Extra in a Romance Fantasy

149 – War (6)

“…….”

Feeling the numerous weapons looming over me and the sharp, palpable malice infused with magical energy, I broke into a cold sweat.

It wasn’t that I was scared of them.

What caused this sweat was none other than the situation itself.

‘…What should I do?’

I hadn’t revealed myself in this way in this situation and at this place with any particular thought in mind.

I had heard news of the war and headed to the academy to meet Estelle in order to prevent it.

—

However, no sooner had I taken that step than the news arrived.

The armies of the two empires were advancing toward the Academy.

The moment I heard that news, an ominous premonition flashed through my mind, and I urged myself to move faster.

To not be late. To stop it before it spiraled out of control.

Yet, despite my haste, I was ultimately too late.

For a simple reason.

The location was unfavorable.

Darville and the adjacent forest were situated at the far left edge of the continent, and from there to the Academy, located near the center of the continent, was an immense distance.

No matter how much I had reached the realm of a transcendent warrior, surpassing the typical ten-sword level fighters, I was still human.

I could not cover that distance in an instant.

I ran with all my might, at my best speed, but in the end, I was late.

By the time I arrived in Ferdion, the armies on both sides were already facing each other.

And there, Estelle and Kairn stood opposite one another, ready to pull the bowstring of war at any moment, the atmosphere thick with tension, as if it could explode at any second.

The moment I saw that, I instinctively moved my body to intervene.

It was, quite literally, reflexive.

Before the thought even reached my mind, my body was already in motion.

A gut feeling struck me that if I left it as it was, a war would truly break out.

So, I had to have some concrete plan, right?

My mind was blank, and the view before me was so dark it felt suffocating.

‘What should I do…’

My brain was spinning more fiercely than ever before, yet I couldn’t come up with any viable solution.

It was only natural.

A problem that had eluded resolution for days on end wouldn’t suddenly be solved in this brief moment.

Desperately, I shifted my gaze to scan the surroundings.

The countless soldiers’ eyes directed at me, the weapons they held in their hands.

The tense gazes of the faintly perceivable residents of Ferdion watching this scene.

And then.

Two figures radiating a different presence in this vast plain.

Fiery blonde hair and blue eyes.

The crown prince of Elbrent, Kairn, gazing this way with a face that resembled a work of art, yet was cold and composed.

In such a situation, in such a space, her unreal beauty was enough to draw the gaze of anyone, as if she alone were living in a different world.

The princess of Rainberg, Estelle, stared blankly at the uninvited guest who had intruded unexpectedly, her violet eyes devoid of any emotion.

The moment I laid eyes on Kairn, I instinctively swallowed hard, and the instant my gaze met Estelle’s, I found myself momentarily forgetting the situation, unable to do anything but quietly observe her.

“……”

It was a face I hadn’t seen in a long time.

Simply put, quite a bit of time had passed since I had left the academy in a manner I hadn’t wanted.

Perhaps it was because I was seeing her face after such a long time.

Even though I rarely felt such emotions, a clear sense of joy suddenly surfaced within me.

Yet, in her gaze upon me, there was no trace of emotion.

That was a significant departure from the way she used to look at me.

Of course, it was only natural since she didn’t know my identity.

However, even knowing that, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.

At the same time, I was filled with questions.

Why had she decided on war?

What thoughts had led her to come this far?

I still didn’t know the answers.

In the midst of this, Kairn spoke.

“Who are you?”

His tone was remarkably calm, despite the fact that he couldn’t have anticipated my appearance.

It wasn’t a forced calmness; I felt no tension emanating from Kairn at all.

It wasn’t just because Kairn’s composure was extraordinary.

The gazes of the Elbrent soldiers were mostly directed at me, ready to draw their weapons at any moment.

And there were the cold, sharp eyes surrounding Kairn, presumably from his guards.

Moreover, Kairn was likely adorned with countless artifacts.

In such a situation, there wouldn’t be many who could breach that and harm Kairn.

In fact, it would be safe to say there were almost none.

