Extra in a Romance Fantasy

35 – Brushing Past

Our journey did not end in a day or two.

The distance to our destination was quite considerable from the start, and considering various factors, we had to adjust our speed, resulting in a rather long period of travel.

However, the process itself was not boring.

…Unfortunately, that is.

Surrounded by three women, in an atmosphere that occasionally became awkward and sometimes sharp, I had no room to feel boredom.

The situation was suffocating, and I even attempted to change the carriage’s seating to alleviate it.

I failed.

Met with strong opposition.

I also tried seeking help from Alexis and Cedric, fellow men, but they consistently ignored my pleading gaze, focusing solely on Mary.

I felt disgusted by this fact.

I had silently cheered them on, and they coldly discarded me like this.

I silently vowed not to support them any longer.

I also sought assistance with pleading eyes, but to no avail.

Carson was busy overseeing the group’s security, Del only clicked his tongue while looking at me, and Mary didn’t even notice that I needed help.

In this way, my small rebellion ended without any results.

And as a result,

“Look over there. Is that an acrobat or something?”

“Mu, Mugujeom… It’s not a good idea to look around, right?”

“Hmm. That seems to be a food I’ve never seen before.”

I found myself surrounded by three women wherever and whenever I went.

Even in the city I visited for a break, I ended up being dragged into this situation.

“….”

Naturally, I wasn’t thrilled about this situation.

Balancing the opinions of three women with various personalities and adjusting to prevent a hostile atmosphere was my role.

Just that alone was enough to drain my energy, but the factors making it difficult for me didn’t end there.

Gazes.

The stares gathering upon us subtly gnawed at my nerves.

It was natural for gazes to gather. After all, they were owners of noticeable appearances – Rachel, Aira, Estelle.

Even if one walked alone, it was inevitable to attract attention when three women gathering with distinct looks were in one place.

And if there was one man among them?

His gaze would be drawn even more.

Yes, right at me.

“….”

I felt piercing stares.

Everyone we encountered looked in our direction, and specifically at me.

Some with eyes filled with curiosity and wonder, some with eyes filled with jealousy, and some with eyes filled with anger.

It’s needless to say that most of the owners of jealous and angry glares were men.

Honestly, I could overlook each of those gazes. However, when those gazes gathered, they became something that could not be ignored.

Moreover, if one didn’t consider how to lessen that stimulation, it would become even more nerve-wracking.

The only fortunate thing was that, despite the intense gazes, there were no individuals directly bothering me.

There could be several reasons for this, but perhaps the biggest one was the atmosphere those women emitted.

Even though they tried to avoid flashy clothes to scatter attention, the atmosphere emanating from them was unusual, even subconsciously.

You might not know the details, but just by looking, you could feel that they weren’t from an ordinary household.

That’s probably why there weren’t many guys who would openly approach them. They probably didn’t want to mess with someone from an esteemed family and risk facing consequences.

Also, the fact that this city had a certain scale and decent security likely played a significant role.

If it were a place with poor security, it might have been even more troublesome than this.

If it were a lawless city somewhere, the entire city’s scoundrels might have gathered to rush at us.

…Well, it’s not like there were no such guys here at all.

The world is vast, people are numerous, and among the countless individuals, there are occasionally strange ones.

Those who act on instinct rather than reason, those who commit first and ask questions later, undoubtedly exist.

In this city too, such individuals were undoubtedly present.

People who approached with a gaze that said, “Whatever,” intending to come this way.

However, before they could take more than a few steps, they concealed themselves right there.

At a speed imperceptible to anyone around.

I knew the identity of this phenomenon.

It was the work of Estelle’s escorts.

Those who always kept a certain distance and sharply focused when escorting Estelle, intensified their vigilance when Estelle came out at this distance.

And if they saw anyone or anything that could pose a potential threat, they immediately went into exclusion.

The disappearance of the men was also part of this behavior.

For me, it was a good thing. They were taking care of something that could become troublesome on their end.

Although I was a bit concerned about the men who disappeared without a trace, it seemed that I didn’t need to worry too much about that.

Following the clues, it seemed to end at the level of rendering them unconscious and tossing them into a back alley.

Anyway, it was a good thing for me. They were handling something that could become bothersome on their end.

…Of course, that didn’t make all my stress disappear.

“Wade, sir?”

“W-Wade, sir…?”

“Hmm? What’s the matter?”

A voice calling me reached my ears.

“…I’m going.”

I replied, reluctantly taking steps I didn’t want to take.

***

“Sigh….”

I took a deep breath, exhaling the air from my lungs.

Then, after inhaling deeply, the damp and lukewarm night air flowed in.

It wasn’t refreshing or cool, but in that subtle air, I felt a sense of liberation.

Originally, I didn’t care about the quality of the air.

The situation itself brought a sense of liberation to me.

The fact that I quietly slipped out of the accommodation is itself the situation.

Having to care about the three women was not limited to the daytime discussions.

Even at night, when it was time to stay in the accommodation, they gathered around me, and I couldn’t have my own time until I got into bed.

I could endure it if it was one or two days, but when it continued for several days, I, no matter what, needed some breathing room. So that’s why I secretly left the accommodation today.

In order to prevent any major problems from arising, I left a letter saying that I went out for a while and would come back, so even if someone realizes that I’m missing, it won’t become a big issue.

I was also careful not to be caught by Estelle’s guards surrounding the accommodation.

Even if they were to find me, there would be no worry of immediately revealing my location.

Having relieved my worries, I set foot on the street with a light heart.

And the liveliness of the city greeted me.

Perhaps because it was quite a large place, there were a lot of people on the streets even at a fairly late hour. Of course, many shops were still open.

