Extra in a Romance Fantasy

40 – Information

“…Surprising.”

Henson showed a reaction of surprise.

Well, it was understandable.

I’ve asked—no, requested—information from Henson many times, but I’ve never asked for this kind of information before.

That’s how insignificant it was supposed to be.

No matter how the front lines were or the trends in each nation, if things went as they were meant to, there would have been no need for me to worry; the issues would have resolved themselves.

However, now that I’ve changed the course of events with my own hands, I couldn’t just stand by and watch anymore.

Because of altering the future, I had to take responsibility for what would unfold.

Honestly, I don’t even know which direction that future will take.

The antagonist that was central to the original story, Estelle, has disappeared.

I only roughly understand what needs attention.

‘War.’

In the original story, Estelle initially appeared as an antagonist blocking Mary’s path, but later on, she starts a war that entangles the entire continent with the Empire’s might.

At first, it might seem like Lainberg is unilaterally starting fights against other nations, but eventually, all nations on the continent confront each other with swords drawn.

If mishandled, an uncontrollable massive war might erupt, causing the continent itself to desolate—a crisis for humanity.

Preventing that crisis falls to Mary and the main characters.

Main characters, possessing tremendous social power and status, gather around Mary as their focal point, unite their strengths, prevent the war, and extinguish its spark.

Of course, the process won’t be smooth, but ultimately, Mary and the main characters succeed, and the continent regains its original peace.

That’s the overall flow of the original story.

However, given the significant deviations from the original, it won’t proceed as it did.

One might simplistically assume that since Estelle didn’t become the antagonist, there won’t be a war. However, that’s a hasty judgment.

Even if Estelle didn’t exist in the original, most likely, a war would still have occurred.

“For now, the situation on the front lines… there’s not much to say. There are still minor skirmishes ongoing, but they’re not at a significant level. Seems even those powerful disaster-level monsters are nowhere to be seen. Some even say the war might have already ended.”

This is the problem.

The adversaries threatening humanity’s existence as monsters have made individual countries join hands and unite their strengths.

However, if that threat were to disappear, could humanity’s cooperation be sustained?

The answer doesn’t really need to be sought.

Humans are creatures dominated by desire. When faced with immediate danger, even those desires are suppressed. But what happens when that danger subsides? Humans immediately turn their gaze back to their desires.

It was the same in the original.

Leaders of various nations, deeming the war with the monsters practically over, harbored futile desires and chose war as a means to fulfill them.

While Estelle might have triggered the start of the war, the talk goes that even if it hadn’t been Estelle, eventually, war would have erupted.

In essence, even now, with Estelle not being the antagonist, the flow of events likely hasn’t changed.

“And the situation in each country… um…”

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Henson started to speak but glanced around discreetly, then resumed.

“…seems quite tumultuous. It appears some are starting to turn their attention outward.”

“…I see.”

As expected.

Though inwardly displeased, I calmly nodded.

“But there’s no need to worry too much. It’s just a minority opinion, and those making such claims seem to be a mere handful.”

“…”

Henson added promptly, but it didn’t ease my mind.

I knew things wouldn’t flow that optimistically.

As Henson said, it’s unlikely that those advocating for war would become the majority.

If nothing happens at all, that is.

“That’s unlikely.”

Human desire doesn’t soften enough to simply abandon opinions when met with opposition.

If conventional means don’t work, they’ll employ other methods.

If they desire war but their opinion isn’t accepted?

Then they’ll create a pretext.

And there’s a place most suitable for creating that pretext.

The Academy.

Where children of influential families from each country and nobles gather.

If an incident occurs there, it becomes a pretext, a reason.

In fact, in the original, several such incidents occurred.

Even though they didn’t receive attention due to Estelle, and were resolved by Mary and the protagonists.

Anyway, it can be said that it is almost certain that they will reach out to the academy in the near future.

“……..”

My head already hurts.

Even a small incident like this becomes a huge spark.

Therefore, if we want to stop it, we have to stop it thoroughly.

On the other hand, for the other side, they just need to succeed once after countless attempts.

In contrast, the defense of the academy, though it appears intact, is essentially like an automatic door.

No matter how you think about it, this is an unfavorable and irrational game.

The problem is that even though we know this, we cannot avoid it.

“…I wish someone else could handle it instead.”

Internally, I hope for that kind of picture, but realistically, I know it’s difficult.

It probably won’t flow as smoothly as in the original where the male leads solve everything.

This is also a problem that arises from the absence of the villain character, Estelle.

In the original, Estelle became a trial for Mary herself, but there are also male leads who develop affection for Mary because of what Estelle does, and above all, the male leads grow in terms of skill and mental strength through the trials.

If this process disappears, it is unlikely that everyone will come together with one heart centered around Mary.

So, I cannot entrust it to others.

I have no choice but to handle this situation well.

