What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 540

My heart sank.

-Paaat!

“Ugh!”

“Your Grace!”

Red mana briefly struck the child’s neck, and I rushed towards them in a panic.

It was such a shocking sight that I forgot what we had been discussing.

Tess hurriedly sent Kori back to the lodging and approached me.

The divine beasts, who spotted me from afar, also bounded over.

I quickly embraced the child who had fallen to the ground, and Jibril Diop clicked his tongue, looking down at me.

Thankfully, Francisca seemed perfectly fine, without a scratch.

I busily wiped away the dirt stuck to her tear-stained face.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

-Kieung!

“It’s better to knock her out. You came at the right time. Take her back to the tent.”

“Better to knock her out? She didn’t agree to this. Besides, I heard green energy is emanating from Baron Atsuma―”

“Look here, Princess.”

The man standing askew in front of the tent cut me off with an icy tone.

I flinched and looked up at him.

It was the indifferent face I hadn’t seen lately.

A gaze that seemed to give its heart to nothing.

“It’s an irreversible situation.”

“What do you mean…”

In truth, I felt like I knew what he meant.

But I still couldn’t accept this method.

As I bit my lip and glared at him, Tess, who had been assessing the situation, took Francisca from me.

She even dusted off the dirt from the hem of her worn skirt and, with the help of the divine beasts, carried the girl on her back.

I thanked her sincerely and asked her to take good care of the princess until she regained consciousness. And as soon as the teacher disappeared with the child―

“I’ll go in and see too.”

Thump!

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Chuck! The wizard blocked me with his tall height and broad frame.

I quickly tried to break through to the left, but he blocked me a beat faster. The right was blocked in quick succession as well.

At this point, I was starting to get really angry.

“Even if I’m a priest, I know everything. Isn’t this black magic! That crystal ball is doing something to the baron, isn’t it? Was the baron a black magician?”

“No. His mana sensitivity and reserves are at the level of an ordinary person.”

“Huh?”

What was he talking about? My mind went blank for a moment.

The baron wasn’t a black magician, but the crystal ball for black magic was reacting?

“Please explain.”

“…The crystal ball is doing something, that’s right. Because it’s ‘imprinted’ on the baron.”

“Imprinted?”

I widened my eyes and asked again, and the prince sighed as if he expected it and swept back his hair.

Thanks to the torches staining the darkness, his hair looked closer to strawberry color than gold today.

Then, eyes as red as blood captured me directly, and his tone deepened.

The divine beasts and I focused intently on his voice.

From inside the tent, the murmurs of people leaked out sporadically. It must have been the Versacheho medics and the imperial priests.

“Marquis François D’Huem took charge of that crystal ball and analyzed it meticulously for a day. He doesn’t know exactly, but he said it’s a magical tool imprinted on someone.”

“…”

“The guild meeting hall was practically the baron’s villa, so the owner of the crystal ball is likely the baron. So we decided to expose it to him once.”

Indeed, Eda Atsuma was a subordinate of Wilhelmina Sneider.

If there were any clues, it might be on this side, so we had to check it.

Ropi wrapped his tail around my ankle.

“And then?”

“…To cut a long story short, Eda Atsuma is under a terrible evil spell. The marquis says he sees traces of very old ancient magic in the crystal ball. Even he doesn’t know the details because the formula is so complex.”

“What kind of formula is it roughly?”

“A type that absorbs the life force of the imprinted target.”

“Yes?”

A chill ran down my spine in an instant. The startled lesser pandas clung to my calves.

The prince’s eyes sank even darker.

“The spell I cast yesterday is useless. That’s an explosive mixture I put in place in case the crystal ball releases aggressive mana, but it’s not an object designed for attack in the first place.”

“Then…”

“It means he agreed to be under black magic. If the conditions are so intricately intertwined, it can’t be forced unless it’s voluntary.”

“…I’ll go in and see anyway.”

-Thud!

The prince blocked me again. I glared at him with all my might.

“People’s lives are at stake, and now―”

“I told you it’s an irreversible situation.”

“…”

The eyes looking down at me were very fierce.

