What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 629

Color Matching (3)

I immediately rubbed my face and apologized.

“…No. I’m sorry for yelling. I was so flustered that my words came out harsh.”

This wouldn’t do.

Getting angry at Hyung wouldn’t change the situation, and in reality, Hyung probably did his best.

I was a little resentful, but dealing with this emotionally wouldn’t make things any better.

Then the status window wiggled and shrugged (it’s a strange expression, but it really moved like that).

【Well, it’s not your fault. Actually, if it were me, I would have unleashed a torrent of curses.】

“Someone who knows that…”

I was about to say something else, but I sighed deeply and looked outside the temple.

I had done many wrong things to Hyung as well.

So, first of all, I had to solve the new situation unfolding right in front of me.

Immediately after we received the ‘Rainbow Bridge’ as a reward for completing the quest, Biryeom’s Ark finally loosened its grip and released the group.

The pincers were still embedded like bars, but the Divine Object allowed us to freely enter and exit.

The stone floor was damp and muddy, but the Crown Prince had dried it cleanly, so it was now very fluffy.

What does this mean…

-Tap tap

“Oh, Gugu came? You worked hard earlier. Thank you so much.”

-Tap!

The Divine Objects ‘Hyegeom of Mars’ and ‘Heart of the Four Dragons’.

With Ropi, the fire-attribute Divine Beast, playing a big role, the temple floor was turned into a sea of water.

The reason it was a sea of water instead of ashes was because Gain and Tete, along with the ‘Ice Silkworm’s Vault,’ created a massive water barrier inside to protect everyone from their hot flames.

Thanks to that, no one was burned or injured, but after we were swallowed by the Ark, the interior was said to have been extremely humid for a while.

The interior, which had been broken, collapsed, burned, soaked in water, and dried with divine power, now looked almost like a battlefield.

And as for Evelyn’s white cliffs, where the Rainbow Bridge was finally placed…

-Kuaaaaaa…!

-Rumble!

“…”

This place was constantly vibrating faintly.

To be precise, a pure white pillar of light, unmixed with any color, was plunging from the sky to the ground, constantly emitting sacred energy.

Fortunately, the bridge was located between the bell tower and the temple, so there were no additional destroyed buildings or injured people.

The midnight coast, which had been dark all along, was now as bright as day because of this.

Of course, I have a conscience, and I was prepared for the incident to spiral out of control from the moment I stole the Prince.

But I never imagined that—

-Swoooooosh…!

“Hmm.”

I never imagined that something so enormous would be summoned.

The Rainbow Bridge was not overwhelmingly large in itself (about ten meters in diameter), but its origin seemed so distant.

In short, it was a clear and brilliant phenomenon that could be observed from the Venetian border if the weather was good.

Turning the entire empire upside down was already scary enough.

Of course, strictly speaking, the Prince is from the Holy Kingdom, so kidnapping him was already a major incident that could shake the continent.

But still…

-Kugugugung…!

“Still, that’s a bit…”

There’s such a thing as nuance.

Just the Prince disappearing and a ‘miracle not recorded in the Bible’ occurring in the place where the Prince is presumed to be are completely different matters!

“Were you thinking about this from the beginning? Is this what Hyung imagined?”

I muttered blankly. If so, I acknowledge you as the best writer…

【Well, first I need to explain what I’ve confirmed to you.】

【And the fact that things have been quite twisted from the start.】

【Plus… the laws of these web novels?】

The status window also sparkled with a calm light and continued to speak.

Meanwhile, the Prince, who came out of the confessional, handed me roasted sweet potatoes and grilled squid legs.

Surprised, I asked if he ate these things, and he replied that he had learned it from Princess Christel.

I even got new information that he didn’t really like the Holy Kingdom’s cuisine and preferred these exotic snacks.

The way he munched with dignity was so impressive that I just laughed it off.

【…Hey, I gave birth to you, but you really look alike.】

We don’t look alike at all, what are you talking about.

And now that I’m saying it, isn’t Hyung closer to an ‘obstetrician’ than a ‘parent’?

【That’s true, but the original draft of that guy was a darker and gloomier character. He was much harder to handle back then. There was also feedback that some parts needed to be changed, so I arbitrarily mixed in your personality a bit.】

…

【I’m sorry about this too.】

…It’s okay, it’s fine. Hyung probably didn’t know it would turn out like this either.

I sighed softly.

“…Have I been talking too much?”

Oops.

“No, no. It’s just nice to see the Prince. I’ll enjoy the food!”

Don’t mind my Hyung. Of course, you can’t see him.

I took the golden-brown sweet potato and diligently started peeling it.

Then, the confusion in my head subsided as if by magic.

It’s so strange. Whenever I see this side of the Prince, I strangely don’t regret it, no matter how messed up the situation is.

That day, I reached out to the Prince, who was tired of a life of avoiding death and had lost all vitality…

‘I dare to offer a suggestion to the most honorable one.’

‘Yes, please speak.’

‘Would you like to go with us to find the rainbow?’

I didn’t regret it at all.

Rather, I thought I did well, and I wanted to do it that way even if I could turn back time.

Since he already likes roasted sweet potatoes and grilled squid, I hoped that he could also eat dalgona [Korean honeycomb candy], bread, fish cakes, and water tteokbokki [spicy rice cakes in broth] in the future.

