What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 359

#359

The Eastern Eye of the Chief God (1)

Christel frowned, turning around.

“That person…”

It was unpleasant.

It wasn’t just that she was called a liar or that only the Crown Prince was treated with importance that annoyed her.

She felt a purely instinctive chill from ‘Etta,’ and she was even more disturbed because she couldn’t figure out where it came from.

Meanwhile, the priest and the residents of Mangkrance were approaching the Prince and talking to him.

The woman’s jade-like skin and blue eyes emitted a subtle light even in the hazy air.

The man was tilting his chin almost imperceptibly, responding as usual.

Gain shuddered and returned to the empty house, clutching her pitchfork.

Etta’s gaze towards the Prince seemed strange, but when you thought about it, the whole place was like that.

Who cares if those with nasty personalities fight among themselves?

“Pretty, let’s work while we eat!”

-Clang, clang!

Just as she was about to clear her head and till the garden, Carme approached from the other side, shaking her handcuffs.

The basket she held contained (somewhat moldy) pancake-like bread (something called Poffer) and a salad-like dish (either Kapsalon or capsaicin).

Christel glanced at her, who seemed endlessly bright, and then looked at Marguerite, who was wrestling with her cloak in the house across the street, trying to work.

The Duchess was now tearing off her cloak, which was hindering her labor.

It’s driving me crazy, really.

-Whoosh!

“Is Carme okay?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

-Whoosh! Whoosh!

“No, over there. Duchess Dioph is a little… gone. When I mentioned the Empire earlier, she didn’t seem to remember much.”

I know it’s rude to say this on our first meeting, but there’s no other way to express it.

Then the criminal chuckled, tearing off a piece of bread and putting it in her mouth.

“Well, high-ranking people are so fickle. Maybe she came here, saw the lives of the lower classes of the Shin-guk [a fictional kingdom], and changed her mind? Maybe she decided to live here, forgetting her homeland.”

“Tsk.”

Gain had nothing to say and just smacked her lips.

Trying to explain what’s strange to someone who doesn’t feel anything is strange would only make me seem strange.

Carme, interpreting it as a sign of hunger, handed her a couple of pieces of pancake.

She reluctantly accepted them and lowered her voice.

“…I shouldn’t say this when I’m being fed, but isn’t the food here a bit weird?”

“Oh my. Just like a noble lady. This is made by the foul-mouthed grandma to take care of us.”

“That’s not what I mean. It doesn’t seem to fill me up, and the taste is ambiguous. It’s all similar… Actually, I don’t know if there’s any taste at all. Don’t you think so?”

“Well, I grew up as a commoner, so I find it edible.”

The beautiful criminal replied primly and picked out the meat from the salad.

Christel was about to add something but stopped.

She put the pancake she received back into the basket, telling Carme to enjoy it all by herself.

Everyone was like this, so she felt like she was the only one going crazy.

It’s a relief that the Prince still seems fine—

“It feels strange because the village seems to have developed a lot.”

Carme muttered in a nostalgic tone. Gain was shocked and turned her head.

“This is developed?”

“I didn’t think you were so aristocratic, darling?”

“Ah, no, that’s not what I mean at all. What’s different? I’m just curious, curious.”

She tried her best not to ask back in a demanding tone.

Then Carme narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth with a generous expression.

“See that big tree over there? The one in the center of the village.”

“Yes.”

“The building to the left of it collapsed a long time ago, and only traces remained. I used to sit there and dig in the dirt, playing house. But they’ve rebuilt it.”

“Oh, wow.”

“And this house right next to us. As I remember, it was half-burned and no one went in, but now it looks clean. They must have repaired it. The neighborhood is generally cute and pretty.”

‘Like me.’ Carme added playfully and sat on the old bench, starting to empty the basket little by little.

She was eating so much without even lifting her head, as if she was very hungry, which was unsettling.

But I couldn’t take away her food or stop her, so I just looked away.

Christel smoothed the garden with a pitchfork and asked.

-Thud!

“Carme.”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t you know anyone here? Any neighbors or friends you remember?”

She had to gather clues and leave here as soon as possible.

Since the priest didn’t seem willing to help, she had to do it herself from now on.

The Imperial Army must be in an uproar by now.

Maybe Prince Yesser has heard the news too.

I don’t know how much time has passed outside, but he would definitely come to save us.

Even if we tried to stop him, he would grit his teeth and come to the battlefield.

They are each other’s only… no, only two partners.

“You too. If I had such a person, would I have left here? I would have endured and lived somehow. I was alone. I literally begged for food.”

