The Runaway Warrior from Extra

Chapter 8: The Butcher of Juniperville (3)

Clink—

Rena brought over another teacup and poured the pre-brewed tea for Lucas.

"Brother, what brings you here so suddenly?"

"What else? I heard someone who might become part of our family had come by, so I wanted to see for myself."

Another Extra, Lucas Fraune, smoothly inserted himself into the room, taking a seat right next to me.

"F-family? Oh, come on!"

"And while I was at it, I thought I’d join in on this charming little tea time. Isn’t that right, brother-in-law?"

"Aha…."

Before I could pull away, he casually placed his hand on my shoulder, his friendly demeanor making it hard to avoid.

"No need to be so tense. If you marry Rena, we’ll be family, right?"

"Y-yes? I guess so?"

"B-brother!"

He was clearly testing me. Just like Baldurheim had that night.

"That’s right. So feel free to rely on this big brother anytime."

He was trying to gauge how much I knew. Maybe even whether I was a Possessed just like him.

Though his smile seemed light, his eyes remained fixed on me.

"Compared to those suspicious servants from who-knows-where, I’d be a much better help in the future. Don’t you think?"

"Um...?"

His questions seemed innocent, but his unwavering gaze suggested otherwise. He was examining me closely.

This was a dangerous individual who had likely kidnapped and killed several people.

If I revealed anything now, it could end badly. So what should I do...?

"Come to think of it, didn’t Rena say the new maid seemed really suspicious? Your eye for people is... quite something."

I am Sid. Ten years old this year.

"Yes! We were playing detective."

"...Detective?"

Playing is the best.

"Lucas, do you want to join us?"

"D-do you want to play with us, brother?"

The Extra might be scary, but acting like my usual self was the best strategy.

"Yes. The game is to pick a suspect, follow them secretly, and gather evidence."

"...A game?"

"If the culprit catches you, you lose. Right, Rena?"

"Y-yeah! That’s right, brother."

It was a game I had just made up, but Rena nodded along, as expected.

"Do you want to play? We’re a bit bored of hide-and-seek anyway."

Though Lucas looked like an older brother, as an Extra, he was likely much older than he seemed.

Could someone like him really join in and play kids’ games with us?

"Uh, no... I’m fine. I have other things to do."

"Oh..."

"That’s too bad."

I didn’t know why, but adults always seemed troubled when we asked them to play with us.

And they always used the same excuse to get away.

"Well... Anyway, have fun playing with Rena."

"Okay!"

I watched Lucas leave with a hidden sigh of relief.

I thought the crisis had passed.

"Sid, are we starting now?"

"Huh?"

"The detective game. It sounds really fun!"

Rena's eyes sparkled with excitement. I looked at Lucas' back and answered.

"Yeah. Let’s start right away."

***

"Rena, now!"

"Okay!"

While I peeked out to keep watch, Rena moved. Our target was the large decorative vase in the corridor.

"Sid, if you crouch down, you can hide under that tray."

This time, Rena kept watch while showing me a hiding spot.

"Hmm?"

"Is something wrong, Master Lucas?"

"I thought I heard something just now."

"Not sure. The sound was so small... Maybe a cat chasing a mouse?"

"Maybe."

Sometimes the servants saw us sneaking around, but it was fine. They usually just smiled at our antics and went on their way.

Some even helped by covering us with their skirts or warning us to stay still when we almost got caught.

"Sid...! My heart is pounding so fast."

"Yeah, me too."

Following the busy eldest son around and bothering him—if we got caught, we’d definitely get scolded.

But that was all.

Our game was just following him around while trying not to get caught.

"Eek, he’s coming this way!"

"Quick! Hide behind the curtains."

When our eyes met while hiding, we couldn’t help but exchange grins.

"Sid, don’t get so close. It’s cramped in here..."

"S-sorry. I thought we’d get caught."

I could spy on the suspicious person and play with Rena at the same time. There was no reason not to do it.

