‘Wait!’
I’m fine! Really!
It’s fine, so hurry up and go be impressed by the female protagonist’s sunshine charm like a proper supporting male protagonist!
…I sent a telepathic message with such strong feelings, but as expected, it wasn’t conveyed.
Elisa pouted and furrowed her brows, making it clear that she was feeling a bit hurt.
“… So I’m insignificant in the Duke’s eyes.”
“No. However, I can not leave my companion alone under any circumstances.”
“Um, then Sir Clara. Then would you mind if the three of us talk together? I apologize for failing to realize that it would be rude to leave Sir Clara alone….”
In response to Ludger cleverly using me as a shield, Elisa’s tearful eyes turned towards me.
Alphonse’s eyes, who seemed to be displeased seeing Elisa’s upset expression, also turned to me.
Someone please help me.
I had no intention of it, but the subsequent developments were left in my hands.
Isn’t it too much of a trial for an insignificant Citizen A of the Empire who can’t even be considered an extra?
In this tense situation where everyone’s eyes were on me, then…
‘It’s right for me to send Ludger away.’
Ludger used me as an excuse to avoid a private meeting with Elisa.
In other words, if I hadn’t attended the gathering today, he would have had a private meeting with Elisa.
If this continues, the story will be twisted because of me, an extra, who doesn’t even appear in the original.
Of course, the plot has already been quite twisted because of the transfer of the case of Phantom Thief Heilbronner to the Ruby Knights and the supporting female lead Lan unexpectedly joined our order…
The current change in the romance flow was fatal. In order for Ludger to stop being the villain, it was essential for him to interact with Elisa and fall in love with her.
‘I didn’t want to become an original female lead like this.’
Now I felt like I could finally understand how the female leads who transmigrated as an extra but ended up being the original female lead feels.
It’s terrifying.
The story that was originally supposed to end peacefully is being twisted because of me, a variable in this world.
What if the original story gets derailed further and Ludger doesn’t get influenced positively but instead goes on a rampage as the villain? What if an incident breaks out due to black magic and causes casualties?
Even knowing the fact that these people, who were supposed to live peacefully, might die because of that, could I just pretend not to be aware and sleep soundly, thinking I have no responsibility?
Some people might be able to do that, but I couldn’t.
Just as much as I wanted a peaceful life, I also wanted others to have peace.
‘In the first place, was Elisa’s intention behind the question really to suggest that the three of us should talk together?’
It was an implicit pressure to see if I could leave the other person alone.
Of course, since Elisa was the female lead with a flower-like disposition, she probably didn’t have any ill intentions.
From the perspective of avoiding the possibility of being viewed negatively by the original female protagonist, this choice was indeed the right one.
“No need to worry about it. I’m fine on my own. You two take your time and talk.”
So I responded cheerfully with a broad smile.
“But….”
“Oh my, are you sure it’s really okay? I hope I’m not pressuring you……”
“Not at all! I’m a knight, and my position is completely different from that of ordinary young ladies. Today, accompanying the Duke Kassen is something entirely unrelated to social exchanges. It’s more like an extension of my duties!”
When I provided a reasonable explanation for why it was okay to leave me behind, Elisa’s expression brightened.
On the other hand, Ludger’s expression slightly darkened. Had he and Elisa had some initial animosity? It didn’t seem like it…
Still, given that she had already declared it wouldn’t take long and I was also saying it was fine, there was no reason to refuse. Eventually, Ludger relaxed his expression and answered slowly.
“…Since Captain Clara has already declared, I’d accept your kindness and have our discussion. Shall we, Lady Serphenne?”
“Yes! I won’t take up too much of your time. Please don’t worry.”
Ludger naturally escorted her by taking her hand, the scene looked as smooth as water flowing. Elisa, smiling brightly while holding his arm, also appeared charming.
However, was it because of his role as a supporting male lead? Their appearances didn’t quite seem to match. It seemed that a black-haired male protagonist is the standard next to a blonde female protagonist.
I glanced at Alphonse, the ‘black-haired male protagonist’ briefly.
He had only wanted to show his affectionate side in front of Elisa earlier, but now that they were apart, I thought he might display his jealous side.
However….
‘…Huh?’
For some reason, Alphonse was only staring blankly at the two of them walking away with unfocused eyes.
