What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 598

The Sub-Male Lead Goes on Strike – Episode 598 (598/920)

#598

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (5)

-Kwaang!

“Valerie, good heavens!”

Barbara Sugar shuddered, startled while setting the dinner table.

It sounded like the attic was collapsing.

Prince Yeser, who was helping her set the table, also looked up in surprise.

The little ones, who had been frantically playing tag on the old sofa, stopped abruptly.

‘Thump, thump, thump!’ The little fur balls tumbled over each other like dominoes, with Demi in the lead.

The young dragon, GuGu, scurried over from somewhere and clung to Johan.

The Cardinal immediately shifted his gaze.

-Kooong!

“Your Highness!”

Following that, the desperate cry of an imperial palace servant was heard, and a dark-skinned man dashed across the living room at an incredible speed.

His momentum was so fierce that Sugar almost drew her staff from her bosom.

The only reason she didn’t was the white-haired knight.

The man, with movements like a whirlwind, pulled the old man and the prince into the kitchen in an instant. He had clearly sensed the danger.

The flicker of violet eyes and the sharp sound of boots hitting the floor occurred almost simultaneously. ‘Thud, thud, thud······!’

“Goodness, look here! Young Master Dior!”

The horrified old man broke free from Johan’s arm and rushed to the front door.

By then, the young man was fluttering his jet-black robe and grabbing the doorknob.

Whatever was happening in the attic, it was too dangerous outside right now.

The Imperial Guard and the Imperial Capital Defense patrolled the streets as routinely as eating, and wanted posters of a white-haired young man were plastered in every alley.

Not to mention the spot checks after sunset, and the fact that anyone who looked even slightly suspicious was dragged away for questioning.

Noon quickly approached the man.

The blue veins bulging on the back of his hand looked as if they could crush metal at any moment.

“I don’t know what quarrel you had with the servant, but if you don’t want to be caught by the military, settle things indoors. Otherwise, not only you but also I—”

-Sreung!

The sword was drawn in an instant!

“Ouch!”

-Hwareuk, hwareureureu······

“You are······.”

A faint flame flickered precariously at the tip of the sword.

The man’s low voice pierced Noon’s ear like a blade.

Sugar’s expression instantly turned aghast.

The two eyes, as if dropping droplets of sunset, were shimmering red with pain.

The veins stood out on his white forehead and jaw muscles, and hot embers flared like anger on his cheeks.

Even though the flames were rushing right at her, the magician froze as if she had been doused in ice water.

“Oh, heavens······.”

Sugar knew this face. She swore she didn’t know it, but at the same time, she did.

A shiver ran down her entire body, and she swayed, losing her balance.

The prince quickly supported her collapsing body. For a moment, she felt nauseous.

······How?

-Beolkeok!

“Your Highness!”

Finally, the front door burst open, and the man threw himself into the darkness outside.

Lopi darted out swiftly, chasing after him.

Johan, who had been silently watching the situation, immediately swung his arm—

-Deopseok!

“Just let him be, Sam.”

However, his strength was stopped by a small hand in mid-air.

The subtle breeze, busily intertwined, scattered and flowed down her pink hair.

Gain looked up at her teacher and quickly shook her head.

Her eyes were more serious than ever, and her voice, barely audible, added to it.

“······He said they were talking about the late Prince Consort. The Palace Lord.”

“······.”

“Whatever it is, now is not the time. He needs to cool off for a bit.”

‘His energy is too hot. Just like that day.’ The cheeks of the disciple, whispering so, were flushed like an adventurer who had climbed to the top of a volcano after a difficult journey.

At this, Johan’s eyes narrowed.

The vertical pupils of GuGu, sitting on his shoulder, also became more elongated.

Her water was not as cold as usual.

A strange premonition flashed through the man’s mind and disappeared.

Could it be······.

-Ppigeok

Flint. Everyone’s gaze turned to one place at once.

The brown-haired young man, stepping down from the last rung of the ladder, had red eyes.

‘Kkia!’ The divine beasts hugged him as if they had made a promise.

The man hugged the little children tightly in his arms and slowly stared at the firmly closed front door.

His wet eyelashes trembled slightly.

“Your Highness······.”

The calling voice was so small that it seemed it would not reach the man.

*

That night, a secret meeting was held in the study of Sugar’s bungalow.

“······.”

“······.”

Naturally, it couldn’t be helped.

Sugar finally realized the identity of the man she had only called ‘Young Master,’ and recognized that his sword was none other than the ‘Comet Sword of Mars.’

And then she understood why she had never turned down his requests until now.

The top-grade magic stones he provided were merely an excuse to provoke the magician.

Perhaps she would not have cut him off even if the Crown Prince had come to her disguised as an unknown old man.

Because that was the kind of connection they had.

Even if he was a Crown Prince from another world, he would always be Sugar’s ‘Young Master Prince.’

“······Our connection is very old. So now it’s faded and unsightly.”

“······.”

“Bumpy and wrinkled······. It’s become an ugly sight, like an old scar.”

The old man moved his dry lips. Everyone quietly looked down at the floor.

In the charcoal-black darkness of the room, a few short candles were lit.

The prince, who had poured tea into everyone’s cups, quietly looked up at the moon outside the window and left the room.

He felt he was not worthy to hear this story.

Two GuGus became his companions, toddling along.

Sugar’s story was occasionally interrupted, sometimes skipping over time and then returning again.

Like a dream on a hot, feverish summer night.

“When His Highness the Crown Prince was still young······.”

She frequented the Imperial Palace often when Cedric was very young.

But after ‘that incident,’ she rarely visited the palace.

That was because the Emperor himself had a hard time looking at Noon’s face.

Frederic faithfully took care of her old age, gave Evelyn a job, and sent New Year’s and birthday gifts every year.

