What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 791

Ressentiment (2)

“…We’ve broken everything so thoroughly that there’s nothing left to break. Did the King do this himself?”

Ms. Gain muttered, looking around.

Hugging Tete and Leia, I nodded.

The room where the *tae* [placental remains, considered sacred in some cultures] of the former Venetian kings were enshrined was shaped like a perfect hemisphere, as if half of the moon had been cut off and trapped inside.

And as Cristanner Venetian had explained, a massive ritual circle was inscribed on the circular floor.

It looked like an overwhelmingly large ether circle or an extremely complex magic formula, but what was clear was that it was an ancient spell that none of us could easily interpret.

Dozens of porcelain vessels that had lined the perimeter of the circle were shattered into pieces, making it difficult to guess their original form.

Only the nameplates scattered here and there allowed us to infer that they were containers that had held the *tae* of the former kings.

‘Theo Cornelia Venetian.’

A nameplate shone with a faint, past glory.

“…Even his father’s *tae*…”

-Kkiuuu.

After a long time, Leia buried her face in my chest, terrified.

I patted the divine beast’s back, trying not to look at the corpse lying on the floor.

The one who died alone here was an unfamiliar old woman, and Sir Johann guessed from her attire and the specificity of the scene that she must have been a royal attendant.

The cause of death was clearly excessive bleeding from a stab wound, and he judged that she had not been dead for very long.

I didn’t know exactly what had happened here…

“This one betrayed the King.”

The Crown Prince stated, looking down at the corpse. Our eyes met directly.

“It’s possible she was a stooge of Sneider’s.”

“…If she was someone who served the King closely, she would have lived in the royal castle for quite a long time. She would have had the deep trust of the royal family during that time.”

“That’s why she died like this.”

It was an answer that sounded almost clear-cut.

I somehow nodded and looked around again.

The high ceiling was round like a star chart, and Latin sentences of unknown meaning were engraved around it.

‘AD LUNAM ET ULTRA.’

“‘To the Moon and Beyond.'”

“…”

“How fitting for a cardinal who planned the murder of a Main God,” Sir Johann commented in a cynical voice. I gave a bitter smile.

“That means the core of the summoning circle is definitely hidden here.”

“Just give me three minutes, Palace Lord. I’ll analyze where to hit to break this all apart. Trust my state-of-the-art eyeballs.”

“Thank you.”

While Ms. Gain stared at the circle on the floor without batting an eye, Sir Johann was closely observing the corpse of the old woman.

I kept pouring out ether from my body, while also repeatedly thinking about what I had heard a little while ago.

‘I mean, that’s even more amazing. That the Palace Lord and Prince Yeser are intertwined like twins!’

“…Twins…”

‘【Deeply intertwined by the Gemini bond.】’

That’s right, it was that day.

I suddenly remembered what had happened in the world line.

It was the moment when I won Prince Yeser’s heart, acquired the last purple of the ‘Rainbow Bridge,’ and achieved all the ‘Hidden Quests’ that Jeong Hyun-seo had demanded.

The status window at that time was definitely…

‘【Name: Blessing of the Prince

Classification: ?

Type: ?

Alias: ?’

Details: It is the being that has always protected your breath. Yeser Losna Venetian is deeply intertwined with you by the Gemini bond.】’

At that time, I was too flustered to think deeply about Gemini or anything else.

Rainbow Bridges were pouring down right in front of me, so how could I have had the leisure to focus on each word?

Besides, I wasn’t even a Gemini in the first place.

I was born in February, so I’m an Aquarius, which means Prince Yeser must be a Gemini.

And he and I use the same name…

‘The Prince shares my name…’

‘In other words, he shares it.’

‘Did that affect my worldview?’

‘Yes. I don’t know the exact principle, but names seem to be very important here.’

The violet eyes. The voice that whispered like the spring breeze of the hill was vivid.

‘If I keep you by my side…’

‘Yes?’

I stared blankly at my sweaty palms.

‘How did you know as soon as you saw it, Palace Lord?’

