What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 596

The Summer Night’s Dream (3)

We were incredibly excited until the next morning.

Everyone’s cheeks were the color of rosy lotus flowers as I prepared the meal.

Lesser pandas hopped around under the narrow dining table, followed swiftly by Ropi.

‘Awoo-oong.’ Tete, who was particularly curious about the outside scenery last night, regained his usual condition after a good night’s sleep.

Fire lizard GuGu was suddenly found on the ceiling, in the garden, and even under the sofa.

He seemed very excited, to say the least.

No one had been caught and survived safely, even though the Imperial Guard was right at our doorstep.

It was like a scene from a movie!

…I almost fainted when Cristel and the Crown Prince showed up in this neighborhood, but let’s think about that later. Ahem.

“How did you do it, Master Sue? I’m curious about the principle of the ‘Tag’ magic.”

The small kitchen was packed with helping hands assisting Noon.

Everyone seemed eager to know her secret.

As I carefully added a spoonful of vinegar to the basin of water, the Elder glanced at me and said, ‘The Imperial Palace servants are quite domestic, aren’t they?’

A shy smile escaped me.

When Prince Yeseo tilted his head, I explained, ‘Washing them like this makes the vegetables and fruits very clean.’

He carefully rolled up his sleeves and offered to help me.

He seemed more lively than when he was in the Imperial Palace, so I replied that I would be grateful for his help.

He gets hot easily, so activities involving cold water would be good for him.

“If moisture remains on the stem, it will rot easily. You should be especially careful because the weather is hot.”

“I see.”

I handed him a dry towel and asked him to remove the moisture from the fallen tomato stems.

A strange smile appeared as he blinked his purple eyes under his snail-like glasses.

The man looked very comfortable.

“No! I’m really curious. I’m not looking down on lower-level magicians, but you’re a 4th-level magician. There were high-level magicians among the guards, so how did you fool them? Are you not really a 4th-level magician?”

“…….”

Gaine was chopping garlic at lightning speed on the other side, chattering away.

Master Sue seemed inwardly surprised by her garlic skills. Well, she’s Korean after all….

– Sizzle….

“Disguise is a high-level magic, so did you use other tricks?”

“…….”

Sir Johann, who had taken a large pot from the stove over there, asked again as he picked up the well-cooked corn one by one.

His rolled-up forearms occasionally bulged with strength.

He had tied up his long hair in a bun and fixed it with a quill to help with the kitchen work, and Gaine praised him for looking very charming.

The Elder nodded to the Cardinal—meaning to bring the well-cooked corn over there—and said casually.

“…What principle? Tag is just tag. There’s nothing special about it.”

Then Cedric, who was standing blankly behind, snapped sharply.

His arms, folded tightly, looked like they were about to burst.

“Disguise magic is clearly a high-level skill. If you haven’t properly reported the number of your magic formulas to the Magic Society—”

“Oh, I told you it’s not disguise magic. What do you take me for?”

Suddenly, the old woman’s energy became as hot as a flame, so we couldn’t make a sound and buried our eyes on the counter.

Demi, startled by the chilling atmosphere, rushed over and hugged my ankle.

It was a gesture that clearly said, ‘I’ll protect you!’

Lea and Peri, who followed, clung to my other leg.

– Squeak, squeak.

– Squeak.

“Oh my…”

Master Sue sighed deeply as she looked at them, stopped slicing the zucchini, and looked back at us carefully.

I glared at the Crown Prince without making it obvious.

No matter how much of a unique and self-centered person you were born and raised to be, this person is holding a knife right now, so what are you going to do if you talk like that!

Don’t you know how great and powerful the kitchen authority is?

Besides, Master Sue is the homeowner who is hiding us!

The man, whose eyes met mine, raised an eyebrow.

I almost forgot that I had fought with him and was about to slap him on the back. He’s really annoying.

“…Disguise magic is good. You can make a lot of money if you know how to do it. Eyepatches that borrow the appearance of other people for a short time, glasses that make young people look old…. Even if you go to the trading post, they sell a lot of those party supplies. Young people are enthusiastic about those things and spend money. And they’re so expensive…. It’s all patent fees and labor costs.”

Noon began to speak quietly. Chop, chop, chop…. The hand slicing the pumpkin was as calm as before.

We carefully continued our work, listening intently.

On the other hand, the party supplies that Gaine had bought for me came to mind, and the corners of my lips lifted slightly.

I tried on that eyepatch once. I wore it and entered Romero Palace as Francois.

And those glasses were worn by that guy in the night market in Ryuka Village when he was a prince….

In the days when we weren’t friends yet.

“The Tag magic is… a magic that even a talented 3rd-level magician can try, not to mention a 4th-level magician like me. It’s just that I haven’t revealed the principle to the world. And I don’t intend to do so in the future.”

“…….”

Chop, chop, chop. The wrinkled hand cut the vegetables at a constant speed.

In the meantime, I washed all the vegetables for the stew and prepared to peel the potatoes.

The Prince, who had become quite skilled, was tapping the stem of the last tomato.

“The basic principle is to deceive space, not to deceive the eyes of others.”

“…Space?”

The garlic slipped out of Gaine’s grasp.

The Elder continued to prepare the vegetables with darkened eyes.

“Yes, space. Deceiving the eyes of others is never easy. You have to be able to cast complex magic formulas so that the disguise is perfect from any angle, and it takes a tremendous amount of mana. That’s why party supplies have time limits. The Magic Society has also made the distribution process difficult….”

“…….”

“But distorting space is easier than you think. If you twist just one place, you can cover the eyes of thousands of people. It doesn’t take as much mana as you think, so you’re rarely detected by high-level magicians.”

“…….”

“If you don’t believe me, look at the magic tool glasses that the Prince is wearing.”

