What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 69

#069 There’s No Such Thing as a Bad Divine Object (3)

“No!”

-Screech!

Emperor Frederick shouted. Demi also let out a desperate cry.

-Whoosh!

“Ugh…”

The falling speed increased, and the wind swirled around my ears.

Through my half-closed eyes, I saw Demi sprouting vines.

A belated fear washed over me, along with worries like, ‘If she does that, the bell tower might collapse.’

I wanted to look back, but I didn’t want to see it. The bell tower quickly receded into the distance.

I squeezed my eyes shut. Please let it be the sea. Water, let it be water.

-Splash!

Cool water touched my back. And then,

-Thud!

“Cough!”

“Ah, my back!”

“Ugh.”

I tumbled mercilessly across the ground. Wait, it doesn’t feel like the ground…

“Ugh, ouch.”

The impact was quite severe, and I couldn’t help but groan. It wasn’t the sea, and it wasn’t rocks either.

The situation was so absurd that my mind couldn’t process it quickly. Something hard yet soft and black filled my vision.

Is this depicting my present and future? Or is it a sign that I’m already dead?

“Move.”

“Prince, are you alright?”

At the familiar, too familiar voice, I opened my eyes wide.

Reflexively, I jerked my upper body up.

A very angry orange gaze was looking up at me.

“Crazy, why are you here…”

I couldn’t speak properly. My mind was a mess, and my forehead throbbed.

It seemed I had rammed my head into the Crown Prince’s steel-like Adam’s apple.

I rubbed my forehead and tried to put my racing thoughts into words.

“I fell off a cliff, right?”

“I caught you.”

“I caught him first. I slowed down his fall with water.”

As the Crown Prince retorted irritably, a cheerful voice added an explanation.

I quickly turned my head.

“…Lady Sarnese?”

“Yes! But could you move for a second? My leg is stuck between your legs.”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

I quickly scrambled off the human mattress. Cristel nimbly pulled her body out like a squirrel.

She groaned a little, saying her back hurt, then quickly created an ice pack and put it on her back.

She was definitely a genius. No, that’s not the point.

“Thank you, both of you. You saved me.”

I said the first thing I needed to say. I was still breathless from the overly absurd situation.

My body ached, and I felt like I had a bump on my forehead, but more important was figuring out how this had happened.

The Crown Prince rose from his seat with graceful movements. I slowly looked around.

People. Sails and masts. A wooden deck. The sky beyond.

“…It’s a ship.”

A ship floating in the air.

“It’s a pirate ship.”

What?

“I remembered you telling me to be careful of pirates. So, I was careful, and this is what happened.”

You told me to be careful of being kidnapped, but I became the kidnapper. The plot twists like this.

“I guess these things happen in life. How’s your body?”

It was another familiar voice. I turned my head, slightly dazed.

Lady Elisabeth, with her dark green bob fluttering, approached and dusted off a pirate hat before placing it on Cristel’s head.

Is she the Pirate King’s right-hand woman?

“I’m fine. But wait, did you come all the way here from Mute County on a pirate ship?”

I asked. My mind was slowly regaining reason.

Cristel and Lady Elisabeth had definitely left for summer vacation separately from me.

And this was Evelyn, a territory where outsiders were, in principle, forbidden from entering.

Even though Mute County was right next to Evelyn, it shouldn’t have been possible to approach by land.

“Well, Prince. It’s a long story. First, there’s the reason we ended up adrift…”

Adrift?

“What happened at the bell tower?”

Crown Prince Cedric interrupted Cristel.

He was staring intently at me. Only then did I snap to my senses!

“The divine object. ‘Beoryeom’s Ark’ has awakened. But it’s very shy, like a living creature. I was also hit by the Ark’s wing and fell out.”

“…It must be because of your Aether [magical energy] that it awakened.”

“Yes. I’m not using my ability, but it’s still showing enough aggression to destroy a pillar. If I don’t calm it down, the bell tower might be in danger.”

I immediately turned around and looked up at the bell tower.

The Emperor, looking down at us with a look of disbelief, and the three lesser pandas clinging to her feet came into view.

