What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 594

The Sub-Male Lead Goes on Strike – #594

Midsummer Night’s Dream (1)

Childhood friends.

No, more like childhood ‘acquaintances.’ The two men and the woman walked like that for quite a while.

-Rustle, rustle, rustle…

Since the Imperial Guard was conducting searches throughout the forest, they had to be careful not to get caught.

The soldiers were carrying out the operation thoroughly, rotating without a single minute of downtime.

Occasionally, red torches flickered in the distance.

Fortunately, the forest was where darkness fell the fastest.

The prophet, who always walked here when he wanted to be alone, knew every path in the forest and every place that wasn’t a path.

He could walk around the lake with his eyes closed.

-Rustle, rustle, rustle!

Two pairs of shoes diligently pushed through the bushes.

“…Prince Bakari.”

“Yes.”

The only reason he wasn’t alone today was because he needed a plausible explanation if they were caught by the Imperial Guard.

The magician ‘Modest Bakari’ was openly considered the black sheep of the Bakari family, a fact well-known to outsiders.

There were many who held animosity towards him without truly knowing him.

So, walking alone in the forest at moonrise would look very suspicious.

If things went wrong, he could be suspected of colluding with the kidnappers.

Just because you’re a high-ranking official working in the Imperial Palace doesn’t necessarily mean you’re above suspicion.

But if a young lady of the same age is with you, any deviation from the norm is more easily excused.

“I know we agreed not to discuss each other’s hobbies or professional activities, but I want to ask you one thing today.”

Berenice said calmly, as usual. The prophet nodded.

“Tell me. Special cases are exceptions anyway.”

“…Do you really not see any omens? About the prince’s future, I mean.”

“…”

“I also parted ways with the costume shop employee that day, possibly forever. Of course, it was impossible to meet again in that chaos… I’m really worried that something bad might have happened to her. I’ve heard that some of the servants have disappeared from their homes.”

“…”

It didn’t matter if it was night or day, whether the space was home or forest.

Most situations were viewed more favorably as long as a man and a woman were together as a pair.

The leader of the Fleur-de-lis thought this was always an interesting and strange phenomenon.

He and Berenice had simply built mutual trust over a long time, but others seemed to perceive their relationship completely differently.

As a result, this was beneficial to everyone.

Berenice had a hard time making new friends and had a narrow circle of acquaintances—apart from her excellent social reputation—and the leader had no friends.

But if they had each other, they could feel comfortable in any situation that required a partner of the opposite sex.

It was a huge advantage in the Imperial Capital’s aristocratic society.

“…I don’t see it. In fact, it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen Prince Yeser’s future.”

“Quite a while…? How long?”

Berenice looked serious. The leader swallowed, hesitating for a moment.

It was an incident that shocked the entire empire when the First Prince of the Holy Kingdom was kidnapped right under the noses of the Imperial Guard and the Crown Prince.

Thanks to this, the engagement announcement of the Bakari-Andre family was completely overshadowed.

Even quite a few people didn’t know about the news of the dubious sacred object.

Rumor has it that Judith Andre was as prickly as a desert cactus these past few days.

Well, it was natural considering she had spent a lot of money on this shipboard ball, mobilized the actors of the opera house for this, and sharpened her sword, saying that this was an opportunity to enhance the family’s honor.

The Bakari viscount family was also turned upside down.

-Rustle!

The prophet brushed away a branch and sighed briefly.

“I’m not sure, but I don’t think I’ve received any meaningful omens about him this month.”

“…Is it little? I’m not a magician, so I don’t know.”

“Even magicians don’t know each other’s specialties well. But one important thing is…”

Splash. Finally, the two stopped in front of a small swamp.

Berenice inhaled sharply.

The moon, which had just risen, couldn’t emit strong light, and the forest was as dark as midnight.

In that darkness, the black swamp was gaping, making her feel eerie.

Even though it was a small puddle that the two could embrace with their arms, it gave her goosebumps because it was so black.

The flickering lights of the Imperial Guard in the distance looked like specters appearing in desert legends.

It was a good scene to describe in her novel, but…

“The important thing is that I had nothing to report to His Majesty.”

“…”

“I am his advisor and the most powerful magical tool. It would be a problem if I were useless.”

“…I know why you’re saying that, but I think there’s another reason you brought me here today. You clearly said you would find the sacred object.”

Berenice turned the topic by taking out her glasses from her robe pocket and putting them on.

It was something she only took out when reading or writing. The leader pursed his lips for a moment.

The swamp in front of him occasionally made bubbling sounds.

He quickly looked around and whispered in a voice small enough for only the princess to hear.

“Only the princess should know the information I’m about to tell you. Keep it a secret from Duke Mendi.”

“My father shouldn’t even know that I came here today. Of course, that includes my aunt.”

“The missing sacred object has a powerful ‘curse’ on it.”

“…Yes?”

The girl blinked.

“The Andre viscount agreed to the marriage proposal without knowing that at all. My father intends to completely pass the curse on to that family.”

Under the dim light, the two people’s eyes met.

The prophet whispered in an even lower voice.

“The late Count Pompili was an existence that was abandoned early in our family. He was a priest with no talent in magic and was always an outsider. At least, the relatives of the Bakari family all agreed on that. They said that he was uselessly causing trouble and wasting money, so he should be quickly married off to a decent noble family. The other party happened to be the Pompili count family.”

“…”

Berenice’s pupils trembled greatly. The leader quickly continued.