…Well, I might be able to get help from others, but that won’t be as easy as it sounds.

Anyway, I need various preparations.

I need to change my attitude as well.

From now on, I should pay attention to various news within the academy and intervene immediately if there is even a slight suspicious sign.

Furthermore, I should think about ways to fundamentally solve the problem itself.

“…Sigh.”

I let out a sigh as I think about that picture.

No matter how I think about it, it seems like my academy life won’t be smooth sailing.

“And…there doesn’t seem to be any noteworthy movements yet. At least there are no suspicious parts to mention. Since the opposing opinions are so strong, it seems like they are also keeping quiet.”

Hanson’s words continued.

If the opposing opinions are strong, those who hope for war cannot make any visible movements.

So, for now, I should try to stay inconspicuous as much as possible.

It was information that could be considered fortunate and, conversely, regrettable.

Trying to stir things up a bit and subtly impede their movements by making a big deal out of it was probably too much now.

Well, it’s not bad news, though.

At least it means they’re keeping an eye on things.

“So, that’s how it is…”

Nodding to gather his thoughts, he lifted his head again.

“That’s about all the information we need. I’ll take my leave.”

I heard everything that could be vaguely heard.

There probably wouldn’t be any more useful information from Hanson.

“Y-You’re leaving?”

Hanson’s expression brightened.

Was he really that pleased that I was leaving?

His face seemed somewhat smug, but I decided not to toy with him.

I must be a client Hanson would never want to face.

I intended to promptly get up to turn Hanson’s expectations into reality, but…

“Oh, before that.”

I paused, remembering something midway.

“…”

Hanson’s expression hardened again.

I felt somewhat sorry for the tension that exuded from his face, but I had no intention of retracting my words.

“I noticed some unfamiliar faces around. What’s going on?”

I had noticed the increase in unfamiliar faces from the beginning, but the number was more than I had expected.

That meant something was brewing.

“Oh, that…”

Hanson’s expression, previously on edge, relaxed.

With a relieved look, he began to speak.

“A while ago… about a month back, there was a commotion at Evenhead.”

“What kind of commotion?”

“A gang that had a tight grip on that back alley messed with a guy, and apparently, that guy got the better of them.”

“Really?”

“When they say ‘Ivenhead,’ it’s a city much larger than Raekinwood.

If we talk about an organization that dominates the back alleys of such a city, it would undoubtedly be larger and more powerful than here.

But to think that such an organization collapsed at the hands of just one man.

That was quite an intriguing piece of news.

“The man not only brought down the organization but apparently, in a fit of rage, he just overturned the entire back alleys of Ivenhead. As a result, the entire back alley collapsed, and those who lost their ground were scattered in all directions overnight. Some of them ended up flowing in here.”

Indeed.

If that’s the case, it makes sense that a newcomer like me entered all at once.

If the back alley itself collapsed, a considerable number of people must have scattered.

“So, who is this man?”

Well, this time, the numbers were a bit high, but residents of the back alleys flowing in like this is quite common.

So, having figured out the reason, I was no longer interested in it.

What bothered me was the identity of the man who caused all this.

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“There’s nothing known about the man’s identity.”

This was quite a surprising statement.

To have caused such an incident, yet no information had been revealed.

“The scale of the incident attracted attention from various factions, and even the Lord of Ivenhead tried to find information about the man, but nothing came up.”

“There must be people who have seen him.”

“They said he covered his face. There are those who saw him, but they had such a hard time dealing with the man that their memories became vague.”

“Still, there must be some traces left?”

“Well… it was said that not a single trace was left. It’s as if he erased his tracks. So, the only thing known about the man is that he wields a sword.”

Hmm.

In many ways, it’s an intriguing story.

As mentioned earlier, the man’s prowess in combat and the fact that he disappeared without leaving a single trace are both intriguing.

However, that interest didn’t last long.

“Well then, I’m off.”

“Uh, y-yes…!”

The world is vast, and there are many skilled individuals.

The collapse of the back alleys of a city at the hands of one man is certainly an interesting piece of news, but it’s not an event surprising enough to widen one’s eyes in astonishment.”

“If I said I wasn’t interested, it’d be a lie, but my current situation doesn’t allow me to delve into such trivial matters with ease.

It’d be more beneficial to use that time to plan ahead.”

With that thought in mind, I finally lifted myself from the chair.

***

“Alright then, take care, Wade!”

Facing Wade as he moved away, Henson waved vigorously, shouting out.

Until his figure disappeared from view.

And finally, when Wade vanished from sight.

“…Ah.”

A sigh of relief emerged, drawn from the depths of his lungs.

“Um… boss?”

“…Hm? What is it?”

At that moment, a shop assistant, who had been eyeing him curiously, spoke up.

“That kid… no, that person, who on earth is the boss referring to…”

It was a lingering question in the shop assistant’s mind.

