What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 358

#358

The Prince, the Saintess, and the Wardrobe (8)

If the world truly relies on me, this intense premonition must be some kind of hint.

Perhaps the Chief God is trying to help me.

‘…Therefore, I wish to find my friends myself.’

All eyes were on me. I didn’t want to miss the bait right in front of me.

‘Even if I fail, I believe it’s worth going to check. What do you think?’

I finished resolutely and looked around the room.

The adults gathered in the dining hall were generally cautious but didn’t hesitate when a decision was needed.

Perhaps that was part of the pillar supporting Liester.

The judgment was swift.

“Hyah! Hiyah!”

-Heeheeing!

-Clatter, clatter, clatter…!

The massive imperial carriage raced through the autumn night.

The horses’ hot breath seemed to reach the carriage.

After packing hastily and minimizing the number of people, it was already past sunset.

We quickly left the imperial palace and headed to the Legho General Trading Company.

There was no time to catch our breath or look out the window.

I never imagined my teacher’s birthday would be so hectic, but perhaps this was the inevitable development from the moment the two protagonists disappeared.

I quickly rummaged through the bag Benjamin had packed for me.

I found the magic stone glasses that would hide my eye color at any time and unfolded the continental map.

-Rustle, rustle!

Saaa! Francois quickly turned on the magic lights.

In the illuminated carriage, the heads of five people and three divine beasts gathered in a circle.

I immediately began the operation briefing.

Everyone had heard the outline, but it was good to supplement each other’s knowledge whenever possible to ensure they knew the details.

First, I pointed to one part of the map.

‘Statia Plains.’

“It would be good to continue searching the portals here. There’s a possibility that the Prince, Sir Christel, and Princess Diop were really swept away by the ancient magic circle under the ground. Please tell His Majesty the Emperor that, Your Highness.”

“Leave it to me. The messenger will depart in a couple of hours.”

Cardinal Boutier’s beige eyes shone sharply.

My teacher had to protect the imperial palace and take care of state affairs, so he naturally couldn’t accompany us.

Still, I couldn’t stop him from seeing us off with good intentions, so he came out with us today.

Next, I pointed to the upper right of the map.

‘The Moon.’

“And we will delve into the unknown phenomena caused by the lunar phase changes.”

Thump, thump! The carriage shook for a moment as it hit a rock.

Even in the situation where our bodies were swaying greatly, our concentration did not waver.

I continued calmly.

“My theory is this: While the Imperial Army was preparing the Prince’s divine power in line with Mars’s closest approach, the Divine Nation’s army waited for the moon to hide. That’s why the cardinals didn’t come out until the end. Our side was so focused on one celestial body that we didn’t pay attention to the other. Actually, if you look at the records…”

“September 3rd. A crescent moon rose on the night of the Battle of Statia. The visibility was poor because of the lunar halo.”

Rustle! Sir Johann quickly opened another document and said.

I nodded promptly.

“And the new moon, when the moon disappeared, was three days later, on September 6th. Teacher?”

“Yes. Imperial people tend to worship the sun strongly, but Divine Nation people, on the contrary, revere the moon. They believe that the Chief God bestowed many powers on the silver plate in the night sky. Yeseo once being called the moon of the Divine Nation is the same context.”

The Cardinal’s easy explanation followed. Then, Duke Fabrice Berang quietly raised his hand.

A virtuous man who cares for refugees every day and a friend of the late Emperor Romero, the grandson of Ingrid Berang.

Having rushed to the palace after receiving my teacher’s urgent message, he was trying to understand the situation every moment.

He is a really grateful person.

“Your Highness, I’ve heard that the Divine Nation calls the full moon the most powerful phase. Then, wouldn’t the sacred power weaken when the moon wanes? It’s hard to understand what use that has.”

“That’s exactly it, Duke.”

I smiled at him. The man’s eyes widened. Sir Johann gently took over the words.

“In the Divine Nation, a moonless night symbolizes fear. When the moonlight disappears and darkness falls where even the stars cannot be seen, even those with little learning avoid going outside on this day. They believe that madmen and ghosts, magical beasts and thieves, all kinds of evil beings freely roam the earth.”

“Then…”

Fabrice almost caught up with the flow. I tapped the map and smiled brightly.

There were countless superstitions about the moon on Earth as well.

Although such beliefs have weakened in modern times, the custom of considering the full moon auspicious or the new moon ominous is common regardless of East or West.

Besides, Prince Yeseo also died on a day when the moon did not rise in the original story.

As a proper reader, I shouldn’t miss this.