I aimlessly walked the night streets that showed a completely different vitality from the daytime.

I couldn’t bear the suffocation and rushed out, but I didn’t have a specific destination in mind.

Literally, I came out to change my mood.

It was during this aimless walk that something happened.

I heard a noisy sound.

“Hey, let go of me…!”

“Oh my. If someone sees, they might think we’re up to no good. I just wanted to go have some fun together, why don’t you join me for a bit?”

A situation that can be described as quite typical was unfolding.

A rough-looking man grabbing a woman’s wrist, and a woman trying to escape somehow.

Watching their spectacle for a moment, I intervened and stood between them.

“Stop it.”

“…What’s this?”

The man squinted his eyes.

Combined with his originally unfavorable impression, a quite intimidating face was formed.

Of course, I wasn’t saying that I felt threatened.

“I’m a bit busy right now. If you just peacefully leave, things won’t get ugly… Grrr!”

The man couldn’t finish his sentence and screamed in the middle.

The reason was simple. I grabbed his wrist. With just enough strength.

The man, who was nothing more than a street thug, screamed and immediately let go of the woman’s hand.

Confirming that, I let go of his wrist.

“Uh, aaargh…!”

Perhaps due to the pressure I applied with just the right amount of force, he looked at me with trembling eyes and fled silently.

After confirming that he was rapidly moving away, I turned my head towards the woman.

“Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes, yes…! Thank you for helping me…!”

With chestnut-colored hair flowing down to her shoulders, the woman repeatedly bowed her head towards me.

Quite excessively.

“No problem. It’s nothing.”

I lightly nodded.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No… thanks to you, I’m fine.”

“That’s a relief. Well then, I’ll be on my way.”

Since the check was complete, I bid farewell to the woman and left.

“Yes, yes?! Wait, just a moment…! As a token of gratitude for helping me…!”

With innocent eyes that reminded me of someone, the woman tried to grab hold of me.

However, I did not stop.

“No, it’s okay. I’m a bit busy right now.”

“Then, at least your name…!”

Despite the continuous calling from behind, my legs did not halt.

I moved my legs without a break.

Until the pursuit seemed to have faded away.

After walking for who knows how long.

When I could no longer sense the presence of the woman, I finally stopped my two legs.

And then, I recalled the image of the woman I had seen a while ago.

“….”

Helping the woman wasn’t due to a burning sense of justice.

It was because there was a catch.

And that catch.

Was ‘life.’

It was the vitality I felt from the woman.

Even though it was felt for just a moment and promptly disappeared, it was undoubtedly vitality.

Moreover, it was quite dense and sharp.

That’s why I immediately intervened between the two.

Just in case something might happen.

So strictly speaking, it was difficult to see it as intervening to rescue the woman this time.

Rather, I must have been trying to save the man.

Upon close examination during that process, I couldn’t sense that dense vitality from the woman again.

Also, there were no other unnatural points, so to speak.

The woman looked truly ordinary.

Even until the very end.

“…Was it just a mood?”

I’ve never mistaken vitality for something else before.

I even think it’s hard to mistake it for that type of vitality… But there’s no evidence.

There were no traces of vitality, and I couldn’t see any special qualities in the woman.

While pondering in a somewhat uneasy feeling, I soon shook my head to dispel lingering thoughts.

It was a done deal, and there was no answer even if I pondered.

I decided to think of it as a misconception due to exhaustion over the past few days and move on.

Above all, it was too wasteful to dwell on it like this.

After dispelling my concerns, I continued to roam around, changing my mood here and there, and then returned to the lodging before it got too late—

Inside, Rachel, Ayla, Estelle, and Mary were waiting for me with an air of reproach.

…I promised to think twice before sneaking out in the future.

***

“…He really left.”

The woman wore a helpless expression.

Leaving behind regrets, she glanced around, but the person she was looking for remained undiscovered.

“What kind of person is he?”

The man who suddenly intervened to help her.

Though his appearance was somewhat unexpected, she didn’t find him bothersome.

No, honestly, she rather liked it.

The kindness that unhesitatingly came to the aid of someone in trouble.

Eyes that seemed transparent, revealing no ulterior motives.

And above all…

“His face was my type….”

It was a face that quite suited her preferences.

Because of that, she had hoped to engage in conversation, but the man left his seat as if being chased away.

In such a situation, wouldn’t it be customary to at least have a drink?

The woman, disappointed, tapped the floor with the tip of her toe a few times and then sighed softly.

Actually, she didn’t need help at all.

She could have handled it on her own.

Though she was tempted to lose her temper, she had no intention of actually killing him, as that would only complicate things.

But at that very moment, a man intervened.

As if he had read the scattered threads of her life.

Her life had flowed out for just a moment, a fleeting and feeble moment at that.

Yet, what about the skillful way she shook off pursuit, even if her sincerity was lacking?

No matter how you looked at it, he was a man worth noticing.

“…Sigh, forget it.”

Unable to shake off her lingering feelings, the woman, after a deep sigh, finally decided to leave her seat.

There was no time to waste.

If she delayed any longer, she might face unnecessary interference from above.

“Oh, right.”

Just before leaving her seat, the woman paused as if she had remembered something.

Then, she reached out and caressed her own face.

Surprisingly, the woman’s appearance changed completely, from her eyes, nose, and mouth to the shape of her face and even her hair, nothing resembled the woman from a moment ago.

The transformation didn’t stop there; in the next moment, even her physique had changed.

After confirming her altered self, the woman, now completely different, left her seat.

“I hope we can meet again….”

Muttering a final lingering word, she blended into the darkness of the city.