Extra in a Romance Fantasy

12 – Regret

“Ugh…!”

Feeling pain coursing through my entire body, I grimaced and stood tall.

“Seems like success has found its way.”

Honestly, there was no certainty.

Entering this dungeon wasn’t described in the original work.

But I knew for sure.

Why Professor Patrick said entry was practically impossible.

With no information, I couldn’t gauge how much I’d need to pull on my powers to protect myself and leap in. Even with my magic focused solely on defense, my body was a mess. I knew I could shield myself from blades if I concentrated, yet here I was, a wreck.

“Well, I did prepare extensively.”

If I’d relied solely on my own strength, I might not have made it inside alive.

Luckily, getting Alexis’ cooperation turned out to be a stroke of luck.

“Are you… out of your mind?”

That was Alexis’ reaction when I explained my plan.

A reasonable reaction, I think. Essentially, I was explaining a long-winded way of saying I was about to commit suicide.

But in the end, after my persuasion that there was no other way, Alexis agreed to my request.

They put all their power into creating a magical shield.

And that wasn’t all.

As I was about to turn away after finishing up, Alexis grabbed my arm and handed me something precious—a ring, visibly expensive at first glance.

“It’s an item carried for emergencies. A ring made by a great sorcerer long ago, holding the power to protect the wearer’s body.”

To me, ignorant in this regard, it seemed like a valuable item, but Alexis insisted that if I was going to do this, I needed to be as prepared as possible, and so, resolutely passed the ring to me.

Ultimately, their judgment was right. Thanks to them, I minimized the damage and entered the dungeon unscathed. Without this ring, it would’ve been touch and go.

“…Well, not exactly unscathed.”

To call it unscathed would be a stretch—the state of my body wasn’t exactly ideal.

My clothes were torn in various places long before, and there was considerable pain coursing through my entire body.

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Thankfully, nothing seemed broken, but it felt like it would be hard to summon any energy from my body.

But I guess this is as good as it gets.

Thinking so, I felt a renewed sense of gratitude towards Alexis.

This favor would definitely be repaid.

“I’ll have to praise Alexis to Mary.”

Other than that, there’s no other way to repay them.

I have no ability to repay in material things, and to begin with, Alexis doesn’t particularly need anything.

Perhaps trivial, but Alexis would probably be more pleased with this than anything else.

Of course, that’s after everything has been resolved without a hitch.

I steeled my resolve and surveyed the interior.

“…It’s altered.”

The inside of Kang Lecture Hall was distinctly different from its original state.

Not everything had changed, but there was an overall sense of darkened hues, unlike the usual. A weighty, somber atmosphere had settled, different from the usual lively ambiance.

Perhaps not only in atmosphere but also in structure, there had been changes.

Such mentions were present in the novel as well.

“Mary… should be fine for now.”

Even if Alexis wasn’t around, Cedric would be by her side.

So, she shouldn’t be in immediate danger.

Though I couldn’t help but worry about Mary’s safety, I decided not to go out of my way to find her. The situation was urgent now.

If I’m lucky, I might encounter her on the way to Aila.

“Sigh…”

After taking a deep breath, I extended my foot.

I hurriedly moved my feet.

The situation was already quite delayed, and there was no leisure to walk slowly.

Running through a dungeon with unknown structure and conditions is akin to suicide, but it’s not the time to be picky.

Of course, such actions inevitably come with risks.

Clang—

The sound of metal colliding reached my ears.

And immediately, I drew my sword.

Because I knew the cause of the sound.

Sure enough, before long, a figure appeared in front of me.

Well, calling it a figure might not be appropriate.

If I were to be specific, it might be more fitting to call it a doll or puppet.

A living, moving presence with only armor, devoid of a person inside. That would be the right way to describe it.

It was a magical creature known as “Living Armor.”

The scene didn’t evoke disgust like a rat man creature would, but it was a peculiar sight, strange enough to feel eerie when encountered alone in a dark alley.

It was my first time witnessing it directly, but I remained unfazed knowing that a Living Armor was about to appear.

Clank—

There it was, a Living Armor right before my eyes.

Whether it recognized me or not, it raised the sword in its hand with a dignified posture, ready to face me.

Even as I observed its stance, I didn’t slow down.

Swiftly, the gap between it and me closed, and soon, we were at a distance where the sword could touch me.

Whoosh!

It swung the sword with considerable force.

However, in that very moment, I had already passed by its side.

Tick!

With a light sound that could be described as metal piercing metal, the armor split apart on both sides.

And it moved no more.

“Well, that should do…”

Having assessed the armor’s toughness in the previous fight, I fine-tuned the stamina and magic power to be used when facing the Living Armor.

Considering the future, it was crucial to efficiently utilize resources.

Meanwhile, my legs didn’t stop moving.

Hoping I wasn’t too late, I continued to run forward.

***

How did it come to this?

Resenting my body for not moving as I wished, I pondered on such thoughts.

It all began not long after the tournament had ended.

It was an ordinary day.

