What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 856

The Sub-Male Lead Goes on Strike – Episode 856 (856/920)

Do What You Can’t If You Can’t Do What You Can (6)

“Wait a minute, that guy is an ‘Alchemist’? Could it be the one we saw back then…?”

Gain frowned as she packed her bags at the inn.

Prince Yeser fed a carrot to Arnhardt and nodded casually.

The villagers were now too busy cursing the dragged-in old woman to even glance at the moon hunting party.

The desert, where the sun slowly began to rise, turned bluish.

“It seems that his ancestors have lived in Gigolt for generations. However, that old woman has been scamming people under the name of ‘Alchemist’ for a long time, causing significant damage to the village for decades, and was banished from here a long time ago.”

“Hah…”

Gain sighed, checking Doria’s saddlebags.

Naturally, the old shack in the desert that she had seen before arriving at Gigolt Village came to mind.

‘Do what you can’t if you can’t do what you can!

The home of a genius alchemist.’

Ugh, no wonder it reeked of a cult… That was him.

It wasn’t surprising.

How many people who call themselves geniuses actually are?

“So, did you talk to the Imperial Army? How did you let him in? He should have been on the watch list all year round.”

The prince fluttered his eyelashes as if embarrassed.

It was the typical face of someone who heard such an absurd story that laughter came before words.

Just then, Zibril Diop, who had been talking to an Imperial Army knight, strode over.

“Tunnel.”

“Huh?”

What tunnel? Gain, who was handing Heirit a frozen strawberry, looked puzzled.

“The abandoned house we saw on the way. It seems they dug a tunnel from there to get in. They found a hole big enough for one person to pass through on the north side of the village.”

“No… Isn’t the culprit an old man? What kind of stamina…? That house looked barely big enough for one person to live in, and he dug a tunnel from there? Alone?”

“Banishment from a desert village is like a death sentence. There’s no way anyone would have helped him with such a crazy scheme.”

“Wow, a solo tunnel… In the desert? Wow…”

‘Respect. I need to keep my muscles in shape until I’m 100.’ Gain clicked her tongue and sincerely admired him.

Prince Yeser ended up laughing out loud at her down-to-earth reaction. However, the peace of the group was only for them.

Heirit, holding the prince’s hand, had been watching the culprit who appeared in front of the residents since earlier, and the divine beasts were the same.

The wren sitting on the boy’s shoulder was also aiming at the con artist old woman with sharp eyes.

The people of Gigolt Village were stunned after hearing the Imperial Army’s announcement about the ‘tunnel’.

“Oh, my god! Please just lock him up somewhere!”

“Aren’t the knights from the Liester Empire! Can’t you just take that old woman to the Imperial prison?”

“Isn’t this attempted murder? Huh?”

“If it were wartime, we would have disposed of him according to His Majesty the Emperor’s decree.”

At the familiar voice, my eyes naturally moved.

It was the picky knight who had blocked the group at the checkpoint.

Gain finally looked closely at the old woman as she listened to his explanation. Hmm…

“In fact, during the war, our forces wiped out numerous desert bandits and criminal groups in various regions, including Gigolt, and sent the criminals to various garrison camps or portal construction sites to work. But the current Imperial Army after the war is closer to a peacekeeping force. We want to minimize the gap in the Papal States’ forces…”

“……”

The old woman with the round hat had bushy white curly hair down to her waist, and the clothes she wore in layers looked quite expensive for someone living in a dilapidated house.

The beast fur around her collar was high-quality at a glance, and although her two hands, tied tightly with vines, were covered in dirt, she had jade rings on her fingers.

There were three black dots in a row under one eye, making it a hard impression to forget.

“Huh…”

Also, she seemed too relaxed for someone who had committed a great crime.

Of course, she flinched when the residents showed hostility towards her, but when the surroundings calmed down due to the knight’s remarks, she even smirked and looked around.

She seemed especially eager to check the place where she had detonated the explosives.

Ugh…

“She just seems like a real madman…”

-Kking…

“Then please make him work for the Imperial Army! Please!”

“Gigolt is a big city! It’s the only village in the neutral zone that’s called a city, knights. How can we have such a criminal lurking in such a place?”

“We banished her to die, but she won’t die. Who would have thought she was a crazy bloodline!”

The residents raised their voices and shouted.

Originally, various ethnic minorities who spoke different languages lived mixed in the desert, so everyone’s appearance and attire were diverse, but seeing them all united in asking for the criminal to disappear… well…

“A con artist achieves national unity. You’ve accomplished a great task. If Hanan was here, she would have given you a medal, right?”

Gain muttered and slipped a rag doll out of her bag.

The prince was now wiping away tears and laughing.

The paladin’s nonchalant words seemed to suit his taste perfectly.

I smiled back because I liked his face, but suddenly…

‘Hey, people live the same everywhere. There are so many scammers in this neighborhood that if you catch them a few more times, you’ll get a medal.’

…Huh? An overly familiar voice echoed in my head.

It was Gain’s own voice, not anyone else’s.

Light blue eyes blinked, groping for a moment in the past. Wait, wait…

‘I recently caught a criminal with them. Was it an alchemist?’

‘Alchemist? That’s news to me. Sounds like fun.’

“…Alchemist. That kid definitely had an alchemist…”

…That’s right, I’ve met myself from another world before.

There, ‘Ham Gain’ said that she had caught a con artist alchemist.

“Listen! I admit that I am a criminal. I also admit that I have caused great harm to everyone. But!”

At that moment, the old woman in question raised her voice. The group was surprised and looked up.

Her voice sounded thirty years younger than her appearance!

“But, that but! I’m so sick of it! When did you say you were going to the Imperial City to make and sell gold, but you’re still in the desert?!”

