.”

The two exchanged brief words.

But their gazes held more information than their words conveyed.

Such magnificent vines couldn’t have been created by natural forces.

Even if they were, it was no ordinary village, so there was plenty of reason to be cautious.

However, they had wandered for too long to look for another village.

This was still the fastest way to get information to return to the battlefield.

“I’ll go. Your Highness, please stay here.”

Cristel, like a responsible older sister, stepped forward, not wanting to leave the Prince, whose ether could run out at any moment.

She hadn’t used her stigmata (sacred wounds or marks, neither of them were capable of manifesting them yet), so it wouldn’t be too taxing on her mental strength. But she didn’t want to imagine what kind of trouble he might get into if he turned into a child here.

Besides, she had dropped the Hye Geom [a special sword], as well as the ‘Casket of the Ice Silkworm,’ in the plains.

Furthermore, she had to consider Karme’s presence.

-Thud, thud, thud…

-Swish, swish!

The Water Knight strode confidently, holding ice swords in both hands.

She had no intention of threatening innocent people.

She wasn’t planning to demand information rudely from the start.

But the atmosphere here was just too eerie.

The day was gloomy, and the visibility was poor, making it hard to tell how much time had passed.

The misty hills were dotted with abandoned, dark huts.

“…Huh?”

*Thud.* Even though she had approached right up to it, the house-sized pile of nettles didn’t budge.

Actually, this was the natural course of things.

Unless there was a divine beast or paladin of the earth attribute on the other side—

-Crack…!

“Yikes.”

The jagged vines writhed!

Cristel immediately took a defensive stance, scanning her surroundings.

Cedrick also levitated several daggers in the air, guarding the area.

Fire attribute was the strongest against earth attribute, but the air was damp and cold, making it difficult to start a fire.

Besides, the Prince didn’t have his main weapon, the Hye Geom.

He had holy stones in his saddlebag, but it was best not to use ether right now.

Karme swallowed nervously, looking tense. An eerie silence fell.

“…”

“…”

“…”

Nothing much,

-Crack, crack, crack!

“Aaaagh!”

Cristel screamed and took a step back.

*Thump, crack, crack—!* At the same time, vines thicker than her waist began to writhe in earnest.

The sight of the murky, rough green tendrils moving like Imoogi [a mythical Korean serpent] sent shivers down her spine.

It was like a grand dam opening on both sides.

The ground vibrated slightly, and a musty, moldy smell and sewer odor wafted from all directions. *Thump, thump…

-Whoooosh, whoooosh…

“What is…

Then, as if by magic, the movement stopped.

The nettles and thorny bushes that had been standing like a barrier parted, and the view in front of them turned back into a hazy sea of fog.

Cristel tensed every nerve in her body and glared straight ahead.

Thankfully, there was no sign of demonic energy. She didn’t sense the power of an unknown paladin or divine beast either.

But if this was acting as the ‘entrance’ to Mangkranz Village, there must be something worth protecting inside—

“Tsk, what are you standing around for!”

“Aaaagh!”

Gain, eyes wide, let out a strange cry that was either a shout or a scream.

Reflexively, she flung out her hand, sending sharp ice shards flying. *Ping, ping! Swish!*

“Who are you! Drop your weapons!”

“…You disrespectful brat! If you’ve wandered into someone else’s town after wandering all over the place, you should hurry up and greet the priest, huh? You should diligently look for the adults and think about earning your keep!”

‘Where and how did you learn such manners!’ A stern voice scolded fiercely.

Only then did the fog slowly clear, and a small figure came into view.

Gain felt all the strength drain from her body and lowered her arm.

An old woman, surrounded by razor-sharp icicles, was waving a rotten cane and jumping up and down.

Frankly, if she got any angrier, even the ice would melt—

“Ah, hurry up and come in! Are you going to keep making this old woman suffer? Or are you going to freeze to death out there?!”

“No, I’m going! I’m going!”

‘You don’t have to shout, Grandma! I can hear you!’ Gain shouted as she rushed to Doria.

