I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 14

Chapter 14

A dimly lit tavern.

A large man, his hood pulled low, sat in a corner, sipping his drink.

“It’s been a week already.”

The man slowly drank his alcohol, trying not to show his impatience.

But once again, nothing happened throughout the night.

The hopeful expectations turned into disappointments, weighing heavily on the man.

In the end, he left some coins for the drinks and stood up to leave the tavern.

Leaving the noisy and warm atmosphere of the tavern, he was greeted by the quiet murmurs of the street.

Until a week ago, it was unbelievably peaceful, considering it was a war zone.

Complaints about the difficult life were heard everywhere, but their stronghold remained intact.

Even after giving away a significant portion of the harvest and rejecting the oppressive Medician empire’s control, Aidan, now the Ruler of the North, felt a sense of dissatisfaction.

He left before the gates closed, venturing outside the castle with his false identity. The security of the imperial city was laughable.

He arrived at the western gate of the castle, not the plain where the recent battle took place.

❖ ❖ ❖

The day Aidan realized Brody was missing:

Several hours after collapsing due to the headache, Aidan regained consciousness.

Now, with only a few beads left in the almost empty vial, he took one out and consumed it. The pain had lessened, although not as much as when she was around.

He knew he couldn’t neglect his responsibilities. Leaving his post at such a crucial time was not an option.

The next day, the North safely received the provisions from the Princess and sent Duke Jax back.

After organizing the camp and completing all preparations to move up north, Aidan handed over command to River and broke away from the line.

Of course, River didn’t make it easy for him.

He used the same method as Brody, leaving a note before leaving.

Expecting chaos, Aidan was surprised that his attention was drawn elsewhere, more than the expected turmoil.

A woman with a peculiar atmosphere and light brown hair.

Everything else blurred away from his mind.

“Bree… No, Brody?”

Frowning, he pulled out the small vial hanging around his neck.

He doesn’t know why he’s looking for her.

What did he want to do when he met her? He wasn’t sure.

He had granted her freedom through his oath. She took that freedom and ran away from him.

‘I cared for her. And I thought she didn’t hate me either.’

It wouldn’t be easy to forget one’s hometown in an instant. But if they spent time together like now, she might develop feelings for him. He thought that if she lived comfortably without suffering as the Duke’s wife, she would be satisfied.

However, it seemed he was excessively arrogant.

“Comfort, huh? What kind of comfort can she have in the North now?”

When he looked back at the capital, it became even clearer. If she was the ‘Brody’ the Duke was looking for, being by the Duke McCarthy’s side would bring her much better rewards than the comfort he could promise.

He thought of Bree. The bright smile under the moonlight the day before going to war, the worried expression when she cared for him, the determined gaze when risking her life for the prisoners.

“Was all that just action to survive as a prisoner?”

He sat down on a nearby rock without moving.

He asked the Ice Spirit, but it remained silent. Understandably, in this place where winter had not yet arrived, there was no ice to manipulate.

Receiving the protection of the Ice Spirit, Duke Aidan could easily gather information wherever the ice touched, and he could also use the spirit’s abilities.

When Brody fled before, it was thanks to the ‘protection of the Ice Spirit’ that he could easily find and capture her.

“If this is the North, I should be able to find her easily. Then I could listen to her story and try to persuade her.”

The despair of not even being able to find a trace of her overwhelmed him, and he lowered his head.

At that moment.

“Hey.”

Someone approached and tapped Aidan’s shoulder.

With the hood pulled low, Aidan cautiously turned to face the person who spoke to him.

Aidan’s eyes widened.

Despite setting many traps, he hadn’t met the person he was looking for—the very person whom Aidan was facing right now.

“You’re looking for someone, right?”

“….”

A muscular man with shimmering blonde hair, Jax, confidently stood, observing Aidan closely. Honestly, Aidan didn’t know who might be around him, but he didn’t know he had taken the bait. Moreover, why did Jax bother to chase Aidan outside the city walls?

Aidan answered with his head down.

“Yes, I am looking for a woman whom Duke McCarthy cherishes, with light brown hair and green eyes.”

Jax asked, “Why are you looking for that woman?”

“I can’t go into details.”

Jax raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled.

“You don’t know where she is?”

“So, you are not looking for her? Considering you chased me outside the castle and came looking for me, it seems like you have some valuable information. Speak up. I’ll pay handsomely.”