But there were no more tea parties or jokes shared together as they had when his consort was alive.

He would occasionally call her to the palace to ask how she was doing, but that was all.

Instead, Cardinal Aurelius Boutier often met with the magician.

“······I thought I would be forgotten like this.”

“······.”

“I thought it was respectful to him and his family to leave secretly, without leaving anything to anyone······. I poured all my magic into an experiment that I could never reach even if I dedicated my whole life and failed, so I believed that my life was now only left to fade away.”

“······.”

“But on the other hand······. I just couldn’t give up.”

The wrinkled eyes of the old woman traced back to distant memories beyond the candlelight.

Her twitching mouth seemed to be smiling and crying at the same time.

“If I had re-examined the magic formula of that day from the beginning. If I could have used a completely different formula. If I had allowed his mana to flow in a different way······. If we had just one more day······.”

Perhaps it was both. Strength entered the thin, emaciated back of her hand.

“If I had only been a 6th grade, no, even a 5th grade······. Would something have changed? Could I have not lost him? If so, our Young Master Prince······.”

‘He wouldn’t have had to send his father away like that.’ The aged voice dripped like candle wax.

The audience silently stared at the traces.

The voice that echoed through the space rode the wind and circled over the gable roof of the bungalow for a long time.

A small cat twitched its ears and looked back at the young one.

-Nyaa

“······.”

However, Cedric was only staring into the distance with red eyes.

The magic tool gloves that covered both hands had long since turned to ashes.

His vessel, which had fallen into the deep sea, was endlessly sinking.

The sensation of icy waves barely cooling his burning vessel followed.

It was not the ecstatic power like someone’s ether that kept him alive.

But it was enough cold to prevent his incineration.

Whenever the old woman’s reminiscence resonated, the man’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

“······It started with his suggestion.”

Sugar’s words continued haltingly. Lopi approached the Crown Prince and sat down, curling his tail.

“The proud chief god of the Great Continent has······. Her avatar and conversational partner, the phoenix, and the phoenix has three sisters who assist him, and the three sisters spin the black thread of inevitability in a space as white as snow······.”

The Crown Prince closed his eyes, moving his lips.

“If we could reach that space, wouldn’t we be able to meet the chief god and save your son······.”

······.

“It was the point when Young Master Prince received the last prophecy of the Fleur-de-lis [a stylized lily used as a decorative design or symbol]. And his approximate physical condition was······.”

“······.”

“It was already known throughout the country as the exclusive article of Lady Sarah Bellial.”

The sound of Juliette, the Palace Lord, inhaling could be heard.

Finally, from the sun that had cooled down, a single drop of rain fell.

*

Early morning of August 21st.

-Cheep cheep cheep, cheep······

Two members of the Imperial Capital Defense and one member of the Imperial Guard walked out busily from the main gate of the Liester Imperial Palace.

One of them was unusually tall and bulky, and the other was very slender.

The last person was none other than the Deputy Commander of the Guard, Lady Elizabeth Mutte, and the three men and women were discussing something with serious faces.

The Defense and the Guard were not very friendly groups, so it was a rare combination to see.

But no one sent them blatant glances.

Because if they were labeled as ‘suspicious persons,’ they would be dragged away and interrogated in the blink of an eye.

It had been well over a week since the disappearance of Prince Yeser Venetian.

“······So you had no evidence at all?”

Christel, disguised as party supplies again today, asked in a whisper.

Then Elizabeth let out a rare sigh and swept back her hair.

“······Yes. I searched the entire house and carriage with Antoinette, but not even a single strand of hair came out. So it is fundamentally impossible to track mana [magical energy]. He is a truly thorough and elusive person.”

“Wow, when did he start planning this? I saw him once at the dress shop, and I felt a little strange······.”

“······.”

The Deputy Commander of the Guard nodded.

The area under her eyes, who had been working all-nighters and overtime recently, was bluish.

So much so that Cardinal Boutier called Michel Mutte to the palace and ordered him to send his daughter home.

But Elizabeth couldn’t forgive herself.

Even though he was a guest of the Marquis de Dhiem, he had stayed at the Count’s residence for several days, and it was hard to accept that she had been so defenseless.

Besides, such murderous intent and such speed······.

“Hoo.”

Elizabeth had to admit it.

On the night of the floating ball where the prince disappeared, she had faced an irresistible force.

“Even though it is a kidnapping case, there has been no contact such as a ransom demand, so a minority opinion that sees it as a large-scale operation by the Shin-guk [a powerful nation or faction] side is gaining strength.”

“If it’s a large-scale operation······.”

“It could escalate into war.”

The Crown Prince answered, raising his glasses. Christel flinched, shrinking her shoulders with a surprised expression.

War, that was the worst.

If that happened, the future of her precious prince friend would be much cloudier than it is now.

Not to mention the innocent people who would die.

“We have to find him before that happens!”

“······.”

“One thing I’m sure of is that those guys didn’t harm the prince. If they did, they wouldn’t get anything they wanted, and they would be dead men without room for negotiation.”

“······Yes. Those who carried out such a thorough kidnapping operation would not be foolish.”

“So let’s calmly······.”

-Hihing!

As she was about to announce today’s plan in a soft voice, a large carriage stopped right under her chin.

Two out of the three reflexively moved out of the way.

It seemed to be the vehicle of a noble entering the palace, so it would be difficult to block the way······.

-Dalkadang!

“Your Highness, Crown Prince!”

Hmm? The carriage door opened without warning, and a familiar voice popped out before the shoes.

Christel and Elizabeth blinked in unison. This voice is······.

“I found him! I, Francois Dhiem, have found traces of that heinous and vicious kidnapper!”

The Marquis de Dhiem, wearing only a shirt and ordinary pants, was wearing a dazzling smile of victory.

······Really?