What Happens When The Second Male Lead Powers Up [EN]: Chapter 891

#891 Faith, Belief, Balance?! (4)

-Thwack!

“Ugh!”

Crash! With the sound of the door slamming shut, I was sprawled out on the floor.

At the same time, someone straddled me and started shaking my shoulders violently.

Ugh, heavy! I can’t see anything, and it’s heavy!

“Oh my god! Honey, honey! Are you really crazy? What are you doing here…!”

-Rustle!

“Gasp!”

Suddenly, the darkness covering my eyes disappeared, and a familiar face popped up!

“Carmel? Is that Carmel?!”

“Honey, you’re really out of your mind, out of your mind! A Cardinal who has unlocked the Crown Ether comes crawling into a room with four Holy Knights?”

‘Get up, quickly!’ The Holy Knight grabbed my arms and pulled me up in a hurry.

Wrapped in a blanket, I stumbled and quickly got up, following her instructions.

The room was as dark as midnight, with not even a single candle lit, and there were no windows with open curtains, so not even moonlight could enter.

Sir Johann, who had thrown me a moment ago—I think he failed to control his strength, because he would never harm me—had already disappeared somewhere.

In the meantime, Prince Yeser, who had come to my side, quickly separated me from Carmel. I crouched behind him, blankly checking the condition of the Divine Beasts.

“Jeongdemi, Jeongperi, are you okay? Did anything happen to you guys?”

-Goo

-Yeah

“That’s a relief, what on earth happened…”.

-Crash!

Flinch! The sound of something like a glass bottle breaking came from outside the door.

Then, thump! Thump! Sounds of something colliding with the floor followed.

I was startled and held the children close, holding my breath.

But after that, for some reason, no other commotion was heard at all.

I put my ear close to the door, but I couldn’t catch any voices of Ms. Gain or Cedrick, or even Sir Johann’s light footsteps.

What the heck? What are they all doing in the living room…

“Huff, whew… Princess, honey!”

“Yes? Did you call me?”

“Really, ugh, I’m dying. Don’t stick to that side… and don’t come over here either. It’s only because it’s me that I’m enduring like this without touching you…”

-Thud!

In the darkness, Carmel was seen sprawled out on the carpeted floor.

I patted Peri’s back, trying to calm my pounding heart.

Now that I looked, Carmel was also very out of breath.

As my eyes got used to the dimness, I could see that her baby hairs were damp with sweat, her tied-up hair was half undone—and her clothes were torn in several places.

In addition, someone small was fast asleep in the middle of the bed, so it seemed that this was Herit’s room.

Before I could ask anything in shock, the Prince spoke first.

“What is going on here?”

“What do you think is going on, Your Highness… I’m trying not to be eaten by the Crown [a powerful artifact], haigo… We’re just exhausting ourselves…”

Having used up all her remaining energy to bring me here, Carmel closed her eyes as she looked up at the ceiling.

Only then did I slowly understand the situation.

I also felt like I knew a little bit why Sir Johann had covered me with a blanket and thrown me into Herit’s room.

Of course, a piece of cloth couldn’t block the flow of Ether [magical energy], but it was possible to completely hide me from the sight of the other Holy Knights.

“So, what exactly do you mean by exhausting your strength…”

“Sparring, sparring…”

Carmel waved her hand as if it was hard even to answer.

Then, she turned her languid gaze to look at us.

Sparring? You’re saying you’re fighting each other to exhaust your strength?

But there’s still no sound outside?

“Once… If even one person sets off a special Ether, it can’t be contained. Why would we want to destroy a perfectly good lodging? Like last time?”

“Ah…”

‘Last time’ probably meant the commotion of the Rambouillet Caravan at the Moreno Caravanserai [a roadside inn].

“Not using Ether… Only with our bodies, only with our bare fists. After putting the child to sleep first. I’m only a priest-level, so my energy ran out early…”

‘Tsk.’ Carmel suddenly smacked her lips and looked at me.