‘No one recognizes me first.’ Carme shrugged as if it were nothing.

Is that so? Well, she left at the age of seven, so their memories might be vague.

It would be even more so if they dyed their hair and eye color.

Gain herself barely remembered the name of the neighborhood she lived in around that time.

She nodded vaguely and searched for the next clue in her mind.

Do the people here know nothing about the war going on outside?

Even if that’s the case, they must know whose territory this is, right?

I’ll have to gently coax a kind person later.

“Grandma Annemarie, thank you for the snack! It’s so delicious.”

At that moment, Carme greeted the other side, rattling her handcuffs.

Christel stopped swinging the pitchfork and followed her gaze.

“…”

“…”

An old woman standing at the entrance of the village was staring at one place in the distance.

Come to think of it, she seemed to be in that spot yesterday too.

What is she looking at? The village is surrounded by fog, so there’s nothing to see.

“Grandma! Are you waiting for someone? Should I stay with you?”

Carme asked in a very lovely voice, but the other person didn’t even flinch.

She chewed on her mole-spotted cheek and said, ‘Hmm,’ before focusing on her food again.

Around that time, Annemarie turned to look at this side. Christel and the old woman’s eyes met.

…Does she look a little sad?

“…Don’t leave any behind, eat it all up! I’ll check later!”

Ah, geez! The old woman suddenly shouted.

‘I know,’ Gain grumbled under her breath and looked down at the woman scraping up the last of the sauce.

Did someone starve her, why is she eating so pitifully?

“Carme, Grandma Annemarie says don’t leave any behind, eat it all up. But you’re already doing a good job.”

-Slurp, crunch, crunch…

She didn’t even pretend to hear and just focused on her meal.

Christel felt an inexplicable unease and called the woman again.

“Carme?”

There was no reply. Gain’s face gradually hardened.

The paladin, who had been scraping the empty plate, was now poking the bottom of the basket with a fork. ‘Poke, poke, poke!’

-Clang!

“Carme!”

‘Grab!’ She threw down the pitchfork and hurriedly grabbed the woman’s shoulders.

Her pupils were empty. Christel, horrified, snatched the basket away and threw it far away.

‘Crash!’ The plate shattered and the utensils scattered, but her dazed gaze only followed their trajectory without any reaction.

Why are you being so scary!

-Slap! Slap, slap, slap!

“Carme, wake up! Can you hear me? Carme!”

She slapped her lightly on the cheek, and when she still didn’t come to her senses, she hit her a little harder.

She deliberately shook her body wildly. Still no reaction.

She bit her lip, wondering what to do, and immediately created water and fed it to her.

Only then did the light slowly return to her unfocused eyes. Ah, damn it! Chills!

“Are you okay? Do you recognize me? Answer!”

“…Pretty?”

“Ugh! I thought I was in a horror movie!”

Christel brushed her chest and plopped down on her butt.

Carme, still half dazed and half surprised, had eyes like she had just woken up from a deep sleep.

She warned, pointing her index finger at her vacant face.

“Hold on tight to your mind, please!”

“Oh my gosh. What was that just now? It was so comfortable and nice…?”

“No. It was an extremely uncomfortable and terrible experience. From now on, don’t eat anything that the villagers give you. Just grow a fruit tree and solve it yourself. If you’re thirsty, drink the water I give you. Or wait patiently until we grow something!”

“Oh my, what’s with the forcefulness.”

Whether she was unnecessarily impressed or not, Gain blew her bangs and got up from her seat.

And she quickly looked around the scenery beyond the fence.

“…”

Mangkrance was peaceful as if nothing had happened.

The residents wearing white bonnets were walking around with baskets and fabrics, looking cute and lively.

The adults wearing aprons and the children playing all seemed busy.

Cedric Riester was seen talking to Etta over there.

Her expression crumpled.

*

Four days later, on the morning of September 18th.

-Clop, clop, clop…

“…Francois, thank you so much for your efforts. I will never forget your help. Crown Prince and Christel will greatly praise you in the future.”

‘Sir Johan and Duke Fabrice think so too.’ I quietly added, wiping the man’s cold sweat.

His forehead furrowed every time the carriage, which had traveled a long distance (a really long distance), rattled.

The handsome man smiled like a painting even in the midst of his struggle.

A submerged voice flowed out from between his dry lips.

“Hehe… The precious one finally… recognizes… my true worth…”

Thud. The Marquis’s head fell weakly without finishing his words.

The light pink eyes disappeared beyond the eyelids, and the slender fingers and milk chocolate-like hair slid down under the seat.

And his breathing stopped. I, who had been taking care of him all along, silently swallowed my breath.

