What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 391

#391

You, Me, Us, and (4)

“······They’re not the Theocracy Army.”

“Ugh, really?”

We collapsed like a poorly made burger after pulling out the toothpick.

Gain said, ‘I’ve done a week’s worth of weights!’ and flopped down.

After checking on her, I rushed back to the base to check on Charlemagne and Doria.

Both children were safe and sound, without a scratch.

Then, I hurriedly picked up the Hyegeom [a type of sword] and the Holy Staff.

Whoosh······! The sound of the cold wind was fierce and loud.

Perhaps because the Crown Prince had turned off the sacred fire a little while ago, the surroundings were very chilly and desolate.

A group of reeds that looked like blue beards stood in a circle, performing an ominous dance.

Dim shadows played hide-and-seek between the bushes.

It felt eerie, as if hundreds of eyes were watching us.

-Hoo-oo-oo······

-Sizzle······

Ugh. Goosebumps.

“About the legend tied to the Salt Marsh. The story we heard before we came.”

“Yes, there was that. Aigo, my back······.”

At my words, Christel rolled over to this side and answered.

Crown Prince Cedric was still watching beyond the reed field.

I stopped Gain and rummaged through my bag.

As I quickly squatted down and opened the medicine container to apply to her wounds, she pouted and looked up at me.

I couldn’t tell if it was a smiling face or a sulky face.

“I heal quickly. I don’t need to apply that.”

“Still. Do you have any aching bones?”

“Hmm. Now that I think about it, I want a massage.”

······That’s a completely teasing face!

When I pursed my lips, she giggled like a prankster.

The dew-laden eyelashes sparkled incessantly in the autumn sunlight.

I was glad she wasn’t crying anymore, really.

“Is my good regeneration ability also thanks to the Divine Object? Does Yeseo know everything?”

“······Probably. All I know from reading is ‘Jewelification.’”

“Jewelification? Is that the name? The sound is nice.”

I smiled ambiguously and applied medicine to her chin and forehead.

Gain asked in a nasal voice.

“They said I’m the protagonist. So, does the technique have a cool nickname?”

“I don’t know about that. Before coming here, I only knew the novel’s title. And a simple plot······. I only read it once in a hurry when I got back home.”

“I see······. You were wandering around with me. When I think about it, you didn’t seem like someone who knew anything.”

“Hahaha.”

When I laughed out loud, she also smiled broadly.

It was the first time in a while that I saw such a good expression.

“How long were you at my house before coming here?”

“······About three or four days.”

“That’s a shame.”

Instead of answering, I only slightly raised the corners of my lips, and Gain stared at me intently.

As I was silently applying the medicine, Eunseo’s voice suddenly swirled in my head.

‘That jerk, if he had just talked to Christel the week before last, things wouldn’t have turned out this way. Does he only use his mouth for kissing?’

‘It’s always about communication. Communication is always the most important thing. If Sekri had communicated properly, he would have been married with two kids by now.’

Those were indeed words close to the truth.

I hadn’t told them everything yet, but I felt a little lighter after opening up a bit.

The fact that we turned into hamburgers was ultimately the result of the two of them throwing themselves to protect me.

My friends still thought of me as a friend.

Even though they must be incredibly troubled and exhausted, and there must be a mountain of things they want to ask me, they were waiting for me.

Somehow, my heart felt touched, and my hand movements became clumsy.

Gain, who suddenly got a pack of medicine on her face, giggled, saying it was ticklish.

“Aren’t you applying too much? I’m going to get poisoned.”

Then, she smeared the medicine that was on her onto my cheek. Ugh!

“The Marquis was scratched too. You have to take good care of your face.”

“I can just apply anything roughly, it’s okay.”

“Who says?”

“Huh? Jung Eunseo.”

“······.”

Gain closed her mouth with a troubled look.

Rustle, rustle, the Crown Prince, who had returned to the base just in time, frowned at us.

It was almost a contemptuous expression. Thinking that my posture was too poor, I quickly dusted myself off and stood up.

It’s good to be friends, but before being friends, he is the son of His Majesty the Emperor, our boss.

I shouldn’t look like I’m neglecting my duties.

“You’re here. Were you hurt, Your Highness? Should I give you some medicine?”

“······It was tricky to chase with the naked eye. The swamp is deep, and the fog is thick.”

He sent me a look that said, ‘Do you think I need something like that?’ and simply turned the conversation around.

Come to think of it, this wasn’t the time to be flirting with Christel.

“By the way. You said those guys weren’t the Theocracy Army. Is there a decisive reason why you judged that way?”

I hurriedly asked, handing him the Hyegeom. The man nodded.

