I Became an Extra Without Growth in the Academy

Clank, clank, clank! Inside the rattling carriage, I’m rolling around with my hands and feet tied.

I get the hands, but why the feet? Did they think I’d jump out and make a run for it?

This treatment is new to me; I couldn’t adapt. But then again, everything I’ve experienced so far makes no sense. It’s an extravagant life for a commoner!

“I’ve been living a bit too comfortably.”

The world has strict class divisions, meaning snobbery exists even here.

So, it’s not surprising to be treated like a lowly commoner.

I bet there have been quite a few people unhappy with me being called a commoner. They probably left me alone because messing with someone of my stature is challenging.

Hmm… Is it really overestimated? I’ve done so much shady stuff, I can’t argue against that.

Of course, not everything’s spread around… but with my accomplishments in the entrance exam and promptly recruiting the Student Council, it’s clear I’m no easy target.

And with the Princess always hanging around me… Yeah, they probably didn’t want to mess with that.

So why are they dragging me along? Is it because they don’t know anything? Or are they just too dumb to realize?

I wouldn’t be surprised if they thought they hit the jackpot for their own pockets. That’s the kind of guys they are.

Now, Diggerus is no more. The Jibchak family where he grew up is… well, I can only say they are a family of loudmouths.

They aren’t completely useless; it’s just obvious they’re too busy filling their own bellies to be likable.

Hyena-like might be an appropriate description for them.

Clank!

“Oof.”

At that moment, the carriage jolted, as if it was caught on something. I almost bit my tongue.

So much for this freight carriage. The ride is nowhere near a Royal Carriage.

The carriage kept rattling, and I felt like I’d be tossed inside if I stayed there, so I decided to loosen the ropes binding my hands and feet.

It was easy enough. Just toss it into my inventory, and boom, done.

“Now that’s really cheating.”

I won’t have to worry about being physically restrained anymore.

With my hands and feet free, even if the carriage rattled, it was bearable.

Maybe it’s because my body’s comfortable now, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d made a pointless move.

Who are the people next to me? The Princess on my left, the Duke’s Daughter on my right. If I just borrowed a word from either of them, I could’ve easily turned this situation around.

Even without that, simply being a student under the Academy’s protection would have been enough to escape.

In fact, the principal had come personally before, saying that with the Academy’s reputation, resisting wouldn’t be a problem.

But I chose to just get captured. The principal must be wondering, “Why on earth?” by now.

Of course, there was a reason I was dragged here.

The Jibchak family. There’s one item that I needed to grab from there.

I had long wanted to steal it, but I couldn’t pass up this chance.

I’d also deal with the little schemes they have brewing. Then I’ll wait for Seria to come rescue me.

“Perfect plan!”

The details could be figured out later.

With that thought, I waited for the carriage to arrive.

How long had it been? The incessant rattling of the carriage began to subside, and I soon felt us coming to a stop.

Suddenly, a man opened the door and shouted.

“Get out!”

Trash Jibchak. The head of the Jibchak family.

Just a note, his wife’s name is Dirty.

Trash and dirty… Is this the twist of fate?

Whatever it is, I decided to just follow his orders.

As I slipped out of the carriage, Trash looked shocked and started yelling at me.

“What?! How did you get free?!”

I realized I was tied up and should be unable to move properly.

It’s shocking when someone tied up stands up and walks out.

I subtly showed off the rope I had pulled from my inventory and responded calmly.

“You must not have tied it well; it came undone by itself.”

“Don’t lie. You were trying to escape and secretly untied it!”

“Then you should just tie it up again.”

“I’ll definitely do that!”

Definitely, Diggerus takes after his dad. Just a little poke, and he reacts. It’s pretty satisfying.

Trash barked an order to the knight beside him, who snatched the rope from my hands and began tying me up again.

“Now that I have to walk, why are you tying my feet too?”

“…What else should I do?”

“Don’t let the likes of a commoner control you! Tie him up just like before!”

In the end, my hands and feet were tied again, and I was dragged along the floor by the feet.

Great, these are the clothes Seria bought for me; they’ll be ruined. I’ll have to remember to account for the cost of those when I steal the item later.

“I wonder how long this nonchalance will last.”

Unaware of my evil thoughts, Trash just continued laughing, thinking he was the more malicious one.

The Jibchak family has three zones to note.

Well, technically, four, but one of them is just a living space where they hang out, so it doesn’t count.

Anyway, of the three areas, the first is a Forbidden Book Storage that pretends to be an Old Book Storage.

The second is the Secret Warehouse where the item I intend to steal is located.

The third is the Basement where I’m currently being dragged to.

