The Extra Saved the Terminally Ill Princess and Ran Away - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Reason for Living (2)

" Sob sob…! Elizabeth… Elizabeth…."

The Emperor's heartbroken cries for his wife continued.

-Rumble…

I heard it.

A sound the Emperor himself would have noticed if it weren't for the downpour and his overwhelming grief.

I looked up.

A large boulder, clearly visible, was plummeting towards the Emperor's head.

"Your Majesty!!!"

I didn't hesitate.

The moment I saw the free-falling boulder, my body moved instinctively, rushing towards the Emperor.

'Damn it.'

My instincts screamed. With a sword, even in my current state, I could have deflected that boulder.

But there wasn't a sword in sight.

I could probably find one, eventually. The swords of the knights who had fallen earlier.

But I didn't have time to rummage through the debris.

I threw myself at the Emperor, tackling him to the ground.

-Thud!

"Gasp… gasp…! Are you alright, Your Majesty…?"

"Y-You…! Ah… I-I'm fine… Thank you…."

Just in the nick of time, we rolled away as the boulder crashed into the ground where we had been.

The Emperor, initially about to scold me, saw the boulder and thanked me instead.

…But his expression was strange. Blank, despite having just escaped death.

How did I know?

Because it was the same expression Finn, who had sacrificed everything for me, had worn.

The expression of despair, of someone who had lost their reason for living and was merely waiting for death.

The Emperor… he seemed to have lost his will to live with the death of his wife.

'…You idiot. Have you forgotten why we're here, Emperor Alexei?!'

So, I grabbed his shoulders, just as Finn had grabbed mine, sharing his unwavering resolve.

"Your Majesty!! I am deeply sorry about the Empress, but you can't give up now!!"

"…How… How dare you speak to me like that…!"

"If you stop here, what will happen to Her Highness!!!"

The Imperial Princess.

We had to save her.

We had to save her from the cruel fate of waiting for death, afflicted by an incurable disease.

That… was our purpose here.

I reminded him of that purpose, hoping this doting father would come to his senses.

…Because we hadn't achieved our goal yet.

"…That's right… Lili."

Fortunately, this lovestruck, doting Emperor still had another reason to live.

"Yes… If I wallow in grief here and lose Lili as well… I won't be able to face Elizabeth in the afterlife…."

"That's right, Your Majesty. You just regained consciousness, so you must be weak. Allow me to help you up."

"Ah… Yes, thank you… I've shown you nothing but weakness…."

"Don't mention it, Your Majesty. Your well-being is our greatest joy."

As I helped him up, a sharp pain shot through my back.

"Ugh…!"

"…? Finn? What's wrong…? Finn, you…! Your back is a mess…!"

"Huh…?"

A searing pain, a jolt through my spine, finally registered.

I must have hit a rock when I rolled with the Emperor, tearing my back open.

"I'm fine… It's not fatal…."

Yes, the countless battles Finn had experienced spoke through me.

…This is nothing. Stop whining.

It's not time for you to indulge in the luxury of rest.

"But you…"

The Emperor, unaware of 'Finn's' unwavering will, looked at me with concern.

…A small child, his back torn and bleeding, smiling and saying he was fine. It must have been a difficult sight for an adult to process.

But even though my body was that of a child, my mind was that of an adult.

And compared to the years of hardship I had endured, and the experiences Finn had entrusted to me, this pain was nothing. It couldn't break my resolve. I met his gaze, assuring him I was truly fine.

"…I… I think I finally understand why Lili insisted on having you, a commoner, as her attendant."

***

Just as the Emperor and I recovered the Empress's body and prepared to resume our search for the alchemist…

-Splash splash splash.

The sound of someone walking through the mud reached my ears.

A woman's voice, filled with shock, echoed through the air.

"Huh?! What's this! Carriages? Because of the landslide…? Why are there so many unexpected things happening today…."

Who would be walking through such a treacherous area…? Intrigued, I turned to observe the woman.

A large backpack, almost as big as I was. Numerous flasks strapped to her waist and legs.

And…

"…Rainbow-colored hair."

"Huh? What did you say, Finn?"

That unique trait, exclusive to her in this world, was impossible to forget.

I had finally found her. The alchemist of the Eastern Mountain Range.

***

…Finally, the questions that had plagued me were answered.

I was paralyzed, unable to move. Yet, I had been miraculously rescued before I died.

With everyone else dead, and no one knowing our destination, how had our location been revealed?

And another question.

How did the investigators know that the alchemist we were searching for had temporarily evacuated due to the landslide?

If they had heard it from the alchemist herself, we could have obtained the elixir then and there.

The answer was simple.

The alchemist had found us, reported our location to the Imperial Guard, and then disappeared, leaving behind the testimony that she was the alchemist and had found us while evacuating due to the landslide.

'Damn it… so even if we had avoided the landslide, we wouldn't have met her.'

What a cruel twist of fate.

To save Lili, we had to be caught in the landslide, had to be swept away.

'I can't understand this author's intentions…'

Were they trying to prevent me from saving Lili…?

Or were they saying that I had to overcome these trials and tribulations to earn my reward…?