He looked so dazed that it was hard to imagine that he was the same person who had been smiling provocatively and exuding dangerous charisma just a moment ago.
I couldn’t help but flinch at the strange contrast for a moment, I watched as Alphonse turned around and walked to his seat, seemingly unaware of my presence.
Of course, I was not someone of significant concern to the Prince but…. It still felt strange to watch him like this.
‘Is he like that because he doesn’t want to interact with people other than the female protagonist?’
I turned around, recalling Alphonse’s setting of being unsociable in the original story, typical of a romance novel’s male protagonist.
Now, I should go back to my seat, have an aperitif, and relax while preparing for the evening’s feast…
“….!”
As I took a step, my body suddenly flinched. Following the unexpected sensation, I turned my head only to see Ludger, who had also stopped walking and was looking in the same direction as I was.
Instincts as a knight took precedence over everything else. I shouted loudly.
“Everyone, get down!”
Boom!
A massive explosion struck the hall, and screams echoed simultaneously.
The walls trembled as if barely able to withstand the attack, before beginning to crack as it could not withstand the impact.
The pristine glasses on the window, unable to hold, shattered with a sharp sound and scattered in all directions.
It felt like a colossal meteor had hit the building directly from outside. The aftermath caused the floor to shake as if an earthquake had struck.
In that brief moment, I didn’t miss the flicker of red light that briefly surged through the gaps in the walls and outside the windows before disappearing.
A massive amount of energy condensed and struck the building from outside. It was highly likely that some magical device had been used for the attack.
There was a high probability that it was a terrorist attack.
Fortunately, there were no casualties since no one was nearby, but the terrorist would not have been satisfied with just a crack in the wall.
‘This is not the end!’
I dashed toward the edge of the hall in a trance. While running, I threw off my heels and tore at the trailing fabric of my dress, which was hindering my movement.
Of course, there were security guards at this gathering hall.
It seemed there were some who could use Spirit as well. However, given the small scale of the gathering, there didn’t appear to be anyone with particularly impressive skills.
Seeing the flustered expressions of the guards as they hurried out confirmed that my assessment was correct.
As I was thinking this, a second impact shook the hall.
Boom!
This time, the guards who knew how to use Spirit activated a shield with their sword skills.
However, the power of the attack exceeded their Spirit capabilities. The guards were thrown to the ground, vomiting blood and collapsing into unconsciousness.
Screams echoed from all directions with a sense of panic. The hall was already in chaos as guests tried to flee.
I could see the regular guards who couldn’t use Spirit looking around with a helpless expression.
“I’m Clara Weyburn, Captain of the Ruby Knights! Please lend me your sword!”
I shouted a formal statement of cooperation and swiftly grabbed the nearby guard’s sword as if I was snatching it away.
“W-Wait, knight?”
“Yes! Yes! You all need to quickly guide people to safety! Request immediate support from the relevant knights!”
I yelled tersely as I charged forward.
Bang!
As expected, another strike hit shortly after. At this rate, the walls would not be able to withstand the attack and would collapse. I had to prevent the terrible situation where people would be helplessly crushed by the debris of the wall.
More than half of the ceiling and walls of the banquet hall that had been attacked collapsed.
I swung the sword fiercely, using my Spirit to create a wide-range protective shield, aiming to deflect the debris before it could reach the people.
“Ugh….”
The invisible enemy’s attack struck my shield with immense force, causing a heavy impact. If I wasn’t careful, I might end up like the guards who vomited blood at the first strike and fell unconscious.
‘Normally, I would have just avoided it without taking it head-on.’
However, I couldn’t stand by and watch as the building collapsed or people got hurt.
Fortunately, thanks to my protective shield, no one was crushed by the walls that had collapsed in all directions.
When I glanced around, I saw the Second Prince Alphonse, barely escaping from being caught by the debris and evacuating.
Ludger seemed to be sending Elisa to a safe place and cleaning up the crowded hall.
‘This is a bolt from the blue, really….’
A terrorist attack of this scale in the heart of the capital was a catastrophe beyond comparison with the last party I attended.
‘Is this possible?’
At that moment, as if answering my inner question, ‘It’ appeared among the crumbling walls shattered by repeated attacks.
Twisted limbs, grotesque eyes, mottled scales.
A bizarre and terrifying appearance that was way different from that of an ordinary animal.
It was a monster resembling a lion with two snake heads, ‘Orthros’.