Then everyone’s eyes turned to the man. He paused, fluttering his long eyelashes.

We know that the Prince is the Prince, but other people would never recognize him.

The lenses under the glasses seemed somewhat distorted, or even pressed up and down.

As a result, his skin color and eye color also looked quite different….

“It’s amazing now that I hear the explanation.”

“I agree.”

Gaine and I muttered side by side.

Space distortion using magic is truly a great discovery.

It’s not a completely new concept to me, who knows roughly about the theory of general relativity, but in the world of , it would definitely be an academic achievement that would shake the entire continent.

I could tell just by looking at the Crown Prince in front of me, who was rarely opening his mouth.

His carrot-colored irises, for some reason, were revealing their round outlines completely.

…This is the first time I’ve seen him so surprised.

“I developed it myself. I’ve been studying space magic for seventy years.”

“Seventy years? That’s amazing. You’re a respectable person. Didn’t you do any other research?”

“…….”

Gaine asked, subtly watching Master Sue’s expression.

The old woman was silent for a long time after that, and only when the water in the stew pot started to boil did she pack up the prepared vegetables and move away.

I don’t know if it was just my imagination, but she looked a little sad.

Just as she was about to put in all the ingredients and take out the ladle, Master Sue said this.

“Some people stay in one space for their entire lives.”

“…….”

“Trapped in one memory forever, unable to leave, unable to rest comfortably…. Like that for decades. Foolishly.”

‘I don’t deserve to be respected.’ Noon, who ended the sentence bluntly, sighed deeply and looked for salt and pepper.

I quickly came to my senses and opened the cupboard door briskly.

Sir Johann, who had approached silently, immediately found the seasoning container on the counter.

After that, no one asked her about space magic.

I briefly locked eyes with Cedric, but I had nothing to say right now, so I avoided him first.

*

And until two days passed, we had no particular gains.

This was a really big deal. I sighed deeply as I faced the pouring sunset.

“Haa…. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so helpless.”

A curfew had already been imposed throughout the Imperial Capital, and even by 10 p.m., the neighborhood became as quiet as a ghost town.

It was fortunate that the Sue’s detached house was at the end of a remote alley, but it was difficult to even go outside, let alone take a walk, so my stomach churned every time the clock ticked.

Not because I wanted to go out, but because I was afraid of being caught by someone.

It was hard to control the growing impatience and anxiety.

I opened the status window whenever I felt impatient, but each time, it was the phoenix chick who was in charge of the ‘Clone System’ that appeared.

– Kkirururu….

Just like right now.

I crouched by the attic window and diligently urged him.

All the other friends were busy cleaning the living room.

In fact, I had come up here after wiping the floor with a rag.

“What about Hyung [older brother]? Is Hyung still watching other world lines?”

– Kkiruk.

“Are you sure? Maybe… is something wrong and he can’t contact me?”

– Kki.

The phoenix flicked its beak indifferently and shook its tail feathers.

This time, I was so frustrated that I punched the floor.

Ah, what are you so immersed in watching?

Even if it’s another world line, isn’t it the place we were in?

What’s so interesting about the story with that dark-haired younger brother!

– Kong!

“Ouch!”

Crazy, he hit me with a bone in the meantime! It really hurts!

– Flap, flap!

The pigeons outside the window, startled by my fuss, flew away.

I belatedly apologized, but the birds, already feeling hurt, did not return.

I rubbed my fist and stared blankly out the window. Hooo….

– Kkiruru.

The phoenix opened the last conversation history as if to say, ‘Look at this instead,’ but since it was already familiar content, there was nothing more to read.

Inevitably, I felt a little down.

I thought everything would work out because Hyung appeared in front of me and I did as Hyung told me….

I guess I was too short-sighted after all. Was my vision narrowed and I made a misjudgment?

Was I excited because my family was by my side, and I made mistakes over and over again?

– Flap, flap.

“…….”

Soon, a small family of wrens landed in the place where the pigeons had left.

Seeing them reminded me of Dduk-sim, and a brief smile escaped me.

Of course, they were different birds from that one.

The pattern, the size, and that subtle and adorable expression were all….

Eh?

“Wait.”

Just a moment. Something flashed through my mind.

“Dduk-sim’s… Dduk-sim’s ability….”

Jeong Dduk-sim’s ability is the power to control ‘space.’

“Could it be….”

My lips trembled slightly, and I slowly muttered to myself.

I quickly rolled my eyes and re-examined all the information I knew.

That child was a sacred object, an existence that could understand the will of the gods to some extent, and so he had given me hints before.

And that child is….

‘-Still, when referring to me here, ‘Niki’ would be better than ‘Dduk-sim.’ I cannot advise you in the form of a bird.’

He was a close friend of His Excellency Alexandre.

To the point where he perfectly embodied his appearance and voice one day, incurring the Crown Prince’s wrath.

‘Was His Excellency also a clue?’

‘-Yes?’

‘You are borrowing His Excellency’s appearance right now. Did he also possess the principles of the world?’

The conversations I had with Niki all along lit up my mind like headlights in the dark.

His voice rang vividly in my ears.

‘-No, my friend was an exception. He was for his son….’

‘-Alexandre wanted to meet the god.’

‘-His body could not withstand the gaze of the god.’

Those puzzle-like sentences that were placed before us that day. ‘Bireom’s Ark,’ which governs the space of God.

And….

‘I’ve been studying space magic for seventy years.’

‘Some people stay in one space for their entire lives.’

‘Trapped in one memory forever, unable to leave, unable to rest comfortably…. Like that for decades. Foolishly.’

Suddenly, a possibility pierced my brain like a well-honed blade.

– Thud!

“…….”

“…….”

At the same time, the attic door opened right in front of me.

It was Cedric Riester.