What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 386

#386

Discovery (4)

“Hng, hic! Heo-eong… Ugh, sob, waaaah…”

“Shhh… It’s alright.”

Elisabeth patted Christel’s back incessantly.

She was quite surprised to see such a weak side of her for the first time, but she quietly comforted her friend so as not to attract attention.

It was truly alright.

No matter what happened to her, and whatever might happen in the future, she and her friends would be there for her, so there was nothing to worry about.

The Vice Commander gently wiped the young woman’s cheeks with a handkerchief.

Her face, smeared with tears and snot, was very pitiful.

The sun was already setting in the west.

Here and there in the camp alleys, white steam and the smell of meat rose, and the royal liquor bestowed by His Majesty busily rolled around in barrels.

Purple darkness was descending on the military camp.

“Would you like to tell me what happened? I’m very worried.”

“Heeuu… Ugh, haeu…”

“…I understand. Let’s talk about it next time.”

At the kind words, Christel squeezed her eyes shut.

Tears fell like rain, as if she had been waiting for the invitation.

Elisabeth smiled softly and gently dabbed at her red eyes.

She knew that things like this happened in life.

She also knew very well that such shocking events, which she didn’t know where to start or how to explain, sometimes struck like a bolt from the blue.

She learned it at a very young age, too. With Cedric.

“Heo-woo… Ah, I’m so upset, I could die…”

“Yes. You must be hungry since you’ve cried so much.”

“Heo, I have no appetite… I can’t swallow anything, hic…”

“Would you say that in front of your mother too?”

The Vice Commander asked with a smile. Gaine’s eyes, which had been blank with exhaustion, slowly widened.

That couldn’t be. Surely, it couldn’t be that easy.

“…Did my mother come? Hng, is she here?”

“Yes, Madame Rambouillet has come to see Lady Christel.”

“No way, hic! Really?”

Her trembling shoulders and plump, swollen cheeks made her look her age for the first time in a while.

Elisabeth couldn’t hide her laughter even in this serious situation.

After gently stroking Christel’s stray hairs for the last time, she stood her up with a heave.

Her limp body, like waterlogged cotton, was heavy, but she didn’t care. She was strong.

Helping a fallen friend was nothing.

The two held each other’s arms tightly and exchanged glances.

“Did my mother really come? Hic, what do I do? What about the South, hic? Where is she now, hic?”

“The last time I saw her, she was having an audience with His Majesty. She seemed very anxious because she hadn’t heard from her daughter. I heard she put in an urgent request to the main camp and got a few days off. Also, the southern war situation is going so well…”

Elisabeth explained gently as she walked with her friend.

Whenever she staggered, her strength drained from her legs, she firmly supported her shoulder.

Gaine stared silently at the hand of her friend holding her.

The calloused palm was rough.

But to her now, it was the warmest and softest thing in the world.

Beneath the skin of the knight, red blood and hard muscles were vividly pulsating.

Following that rhythm, the paladin’s breathing also regained its flow.

Very slowly. As leisurely as their steps.

“Come to think of it, I heard that Baron Rambouillet is in charge of transporting the harvest festival rewards this time. Lady Christel, perhaps you might even see your grandfather…”

“……”

Elisabeth’s voice continued like a lullaby.

When she squeezed the hand she was holding, she silently returned an even greater force.

Gaine took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Soon, the two disappeared beyond the crowd.

The moon, steeped in sorrow, was waning.

“……”

Cedric lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

It was the hour when everyone was asleep, but he was destined to stay up all night again today.

In another two or three hours, dawn would break.

It would be wise to get even a few tens of minutes of sleep, but he couldn’t control his heart, which was boiling like a volcano.

He kept recalling his conversation with Johann Heinz.

The sand blowing in the wind and the cardinal’s unpleasant gaze constantly disturbed his mind.

‘…How much do you know about the Marquis?’

‘Exactly as much as he told me.’

‘Dare you insult the Emperor’s son?’

‘Swish!’ The sacred sword, drawn in an instant, aimed at the teacher’s neck.

The Crown Prince threatened him with a trembling sword, regardless of his own will.

He was uncharacteristically impatient and revealed his emotions, unlike a member of the Imperial Family.

