I'm A Sucker For Extras - Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Brody stiffened, clutching the water bag Aidan had given her, feeling the crowd gathering around her.
 
‘Why are they coming?  ’
 
‘There was a commotion, but this can hardly be called a commotion, so why…….’
 
Anxiety settled over her shoulders.
 
‘Why are you being so sensitive?  ‘
 
‘Are you going on a campaign trail just because you have some work to do?  ‘
 
‘I’m worried that you can’t control your emotions like that. Even if things are difficult, you should always persevere.’ 
 
Words she had heard countless times flashed through her head.
 
If she showed the slightest bit of emotion, her family from her previous life would criticize her.
 
Brody knew why they did it. They were embarrassed of themselves, afraid that if they didn’t beat her up, she’d abandon them and go off and do well for herself.
 
She knew it wasn’t right, but she’d gotten good at hiding her feelings because she’d learned that showing them didn’t help her work.
 
So, she was scared.
 
She was scared because she had just realized her mistake. She was overwhelmed by the prospect of handling people’s criticism.
 
As Brody hesitated, the knights drew closer.
 
Then, with a bang, they set something down next to her.
 
“…….”
 
Nervous, Brody looked around cautiously.
 
Her eyes widened in wonder.
 
Thump, thump, thump. The knight had set down a water bag next to her.
 
‘Uh…….’
 
One, two… a total of 20 water bags surrounded her like a trench.
 
The knights had filled their own bags with warm water and brought them to her.
 
“Is this……?
 
A chill ran down Brody’s spine, and she clutched her other arm with one hand.
 
Teddy approached Brody, who was dumbfounded and speechless because it was something he had never imagined, and opened his mouth.
 
“I’m sorry, My Lady.”
 
“What……?”
 
Brody looked at Teddy with trembling eyes.
 
“I didn’t realize you’d be so cold. I didn’t think much of it because the people here are northern warriors who are accustomed to the cold.”
 
Teddy scratched his head in embarrassment.
 
Starting with Teddy, the knights began to speak up.
 
“You can freely tell us, My Lady, if you want something.”
 
“No, come on, man. She’s just holding back because she doesn’t want to bother us.”
 
“It’s no trouble to ask for a water bag. Teddy here is a fast one, and I want you to change his water, too.”
 
“Oh, big brother. You’ve been fidgeting about whether she’s cold or not, so why do you have to carry me around? Why don’t you ask her yourself?”
 
“When did I say that I was just using my keen senses and excellent reasoning skills?”
 
He grumbled, but in the end, they were all worried about Brody.
 
“Haha.”
 
The tension in the room broke as they giggled, and she couldn’t help but chuckle.
 
The warmth of the water bag surrounding her helped her stiff, frozen shoulders relax.
 
Brody pulled the blanket up and held it under her nose. She said, looking into the air where the knights were about her knees, with only her eyes out.
 
“Thank you.., everyone.”
 
“…….”
 
The voice was as small as an ant’s, but it stood out among the thick voices of the men. The knights, who had been speaking individually, fell silent at the same time and focused on her words.
 
Embarrassed by the sudden silence, Brody lifted her gaze. To the forty or so pairs of eyes staring back at her, she finished her sentence.
 
“It’s much warmer now.”
 
Wrapped tightly in a fur blanket, Brody’s expression was not clearly visible, but the muffled sniffles hinted at her efforts to hold back tears.
 
Cough, Cough. The knights coughed awkwardly or scratched their throats, each trying to divert attention, seemingly uncomfortable with the situation..
 
A brave soldier spoke up, “Compared to what Lady Brody did, this is really nothing.”
 
Instantly, the gaze of the soldiers intensified. Standing straighter, adjusting their posture as if they were in a formal inspection.
 
Another soldier said:.
 
“You need to lean on us a little more.”
 
“Yes, riding in a carriage makes no difference; don’t worry about it. It’s been only a short time since you woke up and started managing things. Don’t think too low of us.”
 
“Don’t blame her; she’s just trying to be nice. Anyway, you can count on us to do what you ask.”
 
The outpouring of concern made Brody feel helpless as she clutched her fur coat.
 
She was ready to be reprimanded, but why was everyone so concerned and understanding?
 
The unexpected, unfamiliar hospitality made something hot well up in the pit of her stomach and begin to swirl. She tried to calm it down, wondering if it would push its way up her throat and burst into her eyes.
 
“Thank you……, everyone…….”
 
And there she was, repeating the same words like a music box.
 
Aidan, who had been standing by the tree he’d planted, arms crossed, watching the situation, slowly stood up. Suddenly, the knights’ attention was focused.
 
Aidan spoke.
 
“All right, get back to your duties. I think Brody needs to rest.”
 
“Ah, yes, sir!”
 
At Aidan’s command, the knights saluted and quickly returned to their posts.
 
Despite their military appearance, the sound of murmurs and laughter among them suggested camaraderie, as if they found it amusing that the “Northern Ice Duke” was taking care of his wife.
 
Brody broke the mood stiffly, glancing up at Aidan as he scanned the area.
 
He spoke coldly, but Brody could see the slightest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
 
-Awww, awww.
 
