Path of the Extra

Chapter 360: The Eye-Witness Testimony of How Azriel Accidentally Obtained Plot Relevance, Political Leverage, and Everyone’s Sanity in One Afternoon

The moment the words left Lioren’s mouth, a ruckus broke out. People stood up in shock, looking at him as if he were a traitor.

Lumine, too, was on his feet.

”...Many of you seem to regard me differently now, it seems,” Lioren remarked, watching everyone’s reactions.

The four heirs—including Princess Veronica and Prince Azriel—did not look particularly surprised.

There were actually quite a few who remained seated, like Liliane or Instructor Ranni. Some of those still sitting were shocked, but they didn’t overreact.

”Let’s sit down...” Yelena whispered quietly to Lumine, who nodded.

Both of them sat back down just as Gere—the one who had questioned Lioren earlier—stood up again. Face flushed red with anger, he pointed at Lioren.

”What is the meaning of this, Prince Lioren!? After everything you said about your life being more valuable than ours—about deciding to be the leader—how are we supposed to trust you now!?”

”Yeah, that’s right!” someone else added.

”To say such things, while being part of the Revolutionary Army all this time! Isn’t that basically a guaranteed ticket out of this scenario, if you’re already on one side!? And yet you told us not to join either side!?”

”We’re not in our world anymore, as a matter of fact! You have no authority over us here! We won’t be playing your games at the cost of our own lives!”

Others began to stand and shout their protests one by one.

Slowly, chaos started to swell through the hall.

”Are you an idiot?”

Caleus spoke, looking at them with pure disgust this time. His smile was gone, his expression that of someone staring at a man pissing naked in the street—vile, pathetic human trash.

”When has it ever been said that we must follow the script of our roles?”

Jasmine was the next to speak, giving Gere and the others an icy look.

”I would suggest all of you sit down instead of shouting like immature children and causing a ruckus.”

Celestina spoke as well, looking incredibly annoyed.

”Hey, Lioren,” Caleus drawled, sounding bored.

”I don’t see it. How are these people competent?”

”...I’m not going forward with this,” Gere said, jaw tight.

”If you yourself have chosen a side, then we should have the right to do so as well.”

He turned around.

”Didn’t you just hear Princess Celestina?” Jasmine’s voice grew even colder.

”Sit down.”

”I refuse,” Gere snapped, glaring at her as he walked away. Three others followed him.

Lumine and Yelena watched them with nervous expressions—only for a cold, authoritative voice to ring out a second later.

”Your attitude here has been extremely disrespectful to Her Highness and the others. I can no longer let this matter go without appropriate action being taken immediately.”

””!!””

A blade was suddenly pressed against Gere’s neck. He froze where he stood as blood trickled down—Felix had already cut him. Gere’s breath hitched, and the three others behind him paled.

”Ah... ah...”

A strangled sound of fear escaped him as he stared into the eyes of Sir Felix, who glared back at him coldly, with barely restrained anger.

Then another voice, female and deceptively gentle, drifted across the table—the voice was soft, and amused.

”I concur with what you are planning to do, Sir Felix. Killing the guild master of the Waterspears will give me the perfect opportunity to take all their resources at their weakest moment, for our own guild.”

Sir Felix flicked a cold glance at the owner of that voice, seated on the opposite side of the table from Lumine.

A woman sat there, relaxed, arms and legs crossed. She had smooth, beautiful skin and soft features; black hair threaded with fine streaks of gold dust; and amber-gold eyes that shone like polished gemstones.

Lumine instantly felt like he was staring at a fox—a greedy fox. That was the air she gave off.

And...

’Another Master...’

He hadn’t felt her presence at all; she was completely suppressing her aura.

Lumine shivered.

’Just how many Masters do we have here...?’

There was Lioren, Felix, Jegudiel, Ranni, and now... this woman.

”Master Margaret...” Felix muttered, clearly displeased.

Gere stared at her with a shocked, fearful expression, and many others reacted the same way as they realized who she was.

”You...! Why is the vice guild master of the Phoenix Guild here!?” he yelled, only for the blade to press deeper into his neck. He flinched, quickly remembering his situation.

Those seated closest to her stood up in shock.

’The Phoenix Guild... No way...!’

Lumine’s mouth almost fell open from sheer surprise. His father, a humble guild master, had naturally taught him about other guilds, their rivals, and the giants among them. The Phoenix Guild...

There was no way his father’s guild could rival them.

”The vice guild master of one of the Big Five... is here?”