Henson held a peculiar status even in the back alleys of Raikenwood.

No one dared to mess with Henson, instead, they seemed fearful.

But for someone like him to be so visibly unsettled and examining the other person’s complexion consistently… That, even given a hundred reasons, the shop assistant couldn’t comprehend.

“…”

In response to the shop assistant’s query, Henson recalled memories from the past.

Several years ago, a boy of barely ten, or maybe just over, made his first appearance in the back alleys of Raikenwood.

It was a time when those alleys were bustling with activity, unlike anything fitting for this ordinary city.

And it all began with one man and the organization he led.

A man who appeared out of nowhere, Simon, swiftly dominated the back alleys of Raikenwood with exceptional skills and finesse.

He expanded his influence, conducted businesses, and essentially transformed the very essence of Raikenwood’s back alleys.

His dominance was quite impressive, extending even to the prosperous areas of Raikenwood.

No, he aimed beyond that, seeking to grasp the flow of the prosperous areas in his hands.

That was the moment.

The appearance of a boy in the back alley was noticeable.

Although there were some kids among the residents of the back alley, the boy, just by looking at him, was evidently not one of them, making him a conspicuously unusual presence.

The back alley, or the dark district, was fundamentally a world of survival of the fittest.

In such a world, the sudden appearance of a seemingly fragile boy caught everyone’s attention as if he were nothing more than prey.

Sure enough, a few troublemakers approached the boy.

Everyone thought the boy would be beaten and robbed, learning a lesson not to approach the back alley again.

However, the expected scenario never became reality.

It was not the boy, but rather the troublemakers who were thoroughly beaten.

In the blink of an eye, the troublemakers were lying on the ground, and the boy was looking at them with a casual expression.

Even those who initially watched the scene silently found themselves joining in, intending to subdue the boy. However, like the troublemakers before them, they ended up helpless on the ground.

As the incident escalated, Simon and his organization eventually intervened.

For Simon, the back alley was like a business place, and he couldn’t stay quiet when there was a disturbance.

At that moment, the residents of the back alley thought, “This time, the boy’s adventure will surely come to an end.”

Simon’s organization was large, high-quality, and Simon himself was an overwhelmingly strong figure in this rural neighborhood.

Certainly, the boy was impressive for his age, but they were confident he couldn’t overcome Simon.

However, their expectations were once again shattered.

Simon and his organization were completely destroyed by the boy.

No one could withstand a single blow from the boy’s fist, not even Simon.

In an instant, the boy who had completely swept away the ruler of the Raywood back alley and his organization calmly said,

“Consider this a one-time pass. Don’t think about meddling in my affairs again. Just live your lives reasonably.”

…and so he spoke.

Since that day, Simon and his organization hid their presence in Raywood.

The cycle of the back alley continued.

Many came and went, attempting to fill Simon’s vacancy.

And many harbored ambitions.

However, those ambitions never materialized into reality.

Every time, the boy would suddenly appear and overthrow the back alley.

Some even tried to kill the boy deliberately, but no one succeeded.

It was later revealed that the boy, Wade, was only 11 years old when these events unfolded.

A mere 11-year-old boy had committed such an unthinkable act.

But that monster, having grown up, was now 18 years old.

So, just how strong could he be now?

Henson couldn’t fathom it.

Therefore, Henson feared Wade.

“…You don’t need to worry.”

Despite the multitude of thoughts racing through his mind, Henson’s words were succinct.

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“Just never do anything that annoys him. If it happens again, you’ll die at my hands.”

“Yes, yes…!”

The clerk still seemed clueless about English, but didn’t express any doubt.

Considering him as someone who would at least live thin and long, Henson turned and walked into the store.

***

“Heuk… Heuk…!”

A man gasped for breath.

Draped in a robe, he looked suspicious at first glance.

“Hoo…!”

After catching his breath for a while, the man turned back, exhaling a sigh of relief.

“…They keep chasing without knowing the end.”

With a nervous face, the man muttered to himself.

Originally, there was no way he’d be pursued like this.

His plan was flawless.

However, for some reason, he was being pursued, and he found himself in this situation.

Moreover, not just from his organization, but trackers from another faction had joined in.

Thanks to that, he couldn’t rest properly and was repeatedly on the run.

“But that won’t last much longer.”

The man touched his chest cautiously.

If he could just reach that place, this situation could be resolved.

Not only that, but his long-cherished desire could also be fulfilled.

Imagining that bright future, a smile appeared on the man’s face.

How long had it been like this?

“…I should start heading there slowly.”

Although I’ve temporarily shaken them off, if I relax, they will catch up.

The man, now recovered his breath, began to move his body diligently once again.

“We’re approaching Lake Rainwood soon… not much left to our destination.”

Perhaps due to the joy of nearing the destination, the man’s steps were a bit lighter than usual.