What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 400

Sub Male Lead Goes on Strike – #400

Ambush (1)

-Whoosh!

A cold, swift wind, dazzling sunlight. An autumn sky without a single cloud.

The darkness of the Salt Swamp, now as small as a fingernail.

And then, the incident occurred.

-KWA-AA-AA-ANG―!

Less than a minute after we soared into the sky.

-Whoosh!

“Aaaagh! Jung Eun-seo!”

In an instant, my body plummeted! I hugged my friends and screamed at the top of my lungs.

Thankfully, we only fell about 2 meters before floating back up, but the problem wasn’t that we almost free-fell. Really!

-Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa······! Ku-gu-gung!

Far below, the damp castle we had escaped from was collapsing.

I blinked rapidly, feeling my heart pounding.

Though the dense, dark green foliage obscured the view, it was clearly a collapse.

Rumble······! Gray dust spread around like a giant fan, and black boulders crashed down, shaking the ground.

Everything felt unreal, like a scene from a computer graphic.

KWA-ANG―! Clatter! Ku-gu-gung! The clear water that had felt so out of place was instantly filled with mud and rubble.

The blue reed field, said to be cursed by Franken, also turned into a rocky tomb.

The pack of wild dogs and flock of migratory birds were terrified by the tremendous roar and fled.

I was so shocked that I could only gape like a goldfish.

I hurriedly threw off my mask and lowered my robe’s hood. My voice trembled with fear and tension.

“Sir Johann! Sir Johann······!”

The fact that we were still flying meant he was alive, but I couldn’t stop the fear that washed over me.

My body, moving further and further away from the scene, felt so frustrating.

I shouted his name until my throat was raw, looking around in all directions. Father Herrit!

“Sir Johann Haines!”

“I’m alright.”

“Eeehk!”

Are you a ghost! Dude!

“I’m really alright. I seem to have startled you.”

I was so scared I almost threw up!

The man who had appeared without a sound smiled gently.

Hugging my friends and Rophie—the Divine Beast was still gnawing on my sleeve even in this situation—I scrutinized him from head to toe.

No, I didn’t even need to go down to his legs. Joo Shina!

“Blood! Your arm is bleeding!”

The Holy Knight’s right forearm was covered in blood.

The jade coat and shirt were tattered like rags, and new, long wounds marked his already scarred skin.

Red drops of blood dripped from his fingers. I didn’t need a mirror to know.

My face must be turning blue and white like crazy right now!

“The opponent was a Cardinal [a high-ranking official in the church]. He had a very unique stigma [a divine mark or power]. The most difficult thing for me is that it’s the same attribute.”

“I don’t want to hear that explanation.”

“Ah. I’ve already told Charlemagne and Doria. They’re smart warhorses, so they’ll return to the military camp on their own.”

“Sir Johann!”

“Be careful, Marchioness. It’ll be a problem if that turns into a prayer.”

Huh? I quickly turned my head at his gesture.

Black, sticky liquid was flowing from the lips of Christel and the Crown Prince, who were sleeping like the dead.

Rophie made a ‘Haa!’ sound, expressing his displeasure. I was so shocked that my mouth dropped open.

I’m going crazy, what is this!

“I’m going nuts, what’s wrong? Why are they like this?”

“They’re spitting out the remnants of the black magic they inhaled a little while ago. It’s the process of their body’s aether [a magical energy] purifying their flesh.”

“······Black magic? You mean that sleeping draught?”

My mind went blank for a moment.

I took out a handkerchief and wiped the corners of their mouths, checking their cold foreheads and cheeks several times.

The war was an event from the original story, so I could accept that, but it felt like the scale was getting bigger and bigger······.

Black magic wasn’t a concept that appeared in in earnest.

It was occasionally mentioned, but the Liester Empire had always strictly controlled black magic and evil arts that traded life force.

In particular, anyone who exposed this power to commoners was subject to the death penalty, regardless of their status.

This was because they not only disrupted social order with sinister spells but also endangered defenseless weaklings.

Like the word ‘black’ in its name, it was a force with a bad image everywhere on the continent.

In short, black mages never appeared in the original story.

Not yet.

“Then what should I do? I’ll help if you tell me. Sir Johann too!”

-Paa-aa-aat―!

As I deployed a circle [likely a magic circle] in an instant, the Cardinal smiled faintly.

Even in the midst of all this, we were steadily flying towards the military camp.

If it were me, I would have been crying a river already, but why are you smiling like that!