A red line was etched on Johann’s neck. Nevertheless, he was as indifferent as a detached wanderer.

Cedric, soaked in the wind, couldn’t bear it and growled.

‘Tell me why you’re not shaken.’

‘Is it jealousy, disciple?’

‘Did you know his identity? Since when?’

‘You’re misunderstanding. Such things are not important to Herit and me.’

The man’s eyes gleamed like tarnished jade.

Before he could hear the answer, Cedric realized that he and he were fundamentally different beings.

It was a whisper of instinct. Perhaps he had been vaguely aware of it for a long time.

That he was an impure element.

‘We no longer wonder who or why made our lives that way. It doesn’t mean anything anymore. It’s a very simple reason.’

The crimson iris twitched and contracted. The teacher’s voice became terribly low.

‘…My faith is not in the Lord God.’

A shiver ran down his spine.

-Rustle, rustle

At that moment, someone was stirring at the entrance of the tent.

Cedric startled out of his thoughts and glared beyond the curtain.

David was not one to make such noise usually.

He also had no hobby of coming in at such an ambiguous dawn and waking him up.

The Crown Prince reached for the sacred sword and gathered all his energy.

He groped for the intruder’s breath and footsteps, and even captured the sound of the clothes moving in detail.

Judging by the fact that he had come this far without resistance, it was likely a worker or a doctor.

But this was also not the way of him or his attendants. At the moment when he gritted his teeth at the rising displeasure—

-Myaa

“Gasp.”

His strength drained away at the familiar voice.

-Aeooo

“Shhh, shhh. You can’t cry now.”

‘You have to be quiet like your brothers.’ The priest, who had carefully locked away the ether [magical energy] in his body, was moving gently from behind the curtain.

Judging from the silhouette, he was wearing a thick robe.

He seemed to be looking for something, suppressing his breath and footsteps as much as possible.

He was momentarily stunned by the absurdity.

He wondered what he was lacking that he had come all the way here when he could have asked through David if he needed anything.

On the other hand, dark doubts coiled around him.

Even though he knew he wasn’t the type to do that, he couldn’t stop the anxiety and impatience from gnawing at his soul.

‘Squeak.’ The hand holding the sword hilt tightened. Was he perhaps trying to steal something?

Did he deceive David with the same tone and smile as usual?

Was he finally going to abandon the Imperial Family in earnest?

-Patter, patter, patter

“……”

Was he coming to betray him in the name of God, to carry out the orders of his father’s enemy?

If so, the Marquis’s plan would never succeed.

His orbit was too bright, unable to hide the clear moonlight even in the lightless night.

-Rustle, rustle

Finally, the priest, having found what he wanted, sat down.

Cedric raised his upper body to match his speed.

The mixed noises buried each other’s movements in the darkness.

‘Click, slide.’ The last drawer of the bedside table was being opened. The Crown Prince frowned slightly.

There was nothing there—

-Squeak

“Oh, it’s in here. Just like David said.”

-Kkia!

“Peri.”

The priest smiled, putting his index finger to his lips.

The gathered divine beasts showed great interest in the contents of the drawer.

The man carefully took off his hood and showed them the contents.

They were empty pieces of sacred stone.

“Two, four… There aren’t many. I’ll be done soon.”

‘Let’s fill them up quickly and go.’ The young man, whispering almost inaudibly, closed his eyes and released his ether.

Cedric stared at him for a moment, speechless.

It was hard to immediately understand what was happening right under his nose.

-Saaaaa…

He knew that he hadn’t been in his sight all day.

He hadn’t asked anyone, but he had heard a lot of news.

The Marquis had started helping with the stable chores again.

According to David, he was now taking care of Sylvestre, not only Charlemagne but also his mother’s beloved horse.

After interacting with the two horses appropriately, he worked at the relief center all the time.

He was said to have spent his time reading books by the soldiers’ bedsides, applying medicine, and using his healing powers.

He also took care of the official duties of his territory, Serenite, in between.

But he never appeared in front of him no matter what.

The Crown Prince thought this was a clear avoidance.

And yet.

-Swish…

‘Clatter.’ Already the last sacred stone was filled with golden ether.

When the priest lifted his eyelids, his sacred purple eyes floated up like the moon.