I instinctively flinched.

“But Cornelius doesn’t seem to be greatly affected by the Crown.”

“It seems to be thanks to the fact that he hasn’t awakened for long.”

‘Also, Sir Isel and Sir Zaylstra are by his side,’ the Prince replied gently.

Then Carmel blinked as if in agreement.

“He’s still too young to know the ecstatic taste of the Crown… Tsk.”

“Ugh.”

You’re such a pervert. I frowned and pulled my neck back.

Then the Lesser Pandas took the same action as me and wagged their tails. Right then—

-Thwaaang!

“Hey, Juliette! I know you’re in here! Are you coming out right now?”

“Heeok.”

Javier, no, Jibril Diop, had finally stormed into the next room!

The sound of the fallen door crashing to the floor was vivid.

I put the Divine Beasts down on the floor and quickly exchanged glances with the Prince.

I thought he would guess where we went since we left evidence at the scene, but he didn’t stop there and actually came to arrest us!

-Thud! Thwack, thwack!

“Your Highness, I think we should go back. Since my friends are sparring all night, it seems like it would be a hindrance if I were here right now. Let’s take Herit and leave. If we’re not careful, Duke Diop might get involved and become dangerous—”

-Clang!

“Ugh!”

-Pazzzzz!

No, who’s using electric magic outside the door!

“Jibril, what are you doing!”.

-Bang!

I hurriedly opened the door, worried that my friends would get electrocuted—!

“Keuk, I can’t let go of this!”.

“Oh yeah, you’ve met your match, you little bird, today is the day I’m going to steal your earrings and use them as a toothpick until you die…!”

“Ah…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

-Zzzzzzz…

The moment I came out, I lost my words at the scene I witnessed.

The light from the hallway that came through the empty door frame was illuminating the living room scene squarely.

“…”

Ms. Gain was choking the fallen Duke Diop from behind with all her might.

Cedrick was taking away the Duke’s staff and using his signature magic as it was.

Sir Johann was picking up the fallen door with one hand and was about to shove it into the door frame haphazardly…

Moreover, all three of them had disheveled hair, were barefoot, and no one was wearing decent clothes. They hadn’t eaten or snacked, and there were broken pieces of glasses and bottles everywhere…

“…Isn’t there?”

Haa… I closed and opened my eyes for a moment.

“…Princess, I’m sorry, but I didn’t hear you well just now…”

“Isn’t there a single person cleaning up when the surroundings are in this state!”.

Especially Ms. Gain and Cedrick! Look at the blood dripping from your palms and soles!

“No, wait a minute, that’s, we’re because of the Crown right now…”

“I’ve been trying so hard to understand that until just now! I don’t think this will work. It’s wrong, we need to change our approach altogether. Are you going to be shaken like this every time a Cardinal unlocks the Crown once? Huh? Then, even if another Cardinal uses the Crown instead of me, this situation will occur unconditionally?”

“…Princess.”

“You don’t care even if your body is hurt, you don’t eat, you don’t eat late-night snacks, you don’t drink water, and you don’t wash! Are you just going to put Herit to sleep and keep doing this for days? Are you going to keep doing this in the future?”

“Serenite, let’s go back now…”

“You, you idiot! If you deployed nine magic formulas when I wasn’t there, how exhausted would your body be! No matter how much the Crown has exploded, is it right to abuse yourself like this all the time? You’re even a Crown Prince, do you think it’s desirable to overwork your body like this? I have to use the Crown whenever I need to in the future, are you going to resolve it by grabbing Sir Johann and Ms. Gain by the hair and fighting like this every time?”

“Keok…”

“…”

“…”

The Crown Prince eventually avoided my gaze, and Ms. Gain also gritted her teeth and lowered her eyes.

Sir Johann at the doorway was quietly catching his breath with his white hair hanging down.

Seeing their unusually struggling faces, I felt sincerely sorry and pitiful because I seemed to have spoken too harshly.

