What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 390

#390

You, Me, Us, and (3)

The Salt Marsh was said to be called the ‘Swamp of Nightmares and Butterflies.’

-Flutter, flutter, flutter······!

“Ugh, there are so many, it’s creepy.”

“Yes. It’s a bit eerie. And they’re so big······.”

Rattle! Cristel and I simultaneously craned our necks and frowned.

We hurriedly shielded ourselves with reeds, and the swarm of butterflies, flying towards us, scattered and flew away.

It was a strangely eerie and bizarre sight.

Even the reed field right next to us was a habitat for various animals such as snakes, insects, and cranes (I saw three on the way!).

Overall, it was vibrant, and Charlemagne and Doria walked comfortably.

But the Salt Marsh was different. I couldn’t explain it exactly, but it felt somehow static.

It seemed as if it had been stagnant for a long time. First of all, it was hard to gauge the depth.

It didn’t smell salty like the sea, nor was the water blue.

The clear, glass-like water rippled to the roots of the reeds, and even common moss was absent from the pebbles at the bottom of the water.

Even though the weather was clear, fog was thick in various parts of the swamp.

In the middle of the waterways that stretched out like canals, several grotesque old trees were slumped.

They looked like they had let their hair down, which sent chills down my spine.

The fact that the butterflies were all purple was also unsettling.

Even under the same blue sky, only that place looked eerie.

It felt like I had secretly opened an illustration that shouldn’t be unfolded.

-Flutter······

A butterfly the size of Cristel’s fist sat on the edge of the reed barrier, moving its wings.

The shadow of a huge insect was reflected through the gaps in the dry stems.

I swallowed hard and shook my head.

“Let’s······. Shall we sit down for a moment and make a plan? Rather than approaching right away, it would be better to observe and move for a while. There’s also the legend, and we had a tip from the neutral faction of the Papal States.”

When I calmly gave my opinion, the Crown Prince and Cristel nodded.

After all, our mission was reconnaissance, not combat.

We just had to get some information and return safely by tomorrow night.

It was a simple task to send out two major forces and their divine partners.

So we built a base on the spot.

We carefully laid down the blue reeds to make a place to sit, and the Crown Prince piled up pebbles in the middle and lit a sacred fire.

His flame could burn without firewood, depending on the will of the owner.

Therefore, there was no smoke, so the probability of being detected by the enemy was low.

I took out the saddle and luggage so that the two horses could rest.

Doria licked my chin, so I smiled for a moment. It’s an honor, Mademoiselle.

“The atmosphere over there is strange, am I the only one who thinks so?”

“I felt similarly.”

Cristel asked, scanning beyond the reeds, and I whispered in agreement.

Crown Prince Cedric didn’t say anything, but he seemed to be thinking similarly.

Soon we sat in a circle and equipped our gear.

-Swish······

A gust of wind blew, and the tall reeds bent down again.

A dark blue shadow flickered over the small hideout.

Cristel wrapped the whip tightly around her fist, and the Crown Prince drew his blessed sword and placed it within reach.

I wondered what to do, then quickly took out my scepter.

When I channeled ether [a magical energy] into the bookmark-sized stick, the staff became elongated, emitting a dazzling light as usual.

-Swish······!

“······.”

“······.”

The two men and women stared at me intently. Ugh.

“······Should I just stay still?”

“No, it’s not that······. I was just wondering when the scepter grew so much. No pun intended.”

Cristel quickly added.

Come to think of it, I had never specifically explained to them how I came back.

We were so busy reuniting that it was hard to find time for a candid conversation.

I thought about just moving on, but I thought it was important to start a conversation.

If they showed resistance, it wouldn’t be too late to shut my mouth then.

It was a precious opportunity, and I didn’t want to waste it like this. I carefully opened my mouth.

“When I came back here, I opened something like a door to cross dimensions······. That’s when the scepter grew. This is also not a pun. I had to scrape together as much ether as possible from the surroundings. It was an environment where anyone could grow quickly.”

I smiled slightly, but the two people’s expressions were serious. I quickly pursed my lips.

Let’s just keep explaining.

“······As it happened, the energy of the four sacred objects was stagnant on my house’s veranda. The Ark of Bireom, the Blessed Sword of Hwaseong, the Divine Bow of Sumok, and the Blessing of Changhae. Do you remember? The day all the sacred objects released their power, and even I went berserk and a hole was torn in the sky of the Blanquer Duchy. Cristel, I think you were unconscious······.”

“Ah, I actually saw it for a moment before I fainted.”

“What I saw beyond the sky at that time was my house.”

“Ah······.”

Cristel made a half-understanding expression.

The Crown Prince’s complexion darkened even more as if he remembered that day.