It made me realize once again that the prince was a descendant of Cedric Riester.

“It’s an order from His Sixth Highness, so stay quietly in your lodging. If you have time, think about your position.”

Ah!

“What position? I have the strongest resistance to black magic here!”

I felt a little sorry to kick him in the shin again, so this time I grabbed the protruding side hair with all my strength.

This is a highway shoulder, you jerk!

“Argh! Are you crazy?”

“It would have been nice if you had stepped aside nicely!”

-Kihheung!

Leaving the jerk writhing in pain with his hair in my hand, I went inside the tent with a thumping heart.

This was originally a pretty cozy space, but it had become quite spacious as naval medics moved in to try to wake up the baron, who had been unconscious for days.

The people who had been whispering and discussing at the end of the tent widened their mouths when they found me.

The only person who welcomed me was, of course, our Gain.

The moment she smiled, opening her lips wide―

“Taisa.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Crimson eyes flashed with dissatisfaction.

Even though he was already like a sculpture, he was stiff and cold as soon as he saw me.

Lord Johann immediately gestured at the Crown Prince’s command. Whoa, my body is floating!

-Yaoong

“Lord Johann! Just a moment, I came for another reason!”

It’s not a lie!

“Speak.”

“Um, well. Navy! The Barun Territory is in an uproar right now. According to the students who went on patrol, there was a fire in the castle, and the commotion seems big. The State Preceptor might have escaped, so we must block the roads heading south immediately!”

“We’ve already sent troops, so the Princess doesn’t need to worry.”

“Uh…?”

I blinked at Cedric. You heard the news too? When?

“His Highness has already allocated two hundred naval personnel to track and manage the evacuation of civilians who escaped the meeting hall. In addition, fifty local military academy students have volunteered, so if anyone is hiding in Barun and heading south, we will be able to capture them.”

“Ah.”

François, who had been leaning over the bed, answered calmly, and I blanked out for a moment because I had nothing to say.

That’s right, there were experiment participants and merchants who had evacuated towards the foothills.

You have a plan for everything, as if you weren’t the heir to the throne.

“Um, there’s one more thing. Listen to me.”

My body was already pushed about thirty centimeters towards the entrance.

It seemed to be a system where you get kicked out if you answer wrong.

Only the divine beasts floating in the air were happily flipping their bellies.

“Your Highness?”

-Kieu!

“Your efforts are commendable, but you should have something else to do.”

“Yes?”

He didn’t even look at me and flipped through a few documents.

Judging from the fact that there were naval priests next to him, he seemed to be receiving reports on the state of Baron Atsuma.

There wasn’t even a millimeter of movement in his sharp nose and jawline, as if drawn with a ruler.

Gain gave me a starlight-like smile but never helped me.

The two of them are on the same side only at times like this!

“Didn’t I tell you to find out why the sun disappeared from the sky? How is the communication with the Four Dragon doing?”

“Well, I have nothing more to say about that. Gyu says he doesn’t know anything. Herrit and Dduksumi have tried talking to him several times, and it’s certain. This isn’t a harmony caused by Gyu.”

“Then you’ll have to use your special skills.”

“Yes?”

“Go around like a wild beast and find out.”

“Ugh, hey!”

As I was pushed out and raised my voice, the startled sailors covered their mouths and then covered their ears, embarrassed.

The priests began to stir in earnest.

It was like this when they found out my identity in Trossart, damn it!

“If you’re doing this because of what happened in the Salt Marsh, I’m okay. Don’t worry! I’m the best on the continent when it comes to black magic resistance!”

“Taisa.”

“You don’t have to see anything harsh.”

Lord Johann, who whispered kindly to me, flicked his hand like a butterfly.

My waist was pushed back, and the cold outside air wet my neck. Ugh, just a moment!

“Still, let’s look together! We decided to do everything together, let me stay by your side!”

Stiff! Perhaps because those words, spat out haphazardly, worked, the body that had been heading out, out, temporarily stopped.

Then, after a few seconds, it slid down to the ground.

The troublesome things licked their tongues as if they were sorry. Only Ropi and my complexion brightened brightly!

