Extra in a Romance Fantasy

43 – The Confrontation

“……”

“……”

In the standoff between the man, Edan, and me, a static silence lingered.

How much time had passed in that state?

“…hahahahaha!”

Suddenly, Edan burst into laughter.

It was a hearty laughter that didn’t quite match the thickened atmosphere from a moment ago.

After laughing for quite a while, Edan, still with a trace of amusement on his face, spoke.

“You finally took the bait.”

Like a hunter who successfully captures a cunning prey, he expressed satisfaction.

“When life pours down on oneself, you don’t even blink an eye. But when it comes to taking a life from others, you move without a second thought.”

He chuckled.

“……”

Despite his bright expression, my face seemed to contort as if chewing on something bitter.

‘I fell for it.’

Completely fell for it.

Edan Bertrand set a trap for me.

The life force he exuded a while ago, now vanished as if washed away, was the bait Edan threw.

Similar to the life force I experienced when I first met him.

From the beginning, Edan had no intention of attacking the party.

The reason they looked at me with puzzled eyes was precisely that.

They didn’t even notice that Edan had emitted life force.

If life force had been directed at me, just like in front of the ice cream shop, I would have easily overlooked it.

However, Edan’s life force seemed to be targeting the party, and my body moved reflexively.

Although it was pathetic that I was deceived, at the same time, it was a subtle move that felt unavoidable.

“Haah…”

A sigh escaped involuntarily.

In the end, I became entangled with this madman.

“Hmm. In that case, it might be a good idea to change our location, don’t you think?” Ethan asked casually.

“Judging by the looks of it, not everyone seems to be aware of your abilities… Wouldn’t that be better?”

It was true.

Among them, Estelle was the only one who had some knowledge about my skills, albeit vaguely.

I haven’t even fully demonstrated my abilities in front of Mary.

She might be aware that I’m hiding my skills, but the specific level might be unknown to her.

So, it might be better to follow Ethan’s suggestion and have a private conversation before the rest of the group starts to feel suspicious.

That was my thought.

“I don’t know what your intentions are, but…”

A voice, authoritative yet youthful, interrupted as the sun set.

“Do you intend to cause harm to this guy?”

Speaking with an imposing tone against the renowned Ten Blades, of course, was Estelle.

She came over to my side, staring at Ethan with sharp, unwavering eyes.

Before her words continued, I raised my arm to block her path.

And looking into her eyes, I lightly nodded my head.

“…Are you okay?”

Unusually, Estelle asked with a concerned look in her eyes.

“It’s okay.”

With the hope that she would be reassured, I looked at her with unwavering eyes and nodded.

“…Fine.”

Even though her eyes still held a trace of worry, she eventually nodded.

“Then let’s change the location.”

I spoke towards Ethan, who was examining this side with curious eyes.

There’s the group, and there are other issues.

The fact remains that we’re still in the middle of the street.

Despite the slight decrease in people due to the setting sun, there are still many people around.

Whether it’s for conversation or otherwise.

Standing still here was not an option.

We moved seats in that way.

The group was ushered into the villa first, while I found myself in a secluded place not far from Ethan and the villa, sparsely populated.

“Hmm, quite the bold young lady,” Ethan said with an expression that hinted at his intrigue.

There was no need to ask who he was referring to.

“Judging by the level of security, she’s not just a highborn lady, it seems…”

I noticed it, and there was no way he hadn’t noticed.

Even without my hint, Estelle, upon stepping forward to face him, and the moment their eyes met, the discreet bodyguards who had been quietly concealing their presence all glanced at him simultaneously.

“To think someone like her would be your opponent, knowing she’s out of your league. You’re one lucky guy.”

Suddenly, he wore a mischievous expression.

“And it wasn’t just her; the other ladies behind her were also giving me the evil eye, axes drawn.”

He was a mercenary who had made a name with ten swords.

Even if he found such glances directed at him rude, it was not surprising, but he didn’t seem to pay much attention to it.

No, he seemed rather amused by it.

“It seems it’s not just exceptional skill. Feels like I’ve seen you before when you were younger.”

“…”

…What would be the appropriate response to that?

I couldn’t find the right answer to those words.

“Well, shall we get down to business?”

Finding myself in a tight spot, Ethan redirected the conversation.

And then, he asked me, “How old are you?”

“…I’m eighteen.”

When the situation reached this point, hiding it any longer became meaningless.

I simply answered his question.

“Eighteen? Really?”

Ethan’s eyes widened significantly.

“Really? You’re not trying to deceive your age or something? Like, you didn’t take some weird potion in a bizarre tower and become younger or anything like that?”

