Extra in a Romance Fantasy

6 – Training (3)

Rachel’s earliest memories weren’t of spending time with family but rather struggling to understand difficult books under the guidance of a teacher.

She had to receive thorough education from the time she could barely recognize objects.

At an age when one should be praised for walking, she had to memorize manners, and at an age when one should play with friends, she read literature.

There were no friends she could call even that. Everyone around her was always much older, and there were hardly any peers to mingle with.

It was akin to socializing among nobles, they said.

Their eyes always fixed on Eldrid, never on Rachel, and the thought of befriending such individuals never occurred to her.

She couldn’t make friends, had little personal time, and continued to receive an education she had no desire to pursue.

Always having to act with dignity, mindful of the family’s honor, and needing parental permission for anything she did.

It was an unconventional form of life, but Rachel followed without question.

Because she believed she had to.

Until one day.

“Your engagement will soon be arranged.”

It was sudden.

A statement she hadn’t anticipated.

At that moment, she realized.

Her life wasn’t hers.

If she continued, she’d walk the path her parents laid out, live the life they designed, and eventually die.

Was such a life truly worthwhile?

For the first time, doubt arose in her heart.

That doubt moved her, and Rachel applied to Ferdion Academy.

But that wasn’t the end of it. To attend the academy, she had to take an exam, which required her parents’ consent.

Naturally, her parents vehemently opposed it.

Ferdion Academy was undoubtedly a great educational institution but also a risky place.

Injuries were common, and there were instances of losing lives.

They didn’t want their meticulously crafted jewel to be tarnished.

So, Rachel worked tirelessly to convince her parents.

She elaborated on how the title of a Ferdion Academy graduate would elevate their jewel, emphasizing the immense value of the connections she’d make there.

She whispered, “Won’t this be the opportunity to instantly elevate the prestige you so obsess over?”

After a long persuasion, she managed to secure her parents’ consent.

And she passed the exam safely.

At that moment, she was grateful for the education she had received since childhood.

Although she entered the academy through such a process, it didn’t mean she had a concrete plan.

She wanted to change the situation, but the name Eldrid was too significant for a newly-turned adult to challenge.

Yet, entering the academy was driven by the hope for a faint possibility and a longing for a life she hadn’t experienced before.

She harbored a longing to experience the ordinary life that others led—making friends, enjoying simple pleasures—a life she felt she should have already encountered.

However, her expectations were short-lived.

Many approached her, but they all looked at her family, not her.

No one saw Rachel for who she was.

The camaraderie she had dreamed of, transcending mere acquaintanceships, was nowhere to be found.

Locking eyes with them, she felt an undeniable awkwardness and frustration.

Making friends, living a normal life, escaping the clutches of Eldrid—all seemed to be nothing more than futile dreams. Negative thoughts lingered in her mind.

She left the banquet hall for that reason.

Overwhelmed by sudden suffocation and frustration.

She wanted to go somewhere with no people.

Wandering through the building for this reason, she soon discovered the terrace.

Stepping onto the terrace, breathing in the night air, she felt a small sense of liberation.

The stifling breath seemed to ease a bit, but even that didn’t last long. There was a newcomer.

A man with rare black hair and black eyes.

Judging by the color of his tie, a fellow newcomer like herself.

As Rachel contemplated whether to leave her seat, the man’s gaze caught hers.

A gaze quite different from the ones she encountered in the hall earlier.

In his awkward and uncomfortable gaze, Rachel felt an inexplicable comfort.

Perhaps that’s why she didn’t immediately leave the terrace.

And in the ensuing silence.

The man, sensing the awkwardness, initiated the conversation.

“… The stars are quite visible tonight.”

It was a statement that instantly conveyed his discomfort in this situation.

Following the man’s words, Rachel looked up at the sky again, capturing the sparkling stars with her eyes.

Strangely, she felt a slight ease in her heart.

In this peculiar comfort she was experiencing for the first time, Rachel found herself unintentionally continuing the conversation.

Through that conversation, Rachel realized that the man, like her, had come here to avoid people.

And not because he wanted to attend the academy.

It felt a bit strange.

Perhaps, even if she searched the entire academy, those who came here willingly were undoubtedly few.

She had come to the academy of her own volition.

Certainly, there must have been some circumstances, but even suspecting so, she refrained from asking about them.

Instead, she casually brought up her own circumstances.

Perhaps the impression she received at the academy was more disappointing than she had initially thought.

So, maybe she wanted to vent to someone.

However, no matter how much she thought about it, there wasn’t much to share with someone she had just met.

Rachel, feeling her own vulnerability, unexpectedly apologized to the man whose heavy story she had heard from an unknown and sudden source.

But the man responded with unexpected words, his expression composed.

At first, it was difficult to understand his intention, but later, she realized.

He was encouraging her.

Although his tone was a bit rough, it was evident that he was comforting her with a pure heart.

The awkward encouragement from the man she had first met warmed her heart.

This is just the beginning.

Yes, that’s right.

It’s too early to give up, and she shouldn’t.

Rachel regained her composure through the man’s words.

After that day, her formal academy life began.

The surrounding gazes remained unchanged, and the motives of the people who gathered were transparent, but Rachel wasn’t as disappointed as before.

After all, it hadn’t been long since the academy life started, and there were still three years left.

Three years are a sufficiently long time, and by then, she might be able to make a true friend.

And if she worked hard, she could reach possibilities that now seemed distant.

She held onto that hope.

So, she studied and practiced hard.

She made an effort to build good relationships with people around her.

There was no longer any confusion in her heart, but there was a small regret.

Regret for not asking the man’s name.

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But that regret didn’t last long.

After all, they were in the same academy and the same grade.

She believed they would meet someday.

She could ask him then.

“If you do well, you might become friends with him.”

With such expectations swelling in her chest, she sketched out a hopeful future.

However, it was nothing but a futile dream.

“Ah…”

With a broken ankle, Rachel realized the harsh reality as the mob of Ratmen approached, their eyes gleaming menacingly toward her, powerless to do anything.

The future she had envisioned was nothing more than a fleeting illusion.

Where did it all go wrong?

Was it abandoning the fallen teammates?

Or was it trying to divert the Ratmen’s attention to save the lagging teammates?

Believing her teammates would assist her once they managed the situation?

“No…”

Regardless of what it was, it was meaningless now.

You couldn’t turn back time.

Even if she managed to survive this stroke of misfortune, there was no future anymore.

If her family found out she was in danger, she’d be immediately taken back to the family.

So, she decided to accept it.

This was her destiny.

In the end, everything was just futile struggling.

Rachel slowly closed her eyes, casting away all hope and lingering attachment.

She resolved to comply with her fate.

…Yet, amidst this acceptance, there was one regret she couldn’t shake off.

“I should have asked for his name…”

In this situation, for some reason, the memory that came to mind was the gaze of the man she had met on the terrace, beneath the gentle moonlight that evening.

Etching that sight into her mind, Rachel awaited the agony that would consume her.

However, what came to her was not excruciating pain.

“Why are you just standing there like that?”

A calm voice that didn’t match the situation.

Slowly, as if recognizing a voice she had heard somewhere before, Rachel opened her eyes.

Instead of the vicious face of a Ratman, what she saw was the face of the man she had pictured in her mind just moments ago.

“Let’s go.”

With the same composed gaze as I had seen on the terrace that day, the man spoke.