It felt like we had fallen about 100 meters, but now it seemed like we had only fallen about 20 meters.

I stretched out my arm and waved it lightly to signal that I was okay,

“Ugh.”

Unconsciously, I covered my stomach. Giving it sudden force made the area below my solar plexus throb.

“Prince, did you get hurt while falling?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s from being hit by the Crown Prince.”

Damn it, I misspoke. I immediately shut my mouth.

I had a bruise on the spot where I had been kicked after holding Sadie the other day, and the place where I had been attacked by the divine object was also there.

But it didn’t seem like I had fractured anything, so it seemed like the Ark had adjusted its strength.

…Or maybe it didn’t intend to hurt me. Was it not an ‘attack’ after all?”

“Oh my.”

Cristel muttered.

She looked at the Crown Prince with the eyes of someone looking at non-recyclable trash.

The Crown Prince frowned.

“I didn’t do that,”

“A knight hitting an unarmed priest?”

Lady Elisabeth finally spoke up. Her gray eyes were filled with contempt.

“Did you throw away all your honor?”

“Elisabeth.”

“I did something to deserve it. What’s more important than that right now is winning the divine object’s heart.”

I mediated between the three.

Then Lady Elisabeth was shocked, and Cristel stroked the back of my hand with a very pitiful look.

“You didn’t do anything to deserve it, don’t say that. The one who did wrong is someone else.”

I gaped.

Well, at that time, I had touched Sadie’s body without permission, so I had no excuse even if I was kicked.

But right now, I didn’t have the time or the means to explain the whole situation in detail.

“Yes, the Crown Prince did something wrong. Anyway, the divine object is more urgent right now. Have you two read *The Ark’s Song*?”

-Crash!

A loud noise erupted from above our heads. We all looked at the bell tower at the same time.

The Emperor waved her arm to signal that everything was okay.

Then, a shower of stone fragments fell.

“How do you know that book?”

The Crown Prince lowered his head and questioned. I exchanged glances with Cristel.

“I found it in the Imperial Archives. It’s a fairy tale written for you, so you should remember the contents. The Ark is like a free bird, so to win its heart, you have to stroke it and sing it a lullaby.”

“…I see.”

“Is that a metaphorical expression? I interpreted it literally, but does the lullaby refer to a specific spell or poem?”

“No, it’s literal.”

His eyes drifted away as if counting the past.

Lady Elisabeth, who had been listening quietly, made a quick decision.

“We need to raise the ship higher. Sir Haynes!”

Sir Haynes?

“It’s already too hard…”

This time, it was the voice of someone I didn’t know.

Turning around, a strange young man appeared from among the haphazardly stacked wooden barrels.

His long white hair was roughly tied near his neck, making his crown spiky, and his chin was not properly shaved, making it look whitish.

His mint-colored eyes were steeped in fatigue and annoyance.

His clear features seemed buried because of his gloomy expression.

“You must be Prince Yeser Venetian.”

He looked at me and bowed deeply. It was not an Imperial greeting.

I thought I saw a flash of interest in his eyes, but the man’s gaze was once again damp as he straightened up.

“I am John Haynes, a Holy Knight of the Papal States.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard about you. Thank you for your hard work.”

I replied.

This was the man who was in charge of Cristel and the Crown Prince’s education after the ‘Great Demon Beast Subjugation’.

He was still young, but his fate was harsh.

“Excuse me for asking so bluntly. Are you the one floating the ship right now?”

“Yes. I am a Holy Knight of the Air Attribute.”

“Then, if I provide Aether, could you raise the altitude a little?”

At my words, his eyes widened for a moment before quickly sinking.

“I will.”

“Thank you.”

I immediately opened the Sanctuary [source of magical power].

Cristel muttered to herself, ‘For once, the teacher is being proactive.’

Sir Haynes stared at the golden circle as if to melt it.

Then, he accepted my Aether very slowly. Like chewing and swallowing rice carefully.

Then, the pirate ship floated up.

-Whoosh!

A strange flow of air, different from the sea breeze, tickled the ship.

Soon, the ship rose smoothly like an elevator. The white cliff passed by quickly before my eyes.

“It’s amazing no matter how many times I see it.”

