What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 523

#523

Dragon King’s Onward March! (3)

Meanwhile, back with the Spruce Forest crew…

“Hey, I said don’t push!”

“I’m not pushing, I’m poking you with a branch. Hurry up and get in.”

“……”

“If you get eaten, we’re running.”

The plan was proceeding smoothly.

“Ha.”

Of course, Gibril Diop was in trouble again today.

The three people huddled together across from the massive magic stone cave were watching him closely as he stood right at the entrance.

Christel Rambouillet, confidently taking center stage, poked the man with a long wooden stick.

The ‘one-out’ rock-paper-scissors game was an intense battle, and Gibril, who had spent his life on the periphery, was not familiar with children’s games.

He didn’t know whether to regret this, so he let out a hollow laugh.

I’m in last place this time.

-Swishhhhhh…

-Rustle, rustle…!

A cold wind swung the snowflakes around.

The northern forest was mostly white like sugar, but thick-colored moss and frozen tree roots added occasional splashes of color.

A family of goshawks in a tall spruce tree looked down at the group, tilting their heads.

Gibril was starting to wonder if his decision to ‘repay the debt’ to Juliette, the Princess, had been a mistake.

If he hadn’t thought of his only sibling, Marguerite’s face, he might have returned to the Liester military camp long ago—or so he’d like to say, but unfortunately, the wizard wasn’t one to easily take back his words.

Nor was he one to give up on a target he had set his sights on over something so trivial.

He had just planned to play with her a little.

…Tch. How did I get so entangled?

“Seriously, the Princess has unique tastes. Or does she enjoy being abused by a tomboy? Didn’t see that coming.”

“I told you not to bring up our Princess, didn’t I? You’re dead.”

The knight narrowed his eyes sharply and snapped back.

Stanislas shrugged and chuckled silently.

François Duhem, holding a mace beside him, grinned along.

That guy had been half out of it since receiving the Sacred Stone of the Grand Duke a few days ago.

He wasn’t much different from when he was lying sick, so Gibril decided to just ignore him.

“Alright, I’m going. Stop nagging me.”

“One more thing. Don’t get hurt on purpose to get the Princess’s attention. We can see it all.”

“What?”

The wizard frowned and turned to look at Christel. Was she even joking?

Who in their right mind would get hurt just to get the attention of the crazy Princess?

“……”

“……”

But the blue eyes he met were very serious. The silence made him dizzy.

So, his cousin and this precious daughter of a noble family lived like that normally.

Or maybe they had reached an unspoken agreement after such incidents had repeated a few times.

Gibril momentarily thought of about five members of the Imperial Family who could succeed Cedric Liester and finally felt relieved.

He wondered if he had ever been such a patriot in his life.

He was even surprised that he knew the Imperial Family’s genealogy so well.

“…Let’s stop talking. At this rate, I’ll start worrying about national affairs.”

At least he knew that the Princess would never be able to return to Venetian for the rest of her life.

“Huh? You’re suddenly saying things that don’t fit your character.”

Regardless of what the knight grumbled, the man turned his back on the crazy woman and strode into the cave.

The magic tool belt around his waist emitted a faint pink glow, like early plum blossoms.

The staff in his right hand cast a resolute red light forward, forward.

The inside of the magic stone cave was entirely black like ink, lacking any sense of naturalness.

No matter how long he stared, he couldn’t get used to the darkness.

The wizard instinctively knew that it was the power of a powerful magical beast.

The towering ceiling occasionally flickered opaquely like quartz, and the floor was rugged like a rough mountain.

Before he knew it, not even a sliver of light from the white forest reached this section.

He was one who had always worn loneliness like a silk robe, so he felt no fear.

-Thud, thud, thud…

After walking for a few minutes,

-Grrrrr…

Finally, from the depths of the darkness, a threatening growl was heard.

Gibril reflexively stopped and glared ahead.

He already knew that a group of Myth-grade Griffin magical beasts resided here.

Including the ‘Preservation of the Ice Silkworm’ outside the cave, and the fact that they silently guarded this place without reacting to any external stimuli.

‘Their intelligence and patience are beyond imagination. Surely, we can communicate with them.’

A soft, beautiful voice echoed in his head. The wizard opened his mouth roughly.

“Yes, I’ve come this far. Even after clearly seeing the corpses of the mercenaries you’ve left outside!”

Yes, yes…! The echoes struck the surrounding magic stones and bounced back. Then—

-Gurgle!

-Kee hee hee hee…!

As if those words were the trigger, blood-red eyes flashed vividly in the pitch-black background.

Each eye socket was large enough to hold Gibril’s entire body.

But he still felt no fear.

The man was one who saw the rubies of the Imperial Family in the mirror every morning.

He knew a little about its weight too.

More than anything, weren’t these the same guys he had encountered on the beach?

“…My leader knows what you want. The heart of the Four Dragons. Or, more precisely, its main body, ‘Pisces’ [a powerful artifact]. It’s hidden in the assembly hall building facing this forest.”

-Kieeek!

‘Kieeek, Kieeek, Kieeeeek…!’ Ear-splitting noise echoed through the calm sentences.

The hidden magical beast horde showed sharp and fierce reactions from all directions.

‘Whoosh!’ Some of them flapped their wings, and a fierce wind blew, scratching the man’s blond hair.

But Gibril frowned and didn’t back down.

