The Extra Saved the Terminally Ill Princess and Ran Away - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: To the Academy

***

"Gasp…! Pant…! Pant…!"

I was currently being pursued by several knights, undoubtedly sent by Lili.

Let me repeat. I was being pursued by knights.

…Why the emphasis?

-Thud!

Daggers were embedding themselves in the ground around me, narrowly missing my body. This had been going on for a while now.

If I hadn't been dodging with all my might, they would have definitely hit me.

'Are these guys really guards?! They look like professional assassins!'

Why were knights throwing daggers and leaping through the trees like some sort of…

'…Naruto characters?! Are you kidding me?!'

It seemed the Emperor's power had indeed grown significantly.

Otherwise, Lili wouldn't have access to guards of this caliber.

Guards capable of taking down the Emperor's previous escort like they were nothing.

'That's… a welcome development, but…'

-Thud! Another dagger grazed my hair.

Surely Lili doesn't want to be known as the "Assassin Princess," does she?

That would be problematic…

"…Contact the captain. Ask if we're really authorized to kill the target."

As if to deny me any respite, the assassins… no, the guards' voices reached me through the wind.

…What? She said I could be killed? Lili?

"Her Highness said we could kill him if he resisted, but there's no reason to bring him back alive anyway. She said to just kill him and be done with it."

"…Indeed. The cliff is just ahead… This is the end of the line for him."

"Yeah, he's been lucky so far… but with nowhere left to run…"

…Those bastards.

They had decided to kill me on their own, despite Lili's order to only do so if I resisted.

They probably considered me the root of all evil…

…I suddenly realized I was surrounded by nothing but enemies.

That captain must be quite competent. He had sent these assassin-like guards to restrict my escape route, while the actual knights, on horseback, were slowly closing in, like hunters cornering their prey.

The sound of hooves, faint at first, was growing louder. There was no mistaking it.

'Isn't this basically like swapping the Emperor's and the Princess's guards?'

That doting fool must have assigned the Emperor's elite guards to Lili, prioritizing her safety over his own.

It made sense. Only someone of Earl rank or higher could command guards of this caliber.

Which meant I had zero chance of winning.

I didn't have a proper sword, and even if I did… this frail body couldn't take on so many skilled opponents.

'If they're using magic-imbued daggers for pursuit… the actual knights must be even more formidable.'

That captain was probably just a step below the Imperial Knight Commander in skill.

'Did I strengthen the Emperor's power too much?'

If this was the current state of affairs, his power would only grow stronger with time.

Especially since the noble I killed recently had been the Emperor's greatest rival.

'Oh well… At least I don't have to worry about Lili's safety anymore… That's a positive, right?'

…Assuming, of course, that their captain was foolish enough to fall for my plan.

If he was stronger than I anticipated, he might notice the artifact I possessed.

***

"Pant… pant… sigh…."

"Your long escape ends here. You put up a good fight for a powerless attendant… but even superhuman strength fueled by desperation has its limits."

A man stepped forward from the pursuing group.

There was no mistaking it. He was the captain of the guard, the one who had misinterpreted Lili's orders and was trying to kill me.

-Thud.

He took a step closer. I couldn't even flinch, let alone run.

"You have nowhere left to run."

He was right. I was cornered at the edge of a cliff.

…Surrounded by his guards.

"…Did Her Highness order you to pursue me? To hunt down one insignificant attendant?"

I asked, implying that such a large force wasn't necessary to capture a single person.

He glanced at his men, then smirked.

"Any one of us could kill you easily… but we all wanted to see you die."

"…I don't even know your faces."

Of course, I had seen them before, briefly, whenever they were on duty.

But a lowly attendant wouldn't know such things, so I had to pretend.

"You might not know us, but we know you. And… how could we, her guards, ignore Her Highness's daily 'prayers'?"

"…So, you're killing me for Her Highness?"

"Yes. And… we don't like you either. We can't possibly like someone our liege loathes so much."

