What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 545

#545

Miraculous and Auspicious (3)

“Don’t you need more rest? Even I, as an examiner, could feel the great power you used. How is your body?”

…Did the news really spread all over the continent?

“I am fine now, Your Highness. I am very healthy, so please don’t worry. Tete, are you doing well?”

-Awoong!

The harp seal in Prince Stanislas’s swaddling clothes looked like a cicada stuck to an old tree.

His eyes were still full of sleepiness, as if he had just woken up.

He seemed to have gained a little more weight in the past few days.

He must have been doing well, receiving a lot of affection.

Only then did the elder’s shadow seem to brighten slightly.

“Is that so? It’s a divine help.”

-Kieung

“Yes.”

His Highness looked as if he was about to hold me and examine me from hair to toenail.

His two eyes, with different colors, were filled with deep affection and concern.

But his hands were covered in blood, so there was no choice.

Sir Johann bowed politely and handed the elder a handkerchief, and I took out a water bottle from my bag and poured water for him.

The blood on his hands was not his own.

He seemed to have something to say about it, so I packed my notebook and walked with the elder.

His gaze, often looking up at the sky, was heavy, but neither of us spoke about the warning window first.

Only occasionally did a large, warm hand pat my back and shoulders.

The cardinal quietly escorted us a few steps away.

I constantly repeated dozens of questions about the ‘window’ in my mind, lest I forget them.

-Thud, thud, thud…

“As you may have already heard, two children led the troops south while you were asleep. I heard that the number of Atsuma’s forces is small, so they should be back within a day or two.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

“Also, there was a lot of support from the military academy. They accepted all the people who had evacuated from the guild hall, and the young students even came down here to help build additional tents. Our navy has captured most of the Atsuma Baron’s fleeing subordinates.”

“Oh my… That’s really good. And I’m grateful. The school people and the righteous territory residents must be suffering from the monster attacks.”

As I answered, holding the whining Leia, His Highness gave me a benevolent smile.

“I was also very concerned about that, but lovely Emma offered to help with the recovery by mobilizing the North Sea Fleet. She is a loving child, just like her father.”

“Cough, cough! Cough, cough!”

Suddenly, I was seized by a painful coughing fit.

I coughed like crazy, receiving Lopi’s cotton paws all over my back.

‘Lovely Emma’? ‘Loving like her father’?!

“Oh dear, are you alright?”

“Cough, cough!”

Is this the Emma Corleone I know? Grandpa’s love for humanity is amazing!

“Cough, hmm! Excuse me. I just swallowed wrong for a moment. Ahem. By the way, Your Highness, where are you headed?”

-Awoong?

As I hurriedly changed the subject, the smile slowly disappeared from the elder’s lips.

Soon, his steps stopped. I looked around, watching his and Sir Johann’s expressions.

To the north, the collapsed meeting hall was exposed, and the Imperial Navy was busily working in the spruce forest far across from us.

The red dragon was freely swimming in the distant, high sky.

Beyond the hazy breath, rows of tents came into view.

It was quite a distance from where I had been lying.

I had only closed my eyes for thirty-some hours, but it felt like a lot had changed in the meantime.

“…About the Baron.”

“Ah.”

I stiffened and looked up at my grandfather.

I felt like I was forgetting something very important, and it was her.

Eda Atsuma.

Wilhelmina Schneider’s ‘Eleventh Apostle’ [a high-ranking follower], Princess Francisca’s mother.

The worst criminal who not only carried out terrible bio-experiments for the sake of the Duke’s ambition, stole and desecrated the bodies of the righteous territory residents, but also kidnapped and abducted her own territory residents.

An unforgivable person.

“She’s still alive.”

-Kkia

“…”

Leia in my arms pointed to my grandfather’s hand with her two front paws.

I silently stared at his calluses.

The blood from earlier, it was hers.

“Yes, even after going through such a thing. But it seems she won’t make it through tonight.”