Ms. Gain’s question echoed in my head again.

“…”

That’s right, how did I know? Because it’s a cliché?

Just, it was obvious at a glance that it was a structure that opened when you put your hand on it, and I’m the only one among us with the ‘setting’ to succeed?

‘Maybe it was just a mother’s intuition? The Prince and I have the same voice, too.’

That’s what I answered a little while ago. Yes, the name, environment, age, and even voice were the same.

The person who created the Prince is my mother and brother, so this is not a coincidence but an inevitability.

My eyes turn the same purple as his whenever I use ether, and recently, the time it takes to return to brown is getting longer and longer.

“…”

If so…

-Kuguguung…!

I flinched at the shallow tremor and looked up.

Cedric was looking up at the ceiling, frowning.

It seemed that the battle in the royal castle was intensifying.

Ms. Gain and Sir Johann’s voices came out at the same time.

“Wow, this bastard’s crazy.”

“He planted a strange poison in the blood.”

“Huh? Huh?”

What do you mean, you two? I widened my eyes.

Then, Ms. Gain gestured for her teacher to speak first.

Sir Johann was setting a good example as a respectable adult—though he dangerously tasted someone else’s blood again—his pupils were slightly dilated because of my crown.

“This is the first time I’ve tasted such a poison… Maybe this old woman used her own blood to drive the King mad.”

“…Wait a minute, with Iran fruit? Don’t tell me she planted it in her own body…”

“Yes.”

‘This person’s corpse is proof in itself.’ The Cardinal answered, looking down at the deceased.

A chill ran down my spine. I swallowed hard and turned to Ms. Gain.

In the midst of the subtle vibrations, her eyes were even more serious.

“Bad news number one. The flooring here is all made of Holy Stone.”

“Huh? Holy Stone?”

This was another completely unexpected development. The muscles in Cedric’s jaw tightened.

“…This is going to be troublesome.”

“It’s one hundred percent real. Even the hidden spaces that don’t look like Holy Stone are all Holy Stone. They just covered it with other stones on top.”

“…”

“You can basically think of the foundation of the royal castle as Holy Stone. The thickness must be enormous? Hmm… I’m shocked now too. It’s like stacking several Crown Princes vertically.”

“Wait a minute. Pure Holy Stone is difficult to destroy…”

“It’s definitely not easy. And bad news number two.”

Ms. Gain narrowed her eyes sharply and raised a finger.

Tete wiggled her tail fin anxiously. She was right.

The reason why the Holy Stone bombs on the battlefield could be easily destroyed and explode the special ether contained within was because they were already soaked in the blood of priests.

However, unpolluted Holy Stone is not easy to break.

Unless it’s a very small size like a Holy Stone necklace, if it’s the foundation of such a magnificent royal castle…

“The core of the Main God’s summoning circle… I think it’s Yuri Venetian herself.”

“Did I hear you wrong?”

-Kkit?

I almost jumped up.

No, maybe my legs would have given way and I would have collapsed.

That’s how unrealistic it sounded.

Demi and Peri, who were stuck right behind my ankles, perked up their tails.

Ms. Gain’s watery eyes emitted a mysterious glow, becoming transparent and then deepening repeatedly.

-Kigiiing…

“This isn’t one hundred percent, but it’s about ninety percent certain. But I think it’s right.”

“…”

“There’s an unidentified corpse down there.”

-Kugugugung…!

“Huh?”

“What?”

The explosion outside the royal castle, which rang in the top of my head, sounded like our hearts were falling.

Cedric, Sir Johann, and I simultaneously approached where she was standing and swung our hands around the floor.

Of course, our eyes only saw the black surface.

“…This is already the deepest point of the royal castle, but there’s a corpse even deeper than this?”

Jeong Hyun-seo, what is all this?

“It’s so old that I can only see a skeletal mummy? Just one.”

“A mummy?”

-Kkiek.

Wasn’t it supposed to be over if we just destroyed the summoning circle in the center of the royal castle?

