The Runaway Warrior from Extra

Chapter 3: The Suspicious Maid and the Extra (3)

"Sid. Yes, I’ll call you Sid for now, since that’s the name of this body."

The suspicious man—this Extra—seemed to be confirming something.

Strange. He spoke as if I weren’t really Sid at all.

"We need to cooperate. I am just like you."

"Just like me...?"

From the moment he heard the word "Extra," his eyes gleamed as he steadily closed the distance between us.

"Yes. I am someone who crossed over, just like you. According to the main scenario, we are fated to fight, but there’s no need for that."

"I-Is that so?"

I had no idea what he was talking about, but if he wasn’t looking for a fight, that was a relief.

"That’s right. I may be a ‘mid-boss,’ but if we combine our knowledge, we can safely clear this game and return."

Mid-boss? Game?

Yet another incomprehensible phrase.

The word "Extra" held great power—it had turned a midnight intruder into an ally within seconds.

Perhaps Extra was the name of a secret organization, and this word was their coded language?

But even if I had escaped immediate danger, this was far from over.

Step.

"So, Sid, how much do you remember?"

Before I knew it, he had closed the gap and placed a firm hand on my shoulder, staring intensely into my eyes.

"I remember the general story, of course, but too much time has passed. My memories of playing the original are hazy, while the memories of Baldurheim, the Dark Knight, are sharp and vivid..."

I didn’t understand what he was saying, but I recognized a key term.

Dark Knight.

Unlike the knights who upheld virtues like honor, courage, and truth, Dark Knights championed cowardice, hatred, and deceit.

"Yes...! Sid, you must remember more than I do, since you took over the protagonist’s body!"

They were corrupt warriors who worshipped wicked ideals, twisted in mind and soul, the sworn enemies of humanity.

"And since you’re still a child, it must not have been long since your possession or reincarnation. Your memories should be crystal clear, right?"

His gaze burned with a fervent obsession, as if Dark Knights were compelled to be this way.

His grip on my shoulder tightened painfully, and he leaned closer with every word.

"I-It hurts..."

"Sid, do you have notes on the story or dungeon strategies?! Any kind of status screen or game system support?!"

I had no idea why he was doing this to me or what he was talking about.

All I knew was that I was scared of this Dark Knight, and my shoulder hurt.

"Sid, you must know that Astoria Saga had multiple sequels planned, all of which were canceled. The game was remade several times. That means the original story and settings might be different from what we remember!"

I wasn’t even sure if he was really talking to me when he said "Sid."

Why was he so convinced that I knew what he was talking about?

"So we need to organize reliable information and confirm what’s changed—wait, why are you trembling?"

His manic excitement suddenly cooled, and he regarded me with suspicion.

"I’m overjoyed to meet someone in the same situation as me. But you... you’re not. You’re acting as if..."

His suspicion was solidifying into certainty, and I had no way to answer his questions.

"As if you’re really just a child."

I couldn’t stay silent any longer.

Someone, please help—

"Hey."

At that moment.

"Did you just make our Young Master cry?"

A chilling, menacing voice cut through the air. It made my heart drop in fear, yet I had never been happier to hear it.

Under the pale moonlight streaming through the window, a distinct red-haired figure stood out.

"Emily!"

"Oh? Young Master, you finally called my name. That’s a little unfair, don’t you think?"

"I-I wasn’t crying!"

"...That’s what you’re upset about?"

Sure, I was scared, and I felt like I might cry—but I hadn’t yet.

That was an important matter of pride.

"Anyway, Extra-guy, I think you’re looking for me, not our Young Master."

She was suspicious and unsettling, but she was still my personal maid—personally accepted by Mother.

At this moment, she was one of the few people I could consider an ally.

"Your name is Emily...? That’s impossible."

"Oh?"

"Red hair that vivid, and that face... You must be—"

Yes. At least, Emily was on my side.

"The Crimson Tear Witch, Helena."

A sly grin.

"Oops. Guess I got caught."

...Right?

***

"I knew it!"

Of all the times for my suspicions to be confirmed, why did it have to be now?

"That’s harsh, Young Master. Is a name really that important?"

"Sid, get behind me. That witch is dangerous."

Emily, you did come to save me, right? Right?

I was confused.

I no longer knew who was my ally and who wasn’t.

Maybe... I had no allies at all.

"So, the protagonist of Astoria Saga really doesn’t know anything?"

"Hmm? Hard to say. Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t."

"Then our cooperation is—"

"Oh, I have no intention of working with a Dark Knight. Do you guys even know what trust and cooperation mean?"

"...I agree. Witches are living time bombs."

A Dark Knight and a Witch.

Both were terrifying, wicked beings, infamous for wreaking havoc and slaughtering knights.

But between the two...

"Now that you know who I am, scram. I called dibs on the protagonist first."

It seemed the Dark Knight had the weaker hand.

"Damn it. Of all people..."

He looked between Emily and me, conflicted.

"I didn’t expect to meet a Phase Two Boss here."

"Exactly. So let’s not make this messy, shall we? I’d rather not summon the Weeping Mother. Cleaning up would be a nightmare."

Flinch.

Even the Dark Knight trembled at the mention of a transcendent entity—the Weeping Mother, one of the Three Great Matrons who protected witches.

"Yeah. That would be... troublesome."

With that, he slowly stepped back.

Was it really okay to let Baldurheim go like this?

If he left now, that would mean I was falling into the hands of a witch so dangerous that even a Dark Knight was terrified of her.

"For today… I’ll be satisfied just knowing I’m not the only one possessed."

"Yeah, old man. That’s already giving me a headache, so let’s not make things even more complicated."

"I see. The butterfly effect caused by other Extras will be significant."