“…”

I slowly raised my head and met the elder’s gaze. I could see the darkness of the night sky swallowed in his eyes.

“Francois and Jibril tried very hard to save her. The priests and medics stayed up almost all night. We need to get a meaningful statement from her, so that we can uncover even a little of the Duke’s plan… Wouldn’t that at least soothe the souls of those who have been sacrificed so far?”

-Whoooo…

The cold northern wind messed up my hair.

The elder paused for a moment in the flow and looked at a tent.

It was a small lodging made of dark cloth.

‘Haaak.’ Lopi rounded his back and stood in front of me.

I guessed that it was Atsuma Baron’s last sickbed.

“But I couldn’t hear anything.”

“…”

“The Baron has lost all her teeth, making her pronunciation unclear, and she is blind, unable to recognize even her own daughter. The sound of her vocal cords is thinner than a breeze, so I can’t hear her. Her muscles are dead and her bones are worn, so what more can she say in her lifetime?”

Ah… I slowly lowered my eyelids. So that’s how it ended up.

Perhaps Eda Atsuma was being punished for her sins, unable to make any confession or excuse in the last moments of her life.

As a price for accumulating evil deeds by stealing the property and lives of other territories, she may have had all her life force taken away by black magic, waiting for the Grim Reaper to come and take her.

I heard a virtual confession from Duke Schneider that night.

So I know that Atsuma Baron lost her husband at the hands of the Duke, almost lost her only family, her daughter, to ‘illness’, and threw herself into the faith of the Duke without knowing the inside story.

But that doesn’t justify her actions.

That is impossible in any world other than this continent.

Just because the Baron was helplessly swept away by the schemes of someone stronger than her, doesn’t mean that she didn’t harass and kill other weaker people.

So the feeling that is confusing me right now is not sympathy, but…

“…How is Francisca?”

Just anger.

Resentment at the reality that even while she is dying so miserably, the one who accomplished all these sins is still plotting other things.

Anger at the reality that a second or third Eda Atsuma could appear again at any time.

At the reality that no one takes responsibility for the suffering of those left behind…

“That’s why I looked for you at that child’s request.”

“Yes?”

His Highness looked down at me and said. I blinked at the unexpected flow.

Me?

“Because of her mother’s sins, she can’t formally ask for a Mass [religious service for the deceased], but just on her last journey… She asked if she could put a Bible on the crematorium. She said she would be grateful even for just one page if one book was too much to ask. But the naval priests don’t usually carry Bibles because they’re afraid the sea breeze will damage the books…”

The elder’s face looked troubled. So that’s what happened. I drooped my eyebrows.

Although I perform a simplified Mass at the crematorium, I don’t open the Bible or recite plausible passages.

All I do is ring the bell and offer prayers in front of the neatly laid corpse pile.

What more could you expect from a half-baked archbishop who can’t even preach?

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I don’t have a Bible with me either. I will tell the child directly that it is impossible.”

“I see. Thank you for your concern.”

His Highness said quietly and stroked Tete’s flippers.

I quietly turned my gaze and widened my eyes when I saw the figure below the hill.

“Heok―”

In an instant, all worries were completely forgotten!

“Christel! Your Highness!”

Wow, my partners are already back!

“Sir Johann, your precious disciples have arrived!”

“Admirably, they are a few hours earlier than I expected.”

“Hehehehe.”

“Your Highness! Palace Lord! We’ve taken care of everything! There are now 0 holy knights in this town!”

“Waaaaah…!”

Gain, who had already found me, shook her arms without letting go of the reins, and Doria expressed her joy by pawing the ground in between.

The face shouting loudly was as pretty as a star, but the sentence that came out was terribly gruesome.

The accompanying naval soldiers raised their swords and spears and shouted.

Then their comrades rushed out from all over the tents.

The children, including Lopi, liked it with their tails sparkling.

I forgot the headache for a moment and smiled brightly.

It was like a comedy that we were doing this with a huge warning window in the sky.

“Welcome, everyone!”

