The Runaway Warrior from Extra

Chapter 10: The Butcher of Juniperville (5)

Knock, knock—

"Your Eminence, my apologies for interrupting the meeting. A report has arrived regarding the special order you previously issued."

The chancellor of Argentain, Cardinal Gilliard del Salerno, was in the middle of an important meeting. A report was handed to him.

There were rumors that all the kingdom’s administrative affairs were conducted through Gilliard’s hands and that the kingdom would fall the moment he did. His reputation as a wise and historic chancellor was well-deserved.

But for someone like Gilliard to show special interest in something? That alone was enough to draw attention.

"Did His Eminence issue a special order?"

"This must not be an ordinary matter."

The report arrived during a critical military meeting discussing the Militant State’s movements, indicating the exceptional importance of the subject.

"...Is this about that village?"

"Yes, it is about that village."

"Bring it here. Hmm. Let’s take a 15-minute break and resume the meeting afterward."

"Understood, Your Eminence."

The commanders withdrew, speculating about what weighed on the chancellor’s mind. The palace attendants also began to spread rumors, piecing together whatever they could from the single word: "village."

And finally, when Gilliard received a private report from the head chamberlain...

"Lucas Fraune is dead, and Sid Valerian Swords... has gone missing?"

"Yes, Your Eminence."

"How can this be... What exactly happened?"

"Lord Albert Fraune of Juniperville claims a sudden epidemic took the lives of his eldest son and several outsiders. However..."

"However?"

"He subtly implied that Sid Valerian Swords was involved in his son’s death."

"Ridiculous!"

Bang—!

Even Gilliard, the iron-blooded chancellor known for not flinching even during sword fights, had a valid reason to be angry this time.

"Are you seriously telling me a ten-year-old child massacred dozens of outsiders, then entered the lord’s castle and killed the eldest son? Do you expect me to believe that?"

"It’s a strange claim, but according to the report, yes. Multiple witnesses and testimonies support that Sid Valerian Swords visited the lord’s castle, the previously healthy eldest son died, and then Sid vanished."

"Hah... What on earth happened in Juniperville...?"

"Should we conduct further investigations?"

"I will dispatch the Pure Blood Knights."

"...Not just a knight, but the entire order?"

"Fetch the commander immediately. This is a special order."

"Your Eminence. The events in Juniperville are certainly unusual, but isn't this too minor a matter for your attention...?"

"Chamberlain. I clearly stated this was a special order."

"...As you command."

A "special order" was reserved only for matters of grave importance to the kingdom’s future. The chamberlain reconfirmed the chancellor’s intent and left without further question.

For Gilliard del Salerno, a cardinal and the chancellor of the kingdom, was not just any man.

A chancellor held in such infinite esteem...

"Shit! Which crazy bastard got inside the protagonist?!"

No, the Extra who had possessed the body of the Act 1 Boss, Gilliard, was now screaming internally.

"Who the hell is this lunatic that’s making a ten-year-old go around killing people?!"

He had an inkling that other Extras were involved in this mess.

"Did the protagonist turn into a maniac? Or did a maniac become the protagonist?"

But as someone who constantly dealt with assassination requests, both direct and subtle, countless scenarios came to mind.

Maybe the Knight of "Deception" had taken over the protagonist’s body.

Or perhaps someone using the Power of "Fear" had subdued the protagonist, who was just a child.

Could it be that a witch had enchanted the protagonist?

Or had someone placed a berserk curse on him that drove him to kill?

Were those the only possibilities?

In this world, where virtues and vices held power, where magic was real, and where transcendent beings lived and breathed, there were countless bizarre ways for a person to change or go mad.

"Should I give up on recruiting the protagonist...? Then, ugh..."

Of all the possibilities, he had to be the villain—the Act 1 Boss, no less.

"Ugh, I think I’m gonna be sick..."

Gilliard, who had been struggling to survive up until now, felt like he might as well lose his mind completely.

He wanted to run to Juniperville immediately to find out what had happened, but...

Knock, knock—

"Your Eminence. It is time. Shall we resume the meeting?"

"Ahem. Yes, let’s continue."

Unfortunately, he couldn’t do that.

He had to continue his perfect performance as the iron-blooded chancellor, navigating the cutthroat world of politics.

***

"W-what...?"

Rena couldn’t understand what she had just heard.

"What do you mean, Father...?"

"Lucas is dead."

"What? No, that’s not true. Brother was definitely alive... wasn’t he?"

She and her brother had both been saved by Sid.

Rena still didn’t fully understand what had happened that day. But she knew one thing for sure.

At the last moment, when Sid created that blinding flash of light, her brother Lucas had returned to his senses. He was no longer the monster wearing her brother’s face—he was truly himself.

He was the kind older brother who turned pale at the sight of blood, who shied away from violence, and who, despite being called a coward, was always kind and gentle.

"Rena."

Which was why Rena couldn’t comprehend what her father was saying now.

"People died."

"...What?"

"Thirteen outsiders died, seventeen were left permanently disabled, and the mental state of the survivors is far from stable. They even found evidence of 'Fear' worship in the castle’s underground."

"But, but they were all Extras..."

"Do you think anyone will believe the delusions of a child?"

"Delusions...?"

"Do you think anyone would believe the claim that something unknown possessed Lucas' body and committed these atrocities? That it was the work of 'Extras,' monsters that no one has ever heard of? Even if... it were true, who would believe it?"

No one would believe it. Even Rena felt like that day had been a horrible nightmare.

"F-Father... Then...!"

"Someone must pay for the blood of the dead. Even if these events occurred while he was unconscious."

"Then... Brother Lucas is truly..."

"...It seems his illness worsened overnight."