“…Really.”

What on earth was he talking about with the potion to become younger all of a sudden?

If there had been such a potion, the continent would have been a mess long ago.

“Sigh….”

Edan sighed with a mixture of admiration and disbelief on his face.

“I did wonder when I first saw you together with that inspired disciple… But really, eighteen?”

This was more like a muttering to himself.

“Do you happen to possess any gifts?”

“No.”

“Well, that’s surprising in its own way, but still fortunate.”

What exactly was fortunate?

I had my doubts, but Edan didn’t offer any answers to my questions.

“What’s your name?”

“…Wade Heblon.”

“Heblon? That’s a surname I’ve never heard before. Which family is it?”

“I’m a commoner, so you probably won’t know even if I tell you.”

“What? A commoner? Then, your master? What’s the name of your master?”

“I didn’t have a master.”

“…What did you say?”

More intensely than anything I had seen before, his eyes widened.

“…So, did you learn martial arts on your own?”

“Yes.”

I nodded calmly.

I knew that this world was a world from a novel, and I had resolved not to interfere with the flow as much as possible.

However, that didn’t mean I would just live without doing anything.

If this world safely followed the original story and the story eventually came to an end, I planned to live my life freely.

And I believed that to live a free life without interference from anyone, strength was necessary.

I knew that in a world like this, those without strength could experience unfair things or easily die in trivial incidents.

Because of that, I started learning martial arts.

At first, magic was also an option, but after tasting it, I quickly gave up because I was terribly untalented.

Anyway, I jumped into the path of martial arts.

But having a goal was one thing; actually taking the steps forward was much more difficult than I had thought.

I might not have been a nobleman’s son, but I was a child of commoners with no background whatsoever.

I was in no environment where I could find a proper mentor.

Certainly, even in Raikenwood, there were places like swordsmanship classrooms or martial arts dojos, but frankly, the skills they taught were not exceptionally remarkable.

They might have been okay as a foundation, but mastering just that would lead to no future.

The Blue Noah knights were the closest to me, yet even if they favored me, they were not willing to readily impart their martial arts skills.

Since the true value of martial arts in this world is hard to quantify in terms of money, it was only natural.

Blocked by a wall right from the start, I still did not give up.

“How?”

“I studied theory from books and observed knights or warriors practicing, then I stole their techniques.”

If I couldn’t learn proper martial arts from someone, then I would create it with my own hands.

With that thought, I absorbed basic concepts from books, observed the training of knights or occasionally skilled warriors who visited the family, and began crafting my own martial arts by watching them closely.

Initially, it wasn’t as easy as speaking.

Even creating a framework posed challenges.

However, as time passed and mistakes accumulated, gradually my own martial arts took shape and progressed.

And accordingly, I grew stronger, reaching where I am now.

“…Huh, really.”

Edan, hearing my story, looked at me not just incredulously but also with a gaze that transitioned into sheer disbelief.

“I’ve heard genius tales somewhere before, but from now on, I won’t be able to hold my head high.”

Edan sighed as if he was tired of it all, rolling his eyes.

Then, he looked at me again.

“There’s a lot I still want to ask, but I suppose there’s no need to pry into each and every detail.”

In that voice, which had been consistently weightless until now, weight finally settled for the first time.

And simultaneously.

Thud—

The surrounding air grew heavy.

Due to the aura emitted by Edan.

It wasn’t the profound and eerie presence I had seen before.

It was something much more substantial and ferocious.

Fighting spirit.

Fighting spirit itself is not an extraordinary energy.

If you’re human, then you possess it.

Even a mere beast or an insect harbors a semblance of aggression when engaging in a fight.

However, the aggression emitted by the man before me was on a different level.

Just facing him alone made my body heavy, and I felt a pressure as if my entire being was about to snap.

It wasn’t solely because this man had reached the pinnacle of martial arts, standing at the Ten Swords.

Perhaps there was no other person among the Ten Swords who possessed the same level of aggression as this man.

He suddenly appeared on the battlefield, gaining a reputation for slaughtering demons.

After the frequency of battles with demons decreased, he traveled across the continent, engaging in countless fights, achieving countless victories, and finally reaching the peak.

A man who never rests from fighting, finding his purpose in life amidst the battles.

A spirit possessed by the madness of fighting.

That’s why he is called the “Combat Ghost.”

The aggression he possesses is likely more foreign and unique than anyone else on the continent.

“Now then….”

His face exuded anticipation.

“Let’s have a match.”

The ghost laughed.