I’m A Sucker For Extras - ✿ dusk blossoms ✿

Chapter 30

‘This guy won’t give in easily.’

Aidan bit his lip, rotating his body halfway to move Brody away from Jax’s sword. Jax’s blade narrowly passed Aidan’s back.

Aidan lifted Jax’s sword upward, creating an opening, and swiftly rammed his shoulder into Jax.

Thunk.

Jax’s robust body slammed into the inn’s wooden wall, leaving a deep indentation.

“Brody, are you okay?”

Aidan effortlessly wielded the sword, which would be considered a two-handed size for an average person, like a lightweight twig, while still holding Brody. Despite his large frame, Brody felt like she was on a roller coaster, completely disoriented and unaware of what was happening.

Though her surroundings seemed to spin, she simply nodded when Aidan asked if she was okay.

After confirming that Brody was alright, Aidan approached the stumbling Jax.

With a formidable force, Aidan swung his sword downward.

Jax, with a groan, supported the sword with both hands, deflecting Aidan’s strike.

The impact felt incredibly heavy, as if stepping into the ground rather than being struck.

With a groan, Jax managed to push Aidan away, just in time to avoid his body being pierced.

However, seizing the opportunity, Aidan rotated his body, aiming for Jax’s back.

Unfortunately, the tip of the sword only tore through Jack’s upper garment, leaving a long rip.

Seemingly more concerned about his torn clothes than the pain, Jax glared at Aidan, teeth clenched.

‘Too bad, I could have finished it.’

Aidan sighed inwardly.

Despite Jax’s growling, he remained unfazed, moving quietly with an impassive expression.

In no time, Aidan’s sword pushed into the space where Jax had been standing.

The inn’s furniture and fixtures toppled and shattered as Jax desperately dodged.

“Oh… ooh… Help… Help!”

The innkeeper’s whimpering echoed through the room.

Staff, guests, and onlookers crowded near the narrow door, but no one dared to enter the tumultuous scene.

Ignoring the commotion, Jax, or rather, Aidan’s relentless attacks, continued to smash furniture.

While continuously aiming for Brody, Jax seemed oblivious to the destruction around him.

Aidan, finding the growing crowd inconvenient, subtly moved away from them.

Earlier, she’d managed to deflect the situation by pretending to be a newlywed and driving Jax into a frenzy, but if he showed his true strength and fought like this, some might question his identity.

Jax might not realize it, but Aidan, the Duke of the North, was in trouble.

Gradually, Brody also realized the situation. Jax relentlessly targeted her, and Aidan, with his impressive skills now evident, might attract suspicion.

Jax, still unaware, continued his rampage, seemingly only focused on destroying things and getting to Brody.

Brodie, shivering at the unfamiliar sound of blades clashing near her body, finally made up her mind.

Deliberately facing the crowd gathered to watch, she shouted, “Quite the remarkable older brother, it seems. Claiming to be my brother and yet trying to kill me with such fiery eyes.”

“…!”

Startled by her words, Jax finally noticed the onlookers. He swiftly leaped, slamming the door of his quarters with a loud bang.

Outside, the sudden closing of the door elicited startled screams from the people. Jax attempted to lock the door, but due to his own forceful entry, the latch was damaged, and the door wouldn’t lock. A disappointed expression crossed his face.

Suddenly, plants sprouted from the door, entwining the latch. The door became firmly fixed and locked.

Jax raised his head to look at Brodie.

‘Why did you do that?’

Surprisingly, Brody was smiling mischievously.

‘Now, which side was at a disadvantage with the door closed?’

Jax ground his teeth in frustration but couldn’t bring himself to open the door again, as it would damage his pride.

Meanwhile, Aidan, holding Brody, was slowly making his way toward Jax.

Jax, feeling sweat form in his palm while gripping the sword, glanced towards the window.

If things went wrong, he would have to escape through the window.

“Planning to escape through the window?” Brody teased in a cheerful tone.

“I mean, it’s not like you have any dignity or anything,” she added.

“Ah!”

Jax, who had been gnashing his lips in anger, suddenly felt a force pulling at his ankle, causing his balance to shift, and he fell backward with a thud.

Plants grew from the ground, entwining around Jax’s ankles.

“What are you doing, Brody? How could you do this to me!”

Jax shouted in disbelief.

Unbelievably, Brody—the same Brody who had risked her life for him—was smiling smugly.

“Brody.”

Aidan, who had maintained a stoic expression despite numerous attacks, called out to Brody, his brow furrowed.

He seemed to be worried about Brody using her power when her body hadn’t fully recovered yet.

“Hush.”

Brody, as if to reassure Aidan, placed a finger in front of her lips and smiled.

In the meantime, the plant stem continued to grow, binding Jax, who could only emit muffled groans.

“Ah, come to think of it, I’ve been hearing a lot about poisonous plants; how about you, Duke? Are you interested?”