Well, I guess he thought I was betraying him and leaving.

······That was actually true.

“There was a considerable gap in the flow of time between here and my house, so even though I went back a year later, only one night had passed there. So the power of the sacred objects that opened the sky at that time was still quite present on the veranda. I decided to use that. On top of that, I poured out all my power and borrowed all the energy of Dduksoomi, who came with me. Decisively, thanks to the scepter amplifying the sum of ether, I was able to cross dimensions. Then this guy shed all its skin and changed like this.”

“······.”

“Now it listens well.”

“······.”

Then the two men and women frowned in the same way.

I know the atmosphere is serious, but it was a bit cute, so I slightly raised the corners of my lips.

And then silence flowed again.

I rubbed the innocent scepter, squeaky clean, and lowered my gaze.

“Is that all?”

“Yes?”

Cristel asked abruptly. Her head popped up.

She was twisting her hair like a braid, making all sorts of faces.

“It sounds like······. It doesn’t seem as difficult as I thought it would be. Originally, such movements are very difficult, and it seems like you have to risk your life. So if you have four sacred objects, can you go back to your house at any time?”

“Ah, I did jump off the veranda though.”

“Huh!”

“What?”

I quickly covered my mouth, but it was already too late. Cristel’s face turned blue.

By the time she jumped up, the Crown Prince seemed to have realized that the flow was strange.

I frantically waved my hands and started shaking my head. My body moved before my words because I was so anxious. Hey, Jung Yeseo! You crazy bastard!

“You jumped out of the apartment? Are you saying you committed suicide to come here?”

“No! No. I never intended to die, and in the worst case, Dduksoomi could have saved me.”

“Earlier, you said you borrowed all of Dduksoomi’s energy to open the dimension.”

Oops. I quickly wrung out my head like a rag. Come on, a plausible excuse!

“That’s true, but now······. I just had a feeling it would work out.”

Not something like this!

“You just jumped because you felt good. Uh-huh. What floor?”

‘What floor? Quickly.’ Cristel pressured me in a low voice I had never heard before.

The eyes that were approaching, stepping on the reeds, were cold.

My terrified mouth froze.

The Crown Prince, who had been listening quietly, began to glare at me as if he would burn me to death.

As expected of someone who was born and raised in the imperial palace, he’s incredibly quick-witted!

“It’s not that, cough. It’s not that high. It’s just an ordinary apartment.”

“Ordinarily what floor? My throat hurts, sis.”

“Th······.”

“Third floor? No way. You have a lying look in your eyes.”

“Twelfth floor······.”

Thud. Cristel’s footsteps stopped. The Crown Prince’s eyes were unusually wide.

I looked back and forth between the two, sweating profusely.

The scepter I was holding in both hands became damp in an instant.

Charlemagne, who had been sitting still, was also standing up, and Doria was shaking her mane as if she couldn’t believe it.

Tense saliva went down my throat.

How did this happen? This wasn’t the story I was going to tell.

I didn’t want to worry you like this, so I kept it a secret until now—

Ah.

“······If, if you’re worried, it’s okay. Of course, you might just be surprised,”

“You did that knowing we’d be worried?”

Cristel’s voice was trembling slightly. I widened my eyes.

“You said this is a novel. You said we’re all fake.”

And she bit her lip hard. A bitter taste spread through my tongue and throughout my body.

“Who would risk their life to see a character in a novel again?”

Tears were welling up in her eyes. For a moment, I couldn’t remember how to breathe.

I made another mistake. This was something no one should have known until the end.

“What if something had gone wrong?”

“······.”

“What kind of idiot does that in a house where all their family members are? Huh?”

“······.”

“If I had known you had to come like that, I wouldn’t have told you to come. Really. I didn’t pray. This isn’t touching at all.”

She shook her head violently and wiped her cheeks with her sleeve.

One side of my chest was stinging as if it were being pricked by a needle.

The hot lump that was created there spread out like dark clouds.

“You’re so foolish. What were you going to do when we couldn’t help you? What were you going to do if you got hurt when there was no one by your side!”

“I did it because I didn’t want to be alone.”

I answered as if whispering.

My eardrums were muffled, so I couldn’t tell what my voice sounded like.

I didn’t even know if the words were properly conveyed.

Cristel was now staring at me with a blank face.

Large bellflowers [symbolizing gratitude and apology in Korean culture] were blooming in her facing blue eyes.

I couldn’t hand her a handkerchief right away, so my heart ached. I moved my lips as my heart led me.

“I didn’t want to think it was fake.”

“······.”

“Now, not only Eunseo but also you are precious to me. No matter what anyone says, you are real to me.”

“······.”

“But I was sad that there was no one by my side. I didn’t want to break up like that. I wanted to see you again, I wanted to keep you safe······.”