Cedric suddenly felt a thirst. And he hated himself for it.

“……It’s done.”

He smiled bitterly and pushed the sacred stone drawer in. But he couldn’t let his guard down until the end.

It was because Leah, unable to overcome her greed, rushed in at the sight of the glittering golden ether.

-Kkiwoo!

“Leah, no. That’s for the black hyung [older brother/term of endearment].”

The Marquis quickly whispered, hugging the divine beast.

The messenger of the Lord God didn’t seem to understand his words at all.

The plump tail wagged towards the bed. Then, a wound settled in the young man’s eyes.

Soon, a voice like a feather flowed out.

“……Hyung might not be able to play with you anymore. So I have to fill them up secretly and go.”

-Kkieueu?

“Yeah. Because hyung did something very bad. I don’t know if the black hyung will want to see me.”

‘You can come anytime.’ The lips that said that landed on the small forehead.

Cedric felt as if a hole had been pierced in the center of his chest.

The Marquis wasn’t avoiding him.

“Let’s go.”

……He was just waiting for ‘punishment.’ Like a criminal standing in court.

-Myaark

-Rustle!

At that moment, the cat divine beast jumped like it was flying and covered the bed curtain.

‘Tear!’ The sharply raised claws tore the cloth and made a hole.

Cedric quietly observed the small beast dangling right in front of him.

Even in the darkness of the night, he could clearly see the Marquis’s pale face.

He hurriedly put Leah down and came this way. Desperate whispers followed.

“Nabi, hyung will get in trouble. Let’s play tomorrow.”

-Aeooo

“That’s right. Let’s say good night and let go. Say good night to hyung.”

-Aeooook

The hand-sized divine beast was carried away with its claws stretched out.

The Marquis, who had taken care of the beast, fiddled with the torn thread and didn’t know what to do…….

“I’m sorry about this too.”

He muttered that and moved his trembling gaze. He felt like his eyes met for a moment.

But it was a mistake. He glanced briefly towards where his head was.

Then, a voice that seemed to crumble leaked out.

“Good night.”

Just as Cedric’s hand reached out, the white fingers on the other side fell powerlessly.

The young man quickly put his hood back on and hurriedly left the tent.

He circled his spot several times in case he had left any traces, and checked several times to see if there was anything he was leaving behind.

He even checked the temperature of the brazier for no reason.

-Flutter……

Like someone who would never come again.

“……”

The man’s empty hand clenched into a fist. The sacred stone hanging around his neck shook weakly.

A new day dawned in the Liester military camp.

The Emperor, Frederick Liester, convened a general meeting for the first time in a long time.

“Seriously, I said I’d just go it alone. Wasn’t the goal a swift advance into the capital?”

“Yes, Caroline. Our goal isn’t ‘destruction.’”

“Madame Mute! Revealing great power too early will never be advantageous to us. Unless it’s a melee like last time, it’s better to conserve your strength until you reach the capital……”

“But it’s not an unconvincing story, Marquis Dhiem. They’ve lost two cardinals……”

“Is there still no news?”

“If there was, the Holy Nation would have fired celebratory cannons long ago. The Crown Princess should be considered virtually dead……”

“Then isn’t this an opportunity? What could be more precarious than a country that has lost its heir?”

“Are you saying we should thoroughly trample on a weakened opponent? How could we do such a dishonorable thing……”

The great nobles and high-ranking knights, among others, poured out their opinions.

The huge tent soon turned into a heated debate.

There were many things to check before entering full battle readiness.

They had to hear the thoughts of all the commanders on this matter, and they also needed to review the progress of the incidents and accidents that had occurred in the military.

The plan was to accurately count the available resources and weapons down to the last unit.

It seemed like they would be solving lunch and dinner here today.

Frederick organized the statements in the hall one by one in his head and looked around the crowd.

Then he frowned slightly.

“……”

Now that he looked, her son was looking like he was about to die. Huh?

“……”

The Marquis of Serenite, sitting next to him, looked so precarious that he seemed about to pass out.

“……”

The water droplet kid [referring to Christel] sitting over there had a face swollen like a rice cake.

That child was even crying even though he had met his mother after a long time.

Isabelle, sitting next to him, didn’t seem to know what was going on.