“They were all wearing half masks.”

“······Huh?”

“Yes?”

Christel and I were surprised in unison.

We were lying flat on the ground, so we didn’t see the situation at all, but the Crown Prince seemed to have witnessed something in the gaps of the reed field.

My head was spinning as I tried to recall the unfamiliar voices from before.

‘What, they’re not Imperial soldiers?’

‘It seems like they’re deserters from our side.’

‘To the lord, that guy is that guy. But they might be useful.’

‘Keep them alive and transport them.’

······Combining the conversations, it was certainly suspicious.

Even if we treat Imperial soldiers and Theocracy deserters virtually the same, it was strange to mention ‘usefulness.’

Usually, they would be immediately dragged to the brig or summarily executed.

The fact that they emphasized capture and wore masks to hide their identities was very suspicious.

Disguise cream would be one thing, but there’s no reason for regular soldiers to hide their appearance, is there?

It was the same even if they were simply someone’s private soldiers.

“And the title ‘Lord.’”

At my pointing out, Christel 벌떡 raised her upper body. Her medicine-coated cheeks were shiny.

“That’s right. They said they used that title even in the rock castle laboratory of the Statia family. Marquis Francois testified himself.”

“That’s right.”

I immediately nodded.

The explanation I heard in front of the collapsing fortress echoed in my ears again.

‘Judging by the scale of the facilities, it wasn’t something that happened in a day or two. They seemed to have plenty of resources. Also, they mentioned someone called ‘Lord.’ There is definitely a mastermind and a backer.’

A tingling sensation ran up my spine. I hurriedly turned to look at the Crown Prince.

“Is it the same person as the Lord there? Duke Sneider, I mean.”

“······It’s highly likely.”

His eyes were shining darkly.

Of course, that was only if our hypothesis was 100% correct.

The Sneider family, which swallowed the Statia Plain, upheld the will of the Venetian royal family, and so they are continuing secret bio-experiments, and the Duke’s black hand is reaching even here.

Then······.

This is a headache. What on earth are they plotting during the war?

The current Duke is the Emperor’s sister.

Isn’t covering up the sins of a murderer enough scheming for one lifetime?

“First, sit down. This time, we have to make a plan and move together. If we chase after them recklessly, we might fall into a trap.”

I quickly grabbed the Crown Prince’s robe and pulled him down. For some reason, he obediently lowered his body.

I can’t allow him to act alone like before. And I’d rather not have him catching snakes if possible!

-Rustle, rustle

“I got a few large sheets of scrap paper from the military camp. If we draw pictures and write on this······.”

All sorts of items came out of the bag endlessly.

First, I took out three ballpoint pens and handed them out one by one. The Crown Prince tilted his head sullenly.

He really looked like Sadie just now, which made me laugh.

Gain already had the expression of someone who had caught a good target for teasing. Please don’t do that too much.

“Here, if you press this, the pen tip will come out.”

-Click

When I pressed the pig-shaped tail, he had an interested look in his eyes.

“Was it made with a magic stone pen tip?”

“······No, that. Um. It’s just something made of iron. The small ball at the end rotates and applies ink. It’s light and convenient.”

“In that case, it won’t be able to preserve a large amount of ink for a long period of time. How does it respond to rapid temperature changes?”

“······.”

Yes, yes. The great 7th-circle magician has won a KO victory against a plastic ballpoint pen!

I glared at him and wrote neatly on the paper.

Christel, who was lying flat on her back, giggled, saying, ‘Wow, this is going to be really fun.’

We’re the same Koreans, but I’m the only one getting angry, and Gain is enjoying it. I don’t understand.

“It’s a very shabby product to give to a precious person, but please use it gently since it’s Eunseo’s. I’ll get scolded if you lose it.”

“I’ll think about it.”

The Crown Prince replied lightly to my words. I almost punched his arm with my fist but stopped myself.

Don’t just think about it!

*

Cardinal Johann Haines was sitting alone in the high sky.

A shirt with a few buttons undone and a jade-colored coat fluttered freely.

-Whoosh······

White hair was tangled together like several birds, flapping its wings.

Mint-colored eyes often flashed sharply before calming down.

However, he never came to the forefront.

‘Keep a close eye on the three of them, and if they’re completely hopeless, bring them back.’ That was the secret order of Frederique Riester, who had made him her sword.

She was the one to whom the man had sworn absolute loyalty.

A benefactor who, although he could not give her even his death, could gladly give his life.

King of kings.

‘What could happen? But it will be more comfortable for both of us if you protect them.’

‘······.’

‘Your son is doing well. Recently, he’s even been going in and out of Aureli’s office.’

