Leave the Villainous Second Male Lead Alone - Chapter 4.1 (VOLUME 2)

Bro,

How are you doing? I’ve been worried about your health.

We’ve arrived at the port, and by the time you get this letter, I’ll probably already be at sea.

The sea, which I saw for the first time, is much wider and more beautiful than I imagined. Under the sunlight, it glistens in a bright blue hue, and at sunset, it turns into an endless expanse of deep black water. The salty wind blows from all directions. It would have been nice to see it with you.

Training will begin soon. The higher-ups were pleased to learn that we know how to use swords. I thought we’d start with rowing, but thanks to our skills, we went straight into combat training.

I’m doing well, so don’t worry about me. I’ll write to you again soon.

With love,

C.

Bro,

It’s already been over two years since I left home. I’m sorry for not keeping in touch for so long. After a long voyage, I’ve finally returned to port.

During a patrol in the inland sea, we encountered pirates. It wasn’t a large-scale attack, but we had a tough time dealing with the pirate captain. Thankfully, A and I worked together and managed to capture them.

Because of this, we were promoted. K, on the other hand, is now grumbling endlessly about having to work under A and me. He’s been making a fuss, saying he’ll make a name for himself no matter where he goes.

Tomorrow, I’ll set sail again. It might be a while before I can contact you next.

Don’t overwork yourself—you need to stay healthy too.

Don’t get sick.

C.

Bro,

I’m sure you’ve heard about the recent large-scale naval battle with the Eastern Continent. Our fleet participated and achieved significant results. K finally got the promotion he’s been chasing, but since A brought back the enemy captain’s head, A earned an even bigger promotion and is now K’s superior again.

During this battle, I successfully carried out an operation and was appointed as an officer. On my next voyage, I’ll take command of one of our fleet’s ships. It’s unprecedented for someone to lead a fleet ship at the age of 16. I wish you could have attended the appointment ceremony.

Brother, the situation on the Eastern Continent seems volatile. Their defeat in the naval battle has caused instability, and the empire appears to be on the brink of a civil war. Since the Inner Sea borders the Eastern Continent, you should avoid this area—it’s far too dangerous right now.

Please stay careful, always.

C.

Eti,

I recently turned 18. Now that I’m an adult, I’m officially qualified to command a fleet, and I’ll soon be appointed as an admiral. Most of my duties will involve battles in the inland sea near the Eastern Continent.

There’s something I haven’t told you yet.

After leaving home, I started dreaming again. In my dream, the trade with the Eastern Continent was severely disrupted, worsening your situation. The chaos in the Eastern Continent is becoming more serious by the day, so it would be wise to avoid any business related to that region.

Take care of yourself, Eti.

C.

I know you’re more interested in North Sea trade than the Inner Sea, especially with your work developing Blast Port on the North Sea coast. However, I have a feeling things won’t go as planned. In the past, everything else unfolded as I dreamt, but anything related to you was always wrong. I hope this time is no different, but I can’t help feeling anxious.

Always be cautious and take care of your health. Stay in safe places, no matter what.

Sending love,

C.

It has been seven years since Callisto left the Count’s family. I turned twenty-five this year, and Callisto just turned twenty. In all that time, I haven’t seen him even once. The only proof of his well-being came through brief letters, arriving once or twice a year.

Even those stopped two years ago. The last letter I received said he had been appointed as an admiral. Since then, there’s been no word from Callisto. These past two years have been filled with endless anxiety, waiting for news of him. The story seems to have returned to its original flow, so logically, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. Yet, I can’t shake off the feeling that something might have happened.

Rumor has it that Callisto has started dreaming of the future again. This makes sense, considering that the future, which had strayed significantly from the original storyline, is now realigning with its intended course.

By now, they should have returned to the empire.

I gazed out the window, lost in thought.

In The Prince’s Sword, Callisto returns to the empire after earning the rank of naval admiral and achieving glory in battles against the Eastern Continent. His return marks the beginning of a rebellion. Landing in the local territories, he gathers a rebel army from his battle-hardened comrades, builds his influence, and marches toward the imperial capital. The rebellion’s ultimate goal is full-scale revenge against the imperial family.

But almost two years have passed, and there is still no news of Callisto raising a rebellion.

“Is the original plot going off track again?”

There were reasons to suspect so.

In the original story, as the rebellion grew stronger and gained unstoppable momentum, Callisto’s name became infamous. This directly worsened the situation for the Winyates family, as the Count and Etienne faced increased scrutiny due to their connection to Callisto.

Given that Callisto has started dreaming of the future again, he must be aware of the consequences. Knowing him, he wouldn’t recklessly raise a rebellion just to avenge himself on the empress and Roen or to claim the crown prince’s title.

“Then where on earth are you now?”

I let out a deep sigh. There was no way to calm my growing unease.

“Young master, Lord Armagnac has arrived,” Cliff announced, interrupting my thoughts.

I nodded quickly. “Tell him to come in right away.”

“Yes, young master.”

Shortly after, Lawrence entered with a bright expression and greeted me warmly.

“Etienne, it’s been a while. How have you been?”

At twenty-two, Lawrence had grown taller, now half a hand taller than me. He had matured into a striking young man, with warm brown eyes and soft brown hair.

However, there was still no sign of his manifestation. In the original story, he was ultimately classified as a beta. Now that he’d been an adult for quite some time, it seemed unlikely he would ever manifest. Yet, he still hadn’t given up hope.

“Yeah, come in. How was the pilgrimage to the shrine? Did everything go well?”

“It was uneventful, as always,” Lawrence replied. “Nothing worth noting happened.”

“Still, it seemed to take longer than usual. Normally, it takes a month or two, but this time, wasn’t it closer to half a year?”

I cautiously asked, watching Lawrence’s reaction closely. This was the very reason I had been waiting for his visit.

In the original story, Lawrence, while touring the territories of the Duke of Armagnac, encounters Callisto during a skirmish between rebels and the imperial army. Severely injured in the clash, Lawrence is saved by Callisto, who then keeps him captive under the guise of a prisoner. During their time together, the two fall in love.

Yet, despite having returned from his travels, Lawrence made no mention of Callisto.

“I ran into some bandits on my way back and got injured,” he said. “It took longer because I had to rest and recover.”

“What? You got hurt? Was it serious? …What happened to the rioters?”

I felt a pang of guilt for being more interested in the news about the rioters than Lawrence’s injury, but I couldn’t help it. Fortunately, Lawrence didn’t seem to mind. He simply shrugged, brushing off my concern as if it were no big deal.

“They weren’t even rioters, really. Just starving poor people who attacked the wagon with sickles. There was even a mother carrying her nursing baby. We subdued them on the spot.”

“Ah… really?” I murmured, feeling a wave of worry. “The local situation is worse than I thought.”

It wasn’t the news about Callisto I had been hoping for, but it was still an important issue. Lawrence nodded, continuing in a matter-of-fact tone.

“The famine is dragging on. The coastal areas of the Inner Sea are overrun with pirates who have moved inland and are rampaging through the region.”

“That’s terrible,” I said quietly. “The situation really isn’t good.”

Since coming of age and starting to participate in politics, Lawrence seemed to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He spoke for a long time about the issues troubling him, while I sank into a brief moment of contemplation.

Lawrence being injured during his territory inspection aligned with the original story, but the circumstances differed. In the original, the starving poor had welcomed Callisto’s rebels and supported them. This time, however, the poor had taken up sickles themselves, becoming rioters.

If Callisto’s rebels hadn’t formed yet, it meant he likely hadn’t moved inland.

Where could he be? Has something happened to him?

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