What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 788

The Decisive Battle (3)

‘Thump.’

Golden aether poured from the ground to the sky, and my eyes met eyes of a sacred hue.

‘Thump, thump.’

A groan escaped my lips.

-Shhhhhh…

“…Jesse…”

Like sleep talking, a whisper I didn’t even realize I’d made.

‘I have named the baby.’

‘How dare you! How could you even think of naming a direct member of the royal family yourself?’

The laughter of happy days spread through my mind.

The short, precarious moments of joy. A secret blessing no one intended.

‘Jesse.’

Krista Ner Pene Tienne’s precious son.

‘God exists. That is the meaning.’

‘….’

‘The Lord will surely protect this child.’

The only reason she couldn’t close her eyes, even in death.

‘If He truly exists….’

Golden aether wrapped around them both, and Michael looked at the swaddled baby and blessed him.

‘[He will lift Jesse even from the river of death.]’

“Your Majesty!”

Startled, Krista Ner shuddered and woke from her reverie.

Dris, the deputy commander of the Royal Knights, was panting as he blocked her path.

Only then did the noise and darkness of reality rush into her ears like sewage from a drain.

The King blinked, breathing heavily, her breath catching in her throat.

The crimson lanterns filling the night sky were as bright as stars, and not far away, a dragon roared.

The battle between those trying to protect the castle and those trying to conquer it raged in every direction.

Hot blood gushed everywhere, and the screams of agony made her hair stand on end.

The Royal Knights attacking the royal family, the nobles killing the Royal Knights, and….

“We greet Krista Ner, Queen of the Pene Tienne Theocracy. We are envoys from Liester. We state, first and foremost, that we have no intention of destroying the castle or murdering innocent royals!”

Good heavens, even the voice was the same. The King covered her mouth with trembling, bloodied palms.

“Th-that child, that kid….”

Vividly sparkling purple eyes. It’s not a dream.

Beyond Dris’s shoulder, the figures of three unfamiliar men and women were approaching. It wasn’t her dead son’s face, but the sensation of seeing her child again shook Krista Ner’s soul.

Dris, not yet aware of his master’s expression, gripped his twin swords and braced himself.

‘Patrona!’ he shouted at the top of his lungs, and the Royal Knights who followed him rushed forward, weapons in hand.

As if the duels they were engaged in, the walls they were guarding, were no longer important.

As if they had never forgotten what they truly had to protect.

-Sreung!

“We will risk our lives here to protect Her Majesty! Do not let the priest speak the oracle!”

“Yes, Commander!”

The Royal Knights, rushing in, formed a circle around Krista Ner.

Few in number, but all prepared to die.

The young priest seemed momentarily flustered.

His headdress jingled softly, and the pink knight and the black knight guarding him on either side looked equally surprised. The dark-skinned man started to say something, but Commander Dris was one step ahead.

He waved his arms threateningly, preparing to lunge with his sword. A fierce sword aura formed at the tip of the 7th-grade swordsman’s blade.

-Jiiiiing….

“Haaaap!”

-Kagaang!

It was immediately blocked! Dris’s right sword was stopped by a vambrace and couldn’t move forward.

The white hair of the man who had appeared unnoticed slowly scattered before his eyes.

There was no time to check the opponent’s face. The deputy commander was inwardly shocked by the speed, but he didn’t back down.

The moment he swung his left hand to aim for his side, a leg flew in and knocked his sword away, ‘Kagang!’ Then his left leg made a ‘whoosh!’ sound as it flew in with a roundhouse kick!

-Thwack!

“Cough!”

-Thud!

‘Sir Johann!’ The moment the man, Johann, succeeded in striking his temple and grabbed Dris’s neck with his bare hands, the young priest raised his voice and hurried forward.

At the same time, two wings sprouted from his back.

The shocked Royal Knights’ defense faltered.

The King was also startled and looked at the priest.

“Your Majesty, if you wish, I will make a covenant. We truly did not come to destroy Your Majesty’s castle or country!”

-Thang!

The priest stamped the ground with his staff and pleaded earnestly.

Only then, really only then, did the King finally notice the aether temple [a structure that channels and amplifies aether, a magical energy] behind the three men and women.

-Paaaaaa…!

“……”

-Swish, swish, swish…!

A large-scale aether temple, soaring as if to pierce the moon, scattered dazzling light in all directions, like a lighthouse in the royal capital.

It was a disgrace to the royal ancestors that they hadn’t noticed it until now.

A surge of faith and awe sent shivers down her spine. ‘Crack.’ The man called Johann was still gripping the deputy commander’s neck.

The priest continued to look at her and plead.

“I have no excuse for saying presumptuous things, but we have come to save Pene Tienne somehow!”

