What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 455

The Sunken Ship of the Abyss (4)

“Kina! Willem!”

– Squeak! Squeak!

‘Kugugugung…!’ A sound like an earthquake rumbled in the distance.

Gain ran up the hill, shouting the children’s names at the top of her lungs.

This was the opposite side of the ‘Salt Pillar Zone,’ where the high-ranking black mages of the black market resided.

It was a secluded place; the path was rough, and even in the dark underground, it was particularly damp and chilly.

It seemed unlikely that ignorant villains or cult members would have come this far—there were hardly any dangers along the way—but given the situation, all sorts of worries filled her mind.

Her pink hair scattered wildly in all directions.

Cedric strode forward with broad steps.

Occasionally, Tete offered them small cheers.

– Awoo woof

– Tap!

Finally, Cedric’s boots reached the top of the hill.

He fluttered his robe and quickly moved towards the tree cave.

On the surface, it didn’t seem much different from when they last came.

The state of the sacred object was also the same. However, the surroundings were too quiet.

Even though a war had begun down below, this place had an excessively peaceful atmosphere.

Sparse flaxen light droplets flowed from the emaciated old tree.

‘Clang!’ The Crown Prince drew one of the weapons from his waist and approached silently.

The dagger, as sharp as an awl, gleamed eerily in the dim light.

– Thud, thud, thud…

“Kina! Willem! It’s us, Stella Auntie and Uncle!”

Gain shouted, roughly removing her mask. Finally, a response came back!

“Oh? You’re already here?”

“Oh my goodness! Let me see your faces!”

Willem, the elder of the twins, rubbed his eyes and walked out of the cave.

Christel’s eyebrows and the corners of her mouth were almost touching. [Indicating extreme happiness or relief]

She quickly knelt in front of the boy, turning his small body like a tornado potato to check for any injuries.

Thankfully, the little one was perfectly fine.

‘Kina is sleeping…’ Such murmurs were also heard.

Only then could a sigh of relief be breathed.

She still didn’t know what the Main God did, but for now, overwhelming gratitude!

“Were you good? Did any scary or strange people come?”

“Yes. This place is steep and isolated, so not many people come here. Many adults think of it as a junkyard. We were good, just like the pretty uncle told us to be.”

“Pink Princess… ?”

Kina, who had woken up late, walked out with pattering steps.

Then, she saw the sacred beast in Gain’s arms and widened her eyes.

Willem stared at Cedric with his mouth agape.

He had just taken off his mask to show his face to the children.

The handsome uncle now had a child on one shoulder and a very adorable animal on the other.

Demi, flapping its ears, opened its small mouth to greet them.

– Kkiha!

“Wow, so cute!”

“Cute!”

“These are sacred beasts. This one is Tete, that one is Demi. And that person is Noe. Claw and I are old friends, and he came with us today to help.”

At the gentle princess’s explanation, the children made the same expression.

“What’s a sacred beast? Is it a sacred beast if it’s lovely? Can I touch them?”

“How old is Noe?”

“That’s…”

– Kwagagagwang!

Startled! The children’s shoulders shot up to the ceiling.

Willem let out a sound between a scream and an exclamation.

Gain quickly embraced the siblings and turned to look at the Crown Prince.

He checked outside the cave, frowned slightly, and put Noe down on the ground.

The priest staggered and barely regained his balance.

– Flash! Rumble!

“Good heavens… He’s really going to shoot down the airship. The fight is continuing.”

“I don’t feel Teacher’s power. I only see Sixth Cousin’s lightning.”

“Sam must have received a different mission. He must have been separated from Heineken.”

Gain muttered. The children stood on tiptoe and craned their necks.

They had been sleeping without knowing anything about the commotion, and they looked very curious about what was outside.

“What was that sound just now?”

“Is the airship falling? They said no one can breathe without it!”

“What if Claw gets hurt?”

Pause. At Kina’s question, Noe trembled and turned to look at the children.

Cedric quietly observed the panting priest.

Her round eyes instantly filled with tears.

She reached out her trembling hand to touch the tree, but in the end, she couldn’t reach it and clenched her fist.

Her face was one of self-reproach and terror, suffocating her.

