What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 398

#398

The Wandering Venetian (2)

-Kwaaaang!

“……”

The man didn’t have a single scratch on his cheek.

Even after falling straight down from the high sky like a ballista [a large, ancient crossbow-like siege weapon], he stood upright without bending his knees even once.

Damp dust and mold rose chaotically.

Of course, it couldn’t reach him at all.

“Ah, ah, ah……”

“Ugh, keuh-ack!”

The lingering scent of water and fire. Clumsiness that couldn’t distinguish between protecting and fighting.

“A paladin! That guy must be a paladin too……!”

“Everyone, get up! Don’t give up already! Don’t give in to oppression and persecution!”

“We have the power of the Main God! The power that He has directly prepared!”

A warning like a scream, a trembling finger-pointing. Encouragement tainted with madness.

The basement of the fallen castle was all black and red. The stench of blood and pus vibrated from all directions.

Traces of subtle magic stone energy remained in the air—likely an illegal drug manufactured with black magic—and painful cries seeped from the corners of the hallway.

The robe that blurred his presence couldn’t confuse the man’s vision.

Thanks to the purest ether, the clearest and cleanest in the continent.

Marquis Serenite’s elite forces were pale, cradling their precious droplets and the Crown Prince.

‘Swish!’ Johan approached in an instant, leaving a faint afterimage.

The movement of his hair was a beat slower than that.

Mint-colored eyes glaring at the bell flashed fiercely.

-Clang clang clang clang, clang clang clang clang!

……What brought him down here? Air attribute, the power of another cardinal.

Johan quickly rolled his eyes, looking over the hallway.

Half-corpses, seemingly under an immortal curse, were charging with sickles and knives. ‘Hwaaaa!’

“Sir Johan, how did you get here—”

“I’ll escort you right away.”

If his prediction was correct, time was very short.

A voice so calm it was chilling flowed out.

His master, with heightened senses, flinched and shielded his disciples.

What flashed in his clear purple eyes was instinctive fear.

Only his cheeks were pale in the golden sanctuary.

Oh, no.

“……Please close your eyes for a moment, Marquis.”

“Yes?”

“You will be flying in the sky. It might be hard to endure if my ether explodes momentarily, so hold onto your disciples tightly and evacuate with the divine beast. I’ll send you towards the military camp.”

“Then what about Sir Johan? What about Charlemagne and Doria!”

His urgent voice contained genuine concern. It wasn’t anything special.

His master was someone who worried even about the well-being of Frederick Liester, the Sword Master and Emperor.

Johan gently raised the corner of his lips. Artificial warmth quickly settled in his eyes.

If all that was needed was this much of a mask.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the horses too. This place will explode soon, so it’ll be over quickly.”

“Ah, then…… Thank you so much. Ropi! Ropi, come here! Let’s go together!”

‘Clang clang clang!’ The Marquis, checking the bell, called out an unfamiliar name.

Then, the fire-attribute divine beast jumped and burrowed into the Crown Prince’s arms.

The flower-fire lion, standing in the middle of the hallway, slowly turned into sparks.

It was smart. It realized that it no longer needed to protect the young ones.

Johan reached out with a swift motion. A white vortex began to form on the black floor. ‘Whooooosh……’

“Damn it, they’re getting away!”

“No! We can’t let them escape! Hwaaaa!”

“Don’t let those guys slander our lord!”

Cracking shouts echoed through the underground hallway.

‘Clang! Clang! Clang!’ Blades and bare fists collided with the circle, shattering miserably.

They were emitting strange ether. Rotten flames, dead wildflowers. Decayed water flowers and festering wind.

‘Clang clang clang clang clang!’ The bell sound, stimulating the eardrums, had already become a tearing noise.

A faint whistle unpleasantly stimulated the cardinal’s peripheral nerves.

He thought, gathering all the ether in his body. Our lord.

Then this would be a battle of those who obey.

-Swaeak!

“Ugh, you must be careful! You must never get hurt!”

Soon, brown hair scattered wildly and floated in the air.

The fingertips holding his two friends were white, and his graced eyes were truly closed.

