The Runaway Warrior from Extra

Chapter 5: The Last Bloodline

Knights uphold virtue.

Mages pursue truth.

Priests worship the transcendent.

Among them, a Hero is one who upholds the virtue of Courage. In a way, they could be considered knights.

Of course, knights followed many virtues—honor, justice, sacrifice, mercy…

But if asked which was the greatest among them, courage was always named first.

There was an old saying: Even if one knows what is right, without the courage to act, no good can be achieved.

But the simplest reason?

Because Heroes were the strongest.

If one were to debate the mightiest beings in the world, the name of a Hero was always mentioned. The feats of past Heroes alone could take nights to recount.

Of course, this only applied to the world of men—excluding the transcendent beings known as gods.

"Mother."

"Sid. I heard about last night from Emily and Sir Walter. You must have been frightened. Are you unhurt?"

So… I was the last descendant of a Hero.

"I have a question."

If I wanted to know something, the best way was to ask the person directly.

"Am I really a descendant of a Hero?"

"…Was it Sir Walter who told you?"

"I overheard it."

That meant my mother was also a descendant of a Hero. It also meant she was a princess of a fallen kingdom.

A real princess.

"I thought it was too soon for you to know…"

The difficult noble etiquette lessons I struggled with? They weren’t just any noble customs—they were royal protocols.

Why did other children get to play outside while I studied all day?

Why did I have to maintain a solemn tone even among family?

Because I was royalty.

A direct descendant of a Hero.

"Sid, as you know, the name of Valor fell in a single day."

And because I was the last descendant of a Hero…

"The ones who destroyed our kingdom are still searching for us."

We were being hunted.

"Hnnng…"

"Sid."

"It’s Hnng, Mother…"

I really didn’t want to know this truth.

***

Why did the kingdom of the Hero fall?

"The past Heroes were unmatched in battle, but they had no talent for governance."

The reason was simple. They always won wars but failed to rule properly.

In the long war against the remnants of Chaos and the monsters, Valor became a mighty nation—humanity’s sword, leading countless victories.

Their lands expanded as they conquered monsters, their people grew as they saved more lives. But… that became their downfall.

A vast kingdom meant a longer front line to defend. A growing population meant more people the Hero had to protect.

And Valor, located at the forefront of the war against monsters, had to be on guard all year round.

If the king was always on the battlefield, when could he rule? Even if he tried, would he do it properly?

Thus, governance fell to the nobles—loyal followers of the Hero.

"But the nobles of Valor… they were fanatics for the Hero."

What? You can’t pay taxes?

How dare you complain when the Hero is fighting for your sake?

What? You’re afraid of war?

Cowards don’t deserve to live in the Hero’s kingdom!

What? Your gear is old and useless?

The Hero once fought monsters with nothing but a stick!

What? You have no food?

The Hero once fought for three days without eating!

"Ugh…"

"Sid, remember this: virtues, when forced upon others, can be no different from vices."

Maybe because like attracts like?

The Hero lacked governance skills, and so did his followers.

By the time they realized their mistake, resentment had already turned toward the royal family. The people no longer wanted a Hero—they wanted something else.

And as unrest grew beneath the surface—

"A military coup occurred."

One day, a new army armed with new weapons and new technology appeared and overthrew the kingdom.

Muskets—once dismissed as bird-hunting weapons—suddenly became automatic rifles and artillery.

Steam engines—ridiculed as inferior to magic—suddenly surpassed the strength of hundreds of warhorses.

With the unexpected rise of a rebellion, Valor’s forces, caught between the frontlines and the rear, were crushed.

Only my mother, Princess Naruen, managed to escape thanks to the sacrifice of many nobles.

"The rebels then founded a new nation under the banner of militarism."

Thus, the Militarist People’s Republic, known simply as the Militant State, was born.

Unlike knights, they did not follow virtue.

Unlike mages, they did not seek truth.

Unlike priests, they did not worship the transcendent.

"How they managed all of this remains a mystery…"

They filled those voids with technology, which they called the ‘New Order’.

And so, Valor fell in a single day.

The bloodline of Heroes was thought to be extinct.

But if the world learned that a descendant of the Hero still lived…

"The Militant State, which rejects old traditions, would never allow the Hero’s bloodline to fall into another kingdom’s hands."

Valor had fallen, but its legacy—its rightful heir—was still a powerful claim.

"The other kingdoms wouldn’t stay silent either. The moment they claim the Hero’s bloodline, they’ll rally humanity’s armies against the Militant State."

A world that rejected virtues and embraced militarism.

