What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 676

The Sub-Male Lead Goes on Strike – #676

#676

The Pilgrim’s Progress (5)

As if it wasn’t already a full-blown war, it’s now complete pandemonium!

“Aaaargh! It’s the enemy!”

-Krrrrrr······

“Enemy forces! The enemy is right in front of us!”

I looked around amidst the now-chaotic crowd.

The terrified ground began to tremble.

As if the aftermath of Johan’s stigmata [a divine mark or wound] hadn’t already devastated the area!

“Damn it! Did you see that just now? A sun just plummeted from the sky!”

“Liester! Stay calm! Maintain formation!”

“If the airship explodes, we’re all dead······!”

“Holy Knight spotted at the front! I repeat, Holy Knight of the Divine Kingdom at the front!”

“No way, crazy! I recognize that aether [a mystical energy or essence]! Isn’t that Princess Elysee!?!”

“Huh?! Ugh.”

I was horrified and craned my neck, but I couldn’t resist Ms. Gain’s firm hand and hurriedly bent down.

Francois, who had been standing on tiptoes right next to me, was also grabbed by Duke Dioph and mercilessly pushed down.

Sant, who was right next to him, seemed to have already retreated to the 3rd basement level.

I understand everyone’s anxiety since three cowardly non-combat personnel are at the front lines, but we’re opening the Holy Land right now—

-Swaeeeeeek!

-Kwagwang! Kwakwakwakwang—!

“Good Lord, courageous Lazar!”

“Huuuuh······!”

From the far side of the sky, a roar like a fighter plane crashing exploded in succession.

The horrified Imperial soldiers collectively let out a long exclamation, and Johan’s hair fluttered in the distance.

The pure white wind wrapped around his hand was also wildly fluttering.

Hanging Francois and Sant on my back, I crept behind Cedrick.

‘Purrr.’ From behind, I could hear Charlemagne, Arnhardt, and Doria laughing at us.

Jibril Dioph also sneered, ‘Trying hard,’ but I pretended not to hear.

We may look like this, but we’re a Grand Archbishop-level priest capable of double ignition [a powerful magical ability], an 8th-grade mage, and a daring youth union, but if Ms. Gain catches us one more time, we’ll be sent straight to the Imperial Palace without a doubt.

So, for now, we have no choice but to borrow someone else’s bulk!

“Your Highness, what’s going on? Is that really Princess Elysee?”

“······Yes. I see the ‘Aegis of the Headwind’ [likely a magical artifact or ability].”

“Heok.”

I took a breath and peeked out over the man’s shoulder.

Sant and Francois also used his body as a shield and poked their heads out.

What finally came into view was······.

“Retreat ten steps to the rear! Liester, retreat ten steps!”

-Kukukuku······!

“Oh my god, the airship is completely······!”

The airship had a house-sized hole in its head (this is Johan’s stigmata), smaller holes on both sides of its round body (this is Elysee’s attack), and was entangled in black thorny vines (this is His Majesty Hanan).

Horrified, I almost grabbed Cedrick’s hair.

It became a rag in just a few tens of seconds!

“Fire! The airship is on fire!”

“Yiaaaaa······!”

“How can this be, the Princess helped destroy the airship!”

“Sir Haines’ wind is fueling the flames!”

“Ah······.”

The weapon that had been resurrected even after taking the Sword Master’s aura head-on was finally dying.

Several rotating blades that looked like the teeth of a beast were completely destroyed and losing power.

There were still other thrusters left, but this time the damage seemed very severe.

The amount of green, decaying mana that constantly flowed out of its mouth was also noticeably reduced.

As the airship that had covered half the sky staggered, the bewildered Imperial soldiers fluttered greatly like seaweed in the sea. Tens of thousands of shouts and confusion wildly rang and struck my eardrums.

Francois kept muttering next to me like a mantra, ‘Even at a glance, it’s not of this world’s design,’ ‘How much operating mana would it take to create a machine of that scale,’ ‘I want to examine its magic engine directly.’

I hurriedly rolled my eyes and looked for the Princess.

“Elysee, where is Elysee······.”

“That way, Your Highness.”

Sant hurriedly pointed to one side.

It was in the direction of His Majesty Frederick, which was not as far from us as I thought.

The group craned their necks without letting their guard down on the airship.

Ms. Gain, who had been supporting Johan, quickly came over and lit goblin fires in her eyes. Ugh!

“Be careful, you fragile people! You should be much further back!”

“Christel, the Princess is over there! The atmosphere is strange······.”

“Huh? It is, just a moment. What is it? It feels like they’re talking. Did she really help us?”

“Talking?”

“······Yes. The Princess lowered her spear right in front of them. And His Majesty dismissed the knights.”

Ms. Gain’s last words trailed off. Lowered her spear?

I blinked and leaned forward even more.

Anyway, I did so until Cedrick grabbed the back of my neck.

Gradually, an inexplicable commotion was spreading among the soldiers.

What are they talking about? I want to hear the content too······.

“Liester—!”

At that moment, Count Mute’s thunderous roar echoed through the wasteland.

At the same time, all the Imperial soldiers closed their mouths. Then,

-Spot!

“······So, I will destroy that.”

“Gasp!”

Suddenly, my ears went numb as if a passenger plane had taken off, and Elysee’s voice, which I had heard one summer day, touched my earlobe.

I took a breath and looked for Johan.

Fortunately, he had never left my Holy Land, and he had been accepting aether well since we met again at headquarters.

His mint-colored eyes looked somewhat tired, but—let’s not forget, the stigmata is an ultimate skill that consumes an enormous amount of the Cardinal’s mental power—his condition wasn’t bad, perhaps because he wasn’t rejecting my power.

