I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Ddddddd.

The momentum of plants sprouting from all around the ground was so tremendous that it alone caused the earth to tremble.

“Brody!”

Amidst the plants, Brody slowly rose from the ground.

Her hand was reaching out towards Aidan.

Aidan adjusted his stance in response to the vigorous attacks of the plant.

Because of that, he had no choice but to abandon the position he was holding on Jax.

From Aidan’s hand, the large sword created beautiful afterimages, leaving multiple streaks in the air as if the sword were a light toy.

Despite his substantial size, Aidan moved with astonishing agility, and with each swing of the sword, plant stems were cleanly cut, falling away with a thud.

Without knowing the context, the battle scene was spectacular.

Plants are growing thick and savage in the oily southern soil. They seemed to come alive as they grew rapidly to target a single point.

They soared, bent, and fell.

Growing the right plants in the right places clearly demonstrated the skill of a plant mage.

Facing Brody head-on, he could feel how exceptional her abilities were.

But Brody, watching Aidan, was equally surprised.

Although she wasn’t moving of her own will, she still had consciousness.

Strangely wielding the sword, it seemed as if he created a spherical shield around him.

The menacingly growing plants seemed unable to inflict any harm on him.

Worried that she might harm him, Brody inwardly sighed with relief.

Regardless of her feelings, her hand reaching out towards Aidan continued to attack him relentlessly.

Aidan, wielding the sword, stepped forward, getting closer to Brody.

“Brody, please, snap out of it.”

Brody took steps backward, more vigorously, as if in a fit, continuing to sprout plants.

‘Your Grace, what are you talking about? I need to get my body together, not my mind. My mind is intact! ’

And so it became even more maddening.

Her consciousness was too clear.

The confrontation eventually turned into a physical battle.

“Cough.”

Suddenly, Brody gasped for breath, surprising herself.

Pain surged through her lungs as if she had been running for a long time, and her breath became rapid.

“Brody!”

Seeing Brody’s distorted expression, he realized that something was wrong with her.

An uncomfortable and bitter taste coated her tongue.

It felt like she had exerted too much force.

Unable to move according to her will, Brody couldn’t even wipe away the blood flowing from her mouth, continuing to generate plants following only her orders.

Although every cell in her body felt the attacking energy like needles, Brody couldn’t let out a scream.

Aidan gritted his teeth and sheathed his sword.

“…!”

The thorny plant coiled around Aidan’s arm, which he held in front of his face in defense.

Sharp spikes penetrated, but Aidan didn’t flinch, calmly staring at Brody.

Finally, Brody’s attacks came to a halt.

“Brody! Stop the Duke and protect me!”

That was the order, and when Aidan sheathed his sword and stepped back, she thought she had fulfilled it.

However, Brody was already in a beaten state.

Her face turned pale as blood disappeared, pupils dilated, and blood flowed down.

But Aidan could tell. Brody was experiencing pain, fear, and self-loathing—she was feeling those emotions deeply.

He clenched his fist with force, keeping his mouth shut.

‘It wasn’t the bracelet.’

It was Jax’s trick, pretending to control Brody with the bracelet.

This was the only opportunity to resolve the issue, but with a momentary lapse in judgment, Aidan felt like he had ruined everything.

As Aidan stepped back, Jax slowly and elegantly walked towards Brody, extending his left hand.

It was as if he were the protagonist, rescuing a beauty from a villain with grandeur.

But for the sake of dramatic effect, he should have abandoned his right hand, which was pressing a piece of cloth to his bleeding chin.

With a ridiculous posture, he called Brody over.

“You did well, Brody. Come here.”

Brody reached out her hand like a machine. However, her fingertips were trembling, as if on the verge of exhaustion.

In the end, she couldn’t even make it to Jax, and she collapsed.

“Brody!”

Aidan shouted, his heart racing.

Fortunately, Jax caught Brody.

“Oh, Brody, poor thing.”

Aidan gritted his teeth with a sound of frustration.

But Jax spoke as if he had no responsibility whatsoever.

As Brody lay limp, only her eyes moving, she looked at Jax.

In her gaze, filled with contempt, Jax frowned.

“Oh, divine being. Please forgive me. The woman who threw herself for me has been corrupted by evil circumstances. But don’t worry, Brody. If you stay with me, you can return to your former self. As a kind and gentle girl.”

Brody wanted to curse, but her body, and even her lips, had no strength.

Jax lifted Brody onto his shoulders.

“Ugh…”

Brody, hanging from Jax’s shoulder, squirmed as if making a final struggle.

“Hush, be quiet, Brody. We need to go quietly.”

Even the feeble struggling stopped stiffly at those words.

Jax turned to the Ice Duke, who took a step forward, glaring at him like he was going to kill him.