-……Squeak!

-Kieung, kieung, kieung!

The terrified lesser pandas clung to their favorite uncle and cried.

Demi licked his cheeks wildly, and even Peri, who was very shy, became teary-eyed.

Leia, startled, wiggled her tail and groped up the handsome man’s abs.

I pretended not to notice and helped her climb by supporting her butt.

The little one was trying CPR with her round paws…!

-Gurr, gurr, gurr

“Cough…!”

The Marquis’s eyes widened. He couldn’t stand the weight of Ether’s baby fat!

“Cough, wait, Leia! Leia-nim!”

-Grrrr!

“I’m up, so stop, good heavens! If you go that way, my family line will be cut off!”

-Kkeui?

“Francois, what are you saying to a child!”

I laughed out loud and lifted Leia up in a flash.

Duke Fabrice, who had been watching with bated breath, also beamed, and Sir Johan shook his head with a smile.

Leia, who finally realized Francois’s prank, rolled around in my arms like a squirrel several times.

She seemed quite angry, but also happy.

The Marquis, buried in Demi and Peri’s retaliatory offensive, quickly made excuses.

“It was just a metaphor, Marquis-nim. Ugh! Of course, the heir to the Duiem family will be the lovely Antoinette, but, how should I put it. There’s a big difference between me not having children voluntarily and not being able to have them involuntarily—”

“Enough. The canyon is ending.”

“Oh.”

The man brushed his hair and collapsed, chuckling at the teasing.

The two satisfied divine beasts finally lay down. I handed him a cool water bottle.

No less than an 8th-grade non-combat mage, Emperor Frederick Riester’s closest aide and imperial collateral, a great nobleman and eccentric inventor with vast territories and central power, a handsome man secretly admired by the ladies of the Imperial Capital, the seed of the Imperial printing industry’s innovation (he requested to add his own modifiers, but there was not enough space to write them down) – the amazing hero Francois Duiem had once again accomplished a great feat.

He had moved our carriage ‘whole’ to the other side of the continent!

‘……Wow, crazy! He must be really crazy!’

-Kieung!

-Kieung!

-Kkia!

I and the lesser pandas stuck to the window and constantly admired.

We had reached the caravan sarai [a roadside inn] at the end of the desert in the blink of an eye.

Fabrice, who was born and saw the sandy field for the first time, was frozen with his eyes open, the coachman screamed briefly, even Sir Johan was quite surprised, and Francois himself—

-Thud!

‘Ouch! The sand is hot!’

He fainted on the spot. The mana consumption was so great that he immediately entered a dormant period.

He didn’t wake up for three days, but he regained consciousness yesterday evening, and thankfully, he seemed fine.

He shouldn’t overdo it yet, but he said he had accumulated enough mana.

It was true that the larger the volume moved and the farther the distance, the more strength it took.

As expected, it would be better not to ask him carelessly unless it was a serious situation like now.

No matter how many times I said thank you, it wasn’t enough.

“Which direction should we go when we leave the canyon…”

-Clack, clack, clack

“Sir Mute is searching the north…”

Outside, the voices of the knights could be heard.

Instead of the Imperial Guard, about a hundred Imperial soldiers were escorting us back and forth.

They were the support troops stationed in Trossart and the Violet Canyon, and part of the missing persons search party.

Currently, it was a temporary ceasefire, so a white flag was waving under the fluttering Imperial flag.

“How is it outside?”

Francois, who was resting, asked calmly.

I slowly looked at the Statia Plain unfolding before my eyes and worked hard to create sentences.

Leia covered her eyes with both feet.

-Kieeing…

“Oh, it’s very white. It looks like an endless salt field.”

‘Scorched earth.’ There was no other way to explain it.

I felt like even my mind was turning white, but I tried my best not to show any signs of shock.

The Prince had turned this place into something like used charcoal from a barbecue restaurant.

Is that why there’s so much debate about whether you and Christel are alive or dead!

“Or a snowfield made of ash. There are still embers left there.”

Sir Johan provided a more realistic description.

Francois groaned as if he could imagine it without looking.

Fabrice, who was looking back and forth at us, diligently unfolded the map and diary.

The latter was a relic of his grandmother, Ingrid Berang.

“Then, let’s decide which village to go to first. It will be a full moon in two days, so we must hurry.”

He suggested with the utmost calmness.

A white field with smoke rising in places, large meteorites.

The armies of both countries walking around with stretchers and shovels. The foggy north.

In this miserable and terrible landscape, his attitude was mature enough to be a source of strength.

I turned to the Duke and nodded solemnly.