What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 605

#605

The Interpreter and the Tracker (3)

No, no, that’s not right!

“Wait a minute! Wait just a second!”

“Sereniteit [Dutch for ‘Serenity,’ likely a title or nickname], your voice.”

“I apologize.”

I raised my voice, quite excited, and the Crown Prince immediately gestured for me to lower it.

I cleared my throat a few times and straightened my back.

A small candle was the only thing illuminating the dim attic.

My head was a mess with questions popping up like springs, but I had to stay calm.

There were still quite a few unanswered questions, and I couldn’t let Hyung [term of endearment for an older brother or male friend] take the lead.

Before I got flustered and forgot again, I had to ask about everything important.

Right away, as soon as I thought of it!

“What about Benjamin? What happened to Benjamin?”

Ms. Gain clapped her hands.

“That’s right, there was that too! Thanks to Benjamin receiving Hyung’s pen name, I heard he’s more clearly aware of the world lines than others. I heard Prince Yeser is similar. Is that true?”

【······Ah.】

Did you want me to kick your shin? Is ‘Ah’ enough, ‘Ah’!

【Hmm, I didn’t expect the two of them to reflect on their existence······.】

And Hyung paused for a moment, as if skimming through the previous content.

I knew it by the phoenix emblem flickering several times above the semi-transparent status window.

Only after a few minutes had passed did Jeong Hyeonseo create sentences again in a soft voice.

【Looking back, it’s true that Hyung was careless. Of course, I didn’t know things would turn out this way.】

······I clasped my hands tightly and waited for the explanation to follow.

Careless, what does that mean?

Now, my heart pounds whenever Hyung says anything, so please be careful.

I’m really getting worn out.

【······Jeongye, remember this one thing. The original author values ‘names’ the most. He emphasized it to me many times. He said that giving a name gives everything a precious meaning, so approach it with caution.】

“······.”

At those words, I suddenly looked around at the divine beasts. They were all children I had named.

Looking at Tete, who was sleeping soundly in Ms. Gain’s arms, I felt a strange feeling for no reason.

Hyung continued to speak.

【So, for the names of the main characters in the story, I mostly used what he wrote without any changes. I only named the minor characters who appeared once or twice.】

【······But Benjamin was a bit different, as far as I remember.】

Different? Everyone’s brows furrowed slightly.

I could picture Jeong Hyeonseo awkwardly sweeping back his hair.

【From the beginning, he had the setting of being a secret writer, but the original author said that his name hadn’t been decided yet. So, I used the initials of my pen name as they were. It wasn’t because there was a grand meaning······. The name of the protagonist’s companion in is also ‘Jegal Seohyeon.’ It’s my name flipped backwards.】

【I sometimes do that when it’s difficult to come up with a name. I subtly change the three characters of an acquaintance’s name.】

Ah······.

【But after hearing your story and thinking about it, it had a big impact. Just like the original author said.】

【Because of the special name, the two of them seem to see the world differently. In Prince Yeser’s case, he received your name as it is, so that part is even more······. It seems to have worked strongly.】

【As you’ve guessed here······. The fact that Benjamin is the same ‘writer’ as me may have also had an impact. Hyung is also very confused right now.】

【······Hmm.】

I shared everything Hyung said, word for word, with my friends.

In the meantime, he was once again displaying the phoenix emblem.

I glanced at it and thought to myself.

Hyung says he doesn’t know, but I think I know why the phoenix is called a fragment of the god’s vessel, an avatar, or a conversational partner.

If the mysterious original author we’re theorizing about is a god—it wouldn’t be strange for Hyung, who communicates with him, transcribes his writing, and does his work, to become the ‘phoenix.’

【Jeongye.】

“Uh.”

【······Anyway, you know what Hyung is saying. As you guys say, I may or may not be a god. But one thing is certain, the world you want to return to has already left my hands.】

【Abandoned settings, settings I’ve never seen before, settings that seem to be derived from the basic settings. And even the derivations of those derivations······. I don’t have the ability or the qualifications to touch that side.】

【Because ‘Jeong Yeser’ has gained independent life and is moving on its own after it occurred. You can tell just by looking at the Cardinal in front of you.】

“······.”