“But in fact, the count… He was someone who went to rural areas to heal commoners suffering from infectious diseases. Of course, Count Pompili dismissed her young husband’s volunteer work as childish. Rather, she despised him for fear that he would bring a disease from somewhere. All she supported him with was an old carriage and a servant.”

“Ah, I’ve heard about his good deeds. But I didn’t know there was such a backstory…”

“Also, on a day when it was pouring rain, the count swam across the swollen river. He couldn’t ignore the patients who were eagerly waiting for him. That’s how his relationship with Emperor Valery began.”

“Oh, no way…”

The princess, who was particularly imaginative in this way, hurriedly covered her mouth.

On the other hand, there was no shaking in his blue-green eyes.

Even the swamp was holding its breath and listening to his story.

“The late Emperor was taking shelter from the rain during a hunting competition when he saw a nobleman of your age jumping into the river and was surprised and followed him into the water. He mistook the count for trying to commit suicide.”

“…”

It was truly a relationship like a novel. Berenice murmured blankly.

“Then, then the story that Count Pompili closed his eyes as a priest in the Imperial Palace… Is what I’m guessing correct?”

“No. There’s no way to know what His Majesty thought of him. However, since the count was already married, he couldn’t become his religious partner, and from the time he got a job in the Imperial Palace, Count Pompili began to relentlessly harass her husband. Our family knew this, but they kept it a secret until the end.”

“Good Lord! How did you know that, Prince?”

“…Like any other noble, the Bakari family also has a secret record. I only recently learned about it.”

The leader shrugged and looked back at the swamp.

His eyes shone sharply today.

“Now that things have come to this, my goal is to retrieve that sacred object and send it far away. So that it doesn’t fall into the hands of either Andre or Bakari.”

“Send it far away?”

“Yes. To the ‘Sea of Tranquility’ [a euphemism for death or a place of final rest]. That’s all I can secretly do.”

“…Because Emperor Valery was scattered there. I understand.”

Berenice swallowed hard and whispered.

That’s how the two of them were just looking at the swamp for a while. It was the leader who broke the silence again.

“…And from the perspective of finding the sacred object, it’s strange that there are jungles and swamps in this forest. There was no such thing the night before the shipboard ball. I checked it myself.”

“Huh? Over there…”

-Saaa…

“It’s clear that this is a terrain artificially created by someone. Then there must be an intention, and maybe the kidnappers are hiding treasures here—”

“Wait a minute, Prince. It looks like there’s light coming from the swamp.”

“Yes?”

In the place where Berenice’s fingertips were pointing, a strangely blue energy was swirling.

For a moment, it seemed like fog, but the texture was different.

Water shadows flickered over the tall leaves, and the sea color was reflected on the two young cheeks.

The leader took out a short cane from his arms and held it, sending Berenice behind him.

Even in the meantime, the bluish flow was spreading like perfume. The moment he gritted his teeth and deployed a defensive magic formula—

-Jiiiiing!

-Papat Papat…!

“Kuh!”

“Ugh!”

From the swamp, which was clearly sleeping black, a school of silver-shining flying fish soared!

-Hudududu! Papat Papat…!

“Good Lord! Those are sea fish!”

Berenice, who was greatly surprised, let out a cry that was neither laughter nor tears, and the prophet hurriedly waved his cane.

The robe with no pattern fluttered like the night sky. Fluttering…!

That was exactly what he was about to do.

‘Woo Woong!’

“Heok!”

The prophet’s vision suddenly began to swirl black.

“Ugh!”

-Tak!

At the same time, a headache that seemed to pierce his brain attacked and ruthlessly pressed him down. His legs staggered.

A terribly fishy taste was felt on the tip of his tongue, and a strong smell of blood rose from beyond his nose and throat.

The sensation of liquid flowing down his skin gradually became distant.

‘Prince!’ Berenice’s desperate call also quickly faded into his ears.

As if it were something from a very distant, faraway place.

‘Goodness! Your eyes…!’

‘Modest, are you okay? Shh…’

As if it were the voice of a world he could never reach…

「”…I asked him directly. Whether he came to this land as the agent of the Lord.”」

No. It resembled his voice.

How?

In his hazy consciousness, the prophet was barely holding on to his reason.

Berenice’s wet touch was felt and then evaporated like a lie.

The peaceful smell of the lake and the smell of the bushes faded, and the stench of swords and battlefields occasionally brushed past his nose.

“Keoheok, keok! Eok, euheok…!”

“Prince! Please come to your senses! Goodness, what should I do!”

It was painful.

It was a feeling as if a healthy soul was torn in two, and thus coexisting in two places.

It was believable even if some huge being was holding him and pulling him from both sides.

Bakari screamed silently at the terrible simultaneity.

Finally, his body was convulsing violently.

「”The Marquis is from another world. He lived by borrowing the body of another, and even performed the miracle of being resurrected after dying once.”」

“Keueok! Kulleok! Heoeok, keuheoeok…!”

What does that mean? What marquis are you talking about? Why are you in such a place…

「”…Perhaps he has the power to go against the fate of the continent?”」

What?

“Keuheoeok!”

“Prince Bakari!”

Flash! The whites of his eyes, which had been dyed black, returned to their color in an instant.

What appeared before his eyes was the tear-stained face of Berenice Mendi.

And, and…

“Prince! Are you coming to your senses? God, thank you… I thought I was going to die!”

“Heok, kolok! Kolok Kolok! Heok, heoeok…”

Camille Bakari had a lightning-like realization.