Extra in a Romance Fantasy

153 – War (10)

Suddenly, cracks began to appear in large numbers, and from those cracks, monsters started to pour forth.

Those around me reacted with near disbelief at the sight.

The army, which had shown the spirit of a hero in reversal, widened their eyes as they gazed at the emerging monsters.

However.

That was merely a calm reaction.

The residents of Ferdion and those within the academy displayed far more intense responses.

Screams were commonplace, and some even collapsed, their legs giving way beneath them.

It was a natural reaction.

For an ordinary person, simply having a monster appear before them would typically send them into a panic, but the phenomenon unfolding right now was far beyond that level.

It was a sight that could easily be described as a rain of monsters.

If one were to witness such a bizarre spectacle, it would be natural to react in that way.

However, there were exceptions.

“This phenomenon… I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like this either,” Kairn replied.

Estelle and Kairn maintained their composure even in this situation.

While they didn’t appear completely unperturbed, their expressions were remarkably calm.

I, too, was not much different from them in my reaction.

…No, if I were to be precise, my expression might be a bit more rigid compared to theirs.

Of course, it wasn’t fear of the monsters before us that caused this; there was another reason.

“Hm. It’s too bizarre to be merely a coincidence,” Estelle murmured.

“Indeed,” Kairn agreed.

I also silently concurred, though I didn’t voice it.

I had never heard of such a phenomenon either.

Yet, it happened to occur at this very moment.

As if to prevent the military from entering the academy.

It wouldn’t be strange to feel that this series of events was unnatural.

But, after all, it was merely speculation; there was no evidence.

Moreover,

“Well, it doesn’t really matter which way it goes.”

Regardless of the truth, it didn’t hold much significance.

Either way, our task was clear.

That was to deal with these creatures.

A quick glance at the soldiers revealed that they were also regaining their composure and preparing for battle.

In this state, there shouldn’t be any major issues.

Though the monsters before us were numerous, their numbers held little meaning against this many soldiers.

It probably wouldn’t take long for those monsters to be dealt with.

—

It was just the moment to organize my thoughts.

Kugung─

Once again, a tremor occurred.

“Could it be… again?!”

Several people twisted their faces in horror and looked up at the sky.

And then.

As if in response to that expectation.

Cheeok─

Countless cracks appeared in the sky, and a corresponding number of monsters began to pour forth.

At first glance, it could have seemed no different from before, but this time there was a clear distinction.

This time, among the monsters, there were those that looked dangerously ominous at first sight.

“Th-That’s…!”

“Could it be…?”

Most of those on the ground recognized their true nature at once.

“Disaster-class…!”

The fact that these monsters were of disaster-class.

“Insane…!!”

Someone spat out a curse.

It was certainly not the kind of language one would dare to use in the presence of the two would-be emperors, yet no one pointed it out.

For their feelings were no different from his.

“…It seems things are going to get more troublesome than I imagined.”

Kairn muttered, his expression noticeably heavier than before.

Indeed, it was as he said.

The mere number of monsters and the fact that disaster-class ones were mixed in was an entirely different matter.

The difficulty of facing them would vary drastically.

With that many monsters, and the number of disaster-class ones, even a force of this size would have to endure significant losses.

Up to that point, it could be called a major incident.

However, the changes did not end there.

Kugung─

Another tremor resonated.

—

Change had occurred.

If one were to say it was fortunate, it was the fact that another crack had not opened.

So, what had changed?

That was something I could grasp immediately.

“Th-That…!”

It was none other than the center of the Academy.

A mountain towering there.

So large that it could be seen even from outside the Academy, boasting a size that was both impressive and dangerous, with strange phenomena occurring around it, causing no one to approach.

That mountain was showing a bizarre transformation.

Creeeak—

With an unpleasant noise, the mountain began to distort.

No, to be precise, it ‘appeared’ to be distorting.

I realized right away.

What was actually distorting was not the mountain, but the space surrounding it.

Soon, the distortion surrounding the mountain intensified, reaching a point where one could no longer see inside from the outside.

Of course, the change was not limited to the visual aspect.

“The flow of magical energy… has changed.”

Estelle furrowed her delicate brows.

Perhaps, being an exceptional sorceress herself, she had noticed it quickly.

Naturally, I had already sensed it as well.

The flow of magical energy around the mountain and its surroundings, that is, the Academy, had changed drastically.

It was now surging violently, unlike before.

“……”

My expression, which had already been stiff, became even more rigid.

The ominous intuition I had felt earlier had now turned into certainty.

Something unusual was about to happen here.

*

Despite being taken aback by the sudden change, Estelle and Kairn did what needed to be done.

With calm composure, they steadied the shaken soldiers and issued precise commands.

The first thing they directed was to halt and deal with the monsters.

It was simply because the monsters were blocking the path to the Academy, the way inside, but there were other reasons as well.

“I can’t let these creatures run rampant.”

It was because he knew the tragedy that would unfold if they were allowed to rampage without any interference.

If such a number of monsters were unleashed, it wouldn’t take long for the Academy, and indeed all of Ferdion, to turn into hell.

Thus, Estelle and Kairn mobilized the army to ensure the monsters could not escape.

However.

That didn’t mean all personnel were deployed to confront the monsters.

A portion of the forces was set aside to enter the Academy.

“We need to gather the personnel inside the Academy.”

Even though an unfathomable number of troops were engaged with the monsters, they were not suppressing all of them.

While the path leading to Ferdion was perfectly blocked, the sheer number of monsters and the insufficient entry of personnel into the Academy meant that the monsters inside were effectively beyond control.

