What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 68

#068 There’s No Such Thing as a Bad Divine Object (2)

Cardinal Boutier, Emperor Frederick, and I stared at each other in a daze for a moment.

A very large sound of something flapping its wings followed.

-Flap, flap!

-Screech!

Demi reacted the fastest.

He poked his head out from my arms, trying to get out.

“Demi, no. Even if it’s a Divine Object, it’s dangerous.”

I held onto Demi. Just now, the Cardinal said the Divine Object seemed to have ‘awakened.’

A Divine Object was an entity that materialized the will and power of the Main God, and a gift she directly bestowed upon the continent.

Surely, she wouldn’t change her mind overnight and try to cleanse humanity as a Divine Object… but.

If it’s moving now, that’s a different story. I need to be careful because I don’t know what might happen.

-Rumble!

“Ugh!”

The ground shook violently once more.

The range of shaking from side to side and up and down was so great that my knees were scraping.

Taking advantage of the gap, the two lesser pandas, except for Demi, darted away from me.

“Come here!”

-Screech, screech!

They were incredibly smart.

You could tell just by the fact that they started climbing the spiral staircase without anyone telling them.

Seeing the Divine Beasts, which had been quiet until just now, reacting like this, it seemed that the presence of the Divine Object had indeed become stronger.

Stone fragments fell from the ceiling.

The ground tremor stopped abruptly. Is the vibration cycle fixed? Or…

“Orelly, go outside.”

“No. I’ll go up with you.”

The Emperor and the Cardinal quickly exchanged words.

In the meantime, I took Demi and ran up the stone steps.

Even if the Divine Object wasn’t my responsibility, the two Divine Beasts had to be safe.

Those troublemakers, if they were just a little less cute, I would have scolded them!

“Your Highness, please do as Her Majesty says. It doesn’t seem advisable for both of you to accompany me to a dangerous place.”

I shouted from the top of the stairs. The Cardinal looked at me with a surprised face.

“Nothing will happen. I’ll be down soon.”

The Emperor was a Sword Master, and I wasn’t a weak priest either.

We wouldn’t die, but just in case, one of the two adults of the Empire had to be in a safe place.

The Cardinal would also know that fact.

She calmly nodded and stood up.

The Emperor checked that the Cardinal had left the bell tower, then opened the door and wedged a stone in place to secure it.

It seemed like she was considering the possibility of it not opening.

“Demi, can you call some friends?”

I whispered as I climbed the stairs two or three steps at a time.

Demi pressed down on my shoulder, making a troubled ‘squeaking’ sound.

Well, even I could feel the strong ether [magical energy] of the air attribute now.

It wouldn’t be easy for the Divine Beasts, who are drawn to the Divine Object and protect it, to resist it.

-Thud!

With a light bounce, the Emperor, who was on the first floor, landed in front of me.

It was an unbelievable jumping power!

“Wow.”

“Should I carry you?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll run.”

The Emperor chuckled and ran up the stairs first.

The sound of flapping wings came from the top of the bell tower again.

The light that had burst out at the beginning was no longer visible.

“Why are these guys so quick?”

“They seem excited! It would be faster to coax them over!”

The Emperor, who had quickly caught up with the two troublemakers, grumbled. It seemed like she had failed to capture them.

Since she didn’t have ether, it wouldn’t be easy to capture a Divine Beast that had made up its mind.

A lesser panda that even a Sword Master can’t catch…

“Huff, huff.”

Fortunately, the bell tower wasn’t as tall as it looked from below.

I stopped just before reaching the top floor.

The Emperor was waiting for me, with her hand on her sword hilt.

-Flap, flap! Flap!

The flapping sound was even louder and clearer.

The Emperor and I cautiously peeked out to assess the situation.

-Screech, screech!

-Grumble.

The two lesser pandas were lying on their backs around the Divine Object, wondering what was so good about it, after making two people suffer.

And…

-Flap!

A wing.

It was a giant wing the size of an adult man. I swallowed hard without realizing it.

“That’s…”

“That’s what it originally looked like.”

The Emperor said in a low voice. I slowly opened my mouth at the very surreal sight.

The Divine Object, ‘Ark of Bi-ryeom,’ was in the shape of one wing.