“There is a secret about the plains and the moon that we don’t know but only the Divine Nation knows. For example, people here disappear without a trace when the darkness of the new moon falls. If this is a regularly recurring event, it is entirely possible to use it in military operations. I don’t know how Crown Princess and Grand Duke got involved.”

“Good heavens. So you were looking for records about the Statia Plains.”

The Duke muttered, holding his grandmother’s diary. I reacted quickly.

“That’s right. Francois, would you show me a detailed map of Statia?”

“As you wish, Your Excellency!”

The Marquis took out an old map with quick movements.

The paper, which was melted and torn in places, was in a very precarious state, making it difficult to even touch it with a fingertip.

This was a possession of Marquis Dwiem and was more than three hundred years old.

To be exact, it was said to be one of the bundles of local maps of the Divine Nation.

I gently touched the paper with the feather part of the quill.

“If you look here, the words ‘County of Statia’ are written above. It’s blurry, but the spelling is clear enough. This map was made before the plains were transferred to the Sneider Duke family. The names of the villages are also written in small letters.”

“I see. I can see it roughly.”

“Yes. I speculate that the Duke’s grandmother scattered Yuliter’s remains somewhere here.”

I said calmly. Then, the Duke replied in a trembling voice.

“That’s true. My grandmother went to the County of Statia alone and sent him off… She wrote that.”

A short silence flowed. I continued. ‘My conclusion is.’

“The soul of the dead Yuliter wanders the plains, causing strange phenomena every time the new moon comes. I don’t know why.”

“……”

Heeheeing—! The horse outside the window neighed and stomped its feet.

Fabrice covered his face slowly with a sigh.

Even though they had already heard the story, the group looked troubled. I didn’t stop speaking.

“The Divine Nation side probably knew this in advance and tried to use it. Sant and Sir Johann said they hadn’t heard any related rumors, so the royal family or the Sneider Duke family must have thoroughly hidden it. The Prince and Sir Christel were caught up in this. There is enough evidence. Yuliter was once aiming for the position of the youngest cardinal-level priest. I read in a book that he was a very promising clergyman. If he died with such great divine power, and if he had regrets there… It is not surprising that miraculous phenomena occur after death.”

Clatter, clatter, clatter! The carriage, which had already entered the city center, was running nimbly.

The sound of the guards pushing back the crowd could be heard.

It was my teacher who broke the silence after a long time.

“Like Hanan, Your Majesty.”

“……Yes. Like him.”

Of course, Hanan was the strongest cardinal of his time and a holy knight.

The fact that a thousand years of festering resentment dominated the entire desert was also different.

This case was a relatively recent tragedy. Besides, Yuliter was very weak compared to the king.

If all my guesses are true, her soul will be subject to numerous restrictions.

“If the Duke helps find the location of the remains, we may be able to save our friends and Princess Diop.”

“……I will do my best.”

Fabrice kissed the back of my hand and answered.

My teacher tidied up my clothes and constantly urged me.

“Don’t go near the battle zone. No matter how curious you are, stay next to Johann.”

“Yes.”

“You must always prioritize safety, even for the sake of your family. Will you promise me?”

Hahaha. I’m always thinking about it.

“I promise. It’s already the seventh time.”

“Even ten times is not enough. I don’t know if it’s a good thing to send you.”

“But my aether is the most reliable way to find them.”

“Look at you, not giving in a single word. You’re really like Alexandre.”

‘The palace lord is more worried than the divine beasts.’ I laughed at the sight of him sighing and clicking his tongue.

Meanwhile, Sir Johann checked the moon outside.

“It will be a full moon in a week. If all of Prince’s hypothesis is correct, the vengeful spirit will want to achieve its goal before the sacred power fills up.”

“Ah.”

Damn it, that was the problem!

I had roughly planned the operation and had reliable companions, but now there was an absolute lack of time.

Originally, ghosts with great ambitions also keep deadlines perfectly.

They often set tight schedules, making the protagonist run to the death until the end.

You can easily see this by watching a few ghost movies.

So, what about me, who is not the protagonist, and not even the ‘second male lead’ anymore?

“Sir Johann.”

There are no transcontinental trains, so when will I cross the desert and advance into the Divine Nation?

If something happens to the protagonists because they are possessed by a ghost in the meantime—

“Can we reach the Statia Plains before that? Please say yes.”

‘If necessary, I will ask your son for permission and bring Dduksoomi even now.’ I pleaded earnestly, looking at the holy knight sitting across from me.

As he smiled quietly, the answer popped out from a completely unexpected direction.