‘He’ll probably receive a title next birthday.’ The monarch’s joke was filled with affection and pleasantness.

Johann bowed deeply and stepped back.

His only son and lifeline was growing up with the most precious treatment on the continent.

He was laughing and running around, enjoying the affection and warmth that poured out every day.

There were many nights when he couldn’t sleep because he felt guilty for leaving his side, but compared to before, it was a dreamlike life.

For a child, it was naturally a change that went from hell to heaven.

Herrit was once a prisoner of Werner Venetian.

-Whew-woo-woo······

“······.”

After his son was given an unparalleled environment, Johann also spent mostly stable days.

However, the story he overheard a little while ago was an exception.

He almost caused a whirlwind in the middle of the plain.

‘I did jump off the veranda.’

‘Twelfth floor······.’

Flutter, something fell from his palm. The man realized the bleeding a beat late.

The nails that had dug into his flesh were scattering bright red blood.

He calmly created a wind to blow the bloodstains to the other side.

A blue edge appeared in his drooping eyes. He quietly glared beyond the reeds.

‘The Land of God and Harmony,’ the Venetian Theocracy [a government ruled by religious leaders].

“······Nightmare and Butterfly.”

Then a low bass voice flowed out.

There was a strange legend passed down in the Salt Marsh.

It was no wonder that the old men of the Papal States were making a fuss.

This place was located between the Duchy of Sneider and the Barony of Franken, a kind of ownerless place.

Even the wandering people or mercenaries who roamed around the Theocracy did not want to settle here, even though the land was quite vast.

The salty water, presumed to be seawater from the South Sea, flowed into the entire swamp, making it difficult to draw water, and this place had been the site of the Franken baronial family’s funerals for generations······.

-Saaa······

Because it later became the site of the Baron’s serial murders.

It happened hundreds of years ago. The Baron of Franken had seven husbands in her lifetime.

It was not polygamy, which was strictly prohibited by law, and she remarried every time she was widowed.

According to legend, she had a beauty that anyone would fall in love with at first sight.

She also maintained the appearance of a sixteen-year-old even at the age of sixty, and boasted a nightingale-like voice and excellent piano playing skills.

The Baron’s blue and abundant hair was particularly eye-catching in the white reed field.

-♩♬♪······

When the social season came, she invited dozens of men of marriageable age to her social room.

In front of them, she recited poetry in a beautiful figure and flaunted expensive jewelry and dresses.

Many were frightened by the power to defy time and the overwhelming wealth.

Rumors often circulated that the Baron was evil and had earned God’s hatred.

However, there were even more people who felt curiosity and charm, and young men who were eager to prove their worth appeared every year.

One month was enough from the first meeting to the marriage.

‘Ugh! It’s, it’s a person! There’s a dead person here!’

And all of them died before their first wedding anniversary.

‘Oh, my God! It’s the Baron’s husband!’

‘Oh my!’

When a clean corpse floated in the Salt Marsh, a passing troupe of clowns or merchants discovered it and reported it.

Most were presumed to have died from a fall.

This was because they were dressed neatly, had no external injuries, and showed no signs of poison.

There were also testimonies that the husband had been seen drunk. Death was always like that.

No one knew it was murder.

Until the last, seventh husband entered the lord’s castle.

-Thud, crash······!

‘You are not qualified to marry me! This marriage is invalid!’

‘Let go of me!’ The Baron, who had been caught for the previous six murders, was eventually dragged out of the castle by her youngest husband.

Some traditions say that the husband was fifteen years old at the time.

She screamed until the last moment she was dragged to the stake.

And she poured out curses on her husbands, spilling blood from every hole in her body.

By the time her whole body was wrapped around the stake, the Baron was in the appearance of a complete old woman.

The old woman opened her eyes wide and shouted like a scream.

‘My husband must be perfect! Inside and out, eyes and nose, soul and body, shoulders and waist, heart and pancreas······! All proportions must draw the golden ratio [a mathematical ratio found in nature and art, believed to create aesthetically pleasing compositions]!’

‘Nothing should be wrong! If you want to take me as your wife, you have to be like that!’

‘It must be as clean as a sacrifice to the Lord God······!’

That was the Baron’s last words.

Johann narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.

But what does that have to do with the current war?

What were those masked men?

‘There is intelligence that corpses are still floating in the swamp.’

The Emperor’s voice lingered in his ears.

‘Maybe it’s nothing. Unless it’s a military operation of the Theocracy.’

Is that really so?

A faint expectation formed in the man’s eyes and then disappeared.

Because his master and disciples always brought special events with them.