Jax exaggeratedly tilted his head in the opposite direction. “It’s strange, because you’re asking me what I should ask, isn’t it, Duke Aidan?”

Hm!

Aidan was startled, swiftly moving back, and his hand was already on the hilt of his knife.

“Whoa, whoa—didn’t we agree on a truce?”

Jax raised an eyebrow, making an ‘oh well~’ expression. “It’s a truce between Imperial Palace and the North, but I have never done it with you,” Aidan responded firmly.

“Oh, people. So tough. Now, we might become travel companions. Let’s loosen up a bit.”

‘Travel companions? Why does it sound like you’re cooking vegetable stew? ‘

Aidan looked at Jax, who was grinning tiredly.

Jax continued, “You’re looking for Brody, and I’m looking for Brody. How about we cooperate?”

“Are you saying she hasn’t returned to the capital?”

“Phew… Brody, that poor thing. She probably hid because she couldn’t stand to see my face. And besides, after failing the mission,” Jax paused for a moment, looked at Aidan, and continued, “the punishment waiting for her won’t be great.”

Aidan thought he was fortunate to have his hood on, as Jax’s words seemed to hit him like bones.

After recovering his senses, Aidan dryly said, “You don’t know her whereabouts, so there’s no reason to work together. Let’s go our separate ways.”

“Oh.”

Aidan, still on his black horse, headed north.

However, it wasn’t Jax leaving his side; he was closely following.

“Do you think that girl went north? Hmm.”

Aidan ignored him, but Jax persisted.

“But there’s no reason for her to go north.”

“Why do you think so?”

Aidan couldn’t keep ignoring him, perhaps sensing a clue. Jax seemed to know Aidan’s mind or was just playing around, but Aidan decided to engage him.

Jax smirked. “She probably doesn’t like the North.”

Aidan was taken aback by the remark, feeling a pang in his heart.

In reality, Jax had mentioned it because he knew Brody was a ‘plant mage.’ So, going to the North, where obtaining the help of plants would be difficult, wasn’t something she’d like.

But Aidan couldn’t have known that.

‘Yes, if you had fled me, you would not have gone to the North.’

He thought it would be difficult to pass through Perdan Fortress without a trace, so he sent a quick messenger to find out if she had passed through it, and if it hadn’t already been, he instructed them to hold her. So the answer will soon be known.

“If it’s not the north or the imperial city, there’s only one answer.”

“It’s the South.”

“Wouldn’t you rather look to the south?”

Aidan, offended by his agreement with Jax, turned and sped up his horse.

Thus Aidan’s black horse and Jack’s white horse began to run south.

❖ ❖ ❖

“Ah, the sunlight is so nice!”

Brody reached out, basking in the bright sunlight filtering through lush leaves, a warm smile on her face. She sat atop a brown horse, matching her hair color.

‘Didn’t I not know how to ride a horse? ’

Doyeon did.

But Brody knew how to ride.

As the spirit that once was Doyeon, she had never ridden a horse before and was scared to do so alone. Hence, she claimed she couldn’t. Yet, during the descent to the Imperial Palace, sitting in front of Aidan and riding for an extended period, she naturally became accustomed to it, and the fear dissipated.

With the fear gone, Brody’s body took care of the rest.

“The first time I rode alone, it felt so empty behind.”

Brody thought about how his solid body supported her, reflexively reminiscing about her first time riding a horse. It seemed to be quite a memorable experience, especially since it was alongside Aidan during her initial days as the possessed Brody.

“Memories based on sensations are quite frightening.”

Brody shook her head to dispel the thoughts.

“The war… is it over? Will he be safe? I saw the tide turning.”

But the thoughts persisted.

“I’m curious. Just curious. It’s only natural to be this curious.”

Brody intentionally refrained from asking people she bumped into about the war. It was partly to avoid attracting attention and partly because she thought news wouldn’t reach her faster than her current pace.

Here, there were no letters, no phone calls, and no emails.

She managed to escape quite successfully.

When she initially left the camp, she was practically naked. Brody went to the nearest village and bought a horse with fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, the fruits and vegetables were her creations.

Once she decided to distance herself, she kept riding tirelessly, day and night.

Except for the moments when the horse needed to rest and eat, she didn’t stop, even for a moment.

She pondered over the changing climate and vegetation, realizing she had gone quite far.

Without any means of communication, Brody felt free.

The first village she encountered was where she was headed now.

The combination of piercing sunlight and humid air created a heavenly place where plants flourished.

Brody felt she had arrived in the southern region.