An Extra’s Rise in an Eroge

Althea ran up to Arthur, her face filled with urgency. "Arthur! It's bad—really bad!"

Arthur stopped in his tracks. "What happened?"

"The Saintess… she's missing!"

His expression darkened. "What do you mean, missing? Aren't you always with her?"

"I was! But I can't find her anywhere!" Althea's voice wavered.

Arthur's gaze sharpened. "Tell me everything."

Althea took a shaky breath. "After we split up, she and I were heading to register for a club. But midway, Alicia called her. After their call, she told me she had something to do with Alicia and asked me to register on her behalf. I thought nothing of it at the time, but… it's been two hours, Arthur. She hasn't contacted me, and now I can't find either of them."

Arthur's grip tightened on her shoulders. "Alicia's missing too?"

Althea nodded, her anxiety growing.

"How long since you last saw them?"

"Two hours. I've searched everywhere—the club halls, dorms, classrooms, the library. I even tried calling them, but their phones are off." She swallowed hard. "Arthur, I have a really bad feeling about this."

Arthur exhaled sharply. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen to them. I'll make sure of it."

Just as he spoke, a familiar notification rang in his head.

[Ding! Emergency Quest Triggered!]

[Rescue the Saintess]

[Rewards: Saintess's Favourability ↑ | Althea's Favourability ↑ | +5 Charm]

Arthur's expression darkened. 'I don't need a damn quest. I need their location. Where are they?'

[Don't ask me. I'm always with you. How would I know?] Sol responded lazily.

Arthur gritted his teeth. Useless system.

"If they're not in the academy, that means they must've gone outside," he muttered, already considering the next move.

"Then let's ask the guards. They must've seen them leave," Althea suggested.

"Good idea." Arthur nodded.

They turned toward the academy gates, but before they could take another step, something suddenly darted toward them.

A cat.

It ran straight to Arthur, meowing anxiously and pawing at his leg. Its cries were urgent, almost desperate.

"Whose cat is this?" Althea frowned, stepping forward, irritation flashing in her eyes. "Shoo—"

Arthur stopped her, gripping her wrist before she could nudge it away.

"She's not just a cat," he said, his eyes narrowing. "That's Alicia's familiar."

"Alicia's familiar? Then why is it acting like this?" Althea asked, frowning.

Arthur's expression hardened. "Familiars can sense when their master is in danger. If she's acting this distressed, it means Alicia's in trouble."

Althea's breath hitched. "If Alicia's in danger… then the Saintess might be, too."

Regret flashed across her face as panic set in.

"I should've been with her… I shouldn't have left her…" she mumbled, her voice growing unsteady.

Arthur let her be for the moment. Instead, he crouched down and picked up the small creature. Activating his skill [Beast Tongue], he focused on its frantic cries. Find more adventures on empire

Suddenly, the screeching transformed into words.

[Master is in danger. Help!] The cat kept repeating the same plea.

Can you sense where she is? Arthur asked in Beast Tongue.

The cat's eyes widened. [Meow?! You… you understand me?!]

Yes. Just tell me—can you locate her?

[Yes! Meow! She's at the same place as yesterday!]

The slums? Arthur pressed.

[I don't know what it's called, but yes, it's the same place.]

Arthur clenched his jaw. The slums… that's at least half an hour away.

Before he could say anything, the cat's ears twitched, and her fur bristled. [We don't have that much time! I can feel her mind slipping—something's wrong. If you had space affinity, I could teleport you there!]

Arthur's eyes lit up. I do have space affinity. Do it. Now.

The cat froze for a moment, then quickly responded. [Hold me tight!]

Arthur didn't hesitate. He scooped up the cat and turned to Althea.

"They're in the slums. I'm heading there now—catch up as fast as you can!"

Before Althea could respond, darkness swirled around Arthur, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished into the void.

It was the Nether Cat's unique ability— [Void Walk].

Althea snapped out of her daze and bolted toward the academy gates.

An Hour Earlier

Two girls walked side by side through the dimly lit, narrow streets of the slums. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and distant smoke, but unlike before, there was a newfound sense of life in the area.

"It's heartwarming to see those men—who were begging just yesterday—working hard and earning their living now," Eveline said with a gentle smile.

Alicia nodded. "It feels good, doesn't it? Just a little help from us, and now they don't have to survive by begging."

Eveline's silver hair shimmered under the faint streetlights as she glanced around. "I've traveled to many places on behalf of the church to give donations, but I never realized charity could work like this. Arthur has such a unique perspective."

Alicia puffed her chest out proudly. "Of course he does! He's the genius of the century." She spoke as if the praise for Arthur was a compliment to herself.

Eveline chuckled. "Yeah, yeah." Then, her expression turned serious. "We should head back. The slums get dangerous after dark."

