Extra in a Romance Fantasy

15 – Tidying Up

“…Huh?”

Before I could relish the joy of regaining my body, I had to catch Wade’s falling body in front of Ayla.

Thud, his weight transferred to me.

Yet afterward, a warm, damp sensation brought her back to consciousness.

Slowly, Ayla lifted her head and looked down.

There, she saw blood flowing in an unusual manner.

Yes, that’s right. That’s how it was.

The man impaled himself with a sword.

Perhaps to save her.

Even a child couldn’t fathom exactly what had happened, but one could discern that the man tried to save her.

“Wade…!!”

At that moment, an urgent voice echoed, and someone ran towards her.

Eyes resembling a clear sky, as if crafted from honey, with faint blonde hair.

It seemed like a face seen somewhere before, but the girl didn’t know the name of the child.

The face, which might have suited a smile, was stained with fear, sadness, and shock.

Lips trembling without respite, eyes unable to find focus.

And from those eyes, reminiscent of a serene lake, tears endlessly flowed.

“Wa-Wade… don’t… please….”

Struggling to even articulate properly, the girl tried to shield the man’s abdomen with trembling hands.

As if the child were an invisible presence, she only gazed at the man.

Someone else halted the girl’s hand.

“Calm down. He’s still alive.”

The calm voice interjected between the girl and Wade.

“The bleeding is worse than I thought. For now, we need to use magic to—”

Cedric, who was inspecting Wade’s injuries and about to give instructions, stopped speaking.

“…No, there’s no need for that.”

Cedric lifted his head.

The direction he gazed at was the entrance to the room.

“What…?”

Mary and Ayla looked at him with puzzled eyes.

It was difficult to understand what he was suddenly talking about.

However, their confusion was soon resolved.

Bang!

With combat professor Wurtz and magic professor Patrick leading a group that seemed like priests, they burst into the room.

Thus, the dungeon incident that disturbed the peace of the academy came to an end.

***

“…Ah.”

…It’s a strange ceiling.

I can’t possibly have landed in another world again, can I?

With that thought in mind, I felt a sense of unease. Soon, I recalled the situation before I became like this.

And naturally, I realized where I was.

It was the medical wing inside the academy.

Come to think of it, this unfamiliar ceiling wasn’t so unfamiliar after all. I had been hospitalized during the dungeon training we had last time.

In fact, it wasn’t my first encounter with that ceiling. I gazed at it silently, trying to clear my mind.

How long had I been unconscious?

A day? Two days?

Surely, the plot twist of having been unconscious for several years couldn’t be true…

“Wade, I’m out… Wade?!”

…It seems like that’s not the case.

My unnecessary worries were shattered as Mary entered the hospital room.

“Wade…!!”

She rushed in and hugged me tightly.

I was a bit taken aback by her sudden action, but…

“I’m glad, really glad…”

Seeing Mary, who couldn’t lift her head while hugging me, I couldn’t bring myself to let go of her immediately.

I ended up maintaining that posture until Mary calmed down.

How long had we been like that? Mary, with her eyes reddened, finally lifted her head.

Seeing that scene, guilt and regret washed over me.

But Mary soon smiled and forgave everything…

Thwack!

…Well, not quite.

She suddenly started hitting me with her fist.

“I! Can’t! Live! Because of you! Seriously!”

With all her might, she hit me, her voice trembling.

Despite her dynamic movements, it didn’t hurt that much.

Mary could only use magic; her physical abilities were no different from an ordinary person’s.

After contemplating what to do, I decided to stay silent this time, acknowledging that it was clearly my fault.

Mary, who had vented her complaints for a while, took a deep, labored breath.

“Hoo… hoo…”

Then, she took a deep breath, choosing her words carefully.

“…Don’t do that next time.”

“…Huh.”

After Mary calmed down, I packed my things and immediately left the hospital.

Mary suggested that it might be better to stay a bit longer just in case, but I shook my head.

The examination of my condition was already complete. The treatment was perfectly finished, and there was no need for me to stay in the medical ward any longer.

In the end, Mary accepted my opinion, and I was discharged safely.

During the process, I could also hear about what happened after I lost consciousness.

It seemed like I was unconscious for three days.

Three days. It could be short or long, depending on the perspective.

However, from my point of view, I never expected to faint for three whole days.

No, I hadn’t even considered fainting in the first place. I thought I could endure that much.

According to Mary’s explanation, the strain during the process of breaking through the barrier was significant.

Well, at that time, I wasn’t in a situation to care about my body or anything, but now that I think about it, my condition wasn’t great.

And the aftermath of the most important event, at this point, was all over.