The ”Big Five” naturally referred to the five greatest guilds in all of Asia. Not listed in any particular order, they were simply the best of the best—each based in one of Asia’s sacred capitals. The Phoenix Guild belonged to SASC.

They weren’t quite on the same level as the great clans, but they were still incredibly powerful, above most of the vassal clans in both influence and strength.

’From what I remember... Vice Guild Master Margaret is a grade 1 Master...’

”Master Margaret,” Lioren called out, looking at her with his usual aloof expression.

”Is there something you wish to say or add?”

”Not particularly, no,” she replied lazily.

”I simply want to make it clear that I will be following your lead to get out of this scenario. And, of course, offer a warning...”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously at Gere and the three behind him.

”Anyone who stands in our way should naturally be removed. Whether they plan to side with the revolutionaries or the nobles.”

Gere swallowed.

”That is natural, and I agree, of course,” Lioren said with a simple nod, making Gere and the others gulp in unison.

”The Ten Heavenly Churches will follow your plan for as long as we are in this scenario.”

Liliane suddenly spoke, offering Lioren a warm, composed smile.

Soon after, one by one, more people voiced their support.

Gere’s shoulders slowly hunched as he shrank back, finally turning to look meekly at Lioren and the other heirs.

”I... I apologize... Please forgive me... I will obey your orders.”

Lioren studied him in silence for a few seconds, stretching the tension, before he spoke.

”It is not my knight who is holding your life in question.”

Gere and the three with him, all trapped under Felix’s cold, merciless gaze, turned their eyes toward Jasmine in a panic. Azriel, meanwhile, was still eating, calmly accepting extra portions from the trembling servants.

Jasmine looked back at Gere with an emotionless gaze—one that felt even crueller than open hostility.

”...The next time there is a disagreement,” she said softly, ”and someone starts to cause chaos—kill them.”

”As you command, Your Highness.”

Felix withdrew his blade and bowed toward Jasmine. A sudden gust of wind rustled through the hall, lifting a few napkins into the air—and in the next instant, Felix was back in position behind Jasmine and Azriel, as if he had never moved at all.

”So... am I to assume you are a spy, rather than an actual High Commander of the Nine?”

The Count asked the question while looking at Lioren uncomfortably.

Lioren nodded.

”That is the easiest way to explain it, yes. I am not on the side of the revolutionaries, if that is what you are worried about.”

The Count let out a slow sigh.

”Then I will leave it at that.”

Lioren inclined his head again.

”There are other things I would like you all to know first.”

At that, everyone sat down again. The room grew serious and quiet as they listened attentively.

”The identity of the Supreme Leader. The mana core rank of the King of Ismyr and the Supreme Leader. The identities of all Nine High Commanders. And more.”

As everyone’s eyes fixed on him, Lioren began to reveal everything.

Naturally, people were shocked. The Count most of all, when he learned who the Supreme Leader truly was.

And Lioren had more.

After revealing that both the King and the Supreme Leader were Grandmasters, he listed the identities of all Nine High Commanders, which sent another wave of shock through the room—enough to almost give the Count a heart attack.

And Lioren still wasn’t done.

He had more. More of everything.

Information about the Forest of Eternity.

The location where the revolutionaries had been hiding all this time.

The existence of Grandmaster Maxime Rossweth, who had been holding the balance.

Then...

The existence of Corven Draumirius Zevrak. That he was here, in this scenario—still alive.

Another uproar exploded at that reveal.

”That Master Corven? To think such a legend is alive..!”

”H-Hey, isn’t this bad? Prince Lioren, what do you mean he’s coming for us...?”

”Well, we have more Masters here, don’t we? There’s no way Master Corven can win!”

”Idiot! Have you forgotten? Rumors used to say Master Corven was a monster among Masters! He could take down anyone with the same mana core rank! No matter how many!”

”Still! If he was so strong, why is he still a Master, then?”

”...He must’ve hit the bottleneck of what he could reach. Or there’s some other reason... I don’t know. But this is bad. Master Ranni fought him and didn’t show herself until today... It must be because she lost badly, then...”

As more and more people spoke, their expressions grew darker. Even Lumine and Yelena exchanged worried glances.

”Is he really that strong?” Lumine whispered.

Yelena nodded gravely.

”They call him the Monarch Slayer for a reason... the right hand of the First Dusk King. If he’s here... I really can’t tell how this will turn out...”

Then Lioren spoke again, after letting them have their panic.

”There is no need to be scared. He is one man. I can defeat him. Besides... right now he is handicapped from his most recent battle, having lost both his hands.”

His words made everyone’s eyes widen and lifted the mood in an instant.

”As expected of Master Ranni!”

