Extra in a Romance Fantasy

145 – War (2)

In a room that was not ostentatiously decorated but elegantly adorned, a man sat perched on a chair, gazing out the window.

For a while, he remained silent, simply staring at the window.

Then, suddenly, he spoke.

“Yeah, it’s a failure.”

It was a somewhat unexpected statement.

Especially considering that no one else was visible in the room besides the man.

However.

“…Yes.”

—

Clearly, no one else was visible except for him, yet an answer came.

What was even more astonishing was that, despite hearing the voice, he could not discern from which direction it was coming.

“Yes… that is so.”

However, the man, upon hearing that strange voice, showed not a hint of surprise; instead, he lightly nodded with a calm demeanor.

His gaze remained fixed outside the window.

“……”

And then, silence settled in the room.

Within that silence, the ‘shadow’ quietly swallowed a dry gulp.

This silence was so uncomfortable and suffocating.

The shadow had been loyal to the man for a long time.

It had carried out countless orders, executing whatever command he issued without hesitation.

However, that loyalty did not stem from pure devotion.

The strongest and most profound feeling the shadow harbored for the man was ‘fear.’

The shadow was deeply afraid of the man.

It was precisely because of that fear that it remained loyal to him.

Thus, in this moment, the shadow trembled in this silence.

It had no way of gauging how furious the man might become.

Having worked under him, the shadow had witnessed the man’s displays of anger several times.

And during those times, a storm of blood always followed.

In this case, the matter was somewhat serious.

A plan that had been meticulously crafted for quite some time had returned as a complete failure.

The resurrection plan of the legendary monster, Armianon, had required significant investment from the order.

Many resources, talents, and time had been poured into it.

Moreover, the sacrifices made to open a rift to the ‘Great Being’ were considerable, and above all, they had even invested the ‘Hero’s Sword,’ which had been secretly secured within the order.

Yet, that plan had utterly failed.

The original intention was to resurrect Armianon and incite chaos across the continent.

In the process, the plan was to eliminate those who gathered at the hero’s tomb, depleting the continent’s strength, while simultaneously wiping out the pesky ones who might notice the order’s existence and interfere.

However, rather than chaos erupting across the continent, they failed to inflict any meaningful damage on those who had gathered there.

Despite such investment, nothing came of it.

Furthermore, they had lost Baran, a crucial swordsman of the order, who had been entrusted with that plan.

—

—

As Agilhem completely lost his grip on power, the master’s mood had already been uneasy, and now this incident occurred, leaving the Shadow unable to avoid worry.

It was certain that the master would be furious over something like this, and the degree of that fury would likely be unprecedented, the Shadow anticipated.

Thus, the Shadow observed the master’s movements, stifling even his breath.

However.

“Hmm. It can’t be helped.”

“……!”

His reaction was more composed than expected.

“It’s unfortunate… but, now that the deed is done, lamenting it would be meaningless.”

The unexpected nature of that response made the Shadow widen his eyes in disbelief.

“Why, is it surprising that I would react this way?”

“……! N-no, it’s not….”

At the sudden question, the Shadow hurriedly denied it and lowered his head.

“That’s enough. There’s no need to be so flustered.”

The man gently reassured his subordinate, who was rarely seen in such a state of disarray.

“It’s undoubtedly a painful failure from our perspective. Losing Agilhem, and the failure of this plan. But….”

The man smiled.

“The fire has already been ignited. The war has begun. And it’s a war between two empires. At this point, worrying about the failure of the plan is hardly worth our concern.”

“…….”

The Shadow offered no response, but inwardly nodded.

As he said, the spark of war had already flared into a blaze.

A blaze now too large to easily extinguish.

At this juncture, it was practically impossible to halt the war between the two empires.

The war would occur, and the devastation of the continent was a foregone conclusion.

“So there’s no need to read my mood.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need to apologize.”

The man wore a gentle smile.

“Now, I’ll take my leave. There’s nothing more for us to handle here, but do keep an eye on the movements of both sides, just in case.”

“Understood.”

With a concise reply, the Shadow left the room.