Johan was certain that he wouldn’t open his eyes for a while. That’s the kind of person he was.

“As you command.”

He whispered. The Marquis didn’t hear him.

‘Whooooosh!’ The three people and one beast instantly disappeared into the gaping ceiling.

At the same time—

-Poosh! Poosh, poosh, poosh, poosh!

“Aaaaaargh!”

Blood spurted like a fountain. In an instant, the heads of six knights flew off.

The paladin, who had smuggled out what he had to protect, was now no different from a beast off its leash.

‘Ugh!’ Some of those who witnessed the different dimension of slaughter fainted or vomited.

It was overwhelming and merciless force. The group fell into chaos.

Their opponent was not the commonly seen priest or bishop level.

-Swae-aeng! Clang! Swoosh!

“Oh my god! It’s the ‘Cleaner of the Papal States’!”

“What?!”

“Run away! Keuh-aaaaargh!”

“We must send an urgent report to our lord! Anyone who can survive, survive!”

“No! Don’t give up! Never give up, cough!”

The moment Johan clenched his right fist, the air turned into a vacuum, and the moment he waved his left hand, dozens of people flew away and hit their heads against the stone wall.

New corpses instantly piled up on top of the already full pile of corpses.

The cardinal looked up at the bell, which was shining and crying out in pure white. ‘Clang clang! Clang clang clang clang!’

-Crack crack! Crack, crack, crack!

Spiderweb-like cracks were forming on the surface of the alarm bell. The whistle had stopped.

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly.

-Paaaaah!

Then, a beam of light as bright as bleach burst out.

The entire hallway was dyed white as if erased with an eraser.

*

-Clang!

Startled sparrows fluttered and ran to the fence.

-Crack! Thud!

“Waaaaaah!”

Mila and the village children clapped and rejoiced.

It was a repeated action, but it seemed new and amazing every time they saw it.

Perhaps it was because this wooden barrel was so big and thick.

Elise stopped wielding the axe and sent a greeting.

Then the little ones blushed and jumped.

‘The princess is so, so pretty!’, ‘She’s cooler than His Grace the Grand Duke!’ Voices like birdsong sprouted like fluff.

The Crown Princess focused on the firewood again.

In the plains village, which was golden like her hair, a gentle wind was blowing like the touch of God.

Preparations for winter were in full swing in the Kamingha Territory.

-Clang, crack! Thud! Clang, crack! Thud!

“Oh my. You’re really amazing, Your Highness! Even burly young men lie down after an hour…… Thanks to you, we’ll really have a warm winter. It wasn’t very cold originally, though!”

“Oh my. There’s no need to say the last part!”

“It’s the truth! I can’t tell a lie to such a precious person. The Crown Princess has better skills than the Grand Duke’s knights, really!”

“Look at what that friend is saying.”

The village representative praised in a simple way, and her friends teased and laughed.

The knights at the tavern across the street pretended to cry, saying, ‘What kind of upsetting words are those?’

Elise wiped the cold sweat on her forehead and slightly raised her lips.

This was the atmosphere everywhere in the Grand Duchy.

At first, everyone was wary of the Crown Princess and shy, but that was it.

After only a few days, they greeted her casually, and after it was known that the Grand Duke had brought Elise himself, everyone treated her comfortably.

Reverence and affection for the royal family certainly existed.

However, no one showed ‘fear’.

For the past two months, really no one.

The Crown Princess felt awe.

“This year, a lot of herring was caught, and the wheat harvest was also abundant. The fruit is bland because it rained……”

“Don’t worry, Mom. It’ll be delicious if we make jam. It’ll be good to dry and eat during the winter, too.”

“Princess, Princess. Do you like orange marmalade? If Mila’s brother makes it, is it okay to give it as a gift?”

The village girl Mila asked, standing on tiptoes.

The Crown Princess nodded and answered, ‘Thank you.’

The child rejoiced, bubbling like a spring. This place was full of clear vitality.

When Elise chopped wood with precise arm movements and speed, the territory residents sorted it and stored it busily.

All of it was for long-term heating.

Twigs and small pieces were used to smoke meat and fish next to them.

