The Extra Saved the Terminally Ill Princess and Ran Away - Chapter 30

Chapter 30: Triang Village (1)

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As I intended, Ian chose his original party members, except for Grace.

And I formed my ideal party.

As expected, Lili and I were assigned to the main scenario, the Triang Village heresy investigation.

Everything was going smoothly… or so I thought.

But this was a world where every character was susceptible to sudden, often nonsensical, plot twists that led to forced tragic endings.

Expecting everything to go according to plan was overly optimistic.

"This is ridiculous, damn it."

"…."

Crackle, crackle.

The sound of burning wood filled the silent night air.

On our way to Triang Village, as darkness fell, we decided to set up camp.

And as soon as I mentioned camping, Lili said,

-Then Anna and I will take the later watch shifts, so Berry and Grace can take the first ones.

Of course, I protested.

Or rather, I was speechless at her blatant disregard for my opinion.

'What? Why are you just deciding…'

-Berry, if you and I are on watch together, who knows what might happen? The two who can't fight should be on watch together.

She had a point.

While Anna and Grace weren't completely defenseless, their combat abilities were far below ours.

Putting them on the same watch shift wasn't wise, and Lili's reasoning was sound.

If that was all, I wouldn't be cursing. I hadn't even considered the watch order.

What made my face twist in annoyance was what Lili said as she cast a soundproofing spell on the tents.

-Don't worry, I won't interrupt your alone time together.

"Um… Berry?"

"What?"

"If you'd prefer, I can ask Anna to switch shifts with me."

"It's fine. Let the kid sleep."

"Anna is the same age as us… I understand."

Before we left for Triang Village, Grace had constantly asked me if I was attracted to her every time we met.

But now, perhaps sensing my annoyance, she was cautiously gauging my mood as I gritted my teeth.

"…Her Highness has a fiancé."

Let me rephrase that.

This woman was incredibly perceptive when it came to this particular topic.

Something I hadn't realized, since the original story only focused on her devotion to Ian.

"I know."

"Then why…"

"Does there need to be a reason to love someone?"

"But… Her Highness's words to us… were completely sincere."

Damn it.

I had just learned something I didn't want to know. Was this Pandora's Box?

I glared at Grace, who had just opened Pandora's Box and dumped its contents on my head.

She flinched at my sharp gaze, but held my stare, refusing to back down.

She probably felt it was her duty to tell me the painful truth, even if it scared her.

Like a mirror, the flickering firelight reflected in her topaz eyes, revealing my auburn hair and my own troubled expression.

My odd eyes, too, must be reflecting her image.

It would have been a romantic scene under normal circumstances, but there was nothing romantic about our current situation.

Her eyes held fear and apprehension.

Mine held annoyance and anger.

But as they say, life is a comedy from afar, a tragedy up close.

We were oblivious to how our little drama appeared to an outside observer.

"Oh my."

Startled by the voice, I turned to see Lili quickly duck back inside her tent.

"Damn it."

I had forgotten about the soundproofing spell.

How must it have looked to her?

Two people, lost in a romantic moment, gazing intently at each other.

This couldn't get any worse.

"W-We should clear up this misunderstanding right away! I'll go…"

Grace, also not wanting me to despair over this misunderstanding, was about to rush into Lili's tent when…

-Thump, thump.

Footsteps approached, carried by the wind. They were about 200 meters away.

"Wait, bandits."

They were here earlier than in the original story, by an hour or two. Perfect timing, as always.

Whose handiwork was this? Appearing at the most inconvenient moment.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my anger.

Grace, having confirmed my words, gulped, her voice trembling.

Perhaps it was her first real combat experience, or perhaps it was the darkness.

She couldn't hide her nervousness.

"S-Should we wake everyone up…?"

"It's fine. I can handle this many. Besides, I can't let Her Highness see something unpleasant."

Shing.

The sound of White Night leaving its sheath echoed through the silent night.

I focused my magic on my feet and eyes, steadying my stance.

Grace, sensing my killing intent, spoke,

"Could you… try to capture them alive, if possible?"

"…Spare the people who are trying to kill us?"

"They deserve a chance to repent…"

Thump. Shadows moved in the darkness.

"I'll give that chance to one of them."

'I have a use for him.'

My eyes, gleaming with killing intent, reflected the moonlight.

My body moved towards them, leaving afterimages in its wake.

White Night, bathed in moonlight, became a line of light.

The line curved as I moved, splitting into multiple arcs, tracing paths towards their heads, arms, and legs.

Swish.

A spray of crimson blood erupted as my sword, an extension of my will, danced through the darkness. I felt a thrill, a sense of mastery I had never experienced before.

Fifteen heads thudded to the ground. Only the leader, his tendons severed, remained alive, screaming in agony.

"Argh…! huff! Aaaaaaaaagh!!!"

I smiled faintly, satisfied with the outcome.

I had been disappointed that I couldn't fully utilize my skills against the Lycansthrope, due to its size, its tough hide, and its mastery of the darkness.

One of the severed heads rolled towards the bandit leader, landing at his feet.

He convulsed, screaming in terror and pain.

"Eek!! Agh! huff…!"

He was annoying, but I couldn't silence him permanently.

Lili wouldn't hear his screams anyway, thanks to the soundproofing spell, and I needed him to be able to talk.

"Berry! Berry…?"

"Grace, I left one alive, as promised."

Grace, who had followed me, stared at the carnage, her lips trembling.

Then, she saw the bandit leader, and cried out,

"Berry! You didn't have to do this! You could have just subdued them!"

"I could have."

"Then…!"

"But why should I bother? With villains like these?"

"W-We don't have any proof that they're all villains…!"

Ah, right.

Grace didn't know what they had done.

It was information only I, having read the original story, possessed. I stepped on the bandit leader's chest, demanding an answer.

"Huff! Ugh!"

"Hey, have you ever killed an innocent person? Answer me."

"Berry!!"

"N-Never!! I… I just started… because I was desperate…!"

I looked at Grace, who had cried out in protest. She met my gaze, her eyes darting around, her lips opening and closing, before finally saying,

"He's… lying."

"How many women have you raped? More than ten, right?"

"I-I said I never…! Urghhh!!"

And again,

"…He's lying."

To shatter her naive idealism, I pressed on.

"Then is there even one member of your gang who hasn't killed an innocent person or raped a woman?"

"…"

He seemed to realize that Grace was a lie detector. He clamped his mouth shut, refusing to answer.

'Idiot.'

What was the difference between admitting it individually and admitting it collectively?

I looked at Grace. She closed her eyes, as if in pain, and lowered her head.

"So, do you still think we should treat them with respect, Grace?"

"They still deserve a chance to repent…"

Wow… stubborn, wasn't she?

I delivered the final blow.

"Hey, if your ambush had been successful, you would have killed me and raped the women, right?"

He remained silent. I pressed the edge of my sword against his thigh, slowly dragging it across his skin.

"Aaaaaaaaagh!! Aaaaagh!!"

He screamed, and when the blood pooling from his thigh formed a small puddle, he finally confessed.

"Y-Yes!! That was my intention!!!"

I turned to Grace. Our eyes met, and she lowered her head again.

She seemed to have finally grasped the reality of the situation.

Even if her affection for me decreased, it didn't matter. That was the intention all along.

He was a tool.

A tool to show Grace the harsh realities of this world before we reached Triang Village.

A tool to help her make more rational decisions.

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