What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 73

#073 Not If It’s Not Me (3)

“Just now······.”

It was a sensation I couldn’t dismiss as a mere illusion.

I stared intently at the wren, which was perched in the center of the circle, tilting its head this way and that.

The sanctuary was drawing a perfect circle, as if it had never been distorted.

But I definitely saw it.

The golden circle wavering like a broken TV screen the moment the bird landed.

“Hey, little guy. Are you really a divine beast?”

-Chirp chirp chirp

The little bird chirped innocently.

The three red pandas had already hidden behind my legs.

Were they scared? Or were they just shy around the bird?

-Squeak squeak squeak

Demi bravely stepped forward and stood in front of me.

Then, it opened and closed its small mouth, acting threatening.

The smallest of the three was really acting like the boss, just as I had told it to.

I found it both admirable and adorable, and I chuckled.

“Demi, it’s okay.”

I soothed it.

Even though I had no real basis for it, I had a strange conviction that the wren wouldn’t harm me.

It was definitely not an ordinary animal.

But what filled my heart was curiosity rather than anxiety.

[Want some Ether?]

My voice echoed as if I were speaking into a microphone. The bird didn’t seem surprised at all.

Demi conjured a palm leaf the size of my upper body from its paws.

It looked like it was ready to use it as a shield if necessary.

I took a small breath and slowly released Ether, delivering it to the wren.

Imagining that I was feeding it half a spoonful of cough syrup helped me control the amount much more precisely.

But,

“······It’s not eating it.”

To be precise, my Ether wasn’t being absorbed into its body at all.

Slightly flustered, I poured more Ether into the wren.

But the Ether just bounced back to me.

“This can’t be happening.”

It was a bird that had briefly disrupted the sanctuary, but it didn’t react to Ether like a normal human or animal.

I sat cross-legged on the circle and reached out my hand.

“Come to hyung [older brother/male friend], good boy.”

-Peep peep

The wren hopped towards me a couple of times, tilting its head repeatedly, and then flapped its wings a few times.

It looked very comfortable settling into my palm. It had completely taken over.

Only then did Demi, Rea, and Peri seem relieved, as they wriggled between my legs and spread out.

A handful of wren, a bucketful of red pandas.

“You don’t like Ttukbaegi or Ttukttagi either, do you?”

-Chirp! Chirp chirp!

The answer was a bit loud. It was clear that it hated the names Cristel had suggested.

The bird understood words surprisingly well and enjoyed being handled, not avoiding people at all.

I wondered if it might be a baby divine beast.

That might explain why it was so bad at absorbing Ether.

I didn’t know if divine beasts could reproduce, or if the main god had sent this one in an underdeveloped form.

Unlike the red pandas, who mainly stayed in my room with me, the wren had been wandering around everywhere for the past three days.

The day before yesterday, it was sitting on Cristel’s shoulder, and yesterday, it seemed to have spent the day in the prince’s room after being out of sight all day.

It was truly a free spirit.

It didn’t show much interest even when I offered it food or water.

I wondered if it was catching bugs outside.

“Cristel seems unable to give up on ‘Gul’ and ‘Ttuk’.”

-Peep

The bird seemed a little dejected for some reason.

Cristel, whom I met in the dining hall this morning, had even brought up names like ‘Gulbi’ [a type of dried fish].

If she couldn’t resolve it with a name starting with ‘Ttuk’, she might suggest something like ‘Guldari’ tomorrow.

[How about Ttuksim?] (T/N: Ttuksim means grit or strong will)

I carefully delivered the oracle.

No matter how I thought about it, this seemed to be the best name I could make with ‘Ttuk’.

‘Silpi’ would also be nice since I met the little one on a windy cliff, and I was also thinking of naming it ‘Nan (Phoenix)’ so it could become a wonderful bird······.

Cristel was trying hard in her own way, so I couldn’t ignore her sincerity.

[Not bad, right? Ttuksim, so you can live with grit wherever you go.]

The bird blinked its black eyes busily. Sorry, I know this isn’t the best either.

-Peep peep peep!