Wow, so many people hated me. I must be destined for a long life.

But I was also relieved. Even though these guards were acting on their own accord, it was out of loyalty to Lili.

-Thud.

The captain took another step closer.

"This is your just desserts. The price for incurring Her Highness's wrath, for causing the Empress's death by making her try to save a lowly commoner like you. Accept your fate."

He raised his sword.

Perhaps out of a sliver of mercy, he intended to give me a quick death, a clean decapitation, rather than prolonged torture.

…Everything was ready.

The torrential rain and the pitch-black darkness, combined, made it impossible to see more than a few inches ahead.

The precariously loose ground I had prepared earlier.

And the artifact, ready to activate just before I hit the ground.

'I wanted to go out with a bang, at least.'

So, channeling a famous line from a Korean noir film, I stomped my foot.

"What a perfect day to die… wouldn't you say?"

-Rumble!

The ground beneath my feet crumbled, and I plunged into the seemingly bottomless ravine.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!"

'Whoa… Holy shit! This is terrifying!'

I had wanted to maintain my composure, to choose my own death with dignity… but I couldn't help but scream.

Especially since the captain's expression, as I fell, was one of pure bewilderment.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!"

…I should have tried bungee jumping at least once in my previous life.

I fell towards the earth, filled with regret.

***

Chirp chirp chirp….

Birdsong tickled my eardrums.

"Yawn… Is it morning already?"

Earlier than my usual waking time.

But I had to get out of bed. Today was the day I had been waiting for. The academy entrance ceremony.

"Hmm… I look pretty manly now, don't I?"

I admired my reflection in the window. I looked… taller than usual, somehow.

Jet-black hair. Sharp, yet gentle eyes. A defined nose and jawline.

But still retaining a youthful charm…

A captivating blend of boyish and manly features.

"This Finn guy… he must have broken a lot of hearts."

Yes, I was admiring Finn's face, which was now mine.

…In 'the shack,' our former home.

A shack I had renovated into a proper house.

'Since I was leaving, I couldn't think of anywhere else to go.'

A year ago.

After falling into the ravine, I had activated the artifact just before impact, landing safely.

Then, I scattered some of my blood, tore my clothes to shreds as if I had been attacked by wild animals, and fled here.

Since then, I had been living in this shack, hunting and selling game meat in the village to buy food.

'…Since no one heard anything about me, they must think I'm dead.'

Even I had struggled to get out of that forest.

Even if I had miraculously survived the fall, a mere attendant couldn't possibly survive in a forest infested with monsters and wild animals.

"But this eye… it won't change, even with the artifact…"

I muttered, looking at my odd eyes. My right eye was still red, while my left eye had turned gold at some point.

I didn't know why.

One day, after a meal, I looked in the mirror and there it was. Since there were no other changes to my body, I hadn't noticed it until then. I didn't know when it had happened.

The only noticeable difference was… my swordsmanship had improved significantly.

Well… no harm, no foul.

Since it didn't seem to have any negative effects, I decided to leave it alone.

"It looks cool, so it's fine… but the problem is, it doesn't change even with the Trace Changer…"

The Trace Changer, a necklace-type artifact that altered one's appearance.

I couldn't live with Finn's appearance forever, so I had prepared it in advance.

Suddenly, the morning sun, streaming through the window, caught my eye. A reminder that I didn't have time to waste.

"Whoa…! I don't have time to admire myself! I'll be late for the entrance ceremony…!!"

That couldn't happen.

Because there was an event I had to intervene in.

I had to be the one to save Lili from the demon attack during the entrance ceremony, the hero of the heroine rescue event.

"…I can't let that indecisive bastard Ian have her."

I loathed the NTR genre with a passion.

And if Ian and Lili got involved again, all my efforts would be for naught.

I rushed towards the academy.

To meet her again. To rebuild our relationship.

This time, not as Finn the attendant, but as someone else entirely.

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