So, there was a solid basis for that composure.

Well, even considering that, it would be impossible for an ordinary person to remain so unperturbed in such a situation.

…Anyway, that wasn’t what mattered.

“…We must stop.”

I looked directly into Kairyn’s eyes as I spoke.

“What?”

Kairyn replied with an expressionless face.

Facing that chilling gaze, I continued.

“War must not happen.”

Clear and strong.

But.

“War must not happen… right.”

Kairyn repeated my words, muttering them to himself.

Then he asked again.

“Why?”

“…….”

I had somewhat anticipated that Kairyn would react this way.

Therefore, I opened my mouth immediately.

“That’s—”

“Are you going to give the cliché reason that it’s because many people will die?”

“…….”

However, I fell silent at Kairyn’s interruption.

Though there might be nuances in the difference, his words were exactly what I had intended to say.

The reason I wanted to prevent war was not simply because it was the intention of the order.

I stood here because I believed that war itself should not occur.

War creates countless victims.

If it were a war between empires, it would not be an exaggeration to say that corpses would form mountains and blood would create rivers.

Knowing that all too well, I could not stand by and watch war unfold with my eyes wide open.

There were more trivial reasons, but that was the most significant one.

Yet, judging by Kairyn’s reaction, it seemed insufficient to persuade him.

Still, despite being caught off guard, I forced my mouth to move.

I was certain that remaining silent would not lead to a positive outcome.

“…Of course, that is one reason.”

The only fortunate thing is that there are still words left to be spoken.

“War leads only to the destruction of both empires. Even if one side wins, the aftermath will never be smooth.”

There are two empires on the continent.

Rainberg and Elbrent.

The reason these two nations are called empires is that they possess overwhelming national power compared to other countries.

And the reason there are two empires is that the national powers of the two are not significantly different.

If either Rainberg or Elbrent had overwhelmingly superior power, the title of empire would not have been permitted in the first place.

When nations of similar strength go to war, it is fundamentally impossible to achieve a decisive victory without substantial losses.

This case is no different; whether Rainberg or Elbrent wins, both will likely suffer considerable damage.

And if that happens, the future of the surviving empire will surely not be bright.

If one empire falls and the other is severely wounded and falters, those who have been watching the two beasts will begin to lift their heads one by one.

Kingdoms will covet the place of the new empire, and it is likely that such kingdoms will not be limited to just one.

War will break out.

A war to become an empire, to seize the hegemony of the continent.

And in that process, the remaining empire will undoubtedly meet its demise.

Even if it survives by a stroke of luck, its former might will be nowhere to be found.

That future was all too clear to me.

In the end, my words were also counsel for Estelle and Kairn, as well as for Rainberg and Elbrent.

“Indeed. Even if we win the war, the damage will be great.”

For the first time, Kairn nodded in agreement with my words.

However, despite that, my expression did not brighten.

His expression remained cold.

“Yet, I want to ask the opposite. Do I seem like a fool who doesn’t even understand that much?”

“……”

“I’ve known that much all along.”

The prince, who would someday become emperor, continued to speak calmly, his voice imbued with quiet dignity.

“Considering all of that, I stand here having understood it.”

“……”

Thinking back, he was right.

As he said, Kairn and the officials of the empire could not possibly be unaware of this.

As he said, Kairn must have known all of this and stood here, taking it into account.

Estelle, too, said nothing, but her calm gaze was fixed on me.

In essence, it meant she did not deny that opinion either.

“Well, is that all you have to say?”

Kairn asked.

Hearing that question, I found my certainty.

That I could not persuade them with words.

No matter what I said, I could not stop the war.

Thinking that way, I…

“If you have nothing more to say, then…”

Kairn’s words were cut off.

And for the first time, Kairn showed a change in expression, staring at me intently.

It was a natural reaction.

I had just released the magical tool that had been altering my appearance.

My true face was now revealed to the world.

I shifted my gaze.

Past Kairn’s cracked face, towards the person who had been standing quietly beside him.

Estelle was looking this way, her mysterious purple eyes wide open.