No, he spoke towards Brody, but it wasn’t directed at him.

“Brody, if he tries to follow us, attack him.”

At those words, Brody’s hand hanging on Jax’s shoulder twitched.

Against her will, her body began to comply with the new command.

Plants twisted and writhed around Aidan. But unlike before, they grew with a subdued whimper.

Aidan saw blood dripping from Jax’s shoulder onto the ground behind him.

It was definitely coming from Brody, not Jax.

Seeing Brody struggle, a pain like tearing in his heart surged through Aidan.

“You despicable bastard.”

Aidan stopped approaching, gnawing on his lips until blood stained them.

But Jax showed a leisurely smile, as if to say, “What difference does it make if you say that?”

As he pulled his mouth into a smile, he felt pain from the cut on his jaw from Aidan’s sword.

Rubbing his face with the hand that was feeling the wound, Jax shouted defiantly.

“I’ll pay you back today’s debt in three years. That is, of course, if this girl, who loves me so much, will stand up for me.”

Jax turned away, feeling triumphant while looking at Aidan’s crumpled face.

❖ ❖ ❖

“I really don’t know what this suffering is all about.”

In the forest that darkened at night.

Jax, who settled in the forest away from the beaten path, licked his lips while rummaging through the firewood.

He glanced back at Aidan and hurriedly reined in his horse, clearly anxious to leave.

Initially, Jax had Brody sit in front, riding quickly. However, after she fell, unable to hold her body properly, he draped her over the saddle like laundry.

Brody, who had retched several times due to the upset stomach, eventually vomited stomach acid since there was nothing left.

Feeling ashamed, Brody asked to be tied and fixed to the back, begging Jax to do it for her.

Jax sighed and reluctantly agreed.

When they were with other people, he pretended to care for Brody, but when they were alone, his true colors showed.

Well, that’s how it always was.

In the memories of ‘Brody,’ Jax had never treated her as a proper person.

In front of people, he always maintained dignity and didn’t forget to act as a role model. So, even if Brody shouted, “This is the real Jax!” no one would believe her.

It was only after she embodied his true self as Brody that she realized.

In the novel, Jax was tightly woven, but in the end, he became a heroic figure who won people over with a sense of justice and passion.

Jax, rushing back to the capital to return before nightfall, was eventually faced with the situation of having to camp out as he couldn’t reach the next town in time.

He got off the horse, tied Brody with a rope, and put a muzzle on her.

‘What is this? Shouldn’t it be enough to control her? ‘

Apparently, it takes some kind of power to use the ability to control Brody.

So, it seemed that it couldn’t be activated all the time.

Jax leaned Brody against a tree, however he pleased, and prepared for the night.

Brody kept trying to straighten her sinking body, trying to assess her surroundings and organize her thoughts.

The flickering light of the campfire made her head spin constantly.

‘Get a grip, Brody. If you’re dragged like this, you’ll live a life worse than death.’

She recalled the moment earlier in the day when her body moved arbitrarily for the first time.

It was a kind of discomfort she had never experienced before.

She was unable to move as she wished, yet her mind remained intact.

Her entire nervous system was severed, unable to receive signals from her brain.

Instead, it felt like she had a bug crawling around in her body.

Feeling queasy again, Brody lowered her head.

In the lowered gaze of Brody, Jax’s feet appeared.

He spoke as if annoyed with Brody.

“Don’t make a fuss, Brody. You’re always like this: making a big deal out of nothing, pretending to be tough, pretending to be in pain. It’s me who’s really suffering. Because of your irresponsibility, do you know how much scolding I received from Her Highness?”

Brody bit her lip. No, she bit the muzzle tightly.

‘Is this the kind of thing that comes out of the mouth of someone who turned me into a lifeless puppet until I vomited blood?’

She remembered the original Brody, but Jax’s words brought back memories of her life before she was possessed.

Her parents, despite causing all sorts of accidents and relying on Doyeon to carry countless burdens, never forgot to whip her when she seemed tired.

“Why don’t you do what everyone else does? Why don’t you go around and beg for help since you’re family? Isn’t it something you should take care of as a family member? Weren’t you raised alone when you were young? Etc.”

Initially, when the burden was lightened, Doyeon was somewhat enthusiastic. Her family was delighted when she was helpful, and it felt good.

Once she began to take responsibility for the first and second times, gradually,’responsibility’ became’something natural.’

Still, it was her brother, not her, that her parents cared about.

‘Brody and I seem to have been in similar situations.’

Unconditional devotion and unreturnable favors.

So, she thought that perhaps it was allowed.

But that’s not how this life is supposed to be.

Not this life.

Brody felt the tip of her nose grow sour, and she vowed.

I’ll escape, no matter what.

She would not allow herself to be used by them.

Brody slowly lifted her head.