What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 877

The Sub-Male Lead Goes on Strike (11)

Yes. Overly familiar….

—Saaaaah…!

“Damn it, you can really see the bone fragments!”

—Kyah!

“Hahahahaha…!”

—‘Color’.

“It’s so, so good…. Oh my god, it’s so good…. My love, it’s so good…!”

—Kugugung, kurururung…!

“Hey, we need to check if the remains are cursed, so step back!”

—Zhiiiing!

In a black and white world, the only light that Gain could see.

—Gugugugu…!

“Good heavens….”

Watery eyes blinked blankly.

—Weoooong!

—Papapapap…!

—Saaaah….

It was ‘that ether’—the faint power of the Sacred Disk—scattering golden light from beneath the old woman’s pupils, surging.

As the dawn air, unable to withstand the powerful energy of the spirit, stirred up a sandstorm, the awakened desert land trembled and groaned.

Jibril Diop’s shouts could be heard from not far away, but Gain couldn’t immediately understand what he was saying.

Cedric Liester, who witnessed the same scene as her, also had his gaze fixed on one spot.

Soon, despite the magician’s dissuasion, the old woman stubbornly dragged her shackles towards the pit, threw off her hat like a madwoman, and began to dance, waving her arms.

The handcuffs on her emaciated hands clattered loudly.

—A child growing old without facing death….

“Oasis, caravan, hippopotamus, all gather in An Oecumene [a term for a known or inhabited area]. Red sand, mirage, ostrich, all gather by the Wiinite River♬”

—Poor thing, all your bloodline is buried here.

Divine power pitied her and bloomed chrysanthemums.

The old woman’s eyeballs gleamed with a clear golden light.

“What is so good, our mother is good.

What is so joyful, our fields are joyful.

What is so pretty, our camel is pretty.

What do you miss so much, we, we miss our desert….”

‘Count Giegolt created this place about 600 years ago. It was almost 400 years after Unio fell.’

Johann Haines’ voice echoed in the minds of the two men and women simultaneously.

A severe headache made it feel as if their skulls would split in two.

Now the paladins see the same miracle.

‘He was a noble from the New Kingdom of a minority group, and he always longed for the desert. There’s a legend that his ancestors also longed for Unio during their lives.’

‘According to the literature, Giegolt gradually lost his reason from the time he came to the desert and built the caravanserai. He couldn’t sleep day or night and sang ancient hymns or danced incomprehensible dances.’

Sant’s explanation from some time ago followed. Gain looked at Anpeta and muttered.

“That person, he really was a descendant of Ralph Giegolt….”

“Where did you draw during the day, the eyebrows of the Lord. Where will it settle at night, the tears of the Lord….”

The old man’s golden eyes rolled clearly, busily counting the desert, the earth, and the soil.

The songs and lyrics were so chaotically mixed that it was not easy to understand their meaning even though the language was understandable.

‘Iyak!’ Finally, Anpeta rushed into the pit like a desert wanderer who had found water.

Surprised, Cornelise clung to her brother’s arm.

Just as Sir Martier Zeelstra stepped forward to control the old woman, another person grabbed the priest’s shoulder and stopped him. It was Karme, the earth-attribute paladin.

“Priest, leave her alone!”

“Let go of me, what are you doing…!”

“I feel a terrifying ether from that old woman! It’s a power that can’t be suppressed carelessly, so be careful!”

“……What?”

In the gap where the surprised Martier paused, the old woman began to jump around among the old bones that the spirit had found.

Beneath the ruins of the collapsed huts were the bodies of those who had been buried long ago without even a plausible coffin.

Before they knew it, the wind subsided and the dawn was catching its breath in red light.

Jibril finally removed the magic circle and raised his voice.

“They’re all ordinary bones! There’s no curse or spell. There must be at least a dozen of them. By the way, shouldn’t we pull that old woman out?”

“Here, here must be our grandmother. This must be our grandmother, huh…. Great-grandmother, it’s been a while.”

