What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 682

The Coward and the Catacomb (5)

–Neigh

Alison neighed, the bell ribbon around her neck jingling.

–Clang, clang…

The water in the puddle rippled, mimicking the sound.

My friends’ eyes widened.

“Move aside. Let me try.”

Gazes shifted. Soon, the group dispersed, leaving only Djibril Diop’s face reflected on the water’s surface.

He brandished his short staff, and a light flashed from the tip like a blade. Fizz!

–Clang, clang, clang!

The water’s surface trembled violently, as if convulsing.

Again, everyone huddled closer.

“Good heavens. Does the water seem to be in pain? Look at that movement!”

“Yes, there are even small bubbles. How strange. What kind of harmony is this?”

“I really don’t know. It’s not my Ether [magical energy], but I don’t feel any other Ether either. What is this?”

François, Isabelle, and Ms. Gain spoke in turn.

Unable to contain their curiosity, Arum Hart, Doria, and Charlemagne also peeked out.

Finally, Cedric, who had been pouting, spoke.

“The water is moving.”

–Swish, swish…

Goodness. It was true.

The puddle, which had been dancing and frolicking as if it had a mind of its own, began to move forward slowly, as if it had legs.

So creepy!

“Ha… Let’s follow it. I think we need to find out what this is all about, right?”

As expected, a mistake occurred.

“This time, I agree with the Palace Lord’s opinion. If we leave this as it is, we don’t know what might happen later.”

“I-it really feels like it’s alive, so I’m scared. Is it okay? Huh?”

Sant, Jjolmyeon [쫄면, a type of Korean chewy noodles] No. 3, was also anxious, but there was nothing else he could do.

Even if, as Diop said, water-attribute Ether wasn’t felt, there was a possibility that this was the enemy’s trap.

If so, it was necessary to identify its clear identity or intention.

And if we’re lucky—this is just my wish—this guy’s mysterious movement might be a clue…

–Heeheeing

“Heoeong…”

“It’s okay now. Stop it.”

Oh dear, that person is crying again.

I stopped thinking and picked up Duke Lasso, who was lying on the side. Heave-ho.

Alison, who was actually being threatened, was fine—Cedric Liester would never be the type to harass animals—but I felt sorry for the child’s father, who was so tearful.

Sir Johann came over and supported him in my place. Thank you.

“Shall we start then?”

“Yes. It would be nice to have some harvest before sunset. The longer the search is delayed, the greater the chance that we will be discovered by the enemy.”

When I added worriedly, the Cardinal looked at me and encouraged me, saying, ‘It will be as you wish.’

It was a word that gave me strength like magic, no matter when I heard it.

*

And not long after, guided by the puddle, we arrived in front of a huge rock.

–Whoosh, whoosh!

“Wow…”

It was a size that made my mouth drop open.

The cardinal family, who had followed the group, also flapped their wings in surprise and whistled.

By then, we were deep in the bushes, so we could hardly hear the sounds of the battle at the entrance of the path or the noise of the battle beyond the valley.

It was a densely forested area, so dark even though it was early in the day.

–Purring

“I know. It’s the first time I’ve seen such a big rock.”

Arum and I looked up at the rock and whispered.

To exaggerate a bit, the volume was as large as an imperial carriage, but the rock boasted a heavy presence as if it had been in that place for hundreds of years.

Dark green moss, moistened with water, grew densely like hair on the top, and the surface was all mottled and bumpy, giving the impression that it had endured harsh storms in that place for a long time.

The fir and pine trees that grew nearby also seemed to be guarding and looking up at the rock.

Since the terrain itself was a canyon, we had seen several rocks on the way, but this was the first time we had seen such an unrealistic size.

It’s like something out of or …

Oh, wait a minute. What is that?

“Could it be…”

–Splash, splash! Splash, splash!

“Ah, jackpot! It looks like it really found an underground passage! Mother!”

“Oh my, it really looks like it. I can see a big gap under this rock. Is this the will of the Lord?”

“I can’t believe it… Esther, patron saint of faith.”

Then, even Charlemagne shook his mane as if he was surprised.

I hurriedly got off my saddle and examined the surface of the rock.

Sir Johann quickly approached me.

