I Became the Extra the Heroines are Obsessed with

Chapter 4
The Problem Child (2)

『 Translator – Divinity 』

Rustle

A presence was felt beyond the bushes.

I, along with the others, heard the sound and immediately went into combat mode.

‘Is it another magical beast?’

We had just finished dealing with a horde of them.

Minerva was injured in the process, reducing our fighting strength.

We were in no condition to flee.

But fortunately…

The one who emerged from the suffocating tension was…

“…Theo?”

It was Sylvia, covered in blood.

“Phew…”

Upon confirming that the presence was Sylvia…

All the group members, including myself, breathed a sigh of relief.

‘It’s a relief, but why is Sylvia here?’

She should be preoccupied with the appearance of the mutant right now.

Originally, it was an event where Ian was supposed to save her.

But since the protagonist’s group had changed, she might be in danger, so I gave her a little heads up before class started.

I told her to use the communication device to call the professors immediately if anything happened.

So, she should be repelling the mutant with the professor who was informed of the abnormal situation…

‘It couldn’t be because of this, could it?’

The Magical Beast Pheromone I sprayed on Ian…

Could it have affected the mutant as well?

‘But is the range that wide?’

This place was several kilometers away from where the mutant appeared.

It would take more than two hours to walk there without any obstacles.

“Sigh, how did you get here, Sylvia?”

Canua, also curious, put down the greatsword he was tightly gripping and approached her to ask.

“…I came here chasing a magical beast.”

“Leaving your group members behind?”

“Mind your own business. The others are safe.”

Sylvia answered curtly, turned her head, and strode towards me.

“Theo, are you hurt?”

“Uh… I’m fine, but…”

I didn’t really have a chance to get hurt since Ian and Canua took care of everything.

The fact that Minerva got hurt was also due to a moment of carelessness. She wouldn’t have been injured if she hadn’t let her guard down.

“More importantly, you look worse. That’s not yours, is it?”

“No, it’s all magical beast blood.”

Except for a few splatters, I was clean.

But Sylvia’s white, flowing hair was completely stained red, and there were scratches all over her body.

“Theo, I have a bad feeling. Let’s get out of here quickly.”

It’s dangerous to stay in a place with so much blood, even aside from the Magical Beast Pheromone.

We quickly took care of Minerva and decided to leave the Forest of Magical Beasts.

.

.

.

.

.

“Ugh…”

Minerva was writhing, moaning as if having a nightmare.

She clearly didn’t look well.

“It’s more serious than I thought. I’ve administered emergency treatment with a potion, but if she doesn’t receive proper treatment…”

“Let’s focus on getting out of here first.”

“Right… That’s the best course of action.”

Canua was feeling a considerable amount of guilt over Minerva’s injury.

Even though they were all students, he must be thinking that it happened because he was careless.

‘This makes me feel bad.’

After all, I’m the cause.

We encountered fewer magical beasts than expected during the 30 minutes we were moving.

Did Sylvia take care of them all on her way here?

‘No, there were too many.’

Sylvia possessed strong martial prowess, enough to rank 2nd overall in her year and 1st in practical skills, but she was still a student.

She was still far from reaching the level of being called the ‘Iron-Blooded Knight,’ as she would be later.

Since this was the time when she was supposed to be attacked by the mutant, the number of magical beasts she could have dealt with would be ten at most.

‘The most hopeful scenario is that the pheromone’s duration has ended.’

The most hopeful assumption is that the magical beasts are no longer swarming because the duration of the pheromone has ended.

If not…

‘The mutant might be nearby.’

For now, I decided to put aside situations that haven’t happened yet.

“Ugh…”

“If you’re tired, let’s switch.”

“It’s okay. I’ll do it…”

I decided to carry the injured Minerva on my back.

Of course, no one forced me; I volunteered.

‘I need to eliminate as many variables as possible.’

Objectively and subjectively, I’m the weakest, so it was an inevitable choice.

Just when I thought we could finally proceed with ease…

“…Prepare for battle.”

A new group of magical beasts appeared.

5th-grade monsters with shiny gray fur and thick, sharp fangs.

“Giant wolves! Scatter!”

There were about five of them.

Judging from the lack of a leader, it seemed like we could deal with them quickly.

“Theo, fall back.”

A coordinated attack centered around Canua and Sylvia.

The harmony of the heavy and rough swings of the greatsword and the swift and flexible strikes of the thin sword.

‘They’re amazing.’

Even without prior coordination, they naturally covered each other’s blind spots.

The speed was so fast that it was hard for me to even follow with my eyes.

After quickly taking care of the magical beasts, Canua turned his head and shouted.