It seemed to have a sharp metallic quality, but of course, it couldn’t be ordinary metal.

Because it made the sound of a bird flapping its wings, not a clanging sound.

Overall, it was a transparent silver color, but every time it moved and reflected sunlight, a faint lilac color was visible.

A large morning glory-colored jewel was embedded at the end of the wing.

“What do you mean it originally looked like that?”

I asked, glancing at the lesser pandas. There were no other unusual signs yet.

“I mean that’s what it looked like until my husband passed away. The ‘rusty almond’ shape you mentioned was the form it took after Alexandre died.”

I widened my eyes. My thoughts raced like a hamster wheel.

The Divine Object, which had been so vivid when Grand Duke Alexandre was alive, had curled up like a cocoon and fallen asleep, black as night, after he closed his eyes.

As if cut off from the world. So even the Divine Beasts couldn’t sense it.

“Did your husband often come into contact with the ‘Ark’ during his lifetime?”

“Yes. One of my husband’s research subjects was that guy.”

Research subject?

“Was he perhaps a paladin or a priest?”

“No. He was a man who didn’t have a speck of ether. He was just a wizard.”

“But why,”

-Thwaang!

I was startled and poked my head out.

-Screech!

“What are you doing!”

Emotion took precedence over reason.

The sight of the lesser panda being hit by the Ark’s wing and tumbling to the floor instantly turned my vision red.

Where did that little guy have to hit!

“Calm down. Didn’t you say you were going to coax the Divine Beasts?”

Thud. The Emperor firmly grabbed one of my shoulders as I tried to rush out.

Looking into her calm cherry-colored eyes, my head seemed to calm down a bit.

I nodded, catching my breath.

Getting excited here won’t help at all.

If the Divine Beasts and the Ark coexist peacefully, it’s okay to go down like this, but since the Ark has shown aggression, I had to get those two out.

“Let’s go up.”

I said. The Emperor moved quietly and stepped on the last step.

The top floor, which I followed her up to, was a place without any walls except for the four pillars that supported the roof.

Even a few wrong steps would lead to an immediate fall.

The pinnacle of the bell tower, without railings or safety devices.

In that place, one eccentric Divine Object, three Divine Beasts, and two humans were facing each other precariously.

-Whoosh!

-Clang, clang…

The wind was strong because of the high altitude. The bell hanging far above rang softly.

For stability, I knelt down on one knee on the floor.

-Flash!

Then I immediately deployed the Sanctuary [a protective magical barrier]. The golden circle brightly illuminated the top of the tower.

I could see the Ark flinching.

Seeing the Divine Beasts clinging to the pillars, whimpering in surprise at the Divine Object’s attack, my voice naturally subsided.

I slowly recited the names I had been thinking about for a while.

[Rea, Perry. Come to hyung [older brother/term of endearment].]

-Grumble.

-Squeak!

The largest of the three was Rea, and the second largest with black ears was Perry.

Well, Rea is the Great Mother Earth God, and Persephone is in the underworld, so I thought it would be a bit of a dark concept.

Soon, the two Divine Beasts came running to me, pattering.

While the Emperor was watching the Divine Object, I quickly reached out and put them in my arms.

A sigh of relief burst out.

[Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?]

-Squeak.

-Coo.

[You have to listen to Demi from now on. Demi is the leader.]

-Screech!

Demi shouted bravely. It was a look that understood that great power comes with great responsibility.

“Then we can go down now,”

-Thwaang!

I quickly lowered my body. The Ark was trembling its wings.

I could see the pillars that were slightly dented by the Divine Object’s flapping. The Emperor drew her sword without delay.

-Sreung!

“Wait, Your Majesty!”

“Let go.”

“That’s a Divine Object. It will never be destroyed. You know that.”

“If left unattended, it may destroy the bell tower.”

I gritted my teeth. She was right.

Thinking of Grand Duke Alexandre of Evelyn, who was sleeping under the tower, I couldn’t leave the Divine Object as it was.

But the Emperor was a Sword Master, and as I understood it, the Sword Masters of the ‘Toegye Gong’ world were so powerful that one person could face a legion.

“Your Majesty’s sword energy is too dangerous.”

