I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Spotting Aidan, she turned her head to look at Jax.

Since her body was tied to a tree, she couldn’t shake it to wake him up.

Brody’s faithful lips opened involuntarily, reporting the unfavorable outcome to Jax.

“Wake up, asshole.”

Startled, Brody was surprised by the sound that came out of her own mouth.

The words themselves were flat, not very loud or high-pitched.

It sounded mechanical.

But the content…?

When Jax didn’t get up, Brody’s mouth moved again.

Of course, this was not done at her will, either.

“Hey, get up quickly.”

Brody wanted to bite her lip hard.

The body wasn’t moving of its own volition, but it was still Brody, with her attributes, who owned it.

Brody’s ego didn’t want to show Jax any respect.

Even if she followed his command, she couldn’t specify the expression.

Unless she said something like, “Lord Jax, please get up.”

It was a rigid, mechanical sound, but the content or expression surprised Jax, whose body wriggled in the sleeping bag.

He frowned, blinked his still-sleepy eyes, and stared.

Jax, accustomed to waking up in a soft bed with the right temperature and humidity, felt uncomfortable sleeping covered in dirt and wind.

On top of that, he had to start his day with offensive words directed at himself.

He got up feeling nauseous.

“What did you just say?”

Brody, tied to a tree, looked at him.

Brody’s expression was as dry as a marble sculpture.

She didn’t seem like someone trying to insult Jax in any way.

“Don’t just sit there stupidly; get up. Someone is coming.”

Again, it was a speech with a mechanical pitch and speed.

Jax was bewildered, but he couldn’t argue at the moment.

If the command was being executed correctly, it meant that Brody had indeed found someone nearby.

“Hey, you! We’ll talk later.”

Brody felt a mix of satisfaction and awkwardness, unsure whether to be pleased or embarrassed.

But it was clear that the situation was uncomfortable, as she had to report to Jax after Aidan put himself in danger and came to rescue her.

Jax dressed and tidied up the surroundings surprisingly well without looking anxious.

He didn’t seem as agitated as expected.

Soon, a new command came from his mouth.

“Block the Northern Duke, Brody. If he gets caught, kill him.”

“…!”

Only then did Brody understand why Jax had been so relaxed.

With Brody as his spear and shield, what could he possibly be worried about?

The stupid bastard, whose head spun at the thought of making a drug choice, untied the rope around Brody’s wrists.

The arm that had been pulled into one position and bound throbbed as it snapped back into place, but Brody shuddered, more from the pain than from the command that had been given.

“Kill him…?”

Brody internally screamed as she felt her body rise uncontrollably.

Brody’s astonished eyes caught Jax’s face, pulling the corner of his mouth and smiling.

He read Brody’s eyes and spoke coldly, “Why did you go to the north in the first place if you weren’t planning to kill him? If you complete this mission, Her Highness the Princess will greatly commend you.”

Saying so, Jax hummed a tune and finished packing.

Rolling up the sleeping bag, organizing the campfire, gathering the supplies, and checking the saddle on the horse – with Brody leading the way—he felt confident about his safety and even entertained the thought that this might be an opportunity to capture the Northern Duke.

If they succeeded, the Northern forces would crumble without waiting for the predicted three years, and the Princess would be satisfied.

The place they camped was off the beaten path but within reach of a path cleared for horses and people. It was nestled between trees where they could escape the wind.

Brody walked down the path in the dim light of early dawn.

Suddenly, about 50 meters away, the bushes shook, and a tall, black-haired man walked out.

Though the distance was considerable, his physique and distinctive features made it clear that he was Aidan.

Aidan started walking slowly towards Brody, who stood alone in the middle of the road.

‘No, don’t. Your Grace, please.’

Brody’s fingertips trembled.

Not of her own volition, but a sympathetic response to her emotions.

Sweat poured down like rain, and her pupils shook violently.

Brody tried to warn him with all she had, telling him not to come any closer.

Aidan, with good eyesight, could scrutinize Brody’s appearance in detail.

He snarled, creating deep wrinkles on his forehead and cheeks.

In just one day, or rather, half a day, Brody’s appearance was far from that of a horse.

Her hair was disheveled, and her clothes were stained with blood and unidentifiable marks.

Her face was pale, with sunken eyes and lips, appearing like a ghost emerging in the shadow of dawn.

Despite seeming to gain a bit of weight and vitality after coming to the South, Aidan felt bitter, blaming everything on himself.

If Aidan hadn’t found Brody, Jax would never have known her whereabouts.

Despite Brody’s desperate cries, Aidan approached her without hesitation.

At the same time, Jax, having finished packing, came behind Brody.

As soon as Jax appeared, Aidan stopped walking.

Brody left herself defenseless, or rather, she had no other choice.

With Brody in front, Jax stood diagonally behind her and reached out over her shoulder.

Jax gently grabbed Brody’s chin and pulled.