-Kkiaaa!

As I shouted, waving my arms, the Crown Prince flicked his gloved hand at me.

He also moved his chin instead of his intact lips.

I slowly withdrew my posture and tilted my head. What is he saying?

Flick, flick, flick.

“What? Me?”

He was making all sorts of faces as the distance narrowed.

Charlemagne also seemed to have read his master’s feelings, and his gait seemed three times more haughty than usual.

I felt strange. Did someone starve you? Why do you both have the same expression?

No, wait a minute. That look is…

“Are you telling me to get lost?”

I frowned. I heard Sir Johann laughing softly from behind.

That night.

We sat in small groups around the bonfire in the middle of the tent village.

The pages of the notebook flipped busily back and forth.

-Flap, flap…

“Then, let’s get straight to the point.”

There were so many stories to share.

First, the warning window in the sky was the most important—the sight of it faintly illuminating the night sky was eerie and unsettling the more I looked at it—and then we had to exchange information about the overall situation in Baren and Atzuma.

In particular, Atzuma, which had lost its lord and even its heir was missing, was now practically in a state of anarchy.

I calmly held my pen and brought up the most urgent topic.

Francois and Sir Johann, sitting on either side of me, immediately focused on me.

I lowered my voice as much as possible and got close enough to the Marquis that our foreheads almost touched.

He had only slept nine hours in the past two days, but he came out wrapped in a blanket to listen to my explanation.

“…That’s roughly the gist of it. In short, this world line we’re in and that world line are colliding…”

“Oh.”

The Marquis knew that I came from another world, but he didn’t know about the existence of other world lines.

So, for now, I only referred to the Departed Duchess as ‘that world line.’

That was because I didn’t want to give my precious friend an even bigger shock right now.

It was a great relief that the contents of the warning window, as well as the date the folder was created, were only visible to me.

The magician frowned his beautiful brow as he listened to my explanation.

“…A terrible omen. Does that mean one of the two world lines must disappear?”

Even with fragmented information, he grasped the point perfectly.

As expected, the genius magic scientist was different. I nodded with a serious look.

“To be precise, there’s a high possibility it’s this world line. If we’re not careful, our world will be absorbed into that world.”

“…”

That was because the warning window said this:

‘There is already a folder with the name ‘Departed Duchess of Another World’ in this target.’

Interpreted in reverse, this meant that someone wanted to change the name of our world to ‘Departed Duchess.’

It meant that someone wanted to erase our story and merge it with the original.

Or perhaps, due to some fatal error—I thought of the torn World Tree and the Temple of the Boundary—the name was about to be changed.

If it were the opposite case, the warning window would probably have said this:

‘There is already a folder with the name ‘□□ □□□ □□□□ □□□ □’ in this target.’

…I don’t know what those squares are, though.

“…The more I hear, the more unreal the situation seems. But if this is real, the sooner we accept it, the better.”

Francois said in a very cold tone.

I looked at Johann, who had Herrit lying on his lap, and whispered solemnly.

“Yes. The problem is, who else besides us can see that ‘window’? For example, is the Chief God watching it? If so, can the god solve this situation even if we do nothing? Or…”

Suddenly. I was pointing at the warning window in the sky when I looked across the large bonfire.

Come to think of it, the atmosphere had been a bit strange since earlier.

Then, Ms. Gain, who was chewing on brown sugar rockfish jerky, flinched and shrugged.

My eyes narrowed like needles.

My intuition is really good.

“…Sir Christel Lambouillet.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“And Crown Prince Cedric.”

“…”

The man tilted his head with a sharp look.

I glanced at my friends on either side and then looked back at the two of them.

“I’m sorry, but are you planning to keep sitting there?”

They haven’t even come close to me since arriving at the tent village, is this just my imagination?

They just said they don’t need Ether either. Can they even hear me?

“Uh… I guess so? Maybe it’s because the weather is a bit muggy, but it’s nice to sit far apart.”