The fact that the academy’s building turned into a dungeon was quite a rare occurrence in the history of the fairly long Ferdian Academy, and the professors were quite perplexed in their own ways, but the processing itself didn’t take too long. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

And most importantly, the handling of Ira Librion, the main figure, concluded with a two-week probation.

It was a relatively lenient punishment considering the magnitude of the incident, but factors such as it not being intentional, the academy’s own negligence, Ira’s good behavior, and, above all, the absence of fatalities played a significant role in the outcome.

This aspect didn’t differ much from the original work, so I accepted it gracefully.

That was the end of Mary’s explanation.

Thus, even though the Dungeonization incident took an unexpected turn, it seemed to have been well resolved in the end.

I breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the dormitory.

By the way, Jack’s first words when he saw me returning to the dormitory were…

“…You crazy bastard.”

…Well, anyway, that’s how I and the academy regained our normal lives.

Returning to daily life, I found myself participating in classes normally. As always, I woke up at the designated time, attended lectures, trained, and returned to the dormitory to sleep.

If one didn’t feel a bit of monotony in such a routine, it would be a lie, but I didn’t have complaints about this life. It was far better than the unpredictability of events happening.

The voices whispering among themselves reached my ears.

“Hey, that freshman…”

“Oh, that guy…”

Hushed voices circulated, and I maintained silence at Jack’s words beside me. Though I tried to ignore it, it was clear who their whispers were directed towards.

Jack knew it too, hence his choice of words.

“If you dive into a closed dungeon like a lunatic, it’s natural to become famous. Seriously.”

Yeah, that was the problem.

The day the incident occurred, I had jumped into the lecture hall turned closed dungeon on my own. I knew it was a crazy idea even before attempting it, but the circumstances forced me to make that choice.

In the end, thanks to that decision, the incident was somehow resolved. Looking back, it was the right choice.

The problem was that quite a few people witnessed that scene.

A perfectly normal lecture hall suddenly turning into a dungeon would undoubtedly attract attention, and those who heard the rumors arrived in considerable numbers at that time.

They watched my crazy actions unfold, and naturally, it became gossip that raced through the entire academy.

And now, I found myself in this situation.

“Even if it’s not the first time, everyone’s curious about who that lunatic is, right?”

Originally, I had gained some fame from an incident during dungeon practice. This time, it had escalated completely, and now there was hardly anyone who didn’t recognize me.

Wherever I went, people knew me to the point where they would whisper about me.

Whether it was due to Mary, Cedric, and Ayla skillfully handling the situation or the fact that rumors about my abilities didn’t spread, it was a small comfort, but it didn’t make things much easier.

“…Sigh.”

A sigh escapes involuntarily.

Is this the eternal farewell to the tranquil and peaceful academy life I longed for?

Such pessimistic thoughts crept into my mind.

But soon, I shook my head, dispelling such negativity.

Yeah, it’s just gotten a bit bothersome in the end.

In the end, time is a remedy, and such perspectives gradually weaken as time passes.

So, I decided to move forward with hope.

There were many twists and turns, but ultimately, the incident was resolved well.

If I pay more attention and control variables in advance, the course of events shouldn’t change anymore.

Yeah, let’s take it easy.

With that in mind, I erased the negative thoughts in my heart and carried on with everyday life, feeling considerably lighter.

Then, one day, it happened.

“We have a new member joining this time!”

On a day of club activities, senior Runia, who appeared out of nowhere, said cheerfully.

Upon hearing those words, in that situation, I felt a sense of unease.

And simultaneously, a bad premonition crossed my mind.

No, it can’t be. It won’t be.

Trying to reassure myself, deep down, I secretly wished for time to freeze like this.

Tap—

However, my plea was ignored by the gods.

Careful footsteps, and someone entered the club room.

At the same time, I realized.

My bad premonition wasn’t just a simple feeling.

“Hello, I’m Ayla Librion!”

“Um, nice to meet you…”

Seeing the familiar face shyly bowing, I couldn’t help but tightly close my eyes and speak.

***

The top floor of one of the most splendidly decorated buildings among the various structures of Ferdion Academy.

In a room adorned with sophisticated white décor, two women engaged in conversation.

“─ This is information regarding the notorious 1st-year, Wade Heblon,” one woman spoke, courteously nodding towards the other.

From her polite demeanor, it was evident that there was a clear hierarchy between the two women.

The one who received the impeccable courtesy sat quietly by an elegant table, gazing out the window.

Rare strands of silver hair glowed brilliantly in the sunlight.

Soon, the woman’s lips parted.

“Rescuing the Elidreid’s concubine in a rampaging dungeon, leaping into a closed dungeon to save the daughter of the Guardian Knight…,” she said, her lip curving smoothly.

“Interesting.”

Jewel-like violet eyes sparkled.