The bird opened its yellow beak and chirped diligently.

It wasn’t pecking at my palm, so it didn’t seem to dislike it.

Was it roughly saying, ‘I’ll accept it because I appreciate your efforts, human’?

-Flap flap

Ttuksim moved its short wings and went down.

Then, it nestled itself, using the red pandas’ plump tails as a nest.

Demi, who was already sleepy, fussed.

“Sleep first. Hyung will do 50 cycles of Ether circulation and then sleep.”

I whispered.

My legs would surely be numb soon because of the divine beasts, but I decided to consider this a type of training.

It was right to become a stronger priest to take care of them properly, not just for myself.

With a ‘Paaat’ sound, golden Ether once again spread to every corner of the sanctuary.

*

May 31st was a day with gentle breezes and clear sunlight.

“Happy birthday, Prince Yesseo!”

“Thank you.”

“Happy birthday. May the glory of the Main God be with you.”

“Thank you. Have a good day.”

Wherever I walked in the detached palace, servants and maids flocked to greet me.

I received the congratulations of each and every one with a bright face.

I felt sorry and apologetic that the real Prince Yesseo couldn’t hear this, as everyone I met today was only offering me kind words.

The Emperor, busy with work, sent a handwritten card and a bouquet of flowers through the chamberlain.

Cardinal Boutier visited my room on his way to work and kissed me on the cheek before leaving.

“Your Highness, these are canelés [small French pastries] that we baked ourselves this morning. We heard you liked them, so we made about 100.”

“Oh my, why so many······. I’ll enjoy them. Thank you.”

“Yes! Then we’ll deliver them straight to your room.”

Some of the kitchen staff bowed with their heads almost touching the floor and retreated.

I wondered if the northern hospitality was always like this, as everyone was very generous.

In the morning, I received a birthday feast that seemed like it would break the table, and even with Benjamin and Ganael’s help, it took me two and a half hours to eat it all.

“Your Highness, you could eat for a year with what you received today.”

Ganael, who was following behind, exclaimed with a smile.

I nodded and received the greetings of another servant.

Emperor Frederick and I didn’t have a bad relationship, but because I was a hostage, I couldn’t have a public birthday party or anything like that.

As always, monetary gifts were also impossible.

I didn’t like flashy and burdensome things either, so I thought it was a good thing.

But that’s how it turned out.

Everywhere I went, strangers poured food they had made themselves on me, and having learned that you shouldn’t refuse sincerity, I tasted all the bread and desserts.

It was all delicious, which was nice, but at this rate, I wouldn’t be able to eat a late lunch because I’d be too full.

How much had the story of the ‘Demon Beast Great Extermination’ been distorted?

“Happy birthday, Your Highness! You’re wearing a new outfit too.”

Just then, I heard a familiar voice.

I saw Cristel approaching quickly from across the corridor.

Her hair was styled high as always, but today she was unusually dressed in a dress.

She smiled like an angel and handed me a small bundle.

“It’s a book. Actually, I prepared a pirate ship for Your Highness, but······.”

“Pardon?”

“Just kidding! Anyway, it’s the best-selling book in the Imperial City these days, so I’m sure you’ll like it. I asked His Eminence the Cardinal, and he said that book gifts are perfectly fine.”

Her blue-gray eyes sparkled cheerfully. I smiled and expressed my gratitude.

In the end, I received a gift from Cristel.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy reading it.”

“You’re welcome. Did you receive a gift from His Grace the Duke too?”

“No.”

Not only a gift, but I hadn’t even encountered him today.

It wouldn’t be easy to be this indifferent when someone living in the same house had a birthday.

Well, I didn’t particularly expect anything from that prince, so I wasn’t disappointed.

Cristel, surprised, widened her eyes.

“That’s strange. I thought he would give you a great gift befitting a royal.”

“We’re not that close.”

“Come on, you two know everything about each other.”

She winked her left and right eyes alternately.

It’s amazing every time I see it, but wait. Why are you saying it like that?

“The duchess knows that too, doesn’t she? To be precise, it’s a secret between the duchess and me.”

