What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 484

Vote for Your Guild Master (4)

…Still, let’s check one more time.

“Just a moment.”

I stopped my friends and hurried towards the opposite dugout.

Sir Johan immediately followed.

Beneath the dark, towering sky, the blue curtain of the Main God swayed like a jellyfish.

Now that I looked, refugees were coming out of other dugout homes to watch the aurora.

‘So pretty!’ ‘Let’s wake Grandma up and show her too!’ Children bundled in fur clothes stamped their feet, forgetting their sleep in their excitement.

I approached them, trying to sound as gentle as possible.

“Hello. Can I ask you something?”

“Wow! Yes!”

I crouched down and asked, and the cheeks of the little ones who met my eyes turned red with cold.

I was grateful that they weren’t wary of me even without adults around, but also worried.

I was regretting not bringing any snacks when Sir Johan took out a few chocolates from his pocket.

This was so unexpected that my eyes widened. He whispered as if he couldn’t help it.

“…I received them from Marquis Dhiem a little while ago.”

“Huh. Just now?”

“Yes. He doesn’t sleep much at night. He went up to the hill to observe the aurora.”

“I see. And he even received chocolates separately.”

“…He said it’s the flavor Herit likes. My child definitely hated mint until recently…”

“Hahaha, thank you.”

Sir Johan explaining in detail was as precious a sight as the aurora—thanks to which I could laugh briefly—but I had urgent business at hand.

I handed out chocolates to the children and asked carefully.

“Did you hear any strange noises from the sky earlier?”

“Strange noises?”

“Yeah. Something like crackling! Rustling! near the aurora.”

“I didn’t hear anything…”

‘I don’t know either.’ The children holding chocolate shook their heads.

One girl even put her hands to her ears and stood on tiptoes to help me.

I chuckled briefly and then told them to always find a guardian first if a stranger talks to them.

Then I went to the next house and the house behind it and asked.

“Well, I didn’t hear anything at all.”

“It hasn’t rained either, Young Master.”

The same answer came back. I felt a chill. So, I really was the only one who could hear it.

“Well, in the North, they say the aurora is the Main God’s gesture. Surely something good will happen to the mercenaries.”

“Of course. They have such kind hearts.”

“……”

‘Thank you.’ I tried to hide my troubled expression and returned to our dugout.

Ha. I sighed deeply enough for the ground to sink, and a cloud of breath puffed out.

Ropi, who was enjoying a solitary night stroll, found me and meowed.

It was as if she was saying, ‘Why the long face again?’

“You didn’t hear it either, did you? That strange noise crackling in the sky.”

-Meow.

“…Okay. Go inside first, it’s cold. You like the spot next to Tea Tree, right?”

-Whine.

Is that roughly ‘Don’t be ridiculous’?

The handful of cat walked haughtily and disappeared into the dugout.

I checked the sky one last time and turned to my friends with a determined face.

The three paladins tilted their heads in unison.

…Okay, let’s talk before going to the North Sea.

I promised not to keep secrets from my friends.

“Let’s have a meeting for a bit.”

“Whoa. What’s with the charisma.”

Gaine said with a playful air, rushing over.

Fortunately, there was a large bonfire in the middle of the dugout village, and a rock that looked like it had been used as a table long ago.

As I plopped down on the dirt floor, the Crown Prince groaned softly.

Sorry, this isn’t the time to worry about the dignity of a princess. Your brother is very serious.

“I have something to tell you. There’s the story about the noise I heard, and the story about the Divine Object. You probably expected the latter, though.”

“Yes, I’m ready to discuss. I’m wide awake now.”

Gaine waddled like a gimbap roll [Korean seaweed rice roll] and took her place first.

Then Sir Johan and the Crown Prince sat side by side next to her.

I took out a notebook from my pocket, opened it, and began to speak in a low voice.

“The fact that I’m the only one who can hear that sound means that something is definitely happening outside… outside this world.”

The firelight flickered eerily on the foreheads of the three.

The mysterious aurora lay above our heads, peeking at the minutes of the meeting.

I lowered my voice even more, afraid someone might hear.

“Just like how I was the only one who could read the document that Herit copied from the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple of the Boundary. That was actually a fragment of the ‘Author’s’ writing.”

“Is there a possibility it’s a health issue?”

“The noise is too clear and irregular for that. Besides, I’ve hardly had any nightmares since Bishop Blaise healed my soul.”

At that, the paladins nodded as if in agreement.

We’ve been together all this time, and if I had been suffering from nightmares bad enough to wake up and wander around, it would have been noticeable in some way.

My aether would have been strange, or my complexion would have been terrible.

“It’s a place that has almost collapsed once before. And because the world line has weakened, even Yuliter, who passed away a long time ago, could travel through time and space. The fact that white lines are increasing in the sky as well… It seems like we need to be more careful than ever. I’m sorry to say this, but especially you two are special beings.”

“Yes.”

“……”

Gaine and the Crown Prince looked at each other for a moment.

Instead of holding their hands, I clenched my fist and continued.

“Wherever you two go, incidents happen. It will probably be the same this time.”

“You mean don’t let our guard down.”

“Yes. Maybe another hole will open in the sky. The Main God’s terrifying sword might fall again. It would be a relief if it ended with a Myth-grade demon. We need to be prepared.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Don’t worry too much.”

The clear and reliable voice returned as always.

I glanced at Sir Johan and mustered my courage. And…

“And, ahem. I told you that my brother is a martial arts novelist.”

At that, the blue eyes widened. Such a reaction brought a wry smile.

I didn’t think I would be telling this story today, but it was better to say it when I had the chance.

“What’s ‘martial arts’?”

Ah. You were here.