The basement is usually a place for them to handle dirty business; it’s magically isolated from the outside, and it’s not accessible through normal means, making it a perfect spot for such activities.

But if I get dragged all the way in there, it could get problematic… so I decided it was time to make a move.

Well, I achieved the purpose of being dragged into the Jibchak estate. There’s no need to be dragged around longer.

I quickly dropped the rope into my inventory and ran. The direction? Naturally, towards the Secret Warehouse.

Since I had just tossed the rope into the inventory while being dragged, it was obvious I got caught.

“…He’s escaping!!”

“Catch him now!!”

They started chasing me, but I had already created some distance.

Thanks to using a dash cancel, the knights that were just under Trash couldn’t keep up, and the gap kept widening.

It was a ridiculously easy chase until Trash got desperate and decided to unleash some magic.

Boom!

Bang!

The fireballs he shot began to destroy and burn the decorative trees.

Originally meant to hit me directly, he missed because I dodged, and they hit the tree behind me instead.

As magic passed through at an angle it shouldn’t have, Trash seemed startled.

“What… was that true?!”

He kept saying aloud what he should’ve only thought, making it easy for me to figure out the situation.

It seems he had indeed heard rumors about me but didn’t believe them.

It’s understandable; most rumors coming out of the Academy are pure BS.

There are even rumors that Seria is dragging girls around and making them cry… so there’s no reason to be shocked if people don’t believe the rumors about me.

But still, the fact that they were trying to drag me with such a low-level group of knights, even knowing I crossed the Student Council, is truly baffling.

“Haha, interesting! So, the Student Council is different! But I’m also from the Academy Student Council! You’re only a first-year; the moment I get serious, it’s over for you!”

Oh right, he is from the Student Council? Almost forgot, thanks for the reminder.

No need to think it through, since he’s the one who gave away that info.

After that, Trash’s magical attacks became more intense.

He began to handle his magic with more precision, as if he had decided not to destroy anything else, and at this rate, it was evident he was skilled.

Well, he is Diggerus’s parent, who had been the Student Council president. This level was to be expected.

The knights chasing me soon vanished. They probably figured out they weren’t cut out for this.

“You! This is where it ends!”

Fwoosh!

Realizing his attacks weren’t working, he tried to create a wall of fiery pillars in front of me.

I stopped, looked back, and saw genuinely capable knights gathering next to him one by one.

Trash now wore a smug expression, thinking he had backed me into a corner.

…But this technique is one I can dodge through, so I just slipped right past.

“What?!”

With Trash startled, he hurriedly removed the pillar barrier, but I had already reached the building where the Secret Warehouse was.

A locked door? Who cares? I’m going in through the window.

Unsurprisingly, the window was locked tight…

Crash!

A window is a window. The lock doesn’t matter when breaking it.

Of course, causing this much ruckus won’t do me any good, but it’s still better than being dragged into the basement.

Even so, at this point, there’s no turning back. All I could do was aim for my goal and keep running.

“Catch him! Get him!”

Outside, I could hear Trash’s urgent voice. Naturally. He knows there’s a Secret Warehouse beneath this building.

The building I jumped into was a sort of annex for the Jibchak family.

However, it was rarely used and only cleaned occasionally, so Trash had set up a Secret Warehouse in the basement.

It’s hidden with magical traps, so anyone with a little knowledge would catch on immediately… but nobody would bring an outsider here, so, in a way, he was clever.

“That damn commoner! You better come out!”

Trash, pounding at the broken window, began firing magic again, but I dodged, dodged, and dodged, while his desperate attacks began to put holes in the building.

If I took too long, the building would collapse entirely, so I hurriedly opened the door leading to the Secret Warehouse.

Opening it is easy. If you pull back the painting of Trash, a magic symbol reveals itself, and you just have to release a specific amount of magic onto it.

Of course, I don’t have any ability to do that, so there’s no choice but to take the easier approach.

So, I just jabbed my knife into the magic circle and swung it around…

Zzzzt!

With a crackle, the magic circle was destroyed, and the door to the Secret Warehouse swung open.

This way, it wouldn’t close again, but I only needed to open it, so that was fine.

“What on earth… Huh?”

At this point, Trash looked completely stunned, as if he couldn’t muster any anger anymore.

Well, you should have been more careful when letting outsiders in.

“Don’t worry. I’ll only take the useful stuff, so leave the rest behind.”

“Oh right, I need to account for the clothes.”

How much are these clothes again…? I don’t recall the exact price, but since they’re a gift from Seria, I should at least get something for them, right?

Hmm… to get the price of a princess’s affection, I’ll need more than what’s in here.

But, well… thanks for providing what I need, so I could let the clothes slide even if it’s a bit lacking.

He started all this, so he can’t complain about it.

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