“You’re right. Where are you headed?”

Cristel smiled as if she couldn’t win and changed the subject.

When I replied that I was going to receive confession, she was delighted, saying, ‘Then I’ll escort you. It’s a service for today’s protagonist!’

Benjamin and Ganael were subtly pleased when I readily started walking with her.

“Oh, I named the wren. It’s called Ttuksim.”

“Oh my, that’s totally my taste! You named it well.”

It felt pretty good that others seemed happier than me on my birthday.

*

[Please feel free to confess when you are ready.]

“Yes, yes, Your Highness······.”

The man standing outside the confessional breathed shallowly with a trembling voice.

I quietly waited for the confessor to begin speaking.

In my hands was the travel book Cristel had given me, .

It was a new book released in April of this year, so it was packed with the latest information.

I wondered why I hadn’t thought of looking through travel books until now.

In fact, I didn’t even know such books existed.

The book was full of vivid knowledge that was hard to find in history books.

Although it might not be useful right now, it felt as fresh as when I first read .

It seemed like I had received a much better gift than I thought.

“That is, I’m afraid someone behind me will hear······.”

The man finally whispered softly.

I realized that he was pressing himself as close as possible to the confessional outside the wooden window.

I didn’t expect that using a small prayer room as a temporary confessional because there wasn’t one in the detached palace would lead to this result.

A bitter smile came to my lips.

There was a temple next to the bell tower where ‘Bireom’s Ark’ was located, but the entire cliff was off-limits to outsiders.

I was wondering where I should receive confessions when I found a wooden prayer room with the help of the detached palace chamberlain.

It seemed perfect for me to go in and sit, and for the confessors to line up outside and confess one by one.

[Don’t worry too much. The people standing behind you are also believers. The Main God is watching, so even if the confession is heard, they will pretend not to notice.]

I plausibly reassured the man.

He hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth haltingly as if he had made up his mind.

I suddenly wondered if this was the believer who had been lining up since dawn to be the first to confess.

“I, I am a priest from the Papal States. I······. I am in charge of Ether supply for Duke Ivelyn and Lady Sarnez.”

[Ah, so you’re the one. Nice to meet you.]

I also greeted him quietly in response to his whisper.

I knew Sir John Haines, the holy knight from the Papal States, and ‘Sant’, the priest-level priest.

I had only encountered them a few times in passing, but I remembered Sant’s appearance clearly because he would become unusually flustered and bow whenever he saw me.

I never thought he would come to confess.

“But······. It’s so hard that I feel like giving up. I know it’s an honor to be dispatched to the Empire, but······.”

Sant sobbed. Slightly flustered, I brought my face closer to the wooden window.

[You must have been through a lot. Is the work very difficult?]

“Huuuh, it’s not just difficult. Prince-nim [term of respect]······.”

Beyond the bars, I could see a round, large young man shedding tears like chicken droppings.

I hurriedly opened the confessional door and offered him a handkerchief.

The believers standing far behind were surprised and craned their necks.

[It’s okay. Take your time and tell me.]

I said. He held my handkerchief preciously and fidgeted with his hands.

It reminded me of a twenty-year-old who had come in as a new recruit at the end of my military service.

“The duchess, and His Grace······. They’re tormenting me······.”

[Yes?]

I was so shocked that a squeak went into the microphone. Could it be workplace bullying?

“I swear to the Main God, I’m not tattling. Really. I······. Even though I’m big, I’m a priest······. The two of them take away my Ether so mercilessly······. Keuheung.”

Tears welled up again in his gentle eyes like a lamb.

[Are you saying it was hard to handle the two of them alone?]

“That too, but······. They’re too much, really. In the first week of my assignment, I fainted three times······.”

No, what is this all about?

[You fainted from Ether depletion?]

“When the duchess takes Ether, she doesn’t even give me a break, and then His Grace sucks out Ether. Both of them are too, too different from ordinary holy knights. The holy knights of the Papal States······. No one eats so greedily, heup. Keuk.”

I stared at Sant’s face, dumbfounded.

I didn’t starve them, so why is the embarrassment my share?