What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 405

Johann prided himself on being quite lenient with his students.

-Whoosh…

Especially since they were his first disciples ever.

The life of a mercenary was often no different from that of a vagrant.

Before meeting Josefina, he was an orphan wandering to avoid starvation, and the life he settled into after marrying her and gaining a surname lasted only a few years.

After losing his wife, he wandered again, holding his young son.

It was to survive once more.

Consequently, he had no opportunity to build deep relationships with others, nor the leisure to form special bonds.

Even after joining the Papal States, he didn’t trust others.

His position also dictated that he shouldn’t.

The man was, after all, a ‘cleaner’ [an assassin] with a child to protect.

“I don’t understand why you fought so passively.”

Therefore, he couldn’t possibly accept such an attitude.

“I couldn’t grasp the entire situation from above, but it was a disappointing performance to me.”

The two before him were not children.

“…”

“…”

He wanted to turn the training grounds into ruins and exhaust them. He intended to use force to make them spill their guts, as they wouldn’t open up with ordinary methods.

However, the Cardinal suppressed all those impulses and ultimately produced a gentle voice.

Because someone who shouldn’t be there was stubbornly standing his ground.

Too close to them.

-Meooow.

“Lopi, be quiet. Your captain is training right now.”

-Meeooo.

“Yes. It’s not hunting. Shall we catch mice with your brother instead?”

“…”

The priest, who had brought blankets to keep the divine beasts warm—though that would never happen—was constantly whispering behind him.

Juliette, the Princess and Marchioness of Serenite, had tried to persuade the Cardinal with various stories.

She even mentioned that the forces here should be conserved in preparation for the upcoming battle at the front lines.

Of course, Johann wasn’t swayed.

Above all, if they were this exhausted, they couldn’t have become his disciples in the first place.

The man closed his eyes briefly and then opened them.

Christel’s utterly dissatisfied face came into view.

She was pouting, kicking the dirt floor with her disheveled hair.

The hastily changed top was blatantly inside out.

“I really did my best, though.”

And a sulky remark popped out.

“I can’t believe that.”

“I really did! I fought hard to protect the Marquis, and I acted as you taught me…”

“No. You could have exerted more power than that. Why didn’t you flood the corridor with water from the start?”

“…That’s, well.”

“Why didn’t you create a house-sized wave and destroy the castle? There was a swamp right next to it.”

At the firm question, her blue-gray eyes wavered.

She glanced at her partner taking care of the divine beasts, then bit her lip and looked down at the ground.

It was a rare, unconfident expression.

At the same time, she looked like she had fully recovered her health, but the Marquis had seriously argued that she needed to rest for another two days.

Johann sighed and turned to his other disciple.

The Crown Prince, dressed in plain clothes, was glaring at him with fierce eyes.

He knew that the Prince had been awake since early dawn.

“I’m curious why you didn’t incinerate all the thugs in the corridor. Weren’t the magic stone sleeping pills a joke? Surely you won’t blame it on the humidity.”

“…”

“I know how strong you two are. All I can teach you now are close-quarters combat techniques used in real battles.”

Of course, that alone could easily fill ten years of training.

But now wasn’t the time to say that.

“There were no proper Holy Knights on the opposing side; it was practically a numbers game. So, I personally find this situation hard to understand. It would be better for you to be honest with me.”

“…”

Johann tossed the sharp, thorny wooden stick into the air and caught it.

There was no one in the empty training ground except them.

Occasionally, soldiers passing by would glance at them, and withered leaves, hunched over, would roll by pathetically.

Christel subtly eyed Prince Cedric before opening her mouth.

“…You might have been too reliant on your divine artifact, Your Highness.”

“…”

“…”

“So, your range of action became limited, perhaps?”

‘Or not.’ As her eyes met his, she quickly chattered and looked away.

As always, it was Christel’s role to strike first.

Soon, the Prince furrowed his brow as if he were drawing.

A surge of hot fire energy soared into the air.

Not to be outdone, the playful water energy began to pour down in torrents.

Even at that moment, the priest was oblivious, greeting the passing guards. ‘Yes. Have you eaten? No, we haven’t yet… But I packed a lunch box.’

“Isn’t the Marchioness one with her divine artifact? It’s astonishing that such lax defense was possible. You didn’t seem willing to move out of the way.”

“I tried my best, okay? To put it bluntly, that was the maximum I could do while staying close to the Marquis! I thought it was a bit strange then, but honestly, Your Highness didn’t need to carry the Marquis around like that. It was right to evacuate him like that at the beginning, but after that, it was overkill. He wasn’t even hurt. So, your own actions were restricted.”

“If the Marchioness can’t keep the enemies in check, what am I supposed to trust to Serenite?”

“I think keeping them in check was fine? They couldn’t get close at all. The floor was covered in ice, and I thoroughly minced them with my whip. The problem was that sleeping pill. Why didn’t you burn it right away?”

“I’ll say it again. In a situation where I can’t trust the Marchioness’s abilities and can’t read her movements—”

“That’s the worst.”

Johann sharply cut him off.

It was something that would never happen normally, but the Prince ultimately accepted the tutor’s scolding.

The proof was that the man silently bit his lip.

‘Crack!’ The wooden stick snapped in two in his rough grip.

A terrifying silence flowed through the training ground. His mint-colored eyes gleamed fiercely.

“If my memory isn’t failing me, I believe I taught you two attack techniques based on mutual trust. Even though you have opposing attributes, coordination is possible, and your teamwork wasn’t bad.”

Christel, who had been chewing on her lip, suddenly raised her head.

“We haven’t had a chance to coordinate since the war broke out. This is true.”

“Why not? You were both on the battlefield. And you’ve both made remarkable contributions.”