But…

“…Everyone, come here.”

…Even so, this method won’t work. Above all, we can’t ‘always’ do this.

It’s too hard and wasteful for everyone. We need to have an advanced barracks.

“Hing, Princess…”

“From now on, endure with mental strength. You guys can do it.”

“Ah… That’s not good.”

“Let go of this and talk…”

“Focus your mind, Ms. Gain.”

While the partners were sighing and washing their faces, I started walking around and lighting small candles (of course, every time I approached, my friends flinched and avoided me).

I know that keeping it dark like this is to block the senses, but because of this, I can’t see the broken pieces and keep getting hurt.

What kind of self-torture is this? Are you going to live like this for the rest of your life?

“You can endure it. You endured it well in the northern part of the Divine Kingdom before. Holy Knights are not beasts.”

“We are beasts…”

-Kkiwoo

I heard Carmel muttering from that room.

Peri seemed to agree, but I stubbornly ignored them and looked back at my friends.

“We met again with difficulty. We don’t have enough time to be happy and plan for the future…”

-Knock knock knock

At that time, someone appeared at the doorway and knocked on the wall.

While I flinched, the Prince blocked my way.

“What’s going on?”

“Your Highness.”

It was Zeromin, the manager of the Gigolt Caravanserai, trying to keep a calm face as usual.

Behind him, four Imperial Knights were standing with fierce eyes.

The manager politely bowed, wiped his bald head with a handkerchief, and spoke.

“Right now, distinguished guests are waiting for you on the first floor of the lodging. Two Cardinal-level priests from the Vatican. According to them…”

“Did they say they came to escort the Pope-to-be?”

The Prince tilted his head and asked back.

The manager seemed a little surprised by his nonchalant reaction, but he quickly managed his expression.

“Yes. They said they came directly to escort Juliette, the Princess of Serenite, who revealed the sacred halo, to the Vatican.”

“I’m not going.”

I immediately gave my answer. Then everyone’s eyes gathered on me.

Among them, Ms. Gain and Cedrick were staring with their eyes wide open.

“Pope? Princess, did you become the Pope overnight? No, are those trash cans going to make you the Pope?”

“That’s what it looks like. Without anyone’s permission.”

“…”

I looked around at my partners and Sir Johann and put strength on my chin.

“The war crime trial has not ended yet, and the Vatican has not finished cleaning up history. So I will never go there of my own will.”

“…Then the Liester Empire must also protect the Princess.”

-Thud!

Cedrick, who threw down his staff, grabbed the hilt of the Hyegeom sword attached to his waist and looked back at Zeromin.

The manager took a step back with a very nervous face.

“Go and tell them.”

“…”

“If you want to take the Princess, go through two Cardinals and a Great Wizard first.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

‘I will obey your orders.’ Zeromin bowed politely and disappeared at a fast pace.

The knights also quickly paid their respects and retreated.

I took a sigh of relief for a moment and hugged the children…

“Ah. Duke Diop, your staff fell over there.”

“Damn it, this carp has to let go of this first before I can pick up my staff!”.

“Heok! Were you still being held?!”.

No wonder it was so quiet! I was surprised and hurriedly released him from Ms. Gain’s arm.

No, I thought he was an 8th-level wizard, so I thought he would come out on his own!

*

The next morning.

-Rustle!

“…I have to go.”

Orelly Boutier, who had checked the letter that had flown in early in the morning, declared.

Frederique, who was being attended by Duke Blanquer, frowned slightly and looked at her.

“Orelly?”

“Yeser, that child, has returned with the moon. That’s why the full moon rose last night. Our children have regained Yeser, Frederique…!”

The Cardinal’s voice was trembling with excitement.

The cherry-colored eyes of the Emperor, who had heard the news, were also wide open.

Orelly busily rang the bell to call other attendants to assist her.

Then she whispered to her partner like this.

“I might lose my child again if I’m not careful. I have to move before that happens.”