It was clear that he was amplifying the Princess’s voice and transmitting it to us. Thank you!

“It sounds like a civil war has broken out in the Divine Kingdom.”

His Majesty’s husky reply followed.

Cedric and I frowned simultaneously as soon as our eyes met. A civil war?

“…Yes. I am the instigator.”

What? Everyone was momentarily stunned by the dry, lifeless sentence.

Francois covered his mouth with his fist.

Elysee, why does your voice sound like that…? No, what on earth is going on?

“Oh, Divine God…”

“I have already declared that the Sneider family is the main enemy of the Divine Kingdom army, not Liester. Now, the Divine Kingdom army will be split in two to fight their respective enemies, and in the worst case, they will scatter like sand.”

“Huh? What is she talking about?”

Ms. Gain stared at her friends with her mouth wide open.

I was flustered and moved my lips. Murmurs were growing louder on their side as well.

Jibril Diop looked in the direction of His Majesty with a serious expression.

The red eyes of the royal family flashed sharply like lightning.

“The Princess Royal has changed her priority.”

“Explain it so I can understand.”

Our protagonist snapped frostily. The wizard shrugged.

“…I don’t know exactly why she’s doing this, but something must have drastically changed her mind to abandon the great war that has swept the country and strike the Sneider family. It’s not a logical situation for anyone, is it?”

“The commanders will strongly resist.”

His Majesty Frederick’s voice, reading my thoughts, overlapped. It was as he said.

My heart pounded and my vision spun at the unexpected turn of events.

My fingertips turned white with force. Still, she is the ‘Princess Royal’ of a nation.

Is the sole heir to the throne abandoning all her responsibilities, duties, and rights to turn her back on the battlefield?

And then personally causing internal strife to strike Sneider, one of the two major powers of the Divine Kingdom? Right now?

At this very moment during the war? Even in front of the Cheonro [strategic point], a strategic point?

“If left unchecked, the Venetian will eventually be unable to even resist. They will slowly be eroded by the poison within and die silently.”

“…”

“After the war, evil deeds will be repeated under the guise of restoration and reconstruction.”

“I ask. Is the heir to the Divine Kingdom requesting a truce with me?”

“No.”

The Princess Royal’s voice was unusually dry, devoid of any heat or vitality.

It was qualitatively different from the tone I had heard up close before.

Unable to hide my anxiety, I tiptoed.

I want to see her face, but I can’t see well from here…

What on earth happened? Why?

“I have heard that Your Majesty embraces the people of the occupied territories I had to care for as human beings.”

“…”

“I have heard that you do not intimidate or plunder them, do not torture or kidnap them, but rather provide rations and healing. Is that true?”

“In the name of the sun, it is so.”

“…Then I will not stop Your Majesty’s advance. I have an evil to uproot, and you are not included in that category.”

It was a shocking answer. I exchanged glances with my friends in the suffocating silence.

In short, is she saying that the enemy of my enemy is my friend?

“…Princess Royal. You once blocked me before.”

“Yes.”

“That day, you wanted to raise the Divine Kingdom, but today, you are trying to destroy it.”

“That is so.”

“Are you prepared to be remembered as a rebel in the history of the continent?”

“Waaaaah!”

I flinched. No sooner had the Emperor’s question fallen than the soldiers’ shouts erupted from the direction of Cheonro.

In any case, I could see the armor of the Divine Kingdom, who were enemies to our allies.

The moment I saw the large-scale cavalry and rhinoceros units holding spears and swords, we were horrified and looked around.

But only His Majesty and the Princess Royal did not waver.

I suddenly realized that the middle-aged man’s tone had subtly changed.

He was asking the young woman if she would not regret it. The adult was asking the youth.

“…I am willing to be recorded as a dark ruler.”

Amidst the noisy commotion, the Princess Royal’s sentence felt unreal.

I stared blankly at where she was. The Imperial army’s ranks were quickly being reorganized.

Our cavalry units, tasked with infiltrating Cheonro, were holding their reins, and the combat mages were beginning to gather their remaining mana.

The commanders in the front were quickly conveying the imperial order.

I couldn’t resist Cedric’s arm strength and got on the saddle. Ms. Gain hurriedly took care of Isabel’s horse. And…

-Kigigigigi…

“Damn it! The airship is coming back to life!”

“Good God, that’s impossible!”

“Francois, get on your horse quickly! It seems like a huge number of black mages have been mobilized!”

I was horrified and grabbed the wizard’s shoulder.

The huge airship was spewing out rotten mana as if vomiting blood, slowly recovering to its original state.

For a moment, I felt like all the blood was draining from my body.

It’s really impossible, how is that possible!

“Yaaaaa!”

-Dudududu! Dududududu…

“Venetian—! Attack the airship!”

“You may use all of my flames.”

And that was the last thing I heard Elysee’s voice.

I opened my eyes wide and desperately looked for her doll. But it was too late.

“It is His Majesty’s order! The Partisan cavalry must strike Cheonro right now!”

“Lady Elizabeth!”

“It is the imperial order to infiltrate immediately! Leave the rest to us and leave quickly!”

The adjutant, who had appeared on horseback from somewhere, glared at us with his rapier drawn and shouted fiercely.

As soon as the sentence fell, hundreds of Partisans from the 20th to the 40th Cavalry Regiment raised their weapons to the sky all at once.

I opened the wide sanctuary and ran straight ahead.

The armies of both countries sped towards different enemies at full speed.

For a brief moment, I thought I made eye contact with Elysee. I shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Your Highness! I will definitely see you again!”

…But I don’t know if she heard me.