‘I wanted to apologize for deceiving you.’ I smiled bitterly and rubbed my eyes roughly.

Of course, the plan was completely ruined.

I didn’t explain the situation calmly, nor did I reveal the truth in an organized manner.

I just threw a bomb and ran out of the barracks as if running away.

It was too heavy to rationalize myself by saying that I was cornered.

It was a situation where my friends could be crushed and suffocated.

They could be seriously injured or never go back to the way they were before.

I even knew all of that.

So it was my fault. I shouldn’t have said it that way.

“I’m sorry.”

The moment I bowed my head deeply and repeatedly apologized,

“Who are those bastards!”

A faint shout was heard from afar.

As soon as I was surprised and raised my eyes, two shadows covered me. Whoosh!

“Ugh!”

Thump, roll, roll! We instantly became one and rolled through the reed field.

The two people were sesame bread [a Korean snack], and I was pure beef patty.

Ugh, huh! Grotesque groans poured out indiscriminately.

Thanks to the thickly laid reeds, it didn’t hurt, but the pressure was enormous as the weight of the three of us shifted back and forth.

I was terrified that something would break. I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed my arms tightly to my chest.

I’m going to explode like this!

-Flapping! Rustling!

“Kuh······.”

“Ugh, I’m going to die······.”

In the dense reeds, the human treadmill finally stopped.

The breaths of the three people warmly heated the narrow shade.

I slowly stretched out my hand, which had been tense.

My heart was pounding because I was worried that Cristel in front of me might be hurt. I tried to speak as quietly as possible.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Quiet.”

Ugh! It’s not Cristel! I was horrified and retreated my face as much as possible.

A silent scream circled the reed field several times.

The man who snatched my wrist was shining his orange eyes brightly in the shadow of his robe.

No wonder his shoulders were so broad. No wonder he was strangely heavy!

“Pfft, spit. Marquis······.”

In the meantime, Cristel, who was lying underneath, was groaning, spitting out my hair. Oh my!

“I’m sorry. I was trying to avoid this!”

“This?”

“Gasp. It’s another slip of the tongue. I’m in a mentally vulnerable state these days—”

“Who are those bastards! Fire!”

Wince! This time, the roar echoed too close.

It was roughly less than 100m away, and judging from the sound of water, someone seemed to be crossing the swamp.

We held our breath as if we had promised and stuck flat on the floor.

I firmly locked the ether.

At the same time, a red defense magic circle faintly lit up the ground.

-Buzzing······

The Crown Prince’s black hair flowed down, I desperately turned my head to the right, and Cristel laid her face to the left as if her neck would break.

I’m sure there was a better evacuation method than this, but I couldn’t get out right now.

It was a deep regret. I wish I was on the bottom!

-Swish! Thud, thud, thud, thud!

“Keuheok!”

“Aaaagh!”

Ugh. My body trembled at the obvious scene without even looking.

Thump! Thud! Then there was the sound of people falling. I mustered up the courage and opened my eyes slightly.

At least the situation was not captured in my field of vision.

However, the sight of a snake strangling a rat to death was clearly visible over there. It was terrible.

The small animal’s dying screams and wriggling tail, and the voices of unfamiliar people piercing my ears.

-Squeak! Squeak, squeak! Squeak······

“Keuheok! Please, save me······. Please save······.”

“What, they’re not imperial soldiers?”

“Yes. It seems like they are deserters from our side.”

“Tsk. Well, to the lord, that guy is that guy. But it will still be useful.”

“Keuheuk, my leg! My leg······!”

“What should we do?”

‘Save them and transport them.’ At the superior’s command, the sound of armor moving became busy.

The people who were hit by the arrows were dragged away, groaning miserably.

The rat trapped in the snake’s coils was also losing consciousness. Squeak, squeak. Squeak······.

“Oh my god.”

I let out a sigh-like exclamation. Again, the faint sound of water was heard.

Creak, creak. This seemed to be the sound of a wooden boat moving.

Thump, thump. Rough footsteps followed, and the act of loading people like luggage followed.

After that was repeated a couple of times, the surroundings became quiet.

“······.”

“······.”

“······.”

Even after the sound of rowing completely disappeared, we lay there for several minutes.

As the Crown Prince’s magic circle slowly disappeared, I desperately looked around.

Doria and Charles, sitting at the base, came into view.

I was so grateful that they didn’t cry, didn’t look for us, and waited quietly.

Only then did a sigh of relief flow out.

“······What was that? Did you see who it was?”

Cristel whispered quickly.

Her voice was calm now that she wasn’t heavy. I quickly looked up.

Under the black hood, the Crown Prince’s eyes, aiming at the swamp, were shining brightly.