The red leaves and stems of the poison weeds began to grow before Jax’s eyes.

Jax squirmed and tried to move away from the poisonous plants with bloodshot eyes.

“Brody, if you’re trying to deal with him, I can…”

Aidan whispered in her ear. Brody raised an eyebrow, slightly tilting her head in response.

She had no intention of killing him. With so many people showing interest in this place, leaving a corpse behind was out of the question.

Although Brody had never killed anyone before, it was difficult for her to develop such feelings in this harsh world. To survive, she decided not to express such emotions openly.

Brody gestured to Aidan. Understanding her signal, Aidan lowered her body, allowing Brody to easily communicate with Jax.

“Well, Duke. What do you think? Would you like to make a deal with your life on the line?”

Anxiously eyeing the advancing plant, Jax signaled for Brodie to speak.

“Tell me how I can get rid of the magic curse on me.”

In response, Jax and Aidan froze.

Brody shoved the poisonous plant in front of Jax’s eyes as he hesitated, unable to make an easy decision.

Jax shook his head vigorously, horrified.

“I’m going to count to three, and you have to decide at that time: three, two.”

“Ugh!”

Before the sentence ended, Jax vigorously nodded.

Brody shrugged, removing the plant covering Jax’s mouth.

“Magic… is channeled through an artifact. The magical power is… powered by Her Highness’s magic…”

“Where’s the artifact?”

Jax hesitated again, biting his lip.

However, his hesitation didn’t last long. The poison plant touched Jax’s eye.

The poison had not yet manifested, as it hadn’t penetrated the blood vessels, but the aura of its toxicity was enough to sting the delicate skin around the eyes.

Against his will, Jax opened his mouth again, tears streaming from the eye that had come into contact with the poisonous plant.

“Ne…necklace.”

Before he could finish speaking, Aidan’s hand swiftly flew.

Aidan, with a disgusted expression, rummaged through Jax’s body and pulled out the necklace.

“Phew, is it over now?”

Never again would that nightmare happen. Brody sighed with relief, trying not to recall the sensations of that time by shaking her head.

However, while examining the necklace, Aidan spoke.

“This doesn’t seem to be the only artifact. If there is another identical artifact, the magic could still be activated. It seems to be limited to you, judging by the fact that it has no effect on me… I don’t know how that’s possible.”

Jax trembled at his precise judgment.

“Ah, so you’ve given me half-baked information. Well, then, I’ll take half of the eye as well.”

Brody’s fingers clicked as if to pierce his eyes.

Jax, horrified, closed his eyes tightly and shouted, “I need… I need to lift the curse.”

“Lift…? am I in some kind of cursed state?”

Aidan explained heavily, as if understanding the situation.

“It seems you were fed a magical concoction that can be the target of a specific spell.”

Brody, still puzzled, tilted her head. He had met Jax for the first time after coming down south to this world, and there had been no contact or shared meals before the magic took effect.

Does that mean…

“Was it fed to me already? Before I came out of the duchy…?”

Brody’s hand, gripping Aidan’s shoulder, tightened. Even though she hadn’t personally experienced it, she was in a state where she had memories of “Brody.”

So, after following him so much and giving everything to him, he fed her a potion just in case she went against him?

“Oh, it was Father’s will. People are unpredictable. But Brody, I never thought I’d have to use it on you. I can’t believe you’d betray me like this…….”

Who’s betraying whom?

Brody was furious.

In her heart, she wanted to poke out both of his eyes right now.

But not yet.

She steadied herself, trembling with rage, and spoke.

“This is your last chance. Tell me the type of potion and the way to lift it.”

The toxic tendrils spread into both corners of his eyes.

He pleaded, pulling tears with the poison’s force, looking pitiful.

“I… I don’t have it. Really. Oh, Brody. Are you really going to blind my eyes? I didn’t expect the kind you to do that…”

“You don’t have it?”

“Yeah, even if I did, I wouldn’t know. I really don’t know. She hasn’t even told me that. It might take a few years, or it might never be undone. She said there’s no use in knowing, so there’s no need to know.”

Brody’s eyes whitened as she looked into Jax’s dark face, slightly nodding.

Jax wasn’t lying.

That made Brody feel even more desperate.

Maybe she had hoped that the problem could be solved immediately, but now there was no guarantee it would be undone in three years.

How could she continue to live in fear for her life and identity?

So, if she can’t suppress the caster of the magic…

‘In the end, do I have no choice but to suppress the princess? ‘

Brody frowned at the thought. As she did, the plant that had been wrapping around Jax’s body tightened even more, pressing him down.

“Ugh…ugh!”

Jax writhed in agony, feeling the plant stem digging into his flesh.

“Brody, please, still, I am your brother. What I did was to elevate you, my sister…”

Brody didn’t want to hear that and sealed his mouth with the plant again.