Ms. Gain said, fanning herself with a nonchalant look. I was dumbfounded!

“This is the North, and it’s January.”

“Weather is relative and subjective, isn’t it? I’m burning up right now.”

Our water attribute pirate king, Ham Gain, is ‘burning up’?

“You say that, but you seem to be sitting quite close to the Crown Prince. Unlike me.”

“…”

At my remark, she pursed her lips into a straight line.

Then she blatantly looked away and looked up at the night sky. The tension suddenly dissipated.

I was so dumbfounded that my jaw muscles twitched for a long time.

I guess they’re avoiding me because I still have the Crown’s energy left, but they could just say so. Why are they treating me like smelly garbage between friends…!

“Hey. Princess.”

Suddenly, a rowdy voice flew from behind.

I flinched and looked up at the man.

Long earrings and blonde hair flowed down in the dim light.

His bright red eyes were filled with deep mischief that quickly faded away.

It was Jibril Diop.

“Don’t provoke them unnecessarily. I guarantee you won’t see anything good.”

“…”

I couldn’t help but frown at those words. Ms. Gain and the Crown Prince also turned cold and serious.

What right does the Young Lord have to treat them like that—

“You’re going to nag again. Give me the book.”

“Book? What book?”

He held out a large hand right in front of my nose.

I was flustered and instinctively hugged my Ggaggabag [a personal bag or satchel].

Then the Young Lord clicked his tongue. ‘What do you take me for?’

“Why, the one you spilled in front of me last time. Was it or something? Isn’t that a well-selling religious book?”

“Huh?”

Ah, Benjamin’s essay collection? I blinked, recalling recent memories.

Come to think of it, that did happen.

It was the day we left the Sea Dragon Military Academy and came to the Baren-Atzuma Guild Hall.

Francois and I, the only non-combat personnel in the group, slept soundly through the night and didn’t wake up until midday.

In the end, His Highness Stanislas personally put me, who had fallen asleep, on a horse and moved me.

In the middle, I had a beautiful dream that I will never forget for a long time.

The friends in the dream were all wearing beautiful hanboks [traditional Korean clothing].

I was wearing some kind of ceremonial dress with a crown, and I was riding in a flower palanquin [a covered litter carried by poles] with an jade tablet in my hand.

There were small windows on both sides of the palanquin.

‘-Tug, tug, tug…’

In a season when the spring breeze was blowing gently…

‘Your Highness.’

Startled. Benjamin’s voice, which I heard from the left window, rang in my ears again.

I barely ignored the chills spreading out and raised my eyes.

Diop was standing crookedly, looking down at me.

“Back then, you spilled your bag while changing horses. I saw you had a book.”

“Ahrum held the reins and scolded you for your arms falling off.”

“…Anyway. Let me borrow it.”

“Yes?”

“The Baron of Atzuma is dead. Just now.”

The man spat out with an emotionless expression.

At those words, Sir Johann lowered his gaze, and Francois and Ms. Gain let out long sighs.

I took a breath and scanned the corner tent with my eyes.

Unlike other tents, several torches were lit, and priests and soldiers were seen busily coming and going.

The faint sound of a child’s cry could also be heard from inside.

“Aaaaa…! Uuuuu…!”

“…”

It was Francisca. Tess’s back, running into the tent, remained in my sight for a long time.

“They said the child was looking for the Bible since midday. How could there be such a thing in a time of war? The Guild Hall building has been destroyed, leaving no trace.”

“…”

“Give her that book, at least. I’ll put it by her head for a while and return it.”

“…Yes. Just a moment.”

I calmly rummaged through my Ggaggabag. The essay collection was quickly caught.

And like a lie, it slipped out of my hand and fell to the floor.

-Clunk!

Really, like a lie.

“…”

Then, the book opened wide, and the purple inner page revealed itself.

At the same time, I had the illusion that the whole world was turning slowly.

A conversation I had with Benjamin sometime ago consumed my mind like a prophecy.

Really, like a lie.