“…But if that’s Yuri Venetian’s remains, honestly, everything surrounding the royal castle makes sense. Don’t you think so too, Palace Lord?”

“Yes?”

Even while Ms. Gain was continuing her sharp reasoning, I was making a stupid expression the whole time.

Perhaps because I had consumed too much ether in a short time, my head was not turning quickly.

Meanwhile, Cedric and Sir Johann exchanged serious glances.

“You see, the reason why special ether can’t be used in the royal castle, the reason why the center of the summoning circle is covered with Holy Stone…”

“Someone foresaw that they would protect her on the Main God’s side.”

The Crown Prince swept back his hair and concluded. I moved my lips in shock.

So, that means…

“…The Holy Knights were designed to protect the Main God, so they made it impossible to use their powers in the royal castle from the beginning, covered it with Holy Stone so that destroying the summoning circle was impossible, and buried her body as the core of the summoning circle? Did I understand correctly?”

“Then it must have been a will that even the later kings could not defy.”

Sir Johann received the words coldly. I turned to him with trembling eyes.

“Unless we completely destroy the royal castle and take out that corpse to cremate it, there is no way to destroy the summoning circle.”

“…So…”

So, that’s why Cristanner smashed this place like this.

I shuddered, looking at the shattered vessels of the former kings.

Only then did I understand why Cedric had been staring at the ceiling for so long.

Looking again, the four sides of the *taesil* [room enshrining the *tae*] were full of sharp knife marks.

Traces that had desperately scratched the surface of the Holy Stone without creating a single deep scratch.

“…In the meantime, someone must have upheld the will of the first king, someone must have been afraid. Someone must have just pretended not to know, and…”

“Most would have used it.”

The Crown Prince’s crimson eyes were boiling coldly.

“There would have been few devices that guaranteed the safety of the royal family as much as blocking the abilities of the Holy Knights.”

“…”

To be honest, a sense of futility washed over me first.

I blinked, letting out something that was neither a sigh nor a hollow laugh.

To summarize the current situation in a word…

“To overturn that damn Main God killing plan, we have no choice but to destroy this entire place.”

“Yes. And take out the corpse buried underneath and burn it.”

‘We might even have to hold a *gut* [Korean shamanic ritual].’ Ms. Gain threw a joke mixed with sincerity.

However, there was no laughter in her voice at all.

There was no conversation between us for a few seconds.

It was only a moment, but everyone needed to prepare for what was about to happen.

“…Then, let’s go out again.”

I opened my mouth calmly.

I kept getting out of breath and feeling a slight dizziness, but that wasn’t important now.

As I had said several times before, I knew very well that our plan would not go as planned.

Then there is no other way.

“Let’s clear out the royal castle and evacuate the people nearby. That’s the first thing we need to do to destroy it.”

*

In Wilhelmina Sneider’s sight, there were two people and one beast that were as annoying as thorns in her eyes.

“Yaaaaaa…!”

“Duke, the rhinoceros unit is ready to be deployed in front!”

“The demon beast assault unit and suicide unit are also ready!”

“…Good work. Thoroughly eliminate those things first.”

Wilhelmina pointed with a soft smile.

Even though she had wiped away Marquis Citron’s blood several times, the Duke’s whole body reeked of blood.

The knights tried their best to manage their expressions and looked in the direction she was pointing.

“Are you kidding me?”

-Urrrrrrung! Kwagagagang…!

“Haaaaap!”

-Ssaek! Kwakwakwakwa!

-Kreureureung!

In the middle of the royal capital that was burning and crumbling, a magician, a swordsman, and a monster were taking down allies as if they were a match for a hundred.

The knights immediately bowed and stepped back.

Now they had no more Cardinal-level Holy Knights to boast of, nor airships capable of mass killings.

However, there were still quite a few useful weapons.

The hand movements to release the reins of the animal units were quick.

It was then.

-Piiiiiiii―♬

“…”

From very far away, something like a flute sound rang out.

It was a beautiful tone that did not suit the battlefield at all.