“Come to think of it, Your Highness doesn’t know the details of my teleportation skills.”

“……Francois?”

All eyes were on the power celebrity at once.

The man enjoyed the pouring attention and gave a sticky wink. I know you’re handsome, so please!

“I can move back to any place I’ve been to at any time.”

“……Yes?”

Are you that overpowered?!

“That is the greatness that makes me an 8th class. The amount of mana consumption varies greatly depending on the distance, but there is no theoretically impossible area anyway. Ah, you’re surprised after all!”

“I’m most surprised by your humility, Francois.”

“Madam Your Highness, it’s an infinite honor.”

The carriage, which had already arrived at the trading company, was slowing down.

I stamped my feet awkwardly and urged him.

“So, where have you been? Francois, don’t just smile, hurry up!”

-Heeheeheeing!

“……I’ve been to Mankrans. I was fifteen years old, a flower-like age.”

Although it was buried in the horse’s cry, there was a word I couldn’t miss.

My mouth widened like a gourd!

“Jackpot!”

-Squeak!-

-Grrr!-

-Squeak!

“Oops!”

For some reason, the usually docile lesser pandas couldn’t control their excitement and eventually pounced on the Marquis.

I was very excited and waved to the employee who was knocking on the carriage door.

I pointed to Francois with my fingertips, poked Sir Johann, and poked Duke Fabrice.

And finally, I pointed to myself.

“Hello!”

We’re going to find our protagonists, we’re crossing the desert today!

*

In fact, Christel was wary of being alone for four people.

She was dragged out by the enthusiasm of the Mankrans residents and almost looked like she was about to die.

“……I’m Christel.”

She said roughly with a shit-eating expression, but the priest, upon capturing her voice, smiled as beautifully as a snowflake.

The clear sky-blue eyes were unrealistically beautiful.

But strangely enough, the source of the unpleasant aether that enveloped the entire village was not her.

Rather, no energy was felt from the priest at all.

Her skill in managing her power seemed great.

“That’s a pretty name.”

‘I’m Etta,’ she introduced herself in an angelic voice.

Gain showed as much indifference as possible and just nodded her chin.

But inside, she was so shocked that she was sticking her tongue out 360 degrees [meaning she was extremely surprised].

What kind of person is she to have such a sweet voice? What, is she a thousand-year-old gumiho [a mythical nine-tailed fox with shapeshifting abilities from Korean folklore]?

Then is this all because of the liver [a reference to the gumiho myth, where they consume human livers to maintain their form]?

“I haven’t seen you in the village. Did you come recently?”

‘Etta’ spoke kindly.

Christel chewed on straw and maintained a gangster-like tone.

She didn’t want to be obsequious to the psychic hypnotist gumiho, even in acting.

“Yeah. I got lost and happened to come here and am staying here. I was waiting because the priest said she would tell me the way out,”

“Is that gentleman over there with you?”

And the words were cut off.

Gain frowned, then quickly followed her gaze with a chilly feeling.

“That……”

The black-haired idiot was raising his momentum towards this side.

She couldn’t see where he had hidden the holy stone, and his orange eyes were full of hot animosity.

Hey, not now! Even if you make a mess, you have to get the clues first!

“That’s… my youngest.”

Shit, I was flustered and said the wrong thing! I only meant to avoid ‘pig’!

“Are you saying he’s Christel’s brother?”

“Yeah… somehow. I raised him while changing his poop diapers.”

“Oh my.”

Etta blinked her rich eyelashes in surprise.

The residents also seemed to be taken aback by this hidden story and began to stir.

‘Crack, crash!’ The sound of the Crown Prince smashing the rotten table was heard.

This was probably not it. Gain bit the inside of her lip and immediately got to the point.

If I keep talking nonsense, I feel like only gibberish will come out of my mouth.

Let’s go with the usual smart way.

“That’s not important, priest. We have a place we need to return to urgently. We’re trying to get out of the village, so I’d like you to tell us the way.”

When Gain spoke stiffly, Etta said, ‘Ah,’ and smiled softly.

Then, her rose-like lips moved.

“But liars must be punished.”

……Huh?

“The two of you are not siblings. That person’s blood is precious.”

‘Don’t think about deceiving me.’ Etta’s eyes, whispering that, flashed like a weapon.

Christel felt goosebumps all over her body and froze.

‘Pitter-patter, pitter-patter….’ The priest walked past Gain towards the Prince with a graceful gesture like a masterpiece.

The villagers followed her like devout believers.

“……Huff, cough!”

A belated breath burst out. What was that just now?