What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 365

Sub-Male Lead Goes On Strike-365

#365

Connection (2)

That afternoon.

The Second Search Party sent by Margrave Caroline Mute arrived in the village of Mankrans.

“Whoa. Whoaaa.”

“Bakari-kun!”

As soon as the commander appeared in the Land of Mist, I rushed towards him without thinking.

I abandoned the food I was eating for a late lunch and the goat’s milk I was drinking.

My appetite was gone anyway.

‘Marquis!’ Fabrice called out in surprise, but I had no time to think about dignity or etiquette.

The lesser pandas who had run with me circled around the commander, expressing their joy.

The teenager who got out of the Imperial Army carriage was wearing a familiar navy robe.

Behind him, three or four priests diligently got off.

“Welcome. Thank you for taking the time despite your busy schedule. And thank you, priests.”

The priests immediately lowered their heads in greeting. Bakari-kun seemed quite taken aback by my reaction.

“…I came because you called, but what’s going on?”

His eyes behind the silver-rimmed glasses were unfocused. The answer didn’t come from me.

“We are looking for traces of the three people who went missing here. The Marquis said he needed the eyes of a prophet.”

Sir Johann—who had come without a sound, startling me—said, handing me a Galette sausage.

I didn’t want to eat two, but the man’s expression was somehow cold, so I quickly accepted it.

I had to finish it so I wouldn’t create food waste.

Bakari-kun tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

“It is difficult for me to give meaningful prophecies here, Marquis. You know that better than anyone.”

-Clatter, clatter!

A cart loaded with moon halo grass passed behind him.

‘We’ve removed all the nettles and thorny vines!’ ‘The roots must not be damaged, watch carefully and collect them!’ Knights were receiving reports and giving orders here and there.

Sir Elizabeth and François, who had gone to the outskirts of the village, had not yet returned.

They were there to directly examine the remains of the Holy Knights of the Theocracy and to examine the unidentified fluid coming from them.

Soon, the priests, guided by a soldier, headed in that direction.

If there were clergy, the results would be clearer, whatever they might be.

I calmly looked at Bakari-kun.

“No. Perhaps only you, Commander, can provide a meaningful clue.”

“……”

“You said you couldn’t see anything because of me. Especially the futures of the Crown Prince and Sir Christel have changed a lot.”

Only then did his eyes sharpen.

It was just a guess, but it was better than doing nothing.

I had lived like this since I first came here.

If the possibility wasn’t zero, shouldn’t I try anything?

“That point where you can’t see anything, can you find it for me?”

Let’s try. Until I can’t try any harder.

“That is……”

The prophet finally seemed to understand what I meant. I smiled and continued.

“Yes. As I told you in the message, a strong time distortion has occurred here. On the surface, it looks like a deserted and desolate village, but at the same time, a different time is flowing. It’s a bit complicated, but I don’t know much about it either… I can only explain it this way.”

“I understand roughly.”

Bakari-kun nodded lightly.

To be honest, I didn’t completely believe in my theory, but the prophet, who sees revelations day and night, seemed to have a different kind of mind.

I quickly stuffed the remaining Galette into my mouth, pretended not to hear Sir Johann’s sigh, and wiped my mouth and hands with a napkin.

Anyway, I didn’t go hungry, so it was okay. The teenager paused, pursing his lips, and then fell silent.

“Then, let’s take a few laps around the village together. If you notice any space that feels particularly quiet or dark, please let me know. There might be a clue there.”

“…I will.”

It was a grateful and satisfactory answer.

I asked Sir Johann to watch the place for a moment, then quickly ran to Duke Fabrice to inform him of the situation.

And I packed my bags with the divine beasts.

I slung the Hyegeom diagonally on a sword belt borrowed from a knight, and wrapped the Bogwan [a sacred artifact] in a handkerchief and put it in my bag.

The bulging bag wasn’t light, but it was okay.

The people who would be the most tired and uncomfortable right now were others.

Every minute and every second was precious, so I had to hurry.

-Creak

“Yeah, let’s go find hyung [older brother] and nuna [older sister]. Princess Dioph will be waiting for us too.”

I hugged the divine beasts clinging to my legs one by one and got up from my seat.

Fabrice offered me more food, but I declined because I wasn’t hungry.

*

And after going around almost the entire village, we had no results.

-Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter…

-Swish, swish, swish…

No, there were results. But it was something only I knew, so I couldn’t properly inform my friends.

I clenched my fist as I watched the sun setting in the west.

A small pebble rolled helplessly on my palm.

It was something I had found in the temple courtyard a few hours ago.

It was a clue I found in the pile of stone towers there, half of which had collapsed and the other half of which was precariously standing.

‘SOS’.

Those three letters were engraved on the pebble.

Presumably, the initials of the name and surname—unlike the other pebbles that only had two letters carved on them.

I checked all the pebbles myself, but only this pebble had three letters.

