Path of the Extra

“So let me get this straight—you were in the Forest of Eternity all this time?”

“Correct.”

“You were trapped in an endless loop for the past three months?”

“That is also correct.”

“You were stuck there with a woman you call Lady Mio, right?”

“Indeed, that is correct.”

“She kept throwing void creatures at you until she eventually gave up and let you kill her. And because anyone who breaks in that Forest links their mana core to hers, when you finally killed her—the core of the forest—you also destroyed the spell and killed all other beings still alive there by consuming her mana core. That’s how you became an Expert so fast… Correct?”

“That is pretty much how it went. So yes—correct.”

Azriel smiled faintly at her as the two continued walking toward the colossal wall. But Ranni’s expression had grown dark.

“But you died… each time? You kept dying for three whole months while we were unaware. We thought you were in another scenario—but that wasn’t true. You were here the whole time… and I didn’t even try looking for you. You were suffering… and the first thing I did when I saw you again—”

“That, unfortunately, is also correct.”

Ranni looked at him, guilt shimmering in her eyes. She looked as if she might cry again, prompting Azriel to sigh.

“Listen. You couldn’t possibly have known I was in the Forest of Eternity—no one could. You can’t blame yourself for that. And you had every right to be angry with me. Though… throwing a spear and a water sword at me might’ve been a bit much. I was still responsible for so many lives being lost—including a cadet.”

Ranni gave a reluctant nod, her eyes still lingering on him with remorse. Then she changed the subject.

“So… you went to the hidden village in that forest?”

Azriel nodded.

“I did.”

He was lying, but thanks to the map he’d received from the Fourth Authority, he knew exactly where it was.

“I saw a member of FreeWings there. Also… I saw three cadets.”

Ranni stopped in her tracks, her eyes going wide.

“What?! What are their names? Are they harmed? Are they alright?”

“I believe one was named Cadet Marco, the other Cadet Ella. The third, however… isn’t from our academy.”

Azriel’s face soured.

“She’s a third-year who went to an academy in America. Cadet—or rather, Princess—Veronica Nebula.”

Ranni’s face froze for a moment, then she asked again quietly:

“…They’re alright, aren’t they?”

Azriel nodded.

“For now.”

The two continued walking.

Eventually, Ranni looked down at the red notebook in her hands, a puzzled expression crossing her face.

“So why did you give me this?”

Azriel smiled once more.

“It’s a list.”

“A list?”

“Yes. Open it.”

She did. Her eyes narrowed as she began reading, flipping to the next page, then another, and another.

With each turn, her expression changed—confusion giving way to surprise, and then to disbelief. It was indeed a list, page after page, each name numbered, starting from 200.

“This… this…!”

Her hands trembled as she looked up at Azriel, who simply kept smiling.

“This is a list of villains, isn’t it!?”

Azriel nodded.

But Ranni wasn’t finished.

“Not just that—you’ve ranked each one based on their threat level. There’s detailed information: names, possible locations, relatives, appearances, ranks, affinities, organizations they belong to, their potential targets… H-how?!”

Azriel shrugged.

“I’m the prince of the Crimson Clan. Getting this kind of information isn’t exactly difficult for me. I thought it might be useful for you. Keep it. I have an extra copy anyway.”

“…Does the Crimson Clan really have this specific of an intel network on villains?”

Her expression grew more complicated as she looked at him.

Azriel didn’t meet her gaze, instead scratching his cheek.

“Well… I suppose some of it is from my own research.”

She looked back at the notebook.

“If this is all accurate… we could take down so many villains. Save so many lives.”

“Then do it.”

Ranni looked up at him.

“I know the academy is struggling right now. Undoubtedly it will struggle even more after we finish this scenario. But if you use this list, and the other instructors agree to go on missions targeting these villains, the academy’s reputation could rise to unimaginable heights again. You’d all be revered as the best of the best. You could save the academy from possibly being shut down.”

Ranni’s eyes widened.

“This is not just any list of villains—these are the worst of the worst. I didn’t rank them by strength but by how dangerous they are. The things some names on this list have done are almost unimaginable. More than half of them are people you wouldn’t even know existed, and yet they walk among us unnoticed by heroes.”

“…I can’t believe I’m asking this again, but… Prince Azriel, are you a seer?”

Azriel chuckled.

“Of course not. I’m just really good at predicting outcomes.”

She blinked, studied him for a moment, then looked away with a sigh.