“Um… To explain it as simply as possible, it’s a cultural classification from the world I lived in, based on martial arts close to superpowers and a righteous spirit. Usually, it’s mainly novels.”

“…Like the legend of Arian the First Emperor?”

The most handsome student in the world frowned. Oh, is it similar?

Here, the founding legend of Arian Liester seemed to be used like the Arthurian motif [a recurring theme or idea in literature, art, or music].

“Yes. It’s similar to creating works in ‘courtly romance’ based on his heroic tales. Later generations can endlessly imagine the First Emperor’s abilities, achievements, and relationships. They can even create completely new techniques or characters. My brother writes such stories too.”

“……”

At those words, Crown Prince Cedrick’s expression hardened slightly. It was a similar reaction to Gaine’s that day.

I felt my heart sink and waved my hands.

Only Sir Johan was encouraging me, saying, ‘Take your time, Princess.’

“I…”

Then finally, the sentence I had been suppressing for a long time burst out.

“I don’t think my brother created this place.”

-Crack!

“……”

Huh. The breath that filled up instantly was pressed tightly to the tip of my chin.

I had been sitting still, but I was panting as if I had been running non-stop.

It was the first time I felt everyone’s gaze so frightening and sharp.

But I have to say it now.

“I’ve suspected it several times, but I still don’t think it’s possible.”

-Crackling!

I can’t put this off. Jeong Eunseo told me to communicate.

“My brother is publishing seven days a week. He doesn’t have any more stockpiled manuscripts, so he’s been writing day by day for a long time. He doesn’t have time to immerse himself in other novels… in other worlds. It’s really physically impossible.”

-Tssst!

“……”

“What if it is possible?”

‘Isn’t it possible that your brother has gotten faster?’ Suddenly, Gaine asked that.

There was no malice in her eyes. She just looked genuinely curious.

But I was scared in advance.

I know there’s no need to be, I know she doesn’t have any ill feelings towards me, but I still was.

I didn’t even know exactly what I was afraid of.

I pressed down on my chest, which was rising and falling, and barely opened my mouth.

“Still, it’s impossible.”

-Crackling!

Flinch. The aurora hissed threateningly once again.

I turned to my friends and said calmly.

“My brother… really loves his family. He’s a father who would do anything for me and my younger sibling.”

-Crack! Rustle!

Ugh, my ears hurt.

“He’s not the kind of person who would create a character with a sad fate based on my name. He’s not the kind of person who would hurt Eunseo with that either. Above all—”

-Pop pop pop!

“Ugh!”

I flinched and hunched my shoulders, squeezing my eyes shut.

The sharply honed noise pierced my eardrums and dug into my brain.

My head throbbed as if pricked by needles, and I kept frowning. The aftermath of the headache made my fingertips and toes tingle. Damn it, why suddenly…

-Tssst!

“Ugh…”

“Princess, I think you should get some rest today.”

“What should we do? You look so unwell.”

‘Yeseo-ssi. Let’s talk again next time. Tomorrow, tomorrow.’ Gaine looked at me and hurriedly took off her robe.

I raised my head with blurred vision.

Sir Johan gently took the notebook from my hand, and the dark sky rippled with jade light.

At the same time, I felt something warm supporting my chin.

‘Tsk.’ I thought I heard a familiar baritone voice. I frowned, feeling overwhelmed.

Damn it, this was definitely the Main God’s conspiracy. Trying to stop me from revealing the worldview…

“Where’s Marquis François? He knows a bit about medicine.”

“I’ll bring him.”

“Divine Object, talk about… have to…”

“Quiet.”

At the same time, someone’s hand came close to my face.

I reflexively lowered my eyelids.

My arms and legs were numb, making it hard to maintain my posture. At that moment—

-Whirr!

Right in front of my face, a pale blue electric wave sparked.

“Oh my…”

Thud. And I fainted.

*

The next moment, Cedrick Liester’s gaze cut through the air like a blade. ‘Whoosh!’

“…What are you doing?”

At the end of his fiercely burning eyes stood the man who shared the same blood.

Jibril Diop tilted his head insolently and strode out of the shadows.

The irises, with no trace of sleepiness, were vividly red.

He roughly knew how long that guy had been standing there.

However, the Crown Prince didn’t feel it was worth paying attention to.

Perhaps Christel Rambouillet and the Grand Preceptor felt the same way.

“You guys are the ones doing something. Weren’t three paladins pressuring one priest?”

“What?”

“Even though I’m like this, my judgment isn’t that bad. I know the difference between a frightened face and a conversational face.”

‘Whirr!’ He tossed the staff into the air and caught it.

Gaine, who was holding her collapsed partner, frowned.

Electricity sparked at the fingertips that were trying to support her, and she almost hurt the Princess.

It was all because of that man’s unannounced provocation.

Besides, the idea that three people were bullying one person was nonsense.

The whole world knew how they felt about Yeseo, to put it a bit exaggerated…

Although her aether was blocked just now, so she couldn’t perfectly know her partner’s feelings…

“Stop talking nonsense and go wash your feet and get some sleep.”

Gaine snapped like a bee and looked down at her priest. And she flinched.

“……”

It wasn’t clear in the dark, but she saw a drop of water flowing down Yeseo’s white cheek.

Startled, she hurriedly wiped away the tears with her sleeve.

No. It’ll be okay, this is just because she’s in pain…

“Hey, Pink Princess. I’ve met a lot of lonely people, so I know.”

“……”

“That Princess isn’t easy either. I don’t know what you’re doing now, but you better do it moderately.”

“Shut up.”

The teacher was already gone.

Cedrick glared at Jibril, almost spitting out the words.

‘Yes.’ The magician snorted and slightly lowered his head.

“Then, let’s elect the guild master tomorrow. That’s what I came out to say.”