What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 733

Moonlight Memphis (1)

…And so, by the time we escaped Lasso Territory, the sun was already high in the sky.

*

“Oh.”

‘Oh.’ That was probably the most Riester aristocratic exclamation in the entire continent.

Because it could convey at least dozens of meanings with its unique intonation and the way one moved their eyebrows.

“……”

“……”

“……”

The man with the wildly disheveled chocolate-colored hair was staring at us, clutching Cornelisons and Mace in both hands.

To be precise, he was 넋을 놓고 ‘admiring’ the scenery behind us.

The massive castle gate looked intact, at least on the surface. However…

-Whoosh…

Beyond the Lasso Territory’s castle walls, about a third of which had crumbled, lay the completely ruined main castle building.

Stone pillars, chopped into pieces like toothpicks, were stuck here and there, reflecting the sunlight, and beneath the Jenga-like fallen rafters, all sorts of fixtures and furniture were crushed flat.

The well-paved road was entirely covered in a mud bath mixed with shards of glass.

Even the relatively intact areas were covered with black, rotten poisonous weeds and thorny vines, leaving no room to step.

Though it wasn’t easily visible from the front, Gain had also turned the ‘zoo’ in the rear into a complete mess.

In short, the territory was devastated.

I felt embarrassed, apologetic, and, on the other hand, a little proud.

It was a bizarre feeling, but that was the truth.

“……”

“……”

Our eyes met again.

Before the mage could scrutinize our appearance, I quickly greeted him.

“Welcome, Francois Sant. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Oh…!”

“Ah!”

Then, the Marquis in front of me suddenly floundered like a fish dragged out of the water.

The Cornelison, who had been blankly gaping, also jumped in place.

Only Yiseol, holding the Princess’s other hand, maintained a calm (or tried to) expression.

While the four people who had entered to find their companions bowed to the Crown Prince, I leaned on the trembling castle wall and looked around.

There were so many eyes watching us.

The territory residents of Lasso Territory had gathered in front of the castle gate due to the commotion that had continued all night.

“Oh, my…”

“Good heavens…!”

“My goodness. Aren’t those the people from yesterday? The ones who offered gifts at the Lord’s celebration…”

“Keep it down!”

“…What’s going to happen to us now? What about the Lord?”

“Someone used a Sacred Art at dawn… Didn’t someone use a Sacred Art?”

“They must have. Well, something must have been used for the castle to end up like that!”

“Shh! Shh!”

The terrified people were murmuring with pale faces.

Having seen and heard it directly, fear and confusion were natural consequences.

It was surprising that no crime or riot had occurred in this situation.

I readjusted the sleeping Tete in my arms and carefully placed the limp rag doll inside my jacket pocket.

Like the Divine Beasts, His Majesty Hanan, in particular, was mentally exhausted.

Though he wasn’t experiencing ether depletion like other Holy Knights, he had mentioned wanting to rest for a while.

I decided to help stabilize him instead of Isabel, who was busy watching Rin.

-Squeak

“Oh dear. Is our Captain tired?”

The Demi, looking a little weary, leaned against my ankle.

He was a little one with better stamina than most Holy Knights, but the series of events that had occurred here seemed to be too much for him.

Kind Sir Johann picked up the child (he had been safely found by Jibril Diop).

The other little ones were being carried on the backs of Sant and Gain, respectively.

“…Your leader is safe.”

At that moment, a dignified baritone voice echoed in front of the castle gate.

In an instant, everyone’s gaze focused on him.

Crown Prince Cedric Riester was overseeing them with his fiery crimson eyes.

The man was born with the ability to look like a rightful heir to the throne, even in his ragged state.

The Hyegeom of Mars [a powerful artifact or sword] in his left hand also emitted a noble red light, and on his right stood Duke Diop, with his hands behind his back, like a strategic advisor.

“Maike Lasso, who called himself the Lord and committed tyranny, is no longer in this land.”

“……”

“……”

Thud. Gain, in her disheveled state, approached and stood beside me.

I exchanged a glance with her and then looked back at the crowd gathered like a cloud.

Among the people who were too nervous to even swallow their saliva, familiar and welcome faces came into view.

A group of children who seemed to have come down from the mountains with Francois.

Koby, Frida. And the masked snot-nosed kids whom the two girls were terribly protective of.

Everyone looked very nervous.

Turning my gaze to the gaps on the opposite side, I saw adults with anxious expressions.

“Oh, Lord God. Please…”

“I pray like this. Please save our young master…”

The servants of the Lasso Duchy, who had taken our talking animal friends and fled first.

Fortunately, Arumhardt and the children looked healthy without any injuries.

Seeing Grandpa Dolf, the chief butler, whose hands were covered in wounds, made my nose tingle for no reason.

‘Magna Carta,’ and my mom.

Although the aftermath of the shock that had struck like a tsunami a little while ago still lingered…

“Please save us, please save us…”

“Please save us too, and save our young master…”

“Haa…”

Seeing the real people who were reaching out, I could breathe for a moment.

Knowing that there was a path to move forward, I felt like I could put down the burden on my shoulders and compose myself.

For a while, Gain and I stood leaning on each other.

And Isabel and Gain once again stood shoulder to shoulder, relying on each other.

Francois looked at us with a bitter smile.

“…I am alive.”

And finally, Leopold Lasso walked out from behind us.

The knights of the territory, who had received my orders, moved, carrying the body of the dead Maike Lasso on a stretcher.