At this rate, it was obvious that those monsters would roam freely within the Academy, causing disaster.

Before that could happen, it was necessary to rally the personnel inside and protect them from the monsters.

And those gathered would become a force in their own right.

Thus, Estelle and Kairn selected individuals to enter the Academy.

Moreover.

“It seems this is definitely not a coincidence.”

This series of events.

The flow of magical energy had changed, the mountain at the center of the Academy showed noticeable alterations, and monsters began to pour forth like weeds.

It was hard to consider this situation a mere coincidence.

From there, we concluded.

“Perhaps the leader of the cult has done something.”

That was the speculation we put forth.

It was merely circumstantial evidence, but.

The conclusion reached by Kairn, Estelle, and I was the same.

The leader of the cult, or someone of equal standing, must have done something out of desperation.

Furthermore, something was happening on that mountain right now.

It felt like if we left it be, something bad would surely occur.

At the point where our opinions converged.

“I will go.”

I volunteered to enter the mountains.

It was a thoughtless statement, yet it was one I had considered thoroughly before speaking.

Something is definitely happening in those mountains.

If that’s the case, I need to go in, find out what’s going on, and if something suspicious is occurring, I must put a stop to it.

Among us, the person most suited for that role would be me.

Simply put, I would probably be the strongest here.

Of course, it wasn’t that there were no other ten-blade level warriors besides me.

However, their numbers were quite few.

It was because Estelle and Kairn had intentionally excluded such warriors.

Today’s operation was one that absolutely could not leak information outside.

For that reason, the two had mostly excluded ten-blade level warriors from this operation from the start.

Ten-blade level warriors are a significant force even within the vast Empire.

They inevitably held considerable status, and the more prominent they were, the more entangled their interests, making them a high-risk factor.

Of course, there were some among them who were reliable and had a good reputation, and a few did come here, but I couldn’t send them into the mountains.

They had their own duties to attend to.

The Empire’s ten-blade level warriors had to remain here to confront the calamity-level monsters.

With such a number of elite soldiers, they could certainly handle calamity-level threats, but still, having a ten-blade level warrior present made a tremendous difference.

Even knowing that countless sacrifices would arise, I couldn’t place the ten-blade level warriors into a separate unit.

So how should we organize our personnel?

We were in the midst of exchanging various opinions on that.

A question suddenly crossed my mind, and I voiced it immediately.

“…By the way, hasn’t the Swordmaster come?”

The Swordmaster.

The undisputed strongest force of the Elbrent Empire.

Given that the two empires were at war, it was impossible for him to be absent, yet his presence was not felt.

Thus, I asked Kairn.

To that question, he replied indifferently.

“The Swordmaster was excluded from the start.”

Kairn answered without concern.

“He’s always had many suspicious aspects. It wouldn’t be strange at all if he were secretly colluding with some unknown group. Therefore, we didn’t leak any information about the plan to the Swordmaster, and we didn’t bring him along just in case. If my predictions are correct, that old man could become a terrifying dagger above all else.”

“…….”

I was struck by those words.

By Kairn’s insight and judgment.

Without me needing to say anything, he had already recognized the danger posed by the Swordmaster.

“Perhaps the Swordmaster has ties to the Order.”

“Hmm?”

At my words, Kairn’s gaze turned toward me.

Meeting his eyes directly, I continued speaking.

“There must have been a time when rumors of my death circulated while I was being hunted by the Empire.”

“…There was. We couldn’t confirm the body, nor could we ascertain exactly what had happened, but reports indicated a very high probability of your death based on the traces and bloodstains found.”

“At that time, I was truly on the brink of death. In the end, I was lucky to survive, but…”

After taking a breath, I continued.

“The person who drove me to the edge of death back then was none other than the Swordmaster.”

“…I see.”

Kairn nodded quietly.

“I haven’t received any reports regarding him. There’s also no information about the Swordmaster being sighted in that area. However… you have no reason to lie in this situation, and I sense no signs of deceit from you. So…”

He briefly closed his eyes and then opened them, reaching a conclusion.

“It seems that what you said is likely true.”

The Swordmaster is suspicious.

“I’ll handle matters regarding the Swordmaster later.”

“…I appreciate it.”

Thus, the topic of the Swordmaster was put to rest.

It wasn’t an immediate concern.

In any case, the conversation progressed in that manner.

Ultimately, it was decided that I would be the sole member dispatched to the mountain.

The reasoning was that having more people wouldn’t be of much help.

“…Are you sure you’ll be okay alone?”

Estelle asked me, unable to hide her worry.

Seeing her like that, I smiled.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve become quite strong myself.”

It wasn’t a bluff.

The difference in level between the me who left the academy and the me now is enormous, even at a glance.

With the hero’s sword in hand, I was confident I could smash through most problems head-on.

Even Estelle, who was usually so composed, looked at me with momentarily wavering eyes.

“…Alright. If that’s the case, I will trust you.”

In the end, she accepted my opinion.

“…Just don’t die. If you do, I truly won’t forgive you.”

At Estelle’s quietly added words, I hesitated for a moment.

“…I will definitely come back alive.”

I replied in a calm yet heavy voice.

Upon hearing that, Estelle offered a faint smile.

Thus, the conversation came to a close, and it was finally the moment I was about to set off toward the mountains.

“Wait a minute!!”

A loud voice that I couldn’t help but turn my head toward rang out.

Thud!

A rough-looking man appeared with an overwhelming presence.

“…Ah.”

As soon as I saw his face, I recalled the presence I had completely forgotten.

“Hey, you! Slow down a bit!”

It was Ethan, who I had unintentionally left behind in my haste on the way here.