If it’s Christel that I know, she will definitely make it someday.

If the Prince stays by my side for a long time, she is really the person who will make everything.

“Yesuh, a little while ago…”

“Yes?”

“Thank you for what you said a little while ago. I will not forget it.”

“…Ah.”

In the meantime, I finished one sweet potato deliciously and was peeling the second one when the Prince said that without warning.

His face looked shy for some reason, and even my cheeks flushed.

I deleted more than half of the second sweet potato in one bite—”Oh, that’s great.”―and mumbled at full speed.

The person himself seemed to have taken my shouting that I wanted his happiness very deeply.

That’s why we were able to acquire the last rainbow!

It’s so embarrassing!

“Then, I will go back to my seat. Please feel free to call me if you need anything.”

“…Thank you. Rest well, Prince.”

I swallowed the sweet potato without water, cooled my cheeks with the back of my hand, and greeted him.

I was quietly watching the Prince’s delicate back when Jung Hyunseo moved the cursor again.

Occasionally, Leah and Perry tapped my bag and joked around.

【Listen carefully.】

【…First of all, I created the Rainbow Finding Quest on the assumption that you would not cause any accidents in the future.】

…Okay.

【It was a pretty plausible plan until then. In fact, you were still at a point where you were not involved in the main flow of the protagonists, and there were already five Divine Objects.】

Uh-huh.

【So, the person who fundamentally did wrong is your group, who recklessly incited the Prince and even stole him without consulting anyone. But in this situation, Hyung has nothing to say.】

That’s right… Hmm?

【…I started with that purple slot empty from the beginning.】

…What?

“What!”

I almost shouted, no—I was so dumbfounded that I really shouted!

The back of my head rang, and I almost bit my tongue badly.

Sir Yohan, who was feeding Demi water in the distance, looked at me and approached.

I quickly waved the squid leg.

“Princess?”

“No, it’s nothing. You should rest more, Sir.”

“I’m quite tired, but I don’t think I should fall asleep yet.”

“Yes?”

“‘Please protect me, Cardinal.'”

“…”

“I heard those words in the Ark. Maybe it was in a dream.”

The man smiled faintly and replied.

It was a request that Nikki had made to him a long time ago.

I was worried about how to persuade him, but I had no choice but to nod and sit with Sir Yohan, facing away from the pincers.

I held out a few squid legs, and he tilted his head but accepted them without suspicion.

The fire lizards climbed onto the Cardinal’s lap and quickly settled down.

Come to think of it, Gugu and Sir Yohan seem to be quite close since some time ago.

【….】

I haven’t forgotten yet. What do you mean you left the purple slot empty earlier?

【…So, there was no setting to use right away. So I left it blank.】

“That’s, ahem.”

What does that mean! I glared as fiercely as possible.

The status window made a sullen face (really) and continued to explain.

【It may sound like an excuse, but think about it. When it comes to purple, you would usually consider Biryeom’s Ark or Yesuh Venetian as candidates. You would especially do that. But I had no intention of using either of them. Whether you mess with the Divine Object in this neighborhood or mess with the Prince, you will be involved in too big of an accident. Then when will you go home? Huh?】

…That’s true. There was truly no room for rebuttal.

【So, I pushed ahead with a blank slot because there were no other relics that came to mind right away. There wasn’t enough time to search through all the setting books. If necessary, I could give you hints in the middle.】

“But Hyung, you actually gave us hints in the middle. ‘It is the existence that always protected your breath.’ That’s what Hyung wrote.”

I said, chewing on the squid leg.

I could hear Jung Hyunseo’s sigh from somewhere.

【That’s exactly what my mistake is.】

【Because I started with the purple rainbow empty from the beginning, you started filling that slot on your own.】

【Do you know what I mean, Jung Yesuh?】

Huh, I almost drooled shamelessly.

What?

【…The ghost writer inevitably left a hole in the setting, and you guys started filling it in at some point. Hoping that you wouldn’t go to the Divine Object or the Prince, you started filling in what I made up as a patch with your actions, beliefs, and emotions. You were turning the cartwheel in a direction I never wanted.】

…Huh?

【…Ha. That must be what a novel is. In the grand scheme of things, that’s how life is.】

I blinked blankly.

No, wait a minute. So…

“Are you saying that we made the Prince into a rainbow?”

Am I interpreting this correctly?

Is that right?

【To be exact, you made it that way. Anyway, you are the one who exerts the strongest influence here.】

What—

【I tried to modify the rainbow setting belatedly, but I couldn’t enter it anymore. It probably wasn’t a ‘plausible’ thing to do. The route had already changed. You were already solidifying the atmosphere.】

…

【…Naturally, the clues I gave you had no choice but to become ambiguous. After arriving in Evelyn, the Ark could have been chosen as the rainbow depending on the story flow. I had to make up a text on the spot that could be interpreted in either direction.】

【Hoo. And there’s one more thing….】

Hyunseo’s window hesitated for a long time.

I couldn’t say anything and just chewed on the squid anxiously.

Then Sir Yohan gently grabbed the tail end and warned that I would hurt my jaw if I kept doing that.

【The detailed explanation you read earlier. I didn’t write all of that.】