Click—

"Uh... You’re not supposed to go in there, are you?"

Lucas unlocked a door and descended a staircase.

"Rena, maybe we should stop here..."

"No. Even brother isn’t allowed to go there."

"Rena...?"

"Sid. I have to stop him."

"Rena, wait...!"

Since it involved her family, and since she still thought of it as part of the game, Rena ran after Lucas before I could stop her.

"Rena!"

I had no choice but to follow. Though Lucas was dangerous, I didn’t think he’d harm his sister. Still... what if?

"Brother! You can’t just go in there without permission, even if you are my brother!"

"Rena? Sid? Don’t tell me... Have you been following me this whole time for that detective game of yours?"

When I caught up, Lucas was still on the stairs.

"Um... Sorry. We were just playing, and..."

"......"

"I’m sorry."

"Anyway, you shouldn’t have gone in there without permission either, brother."

"...I already have Father’s permission."

"Really?"

"Yes. After all, I am the eldest son."

"O-oh, okay."

Thankfully, he didn’t seem angry about our little game.

"Now, go on. You two should head back."

"Okay..."

"Go on, now."

His gentle tone and expression urged us to leave.

"Rena, let’s go."

"O-okay."

I didn’t need to satisfy my dangerous curiosity right now, so I urged Rena to leave.

"Ugh—!"

"Huh? What was that...?"

A painful groan echoed from below.

"Just... kill me!"

The desperate voice was so hoarse it sounded like an old man's. How much had he screamed for his voice to become like that?

"B-brother, what’s...?"

"...That’s just a bad criminal in the dungeon. This staircase leads down there."

"R-really?"

"Yes. This isn’t a place for you, Rena. You should go back. It’s scary, isn’t it?"

Lucas remained calm, explaining everything and urging us to leave. His demeanor was perfect—gentle yet firm, like an adult dealing with mischievous children.

"W-what’s wrong, brother...?"

"Why, Rena?"

But to Rena, Lucas wasn’t acting like her real brother.

She stared at him with disbelief, as if she had just witnessed something unimaginable.

"Are... you okay, brother?"

"What do you mean by that, Rena?"

It was unclear what exactly Rena had noticed about Lucas, but we were on the path to the underground of the lord’s castle.

"Why... Why is my brother...?"

In other words, it was an isolated place where no one else would come.

"Rena!"

I grabbed Rena, trying to pull her away so we could get out of there.

We had to leave, no matter what. Only then could we get help or come back later if needed.

Right now, Rena was in danger.

"Sid, earlier... earlier, you know, that... what was it called?"

"Rena, let's talk about it later. Look, we're about to get in big trouble."

"The scary story you told me! What was it called? It was something like... Ex... Extra...?"

Rena, still in shock, babbled without knowing what she was saying.

"Extra?"

"Yeah, that's it. So... my brother... uh...."

...The voice that answered wasn’t mine.

"I see. Then who told my dear sister that word?"

Clunk.

The door to the basement, which had been so close to freedom, closed with a dreadful finality.

"Shall we have a little chat?"

Next to the closed door, Lucas stood with a sly smile, looking right at us.

"Protagonist."

***

"Ah, I wasn't planning to show this side of myself."

Lucas—or rather, the Extra who had revealed his true self—spoke to me.

He looked completely at ease. This was his territory—the underground prison where no one could reach us.

"Of all things, those random idiots took the spot where I was supposed to be. I had no choice..."

He appeared fully grown, an adult in every sense, while Rena and I were nothing but defenseless children.

"Lucas, if I don't return—"

"Ah, I know. That witch will come looking for me, right? Don’t worry. I just want to have an open and honest conversation now."

Did he not know about Walter? He only mentioned Emily, trying to reassure me.

"So, let’s cut the pretense. I think it’s safe to say we know everything now, right? I almost fell for it, you know."

"Yeah."

Because I knew about Emily being a witch and about Extras, he seemed to think I was the same as him.