“……”

“To shatter 유리 [glass in Korean, implying fragility] Pene Tienne’s terrible plan and save this city! This is the truth, without even a sliver of a lie. To do so, Your Majesty’s cooperation is absolutely necessary!”

…What? The King’s eyes widened. The young man looked straight at her.

“Please trust me just once. Just once is enough!”

“……”

Ah… Krista Ner knew that expression so well.

The face that was always resolute and more confident than anyone else.

‘[He will lift Jesse even from the river of death.]’

[…Then I will definitely save your son.]

“……”

Her eyes closed. She dropped the hand holding the sword and let out a sigh like a lament.

-Kagaagang!

“The main castle basement?”

Ga In-ssi suddenly raised her voice. Krista Ner Pene Tienne, who had just cut down someone, nodded.

“The 태 [womb in Korean, implying origin] of the former kings are enshrined there. A huge 식 [ceremony in Korean, implying ritual] is engraved on the floor, so you will recognize it immediately, even without a guide!”

-Ssaeak!

Kwakwakwang—! The King’s sword aura swept away those chasing her, drawing a short, sharp fan shape.

As a result, the beautifully decorated fountains and garden trees of the royal castle collapsed and were destroyed.

The monarch’s face, soaked in sweat, was so gaunt and pale that her cheekbones seemed to protrude.

The trembling arms were moving only with the strength of the bones, and the flesh-colored eyes, soaked in pain, were covered with what might have been tears or blood, and were moist.

Only when my gaze reached that far did I realize that she was slowly suffocating from self-loathing.

“Your Highness, take care of these guys all at once!”

-Ssaek! Kwakwakwakwa…!

“Thank you!”

Everyone who had died by the King’s sword until now were her people.

Beings who deserved her protection in some way.

Clearly, anyone who had turned a sword against the King was a traitor who could not be forgiven, even in death.

However, a leader was someone who was responsible for their perishing lives and had to endure the aftermath.

A person who had to reflect over and over again on the reason why they had betrayed her, and had to spend their entire life fiercely reflecting and being wary.

“Krista Ner, Your Majesty!”

Just as Frederique, Your Majesty, had once condemned Simon de Sarnese.

I don’t think he didn’t know the feeling of being hurt.

“Your Majesty! I will definitely explain it to you later, everything!”

“Haaaah!”

Ugh! I flinched at the momentum of a Royal Knight rushing straight at me. Kuung! Of course, he collided with my sanctuary and couldn’t even approach, and was grabbed by Sir Johann and disappeared from the world.

Krista Ner, who was wielding her sword like crazy, looked at me with a blank look.

Hugging Demi and Tete, I shouted until my throat became hot.

Because there was no other way to reach her in this chaos.

“The circumstances of how I came to borrow Prince Jesse’s body and name, and how he helped me! I will explain everything in detail later, without missing a single thing!”

“……”

“I’m so sorry! I couldn’t protect the Prince!”

Urrreung, Kwagagagang! The sky beyond flashed brightly, and thunder and lightning struck several times.

Finally, Jibril Diop seemed to have begun to face Wilhelmina Schneider.

The King shook off the blood on the sword and turned to look at me.

I guarantee that it is a situation that she cannot understand at all.

Because what I have explained so far is not even a few lines.

‘Since the Prince arrived at the Imperial Palace as a hostage of the Empire, I, not him, have been occupying the Prince’s body.’

‘So everything that has happened to him so far is my responsibility.’

‘The Prince was murdered by Werner Pene Tienne. But he is definitely not completely dead!’

“…How can you say that it is your fault?”

“……”

“Rather, my sin is the heaviest.”

Tteonggeureong! The King, having said that, threw the sword on the floor. The blade was damaged and could no longer be used.

Dris, who was following her, quickly brought one of his swords and offered it.

The Royal Knights who were still alive were rushing in from over there. In terms of numbers, the King’s side was definitely at a disadvantage.

Cedric, who could not use aether, was seen refining his mana again. His gaze, scanning the countless fallen blades, arrowheads, and chains on the floor, was sharp.

Krista Ner took the new weapon, panting, and continued the sentence.

“The original sin belongs to this body and the royal family, so the angel of the Lord does not need to feel guilty.”

“……”

“…You have come to this world to save Jesse, who has been burdened with sin. Is that not so?”

A bitter smile hung on the King’s lips. ‘Waaaaaa…!’ I stared blankly at her, hearing the shouts coming up from the downhill.

I had never thought of it that way, so I felt like I had been hit in the back of the head with something big and hard.

The phoenix wings on my back were fluttering slowly.

Krista Ner changed her posture, rolling the hilt of the sword once in her palm.

Our eyes intertwined for the last time.

“Go. We will block the path to the main castle.”

“……”

“I will definitely survive and pay for my sins.”