Cristel smiled brightly and rejoiced.

The Holy Knight of the Air Attribute was the second person I had met after being possessed by ‘Toegye Gong’ [a famous Korean scholar], and I didn’t know he had such great abilities.

The almost tangible, opaque breeze ruffled my hair once and passed by.

The bow of the ship instantly reached the end of the bell tower.

“We’re here.”

Sir Haynes said calmly. The Emperor, who was at the same eye level, laughed as if dumbfounded.

“I wondered who dared to dock a ship in Evelyn. It’s the Duke of Evelyn, who has become a hostage, and a pirate gang of noble origin.”

“We greet the Sun who has descended to Earth.”

Led by Lady Elisabeth, everyone standing on the ship bowed respectfully to her.

I had only parted ways with her a few minutes ago, but I just bowed along.

A pirate ship floating in the air, a white bell tower at the end of a cliff, and the meeting of those standing at the top, it was like a surrealist painting.

“We have committed a great sin.”

“I will hear your explanations in the detached palace. So, what is the royal priest’s next plan?”

The Emperor sat leisurely on the edge of the bell tower.

Thinking about how I had become like this after recklessly acting out as a supporting character made my face burn.

I reached out my hand first.

Demi, Rea, and Perry ran up one after another and clung to my legs like cicadas.

The divine object, which I glanced at, was fluttering its wings slightly. It seemed scared.

“It’s a re-challenge. According to the Crown Prince, there is no other meaning to ‘lullaby’. Since I failed, it would be better for someone else to try.”

I replied calmly. Cristel slyly raised her hand.

“I’m good at singing.”

Everyone’s eyes turned to her.

The Emperor, Lady Elisabeth, and Sir Haynes made ‘oh’ sounds.

In an instant, Jung Eun-seo’s words flashed through my mind.

Most memories only come to mind when similar situations arise.

‘Our Cristel is perfect… She’s pretty, tall, dresses well, and sings well.’

‘Is there a scene in the novel where she sings?’

‘It just briefly said that she sang, and Seregia smiled after hearing it. The Ice Prince is all dead, right?’

“Then, Lady, please challenge first.”

“Challenge!”

At my words, Cristel shouted cheerfully and advanced to the bell tower.

If the Emperor laughed after hearing it, she must be a great singer.

I don’t know how the correction of the divine object’s problem behavior became an audition program, but Cristel was the protagonist of Toegye Gong.

She was the one most likely to solve this incident, and she was the one who received the most generous investment in the author’s plausibility.

“Impossible.”

The Crown Prince, standing to my left, said. He had his left hand on his Hyegeom [his sword], as if he didn’t trust her.

I widened the Sanctuary enough to cover Cristel and the divine object, let Aether flow, and received his words.

“The Lady will do well.”

“You don’t understand.”

Cristel was slowly reaching out to the Ark. The light purple wings trembled.

At the same time, the Crown Prince’s low voice was very secretive and serious.

At the same time, Cristel also opened her lips.

“The Grand Duke is tone-deaf,”

“Ja! Jangjajahang! Our babyhee? Jajangja! Jang! Our Ah! Gi!”

Huh?

“Cockerel? Woo! Don’t cry!”

“Mom, what do I do…”

Lady Elisabeth, who was behind us, collapsed on the deck and began to sob.

I could see her neck turning red as she tried to hold back her laughter.

I blinked in disbelief. The lesser pandas stirred.

The Emperor, leaning against the pillar, was biting his fist.

“Woo! Reeahgi! Sleeep? Wake? Up! Ra!”

Isn’t this some kind of system error?

How can a person be so rhythmically challenged and tone-deaf at the same time?

“…It was a needless worry.”

The Crown Prince muttered lowly.

Why do you say it so unnecessarily coolly, creating an atmosphere where I can really feel relieved?

-Flap, flap…

The divine object, after hearing Cristel’s ‘lullaby’, moved carefully.

I was very nervous that the enraged Ark would cut her hand with sharp feathers or use its air abilities in earnest.

That’s when it happened.

“Oh, you’re so good.”

The divine object curled its wings around Cristel and hugged her. My jaw almost dropped.