"That’s what I’m saying. That’s why I’m stuck living as a maid."

"Which, in turn, makes the protagonist’s skills and talents all the more important."

Just as it seemed the standoff between the Dark Knight and the witch was over, the knight stepped back toward the window.

"Huh…?"

Suddenly, my body was yanked backward as if something had grabbed me. But there was no one around me.

"An illusion!"

The Dark Knight who had been standing by the window had vanished, and I was flying through the air as though someone invisible had seized me.

"So, you serve Deception!"

"That’s right. I am Baldurheim, Knight of Deception. I recognized you instantly, but it seems you didn’t know who I was."

"I don’t remember the names of small-time lackeys!"

"Lucky for me, then."

Crash!

The window shattered, and my body was flung outside the mansion.

"Hey! Are you really trying to start a fight?! Do you want me to call down the Holy Mother?! That would kill everyone!"

"Don’t be ridiculous. Act 2 takes place ten years from now. You haven’t even developed enough to summon her yet. And summoning the Weeping Mother is a last-phase trump card for witches. Do you think you can just throw it around?"

"Tch."

Wait. So that threat earlier…

"You liar!"

It was all a bluff!

"Young Master, why are you just letting this happen?! Do you even know what he’s trying to do?!"

"W-What is he trying to do?!"

"He’s a Knight of Deception! He serves the Father of Doppelgängers!"

"Wait…?"

During today’s lesson, I had learned that doppelgängers were creatures of deception, monsters that stole people’s faces. The Knights of Deception gained power by tricking and deceiving others.

Which meant…

"He’s trying to steal your body, Young Master!"

"Hiiiik!"

"Correct, witch."

There was nothing visible next to me, but I could hear a sinister chuckle.

"Heh… If I take over the protagonist’s body, none of you will ever be able to harm me."

It was surreal. Something unseen was carrying me through the air, running across the garden, but I couldn’t see what it was.

Whoosh!

At that moment, a heavy axe—made for chopping wood—came hurtling toward us.

"Ah. That must be Joseph’s handiwork."

But the blade was blocked by an unseen sword before it could land.

"Joseph!"

"Leave the Young Master, Dark Knight. If you walk away now, I will forget this ever happened."

"Why? Because you’re refugees from a fallen kingdom? Because exposing this incident wouldn’t benefit you?"

"You…!"

Crack.

The usually calm and smiling Joseph twisted his face into a terrifying expression.

"Don’t think you’ll die easily. You’re not the first servant of deception I’ve dealt with."

"That’s quite the threat. But what if…?"

Suddenly, I felt a cold sensation on my neck, followed by something warm trickling down.

Joseph’s expression darkened further as he saw the blood.

Before I could react, I was hurled through the air—straight toward Joseph.

In that brief moment of confusion, Baldurheim vanished from sight.

Clang!

The sound of clashing metal rang out multiple times, and red lines appeared across Joseph’s body.

"Joseph!"

Shhk—

A brutal wind surged as the knight and Dark Knight clashed, sending blood splattering.

Joseph fought recklessly to retrieve me, while Baldurheim exploited my presence as bait to strike at him repeatedly.

"Servants of deception… always the same tricks."

Just as Joseph’s muscular arm was about to reach me—

"Indeed. But."

My body was jerked upward again, as though caught in an invisible fishing line.

"We keep using the same tricks because they work. That’s why classics never die."

Baldurheim hadn’t just thrown me—he had tethered me with invisible threads, ensuring Joseph couldn’t grasp me.

Joseph, now bloodied and panting, had gained nothing from his desperate struggle.

"Losing focus mid-fight? That’s why you’re losing to a mere servant of deception."

Baldurheim’s voice had changed, his laughter becoming twisted and mocking, as if his personality had shifted.

A fight in which he remained unseen, a battle of trickery and illusions—

The more he deceived, the harder it became to perceive him.

"You don’t know me, but I know you all too well."

Everything unfolding before me felt unreal.

Joseph swinging his axe like lightning, his face twisted in fury.

Baldurheim blocking every attack effortlessly, pushing him back.

And now, the sight of Leopold flying in with glowing magic circles surrounding him.

Was I just dreaming all of this?

"Sir Joseph! I apologize for the delay. I will assist you now!"

"Leopold, he—cough—uses deception!"

"Understood. I will proceed with caution."

As Leopold activated his magic, the ground beneath us softened, turning into a thick, sludgy mire.

[Flow, sink, grasp, freeze.]

The garden transformed into a vast frozen swamp, ensnaring everything standing upon it.

[Four-Word Convergence: Eternal Tundra Marsh!]

Crack!

As Leopold’s chant ended, the lush green garden disappeared, replaced by a barren icy wasteland.

"A multi-layered binding field that restricts movement? Ah, yes, I remember this."

"This barrier is active. Surrender now, Dark Knight."

The ground continued to pull downward, draining heat and slowing movement.

Despite the unfavorable conditions, Baldurheim merely reminisced, his voice tinged with nostalgia.

"A great tool for crowd control. But you weakened its lethality to protect your hostage."

Leopold’s magic had seemingly turned the tide of battle.

"The core of the spell… Should be right here, correct?"

"Wait, how do you know—?!"

Crack.

A sharp tearing sound echoed as dark fissures formed across the icy landscape.

"Royal Mage’s second apprentice, Leopold. What can a magician do once their spell is unraveled?"

The frozen tundra shattered into nothingness.

Thud.

"Leopold!"

In an instant, Leopold was struck by something unseen and sent flying.

Joseph and Leopold had fought valiantly, but Baldurheim had countered them effortlessly.

Every move, every strategy—he knew them all.

As if the battle’s outcome had been predetermined from the start.

This was an Extra.

This was Baldurheim, the Mid-Boss.