Attending classes as usual, engaging in routine training.

On such an ordinary day, a voice echoed.

“Are you going to stay still like this?”

It was a voice I hadn’t heard before.

And it was a peculiar voice.

It sounded like a man, like a woman, like an adult, yet at the same time, it had the innocence of a child.

Upon hearing the voice for the first time, I looked around, trying to locate its owner.

However, no matter how much she looked around, there was no one who seemed plausible.

– You know, things won’t change like this.

Even though it seemed certain, that peculiar voice continued.

There was no certainty, but at that moment called “child,” she felt a sense of unease in the voice.

In such a case, it would be good to talk to someone for advice.

With that thought, she took steps towards the professor.

– You want to defeat Cedric Allenheart, don’t you?

At that moment, a single phrase uttered by the voice made her stop in her tracks.

– You want to defeat Cedric and surprise everyone.

In response, she felt a deepening sense of amusement in the voice.

– You want to escape from the cold gazes people send your way?

Ignoring and moving on would be the right thing to do, but she couldn’t easily detach herself from the steps called “child.”

She had confidence in herself that she couldn’t refute the voice.

In the recent tournament final, she had lost to Cedric.

Some might say that being the runner-up is impressive, but she didn’t think so.

The years she had lived dedicating everything to the sword as the daughter of a great knight, the past life she had lived without knowing defeat, were screaming in agony.

Eyes that she had never seen before, a gaze that determined her limits as if it were nothing.

People tarnishing even her father’s reputation were grumbling.

And the cold gaze that looked down on her defeated self.

All of it was gnawing at her heart.

– If you try, you might be able to win, you know? With your strength, you can’t beat Cedric.

“….”

She couldn’t immediately refute the voice of the child.

No, she wanted to shout that it’s not true, that if she works hard and hones her skills, she can win. However, she couldn’t.

Because she knew.

Cedric Allenheart’s skills.

His talent.

The final, acclaimed as a high-level match, was different in reality.

She had given her all, but she knew. Cedric hadn’t given his all.

Nevertheless, she lost.

Against an opponent whose sincerity was questionable, she met defeat.

Cedric Allenheart, acknowledged as a disciple of the Black Sword and an undisputed prodigy.

As fellow swordsmen, sharing the same battlefield and being first-year students, it was impossible not to be aware of his existence.

Many had been curious from the early days of the semester about who was superior between her and Cedric, and she was well aware of this fact.

If there were no ambitions, it would be a lie.

The desire to defeat Cedric and become the best was undoubtedly present in her heart.

And finally, the day of their duel arrived.

With tension came the anticipation that moved through her body.

However, that anticipation was soon brutally shattered.

Cedric Allenheart was stronger than she had imagined.

Even in defeat, she, as a child, did not give up.

She thought that with more effort, with more honing of her sword, she could win.

She believed in herself and in her father’s swordsmanship.

Conveniently, an appropriate stage was set: the tournament.

There, she vowed that she would undoubtedly defeat him.

She made that pledge.

However.

The outcome did not change.

Instead, she suffered an even greater defeat.

It doesn’t end here.

There’s always next time.

If she tried harder, she could win next time.

She kept repeating those words to herself, but negative thoughts began to sprout in her mind one by one.

Will effort, enthusiasm, really be enough to beat him?

Perhaps she could never win, even if she spent her whole life trying.

Try as she might to ignore it, those dark thoughts clung to her like a swamp around her ankles.

Maybe that’s why she couldn’t turn away from the voice.

– I’ll help you.

The voice whispered again.

– I’ll give you strength. The strength to defeat Cedric.

Subtly and sweetly, the voice drew nearer.

At some point, Ira found herself leaning into that voice.

“Alright, I will.”

Satisfaction resonated in her response.

When she regained consciousness, she found herself in an unfamiliar place. It seemed like the academy’s building, yet the interior emitted an eerie atmosphere, and there she stood.

Despite feeling uncertain, attempting to move to grasp the situation proved futile.

“You’re awake.”

The voice echoed once again.

“It would have been better if you had stayed asleep.”

However, the tone had shifted from when she first heard it. To put it plainly, it felt somber and sinister.

Ira realized she held a sword she had never seen before in her life.

A pitch-black sword, too grotesque to be simply called a blade, with veins resembling sickening tendrils protruding from its surface.

The voice was coming from there.

Instinctively, Ira understood.

Everything had unfolded because of that voice.

And there was something unsettling the voice was orchestrating.

Only then did Ira regret her foolishness.

She should not have hesitated. She shouldn’t have lent an ear to that voice.

She should have sought help immediately.

But it was a regret that came too late.

“You’ve finally arrived.”

At that moment, someone entered the room.

Two students.

One male, one female.

The man at the forefront was a familiar face.

“…Ira Librion.”

Cedric Allenheart.

He appeared.

– Watch silently. Witness the unfolding spectacle of your revenge.

‘Please… someone……’

Waiting for help that would never come, he could only watch helplessly as the scene unfolded before him.

Reflecting on his own foolishness.