Step, step, step. The Duke, who had wiped away his tear stains, straightened his shoulders and revealed himself from the shadows.

The moment those who discovered the man’s large body and familiar face instantly brightened…

“Ah…”

“Good heavens, Lord!”

“It’s the Duke! Our Leopold Duke is alive!”

“The Duke is alive!”

“Waaaaah…!”

It was truly a spectacle.

The clay-like pale faces finally regained their color, broad smiles appeared on their lips, and their eyes turned red and tearful.

‘Yahoo!’ Soon, dozens of people threw their hats and headscarves into the sky.

Startled babies burst into tears but regained stability in their guardians’ arms, and someone shouted with a cracked voice.

People clapped and sobbed, servants hugged each other and cried.

“The Duke has returned! Our Duke has returned from the battlefield!”

“Waaaaah…! Long live Duke Leopold!”

“Long live! Long live, long live!”

The colors of the emotions they felt would be different, and the depth of relief or liberation would also vary—but at this moment, everyone in this place was enjoying the joy.

The sensation that had been pressing down on one side of my chest like a boulder seemed to fade away for a moment.

I finally looked at Duke Lasso with a smiling face. Then, the man, sensing my gaze, also turned to us.

“……”

All the splendid ornaments had disappeared, his clothes were rags, and one of his shoes, with its soles tattered, was eventually lost in the chaos.

The platinum-blond hair, resembling a lion’s mane, was also covered in mud.

“Hahaha. Thank you so much, Angel Gong.”

Yet, his eyes were sparkling with a clear golden light, like heliodor [a type of gemstone].

His face, no longer crying, and his firmly clenched fists were full of will to live.

The arms that hugged the wagging puppies were so generous that they seemed capable of embracing many more people in the future.

…He is the bravest person I know among the royals of the Divine Kingdom.

“You’re welcome, Leopold.”

“That’s awesome!”

Amid the pouring cheers, Rin, who had been quiet all along, suddenly shouted.

We finally burst into laughter.

*

Since then, time flew by in a frenzy, and it was already late afternoon.

-Thud!

“I’m hungry… My strength is draining away.”

-Squeak…

I sprawled out haphazardly in the room that my friends and I would be temporarily staying in.

I somehow managed to wash with soap found in the warehouse and hastily borrowed clothes from the servants.

This was Lasso Territory again.

However, it wasn’t near the completely collapsed main castle or the zoo where the monsters had massively escaped (now that I know the truth, I don’t even want to call it that), but rather a separate building where external guests and servants used to stay.

The current Lasso Territory was literally operating under an ‘emergency operation system.’

Duke Leopold Lasso had painstakingly regained his title and territory, but before that, he was an official prisoner of war of the Riester Empire.

From here, the situation became quite complicated.

The Crown Prince made it clear that he had no intention of permanently depriving him of his rule, but procedurally, the territory had to be supervised by the Imperial Army.

But we were the 33rd Cavalry Regiment, composed of a small elite force.

Our main mission was to secretly infiltrate enemy lines, extract information, and destroy facilities, so we didn’t have the manpower to manage such a vast land.

Perhaps His Majesty the Emperor didn’t even imagine that we would take over an entire territory before crossing the Memphis Mountains.

Because of this, the Crown Prince was putting his head together with Francois and Duke Diop—not physically, Francois looked like he wanted to, but the other royals didn’t like it—and having a serious discussion…

-Thump!

“On top of that, there’s another obstacle, Palace Lord.”

Oh my. I flinched at the pink hair pouring in front of my eyes as I counted on my fingers.

Actually, I should have been more surprised, but I was so hungry that I had no strength left.

Lady Rin Rambuillet was nestled in Gain’s clean arms.

“Uncle Tasty. Hello.”

“Yes, hello Rin.”

“Knights have come from the Rosharther County. The Marquis has temporarily tied them down with a magic formula. But because we have Princess Yiseol and Princess Yiseol on our side, they say we need to talk as soon as possible.”

“Yes, there was that too…”

I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the dryness around them.

For a moment, I thought of my brother, who would be watching me from home.

Jung Hyun-seo might think differently, but I’m still too far from being a ‘protagonist.’

Even if I stay up all night and run around, I’m so tired I could die.

There’s so much to sort out.

…My head feels like it’s going to explode.

“His Highness the Crown Prince seems to be planning to entrust the territory to Marquis Dium.”

“Ah, Sir Johann.”

The Cardinal, who had entered the room silently, was covering his half-wet hair with a towel.

The only reason he wasn’t involved in the current emergency operation system was because of us.

Gain was exhausted, and His Majesty Hanan was resting.

Isabel and I also needed to rest for the time being, and even the Divine Beasts didn’t have much energy.

Someone had to protect us, so he remained by our side as always.

“Once the situation stabilizes and the group recovers their strength, we need to cross the mountains.”

“Is it okay to leave the Marquis, who is a non-combat mage?”

“……”

The Cardinal paused at my words, but didn’t show any further reaction.

He seemed to have noticed that I was slowly starving to death and was looking for something to eat (thank you).

Meanwhile, Sant also washed up and joined us.

“Palace Lord, Palace Lord. Thank you for your hard work.”

“No, Sant. I didn’t do much. It’s just that everyone else…”

I smiled weakly and waved my hand, but he sat next to me with a troubled expression.

He looked like he had something to say.

“Um, earlier, His Majesty Hanan… said that we need to go to the Rose Garden. What should we do about that?”

…Huh?