Since the figure had not been visible all along, if it were the culprit, one might not have realized whether the shadow had truly left its place. However, the man was acutely aware of the shadow’s absence.

Even in the state of being truly alone in the room after the shadow had vanished, the man still did not take his eyes off the window.

And on his face, a faint smile lingered.

But then.

Suddenly, his gaze darkened.

No longer the soft gaze of before, but a piercingly sharp look settled in the man’s eyes.

“…You’re still alive.”

A mutter, close to a soliloquy.

Yet, it was clear whom he was referring to.

The future of this world, the predetermined flow, a variable that had suddenly appeared one day and drastically altered everything—Wade Hebron.

The man was certain.

He was still alive.

“I never thought he’d still be alive after mobilizing the Swordmaster…”

To ensure the complete removal of Wade Hebron, the man had even played the card of the Swordmaster.

In the first place, the Swordmaster did not belong to the order.

Though there were connections due to various circumstances, it was not a relationship where the man could issue commands.

Nevertheless, the man had deliberately set the Swordmaster in motion.

The reason was simple.

The Swordmaster was the most powerful card among those the man could wield.

Thus, the man was wary of Wade and wanted to eliminate him for good.

He thought Wade’s existence could pose a significant obstacle to his plans.

One might say it was an excessive response to a mere Swordmaster-level warrior, but the man did not think so.

He had already experienced it.

The experience of plans shattering to pieces due to a single variable.

That was why he did not let his guard down this time.

He aimed to eliminate the variable decisively and thoroughly.

And it seemed, at first glance, that he had succeeded.

However.

It was not so. Wade Hebron was alive.

“I thought it was entirely possible that Hamel was dead, but…”

The Great City of Agilhem and Its Ruler, Hamel.

That part was an incident in which the man had directly intervened.

He approached Hamel after reading the future and confirming that he would eventually become a warrior of the Ten Blades rank.

After施術施行, he simultaneously imposed a powerful restriction that could never be refused or escaped by Hamel’s strength.

Next, he sent Hamel to Agilhem, instructing him to build power from the underworld and seize control of Agilhem.

As a result, the man had one warrior of the Ten Blades rank at his command and the great city of Agilhem, one of the most notable on the continent, in his grasp.

Whenever he wished, with just a flick of his finger, he could command the full might of Hamel and Agilhem.

That was undoubtedly a tremendous power, and the man intended to use that power for his own plans.

However, not long ago, Hamel suddenly died.

And Agilhem fell into the hands of another.

When he heard that news, the man was certainly surprised.

Yet, when it came to the magnitude of that surprise, it was not so great.

The flow of the future had already changed significantly due to the variable known as Wade, and he had anticipated that unexpected events would occur as a result.

While Hamel and Agilhem were undoubtedly useful cards, considering the strength of the Order, their absence would not be a significant loss.

However, this plan, the resurrection plan of Armianon, was different.

The man had seen it clearly.

A future where the legendary black dragon resurrects and turns the continent upside down.

Yet, for some reason, the plan had failed.

This was something that made no sense unless a variable had intervened.

Thus, the man was certain.

The variable, Wade Hebron, was still alive.

“Indeed, persistent.”

Persistent.

Unbelievably persistent.

He had thought he had surely killed him, yet he was still alive.

No, as if that weren’t enough, he was once again interfering with the plan.

The man named Wade Hebron made him recall an old memory.

Long ago, a man who had obstructed his plans at every turn, just like the current Wade.

—

Creak—

Just imagining that face was enough to make my teeth grind.

Perhaps, if the shadow were here, it would surely be paralyzed with fear; the man’s expression was cold and deeply settled.

But.

The man’s expression soon regained its calm.

“It no longer matters.”

Indeed.

Even if Wade Hebron is alive.

Even if he is a variable that could change the future.

It no longer held any significance.

The war between Rainberg and Elbrent had already begun.

“No matter how much you try, this war cannot be stopped.”

The flames that have begun to blaze can no longer be halted by anyone.

“It won’t be long now.”

In the man’s gaze, looking out the window, a faint light flickered.

It truly won’t be long now.

The day the order’s purpose is fulfilled.

The day his dream comes true.