The Extra's Rise

The Creighton family—one of the seven superpowers of the world. A dynasty that ruled half of the Northern continent with the kind of quiet, unshakable authority that came from generations of undeniable dominance.

Like the other superpowers, their bloodline had produced Radiant-rankers every two generations, an unbroken legacy of power. But unlike most, they didn't rely on brute strength, monstrous bloodlines, or warrior traditions. No—the Creightons were spellcasters.

And they were the best.

Better than the Tower of Magic in the Slatemark Empire, better than any academy, sect, or order. The Creighton family had single-handedly crushed the idea that mages were weaker than warriors—and they had done so for centuries.

And now Rachel, the second princess of that family, had just invited me into their estate.

I stared at her, not entirely sure if I had heard correctly.

"Why do you…" I began, feeling, for once, genuinely blindsided.

Rachel scratched her cheek, looking vaguely embarrassed, as if she had just suggested something completely normal and not wildly out of place. "I know you probably want to meet your family over the break," she said, a little too casually, "but honestly, if you have time, come to the Creighton estate."

She turned and started heading for the exit—only to pause mid-step, pivot, and walk straight back to me.

I blinked.

Rachel tilted her head, sapphire eyes narrowing just slightly. "By the way," she asked, "what kind of relationship do you have with Kali Maelkith?"

I blinked again.

"Relationship?" I repeated, brain stalling.

"Yeah," Rachel said, her voice light but her curiosity anything but subtle. "She came out of your room in Ophelia."

Instantly, I felt every single gaze in the room sharpen.

Some with intrigue. Some with amusement. Some—like Ian's—gleaming with outright entertainment.

Cecilia, still lounging at her desk, let out a slow, delighted chuckle.

I raised my hands, suddenly feeling like I had stepped onto a very dangerous battlefield with no weapon in hand.

"N-nothing like that," I said quickly. "She was just asking me about my tactics!"

It was, objectively speaking, the worst possible excuse.

Rachel didn't buy it.

I could see it in the way she raised an eyebrow, her lips twitching slightly.

"Oh right," Lucifer suddenly chimed in from behind me, his voice perfectly smooth. "You were the one who eliminated her, weren't you?"

The way he said it made it sound far more suspicious than it actually was.

Rachel considered that for a moment, then smiled.

"Alright," she said, as if deciding to drop the matter entirely, which somehow made me even more uneasy. "Come to the Creighton estate, okay?"

Before I could respond, she reached into her pocket and handed me a small sapphire plaque.

The moment it touched my palm, I felt a flicker of golden mana seep into my skin.

Rachel's mana.

Her Gift.

I clenched my fingers around it, the faint pulse of energy still lingering.

Then, before I could react, Rachel turned on her heel and scurried off, her golden hair catching the light as she disappeared through the door.

I exhaled.

Cecilia laughed softly.

Ian looked entirely too entertained.

Lucifer just smiled knowingly, which was somehow more unsettling than if he had outright laughed at me.

I sighed, finally looking down at the plaque in my hand—only to find Seraphina staring at it, too.

She wasn't saying anything. Just watching.

I stared back at her.

Seraphina didn't tilt her head in amusement like Cecilia, or grin like Ian. She just stared, her expression as blank as ever, doll-like in its complete lack of emotion.

I had no idea what she was thinking.

And somehow, that made me even more concerned.

Then, without a word, she simply stood up, turned around, and left the classroom.

I watched her go, then looked back at the plaque in my hand.

I had a very bad feeling about all of this.

__________________________________________________________________________________

"Wow, you got a fancy plaque from a princess," Rose said, completely deadpan, ignoring the sheer existential crisis I was currently experiencing. "How cool. Arthur, moving up in the world."

She clapped. Monotonically.

"I don't want to move up like this, you know?" I muttered, scratching the back of my head like a man who had just realized he had stepped onto a very slippery slope and was already halfway down.

Rose chuckled, finally breaking character. "Okay, jokes aside," she said, "why do you hate it?"

"It's an expectation," I said, turning the small sapphire plaque over in my fingers, feeling the weight of it. "Rachel basically handed me a free pass to the Creighton estate. That's not just a casual invitation. She expects me to visit."

"Well, are you going to?" Rose asked, her gaze curious.

I considered it. Honestly, I just might.

Because if I wanted my Beast Will, I needed to get to Isle of Azure Breeze, a remote island off the Northern continent's coast. And getting there would be infinitely easier if I had Rachel's help—not just because she was strong, but because she was a Creighton princess.

An influential Creighton princess.

Which made dealing with her both an asset and a liability.

Rose narrowed her eyes, then grinned. "Oh, I see. Don't forget this lowly being when you start dating a mighty princess, Sir Arthur Nightingale." She pressed her hands together in mock reverence and bowed her head like she was sending me off on some epic royal courtship.

"Stop, Rose," I groaned, palming my face. "I'm serious, you know?"

"You're Rank 1 now," Rose said, counting off her fingers as if listing my crimes. "A princess gave you a plaque to her palace. Kali Maelkith, daughter of a major Western family, came to your room in the dead of night. And yet—"

"Wait, wait, wait," I raised my hands, alarm bells blaring. "Where did you hear about Kali?"

"Oh, that?" Rose said, innocence personified. "Everyone knows, Arthur."

I felt my soul leave my body.

"How?!"

Rose shrugged. "People talk."

I narrowed my eyes. "Who talks?"

She tapped her chin, mock thoughtful. "Ian's friend probably saw her coming down from your floor."

I sighed. Deeply.

Nothing in this world spread faster than a misunderstood situation.

"Look," I said, exhausted beyond belief, "nothing happened between me and her. Just tactics talk."

Rose looked at me, expression unreadable.

Then she rolled her eyes. "Alright."

"I'm serious!"

She sighed, tilting her head, giving me one last, knowing look.

"Okay," she said at last, "if you say so."

I had a sinking feeling she didn't believe me.

And worse, I had an even stronger feeling that absolutely no one else would either.