“They are all descendants of Count Ralph Giegolt. The old woman is the same! Look at that person’s eyes, Zevi! That alchemist has some of the power that resided in the Sacred Disk!”

“What?!”

The shocked man’s face crumpled.

Then, Cornelise, who was sweating, whispered something to Isel.

The young priest immediately asked Gain.

“Sir Rambuillet, the paladin princess says she has never felt the old woman’s ether. How can she possess such power without being a priest?”

“That is….”

The cardinal paused for a moment.

In an instant, clues flashed through his mind simultaneously.

‘Aunt Chris. That old woman looks like me.’

…An old man who resembles a boy.

‘Usually, she hardly sleeps.’

‘I once asked her. Why don’t you sleep so much and wander around day and night? Then she said.’

An old woman who doesn’t sleep.

‘When I was young, I slept too much…. Now I’m tired of it and can’t sleep.’

A girl who was a sleepyhead.

‘I can say for sure, betting on my 150 years of alchemist life. Holy water! The purest crystal of ether!’

‘That miraculous divine substance remains somewhere in the desert, I swear.’

Perhaps, perhaps she has lived alone for 150 years….

‘—A child growing old without facing death.’

…One who cannot enjoy the end even if they want it.

The desert alchemist who gained eternal life.

“……Divine Symptom [a condition where an individual exhibits unusual abilities or traits due to an excess of divine energy].”

Flinch. That word flowed from Cedric’s lips, not Gain’s.

The man’s cold gaze was fixed on the old woman rejoicing in the middle of the grave.

His pale face turned even whiter.

Anpeta constantly stroked the skulls with her wrinkled hands and looked at the grave goods pouring out of the sand crevices with a very moved face, welcoming them.

“This! This, grandma! Isn’t this our great-grandmother’s bracelet? Huh?”

“Clearly there is a problem with that person’s vessel [a metaphor for one’s capacity to hold power or energy]. The vessel is too thin, or….”

“Too thick. Oh my god…. That person was a Divine Symptom patient. The vessel is so thick that we couldn’t detect the small amount of ether hidden inside!”

Gain rubbed her forehead and spat out sentences like a machine gun.

With the conviction that all the puzzles had finally been put together, a thrilling sensation ran from head to toe.

At the same time, her teacher’s voice lingered around her ears like a clue.

‘Giegolt came to desire the Pope’s power.’

‘If he could possess the most sacred and supreme ether on the continent, he believed that he could restore the glory of the ancient desert.’

‘There is a record that he drank holy water.’

“Wow, damn it…. Longevity….”

You shouldn’t swear when the kids are listening, Gain Ham.

‘According to the Vatican records, the Count burned to death on the spot. Not even ashes remained where he stood.’

“Wait a minute, it was recorded that Count Giegolt drank holy water and burned to death on the spot. It was definitely said that not even ashes remained…?”

“He was also a Divine Symptom patient.”

The Crown Prince turned to her and pointed out sharply. Gain’s mouth dropped open. Crazy, goosebumps…!

“He was a powerful noble enough to build a planned city with the permission of the King and the Pope. He wouldn’t have suffered from Divine Symptom without medicine.”

“Crazy! That’s really it! A Divine Symptom patient born with an abnormally thick vessel drank a sip of holy water and disappeared without a trace, so of course everyone thought he died without a trace, but….”

“What, he survived.”

Jibril gestured towards the old man and took the words.

The excited Gain almost put Tete’s swaddling strap in her mouth.

Ah, so this is what it feels like, that’s why the Palace Lord often ate Demi’s tail—!

“He was a sinner who secretly entered the sanctuary and even drank holy water, so even if he survived, he had to pretend to be dead. So from then on, he disappeared completely, took only his close family and lived in hiding…!”

“Who is this again? Oh my! It’s my aunt who used to peel off monster hides for me when I was a kid! Oh, you’re still beautiful. Your hands and feet are as sharp as knives!”

“Then we should assume that Divine Symptom is hereditary.”

“Perhaps not only Divine Symptom but also madness! No, of course, in that person’s case….”