It was a gaze that could neither bear to look at the sacred object, which was struggling to survive each day, nor dare to comfort it.

The man who had been watching opened his mouth.

“…The sacred object said it was waiting for you.”

“…”

Then, her youthful cheeks were stained with pain. She silently squeezed her eyes shut.

The children glanced back and forth between the two of them. The continued low voice echoed softly in the cave.

“Even if we can’t turn back time, we can do our best.”

“What can I do now? I am a body that has received divine punishment, and my memories and abilities are not intact. It would be fortunate if I didn’t harm these children…”

“No. I completely disagree with that. That kind of mindset isn’t nice.”

Suddenly, Gain interrupted the conversation and interjected.

‘Awoo!’ Tete, who was being petted by Kina, also raised his voice. Noe blinked.

“Don’t forget, Noe. The reason we came today isn’t to achieve some great feat. It would be nice if we could, but the goal is actually just one thing, right? Something very simple.”

“…”

“To save Claw.”

‘Waaaaah!’ A faint shout was heard in the distance.

Kina sniffled and hid behind Cedric’s legs.

The man didn’t react in particular.

“Of course, we have other business, but the reason Noe, Kina, and Willem have joined forces is that, right? Since you came all the way here, let’s do it together, whether it turns out well or not. Opportunities like this are rare, right?”

“…”

“Firm up your resolve. I’ll help you.”

Gain smiled slyly at the informant.

Noe stared at her for a moment, then nodded with effort, clenching her jaw.

She quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. The Crown Prince immediately changed the subject.

The small talk was enough for now.

– Gugugugung!

“Iyaaaa…!”

The outside was already a battlefield.

“There must be a reason why the Marquis attacked the airship.”

“Yes. There must be something, so he’s targeting it. He could just cause trouble inside the mansion, but why go to the trouble of attacking the airship?”

“Perhaps, that is…”

Noe carefully added. The gazes of the two men and women moved simultaneously.

The priest cleared his hoarse throat and spoke very carefully.

“Isn’t that airship contributing to tormenting Claw?”

“Huh? Jackpot.”

Gain covered her mouth with her fist. The Crown Prince nodded, signaling her to continue.

Noe looked at the twin siblings and continued.

“After receiving the divine punishment of loss… I had been researching this place for decades. Even that is now spotty in my memory… Haven’t you seen it too? There are no machines or devices binding the tree here.”

“Ah? Now that I think about it, that’s true. There isn’t even a common support. No fence either!”

Gain snapped her fingers. Cedric tilted his head silently.

The informant slowly looked around the cave.

The sacred object’s delicate energy was flitting through the darkness like shooting stars.

She endured the encroaching headache and continued to speak intermittently.

– Sarrrrr…

“At the time, I probably suspected the airship. The fact that the air-purifying machine had to circle the black market’s sky all day long…”

“No, now that I think about it, it’s really suspicious, isn’t it? There’s no reason for it to be so big and noisy. Why didn’t I think of it at first?”

“It is strange that they are using such a noisy machine. They are skilled enough to cast complex magic on an entire district.”

The Crown Prince agreed bluntly.

Gain frowned and smoothed out her brow repeatedly, listing sentences as they came to mind.

“Uh-huh, that’s right… That’s right! That thing is circling around Claw 24 hours a day, doing something. It’s definitely suppressing and stealing his power. Since it has an air purifier purpose, they can just say that to people who don’t know anything, and then everyone will think it’s a very important machine, so no one will point out its existence. Crazy, look at how they used their brains! That’s really mean!”

– Kkieung!

“We must help the sacred object’s resistance.”

‘If we do that, we can definitely bring down the airship.’ The Crown Prince quickly came to a conclusion.

Gain, who was very excited, turned to look at the informant. Flinch!

“Why, why are you doing that again?”

“Noe, it’s finally your turn to step up.”

“Me… ?”

“Here, Kina and Willem will help you. These little building owners are also Claw’s friends.”

“The content is too difficult, but I can still wake up Claw!”

“If it’s just to give him a little strength, I can definitely do it!”

The children jumped up and down as if they had been waiting for this, raising their voices.

Noe had a blank expression for a moment.

