What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 447

The Devil’s Claw, Shipwreck of Nadir (11)

-Thud! Thoom! Thwack!

“Kuh!”

Ugh, my tailbone’s about to run away! They’re handling this box way too roughly!

Hugging Lophy tightly, I barely managed to stifle a groan.

Inside the wooden crate, devoid of seatbelts, the other three men didn’t even flinch.

I glanced sideways at Sir Johann, who was right next to me.

With his long limbs, he was firmly supporting the top and sides of the crate. As an ordinary office worker, I couldn’t even dream of imitating his strength.

How can he not even move?

-Screeeeeak…

Uh oh? Crap, it’s tipping over!

-KABOOOOM!

Keuheok!

“Hey, set it down gently! That’s high-grade magic stone!”

“Oops! You should have said so sooner, Alika!”

The spice shop owner clicked his tongue, and the workers exclaimed in shock.

But inside the crate, it was several times more chaotic.

It was a stroke of luck that it only rolled half a turn; otherwise, someone inside might have been seriously injured.

If ‘Ran’ hadn’t held on, the lid would have flown open!

“Ugh, damn it. Who’s so heavy? It’s that pig in glasses, isn’t it?”

Hey, no personal attacks! I groaned from the top of the human crepe cake.

Lophy, who had escaped my arms in an instant, bravely climbed onto my back.

At the very bottom was the uninvited guest with the air attribute, and right above him was Djibril Diop.

Even as he and I were exchanging glares, Sir Johann was focused solely on the movements outside.

Watching him, I felt like a lump of trouble, disturbing an adult at work.

I quickly bit my lip. Soon, Alika’s voice followed.

“…That’s right. It’s just, unbelievably sensitive. I even threw away a whole box while packing!”

“Goodness!”

“They say the quality gets better the stronger the mana around it, but I don’t know if it’s true. I heard it whispered from a client.”

The woman spoke nonchalantly. This was a line we had designated in advance.

This way, we might be able to get closer to the room of ‘Madam Morhan,’ the head of the black mages.

It was better to try, even if it was a long shot.

“If you say so, Alika, it must be true. Anyway, thank you very much.”

“I thought we had turned the black market upside down. They keep urging me about the lack of magic stones, ugh. I was wondering if I should go all the way outside Lake Yeri.”

“Well, my connections aren’t too bad.”

“Excellent! This is the best, of course!”

The workers sounded genuinely relieved.

Not long after, the spice shop owner left the mansion.

Even though he would be in deep trouble if the contents of the box were discovered, his footsteps and demeanor were very relaxed.

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

With such boldness, he must have survived this long, doing business in a place like this for thirty years.

-Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter…

“……”

“……”

In the familiar darkness, Sir Johann’s eyes emitted a fierce, eerie light.

This kind of atmosphere was still a bit scary. I subtly averted my gaze to the air.

“Then let’s move it. The master is already in his bedroom, so let’s go to Warehouse 1!”

“Alright. He can check it as soon as he wakes up in the morning. It’s right in front of him.”

“Be careful! If we open the lid and the magic stones are all broken, we’re done for too.”

-Clunk, clunk!

Tilt! The box moved greatly once. We started moving somewhere again.

Inside the swaying square, only Lophy was enjoying the perfect balance.

-Step, step, step…

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Mr. Ran, supporting the weight of the three men, whispered leisurely.

I don’t know about looking forward to it; I’m just nervous…

*

How many minutes, no, how many tens of minutes had passed?

-Thwoom!

I was startled awake by the impact of the box hitting the ground.

Lophy pressed down on my shoulder reproachfully.

If you ask me if I can fall asleep in this situation, I have nothing to say even if I had ten mouths, but it was a strangely slow sensation.

No matter how much I braced myself and waited, the box didn’t seem to arrive anywhere.

It was late at night, and I had trustworthy people next to me, so I relaxed and ended up falling asleep.

I hurriedly wiped my mouth—at least I didn’t drool—and perked up my ears.

Outside, the workers were dusting off their hands.

Are we there yet? Is this Warehouse 1?

“Everyone worked hard. Go and change shifts.”

“Ugh. It’s so heavy. I don’t know how Alika dragged this here alone. She’s so strong.”

“Oh, did we get the magic stone warranty?”

“Ah! I forgot about that.”

“Let’s tell the morning shift. Then the youngest one there will go to the spice shop.”

“Okay.”

I let out a long sigh.