“That’s because we acted separately! I went to the sea, and Your Highness…”

“Why did you act separately?”

“…That’s.”

That was because it had been difficult to look at each other since ‘that day.’

“…”

“…”

The gazes of the two men and women fell downward in unison.

The Marquis, who had been spreading out a mat on the ground, paused and turned to look at them.

He seemed to sense that the atmosphere was unusual.

“…I see. You two, who possess the power to destroy more than half of the Boundary Temple, couldn’t properly protect the person you wanted to protect the most because of the wounds from that day?”

“…”

“The reason you couldn’t destroy the fortress was because you judged that you couldn’t ensure the Marquis’s safety. In short, you were playing it safe.”

“…”

“The same goes for why you couldn’t create a tsunami in front of the Marquis, or why you couldn’t create a sea of fire. Correct me if I’m wrong.”

“…”

All that filled the emptiness of the three was the chilly morning air and dust.

The divine beasts occasionally whimpered. Johann tossed the branch away and declared.

“Then the person you two distrust isn’t each other. It’s yourselves.”

“…”

“…”

“You couldn’t do your best because you couldn’t trust yourselves.”

‘Oooooooo…’ The wind wailed mournfully, hiding beyond their hair.

The Cardinal’s eyes were filled with venom, and he placed a knife under his tongue.

The only lesson he could give was this.

“You can’t protect anyone that way. Not ever.”

“…”

“You’ll regret it after you lose them.”

“Um, Johann.”

At that moment, a cautious voice seeped in from the side. The gazes of the three people moved simultaneously.

The priest, who was feeding fruit to the divine beasts, was looking at them with a clear face.

“I apologize for interrupting. But my opinion is a bit different.”

“…Speak.”

“We are friends who help each other, not in a relationship where one unilaterally protects and the other is protected. It may be different from other Holy Knight and priest relationships, but I’m comfortable with this. So, if we’re going to be scolded for how we handled things in the Salt Swamp, I think I should be scolded too. I wasn’t calm either. I should have come up with some kind of strategy to replace the two of you who were fighting physically, but it was a special situation, and my head wasn’t working fast enough.”

‘I’m sorry.’ The Marquis bowed his head in apology.

His brown eyes were common, found anywhere on the continent.

However, the light within them was precious and rare.

As unique as there could only be one in the whole world.

“…I understand what you’re saying. But I have to judge as a teacher. And with this attitude, the three of you shouldn’t be on the battlefield together. The same mistake could be repeated at any time.”

Johann replied calmly. Then the Marquis bounced up like a roasted acorn.

“I will never return to the Imperial Palace. I miss my teacher and friends in the Imperial City very much, but I want you two to be safe to the end. Being alone in a safe place is also a pain. So, I want to do what I have to do as a priest and a friend. That was one of the reasons I came back in the first place.”

“I truly respect the Marquis’s courage, but unfortunately, you two don’t seem ready.”

At those words, the young man quickly stepped forward, blocking the two men and women.

He was carrying a basket full of lunch boxes in both hands. The four divine beasts followed behind him, scurrying.

Christel and the Prince stared at the back of his head with surprised eyes.

“Why don’t you give us one more chance? They’re still kids!”

-Kkia!

-Kkiing!

-Kkiwoo!

-Whine

Their partner was very confident!

“I’m sorry, but I’ve never failed to protect a client at that age.”

“I’m sorry too, but we’re not in a client-mercenary relationship, Johann. We’re friends and master-disciples.”

“…”

“We’ll do better next time. It’s been a while since the three of us fought together. Really.”

Christel slinked behind her partner, placed her hand on one of his shoulders, and squinted at Johann.

The Prince, who had been ready to drill through the underground passage just a moment ago, was also raising his spirits.

The Cardinal was dumbfounded and let out a hollow breath.

Interpreting that in a good way, the Marquis quickly latched onto the end of the sentence.

There was a unique spark in his energized voice.

“I’m not saying you should take the mistake lightly. I haven’t forgotten that it’s a war where lives are at stake. The two of them here know that better than me, a non-combatant. But people can’t always be perfect, can they? If you teach us again, we’ll be much better the second time…”

“Then try to beat me.”

Thud, that’s how he answered. A brief, chilling silence flowed.

“…Excuse me?”

“…What?”

“…Huh?”

-…Kking?

Hahaha.

“I was able to help this time, but if those words are sincere, you should prepare for a moment when you can’t rely on anyone’s help. So, the three of you try to stop me.”

‘I’ll attack the Marquis.’ Johann suggested, curving his eyes.

The faces of the three men and women immediately hardened. The Marquis, in particular, had a very embarrassed look.

It was a training method designed solely for them, but it was still too difficult.

The memories of that time were nothing short of a nightmare for everyone.

Everyone had agreed not to talk about it, and they didn’t even whisper in case Herit might hear.

So, the old feelings couldn’t be completely resolved. At least, that’s what Johann thought.

His lord was still afraid of his power.

“Johann, are you sure you’re okay?”

The man’s eyes widened slightly.

“You were having a hard time that day too. You don’t have to force yourself…”

That’s when it happened.

-Kugugugung!

“Ugh!”

With a roar that shook the ground, the ground vibrated finely beneath their feet.

Those who were sweeping or carrying luggage in the distance screamed and sat down.

The divine beasts quickly jumped into the arms of the humans, and Christel firmly held onto her swaying partner.

Lopi quickly curled his tail between the Prince’s boots and crouched down.

Johann quickly regained his balance and checked the eastern sky.

The source of the sound was in the direction of the battlefield where Emperor Frederick had advanced.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The eyes of the three Holy Knights narrowed simultaneously.

A long, golden trail remained in the distant sky.

It was certainly the power of another sun.