“You just need to supply them with enough aether. They’ll recover on their own. I’ll get help from the military camp’s priests. It’s not a big wound, and the opponent didn’t come here directly.”

“It’s not a big wound······. Huh?”

‘He didn’t come here directly?’ I asked back, pushing aether into the three people and one beast.

Sir Johann really didn’t seem to want to receive it, but I ignored it.

He continued, as if he couldn’t win.

“You’ll remember the blue paper shining white and ringing. And the unidentified whistle sound.”

“Ah, yes. It felt like the Holy Knight’s energy, but······. No one seemed to know what it was. The hallway was too noisy, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”

Kwa-gwa-gwag! Ku-u-u-ung······! Even as the conversation went on, Franken’s fortress was steadily collapsing.

I frowned, biting my lip.

It was a place that deserved to disappear completely, but on the other hand, I felt a chill because it didn’t seem like this was the end.

Were there any survivors there? Anyone who escaped?

Did that ‘Apostle’ eventually run away? Abandoning all his followers?

“It seems to be a type of stigma that allows him to imbue his power in a specific location.”

“······Pardon?”

I raised my head abruptly. My eyes widened, understanding his words a beat late.

Remote control of a wireless self-destruct device is possible in this world?

“It’s a special case. Most of the Cardinal’s stigmas are offensive techniques. But that doesn’t mean his attack power was low. A very powerful explosion occurred when the paper broke, and it was difficult for me to defend against it.”

Sir Johann shook his right arm with a smile.

Blood poured out like a shower, and I immediately let out a silent scream.

Teacher, this is really not okay!

“Bring your arm here right now. I’ll tell Herrit later if you don’t listen!”

“How scary, Marchioness. You’ve got a firm grip on my weakness.”

The man rumbled lowly. I quickly switched the holy ground to a healing circle.

And I glanced at the Salt Swamp and the fortress, which were already far away.

The magician baron who murdered six husbands to create the perfect husband, and the lair of the villain who abandoned countless lives to create the perfect Holy Knight.

-Urr-urr-urr······! Gu-gu-gung!

Finally, a cloud of murky dust soared up like dark clouds.

I looked back at the two men and women, feeling overwhelmed by the unpredictable future.

Their pale, sleeping faces still looked young, and I felt a sudden worry.

It feels ominous.

*

At that moment, in the northern part of the Statia Plains.

Mangkranz Village.

-Gu-u-u-u-ung······!

“Eeeek!”

The earth suddenly trembled.

The Imperial soldiers, who were working busily in various places, lost their balance and tumbled.

A cart loaded with luggage overturned, and startled horses reared up, crying.

Clang, clang! The knights hurriedly drew their weapons and rushed out of their tents.

The collection of Moon Halo Grass and the recovery of the Holy Knight’s remains were in their final stages.

Today, nothing should have happened.

The battle was scheduled to resume early tomorrow morning, and they were scheduled to return by dinner at the latest.

-Ku-gu-gung······!

“Ouch!”

“K, Knight! Lords!”

The terrified soldiers rushed to the commander’s tent.

The earth’s rumbling was slowly stopping, but the group couldn’t relax easily after what they had experienced.

“Knight, is it a golem [an animated being, often made of stone or metal]? Has the golem come all the way here again?”

“S, Shall we issue an evacuation order?!”

“There’s no need, soldier! This body saw with its own two eyes that the monster fell asleep.”

From behind the knight who received the question, a handsome Marquis appeared and winked.

The older commanders shook their heads as if they couldn’t help it.

On the other hand, the soldiers who had just turned twenty blushed and bit their tongues.

François D’Heim, who came closer with a mace in his hand, lowered his voice to a whisper.

His dramatic tone and handsome timbre, like a stage actor, were superb. ‘Speaking of golems, something comes to mind······.’

“This is a secret I’m only telling you, but a golem that listens to our orders might be born.”

“Yeeees!?”

“Shh. It’s still in the research stage, but there was a special imperial order, so it’ll be completed before it’s too late.”

“Good heavens. That’s amazing!”

“Well, I did see a criminal lady controlling a golem!”

“Yes. We got inspiration from her. For reference, the full-scale development will be handled by an 8th-grade magician, called a genius among geniuses. If I give you a clue as to who it is, it’s me.”

“Wow······!”

The atmosphere reversed in an instant.

Little by little, life returned to the faces that had been as white as flour, and the young commanders who had been talking about earthquakes and surprise attacks inhaled sharply.

The soldiers who had been trembling with anxiety over there sighed in relief when they saw the bright faces here.