I thought that such a grand mansion would have strict security, but in reality, it was the opposite.

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed to be thanks to the black magic in the Salt Pillar District.

Since entry is impossible for anyone who isn’t a high-ranking black mage or a ‘chosen guest’ like Alika, everyone seemed to be working comfortably, trusting in that.

There was no reason for the thousand-year-old order of the black market to be suddenly overturned.

Except for today.

“Who has the key?”

“I do.”

“Anyone want to go get some gingerbread?”

“Me!”

The workers chatted about late-night snacks and allowances, then closed the warehouse door and left.

Thud! Clang, clang, click! The loud noise of the lock being fastened pierced my ears.

We waited a few tens of seconds more, and only when everyone’s presence had disappeared beyond the hallway did we start to wriggle.

First, push the box lid open…

“Huh?”

Why won’t it open?

-Clang! Clang, clang! Clatter!

“……”

Only then did I grasp the situation. They had tied the box with chains while moving it.

While I was asleep!

“If you allow me, I will open it. We don’t have much time to spare.”

Sir Johann moved immediately, but Mr. Ran was faster.

Even crushed by Diop’s bulk, he spoke in a very calm voice.

It seemed I was the only one struggling.

“You?”

“Believe it or not, I have some strength.”

Then he took something sparkling out of his pocket.

I flinched, thinking it was a knife, but squinting, I saw it was a round silver coin.

It was the same thing I had seen outside the mansion earlier. What was he going to do with that—

-Tzzzzzz…

Wow, the coin was digging into the box lid like a chainsaw!

-Tzzzzzzzz…

“Those who don’t know air attributes well tend to underestimate us. They scoff, asking what we can do with invisible power.”

-Oooooong!

‘But a well-honed wind is sharper than any blade.’ The man explained gently, like a refined professor.

The coin, covered with a sharp film, was diligently scattering sawdust as it moved forward.

Right in front of me, the smell of burning metal and wood was intense.

I was probably one of the people on the continent who knew the greatness of the air attribute best, but I nodded anyway.

I had to act like a regular person who didn’t know anything about aether.

-……Tzzzzz, tzzzzzz!

And finally, the coin, having drawn a perfect circle, stopped moving.

As the man reached out, the silver coin flew into his palm.

This was a method of infiltration I had only seen in spy movies, uh oh! The lid’s falling over!

-Thud!

“Heo……”

The large door fell lightly like a fingernail. This time it was Sir Johann’s strength.

I hurriedly got up and climbed out of the box.

Lophy also raised his tail and followed me.

The warehouse was also gloomy, but the yellowish magic lights illuminated it, so I could see a lot.

It was about 100 pyeong [approximately 3,300 square feet] in size.

The pointed glass roof was supported by dozens of metal pipes instead of wooden beams, and the corner cabinets were full of bottles that looked like they would cause big trouble if touched.

I also saw experimental tools that looked like motorcycle helmets.

Some sections were multi-layered, and above, a huge spinning wheel and gears were meshing together as one.

Occasionally, there was a clattering mechanical sound.

The hour hand pointing askew at the number 25 indicated that it was a little past 1 AM. My mouth naturally fell open.

I had felt it since I first came down to the black market, but this place really wasn’t like Toegye-gong [a historical figure and place in Korea, often associated with traditional values].

No, to be exact…

-Nyaa

“Yeah.”

I couldn’t believe that Toegye-gong contained so many references.

It was incredibly new, but that’s what I thought.

Backgrounds, props, people that didn’t appear in the original…

What did it mean that all of this existed before my eyes? Was this all really ‘official setting’?

“Brown eyes. Why are you hiding them? Is it a trend these days?”

I flinched. I trembled and turned to the side.

But Sir Johann was several times faster than me!

He was already blocking my way, so I couldn’t see the outsider’s face.

Only after a few seconds did I realize what the man meant and was shocked.

I wondered if I had forgotten my glasses, so I groped in front of my eyes, but François’ invention was sitting perfectly on my nose.

Did he peek at me from the side that quickly?!

“I’d like you to get lost.”

“Oh, was it a private matter? My apologies.”

Sir Johann growled lowly, and the man responded gently.

Meanwhile, Diop was looking around, frowning.

Since he was a mage, he might have sensed an unpleasant aura of black magic here.

I pulled the robe hood even deeper over my head.

“Then, I hope our paths cross again. Thanks for the ride.”