When the young people skillfully cut out the meat, the children followed their parents and soaked it thoroughly in salt water.

The meat, salted for a certain period of time, was picked up again by the middle-aged people and skewered or hung with straw.

Soon, white smoke rose and knocked on the windows all over the village.

Many residents smacked their lips at the delicious and spicy scent.

Most of them brought out warmed wine or Vlaai [a type of Dutch pie] and shared it.

“Princess-nim.”

Occasionally, there were those who fell into sadness after hearing the news of the death of a family member.

Then, for a week from that day, all the villagers took care of the bereaved family.

They took care of the child’s meals instead, and carefully looked after the sick husband or wife.

In the case of losing an entire family, the Grand Duke and the bishop personally visited and comforted them.

The territory also supported living expenses and pensions.

In the temple, sincere sacraments were held every week for the fallen commoners.

“Princess-nim…… Crown Princess Your Highness!”

Flinch. Elise woke up from her thoughts and stopped the axe.

Mila was calling her again with a bright face.

“His Grace the Grand Duke is looking for you over there!”

“……Okay.”

“Then Mila will be on her way. There’s a writing class at the temple. They’re making storybooks from today!”

“That sounds fun. Study hard. Listen to the priest.”

“Yes!”

The girl and her friends, who laughed and bowed—their posture was quite neat—suddenly started a running race.

In just two months, the children grew like sprouts in front of Elise’s eyes.

There were many things she witnessed and was surprised by here, but the most shocking of them was definitely the temple’s education system.

All the temples in the Holy Nation had suspended most educational activities since the reign of King Lilianer.

Teaching commoners to read or reciting the Bible was forbidden by strict royal decree.

Lilianer—Elise’s great-grandmother—wanted perfect national unity.

She feared the dissatisfaction or backlash of commoners who had gained learning, and wanted to greatly reduce the temple duties of priests to make conscription easier.

-Thud, thud, thud……

As a result, she was wrong.

Because, even though all the territory residents here could read, they did not strongly oppose the war.

Rather, they wanted to step up and fight.

They wished to protect the land that loved them and that they loved until the end.

Because their leader had created such an environment in advance.

“……I heard that a carriage overturned in the lower village. Will you go and help?”

Thud. The Grand Duke, who had approached unnoticed, asked bluntly.

Elise handed the axe to the knight who was assisting her from the side. There was no reason to hesitate.

“Yes. I will.”

And the two began to walk.

The villagers bowed politely and continued their friendly conversations.

They crossed a gently flowing stream and passed a road covered with red fallen leaves.

Some time passed, but no one spoke first.

The Grand Duke’s one eye glanced at Elise, who was walking one step behind.

“……”

The Crown Princess no longer lags behind. One step is not a big difference.

Although she is slower than him, the young man has become skilled at controlling his muscles without using ether.

As befitting a ‘genius cardinal,’ his learning ability was good and his realization was quick.

When he was not helping the residents, he stayed by her side like an aide and studied the policies of the Grand Duchy.

He sat alone at a small table until two or three in the morning, taking notes, and woke up at seven to train with the soldiers.

He asked detailed questions and was greatly shocked, sometimes losing his words.

However, he never brought up the words ‘I will return to the battlefield.’

She persevered and persevered.

All of that was learning.

“How much do you know about Wilhelmina Schneider’s ambition?”

“……”

Thud. A question with an unknown weight flew in. Sapphire-like eyes widened slightly.

The Crown Princess jumped over a large rock and chose her words.

“……I know that he is trying to swallow the Holy Nation. There is no place that he has not reached out to, even in remote rural areas, and I also know that he spends a lot of money to win over the upper class who agree with him. My father would have been nothing more than the Duke’s words.”

“Half right and half wrong.”

Judith Kamingha answered indifferently. Elise looked back at her and clenched her fist tightly.

For some reason, her throat was parched.

“For him, the Venetian is just a tool to achieve his ambition. At least, that’s what I know.”

“……I don’t know what you mean.”

Finally today, the Grand Duke was about to deliver the most painful lesson to her.

Judith’s wrinkled eyelids opened sharply.

“Do you know the story of the human who wanted to become a god?”