Gain suddenly lowered her gaze and looked at the old man.

Then, Herit, who was closely observing Anpeta next to her, also looked up at her.

Because the four divine objects were gathered in one place and emitting power, the boy’s whole body was cold.

The knight of water embraced the child of wind.

“Grandfather, grandfather. It’s me…. Your granddaughter has come. Looking at the gold-plated tobacco pipe, it’s definitely our grandfather, what. You’re being stingy….”

“…….”

The old man’s tone was watery.

The spirit, who had been silently watching, gently filled the grave with flowers.

Gain whispered in a voice that could barely be heard.

“……Even if the family has suffered from Divine Symptom for generations and it has become difficult to obtain medicine due to poverty, they often die early, but they didn’t die. No, to be exact, they couldn’t die. The ether in their body inherited from their ancestors….”

“……Has kept that person alive for 150 years.”

‘Tsk.’ The magician clicked his tongue.

The divine beasts circled around the paladins’ feet as if waiting for a decision.

Martier, Karme, Cornelise, and Isel also finally understood the old man’s tragedy and quietly calmed down.

The three doves sat huddled together, listening to Anpeta’s monologue.

“Great-granddaughter, no, great-great-granddaughter, please say hello once. That’s right…. I’ll bring you all back to life now. I’ll save everyone, right! Where did you hide the precious ether here?”

“…….”

The old woman shook the skeleton’s hand to say hello, stroked the shinbone, and continued to talk.

She looked at each grave good and listed the stories related to it.

Only her old memories would know whether it was true or false.

“If we find the ether, if we find it, then we’ll live together again. Of course. Sometimes we fight, play, and share delicious things…. Hehehe.”

The old man was constantly crying. But she no longer looked lonely.

“Anpeta, Anpeta. A-N-P-E-T-A, Anpeta. Antepa is our mother’s name. A-N-T-E-P-A. Are you remembering now? Hehe….”

“……The way to release that person’s curse is, coincidentally, the same as our only answer.”

At that time, Yeseo Venetian, who had led the group here, said in a voice as cold as the moonlight.

Gain blinked and turned to him.

“If we can help exhaust the ether remaining in the old woman’s vessel, the poor soul will finally be free.”

“…….”

“Unfortunately, it seems that she never knew it her whole life….”

A dry wind blew, scattering the man’s blond hair.

Cornelise leaned against her brother’s leg, barely breathing heavily.

The old woman’s voice sounded as pitiful as a child’s whining.

“Mom, I miss Mom. I don’t know where Mom is buried. Grandma, where did you bury our Mom? Why didn’t you tell me….”

“……Anpeta is a name that mixes the letters of Pátĕna [likely a reference to a deity or significant figure].”

He concluded the sentence like that.

Gain sighed as if in pain.

Cedric silently went to the bottom of the pit to take the old woman.

*

Bang!

“Heok—!”

I woke up abruptly like someone who had a nightmare.

As if I had been chased by someone in my dream, I was out of breath, and my back was also wet.

But I couldn’t remember anything.

It wasn’t like I had Eliser’s dream like last time or the day before.

It didn’t seem like I accidentally wrote all our family information in a fanfic and my company colleagues found out my secrets, or there were a lot of malicious comments, or I was going back to the army….

“Hoo, ha….”

I swept my hair back with my hands, which had suddenly turned cold, and drank the water I had placed on the bedside table.

Then I slowly picked up my phone and checked the time.

‘Friday, May 22nd

04:44AM’

“……It’s almost five o’clock.”

I can sleep a little more.

That was actually the second thought that came to mind, but I decided not to say the first thought that came to mind.

There’s no need to do that.

“…….”

Just in case, I glanced down at Sir Johann under the bed.

He was fast asleep like a princess in a fairy tale.

I’m glad it doesn’t seem like he woke up because of me.

“……Nothing will happen….”

Really, nothing will happen to my friends.

I muttered those words like a spell and fell asleep again.

And when morning came, I completely forgot about what happened at dawn.