Alicia nodded. "Agreed. Let's hurry."

They made their way toward a waiting carriage, their pace quickening. The slums were notorious for their dangers, and as much as the Saintess wanted to help its people, she wasn't foolish enough to ignore the risks.

But just as they neared the carriage, a desperate voice cut through the silence.

"Sister! Sister! Wait!"

Both girls turned toward the source of the cry. A man stumbled toward them, breathless, his face desperate as he rushed forward.

The man coughed, struggling to catch his breath after his hurried sprint. Eveline, ever composed, offered him a gentle smile.

"Calm down, brother. Tell me, what's wrong?" she asked softly.

Her soothing voice seemed to ease his distress, if only slightly. He swallowed hard before stammering, "I-It's my daughter… she's sick. Acting strange. I don't know what to do—please, you have to help!" His eyes were filled with desperation.

Eveline didn't hesitate. Her duty as a Saintess left no room for second thoughts. "Take me to her," she said, her voice laced with concern.

Alicia, standing beside her, frowned but said nothing. She couldn't let her friend go alone—there was no choice but to follow.

The man nodded frantically and motioned for them to follow. He led them through a series of dark, winding alleys, the air thick with the scent of rot and decay. The deeper they went, the more the surroundings deteriorated. Broken crates, torn cloth coverings, and filth littered the ground. It was hard to imagine anyone living in such conditions.

"I'm sorry," the man muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Eveline glanced at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

The man stopped walking and turned to face them. His gaze was hollow.

"I'm truly sorry."

Alicia stiffened. Eveline's brows furrowed in confusion.

And then—before they could react—figures emerged from the darkness. Five men, their faces hidden beneath the flickering light of a distant lantern.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Eveline stammered, her voice shaking as she tried to reason with them, hoping to defuse the situation.

The men didn't respond with words. Their eyes, dark with lust, told her everything she needed to know. Their sinister grins, the way they loomed over her, the way one reached out to grab her—it was all clear.

But they had underestimated her.

Just as one lunged forward, expecting her to be helpless, Eveline reacted. With a swift movement, she twisted her body, evading his grasp. The man's fingers barely grazed her veil as he stumbled forward, catching nothing but air.

"Tsk," one of them cursed, clearly frustrated.

"Hold her properly!" another barked.

Eveline knew she couldn't rely on just her agility. Gritting her teeth, she called upon her divine energy, channeling raw power into her limbs. A surge of holy strength coursed through her body. With renewed force, she broke free from the man gripping her from behind, sending him staggering backward in shock.

Meanwhile, Alicia wasn't just standing idle.

Unlike Eveline, she didn't have divine strength, but she had learned how to fight. As the man restraining her tried to tighten his grip, she rammed her elbow into his ribs—hard. A sharp grunt escaped his lips as he momentarily loosened his hold. Taking advantage of the opening, Alicia stomped on his foot and twisted her body, breaking free.

"You bitch—!" The man growled, but Alicia didn't give him a chance to recover.

With a swift motion, she spun around and delivered a solid punch straight to his jaw. The impact sent him stumbling back, blood trickling from his lip.

"Don't you dare look down on me," Alicia spat, her eyes burning with fury.

The men hesitated for a moment, taken aback by their unexpected resistance.

But hesitation quickly turned to rage.

A white streak sliced through the air as one of the assailants brandished a knife, slashing toward the saintess with menacing intent. They expected her to panic, to cower in fear, to be just another helpless woman who would succumb to their assault.

The man holding the blade smirked, anticipation gleaming in his eyes. A part of him itched to rip off the veil and hood that concealed her face. Was she beautiful or hideous? It didn't matter. What mattered was that she would be theirs before the night ended—at least, that's what he believed.

However, reality shattered his twisted expectations in an instant.

Instead of recoiling in fear, Eveline moved with the fluid precision of a trained fighter. As the knife slashed toward her, she twisted her body, narrowly evading the deadly arc. In the same breath, she struck—her hands lashing out like vipers, seizing the man's wrist with practiced ease. With a sharp twist, she forced him to drop the blade, the weapon clattering uselessly against the ground.

Before he could react, her fist snapped forward, striking him cleanly under the chin. His head snapped back as his vision blurred, his body crumpling to the filthy ground beneath them.

"The Church of Light's martial arts?" one of the attackers muttered, eyes widening in disbelief. "Only paladins are supposed to know that!"

The others hesitated. This wasn't what they had expected. A gentle, charitable saintess who healed the sick and fed the poor—yet here she was, displaying the honed techniques of the church's elite warriors.

The saintess exhaled slowly, steadying her stance. Though she had been raised to embody the goddess's love and mercy, the church had ensured she was not defenseless. Even the holiest among them had to be prepared for the darkness in the world.