“Sir, look at this. Someone carved letters on the rock. It looks like a very old trace…”

“It’s carved in divine language. It must have been the Cardinal.”

“Then we need to know the meaning. It must be a clue about the underground space. This seems to be the letter N, or M…”

I diligently traced the bumpy parts with my hands.

Meanwhile, my friends let the horses rest and guarded the surroundings.

The sentence was completed in an instant.

‘morte tua surripere.’

“I don’t know what it means.”

Latin is too difficult. Even Jeong Hyun-seo wouldn’t be able to read this.

“‘In order to steal your death.’ That’s the literal meaning.”

“To paraphrase… ‘So that you can avoid death.’ That’s about it.”

“…”

I looked up at the Cardinal with a blank face.

The man’s expression, raising the corners of his lips, was not very bright either. I had a strange feeling.

According to the reasoning, the underground passage of the Heavenly Path was a private structure of the late King Lilianer Venetian, and it was a space used for her ambition.

So, I expected it to be a phrase related to her…

Suddenly, death.

Is this perhaps related to the soldiers of that era who looked like corpses?

–Clang clang clang! Clang clang clang clang!

Oh my!

“Oh, yeah. Good job. Thank you.”

When I waved my hand and praised it, the puddle showed off its abilities and wiggled up, down, left, and right (you really have to see it to believe it).

Naturally, the situation from a while ago came to mind, and I let out a hollow laugh. I’m seeing all sorts of things in my life.

This unidentified water led its light body (?) through the coniferous forest like a snake, and suddenly dug deep into a very deep place.

That was probably about thirty minutes after we started following it.

The suspicious Cedric and Diop—as they should be—suggested that it would be better to just turn the water into steam, and Ms. Gain was subtly trying to add strength to this.

It was none other than me who stopped it.

‘Wait a minute, everyone. Just a moment, really.’

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand my friends’ anxiety and hostility, but I somehow felt that this puddle wanted to help us.

I have nothing to say even if someone makes fun of me, but that’s how it was at the time.

So, I took the side of a being whose actions I couldn’t even fathom, let alone see its eyes, nose, or mouth.

But the puddle really found the entrance to the underground passage…

“Hahaha.”

I don’t know what kind of flow this is.

I laughed blankly, looking down at the child-like puddle.

The two combat mages still had suspicious expressions, but they seemed satisfied that there was a reward after all the hardship.

“Isabelle, can you use His Majesty Hana’s power to push this rock slightly? Just enough to see the entrance.”

“It is an honor to be entrusted with this, Palace Lord.”

“Thank you.”

As soon as Isabelle smiled beautifully, Kwagaang…! Vines emitting an ominous and gloomy energy burst out next to the rock in question.

Even the other birds gathered next to the cardinal were chirping and expressing their expectations.

The rock seemed to resist the sudden news of the move, but soon gave way with a deep resonance. Koong!

–Kugugugung…

“Oh, it’s real. Oh oh oh! Palace Lord!”

‘I can see the underground passage over there. There are even stairs!’ Ms. Gain jumped up and down like a child.

Isabelle also had a bright smile on her face at the harvest she had finally obtained.

The entrance to the underground was quite wide.

It was high enough to ride a horse in, and the width seemed very generous. However…

–Whoooo…

“Ugh…”

“Ooh…”

“Ugh…”

“Heoeo…”

The fact that the stairs beyond were as black as hell was a little scary. Just a little.

–No matter how gloomy it may be, it cannot compare to this body’s tomb.

Flint! Three bowls of Jjolmyeon and one extra-large bowl (foreigner) turned their heads at the same time.

The paladin, who had been gentle Isabelle until just now, was looking around at us, her bronze eyes shining brightly.

The corners of her lips, which were rising sharply, were so eerie that it felt like the surrounding temperature was dropping.

“Your Majesty…”

–Lead the way. Follow me.

*

After the Lord’s bloodline and those he loved disappeared beyond the underground passage after a long wandering.

The forest of the Heavenly Path was quiet for a while.

It seemed like nature, unaware of humans, was enjoying its ancient peace again.

It seemed that no one would be able to find out the secrets of this coniferous forest with just a few years of war.

The birds, having finished their morning foraging, sat on the branches and boasted about their achievements, and the dew hidden in the damp shade became a drink for squirrels.

Their society regained its daily life as if by a lie.

