Extra in a Romance Fantasy

11 – Variables, and Resolution

“Hey, not just the top of the first-year combat class, but the runner-up as well.”

Jack’s remark came after watching the match.

“Both of them are remarkable!”

“At that age, it would probably be hard to find someone at that level even if you searched the Wolfen Kingdom.”

Mary and Alexis nodded in agreement.

Most opinions were likely to align with that sentiment.

The duel between Cedric and Ira was undoubtedly on a different level compared to what other students had shown so far.

It was almost hard to believe they were first-years.

Nevertheless.

There was still a winner, and a loser emerged.

“Ira is strong too… but still, she can’t beat Cedric.”

“Who can? The gap doesn’t seem like it’ll easily narrow. Isn’t Cedric going to be the top until graduation?”

Words casually thrown comparing winners and losers.

And the gazes directed at the loser.

“……”

I couldn’t fathom how the protagonist felt under those gazes.

I, I didn’t know.

***

The grand event called the tournament had ended, and normalcy returned to the academy.

But I knew. That normalcy would soon shatter once again.

‘Just one week left.’

Exactly one week later, an incident would shatter this routine.

Well, it’s not something I need to worry about.

In the original, Mary and her party resolved things safely, and the situation was well handled.

Being an entity that didn’t exist in the original actually helps by not interfering.

So, I can carry on with this routine without worry.

With that thought in mind, I was on my way to the next lecture.

“Hmm?”

I felt a sense of disorder in the surroundings.

Students chatting among themselves was common, but there was an unmistakable feeling of more commotion than usual.

I wondered what might be happening.

I looked around with a puzzled expression.

“Hey! Wade…!”

At that moment, Jack came running, urgently calling my name.

The expression on his face was genuinely shaken, unlike his usual demeanor.

“Your lady is trapped in a dungeonized building…!”

“…What?”

Is this for real?

“Building 2 has turned into a dungeon now, and your lady was there!”

The moment I heard that, I was already sprinting.

“Hey, wait, man, let’s go together!”

I sensed Jack hurriedly following behind me, but I didn’t slow down.

The second lecture hall was fortunately not far from where I was, so there was no need to take the tram.

Even as I hurried along, I tried to grasp the situation.

There was only one suspicious corner in the dungeonization of the second lecture hall.

But the time for the incident to originally occur was not now.

A sense of something bad happening crept over me.

The sense of urgency whipped my legs, and before long, I arrived in front of the second lecture hall.

Rumbling sounds—

Whether they had gathered upon hearing the news, there were many people gathered in front of the second lecture hall.

And yet, the second lecture hall itself.

‘…Dungeonization.’

The distinctive ripple symbolizing dungeonization enveloped the entire lecture hall.

As I heard, the lecture hall was in a state of dungeonization.

‘Why…?’

In all likelihood, this would be an incident caused by Ayla, or more precisely, the child Ayla who had been consumed by the Demonic Blade.

But it happened a week earlier than it should have originally.

Why?

‘Due to that sparring session at that time?’

There was no other corner to guess.

The pre-tournament sparring that did not appear in the original work.

It might have caused some change, and because of that, the timing of the incident may have been pushed forward.

For now, I approached the entrance of the lecture hall with the intention of gathering information.

“Stop. You shouldn’t approach this place right now.”

With that silent voice, someone blocked my way.

A familiar face.

“What’s going on?”

“Hmm? …Wade Heblon.”

The one standing in front of the lecture hall was the Combat and Tactics professor, Wurt.

It seemed like he was controlling the students to prevent any unforeseen events.

“The entire lecture hall has been dungeonized. I was blocking access just in case.”

“A closed-type dungeon?”

“That’s right.”

A closed-type dungeon, a dungeon isolated from the outside.

Up to this point, it looked just like what I had seen in the original work.

“Have you attempted to release it?”

Wurt raised his head.

“The dungeon is quite unstable. If you try to release the dungeon forcefully, those inside might be in danger.”

“Entering, then. Is it impossible?”

“In practice, it’s impossible.”

The consecutive answers to my questions came not from Wurt but from another person.

Turning my head in the direction of the voice, a man with a sharp and cold demeanor was walking towards us from the lecture hall.

I immediately recognized the man.

Magic and professor, it was Patrick.

“The barrier surrounding the dungeon is quite powerful. It’s not entirely impossible to enter, but you’ll need a bit of luck to maintain your form. Of course, holding your breath won’t help.”

“…I see. Thank you.”

After obtaining the information, I expressed my gratitude and distanced myself from them.

“Nothing has changed except the timing.”

Only the timing of the events had changed; everything else remained the same.

It happened exactly one week earlier. Even the time was in a similar situation.

“At this rate, it might just be a simple happening.”

The fact that the advanced time was exactly one week worked in my favor.

Since the time was the same, there would be a lecture inside just like in the novel when the events occurred, and the composition of people inside would also be the same.

If that’s the case, there shouldn’t be a big problem.

I tried to calm my anxious mind.

“Huff, haa… Finally caught up…”

Jack ran towards us at that moment.

Judging by the amount of sweat dripping, it seemed like he had run here with all his might.

“So, are you okay?”

Taking a deep breath, Jack asked me.