“…”

“It would be nice if he retreated or moved elsewhere after receiving Your Majesty’s attack, but that’s just wishful thinking. What if he releases his power to confront Your Majesty?”

“…Tsk.”

The Emperor clicked her tongue and sheathed her sword. Instantly, the trembling of the air subsided.

Only then did I realize that she, like me a moment ago, had not been able to overcome her emotions.

She almost destroyed the bell tower with her own hands.

-Flap, flap!

“There must be a way to calm him down. A Divine Object is not a demon, it can’t harm life.”

I said that and quickly organized my thoughts.

First, a clue that the Emperor dropped.

The Grand Duke was a wizard, but he studied the Divine Object during his lifetime, and that object was none other than the Ark.

After he closed his eyes, the Divine Object fell asleep as if dead.

The reason it woke up was probably because my ether was injected.

My power is not ordinary, but came from the Divine Object called ‘Wish Holy Grail’, and the holy water contained in it is…

‘The purest form of ether. The supreme authority of the Main God.’

‘Bullshit.’

Because it is a crystal of pure ether.

I recalled the contents of , written by Grand Duke Alexandre of Evelyn.

I remembered it clearly because it was a book I had read recently.

“Your Majesty, is there a reason why the Grand Duke is buried here?”

Of course, there would be.

I leaned against a perfectly good pillar and stared straight at her, who was clinging to the pillar across from me.

There must be a story behind why the Emperor’s husband was lying on the edge of a cliff.

“Because this is his territory.”

“You understand what I mean. The reason why you are in the bell tower, not the detached palace.”

“…Because of that Divine Object.”

She frowned and spat out the sentence.

It was a face that reminded me of Prince Cedrick.

“Even though he wasn’t a priest, Alexandre tamed that thing.”

“Tamed it?”

My eyes widened.

Perhaps surprised, the Demi family was very dissatisfied.

-Screech!

“Sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll be careful. Is that possible? No, wait a minute.”

Suddenly, a page flashed through my mind. I recited the lines in my mouth.

‘Now, Eve. Stroke the Divine Object and sing a lullaby.’

‘Bullshit.’

‘Aren’t you tired of that word? The Ark of Bi-ryeom is like a free bird. If you want to make it yours, you have to win its heart.’

A thunderous realization struck the back of my head.

I looked at the Divine Object in front of me, feeling goosebumps all the way down to my knees.

That was, ‘Niki’s’ words explaining the Divine Object to ‘Eve’ were not metaphors or stories, but experiences.

What could a person without ether possibly do…? No, that’s not what’s important now.

“You have to stroke the Ark and sing a lullaby.”

“What?”

She frowned.

“I don’t know what kind of bullshit that is.”

“Hahaha.”

‘Eve’ is you. With that conviction, I laughed even in this situation.

A couple who became the main characters of a fairy tale for their beloved son, what could be a more romantic backstory than this.

“It was written in . The Ark of Bi-ryeom is like a free bird, so you have to win its heart to subdue it.”

“…Huh.”

“Haven’t you read your husband’s bestseller? It’s a masterpiece.”

I smiled and took a step away from the pillar.

I had the three lesser pandas in my arms go to the Emperor. She narrowed her eyes.

“You.”

“I have to do it. I don’t know how my dad’s protector took care of him, but I think the reason he woke up now is because of me.”

“Dad’s protector?”

The Emperor muttered. I took another step and glanced back.

-Swish, swish…

At the edge of the steep cliff, I could see the waves crashing as if to pull down the bell tower.

I briefly considered asking Demi to make a safety rope with vines.

But then there was a high probability that the bell tower supporting the plants would collapse, or the cliff that was the base of the bell tower would break.

If I’m really unlucky and hit a rock, it’s over, but if I fall into the water, I’ll be able to survive.

…Let’s not fall in the first place.

I stared at the Divine Object again. And very slowly, I reached out my hand.

[Um, hello.]

-Flap…

The Ark slowly flapped its wings once.

As I slowly released ether with the Sanctuary and spoke, it seemed to be a little relieved.

My hand got closer and closer to the Divine Object.

[It’s okay. I won’t hurt y,]

-Thwack!

My body floated in the air. My vision escaped the bell tower in an instant. I could see the bright blue sky.

I was too cocky.