Behind her, the old woman began to yell again.

Cedrick frowned and looked down at Cristel.

Karme also had a bewildered expression.

“Karme, she’s not an acquaintance of yours, is she? Doesn’t look like it.”

“I know, right, honey? I wonder if she followed the old woman and got caught and is now just working.”

“We’ll find out if we check. Let’s go together, Your Highness.”

Clear, bluish-gray eyes looked up at the man.

He looked like he didn’t want to go at all. But Cristel was firm.

“It’s dangerous for you to be here alone. As you’ve experienced, the whole area is suspicious. We can’t see the sun, moon, or stars. We don’t know how much time has passed. And… that unpleasant pure ether. The old woman doesn’t seem to be a priest, but where is this vibration coming from?”

She lowered her voice and whispered.

Cedrick was also bothered by the ‘unpleasant’ pure ether, as it was his first time experiencing it.

If the Imperial Army came looking for them, it would be more efficient for the three of them to be found in one place.

Especially if it was a case of distorted space-time like Lumayan’s tomb, it was better to stick together.

Having thought that far, the Prince quietly moved his horse.

As Charlemagne led the way, Doria carried the two women and walked.

“Ah, hurry up! My old bones are killing me!”

“I’m going as fast as I can, Grandma!”

The old woman stamped her feet and scolded, and Cristel answered soothingly.

In that instant, Cedrick felt like he was walking into the jaws of a beast.

But the premonition was too brief. He had no grounds to object, nor any other alternative.

*Crack, thump…* Behind them, the thorny bushes were crawling on the ground again.

It was an attempt to block the entrance to the village. The man acted on instinct for the last time.

He quickly rummaged through his saddlebag and grabbed a holy stone.

-Whoosh!

Then he threw it over the thorny fence.

The warm ether drew a shooting star-like tail and disappeared into the fog.

The crimson gaze directed forward sank.

Even if the threads of fate become tangled and chaotic…

-Clop, clop…

“…”

You would be able to find the end of the knot.

*

Two days had passed like that. Or maybe four?

This is crazy, really.

“This is… how should I explain this?”

Cristel sat blankly on a moss-covered stump, completely dazed.

Like the others, she held an old farming tool (a pitchfork today) in her hand.

It wasn’t that she was unhappy about helping with the village people’s chores.

She had done it before in Aitz Village, and she had volunteered countless times in the Berang Duchy.

Her desire to help good people who lived diligently was always overflowing. It’s just…

‘Didn’t I tell you that the priest isn’t here right now!’

‘If he’s not here, can’t you tell us the way back?’

‘It’s not that we won’t tell you, it’s that we can’t. We don’t have a map, and there’s no one who can read one!’

The foul-mouthed Grandma Anemarie (the old woman who brought them) shouted, wagging her finger.

Until then, it seemed like a situation similar to when they were stranded in Aitz Village.

It was like the hometown of the mountain keeper Agnes, where they met the kind Grandma Marlene and Grandpa Remy.

However, the Prince was silent the whole time, as if the ether floating in the air was unpleasant.

Karme didn’t have the right to speak as an escapee, so Gain naturally took on the role of the person in charge.

‘Where is the priest right now?’

‘He’s busy, miss. But he’ll be back soon. He’s the kind of person who never forgets us.’

‘When that time comes, you’ll definitely be able to return.’

That’s how the other residents encouraged them.

Except for Grandma Anemarie, most of them were very kind.

They gave the group an empty house to stay in, brought them food, and even gave them clothes to change into.

Even this was the same as in Aitz Village.

However, everyone was extremely reluctant to talk about the ‘priest’ who took care of this place.

Even if you asked a young child drawing water from the well, it was the same.

They just repeated that they should ‘meet him in person.’

“Heave-ho.”

“Oh my, the pretty knight is so strong!”

But anyone other than me, probably even the Emperor, would be embarrassed in this situation.

If this were Korea, Gain would have suspected a hidden camera first.

Her eyes followed one place.

