Extra in a Romance Fantasy

1 – The Damned Academy

“Be careful with your behavior.”

“I know. Don’t worry too much.”

“And take care of your health. Hard work is important, but nothing is more crucial than your well-being.”

“It’s okay. I’ve always been healthy since I was little, you know?”

A girl, a woman, and a man engage in conversation.

Whether you look at the content of their conversation or their appearance, you can instantly recognize them as a family.

“You always speak well…”

The girl’s face was adorned with a lively smile, but the parents’ faces revealed unmistakable concern.

The gaze of the worried couple, looking at their daughter with concerned eyes, shifted to the side. Standing there was a young man who still had remnants of youthfulness.

“Wade, I’m sorry, but I hope you can pay a little more attention.”

“I know it’s shameless to say this, but…”

“You’re being too much. The young lady will do well even without Wade’s help.”

It wasn’t the boy who received the couple’s words, but the middle-aged man standing next to him.

After saying that, the man turned to the young man called Wade.

“Your actions will also have an impact on the young lady, so you must manage your behavior well. And if the situation arises where the young lady needs help, assist her with enthusiasm.”

Upon hearing the man’s words, the boy hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“…Yes.”

He didn’t seem willing at all. Neither his words nor his expression.

***

“heheheung~”

A high-pitched humming filled my ears.

“…Is it really that good?”

My head was still facing the window, and I didn’t even turn my gaze, but without realizing it, those words slipped out of my mouth because I could easily imagine what the owner of that humming was like.

The others were outside the carriage, so there was no need to use honorifics right now.

From childhood until now. It had always been like this when it was just the two of us.

“Yeah! Of course! Do you know where we’re going right now? Ferdion Academy!”

As if it was obvious, Mary immediately retorted.

Looking at her quietly from the corner of my eye, I quickly turned my head to look out the window.

“Wade, aren’t you happy? You’re becoming a student of Ferdion Academy, after all.”

“Not really.”

I don’t care about being happy. If I could, I would get rid of it right away.

Oh, that damn academy.

If my life becomes twisted, if I can’t live and die by my own will, it’s probably because of the academy. I can be sure of that.

“Wade, sometimes I can’t understand what you’re thinking.”

Mary shook her head exasperatedly.

Looking at it objectively, there probably wouldn’t be many people in the world who would dislike his actions due to his exceptional looks, but his face didn’t look particularly charming to me.

Of course, it’s because of him that I ended up being dragged into this mess.

“…Sigh.”

Because I couldn’t help but think about it and couldn’t do anything about it, I let out a sigh and turned my head back to the window.

Ignoring my troubled mind, the carriage continued to run, and after passing several double-digit days, we finally reached our destination.

“Wade! Look over there! The Academy is in sight!”

Mary’s energetic voice made me lean my head out of the carriage window and look ahead.

There, towering mountains and massive walls came into view.

That was the city surrounding Ferdion Academy and the Academy itself.

It was the main stage of the novel.

“Excuse me… You may enter.”

With the fast confirmation of our identification papers, we were finally able to cross the gate.

Normally, passing through security isn’t this easy.

Rather, the security check at the Academy is quite strict.

But we were an exception to that.

“Well then, Miss, we will take our leave now.”

Not far away, there were the knight Carson and the maid Del who came along as our escorts.

“Ah, thank you for everything. Let’s meet again during the break. Have a safe journey back.”

Mary bid farewell to them with a smile tinged with a little disappointment and loneliness.

They must return as it is not allowed to have escorts inside the Academy.

“Wade, take good care of the Miss.”

After the farewell, Carson turned to me and said with a steady gaze.

“Yes.”

I obediently nodded and lowered my head.

Carson has been a knight serving the Blunoa family for a long time.

Because of that, we have been close since I was young.

So, one can say that he trusts and entrusts me in his own way.

Although it’s not exactly pleasant from my perspective.

Anyway, after Carson and Del left, we stepped into the Academy.

“The Academy’s security is indeed strict.”

Mary commented shortly after passing through the main gate.

As it was said, the security at the entrance gate of the academy was so strict that the term “formidable” seemed fitting.

Both in terms of the number of security guards and their level.

Moreover, the unseen defenses were also quite substantial, so it could be said that the security of the academy was excessively rigid.

“…At least on the surface.”

Although it appeared as impenetrable as a fortress, the security and defenses of the academy had fatal weaknesses, making the reality less secure than it seemed.