–Whoosh, whoosh, chirp chirp chirp…

No, it seemed like that for a while.

Until a cardinal called ‘friend’ from the top of a tree.

–Whoooo, chirp chirp chirp, whoosh, chirp chirp…!

When the bird, dressed like a clergyman of the Vatican, began to cry out loudly, all other life held its breath as if promised.

The bushes, which had been shaking their clothes in the wind, stopped their branches all at once.

Before long, another cardinal flew over and sat next to it, flapping its wings.

This guy was a slightly unusual cardinal in every way.

–Saaaa…

Whether the transformation was displeasing to himself, the bird that had been called changed its appearance quickly.

A light purple glow poured out from its small body, showing off the sacred transformation process.

The ordinary cardinals spread their wings wide in reverence before the being in charge of birds.

And finally…

–Bbi-bo!

The whole bush stirred at the loud cry of the little bird.

Then, several animal tails popped out from between the bushes over there.

It was a very lovely sight.

*

…Huh? Is there something behind me?

“Palace Lord, please stop looking back… At this rate, I will suffer the humiliation of fainting first.”

“I’m sorry. We promised not to do this to each other, right.”

I immediately apologized to the executive of the Jjolmyeon Alliance.

He also blinked his light pink eyes politely.

Diop laughed at us (repeatedly) from behind, but I pretended not to hear it.

–Step, step, step…

–Click, click, click…

I want to move quickly, but I haven’t been able to pick up speed since entering the underground.

First of all, the passage is literally as dark as pitch.

The stone on the floor is bumpy, and sometimes unpaved roads suddenly appear, which is confusing.

The fact that a fork appears once every five minutes is also a troublesome problem.

But the most fatal of all is…

“Ah, I don’t feel good. I really feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“It’s okay, my daughter. Mom is here, so it’s okay…”

The deeper we go, the stronger the stench of rotten mana becomes, as if it would pierce our noses.

Now, everyone except me was experiencing severe motion sickness.

Catacombs and Cowards (6)

To be precise, the symptoms varied greatly depending on each person’s stats.

“Ugh…”

As someone with a mana sensitivity close to 0, I couldn’t feel the corrupted mana at all.

In short, it was possible because I had over 99% immunity to black magic.

There were smells like mold and food waste coming from all directions, but Ms. Gain explained that this wasn’t just a simple concept of ‘bad smell.’

-Fwoosh…

“……”

Under the torch Cedric had lit, I carefully examined my friends’ faces.

In the excessively wide and dark passage, several red shadows flickered.

Sant, who had lived his whole life as an ordinary person, complained of mild nausea and dizziness, and Isabel, who hadn’t been the incarnation of Hanan [likely a deity or powerful being] for long, seemed to be in a similar state.

However, she said she had been experiencing headaches since a little while ago.

The situation became more serious with Ms. Gain and Sir John.

The two, with their good mana sensitivity, had pale, cake-like faces and were even sweating slightly.

The prisoner, Duke Leopold Lasso, was particularly suffering from severe motion sickness and couldn’t even swallow water, even though I was constantly walking with the Holy Ground deployed.

And as for our wizards, who had excessively high mana sensitivity…

“Damn it…”

“Oh! Young master, be careful!”

I hurriedly grabbed the man by the collar as he stumbled and nearly fell.

His red eyes were dimly lit as he glared at me irritably.

He had a sharp expression as if he would spew out venom right in my face.

Well, people do become sensitive when they’re sick. No, he’s always been like that, though…

“Ah, I want to go straight to bed like this…”

-Flapping

“The war has to end before we can go home. So, you need to keep your wits about you. Just hold on a little longer.”

I barely managed to put the young master, who was grumbling like a drunkard, back in his place.

From behind, Areum pushed his waist nervously, as if saying, ‘Shut up and walk.’

He looked quite unstable, smacking his lips and sweeping back his hair as if something sour was coming up from his stomach.

Even the great 8th-circle battle mage, Djibril Diop, was in this state…

It seemed like we needed to change our course around this point.

François was already being half-carried by me.

However, he was holding up better than expected (he was even capable of light jokes), which seemed to be thanks to his mental strength that had been trained over the years.

As the ‘Great Noble, Marquis D’heim,’ he was much older than us.