“Where should I take it?”

“Please move it over there, knight. It’s easier to get through the winter if we pile it up in our kitchen!”

“Okay.”

Marguerite, carrying a pile of firewood bigger than herself, strode towards the yard.

She didn’t care at all about her disheveled hair and torn cloak.

On the other hand, Cristel’s face darkened as she looked at her.

Why does she look so listless?

I know she’s working hard, but why does she seem to lack strength?

“This is really strange…”

Gain muttered seriously.

Meeting Princess Marguerite Diop, who was already here, was, well, something that could happen.

She was near the meteor shower, so it was understandable that she moved here with them.

But the princess’s attitude towards the villagers was hard to accept.

Even though she didn’t know her well and it was their first meeting.

“How can you be so capable! I wish the knight would settle down in our village.”

“…If you want, I will.”

“Oh my, really? How wonderful!”

People gathered around her in groups of three and five, laughing and chatting.

Some wiped the princess’s forehead or held her hands.

‘If you want, I will.’ Cristel didn’t miss Marguerite’s eyes as she uttered those words.

Her pupils were empty.

“Ugh, crazy. Goosebumps.”

She shuddered involuntarily and felt a chill.

It was an expression that could only be described that way.

The hollow, lifeless gaze wasn’t meeting anyone’s eyes.

Cristel gnashed her teeth and dug into the ground with the end of the pitchfork.

Marguerite was definitely not in her right mind.

Why is someone who was fine on the battlefield like this?

She came three days before us, but has it really only been three days?

The sun doesn’t rise and the moon doesn’t set here either.

It’s not like she’s been hypnotized or something—

Wait. Hypnosis? Could that be it…?

“Your Highness! Prince Cedrick, where are you!? It’s urgent! Really urgent!”

If that guy goes missing, I’m the one who gets blamed, ugh!

Cristel hurriedly got up and looked around.

Mangkranz Village wasn’t very big, so if you shouted in one house, everyone else could hear you.

At the sudden commotion, dozens of heads popped up over the fence.

Gain looked for the biggest and darkest one among them. There!

“Your… Ugh, damn it.”

As soon as she found him, a string of curses flowed out.

Cedrick was sitting on a terrace, holding a holy stone, and he looked very displeased that Cristel had called him.

It was obvious. He was having a good time eating ether, so why was she distracting him?

You pig. If you grilled pork belly, ether would come out instead of oil, that’s for sure.

Look at how alive his eyes are.

“Okay. You just take care of yourself…”

She sighed and plopped back down.

Then the residents who had been watching her returned to their places one by one.

Cristel frowned repeatedly.

“…”

Come to think of it, there were more than one or two suspicious things.

I was out of my mind on the first day, but it’s been two days (estimated) since I came here, so why doesn’t anyone ask about us?

What are our names, how old are we, where are we from?

What do we do? What are our relationships with each other?

Why is that lady wearing two terrifying restraints…

“…He’s here! He’s here!”

How can they not even bat an eye at titles like ‘Your Highness’ or ‘Prince Cedrick’?

“Oh my goodness. He hasn’t abandoned us this time either!”

“He’s here, miss! He’s here!”

What is this place, anyway? And what are these people?

They’re too solid to be ghosts, but are they a group that hypnotizes other people’s precious children and kidnaps them?

What do they get out of it? Young labor?

What are they going to do when someone like me who can’t be hypnotized comes along?

“Ah, the priest you were looking for is here! Are you deaf!”

“Ugh, it stings!”

Cristel screamed and covered her ears.

The people around her barely managed to stop Grandma Anemarie from yelling.

The paladin gave the old woman a forced smile and slowly turned her head.

Sure enough, she saw the residents gathered in droves at the entrance of the village.

In the center of them stood a woman with her head carefully wrapped in a hood.

She couldn’t tell what color her hair was, but her eyes, which smiled kindly at everyone, were mysterious and bright sky blue.

“Wow…”

Gain’s mouth hung open.

She had never seen such a beautiful person in her life.