I instinctively knew that this was Gain-ssi’s trace.

I couldn’t explain it to anyone, and I could only say that I would keep it, but I was sure it was her message.

I felt anxious and worried, and my insides were burning. She was definitely here.

No, she ‘is’ here. She’s waiting for us.

“Now… there are three places left. It’s best not to enter the burnt house on this side.”

I have to save her quickly. But how? What if she’s not here either?

“Your Highness?”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

I was startled and turned to Fabrice.

‘As you said, the house next door looks too dangerous.’ He gave a bitter smile when I belatedly replied.

“How worried you must be. We are all praying earnestly, but the three of you were very affectionate with each other, so I understand. I clearly remember the days when they helped with the difficult tasks of the territory.”

“……”

“But please take care of your precious body as well. The others who are by your side will be sad.”

-Kki-eung!

Then Demi chimed in right away. I looked down at the little one with a bewildered expression.

The three divine beasts, who took turns being held in my arms, were now taking turns licking my fingertips.

It seemed I had hurt my hand while rummaging through the stone tower earlier. There was a bloodstain, but I didn’t notice at all.

“…I’ll keep that in mind. I’m sorry. I’ll pay more attention.”

-Kkiheung

Peri wagged his black ears and went ahead.

In the meantime, Bakari-kun was passing through the garden and entering the house.

Sir Johann, standing at the entrance, waited for me like a totem pole.

I sent him a smile full of apology and stepped onto the unfamiliar garden.

To be exact, it seemed like ‘a place that used to be a garden’.

A pitchfork with a completely rotten handle was lying on the uneven dirt floor.

Of course, nothing was growing there now except weeds.

The Cardinal gently shook his head. It meant he didn’t feel anything here.

“……”

-Tap, tap, tap

I entered the room under ironclad protection. There was no warmth in the two-room house.

While Bakari-kun was drawing up the mana in his body, I did what I could.

Just in case, I bent down low and tapped on every floor in the house.

I did the same to the walls and put my ear to them.

I carefully searched under the sofa, under the carpet, and under the table.

The lesser pandas rummaged through the cupboards and searched the terrace with Fabrice.

I laughed because their drooping tails were so cute, as if they hadn’t found anything.

-Kkiu-eu

“It’s okay, it’ll be in the next house—”

“Your Highness!”

It was Bakari-kun’s voice. I was startled by the piercing scream.

I stumbled and ran, twisting my ankle. The divine beasts jumped out with nimble movements.

It was a room with a small, old bed.

The prophet was leaning against the wall, covering one eye.

I quickly grabbed him, who was covered in cold sweat.

Sir Johann silently picked up the glasses that had fallen on the floor.

“Bakari-kun, what’s wrong?”

“Good heavens, inside there!”

‘Cough!’ The prophet bent over, pointing at the closet.

‘Paaaaaa!’ I immediately deployed a healing circle.

Through the fingers that were falling weakly, I could see the whites of his eyes, which were dyed black.

In the place of the iris and pupil, an ominous cyan vortex was swirling.

I felt goosebumps all over my body and my lips trembled involuntarily.

He must have witnessed something. Something he shouldn’t have seen—

“Your Highness, danger… Keuk, the World Tree is… !”

“Call a healing priest here! Hurry!”

I was not enough as a beginner.

Fabrice, who had run over after hearing the commotion, calmly called a knight and gave orders.

The small house instantly turned into a scene of chaos.

The footsteps of soldiers echoed here and there, and the sound of horses galloping outside could be heard urgently.

Sir Johann pulled back all the curtains and opened the windows. It was already night. Chak, chak! Dalkadang, teong, teong!

“It’s okay. It’s okay now. Rest.”

“Closet! In the closet… Heoeok!”

Bakari-kun’s seizure was unusual.

His forehead was hot, and his expression looked so painful.

I tried to close his eyes, but his eyelids didn’t move. Anyway, it was scary and strange.

Even during the time of Emperor Hanan, all the situations were strange, but this really didn’t seem like a ‘normal’ time distortion.

I poured as much ether as possible into the circle and looked for the Cardinal.

‘Woo-oong!’ He drew a semi-transparent bastard sword from the air, and then quickly turned around like the wind and grabbed the closet handle. Kwang!

-Burke!

“Ah……”

My breath was choked. My eyeballs hurt as if they were about to fall out.

I stared blankly at the object placed in the middle of the closet.

Even Sir Johann, who was pointing his sword, had a surprised look. It couldn’t be helped.

-Saaaaaa……

It was a Holy Stone.

Full of golden ether, unused by anyone—

“It’s my power.”

I couldn’t not recognize it. I entrusted Bakari-kun to Fabrice and hurriedly got up.

I was sure. Why was the one I sent to that Crown Prince here!

-Tak!

I was about to check the condition right away, but Sir Johann blocked me with the hilt of his sword.