"...!"

"I believe he went peacefully."

Rena couldn’t recognize her father. The way he spoke so calmly about her brother’s end made him seem more monstrous than any beast.

This couldn’t be happening. After all Sid had done to save him. Her real brother had been an innocent victim. Just because no one would believe it, her own father had...

Amid her confusion, Rena struggled to piece her thoughts together and remembered another person involved in the incident.

"W-what about Sid?"

She realized there was no way her father would let someone like Sid, who knew the whole truth, walk free.

"...He ran away."

"That’s a lie."

"..."

"It’s a lie!"

"...Rena."

"You killed Sid... just like you did to Brother...?"

"..."

"Why? Sid... really didn't do anything wrong! Why?!"

"...Let's talk about this later."

After her father left, having delivered the news about her brother and Sid...

"It's... it's all because of me..."

Left alone in the room, Rena began to murmur to herself.

"Because I followed Brother in without thinking... Because I didn't listen to Sid and get out right away..."

She replayed the events of that day in her mind over and over, wondering why this had happened and if it could have been avoided.

"Everyone... Everyone is dead..."

As she weighed her own mistakes against her father's choices, a flame began to burn within Rena's heart.

"I'm sorry, Sid. I'm really sorry..."

That flame burned with such intensity that it was hard to tell whether it was directed at the Extra who caused all this, at her father, or at herself.

Meanwhile, in the remote village where a young boy, his maid, and his bodyguard had disappeared...

"Did you hear about it?"

"They say a butcher in Juniperville only kills outsiders..."

Rumors began to spread about a mysterious killer known as the Butcher of Juniperville, who kidnapped and murdered outsiders.

"Some say it was the lord's doing."

"Really? I heard it was a kid."

Some claimed the butcher was an innocent-looking young boy, others said it was a corrupt noble youth, and some even insisted it was a woman with eerily red hair.

And as all this unfolded, the runaway protagonist was...

"You dirty Extra bastards! Did you really... have to take everything to feel satisfied?!"

"Ugh, Emily! My ears hurt!"

...suffering because of the maid who had suddenly started screaming.

***

"Another wasted trip."

"...I know, okay? You don’t have to rub it in, old man."

"Why? Because this dungeon was your idea?"

"Ugh..."

"Thanks to you, we’ve just been wandering around again."

"Grr...!"

Extras were truly shameless beings.

"If a noob like you remembers something so clearly, it’s bound to be obvious."

"And what about you, old man?!"

"...I still think we should head straight to the Sanctuary of Silence."

"That’s a mid-to-late game dungeon!"

"Ahem. I've been through hell there, so my knowledge of the walkthrough is spot-on..."

"We’re still at a super low level!"

"Then what do you suggest? At this rate, all the dungeons will be looted by the other Extras."

They were cunning enough to avoid monsters while snatching up dungeon rewards, skilled enough to clear out even hidden items in secret rooms.

Because of this, Emily's stress was the highest.

We were following her lead, after all.

Scrape, scrape—

"Just let me catch whoever it is... This time, I’ll swing my shovel blade for sure..."

Watching Emily sharpening her shovel blade with a blank expression every time a dungeon turned up empty, I could only imagine what she might have looked like in her witch days. It was genuinely terrifying.

"...But this is getting out of hand."

"Really?"

I realized how serious the situation was not because of the always-loud Emily but because even Walter was starting to lose his calm.

"If we don’t get the Moon Blade, the unique item from the next dungeon, it will disrupt your growth."

"...What kind of problem will that cause?"

"We're aiming for the Silver Blade build. It has high defense and magic resistance, along with crowd control skills, making it a versatile early-game class. But it has one critical flaw."

"Huh? If it's that good, shouldn't one flaw be manageable?"

"The problem is the attack power. It has low base damage and few attack skills. Without the magic sword Moon Blade, you’ll barely be able to deal any damage. It’s essentially a must-have."

"...That’s serious."

A swordsman who could do everything but couldn't kill anyone? Was the Silver Blade some kind of pacifist knight?

"That's surprisingly accurate."

"Really?"

"Yes. The Silver Blade is a title given to elven swordsmen who value life and harmony."

"But I'm human, though?"

"Does virtue care about race?"

"Uh... I guess not."

"Exactly. Like a Dwarf mage or a human druid. Rare, but not impossible."

Wow, there really were all sorts of classes in this world. I still had a lot to learn.

"So?"

"If we can't get the Moon Blade... we might need to find a high-attack weapon like the Cursed Greatsword."

"...Walter, you’re kidding, right?"

In a few months, I’d be eleven, but I was still only ten. Even holding a training sword with both hands was a struggle. Now I was supposed to swing a greatsword that might be bigger than me? Physically impossible.

"Well, if you went all-in on a Northern Warrior build focused on strength, it might not be..."

"You're just trying to experiment on me to see if it’s possible or not!"

And my worst fears were confirmed.

"Argh! I swear on my shovel! I will kill you, thief!"

"Wow... Emily, you sounded like a real villain just now."

"I am a villain! Young Master, don't stop me. I absolutely cannot forgive that thief!"

"I won't..."

The Moon Blade, which should have been safely stored on the altar of the Hidden Moonlight Sanctuary, had already been taken by someone else.

"If even the Silver Blade build, which we were so eager to try, is ruined, then any other well-known or convenient build probably won’t be safe either..."

At this point, it was safe to assume that any build that was even slightly popular or any item that was easy to find had already been snatched up by other Extras.

"Now... we really have no choice but to decipher this."

"Hmm, I’m not confident, but..."

We all stared at a book and let out a long sigh.

It was the secret item I had taken from the Extra Lucas before running away.

An encrypted walkthrough.