”Hahaha! Indeed! So the rumors were exaggerated, huh? If Master Ranni could do that without losing a single limb herself, imagine what all the Masters combined can do!”

”Master Ranni, you’re amazing! To have gotten all this information about the revolutionaries—”

As they started to celebrate, Ranni finally spoke over them, her voice serious.

”I was not the one responsible for any of the things that have just been said.”

”Huh? What are you talking about, Master Ranni?”

”Yeah, didn’t you save Princess Veronica and the other cadets? And discover all this important information?”

Ranni sighed, looking at them with a tired expression. Lioren stayed silent.

”I didn’t,” she said plainly.

”None of this should be credited to me in the slightest.”

Then she added softly:

”And since I’m feeling a bit petty about what he said to me last time...”

”Master Ranni, that person does not wish to be revealed, it seems,” Lioren interjected.

But Ranni ignored him.

”Everything you just heard—about the Forest of Eternity, about finding the revolutionaries’ location, about the identity of the Supreme Leader, the ranks of the Supreme Leader and the King, even having confronted Grandmaster Maxime himself in person... That same person was also the one who, on his own, cut off both hands of the right hand of the First Dusk King, Master Corven Draumirius Zevrak, and forced the Monarch Slayer to flee. And he is...”

Ranni lifted a hand and pointed straight ahead of her with a cryptic smile.

”Prince Azriel, of the Crimson Clan.”

””!!””

Another uproar followed, naturally. Everyone turned to Azriel, who had stopped eating and was looking at Ranni with a wry smile.

”And here I was, trying to give you the opportunity to better your reputation.”

But Ranni shook her head, looking at Azriel without a hint of humor.

”The weight of all this credit is not something to pass onto another. It is an incredible achievement, and I cannot falsely claim it.”

Azriel simply chuckled.

”Is that so? Though I still see it as more of a team effort. If it weren’t for you, or for Princess Veronica, we wouldn’t have made it back alive.”

”Haha! As expected of my sister!”

Caleus, hearing this, wrapped an arm around Veronica, who forced an uncomfortable smile.

”You did great!”

”Y-Yes... thank you, Brother Caleus, but I must say... I hardly did anything compared to Prince Azriel, who saved my life.”

”I must agree. He also saved mine, which was about to end,” Ranni added.

Lumine, like many others, stared at Azriel in disbelief.

’He did... he did all that by himself?’

”How can he win in a battle against the Monarch Slayer...? T-They’re not even in the same rank..!” Yelena murmured, unable to comprehend it, just like many others.

Meanwhile, Lumine heard Liliane next to him whisper:

”I knew he wasn’t just a pretty face... There really is more to him, huh.”

One by one, voices around the table began to rise.

”That freeloading delinquent...?”

”They have to be lying...”

”What was it again they used to call him? The ’unworthy prince’, right...?”

”Hey, lower your voice... This is not the time and place.”

”Right, but still... wasn’t his talent mediocre? No, I haven’t even bothered checking, but he’s... an expert now?”

”Either he’s about to hit the bottleneck... or the rumors were false.”

”No, it seems that title of ’young hero of CASC’ had some merit to it after all, huh...”

”Then what does this mean for the great Crimson Clan? ...Shit, is the throne perhaps not guaranteed to Her Highness Princess Jasmine anymore?”

They kept going—each with their own voice, their own opinions, their own worries.

”Prince Azriel.”

Suddenly, Master Margaret, eyes radiating pure greed, smiled at him, showing her teeth.

”If you would li—”

”That is enough for now.”

Before she could finish, and before anyone else could continue, Lioren cut in.

”Idle chatter can be done once we are finished with what must be said.”

”There is still more...?”

Someone muttered, earning a single look from Lioren that was enough to make him clamp his mouth shut.

”Prince Lioren,” Liliane called out suddenly.

”If you could, can we get more information about the legend?”

Lioren nodded.

”That is what I was about to give.”

At that, everyone went quiet again and, for another round, listened carefully.

”As some might already know, there are a number of underground tunnels beneath these lands. Am I correct, Count?”

The Count, surprised at the question, still nodded and replied in a calm tone.

”That is correct. The underground tunnels have existed since forever. Though there hasn’t been much exploration, they connect not only our kingdom, but all the others—throughout the entire continent. Most are empty, aside from a few tunnels that lead to... strange places. Open caves, or...”

”Doors,” Lioren finished for him.

The Count, surprised again, still nodded.

”I myself have confirmed this fact. The network beneath the lands of this world is vast. Yet there are some paths that lead to dead ends—doors that cannot be destroyed or opened. Those doors, coincidentally, are covered in runes of the void language...”