“······.”

I blankly turned to look at Sir Johann and blinked.

Then he returned a picturesque smile, as always.

The man had seemed relaxed and carefree ever since he came here.

He was close to the young ladies of the Dwiem Marquis family like friends, genuinely enjoying good clothes and food, and making mistakes he would never normally make······.

He even became the cause of a major failure of the operation.

I think I know the reason a little now.

Perhaps the Cardinal had already realized it without anyone explaining it to him.

“Your Highness?”

“······No, it’s nothing.”

That there was no child he had to protect with his life here, and no Shin-guk nobles who had put him on the wanted list.

That he had fallen into a ‘peaceful’ world that had nothing to do with him.

【How is such a thing possible? I don’t know. Maybe no one will ever know. But I, as a writer, sometimes have similar experiences.】

【When a world is sufficiently established and the characters there are excessively loved······. The writing breathes on its own. Really.】

【Even if I don’t try too hard, events happen on their own, and the characters act and cope on their own. It’s not because someone is particularly outstanding. The accumulated time and excessive affection make it so.】

“Oh······.”

Just now.

【Is it too embarrassing to hear? Then let’s pretend it didn’t happen. I’m embarrassed too.】

“No, it’s not that······.”

I almost caught the memory. Something incredibly important just passed by!

I can’t forget this time.

I frowned and started rummaging through the drawers in my head. Bang, bang!

All sorts of notes and colorful memo pads scattered everywhere.

But the contents written there did not meet my needs at all. My fingertips kept curling up in anxiety.

I didn’t think I could find it this way.

Leaving the jumbled memory warehouse as it was, I tapped the status window with my index finger and went back through the previous conversation.

I swear something just now, flashed through my mind and ran away.

I think I got a hint from Hyung’s word choice.

What was it? What was it?

‘Independent life force.’

‘The writing breathes on its own······.’

Ah! Ah ah······!

“Hyung, Hyung! Do you happen to know the three sisters? Was there such a setting in Toegye Gong [likely a reference to a specific work or author] ?!”

-Thump!

“Ugh!”

I jumped up and hit my head on the roof!

【What sisters? Take it easy, take it easy.】

“Ughhhh······.”

-Kkyaaaa!

“Oh my, Your Highness!”

The back of my head, which had collided strongly, rang, and my vision spun.

I was caught by someone’s warm touch and hurriedly laid down on the floor. Ughhh······.

“I knew you were too excited. Where, here? Did you hit yourself here?”

“Ugh, I think I’m going to get a bump······.”

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. You won’t get a bump with this much.”

It was a credible statement.

Sir Johann knew exactly how much damage would be done if you hit someone where and how.

I closed my eyes for a moment to endure the pain······.

“Should we call a doctor?”

“There’s a nationwide wanted order out, how can we call a doctor, Your Highness? Are you trying to get dragged to the imperial gallows in one go!”

“How dare you insult the imperial family. There’s no such thing as a gallows in the palace.”

“Ha······.”

Even in the midst of this, I couldn’t help but chuckle at the bickering main characters.

Lopi tapped my forehead with a small cotton swab.

As the lesser pandas’ sequential body slams were added to this, the painful areas were gradually forgotten, and the areas that didn’t hurt began to groan.

I was so dumbfounded that I slightly raised the corners of my lips and opened my eyes. Oh my.

I barely asked, but I wonder if Hyung will say he doesn’t know the three sisters either.

It seems like he knows almost nothing about the content that doesn’t appear in Toegye Gong······.

【Ah, you mean the meaningful old woman who kept throwing you guys cryptic omens.】

【I was so bothered by that that I looked through my notebook too······. There wasn’t anything like that even among the discarded settings.】

Yes, yes. That’s right. In the end, it’s a problem we have to solve ourselves.

【But there was a name that stood out.】

Huh? My listless eyes suddenly brightened.

A name? What name?

【Bożena. And······.】

Thump!

“Wait, Bożena?!”

“Yess!?”

*

A few hours later, at dawn.

-Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock cock cock kko······!

Flash!

-Rustle!

“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

As I popped up like a broken doll, Sir Johann, who was opening the attic door, looked genuinely surprised.

It had been a while since I had seen that expression, so a laugh leaked out. It was a natural reaction.

I, who always made sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep a day, got up at 5 a.m. and threw off the blanket, so he must have wondered what was going on.

He might have thought I had gone crazy after hitting my head once.

“······Good morning, Your Highness. Did you have trouble sleeping?”

“A little. My heart was pounding because of what I heard from Hyung before going to bed······.”

I gave an awkward smile and tried my best not to wake Ms. Gain and Prince Yeser, who were lying a little further away.

The two of them and the divine beasts were still in dreamland.

Carefully folding the blanket, roughly rubbing my squashed hair with my hands, and taking the glass of water that Sir Johann handed me, I gulped it down to the bottom.

‘Thank you.’ Then the man gave a sweet smile like sugar.

Gugu, who now felt almost like one with him, was also with him.

“You’ll be busy today for the first time in a while. I’ll bring you the wash water and a towel.”

“······Thank you so much. What about the Crown Prince?”

“He’s in the living room. There’s no suitable place to do strength training.”

“Ah ah.”

After a short conversation, he disappeared downstairs without a sound.

A wonderful lily scent came from the ends of his white hair.

Normally, I would have gone downstairs and washed myself by receiving water in a basin, but today I was in such a hurry that I decided to rely on Sir Johann.

I busily rummaged through my bag and took out my notebook and pen.

Words I had heard from one of those sisters someday, lingered in my ears like hallucinations.

‘「We are beings who fill the blanks.」’

‘「You will naturally come to know in the future.」’

‘Fill the blanks.’

-Flap, flap, flap······

“What I wrote before going to bed······. Here it is.”

I pointed to the most recently written page and took a deep breath.

The information I learned through the Hyeonseo window was filled in my vision.

· Bożena (Божена) [A Slavic name]

– The dictionary meaning is ‘god’ or ‘divine’

– A name found in the corner of the Toegye Gong original author’s notebook

– At the bottom, three words were tied together as one lump

– Each ‘Pacs Becka’, ‘Capes’, ‘Nerte’

– Presumed to be the names of the three sisters, not beings that appear in a specific mythology

– Coincides with the alias used by Berner in the north, may not be a coincidence

I pressed the last letter with the pen.

With my eyes, I stared intently at the phoenix sitting in the air and tilting its head.

“······Those sisters are clearly helping Berner. What’s the reason? Who are they on, anyway?”

I might be able to get information if it’s Hyung.

He might tell me something I didn’t know soon.

I left this guy alone again for a while, but he said he’d be back soon this time.

Of course, before leaving, Jeong Hyeonseo also gave such advice.

‘【Everything’s good, but focus on finding the rainbow first.】’

‘【Your top priority is to return to the original world line anyway. You can’t do anything here anyway. There are too many restrictions.】’

“That’s right. That’s a hundred times right. I have to find the purple rainbow right away, but this damn rice cake [a metaphor for a problem or task that is difficult to solve] is driving people crazy······.”

-Clunk!

“Oh my goodness!”

Just then, a scream like Suu-nim’s was heard from downstairs.

I hurriedly put down my notebook and pen and crawled to the attic door as if flying.

I felt a chill down my spine for a moment, and I couldn’t think of anything else.

What, didn’t I just hear the front door closing?

······Could it be that someone came from the crack of dawn? Are they finally trying to catch us?

“······I will, so don’t worry. I······. I’ve come to see her.”

Clack, clack. A familiar voice was heard along with firm steps.

I frowned as much as I could and lay flat on the floor.

In my mind, I was fully condensing Aether and preparing to deploy the Holy Land.

Was that just my imagination? Did I foolishly turn the happiness circuit too much?

No, it’s definitely someone I know······.

“······Would you believe me if I said I came to see Yeser, Juliet’s Princess?”

A youthful voice sharply pierced my ears. My eyes widened.

My mouth reflexively widened.

“······It’s Camille!”