It was a somewhat reckless plan, but his life had been similar, so he had nothing to hold back.

The amethyst earring on the man’s ear swayed long.

The brown eyes twinkling behind his glasses briefly flashed through his mind.

‘Go in and tell them we want to make a deal.’

“We want to make a deal.”

-Kieeeeet!

-Kiggigi, Kiggigigik…!

Beyond the jeering roars of the magical beasts, a distinct and clear pronunciation rang in his ears.

‘Spend a few days near the cave, observing the movements of the Griffin clan. Maintain your daily noises and voices. If they don’t attack you, then we can assume our guess is correct.’

‘What guess?’

‘Don’t you already know? That old Griffin is enduring all desires for one sure revenge. It didn’t eat the coastal residents, and it even pretended not to see the sacred object we have. So, if we make a proposal, it won’t reject it immediately. It might even be willing to listen.’

Flash! Gibril’s eyes widened like lightning.

And amidst the pouring threats, he spoke boldly. ‘Ssaeeeeeng…!’

“I’ll let you have the Pisces you desire so much, so how about joining hands with us?”

-Kikikikik!

-Gurgle, Gurgle, Gurgle—!

Just because he was an 8th-circle mage didn’t mean he could understand the language of magical beasts, but at that moment, Gibril knew for sure.

It was a reaction that, in human terms, would be ‘clutching their stomachs and bursting into laughter.’

The roaring was so loud it was deafening, and the magic stone ores embedded in the stone walls trembled as if they had heard something they shouldn’t have.

The cave filled with Griffins instantly became deafeningly loud.

At the same time, the man’s belt began to vibrate subtly. The guild members outside the cave were asking about his safety.

-Kieeeeek! Kigit, Kigit!

-Grrrrr!

-Thump, thump!

“……”

Somewhere, some Griffins stomped their feet, but Gibril stood firm.

A conviction that was not his own was firmly supporting him.

The hem of his black robe fluttered wildly in the fierce wind.

-Gurgle!

-Kikikit!

-Kooong, Kooong, Kooooong…!

Then, vibrations of a different dimension than before began to pound the floor.

The wizard gripped his staff tightly and thought of the priest’s white face.

‘…Because it has been waiting for the perfect opportunity for two thousand years. This is what I, as the Guild Master of Somac, am telling you, so you can believe it.’

If you say so much, shouldn’t I believe you?

-Rumble!

And finally—

-Whoosh…!

In front of the wizard’s nose, an old and majestic beast revealed itself.

Gibril’s hair scattered in all directions in the face of the headwind.

His head also kept going up and up.

The head of the Griffin that appeared through the black curtain was so huge that he couldn’t fit it all in one glance.

The cracked beak was faded gold, and the eyes that made a dull sound every time they rolled were clearly losing their focus.

His Highness Stanislas was right.

Overall, the dull colors, the shape covered with eye boogers, and the bald spots where clumps of fur had fallen out.

He could guess from the sagging wattle and the rusty, unstable breathing.

-Grrr…

“……”

This guy didn’t have much time left to live. Princess Juliette’s prediction was correct.

“Your leader is very generous. I like it.”

-······.

Gibril smirked like a villain.

Sending a weak flow of mana through his belt.

“Alright. Our proposal is as follows.”

*

That evening.

I was invited to Baron Atsuma’s dinner.

“This way. Please follow me.”

A knight in full armor from head to toe suddenly turned and strode across the assembly hall corridor.

I, who was already bad with directions, was surprised and followed her breathlessly.

Tess behind me swallowed a sigh that was half-escaping.

Even amidst all this, looking at the portraits of the five families hanging on the wall, I suddenly had a thought.

I’m not sure, but didn’t we come this way earlier?

I think I saw that painting a little while ago.

Are we really going to the banquet hall by going around in circles?

No, I understand the desire to protect the loyal opponent, but…

“Hmm.”

It’s useless to me. We’re just making all of us have sore legs.

“Don’t worry, I’m here.”

“Ah.”

Right, Tess would be different.

I nodded quickly at the trustworthy teacher’s whisper.

Besides, I felt a little relieved because a friend came as a bodyguard. That was none other than…

-Beep

“Shh.”

Her stubbornness is a bit of a concern, but.

This little one was the smallest of the troublemakers, so she was inevitably chosen.

Eda Atsuma, the lord of Atsuma and the operator of the ‘Secret Room,’ formally invited me to dinner through her subordinate earlier today.

As a devout noblewoman, she expressed her desire to treat me, a priest, with the utmost respect.

This was the flow we wanted, so there was no reason to refuse.

However, the Baron also had some conditions…

‘You cannot bring a bodyguard to the banquet hall.’

‘Yes? But,’

‘Also, weapons are not allowed, so you will be subject to a simple body search before departure. All other guests have accepted the invitation under the same conditions so far.’

‘······.’

Upon hearing those words, the Crown Prince looked as if he would throw the other party down to the first floor right away.

After barely stopping him and going into the room, I had to dissuade Lord Johann, who was in a mood to destroy the assembly hall right away, once again.

But there was no option to decline.

Since the same opportunity would not come again, we had to accept it unconditionally and make thorough preparations.

For the smooth execution of the operation.

-Step, step, step…

As I was walking so diligently, a servant saw us from the other side of the hallway and jumped.

It was a girl who looked like a teenager.

“Hot!”

And the girl ran away to the other side in a hurry.