“Well… I’ve been trying various things, but I’m not sure how it will turn out.”

Although I said that, I was somewhat confident.

Mary, Alexis, and Cedric will join forces to subdue the child possessed by the dark magic and release the dungeon.

There was a moment of unease, but I chose to trust them.

After organizing my thoughts, I took a step back and observed the situation.

Tada─

Urgent footsteps echoed.

Footsteps so urgent that my head turned involuntarily.

And the moment I confirmed the owner of the footsteps, my mind went blank.

“What on earth is happening?!”

The person who shouldn’t be here was there.

Alexis, who should have been progressing through the dungeon with Mary and Cedric by now.

“…Why are you here?”

“The lecture hall has turned into a dungeon… What? What are you talking about?”

“Why are you here at all? Isn’t it time for you to be inside attending the lecture?”

“…I don’t know how you know that, but… yes. Normally, that would be the case. However, due to an urgent message from the royal palace today, I couldn’t attend the lecture.”

Upon hearing that explanation, I reflexively clasped my forehead.

It happened.

A colossal and lethal variable.

“Darn it…”

An involuntary curse slips out.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”

“What’s the situation inside? What about Miss Mary?”

Jack and Alexis’s voices reached me, but I had no time to answer.

Because if I made a mistake, everything could end.

Originally, in the original work, the three were the main characters who resolved the incident when it occurred.

Mary, Cedric, and Alexis.

However, due to the accelerated timing of the incident, Alexis was left behind.

This was a significant problem.

Alexis was an exceptional magician in and of himself, excluding everything else.

Mary was quite skilled in magic, and Cedric’s abilities were needless to say. Even in that episode, Mary’s group successfully navigated the dungeon and released it by combining their strengths.

In that perilous situation, successfully crossing a dangerous bridge, if one of the members, Alexis, is missing, the probability of success will undoubtedly plummet.

Perhaps, I might not succeed at all.

In that case, we don’t know where the situation will lead.

I hate to imagine it, but if things take a turn for the worst, everyone could end up dead.

Moreover, it’s not just one thing bothering me.

‘…Aira.’

Aira Librion is also weighing on my mind.

In the original work, Aira appears as a character dominated by the cursed sword.

After Mary’s group manages to subdue Aira and free her from the sword’s influence, it’s still uncertain.

‘That might be impossible.’

The cursed sword consumes the self as time passes.

Even if we manage to subdue Aira somehow, if it takes too long, there’s a possibility that Aira may not fully recover her sanity.

Furthermore, in the original story, there was an event where Aira, under the sword’s influence, directly took someone’s life… That could happen too.

The original Aira caused such a major incident, but it wasn’t of her own will, there were no casualties, and thanks to her usual diligent student persona, she narrowly avoided expulsion.

But if things go like this, it might not end with just that.

No, there’s a high chance it won’t.

“….”

Now is not the time to think about the original story or anything else.

I need to find a way, by any means necessary, to forcibly resolve the situation.

So, what should I do? How can I resolve this situation?

‘Resolving it from the outside… is impossible.’

The dungeon itself is unstable. Interfering hastily, as Wort mentioned, might only worsen the situation.

Even suppressing that, the only person who can release the dungeon from the outside within the academy is the headmaster, Belluoid.

But whether it’s due to his absence or Wort’s reaction, it seems like the headmaster is currently not present, just like in the original.

“…How long has it been since the dungeon transformation?”

“Huh? Well… um, I heard about it quite a while ago, so it’s probably been more than an hour since then….”

Jack responded to my sudden question with confusion.

Upon hearing his answer, I tightly closed my eyes.

If it’s already been that long, time is running out.

If it gets any later, it could lead to a really serious situation.

“Hey, don’t worry too much; it’ll be fine. Cedric is inside, isn’t he?”

Jack patted my shoulder in consolation.

I sensed his sincerity, but I couldn’t muster a response.

“If things turn out like this…”

It couldn’t be helped.

Instead of Jack, I called out to Alexis, who stood beside me with a worried expression.

“Your Highness Alexis, may I have a moment?”

“What’s the matter?”

***

After concluding matters with Alexis, I walked back towards Urt.

As Urt recognized me, he nodded.

“Wade Heblon, come to think of it, you were close to Mary Blunoa. I understand your feelings, but for now, you must wait. Just a little longer. I’ll try to do something.”

His expression remained stern, but I could sense his genuine attempt to console me through his words.

“I’m sorry.”

Rarely, I offered an apology to Urt, filled with genuine remorse.

I truly felt sorry for him.

“That might not work.”

Because I had no intention of hearing those words.

“Wade Heblon…! Surely…!”

Urt seemed to pick up on something and tried to move, but I was prepared even before offering the apology.

“What…?!”

Patrick’s voice, seldom shaken, mixed with surprise, reached my ears.

Glancing, I saw him casting spells even amidst this chaos. He seemed to have discerned my intentions in this brief moment.

His skill was undoubtedly at the level fit for an academy professor, but it was too late.

I was already too far for them to deal with.

“Hey! This madman…!”

As Jack, stopped by Urt, and Alexis, with a complex gaze, looked at me, I took it all in, then dashed straight into the dungeon.