…Anyway, it’s impossible to continue this forced march.

“Shall we take a break? Even ten minutes of sleep would be good. I’ll give everyone ether [a magical healing substance] directly. The kids should chew on some herbs too.”

“I, I’ll help!”

When I opened my mouth, unable to bear it any longer, Sant raised both hands as if he had been waiting for it.

‘I’ll help, I’ll help, I’ll help!’ The priest’s crooked voice echoed several times in the high arched ceiling.

Then, Cedric, who was walking ahead, turned to me with a ghostly pale face…

“…I’ll follow Juliette’s opinion.”

He declared in a low voice, as if he had returned alive from the banks of the River Styx [the river separating the living from the underworld in Greek mythology] just before being laid in a coffin.

My jaw dropped involuntarily at his face, which seemed to have lost weight in the meantime.

“Oh my.”

Seidi, you’re really going to faint!

*

And so, virtually everyone sprawled out in the hallway.

“Ah, I feel like I’m going to live now. Really, Lady Guju’s ether is my ah-ah-go Zero Coke… I really thought I was going to be making kimchi pancakes earlier…”

“Hahaha.”

“Are you laughing?”

Ms. Gain poked my side with a weak finger.

I helplessly collapsed and greeted the next patient.

Sir John smiled faintly and offered me his arm first.

This was very rare in the past, but it’s been happening often lately.

I happily accepted his wrist and began supplying ether.

-Swish…

“Ha…”

With a low sigh, his mint-colored eyes disappeared beyond his eyelids.

I felt a little relieved as I watched him stabilize.

We still haven’t found even the slightest clue, and it will take at least another day to get out to the other side of the passage—but there was no alternative to going back the way we came.

Even if there was an entrance to another underground passage, it would take a long time to find it.

Rather, there was a possibility that we would be discovered by Sneider’s forces or get caught up in a major battle.

The other friends would be fine, but right now we have three non-combat personnel and even a prisoner, so that would be too big of a gamble.

In short, we had to solve it here.

Whatever it is, here, in this underground.

We can do it.

-Whirring…

Next after Sir John was Cedric.

He had dutifully yielded his turn to his partner and teacher.

“Are you feeling better now? Wait a minute, let me see if you have a fever.”

“……”

The Crown Prince, leaning against the wall, obediently offered his forehead, and I sighed in relief only after confirming that his body temperature was normal.

It was a relief that it wasn’t a condition caused by his injury.

The paladin friends felt much better just from me supplying ether through touch.

Still, they said that the ‘unpleasant feeling and disgust of bugs crawling all over their bodies’ didn’t disappear.

Ms. Gain added that it felt like ‘being exposed to cigarette smoke from smokers at a crosswalk all day long.’ I frowned at the analogy.

How hard it must be.

“Here, have a sip of clean water too.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why don’t you want to? If you listen to your brother, you’ll get rice cakes even in your sleep [a Korean saying meaning good things will happen]. You should be fine now that your stomach has calmed down to some extent. Take it.”

“……”

He seemed to not be drawn to water when he wasn’t feeling well, perhaps because he was born with the fire attribute, but I still made him drink water for his health.

He looked like he wanted to argue more, but he obediently took the canteen and drank (Ms. Gain giggled while lying on the floor).

‘Eat jerky and cheese sandwiched between bread too.’ I added that, and after confirming that the man was glaring at me, I immediately moved to the next seat.

“…Ch, Angel Gong.”

And hopefully, today’s last patient.

“It’s okay. I won’t neglect a prisoner just because they’re sick, so give me your wrist.”

“……”

Then Duke Lasso hesitantly held out his hands, which were tightly bound in front of him.

He seemed to have severe nausea from earlier.

I exchanged glances with my friends and, after receiving clear permission, untied his hands.

Everyone seemed to be lenient since he had no athletic ability to the point of falling over on his own, and he was disarmed with an ether restraint.

Whether he was surprised or not, I lightly grabbed the inside of his wrist and checked his pulse as I had learned from my teacher.

It felt like pouring ether directly into the thumping blood vessels.

That’s what she said was most effective.

-Swish…

“Wow…!”

“Is this your first time receiving a priest’s ether? Why are you so surprised, considering you’re a duke?”