“…It’s true. The academy is… dying. Its reputation is the only thing allowing it to compete with other academies. Being the first academy built by the first void generation— attended by the four great kings, your parents, and now you and your sister… The same is true for the other great clans. Each heir, without fail, attended the Hero Academy. That tradition is the only reason it still holds its place. But… we’ve fallen far behind. Even before the Void Dungeon incident, our budget was cut in half. It’s the headmistress who’s been holding everything together. No one wants to send their child to a dying academy unless they’re desperate—or mad.”

Azriel frowned inwardly.

’I’m not mad!’

He was a perfectly sane, generous, kind, benevolent, and fair prince!

Azriel coughed.

“Well, I hope this list helps. Though I wouldn’t wait too long… I might beat you to it, since I may go after some of them myself.”

Ranni continued flipping through the list until she reached the last page. Her expression immediately darkened.

“Why are the top 20 all filled with question marks?”

Azriel gave her a crooked smile.

“They wouldn’t be in the top 20 if they were easy to get information on, would they? Besides… even if I had intel on them, I wouldn’t give it away for free.”

Ranni narrowed her eyes.

“You want a price?”

Azriel nodded, still smiling.

“Of course.”

“Name your price, then.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“All in due time, Instructor. There’s no rush.”

Her eyes narrowed even further.

“You really are someone who thinks far ahead.”

“Is that so? Well, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“…You should. But be careful. Those who only look to the future often forget what truly matters.”

“Which is?”

“The present.”

Azriel chuckled.

“I’ll keep your advice in mind.”

She nodded as they continued walking. Ranni kept glancing at the list, studying the entries. Then she asked:

“The person we’re hunting—what’s his name?”

Azriel didn’t hesitate.

“Number 64. Mirius Gibbler.”

Before she turned to the entry, she looked at Azriel in confusion.

“That’s a pretty high number. Is he a high-ranking member of FreeWings?”

But Azriel shook his head.

“There are no high-ranking members in FreeWings, Instructor.”

She stopped walking. So did Azriel. The two faced each other as Ranni’s face became more serious.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. They don’t have ranks. Calling it an organization is misleading. They pretend to be one, but in truth, they’re just a group—FreeWings. Fifteen individuals, each deadly in their own right. While there is a leader and a vice-leader, we’re not prepared to fight them. Fortunately, they aren’t in this scenario with us… I hope.”

“I see…”

She was about to check the entry on Mirius when Azriel spoke again.

“Oh, by the way—we’ve arrived.”

Ranni looked up behind Azriel and realized he was right.

They had made it to the wall.

“….”

“….”

The two stood before the towering wall in silence. Then Azriel broke it.

“So… how are we getting up? I’ll have you know it was an awful experience climbing this wall just to get down here. I’d like to avoid climbing again for the next few years of my life.”

Ranni smiled slightly, then without warning, placed a hand firmly on Azriel’s shoulder.

He blinked in confusion, about to speak—

—and in the next blink, he was suddenly standing atop the wall, the wind slapping against his face.

“Woah!”

Ranni let go. Azriel instinctively stepped toward the edge, peering down.

’At least 150 feet…’

“Careful,” Ranni warned, seeing him stand so close to the ledge.

Azriel turned to her immediately.

“How did you do that? From what I know, you don’t have an affinity for space. Is it a skill?”

Ranni shook her head, noticing the curiosity in his gaze. Then, without a word, a dagger appeared in her hand.

Azriel’s lips twitched.

“Have you changed your mind and decided to kill me after all…?”

Ranni chuckled.

“No. This is a void artifact.”

“…!”

“Look at your feet.”

Azriel obeyed, and noticed another dagger embedded in the ground where they stood—identical to the one she now held.

“I placed it here when I returned from the forest.”

Azriel looked back at her, then narrowed his eyes.

“If you had a void artifact that allowed teleportation… why did we walk all the way here?”

“Because we needed to be within range.”

“Ah, I see.”

Saying that, Azriel walked to the opposite edge, the side facing the forest. He looked out, his eyes softening as they scanned the endless sea of trees. A faint trace of melancholy crossed his face.

Then he sighed.

“So… how are we getting down? You have another dagger on the other side, perhaps?”

“No.”

Azriel turned just as Ranni approached his side. Without hesitation, she threw the dagger in her hand downward. It shot through the air like a razor, vanishing into the canopy below.

She then crouched next to the dagger embedded at their feet and grasped it.

“Hold onto my shoulder,” Ranni said.

Azriel did.

In the next moment, they were back on solid ground—dirt and moss beneath their feet—deep within the Forest of Eternity.

Azriel released her shoulder and looked around. He exhaled quietly.

“…I guess I’m back.”