“Thank you.”

-Weeeeng

“Ha…”

Whose son let out a deep sigh, but I pretended not to hear and strode towards the bed.

The bed, made by stacking collapsed bricks and wood, was very small and crude.

François took a few steps to the side so that I could properly see the baron’s appearance.

Without hesitation, in an instant….

“Gasp!”

-Kurreureut!

I almost dropped my heart!

I hurriedly covered my mouth, which was about to make a loud noise, with my robe sleeve, and the troublesome things rolled on the floor like fallen leaves in turn.

Gain hugged Leia, who was very frightened, first.

-Kkii, kkii, kkii….

“It’s okay. It’s okay, Leia. Your sister is here.”

-Kieueung….

“…”

But honestly, I couldn’t be okay.

I couldn’t even imagine that what Lord Johann said was ‘harsh’ would mean this, so I felt suffocated.

I squeezed my eyes shut once and opened them.

-Saaaaaa….

From around Baron Atsuma’s heart, a thick green energy flowed out and was sucked into the crystal ball.

No—to be exact, it looked like some evil force was constantly extracting something from the baron’s heart.

I tried desperately to calm my trembling body.

The locket necklace shining alone on her chest could be seen.

And if you raise your gaze a little more again….

“Good heavens….”

The baron, who was already thin and pale, now looked truly like a skeleton.

It was a miserable and terrible sight.

-Seuseuseuseu….

The skin, with no flesh left, was attached to the bones and wrinkled, and the two eyelids, as dry as family land, were constantly sinking down.

Her fingers and neck also had only bones left, making her look like a mummy.

The snow-white hair fell out in clumps and flowed down like sand, and the same was true for her eyebrows.

There was no vitality in her cracked lips.

In the midst of all this, a breath weaker than that of a newborn baby continued, barely audible. ‘Seueh….’

“How, how could such magic….”

I knew very well how bad the baron had been, but I didn’t think this was right.

Moreover, she had to live in order to reveal all the secrets of this place.

I urgently looked for François.

“We have to stop it, Marquis. We have to break that crystal ball.”

“Princess, I’m really sorry, but the imprint can’t be undone unless it’s the person involved.”

“Yes? What do you mean? Isn’t it over if you just break it?”

“I thought so too, but that’s not the case. This is a vow on the heart, so it doesn’t matter whether it breaks or not.”

Gain quickly added. I stared at her with a bewildered look.

Then, then what can we do….

“Actually, I can see the weakness of this crystal ball? But the spell on it is so complicated that I was told that if I touched it wrong, I might be hit by another magic in reverse. There are many other people here, so I think we should be careful….”

“Wait a minute, what did you just say?”

I bowed my head to her and asked again.

Gain repeated with clear eyes.

“Actually, I have a weakness in this crystal ball….”

“Yes, what do you mean you can see a weakness?”

Then, our protagonist scratched the bridge of her nose with an embarrassed expression.

“Well, is it ammonia [possibly a mistranslation of ‘Isonia’, a character mentioned earlier]? It’s been like that since fighting with her.”

“Isenia?”

“Yes, aronia or whatever. My vision has changed a bit since fighting that woman. Somehow, more information is coming in than before….”

“Oh my.”

In an instant, a thrilling sensation struck my spine and echoed to the back of my head. This is it!

“Christel, could you come here for a moment? Please tell me the weakness of the crystal ball.”

Jackpot, the ‘Blessing of the Sea’ must have awakened with that tremendous battle!

“Serenite.”

“I’m not doing anything special, I swear to the sun I’m not doing anything special.”

I avoided the prince’s eye attack, rattling off any words without a soul.

Gain, who quickly approached me, pointed out here and there on the crystal ball with her index finger.

Of course, she didn’t point directly.

“Here, here, and this side. These three places seem weak.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. It’s certain because I tested it on Johann.”

…I don’t know how she tested it, but I decided to trust her.

-Cheoeok!

“Arian blessed by the Holy See, good heavens! Princess!”

So I grabbed the weakness of the crystal ball as if grabbing a bowling ball!