“Giant wolves without a leader are scouts! They might swarm us, so run!”

Giant wolves are 5th-grade magical beasts.

But that’s only when considering a single individual.

The fighting power of a pack of these creatures is comparable to that of a 4th-grade beast.

At Canua’s words, I dashed forward without a moment’s hesitation.

Sylvia and Ian followed behind me.

We ran through the forest path with all our might, but…

Before long, Sylvia grabbed my collar.

“Theo, we can stop running now.”

“…Damn it.”

I ran as hard as I could…

But we were already surrounded by giant wolves.

As I was trying to figure out what to do and how to break through the encirclement…

Thud!

“This crazy…!”

“Ian! Come back right now!”

Ian charged towards the magical beasts without a word.

Canua and I were shocked by his solo action.

Sylvia’s expression remained unchanged, as if she had already made up her mind.

‘What is that crazy bastard thinking?’

It couldn’t be the idiotic idea of handling all those magical beasts alone.

Nor would it be a sense of justice, sacrificing himself for us.

“Canua.”

“What is it?”

“Protect Theonar. I’ll take care of this.”

“Sylvia, even you don’t have the authority to order me-”

“Shut up and listen to me if you don’t want to die.”

Sylvia’s attitude was cold, even frosty.

She entrusted Canua with me and Minerva, then…

“So that’s how you’re going to play it…”

She muttered something under her breath and charged towards the magical beasts, following Ian.

***

‘…Insane.’

Beautiful and flexible movements that evoked admiration.

The accuracy and ruthlessness with which she attacked the enemy in an instant.

And the flow of magic power that encompassed it all.

Ian couldn’t help but be astonished as he watched her.

He entered the Empire’s best academy with the ambitious goal of revenge.

He intended to hide his identity, but not his skills.

He proudly took first place and tested the skills of the current students.

It might be seen as arrogance, but he believed he had the skills to back it up.

However…

“Your swordsmanship is too straightforward.”

Late at night, he was utterly defeated by a girl with white hair who appeared out of nowhere.

‘…I couldn’t even see her movements.’

And there was nothing he could do about it.

She was so overwhelming that he didn’t even feel inferiority or anger.

He was just curious.

How wide was the gap between them?

“You want more?”

“Ugh… Obviously.”

He clashed with her until dawn, testing his limits, but…

The result was, of course, defeat.

Unlike him, who was battered and bruised, she didn’t have a single scratch.

“Don’t neglect your training. You won’t be able to protect him with that level of skill.”

Just before losing consciousness, she left without saying anything understandable.

Later, there was a minor incident where he lost a duel against another student due to his injuries, but that no longer mattered to him.

‘I might get to see her true skills.’

Being surrounded by magical beasts?

The formation being broken because he charged out?

None of it mattered.

If she revealed her true abilities, this would be an easy task for her.

***

“This is endless, even if I kill them, they keep coming.”

Since the two of them charged ahead, there’s no escaping now.

It was too much for Canua to defend all sides alone, so I put Minerva down and drew my sword.

‘It’s a waste, but I have to use it if I want to live.’

[Alteian Swordsmanship]

[Traditional swordsmanship of the long-lost Alteian Kingdom.]

[EXP – 15,000]

‘Damn, that’s expensive.’

Alteian Swordsmanship, which appeared very briefly in the original work.

It was only mentioned in passing when explaining other swordsmanship styles, so I didn’t have high expectations, but…

It was more useful than I thought.

The information was engraved in my mind the moment I purchased it from the shop.

It took a little time to put it into action, but it was enough to deal with the magical beasts.

“…Did your skills improve?”

“Well, you could say that.”

Canua looked at me with a meaningful gaze.

I understood how he felt.

The guy who was flailing around like a blow-up doll suddenly changed.

“I should go help… Huh?”

I expected them to be blocking the incoming magical beasts from the front.

I thought the Ian and Sylvia I knew would be able to do that, even if they couldn’t defeat all of them.

That’s why I was even willing to use EXP to support them. We couldn’t die here.

But…

‘How did they almost finish them off?’

The number of magical beasts had visibly decreased.

Now, only a few remained, including the leader.

“How is this…”

“Look up.”

At Canua’s words, I looked up.

There was Sylvia, instantly killing the leader with a single stroke.

“Haha…”

Skills that made not only Canua but even Ian, the protagonist, look like mere background characters.

It was so absurd that I let out a hollow laugh.

Well, I had my suspicions.

‘And I came to a conclusion.’

I’ve been keeping it to myself because I had a lot to think about, but…

Now, I can’t look away or back down any longer.