As the knights made their way back to their barracks, they heard the howl of a strange beast.
 
Before they knew it, their asses were back on the road, unable to greet the ground.
 
Aidan was the first to move.
 
He found a tall tree nearby and quickly climbed it.
 
How could he move so lightly with such a large body?
 
Brody and the other knights looked at their leader with admiration.
 
Aidan squinted into the distance.
 
It was a dark night with a faint moon. What could be seen in a forest of snow-covered trees?
 
Aidan watched for a while, then dropped back down to the ground.
 
Looking into the waiting eyes, he spoke.
 
“I see a pack of white wolves about two kilometers to the northwest and a black panther about another kilometer to their right.”
 
“Do you think the black panther is trying to hunt the wolf pack?”
 
One of the knights, a thick-set man, asked.
 
Aidan twisted his head slightly to show his disagreement.
 
“I don’t know. There are far too many wolves for that, so I don’t think the black panther’s chances are good, and the wolves don’t seem particularly wary of the black panther.”
 
This time it was the knight, the reticent one, who asked.
 
“Should we defend ourselves?”
 
The dignified, well-dressed one seemed to be the leader of a group of knights.
 
This time, Aidan lowered his head slightly.
 
“We’ll keep watch for a while. The wolf pack doesn’t seem to be targeting the barracks. It’s an ambiguous move. Let’s strengthen the guards for now.”
 
“Yes!”
 
At Aidan’s command, the leader of the knights gave quick instructions.
 
Everyone complied without saying a word, but they didn’t seem nervous, as if being wary of wild animals wasn’t such a big deal.
 
The seven knights surrounding the group took turns keeping watch.
 
-Awwwwww.
 
-Whoa, whoa, whoa.
 
The intermittent cries of the wild beasts kept them alert.
 
Brody’s sleep escaped without any reward from Aidan planting the tree.
 
But Brody wasn’t the only one whose eyes were bleary, it seemed, and neither were the knights.
 
Awwwwww.
 
The increasingly frequent cries gave Brody a creepy feeling. She realized that no one else was tense, so it must be nothing, but the unfamiliar sensations that creep up on one’s body are always sharper. She looked in the direction of the sound and asked nervously.
 
“Why are the wolves doing that?”
 
But the answer came from the wrong person, not Aidan.
 
“I don’t know; maybe Kalihiel is waking up.”
 
Teddy spoke in a cheerful voice, his tension not diminished by the late night and early morning.
 
“Kalihiel? If that’s the case… … ?”
 
Brody lifted her eyes to the flag waving in the center of the barracks.
 
“Yeah, that’s it.”
 
Teddy nodded in agreement and pointed to a corner of the campfire.
 
It was a gesture asking if he could sit down.
 
Aidan remained silent with a stern expression, perhaps not allowing it, but Brody gestured for him to proceed.
 
Teddy smiled happily and took his seat, a small wooden instrument in his hand.
 
Brody asked.
 
“I know that’s the animal on that flag……, but what does it mean that Kalihiel is waking up?”
 
“Well, I brought my lute to explain, and since everyone else seems to have lost sleep, I thought we could play a song together.”
 
“Teddy, do you know how to play an instrument?”
 
“Well, I can manage to mimic it to some extent.”
 
As Teddy settled in, there were murmurs of approval from the other tents.
 
The curious and the bored began to gather at the Duke’s bonfire, some gawking, some stealing glances.
 
Teddy began to explain, his eyes shining with amusement at the growing crowd.
 
“Kalihiel is the animal that symbolizes the Ice Spirit. Ah, you know the Ice Spirit, Hildieta, our northern father spirit and protector of the Mason family.”
 
“Ah, yes.”
 
With that, Brody glanced over at Aidan.
 
‘Yes, of course. I know that the man behind me here is using the power of the Ice Spirit. I read it in a novel, so I have some knowledge of the legend.’
 
But she can’t really say that, so Brody kept her answer short and waited for Teddy to explain.
 
“Kalihiel is an animal with the face of a wolf, the body of a black panther, the wings of an eagle, and the tail of a snake.”
 
“Ah, I thought he looked strange, but that’s how he’s made up.”
 
“Yeah, so when you mentioned the wolf and the black panther, everyone probably thought of Kalihiel, he became the animal that symbolized him, and that’s how it became the emblem of the Mason Family.”
 
“You mean it’s a real animal?”
 
“Yes, though I’ve never met anyone who’s seen one.”
 
“Hmmm.”
 
Brody narrowed his eyes at Teddy’s flippant remark.
 
If he hadn’t seen it, he wondered if it even existed.
 
Doubtful, but not seeing the need to get serious about something meant to be funny, Brody chuckled and nodded.
 
“I guess so.”
 
Ouch. Oooooh-.
 
A loud crying sound was heard again.
 
Brody’s shoulders shook slightly again. She fidgeted with her blanket. The voice was somehow lower than before.
 
“Well, I’m sure if it had the face of a wolf, it would howl like that.”
 
“Yeah, and if we’re lucky, we might be the first witnesses.”
 
“Ahaha.”
 
Regardless of whether that’s luck or not. That didn’t seem likely.