“That’s right! I remember too!”

“Ah, the Emperor of the Empire closed all the borders because a heinous criminal came out, or a spy or something! So I had no choice but to return to my hometown!”

The con artist old woman retorted at the residents’ anger.

Surprised Pongdu took a step back.

Zibril stroked his beloved horse’s nose and glared at the old man.

If it was the time when the story of the heinous criminal and spy came out, it must have been…

“Duke Simon de Sarnese’s case.”

A dark, low voice like a sunspot flowed from over his shoulder.

Gain and Zibril were startled and turned around at the same time.

“Ah, you’re here now? You worked hard to catch the criminal in the early morning.”

“…Good job.”

The Crown Prince returned Gain’s greeting to Heirit.

The boy, who had made a great contribution to suppressing the fire, smiled slightly, enjoying his touch.

The Crown Prince’s gaze briefly reached the old woman and returned.

“…It seems he tried to enter the country illegally around the time the Duke framed Marquis Serenite.”

“……”

“Leave this to the Imperial Knights and let’s leave.”

He said seriously.

It was hard to believe that he was the swordsman who had found the old man with a terrifying force last night and overwhelmed him with a single blow.

Gain nodded and suddenly realized.

‘Serenite’.

…Ugh!

“Your Highness! Your memory is back! You’ve almost regained it, right now?”

“Not until I get Juliet back.”

He answered sharply, raising his dark eyelashes.

“I can’t say I’ve regained anything.”

“Ah, my ancestors are buried in this land!”

“Hic!”

‘Oh my!’ Gain hugged Heirit, who was clinging to her waist, and glared at the old woman.

The con artist was raising her voice, tangled in thorny vines—or perhaps she was crazy enough to have lost her sense of pain—.

“Listen carefully, residents! ‘Ether’! Since ancient times, when very powerful ether gathers in one place, amazing things happen. If desperate hearts are attached to it, miraculous phenomena occur!”

“That, that! It’s starting again!”

“Please shut that old woman’s mouth, knights!”

『I am a descendant of Count Ralph Gigolt! Our ancestors’ ashes are buried here!』

“Ah, I don’t know what it means anymore.”

Once again, the time when the language was understood was over.

The Imperial Army knights sighed as if the ground was sinking and snapped their fingers to call a sign language interpreter.

The residents couldn’t control their bursting anger and poured out curses in all sorts of foreign languages.

‘Tsk.’ Gain, who was slowly getting used to these changes, smacked her lips and looked down at Heirit.

The child was still watching the old woman with a serious face.

『The saying that even the Count’s ashes are not left is a lie! His remains! If we can find the ashes of the person who drank holy water and died, we can do anything!』

“Hey, shut up. From now on, the interpreter will…”

『Make gold from sand, revive the dead! If we can find the remains buried somewhere in Gigolt Village! All the miracles of the continent will become ordinary and not even miracles!』

“Ahem!”

The Imperial Army knight, unable to listen any longer, shouted and shut the old woman’s mouth.

Heirit and Demi opened their mouths wide and listened attentively before flinching.

Then, Prince Yeser patted the child’s back and whispered.

“Let’s go, Heirit. Demi.”

“……”

“You got good information.”

The purple eyes that looked up sparkled mysteriously.

The child swallowed hard and nodded.

-Clatter, clatter, clatter…

“……”

After a while, several Imperial Army knights escorted the moon hunting party, leaving to the outside of the village.

Heirit, sitting in the front seat of the prince, couldn’t take his eyes off the shadow of Gigolt until the very end.

Stubborn’s black bean eyes sparkled like broken pieces of the universe.

*

It was already May.

“Jeong-ae, you’re going to see Mom tomorrow, right?”

“…Huh? That’s right. We booked it this week.”

It was Labor Day, so our company was closed, and ‘Canaria’, the content platform where my brother serialized two web novels, was also closed today (although that didn’t mean my brother was taking a break).

I decided to volunteer at the abandoned dog shelter for the first time in a long time and was packing a lunch box.

I don’t know how grateful I am that Sir Johan is accompanying me.

Actually, I get a little lost every time I go… Well, I can find my destination somehow because I have a map app.

Still, if I go with a new friend, the shelter director will be happy too.

“Jeong Eun-seo is also going to the hospital with me tomorrow. She has something to talk to Mom about.”

My brother, who was making coffee next to me, said suddenly. I tilted my head.

“Huh? Then what about Seoul Grandma and Grandpa?”

“They’re going with Aunt later. The members change from time to time.”

“Okay. That’s good too.”

Well, Mom’s expression brightens the most when the three of us go together.

I smiled faintly and carefully put the last strawberry sandwich into the lunch box.

Five per person should be enough.

Sir Johan also eats quite well, so should I change the menu to cucumber sandwiches and pack two more boxes? I bought new cream cheese too.

He’s washing up, so it’s a little hard to go and ask, right?

-KakaoTalk!

While I was lost in ordinary and trivial worries, the phone screen on the counter lit up.

I rolled my eyes diligently while taking out a cucumber from the refrigerator.

‘Oppa’ [Older brother]

‘About what I asked you a few days ago’

‘I talked to friends who are also digging into Toegye [A prominent Korean Confucian scholar] and they said that they don’t dream well anymore’

‘Hing…ㅜ’ [Sound of whining]

……

‘Definitely in the beginning, they dreamed the same things as me and remembered them clearly’

‘Now it seems that more than half of them don’t remember at allㅠ I don’t know what happened’

‘I’m sorry…ㅠㅠ’

‘(Emoji)’

“…Why are you sorry.”

I wiped my forehead once with my rolled-up sleeves and chuckled. It’s okay.

“…It’ll be okay.”

Really. Someday.

I hope so.