But complacency was forbidden.

Because Elisabeth, who came out of the tent late, frowned and waved her hand.

“But this old man!”

-Thud!

“Ugh! Elisabeth!”

The man’s back bent like a shrimp in season.

The elders quickly turned their eyes away with the expression, ‘I knew it.’

Meaningless coughs and humming abounded.

No one wanted to be caught by the Sword Master’s daughter.

“Wow, it’s the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guards!”

“Everyone, run away!”

This was the same for the soldiers.

A group of young men with shovels and hoes burst into laughter and rushed to the scene.

In that way, the Mangkranz area quickly regained its peace.

The entrance to the village was dug to a depth more than twice the height of a person, and at the end of it, the final excavation of remains was resumed.

Elisabeth pinched François’s forearms in succession—boasting enough power to leave bruises in one go—and poked his back.

Her hand blades were so fast that it was hard to keep up with them with the eyes. ‘Slap! Slap slap slap!’

“I can’t live. Is it okay to tell those stories to the soldiers so carelessly? Huh?”

“No, ouch! Heuk! Wait a minute, Elisabeth! Listen to my story!”

“Where did you eat your age? Aren’t you at the level where you should go on patrol with Cedric?”

“Isn’t it information that will be known anyway!”

Tears finally welled up in the Marquis’s pink eyes.

The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guards paused her raised hand.

The man quickly tacked on the end of his words with a pitiful face—but it didn’t work on anyone except Erber—.

“As you know, His Majesty has been openly collecting large rocks around the military camp for the past few days. He is a wise ruler who always keeps various paths open. Many soldiers and magicians are already being mobilized for this research. The probability of success is up to how you say it, but anyway, isn’t it only a matter of time before the rumors spread? Leaflets will be circulating among the soldiers.”

“Even so—”

“So, nothing bad will happen if you know in advance. Besides, those friends······.”

The Marquis wrinkled his nose as he looked at the young men. It was a fleetingly sad expression.

“Maybe today is the last day, isn’t it.”

Elisabeth’s eyes widened slightly. François smiled bitterly.

“The battle will start again tomorrow, and it would be good to gain courage with good news if possible. If they do, they might fight well and return safely.”

“······.”

“If they’re pushed to the battlefield in fear, they certainly won’t have any strength.”

Silence flowed for a moment at the entrance to the tent. The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guards eventually lowered her hand.

And she glanced at her beloved uncle.

“······Next time, you have to act appropriately. Those guys will definitely come back because they’re curious about the behind-the-scenes stories.”

“I will.”

The Marquis answered kindly.

Elisabeth roughly tidied her clothes and strode towards the hill.

The man stared at her back for a while.

Meanwhile, a small commotion was taking place at the excavation site.

Judging by the nauseated faces, purple sap had been found again.

The Vice Captain of the Imperial Guards immediately gestured and gave some orders.

Then everyone began to move in unison.

A commander who was staring at them opened his mouth.

“······The Margrave and his wife raised their daughter well.”

“Of course, of course.”

“Yes. The children who will follow us are strong and good. Doesn’t His Highness the Crown Prince also possess the qualities of a wise ruler? Perhaps there is no need to worry about the future of Liester.”

“How wonderful would it be if we could see our children grow up and take care of the country······.”

They were sentences that were both wistful and bitter, and at the same time, filled with deep affection.

The old generals, who had been mostly silent, nodded their heads.

François raised the corners of his lips and took out a quill and notebook from his pocket.

He was about to write down a sentence that came to mind.

His younger siblings, especially Erber and Therese, were very eager for his news.

In fact, all the friends who remained in the Imperial Capital were like that.

They said that they read letters received from different people and shared in detail who did what where and how they were living.

Today, he was going to write a letter to Erber in the Imperial Palace.

If he sent it this way, he would definitely deliver it to Prince Kalamar.

‘Dear second child.

The subordinate you cherish most in the world is······.’

“Oh, what is that!”

At that moment, a scream-like shout erupted from behind. François instinctively raised his eyes.

The scenery, which was quite far away, was clearly captured in his vision.

Elisabeth’s expression, greatly embarrassed, was strangely clear.

The swordsman covered his nose and mouth and took a step back.

Black smoke was rising from the deeply dug ground.

The series of events was recognized strangely slowly.

In a short moment that was less than a second, the Marquis felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

‘That day’. Even on that day, he had this premonition—

-KWA-AA-AA-ANG!

And then, there was an explosion.

The entire Mangkranz was swept away by the flash and aftershock.