Many looked surprised at that, but Lioren went on.

”What I also noticed was a pattern. There are a select few doors that share the exact same runes... and a uniquely shaped keyhole, so to speak.”

”Don’t tell me that’s where the Thirteen Teeth are supposed to go?”

Someone asked, and Lioren nodded, unconcerned.

”That is correct. But not all thirteen, actually... The doors are, it seems, only half of the Maw of the Divine. The other teeth should be placed somewhere else—where the rest of the Maw lies, further beyond those doors.”

Many started whispering.

”What do you think it could be?” Lumine asked Yelena quietly.

”I don’t know... but for there to be so many underground tunnels and then doors... Chambers, maybe? Or... an underground world of some sort?”

”Wait, how many of those doors are there?” Liliane asked.

”Seven.”

”So, a tooth in each door, huh...”

”The doors will only open once all the teeth are inside.”

”And the royal family and the revolutionaries are trying to gather them all for themselves, while eliminating the competition?”

Lioren nodded at Liliane’s assessment.

”That is what I also believe. Except, it seems that at the summit, they might finally begin to work together.”

”How so?” someone else asked.

”The Thirteen Teeth were scattered across the lands. It has been a race to obtain them first. The royal family currently possesses five, while the revolutionaries possess four—leaving four unclaimed. That was until Princess Celestina stole one hidden in the Church of the Sun, and Saintess Liliane stole another from the Church of the Moon, which means we now possess two. There are still two more unaccounted for and being searched for. But... they are getting desperate. Our presence has already been revealed and branded as the ’Inverse Creed,’ and they are no longer in a position to ignore us. They may suspect we have the remaining teeth. While we do not have the last two, they will band together at the summit, form a temporary alliance, and, if necessary, open the doors and race toward the remaining part of the Maw of the Divine themselves. They may retrieve whatever it is before securing the final teeth and possibly try to eliminate us entirely. That means staying here at the Count’s estate for long after the summit will no longer be possible. We will be hunted by the world, and of course, Master Corven will be coming for us. I advise you not to underestimate him, even without hands.”

The tension in the room rose again.

”B-But it’s as you said... even if we’re hunted down, we only have two of the remaining four tee—”

”Ah, yeah, about that.”

Before the person could finish, someone else cut in.

Everyone turned to Azriel, who was leaning back with a relaxed posture.

”Since the cat is already out of the bag,” he said, ”I might as well let the remaining cats out too.”

Many stared at him, confused, as Azriel continued:

”I actually have the last two Teeth.”

””!!””

And somehow, the prince of the Crimson Clan had once again managed to shock everyone at the table. And this time, it truly was everyone.

Even the heirs. Even Jasmine hadn’t known Azriel possessed the last two Teeth.

Then he added another casual blow to their already shaken minds:

”Oh, and I retrieved the core that makes the Immortal Eyepatch... well, immortal. So if anyone wants to fight him and try to kill him, give me a heads-up, okay? I’ll break the core anytime you want.”

Ranni, who was looking at Azriel with gritted teeth and a frustrated expression, was thankfully not seen by anyone.

At least she hoped.

”Y-You got the remaining Teeth as well...? And... and you found a way to kill the Immortal Eyepatch...?”

Azriel nodded.

Then he gave them a pretty smile.

Many snapped out of their shock just to squint at that smile. Some even averted their gaze.

”I see. Then that does make things easier,” Lioren said, already having processed it and continuing as if nothing could faze him.

”Since we now possess four, it means we’re not the ones drawing the short straws. To get out of this scenario, we need one side to fall. The best way to do that is to even the playing field for both of them. When the summit starts, I will go there as the representative of the ’Inverse Creed,’ as they call us, with a select few others present here today.”

Lumine and the others stared at Lioren with yet another dose of shock.

”And for those who won’t be joining me at the summit,” Lioren went on, ”you will all, in separate teams, raid the palace of the royal family and the base of the revolutionaries—and, if necessary, the Kingdom of the Moon. Your mission will be to find and, if possible, steal the Teeth. And if that is not possible... remove the competition.”

It was Master Ranni who narrowed her eyes.

”By ’remove the competition,’ you mean to say...”

”Kill the key figures of this war. As many as possible,” Lioren answered calmly. ”Make both sides weak, and once we have the upper hand, we will decide who falls. Whatever this scenario we’re in even is, it’s here to judge our performance. It could be the gods, or some other entity. But from what I’ve deduced, how we decide to play this out matters a lot. And there is nothing better than being the side in control of who gets killed off.”