There was no need to ask why.

Because I could see it in my eyes too.

“That… Sir Johann, what I’m seeing now is.”

“Yes. It looks like a kind of crack.”

It was a development that was hard to believe even after seeing it.

‘The air was torn.’

-Wheeeee……

It was literally true. Inside the dark closet, a wound the size of a human arm was floating.

The ‘crack’ was transparent, but it didn’t seem to be.

It seemed to be glossy, but it also looked bland, and it moved like a jellyfish while being fixed in one place.

From the cracked crevices, a light breeze occasionally leaked out.

It was proof that air was flowing beyond the crack. The Holy Stone was right below it.

I felt like all the blood in my body was evaporating. I hurriedly turned to Bakari-kun.

“It’s okay, Commander. We have people protecting us, so everything will be okay.”

“Keuk… Hoo, hook……”

With Fabrice’s gentle words, the teenager seemed to be gradually regaining stability.

He was covering his eyes with his palm, and a large amount of healing ether was circulating in the prophet’s body.

I got a large leaf blanket from Leah and helped the Duke lay him down on the sofa in the living room.

It seemed to be a sequelae of witnessing the crack. It was a temporary symptom, which was a great relief, but…

“Rest well, Bakari-kun. Thank you so much. Healing priests and doctors will be here soon. Don’t worry about this side and focus on taking care of yourself. Duke, please take good care of the patient.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Haa… Marquis… Marquis!”

‘Princess Juliette!’ He called me urgently, but I rushed into the room.

Sir Johann immediately gave a wary look.

He was blocking the closet like a gatekeeper of hell, raising his momentum.

He still held the sword in his right hand, and his mint-colored eyes shone with a cold light like an arrow.

A sharp wind began to blow in the room. Whee-woo!

“…Sir Johann, I have an idea.”

“Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.”

“No. Listen. I can do it.”

I quickly closed the door, hugged and comforted the surprised lesser pandas, and busily rummaged through my bag with my remaining hands.

Meanwhile, white hair defying gravity floated in the air like a snake.

Now I know why Father Herrit is like that. He’s very worried that I’ll go wrong again.

“We did well at the Shrine of the Tree, too. Even this operation, I’ve succeeded once before.”

“……”

“Here. It’s my Growth [a magical staff].”

Rustle, rustle. I took out the crescent moon staff, which had shrunk to the size of my palm, and showed it.

When I closed my eyes and blew ether into it, it obediently listened to me.

Saaaaaa… Ssuk, ssuk, ssuuk!

“Tada.”

“…You’re not going to widen the crack with that and go in, are you?”

Wow, how did you know? The divine beasts and I opened our mouths wide.

“……”

“No, am I? My method is now much more powerful than that… It’s powerful. Ttuksimi [a powerful spirit] also acknowledged the technique. There’s even a specific spell.”

“…A spell?”

His pupils shook. I thought this was the time and continued the presentation diligently.

“Yes. It’s what I used when I came back here. I think this situation is… It’s not a normal time distortion. Of course, it’s strange to use the word ‘normal’ for ‘distortion’. You know what I mean. So outside the world we’re in… Imagine. What if a completely different space existed? And what if the missing people had fallen into that place?”

“……”

I felt like I had suddenly become the host of .

Of course, this is the Elite Seo version, so there’s no expertise at all, not even as much as Tite’s beard.

“When I crossed over here, I did exactly that. I held the Growth, borrowed Ttuksimi’s wings, and scraped together all the power of the divine object in the house and the ether in my body… I struck the air with the Growth while chanting a tremendous spell. Like a divine message. To be exact, it wasn’t a divine message, but a special word like a stigmata [a mark of divine favor or a wound mirroring Christ’s] was included… Anyway, my hypothesis is. That crack leads to another space,”

“Wait a minute, Marquis.”

Sir Johann looked at me with a confused expression.

The long hair and the fearsome sword also gently pointed to the floor.

Umm, was it too sudden?

“What you’re saying now… I hear that you used the ability of a Cardinal-level priest.”

“Yes?”

Eh? I hurriedly waved the Growth.

“No, I’m an Archbishop. My teacher confirmed that, and I can’t open the Holy Domain either. I was so desperate at the time that I must have spouted out any words…”

“You said you used a special word like the stigmata of a Holy Knight.”

“Ah, yes. It was a word I didn’t know, but it suddenly came to mind.”

“Does His Majesty Orelly know this fact?”

“…No?”

Come to think of it, I didn’t tell him that!

“But what’s important now is not that. What I mean is, if I can handle the ether depletion, it’s possible enough to go save the three of them—”

“What’s important now.”

Sir Johann sharply cut off my words. I blinked my eyes quietly.

“The fact that you used Crown Ether with the authority of an Archbishop, and no one on the continent knows that.”

The man’s voice dropped sharply. Suddenly, what’s with the Crown?