Soon, I heard such greetings from over Herrit’s father’s shoulder.

When I stood on tiptoe, Mr. Ran was already splitting the warehouse door with a coin.

His long, ash-gray hair reached his waist, and his half-tied hair was tied once more at the ends with a metal hair tie.

His clothing, with large, round sleeves, was the attire of a noble from the Shin-guk [a fictional kingdom] as if drawn.

What business did someone who seemed to lack nothing have here?

I glanced at him and politely knocked on Sir Johann’s back.

The Cardinal looked down at me and let out a silent sigh.

The tips of his hair, which had been standing on end, were slowly falling.

“Edelweiss-nim, shouldn’t we follow them out? We need to find him before the head of the black mages comes to see us.”

Of course, finding Werner Venetian would be best.

At my words, Sir Johann silently nodded.

I was curious as to why he was being so defensive, but it didn’t seem like the right topic to ask about right now.

Instead, I checked François’ belt, which was tied around everyone’s waist.

I felt very secure with just this. Lophy looked up at us and meowed.

It seemed to mean to hurry.

“Huk, Mr. Ran is already gone!”

There’s a big hole in the warehouse door too!

“Heineken-nim, don’t worry too much about him. He’s a paladin from Shin-guk.”

“Yes?”

I blinked in disbelief. Am I? When?

“He tends to be a bit more lenient with those who meet his aesthetic standards.”

“……”

“Hehehe. Your expression is priceless.”

‘Why, do you feel guilty?’ Lightning Palnanbong sneered, giggling. Lophy snorted.

It was obvious that he was teasing me, so my cheeks flushed hotly.

I pretended not to hear and strode forward, looking beyond the hole in the door.

“……Eong?”

And I gaped. For a moment, I wondered if I was still not fully awake.

*

-Kugugugung…

Waaah! What’s going on!

“No, the hallway as a whole……”

The hallway as a whole is moving!

-Kugugugu…

Hugging Lophy—the guy slapped my cheek with his tail but still let me hold him—I was shocked and shocked again.

The feeling of my legs trembling was the first time since winter training.

The wide, long hallway was slowly being pushed away before my eyes.

The empty space was quickly filled by another hallway. The direction it was flying in was also completely different.

A rectangular space with the hallway, ceiling, and even both walls perfectly equipped was coming towards us, falling from above or rising from below.

There were also hallways that appeared diagonally every now and then. That scared me!

-Gugugugu…

“That’s an enormous amount of magic power. Even if I and Sixth Cousin Your Highness combined our strength, we couldn’t win.”

“……”

“Probably even if the Imperial Army’s combat mage division mobilized Duke Blanquer and Admiral Corleone, it would be difficult. It’s not a level of mana that a human can possess. Unless it’s a great mage.”

I was speechless at such an assessment.

I swallowed hard, admiring the flight of the terrifying hallways.

Madam Morhan was drawing and using that much tremendous life force from the Shin-mul [a sacred artifact or source of power].

No matter how much it was the mansion of the head black mage, this was crossing the line.

-Swish, swish, swish…

-Krrr…

The difficulty of entry itself was hell. The maze-like alleyways weren’t everything!

“Don’t even step on it as a joke.”

Sir Johann warned, looking at Diop.

The guy shrugged and leaned against the door frame, looking outside. Hey, your head will fly off!

“Be careful!”

Thwack! I quickly grabbed his hair with both hands and pulled him back.

Confucius was dragged away, making all sorts of faces.

I was also angry at his annoying behavior like a rebellious child when the situation was like this.

“What are you talking back for, after doing something wrong,”

-Goooooo…

Huh?

“What was that just now? The hallway that just passed by.”

I threw away the dog hair in my hand and asked. Sir Johann tilted his head.

“Why do you ask?”

“Damn it!”

“If I go bald, will Princess take responsibility? Look at how much hair has fallen out!”

“I see.”

“My scalp is tingling. Who would marry someone with such a temper?”

“That’s not all.”

I quickly added. I didn’t have time to care about who was turning on local broadcasts next to me.

What I saw wasn’t a mistake.

“There were portraits of two people in that hallway… They were faces I had seen somewhere. It was only a brief glimpse, but I’m sure of it. Really.”

“Is it someone Heineken-nim knows?”

“Yes, Edelweiss-nim too.”

I said solemnly. Then the mint-colored eyes seemed to narrow slightly.

“……That was Noe-ssi. The adult version of the informant, Noe-ssi.”