Kingdoms that feared it, yet lacked justification for war.

A precarious balance, ready to collapse.

"That is why we hide. Why we changed our name."

"Sid, I will remind you once more."

But the secret Mother insisted must never be revealed—

"You must never, ever let anyone know that you are the last bloodline of the Hero."

There was already an Extra who knew."

***

After finishing my conversation with Mother, I sought out Emily and Walter.

"What happens if they find out I’m a Hero?"

"Young Master… Do you really want to hear this?"

So they would find out eventually.

The fact that they already knew meant it was only a matter of time before others did too.

"The Militant State will send an assassination unit. To Juniperville."

"Hey, old man. You keep forgetting, but our Young Master is ten years old. That incident doesn’t happen for years—"

"If we’re not the only Extras, then it’s only a matter of time."

Maybe it wasn’t so far off.

Yeah. That growing sense of unease I’d felt since talking to Mother… This was why.

"You’re saying… Act 1 might start soon?"

"Yes. Even I headed here the moment I woke up. What do you think the others are doing?"

"Ugh… I can’t argue with that."

"Some, like you, will cling to the protagonist. Others, like me, will try to take what they want. One way or another, they’re all moving."

Extras were like prophets.

They spoke freely about future events and hidden secrets.

But what if multiple prophets knew the same future?

If that future benefited them, they’d leave it alone.

But if it harmed them?

The answer had already been shown—through Baldurheim’s actions.

"Emily."

"Yes?"

No one would sit still knowing their life was in danger.

"Tell me. How does Act 1 begin?"

"…I can’t say yet."

"Walter."

What was the easiest way to eliminate the protagonist?

"When you turn twenty, the Militant State sends an assassination unit. You barely escape, forced into exile."

A single anonymous tip to the Militant State would be enough.

"Hey!"

"He already suspected it. He is the protagonist, after all. He deserves to know."

"Even so, there are things you don’t say to a ten-year-old…!"

Being exposed meant this.

"Alright. I’ve decided."

"…Young Master?"

Extras were already changing the future.

Which meant I had to act differently than what they expected.

"I’m running away."

I would disappear without a trace.

***

I suddenly decided to run away for the following reasons:

I had no way of knowing which Extra would come for me next.

Some, like Emily, might want to help me.

Others, like Baldurheim, might want to kill me.

So, I delayed everything.

The main scenario wouldn’t start for ten more years.

Whether someone was friendly or hostile, I had no reason to face them now.

Even if I was destined to become humanity’s final Hero, I was still just a child. What I needed most was time.

The second reason was to use the Extras against each other.

If I vanished, they would have no choice but to act.

Why?

Because they knew the main scenario was approaching, and the protagonist was missing. They wouldn’t even know if I was alive or dead.

It would no longer be someone else’s problem.

Extras could no longer hide behind their masks.

It would also make it much easier to identify them.

If someone started acting differently from the original story, that person was an Extra.

In short:

If I ran away, we would remain hidden.

They would be exposed.

"What do you think?"

"…Of course the protagonist would come up with something like this."

"It’s thanks to my strict royal training."

"Terrifying. Even the top students in the academy district would cry facing your education…"

Emily shook her head in disbelief.

"Heh. Now that’s more like it."

Walter, on the other hand, ruffled my hair approvingly.

"By the way, Emily. Walter."

"Yes, Young Master?"

There was still one unanswered question.

"So who’s responsible for the disappearances in town?"

"Huh? The disappearances?"

A sudden influx of outsiders in Juniperville.

People vanishing overnight, leaving their belongings behind.

Families claiming their loved ones had changed before disappearing.

Thinking back, the missing people perfectly matched the profile of an Extra.

"Was it you, Emily? Or was it Walter—Baldurheim?"

"I have no idea what you’re talking about."

I had assumed Emily was secretly burying Extras underground.

Or that Baldurheim had erased them using some dark trick.

"…Why does Young Master think I’m a serial killer? I’ve said suspicious things, but I’ve never killed anyone."

"Deception doesn’t usually involve murder."

"Exactly. Deceivers are more like con artists who scam victims twice—first by tricking them, then by pretending to help catch the scammer."

"…That’s an oddly specific example."

"Is it wrong?"

"…No, it’s pretty accurate."

Neither Emily nor Walter had anything left to hide.

And both insisted it wasn’t them.

"So someone else did it?!"

"I barely leave the estate, and this is the first I’ve heard of it."

"I never even rented a room at an inn. I was planning to sneak in at night."

The person behind the Juniperville disappearances was still out there.

And they were undoubtedly an Extra.