He suddenly opened his mouth wide at the energy spreading throughout his body, which was funny.

Then, the duke rubbed his cheeks with the other palm as if he was embarrassed.

“We, well, it’s not the first time. But it’s not a frequent occurrence either… I think this is about the sixth or seventh time. Ah, of course, purple eyes are the most mysterious! As beautiful as the Milky Way in spring.”

“……What did you just say?”

“Beautiful…”

“No, what you said before that.”

Did I mishear? That must be it, right? I stared at him with a blank expression.

Then the man blinked his large eyes and shrugged his shoulders.

“No, maybe it’s the fifth time… Ah, th, thank you for giving me ether too. Now that I think about it, I forgot to say thank you…”

“What do you mean by that? Do you mean that you’ve only had five ether supplies so far?”

Isabel asked gently from the next seat.

She was already much better thanks to Hanan’s recovery power and Sant’s help.

And as expected, she was a person who was quick to grasp the situation and knew how to get to the point, just like a Rambouillet [a breed of sheep known for its fine wool, implying Isabel is perceptive and discerning].

The duke looked back and forth between us, pursing his lips, and made a face as if he didn’t know if it was okay to talk about this.

“…Th, that’s right.”

“No… How? How is that possible?”

I was dumbfounded. I couldn’t believe it at all.

He’s not young and even a royal paladin, but he’s only received pure ether supplies five times in his life? Does that even make sense?

He must have suffered from fever during ether awakening, and there was a possibility that he went berserk when he obtained the stigmata [a mark of divine grace or favor].

No, even if it wasn’t such a serious situation, the priest’s pure ether was of great help on days when he wasn’t feeling well or in moments when he was having a hard time.

You don’t even have to use healing power—

“My mother…”

“……”

“I, my relationship with my mother… wasn’t very good.”

“……”

We kept our mouths shut and watched the duke for a long time.

But there was no further explanation.

The man was just subtly hiding his face in the shade where the light didn’t reach.

So I couldn’t say anything either.

Just pressing his wrist a little harder…

“Huh?”

…Wait a minute.

“Here, why is this like this? Is this a burn scar?”

I had a bad feeling for some reason.

I carefully observed the white scars dotted deep in his arm, specifically inside his elbow.

This was definitely not a trace of injury from the battlefield.

And I know because my military juniors suffered from atopy [eczema] and shingles, but it’s definitely not a skin disease either.

It’s quite an old mark too.

“Ah, it’s nothing. It’s nothing.”

The duke, who was very embarrassed, hurriedly pulled out his arm.

It was a gesture that even rejected the ether he was receiving well. The moment I was surprised and dropped my body—

“It’s not nothing.”

Thump! Ms. Gain, who had already approached, grabbed the prisoner’s wrist tightly.

The man was horrified and pretended to cover his head with his other arm.

I opened my eyes wide.

“It’s a burn with cigarette ashes. It’s obvious just by looking at it.”

“Gasp…”

It was a voice that didn’t contain any emotion, and at first glance, it sounded indifferent.

Lasso slowly lowered his arm and looked up at her.

For a moment, even my mind felt dazed.

Isabel spoke in a soft and elegant tone as usual.

“Cristel, let’s make it so you can talk when you want to.”

“Who did this? Your dad?”

“…My father passed away early.”

“Then your mom must have done this.”

I could see his eyes trembling.

I tried to capture Ms. Gain’s expression in my eyes.

However, her face, with the flames behind her, was covered in dark shadows.

So I couldn’t dare to fathom it.

“…Did you just live being stupidly beaten?”

“Cristel.”

Isabel sternly called her daughter’s name.

At that moment, the young paladin flinched and blinked.

The strength drained from her white grip, and the scarred arm was helplessly released.

“Cristel.”

I called out once more, but Ms. Gain already had a face that was greatly shocked by her own words and actions.

She silently took a step back.

Finally, the light of the sacred fire settled in her blue-gray eyes.

But the irises that contained Isabel straight on were somehow surging like a sea that had encountered a storm.

Fear. And again, fear.

“…I’m going for a walk. I’ll pick up anything if there’s anything in the middle.”

“Wait a minute, Cristel!”

She disappeared into the darkness in an instant.

My voice echoed off the stone walls several times, but there was no sign of her returning.