In fact, several, well, actually, most of the incidents in the original work were a result of these vulnerabilities.

Well, knowing that doesn’t grant the ability or the will to improve it.

“Wow… that mountain always looks so huge.”

I raised my head at Mary’s following words.

Behind the information desk directly in front of us, a towering mountain came into view.

The academy was built around that massive mountain, and this place, Ferdion, was constructed around the academy.

The academy, despite being an educational institution, occupied a vast area. Even just considering the fact that transportation within it was done by surface trains rather than on foot would give you an idea of its vastness.

Well, as a student, I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

“Anyway… we should probably get dormitory guidance, right?”

“That’s why we came.”

Today is not the day of enrollment yet.

There are still a few days left until enrollment. Coming to the academy on the day of enrollment wouldn’t be a problem, but it would be inconvenient to organize our belongings, and we would be caught up in various schedules, so we decided to organize our things in the dormitory first.

“Well… should we stop by the information desk first?”

“It shouldn’t matter. Or we can just grab someone and ask.”

There should be a bulletin board or something with a map inside if we look around.

It doesn’t matter which way we choose. We have plenty of time.

“Well… it’s probably better to go to the information desk.”

With that conclusion, we moved.

The information desk itself wasn’t far from the entrance, so it didn’t take long, and after receiving directions from the staff, we headed to the tram that would take us to the dormitory.

After waiting for a while there, the tram entered the track.

“It’s amazing that something this large moves on its own. Magic is truly fascinating.”

Machinery powered by magic, well, unless you’re stuck in the countryside, it’s everywhere.

But there are probably not many places on the continent where trams exist.

For Mary, seeing a tram was only the second time since the entrance exam, so it’s not unreasonable for her to find it fascinating.

If I were to speak, I felt a longing rather than curiosity.

Although the appearance and power may be different, it was similar to the objects I saw when I was on Earth.

After surrendering to the old longing and the sway of the tram for a while, we arrived at the designated platform.

And we continued walking in the same direction…but nothing happened.

“We have to part here for a moment.”

“…..”

As soon as Mary heard my words, her face frowned.

With her mouth sticking out, it was obviously an expression of dissatisfaction.

“Why are you insisting on going to a different dormitory…?”

“That conversation is already over.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“Even if you say that, it won’t change.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah.”

“…Tch.”

I expected this, but it seemed that Mary hadn’t given up yet.

Even though we had been discussing this matter for several months.

Well, even at this point, I could change if I wanted to.

Of course, I have no intention of doing so.

There are various types of dormitories in the Academy.

If you go into detail, it’s quite complicated, but in summary, they can be classified as four-person rooms, two-person rooms, and one-person rooms. Mary’s dormitory naturally belongs to the one-person room, like other nobles.

And the dormitory I will be living in is a two-person room.

Mary wanted me to share the same dormitory as her, but I refused.

There are two main reasons for this.

The first is the cost.

A one-person room is basically quite expensive. Most commoners can’t afford it.

Even though a two-person room is still relatively expensive, it was quite cheap for me because I am a commoner and I received a significant reduction in tuition and dormitory fees due to my decent grades.

Since the benefits do not apply to a one-person room, if I were to use a one-person room, I would have to pay that expensive amount, which would be an impossible task for our ordinary commoner family to afford.

“Cost is something you don’t need to worry about…”

Mary grumbled as if she didn’t like it.

Well, in reality, as Mary mentioned, the cost is probably not a significant issue.

Originally, I didn’t want to come to the academy, and I ended up here somewhat forcibly by Mary’s will.

If I had wanted a single room, Brunoa would probably have covered the cost.

Although the cost of a single room is high, for a proper noble family, it’s not a burdensome amount.

So, the issue of cost is practically an excuse.

The reason I reluctantly share a dorm with Mary is the second reason.

The second reason…

“I can’t just let chance take its course.”

I am originally a character that shouldn’t appear in the novel.

If such a person unnecessarily hangs around Mary, who knows what variables could arise.

Moreover, considering Mary’s reputation, even if we’re childhood friends, having a guy always by her side wouldn’t be very helpful.

For these reasons, I intended to keep a distance from Mary within the academy.

Of course, I wouldn’t tell her that.

“Well, let’s catch up later here.”

After giving a light smile to the still chubby-looking Mary, I began to walk towards the dormitory.