What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 798

The Death of the Novel (2)

The knight sitting next to the aide was praying, his face a mask barely concealing his tears.

I stared blankly for a moment, then snapped my head down, focusing on the faint strength I felt in my fingertips.

“Cough…”

Ah.

“Soon, the war will be over, Your Highness. You don’t have to fight anymore.”

“…”

“Once this battle is over, you can go see Cornelli.”

Her blue gaze, smudged with mud, searched my expression as if lost.

Elise couldn’t have failed to hear the commotion outside or the conversation that had just taken place.

She seemed to want to glean information from me.

But I wanted to tell her only good things.

Even if she criticized me for telling obvious lies, I just wanted to do that. No matter what.

“Yes, Empress Christiana is safe and sound. When I last saw her, she wasn’t seriously injured, and she was leading the royal family and nobles of the Theocracy against the Sneider forces.”

“…”

“So you’ll be able to see her again. Don’t worry too much.”

I hadn’t done anything right, but my throat kept tightening, making it hard to speak clearly.

Still, I wanted to choose and tell her only the easiest things to hear.

Then Elise looked up at me, her face pale.

Even as fresh blood trickled from her blood-caked chin, her gaze, which seemed to see right through my shallow lies, remained unwavering.

Like the day she said goodbye to me and left the Imperial Palace.

“Ma, Mak…”

“Mak? Are you talking about Mak?”

“O…”

Barely, really barely, she dragged the word from her mouth.

I desperately traced the Crown Princess’s lip movements, trying to guess what she was trying to say.

Only after repeating her words several times could I finally understand.

“A hut, a hut? Are you talking about a hut?”

“She said a hut…”

Then the Count’s aide quickly wrote down the Crown Princess’s words.

Immediately, a chilling sensation ran down my spine like a snake and wrapped around my ankles.

Only then did I realize what he had been doing all along.

As a scribe, he was recording a page of history.

“Hut…”

…The death of the Venetian Crown Princess.

“Why are you looking for a hut? Does Your Highness also have a safe house in the capital? Or…”

But I bit my lip and immediately focused on the present.

It was certainly not a sin for the scribe to do his job. It wasn’t his fault, nor was it negligence.

The man was just someone struggling to fulfill his duty, even in this place.

Just like the Theocracy knight next to him, who had been constantly offering prayers for Elise for a while now.

Count Diefuhr, representing the Imperial Army, as my escort….

“Yesuh…”

“…”

And as the notary of the Crown Princess’s will, accompanying us.

Everything was so natural. Except for Elise.

“…Prince Yesuh and the hut?”

As I asked the question, a scene suddenly flashed in my mind.

I regard such moments as both a blessing and a curse.

‘If I ever go on a trip with Cornelli, I think it would be nice to stay in a small hut.’

“…The Prince said that to me too…”

At that time, definitely, on the hill. In the world line.

I smiled bitterly and grabbed Elise’s hand.

The fingers, which had become so cold they were starting to freeze, were heartbreaking, and my eyes grew hot.

Why doesn’t my healing circle listen to me at a time like this? Why is my ether becoming more and more blocked, unable to reach Elise, why… Why did she have to end up like this?

All the circumstances were frustrating and infuriating, and my throat kept constricting. It was just too hard to breathe.

‘I’ll do the housework, and that child will fish in the lake…’

“…The Prince said that. You do the housework in a small hut, and Cornelli fishes in the lake…”

Still, I had to speak. I had to do it as much as I could.

‘I hope you can catch monster fish for us. Just like you did on the way here.’

‘…Yes. That would be really fun.’

“He said you should catch monster fish for us.”

“…”

“A small house for the three of you… Is that what you’re talking about?”

“Kuluk…”

“You had such a wish. It sounds like so much fun.”

Although there was no voice, tears were welling up in her deep blue eyes.

It was clear that the heat in her body had disappeared, leaving no energy to evaporate the tears.

Even as I recognized that fact, I smiled foolishly.

Like I was experiencing something wonderful. Like a very happy person.

“Now, how many fish will Cornelli, who is water attribute… catch? Maybe she’ll beat Your Highness. Right?”

“…”

Then, subtly, very subtly, the corners of her lips moved.

It was a smile as she remembered her younger siblings.

With a trembling jaw, I confessed to Elise.

“…I deceived Your Highness. I’m sorry.”

“…”

“…I kept pretending to be your younger sibling. Even in the Imperial Palace, even in the Imperial Palace, I reassured Your Highness with lies, and I lied until the end. I’m so sorry.”

“…”

Then, I brought my red-hot forehead to the back of her hand.

My nose was blocked and my lips were trembling, so every word I uttered was a mess.

Before I knew it, Tete in my arms was crying.

Since my friends weren’t around, the approaching moment was even more scary and frightening, and my whole body was trembling. Still….

Still, there was something I had to say.

“But I’ll make you meet again…”

Because I promised him.

“Your younger siblings, I, I’ll make you meet again. Please…”

“Hic…”

Then, with a shallow groan, cold fingertips touched me.

I slowly raised my eyes and looked at Elise. The movement of the carriage felt particularly distant.

The war outside the window and the purple smoke all faded and blurred like things from another world.

“…”

As she stroked my wet cheeks, she slowly moved her lips.

‘…Thank you.’