'Regardless… I've secured the elixir.'

***

"…? The elixir? No way."

To think there was a time when I thought that would be her answer. Damn it.

***

"I offered you wealth and status! Why won't you give me the elixir?!"

"Because… it's only for those who are worthy."

"W-Worthy? What does that even mean?! What kind of 'worthiness' does even the Emperor lack?!"

The Emperor roared in frustration. The elixir that could save his daughter was right in front of him, yet out of reach.

The veins on his forehead pulsed, visible signs of his boiling rage.

Yet, he didn't dare order or force the frail alchemist to hand over the elixir.

'Despite her appearance, she's capable of killing ten knights on her own. Don't provoke her. If she gets offended and runs away, everything will be for naught.'

That's what the attendant who had revealed the alchemist's location had warned him.

"Worthy… Well, you're definitely not… Worthy… Worthy… Hmm?"

"Y-You…?"

The alchemist glanced dismissively at the Emperor, then her gaze fixed on me, a flicker of interest in her eyes.

"…You have something interesting inside you, don't you? You imposter."

Imposter.

My body trembled. I, a soul from Earth reincarnated into this world, was an imposter, a foreign entity.

"…Calling someone an imposter right off the bat is a bit rude, don't you think?"

But I couldn't show any outward signs of distress. That would be like a thief giving himself away.

"Hmm… Well, whatever… So… you seem somewhat worthy… What will you do?"

"Huh?"

She just called me an imposter, and now she's saying I'm worthy?

"But you're not perfectly worthy, so… you'll have to pay a price. Say… your left eye?"

"My left… eye?"

"Yes. I'm not taking it permanently. I'll return it when we meet again…"

"Take it."

"Huh…?"

A mere left eye? Take it if you want.

I would gladly offer both my eyes for the elixir.

My immediate, unwavering agreement made both of them stare at me as if I were insane.

…Yes, both of them.

"D-Did you just… say… your eye…?"

"Are… Are you sure? You don't even have Cellular Petrification. You're willing to sacrifice your eye? Just like that?"

"…She's… worth more than that. More than both my eyes."

The finish line was in sight. I wasn't going to stop now because of a single eye.

I would finally see her healthy… with my two eyes… or rather, one eye now…

Even if I only had one eye left, I would…

See her healthy.

See her running around happily.

See her…

'Finn, I… I want to see the ocean someday. The vast, open ocean… I want to swim there.'

…With you.

See her achieve her dreams.

See her do what she wanted to do.

…What more could I ask for?

Seeing my genuine, overflowing joy, the alchemist sighed, as if to say, 'What a crazy bastard.'

Then, shaking her head in disbelief, she said,

"Ha… Fine, do as you wish. An alchemist keeps her promises. I have no choice."

-Squish.

The alchemist, suddenly right in front of me, placed her hand over my left eye. The sound of tearing flesh echoed in my skull.

Perhaps because she was skilled enough to create the elixir, my left eye was removed in the blink of an eye. Something hard replaced it.

"…I've put in a prosthetic. It'll look and move normally, so don't worry about that."

"…Thank you."

"That's the first time I've been thanked for removing an eye. More importantly, I'm surprised. You didn't even make a sound…? Doesn't it hurt?"

The alchemist raised an eyebrow, looking at me, my mind completely occupied with the elixir.

"…Not at all."

It was just a momentary pain. What was a single eye compared to real pain?

It was easy to say that because she didn't know real pain. She hadn't seen someone suffer so much that they wished for death.

She didn't know the truly heart-wrenching, suffocating pain that made you want to tear your own heart out.

Clink.

A flask filled with a rainbow-hued liquid was placed in my hand.

"Here's the elixir, as promised. It not only completely cures Cellular Petrification, but also boosts magical power to the level of a decent mage, so handle it with care."

The elixir.

The real elixir. Exactly as described in the novel. The real, real elixir.

My breath hitched. Tears of joy streamed down my face, unable to contain the overwhelming happiness.

I could save her. I could… free her from that hellish disease.

…I could finally repay a fraction of the love and kindness she had shown me.

"…Thank you… Thank you so much… Thank… you… truly…."

Deep within me, I felt Finn's soul, now a part of me, resonating with my emotions.

…Yes.

You, too, are Finn.

You, too, have longed for this moment…

So let us rejoice today, forgetting the painful past.

At my, Finn's, heartfelt gratitude, the alchemist scoffed.

"…Whatever. I just fulfilled my end of the bargain. I don't know how precious this person is to you, but seeing you smile after losing an eye… she must be really special. Well, let's see. Don't screw up this time."

'This time'

Startled by her words, I looked up, but she had already vanished.

"…Unbelievable."

It seemed I wasn't the only one surprised by her sudden disappearance.

The Emperor was also staring at the spot where she had been, his mouth agape.

But he quickly regained his composure and looked at me.

"Finn."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"When we return to the capital, I will grant you any wish you desire. Even if…"

"…?"

The Emperor hesitated, as if struggling with his next words.

Then, clearing his throat, he said,

"Even if it's the impertinent wish of having Lili, I swear, on my name… Alexei Yekaterina… I will do everything in my power to grant it."

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