Suddenly, Brody’s head turned towards Jax, leaning against him.

If Jax had extended his left hand around her waist, it would have been a clear embrace.

His mouth opened.

“Well done, Brody. You’ve made it so easy for me to capture the prestigious Duke of Ice so easily.”

Half of the sky and half of Jax’s face appeared in Brody’s dazed eyes.

‘Please, move. Please, move according to my will.’

Brody repeated this silently, trying to focus on her body’s reactions rather than the disgusting face of Jax and his provocative words.

But in the next moment, Brody’s mind went white.

“Do you remember the command? Do it well, and who knows, I might reward you greatly.”

Saying so, Jax turned Brody’s chin, pressing his face against hers.

His left hand, like a snake, climbed up from her lower back, wrapping around her ribs tightly.

A moist tongue traced from Brody’s right cheek, traversing half of her lips.

“I’m going to give you what you want, Brody. What you’ve wanted all your life.”

While saying this, he looked directly at Aidan with provocatively narrowed eyes.

“Now, strike. And you will be killed by the woman you love.”

Brody felt a shiver down her spine, and her hair stood on end.

Disgust and humiliation began to flood into the emptiness inside her.

Her vision turned black, red, and blue, flashing like a warning.

Chills ran down her legs.

Simultaneously, Aidan’s face boiled up as if it were boiling oil.

The rage, about to burst, inflated his upper body.

But he didn’t draw his sword with superhuman patience.

He couldn’t kill Jax. Brody would die if he did.

He couldn’t attack Jax. Brody would block him.

Aidan, as if showing no intention of attack, started walking towards them with his bare hands.

Then Jax released Brody and stepped back.

About a dozen paces away, Jax rested his fist on his chin and observed them.

It was as if he was watching a spectacle from the coliseum stands.

‘Twenty steps to her.’

Ignoring his hatred for Jax, Aidan focused on Brody.

Brody, with vacant eyes, watched Aidan approach

When Aidan was ten paces from Brody, the plants began to slither and bloom in front of him.

Brody cried out in frustration, but her body didn’t listen, and Aidan didn’t stop.

No, he suddenly broke into a run, just as Brody’s powers began to manifest.

Recklessly diving into the pile of plants with no protection, Aidan was defenselessly exposed to leaves and stems that clawed, tugged, and pushed at him.

The plants tore through his skin, binding and digging into him.

However, he silently advanced through the plants, resiliently making his way towards Brody.

Plants grown from the ground failed to defend against Aidan’s brute force and were uprooted, following him as he moved.

Brody looked at Aidan with eyes filled with terror.

The engraved command on her body came vividly to her mind, like an indelible mark in her throat.

“Block the Northern Duke, Brody. If he gets caught, kill him.”

‘No! If I catch you, I have to kill you!’

Now Brody attempted to completely lose consciousness, trying to empty her mind and replace it with different thoughts.

‘Don’t think! Don’t even recall anything! Don’t think about types of plants or anything!’

She hoped her blinking eyes wouldn’t open again.

‘Please…!’

Unfortunately, Brody was a skilled plant mage.

Despite her internal cries, eventually deadly flowers began to bloom in front of her.

Simultaneously, as Aidan reached out towards Brody, a large hand gradually filled her field of vision.

In slow motion, Aidan’s enormous hand reached Brody’s arm.

The poisonous flower reached his arm and, like a bug, burrowed through his skin, leaving behind a vivid red color as it spread through his veins like branches.

Brody, with wide-open eyes, was struck by horror.

“Brody!”

But as the poisonous flower invaded, Aidan successfully grabbed Brody’s wrist.

Although it felt like an eternity, everything happened in a moment.

From Aidan’s captured wrist, a chilling cold began to spread.

Brody felt a chilling cold, as if her body would shatter, but at the same time, a cold energy expelled a wriggling and hot sensation.

The cold probed every nook and cranny of Brody’s body.

The energy swirling within her, seemingly unbearable, also pushed outward, enveloping the plants Brody had created.

Soon, white frost fell on the plants, and they shattered into pieces like ice fragments.

A cold wind swept around them, cleansing their surroundings.

Sharp pain returned with sensation.

Brody grabbed Aidan’s arm with the returned feeling on her fingertips.

“Your Grace, this recklessness…”

Trembling with cold, a drop of water rolled down her cheek.

Aidan smiled at her, despite the freezing circumstances.

“How…!”

However, the moment of pure emotion, like ice crystals, shattered abruptly as Jax’s astonishment came flying in.

“Huh.”

Brody’s body collapsed in front of Aidan.

Aidan, still trembling, looked at Jax, who was seated on the horse.

In his hand was a crossbow, but there was no visible arrow.

Listening to the fading sound of hooves, Aidan saw Brody’s back turning red.

He could see the arrowhead embedded deep in her shoulder blade.