“Our Yesuh…”

“…”

With a sigh-like whisper, the last strand of warmth that had been reflected in her pupils flew away.

Then her bloody hand fell to the floor of the carriage.

Lies.

“Ah…”

New tears poured down.

“No, no, please, Your Highness, Your Highness…”

“…At 6:59 a.m. Venetian time on March 23, 1615 of the Holy Calendar, Her Highness Elise Venetian, Crown Princess of the Theocracy, passed away.”

The aide, who had checked his pocket watch, said in a somber voice.

While he closed the Crown Princess’s eyes, the young knight knelt on the floor and began to sob.

I couldn’t even bring myself to grab Elise’s hand, face, or shoulder, and bent over.

I could do it when she was breathing, but now I couldn’t, like a lie.

I was too afraid that I would confirm her death with my senses.

I could say anything when she responded to me, but now I couldn’t say anything.

I was afraid that everything would become a belated lie.

“No, no… No…”

-Awoo, awoo, awoo…

Hugging Tete, who was crying so hard she was out of breath, I suppressed the emotions and sounds that were boiling up.

My heart was pounding as if it would explode, pressing down on all the organs in my stomach. Thump, thump….

“Huff, no…”

I had a feeling that this might be dangerous. Right then.

-Squeak!

-Crack crack crack…!

“Oh, Lord!”

“Uhhh…!”

As soon as the cargo carriage suddenly stopped, the ceiling of the car made a loud noise as if it were a box lid and fell off with a crack.

Hugging the baby, I hurriedly covered Elise’s body.

Soon, a translucent shadow flickered over us.

-Nice to see you, little moon is still here!

“…”

And without any warning, clear and large eyes looked into me.

My mind went blank for a moment.

“…Spirit?”

Thump, thump, thump….

“Wait, how is the Spirit here… No.”

I hurriedly looked around at Elise. The dazzling golden spear was in the carriage with us.

So now, the divine objects in the capital are, the air attribute Backdraft Spear, the water attribute Blessing of the Azure Sea, the fire attribute Sword of the Blazing Star and the Heart of the Black Dragon….

-I’ve come to take the seed to hold in the empty seed.

-Poor thing… You’ve carried all the ancient karma on this small body.

…And the earth attribute Spirit of Iran.

All four powers of the Lord have gathered. The Spirit’s warm gaze was looking at Elise.

-You don’t have to do that anymore.

“No, no, the summoning circle…”

-Kooong!

Blink!

At that moment, the earth shook and the whole world turned pitch black like a basement with the fluorescent lights turned off, then it brightened up.

I blinked, not understanding what had just happened.

I hurriedly looked around, and the others had dazed expressions as well.

In that very moment, the world’s lights went out again.

-Thump!

Blink!

“Uh… ?”

“Lord, just now…”

-Thump! Thump!

Blink blink!

“What is this…”

The battlefield outside the window, which had been irregular in its own way, was now completely chaotic.

People’s screams were mixed with shock, and the beasts’ cries were mixed with bewilderment.

I could tell instinctively.

This was a disaster that had nothing to do with the existence of the moon or the sun.

The lights flickered faster and faster….

-Thump thump thump thump! Thump thump thump thump!

Blink blink blink blink! Blink blink blink blink!

“Kyaaaa!”

“Aaaah, the Lord is angry! The Lord is angry…!”

-Thump thump thump thump thump thump! Thump thump thump thump thump thump!

“Aaaaaaack!”

“Hide! Hide now!”

Blink blink blink blink blink blink! Blink blink blink blink blink blink!

Every time it repeated, Elise in front of me, the people, the Spirit, the carriage….

-Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump!

Blink blink blink blink blink blink blink blink!

“Aaaaaaaaack…!”

“What the heck! What should I do!”

“Ugh, kkeuaaaaack!”

I realized that the whole world was gradually fading away. Everyone’s outlines, colors, mass….

Fading and blurring like flying illustrations.

-Thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump thump!

Blink blink blink blink blink blink blink blink blink blink!

“Uhhh, what should I do nowww!”

“No way, no way, how…”

Like a madman, I grabbed Elise’s hand first and tried to protect her body, but my fingers were almost transparent and invisible.

I almost stopped breathing for a moment.

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*

“Heoooook!”

I could breathe again!

“Huff, cough, huff, huff…”

Coughing as I breathed heavily while lying on the empty floor, I felt a sense of dread and hurriedly raised my upper body to check my arms.

Fortunately, the baby divine beast was fast asleep.

Seeing her eyes swollen from crying so much gave me a strange sense of relief and reality.

I hurriedly rubbed my wet face with my sleeve.

“Haa…”

…A little while ago, the Lord’s summoning circle was activated. No matter how I looked at it, it must have been.

Then I had to postpone the tears for now. Thoughts about Elise too, for now.

“Hoo, cough cough…”

【Oh dear. What to do, crying so much.】

Pause.

【…You must have been very sad. I cried a lot too while watching.】

“…”

In my heart….

【I didn’t know it would turn out like that, but then again, I guess it was meant to be. It’s really too bad… So pitiful.】

It felt like goosebumps were rising on the outer shell of my heart.

I creaked my head up and met her eyes, which were as high as the sky.

“…”

…A familiar voice like a habit.

A face I see every day and am tired of.

【Hi, Little Brother.】

It was Jung Eunseo.