“And there’s Demi and Tete too. Demi is the same earth attribute, and Tete is a water attribute, so it’s compatible with earth. Do you know what that means?”

“Then…”

“To help Claw gather his remaining energy, let Noe’s presence be known. Show him the aether [a subtle substance or essence thought to fill the universe] and tell him you’ve returned!”

“But my aether is different from what it was then. How can he recognize it?”

“Don’t make him wait.”

At that moment, the paladin cut off her words hotly. His crimson gaze fixed on the woman.

“Don’t make him wait for his partner.”

“…”

Those words were perhaps like a magic spell. Noe slowly raised her head as if possessed.

The dying old tree filled her vision.

Tears seemed to pour out again, and fear rushed in like the tide.

Even so, this time she didn’t avoid the situation by making up lame excuses.

She simply moved her small hand slowly as her heart led her.

– Sreureuk…

In an instant, she saw her own hand from her youth overlapping.

White and thin fingers. Shorter than her younger sibling’s by a word or two since some point.

“Claw…”

If I touch the sacred object like this, I might just turn to dust and disappear.

Perhaps that is the end of this divine punishment.

Because Claw will not forgive me.

– Saaaa…

There’s really no reason for it.

– Ssaaaaa…!

“Keut.”

From her fingertips, a musty purple aether spewed out. The Crown Prince couldn’t overcome his discomfort and took a step back.

Kina buried her face in his robe, terrified.

Gain hurriedly covered Willem and the sacred beasts with her sleeves.

The energy, which vaguely resembled mold, was seeping into the old tree like mushroom spores.

Soon, a terrible stench filled the tree cave.

The sacred object is inherently a being that does not require aether.

It is itself a spring of aether and the power of the Main God, so the priest’s help is useless.

In short, Claw does not need to accept Noe’s aether.

If he can just recognize his old friend…

– Saaaaa…

“…”

– …

And, a short silence passed.

Nothing happened in the cave. Gain wet her lips with her tongue.

“Uh…”

“Um. It’s okay. We can do it!”

“We’ll wake him up soon!”

‘Please wait just a moment!’ The young twins quickly raised their voices brightly.

The children ran to the corner of the cave and began to prepare something.

Noe withdrew the rotten aether and dropped her arm powerlessly.

It was only natural that he couldn’t recognize this energy.

It could have been an even worse situation…

“…”

But she couldn’t understand why she felt so heartbroken.

On the one hand, she was disgusted by her own shameless greed.

She hadn’t been able to do anything until the situation had become like this.

She didn’t know how to do anything other than lose, be forgotten, and be ignored.

What was so great about her that she was trying to act like a friend—

– Aaaa…

Flinch. Noe raised her eyes. The man and woman in front of her had similar expressions.

She hadn’t misheard.

– Aaaaa… Finally!

It was a voice that was fragile as if it would break, but also full of clear hope.

At the same time, the dark cave slowly began to brighten with a beige color.

Gain’s cheeks also gradually regained color. Could it be, could it be…!

– You’ve finally come! I’ve been waiting, I’ve been waiting…!

– Are you a little late today?

– I missed you, ○○○…!

Noe’s eyes widened.

That was enough.

*

– Kwagagagwang!

“I’ll never lose, I’ll never sleep!”

I shouted, biting down on the round pill.

The woman outside the sanctuary tilted her head slowly, looking at me.

We were holding out longer than expected, even while being bombarded with sleeping pills.

This is all thanks to the genius magician and treasure of the Empire, Francois Diem!

“Young Master! Have another pill!”

“It tastes disgusting, I’ll have to complain to the Marquis later!”

Now that I think about it, there was a secret medicine that he had packed when we left the military camp.

I gave the liquid one to Gain and kept only the pill-type one.

He said that if I eat this, my fatigue will fly away and I’ll wake up—

“You’re holding out well. What is your purpose?”

– Wooo, Kagagagwang!

The sharp black magic struck the sanctuary again.

Paat! I desperately poured aether to block the attack.

Outside, Ropi and Dioph’s airship battle was still in full swing.

– Gogogogo…!

“Damn it!”

That person, mana is coming out of his body endlessly.

At this rate, Ropi or Lightning will fall out first!