The Useless Extra Knows It All....But Does He?

The air outside the academy gates was thick with tension. Aurelia strode toward the crying girl and the weary knight, the dust of her arrival still settling. Lisa's eyes, red and puffy from tears, lifted to meet her.

"Sister Aurelia!" she sobbed, tugging at Aurelia's gauntlet. "This person won't let me inside to see my brother!"

Aurelia's crimson gaze snapped to the guard, sharp as a spearpoint. Her tone carried no room for hesitation. "Is this true?"

The guard straightened nervously, sweat forming at his brow under her stare. "M-Miss Aurelia, we are tied by the rules. We cannot let her in without proper permission."

Lisa's voice cracked, her small hands clutching Aurelia's sleeve desperately. "But I just want to see my brother! Sister Aurelia, please—do something!"

Aurelia's fierce expression softened for a moment. A gentle light flickered in her eyes as she bent down, brushing her hand over Lisa's silvery head in reassurance. "Don't cry. I'll handle this." Then, turning back to the guards, her voice rang like steel. "Let her in."

"B-but…" one guard started, only to falter as Aurelia silenced him with a single cold glance.

The second guard stepped forward, his tone more measured. "Please understand, Lady Aurelia. We are also under orders. If we let her in without notice, and something goes wrong—who takes responsibility? She is underage. For all we know, she could have run away from her home… or be someone who has stolen something. Without her brother's prior notice, our hands are tied. We are only doing our duty."

Aurelia exhaled slowly, the tension in her frame easing slightly. Her voice, however, remained firm. "You don't need to worry. I will take responsibility for her. While she is in the academy, she will stay with me."

Before the guards could protest again, Lisa darted forward and clutched Aurelia's hand tightly with both of hers, as though afraid she might vanish if she let go. "See? Sister Aurelia will take care of me! Please!"

The guards exchanged a long glance, then sighed heavily, shoulders slumping. "…Very well."

But one of them added sharply, eyes flicking to the knight. "The girl may enter—but this knight cannot."

The old knight let out a dry, awkward chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "That's fine. I'll just stay in an inn nearby. I've matters of my own to see anyway."

Everyone nodded, relief easing some of the strain in the air. Aurelia then whistled sharply, summoning the crimson Qirin back to her side, its hooves sparking faint embers against the cobblestone. She swung into the saddle and pulled Lisa up beside her, the girl clutching her waist with childlike stubbornness.

With a final glance at the guards, Aurelia gave the Qirin a nudge. The beast surged forward, its speed like the wind itself, carrying them through the opened gates.

"Please…" Aurelia muttered under her breath, crimson hair whipping behind her as worry shadowed her face. "Please be fine, Luca."

The crimson Qirin's hooves echoed like rolling thunder as Aurelia guided it through the academy's paths, Lisa clinging tightly to her waist. The girl's voice was small but insistent, carried away slightly by the rushing wind.

"Are you also going to check on my brother?"

Aurelia's eyes softened, though her voice carried a note of weariness, as if dragged down by too many battles. "Yes. Your brother always gets himself into these kinds of situations… always worrying me."

Lisa bobbed her head up and down vigorously, her silver hair bouncing with each nod. "Yes! He always gets into trouble."

A faint smile tugged at Aurelia's lips, but her tone shifted. "So… how did you get here?"

At that, Lisa froze. Her crimson eyes darted away, her small hands tightening on Aurelia's armor. She looked toward the passing academy walls instead of answering.

Aurelia's brows furrowed, then she sighed knowingly. "Did you run away from home?"

Lisa gave the smallest of guilty nods, her lips pressing together as though she wanted to deny it but couldn't.

Aurelia let out a soft chuckle despite the tension. "Once we make sure your brother is fine, you'll have to tell your parents. You know that, right?"

Lisa's shoulders slumped, and she nodded reluctantly.

By then, they had reached the infirmary. Aurelia reined the Qirin to a stop, dismounting in a fluid motion. She offered her hand down to Lisa, who hopped off beside her. With a wave of Aurelia's spear hand, the crimson Qirin dissolved into shimmering light and vanished back into its beast space.

Without wasting another moment, they hurried inside.

The quiet air of the infirmary hall was heavy with tension. Sitting and standing around outside one of the rooms were Kyle, Aiden, Selena, and Lilliane. Their faces were pale, exhaustion evident in the dark circles under their eyes.

The moment Aurelia entered, everyone's gazes snapped toward her, relief and anticipation flashing across their expressions.

Kyle immediately stepped forward. "Sister—"

But Aurelia cut him off, her voice urgent. "How is he? He's fine, right? Can I go and meet him?"

Lisa, gripping Aurelia's sleeve tightly, added with teary insistence, "Yeah! How is my brother doing? I want to see him!"

Kyle blinked, taken aback. His gaze shifted between the girl and Aurelia. "…Brother?"

Lisa lifted her chin, trying to look dignified despite the redness of her eyes. "Yes. Luca is my brother."

The others exchanged glances of surprise, but before Kyle could say more, he muttered under his breath, "…Then you're with my sister—"

A sharp smack! landed on the back of his head courtesy of Aurelia's hand. "First answer the question, idiot."

Kyle winced, rubbing the spot with an awkward grin. "Alright, alright! He hasn't regained consciousness yet."

Aurelia's breath hitched, her fingers unconsciously clenching into fists. Lisa's grip on her sleeve tightened until her knuckles turned white.

"But…" Kyle quickly added, seeing their expressions. "He should be fine. The healer said it's just blood loss and overexhaustion. His injuries were severe, but… he's stable. But nobody is allowed to see him."

Both Aurelia and Lisa exhaled, the tension draining from their faces. Relief washed over them like a tide, though worry still lingered in their eyes.

A faint stillness lingered in the infirmary corridor, broken only by the muffled sounds of footsteps in the distance and the occasional creak of the wooden chairs lined along the wall. No one spoke at first, each caught in their own thoughts.

Finally, Kyle cleared his throat and glanced at Aurelia. "You must have returned directly from your end-semester exams. You should take a rest."

Aurelia shook her head, the exhaustion in her eyes shadowed by worry that clung to her face like armor. Her voice was steady, but firm. "Until I speak with him myself, I won't move from here."

Kyle exhaled through his nose, resigning himself with a helpless sigh.

Turning her gaze to Lisa, Aurelia softened slightly. "We know your brother is out of danger now. Why don't you contact your parents?"

Lisa flinched, her crimson eyes widening faintly. The thought alone seemed heavier than anything else. She bit her lip, fear flickering across her young features—fear not of danger, but of the inevitable scolding.

Kyle caught the look and couldn't help but chuckle under his breath. "So she ran away from home, huh? She's just like how you were back in childhood, Sister."

He grinned at Aurelia, but when he noticed the silence that met his words—the way every pair of eyes turned toward him, unamused—his laugh faltered. "Heh… ha… ha…" He trailed off into an awkward cough and quickly looked away.

Aurelia ignored him, her focus solely on Lisa. With practiced ease, she pulled out her communication crystal, its polished surface catching the faint glow of mana. "You know your parents' contact channel, right?"

Lisa hesitated, then gave a small nod. She reached out with trembling fingers and activated the crystal. Light shimmered, coalescing into a faintly glowing projection before them.

The holographic image of a middle-aged man and woman appeared, their expressions sharpening the instant they recognized her.

"Lisa!" the man's voice thundered, stern and edged with both relief and anger.