"Sid...? Why are you and my brother...?"

"Ah, dear sister. Your brother has some important matters to discuss with your boyfriend, so why don't you be quiet for a moment?"

"No, my brother isn’t like this...."

"I told you. Quiet."

Bang! Bang! Thud!

Lucas kicked the closed door violently, the harsh and brutal sound echoing throughout the room.

"Didn't I tell you to be quiet, Rena?"

"Hic...!"

He threatened her with a voice that was distinctly different from before—cold and menacing—yet his smile remained the same.

Her lifelong brother had become a stranger, a creature of unknown intent.

Rena looked as if she might collapse into tears at any moment, paralyzed by fear.

"What are you going to do to Rena?"

I stepped between them, shielding Rena behind me.

Rena now looked just as I had when I first confronted Baldurheim.

Like that night when nothing made sense, and my mind was a whirlwind of confusion and fear.

"Oh... You think I’d hurt my precious sister? Don’t worry. I won’t touch a hair on her head. Though I might have to give her a bit of a... stern warning."

Was our safety guaranteed simply because I was the "Protagonist" and Rena was the "Main Heroine"?

But even if that were true, Lucas was far too dangerous to let my guard down.

"So, what do you want to talk about?"

"The same as before. I want us to get along. There’s no reason for the Protagonist and someone like me, a real Extra, to fight, right?"

"Is that all...?"

"Ah. Of course, the great Protagonist has no reason to get along with a real Extra like me. I get it. I really do."

I didn’t get it.

The Protagonist all the Extras referred to was me—or rather, the future me, ten years from now.

They were trapped in their own delusions, talking to me as if I were someone else entirely.

"So... I worked hard to make a reason. A good one."

"You made one?"

A strange choice of words. He had created a reason for me to get along with him?

"Sid. I have a 'Strategy Guide'."

"A strategy guide...?!"

"Hehe, surprising, right? It’s the real deal, thoroughly cross-referenced. It’s my masterpiece, covering everything from the Misty Labyrinth to the Sky Fortress. Every dungeon, every area, every key character—it’s all in there."

Wow! A strategy guide?

I didn’t really understand, but judging by his excitement, it must have been an impressive thing.

Lucas couldn’t hide his glee, his laughter slipping out as if he couldn’t contain it.

"How prepared are you for the main events? What about your growth route and build? Have you planned your farming strategy?"

"Uh... I’m still working on it."

"I thought so. Even with that witch by your side, you couldn’t get quality information like this."

"Yeah, you’re right."

In truth, I had no idea what he was talking about. And Emily wasn’t much help, either.

I had to play along, figure out what he wanted from me and what his plans were.

"Lucas, I’d be glad to have more allies. I was worried about the future anyway."

"That’s the spirit. If I’d known you were this reasonable, I would have spoken up sooner."

"Well... we both had to be careful, right?"

I wasn’t the only one feeling tense in this situation.

I could sense that Lucas was also on edge. But why?

"Sid. Do you know that by compiling all the information for the strategy guide, I discovered things only I could see?"

He was afraid of something.

It was strange. This was his domain, and I was the one at a disadvantage, yet he seemed uneasy.

Was he afraid of Emily, the terrifying witch?

No, he had spoken about her dismissively before.

Then Walter? No. If he knew who Walter was, he wouldn’t be acting so calm.

The Dark Knight, especially the Knight of Deception, was not someone you allowed into your home.

Then there was only one possibility left.

It was me.

Even when we were scattered around the castle, disguised as a game of hide-and-seek, the person he feared most wasn’t Emily or Walter—it was me. He had even come to find me directly.

"And that’s not all. I might even know the cause of this absurd situation!"

Why? No matter how much of a Protagonist I was, I was still just a child who couldn’t even swing a sword properly.

"But Lucas, that strategy guide..."

If so, what he feared might be the Hero. And the sensation coming from deep below us...

"...How did you get it?"

It was the natural Nemesis of "Fear."