Not the Female Lead, But An Extra - Chapter 22. Small Kindness
Chapter 22. Small Kindness
“Hehe.”
“……”
“Hehehe.”
“S-Stop laughing.”
Johann cleared his throat with an uncomfortable face.
But I couldn’t stop.
It’s so petty and cute.
Making such a fuss because he wanted to be the only one to receive a mere brooch.
Looking at this, it seemed that the childishness of men remained the same even as adults.
“It’s natural to be grateful since Your Majesty personally guided my swordsmanship.”
“Ahem.”
“But Sir Jesuf trained me many more days.”
“……”
Johann mumbled in a very small voice, “That’s true.” But his dissatisfied face seemed to say, ‘Even so, I want to be the only one recognized.’
Is it because he’s a hero?
His competitive spirit is no joke.
I found it hard to hold back my laughter as the Emperor, of all people, showed such a childlike behavior.
Anyway, I was now sitting with Johann on a garden bench.
After Jesuf’s revelation, Johann had chased him away, telling him to get lost.
“So, does this mean there’s no training today?”
“No.”
He answered shortly as he put his hand into the inner pocket of his outer garment.
“Somehow I felt you would come, so I personally waited.”
“Hm?”
I opened my eyes wide when I saw what he took out from his chest.
“What’s that?”
It was something like a small scroll. About the size of a palm when rolled up.
Johann pressed it into my hand and said,
“Never unroll it under normal circumstances.”
“Did you write a letter?”
“What?”
“No?”
“Ahaha. Ahahaha.”
Johann laughed heartily as if it was an amusing guess.
Come on, people can make mistakes.
Isn’t it embarrassing to laugh so much?
When I glared at him with half-closed eyes, he tried hard to wipe the smile off the corners of his mouth and revealed the identity of the object.
“It’s something very precious.”
“So what is it?”
“Use it when you need help. You tear it like this.”
“Ohh.”
Watching his hand mimicking the tearing motion, I nodded as if I understood. I had a rough idea.
“Is it something that launches an attack or something?”
“Similar.”
“Either it is or it isn’t. What do you mean by similar?”
When I asked with a face dying of curiosity, Johann just smiled frustratingly. Then he emphasized again,
“You must use it in a moment of crisis. Understand?”
“Are you really not going to tell me what it is?”
He just smiled.
Geez.
Making people curious.
But it was obvious that I wouldn’t gain anything by continuing to ask someone who looked like he wouldn’t tell anyway, so I suppressed my curiosity.
After receiving the scroll from him, I was suddenly overcome with a gloomy feeling.
It feels like a farewell gift.
As if he’s giving it to me saying to take care of myself because we won’t see each other again.
Even though my life in the imperial palace was just a month.
I guess I’ve grown quite attached in that short time.
To avoid showing my sadness, I instead smiled with my eyes curved deeply.
“So, are you not going to wear the brooch?”
“Ah……”
“I thought you said it was to your taste, but I guess that was just out of courtesy?”
“No. It is to my taste.”
“Huh?”
Thinking he had stashed it away somewhere since he wasn’t wearing it, Johann took out the brooch from his chest.
I blinked stupidly and asked,
“Have you been carrying it around all this time?”
He nodded his head slightly once.
As if mesmerized, I picked up the brooch on his palm.
An action I wouldn’t have done normally.
But perhaps because I felt the end was near.
Strangely, I wanted to show him even one more small kindness.
“Let me.”
I boldly brought my hand to the Emperor’s empty chest. Johann remained still, as if allowing me to touch his body.
His breath echoed in my ear.
A calm yet strong breath.
It sounds nice.
Thinking this, I pinned the brooch to his outer garment. Then, like an artist checking an artwork, I leaned back to see if I had attached it well.
“Hmm.”
“What does that sound mean?”
“I guess I should have gone with something a bit more flashy after all.”
“Well, this Marseus’s appearance is a bit too flashy to be treated on the same level as Jesuf.”
“Ugh.”
This man.
He subtly holds grudges.
Unexpectedly petty, I must say.
Anyway, whatever.
Let’s end this beautifully.
I laughed with a deflated sound as if to say, ‘What can I do, I’ve already bought it?’ Johann also smiled smugly as if to say, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
Emperor and commoner.
Although I’m said to be special because I’m a purifier, there’s still a clear difference in status as vast as the sky and earth.
But strangely, Johann felt like a friend.
It’s not my fault.
It’s because of Johann.
He seemed to treat me too casually.
* * *
Claude, who had disappeared huffing and puffing in anger, didn’t return to the north immediately but wandered around the imperial palace.
Standing in the middle of the training ground, I wondered what was going on.
“Why am I here?”
When I asked with a resigned face, Claude personally explained.
“I heard about the circumstances of your deployment to the region where Sir Andantino is.”
“What circumstances?”
I demanded an explanation, feeling left out of the situation.
Fortunately, Jesuf kindly explained.
“Miss Seraphina’s purification ability has a fatal flaw.”
“……?”
I smiled slightly.
How do they know there’s a fatal flaw when they haven’t even seen it?
I asked about the flaw that even I didn’t know about.
“What might that be?”
“You’ll see when you see it.”
Saying this, Jesuf gestured to the knights behind him. They quickly disappeared somewhere.
What’s going on?
Unable to understand the situation, I slightly furrowed my brow.
Are they trying to test my purification ability now, when I’m supposed to be deployed next week? After even saying farewell-like goodbyes, am I now going to have my deployment canceled due to lack of ability?
The possibility of not having to go to the battlefield was good news to me just by its existence, but separately from that, it would be a bit embarrassing to continue staying after making such a nice ending with Johann and then saying, ‘Well, actually I’m not going…’
Well.
The embarrassment would be momentary, but the comfort would last long.
“You’re quite clingy.”
That’s when Johann started to grumble, crossing his arms. He had looked very uncomfortable since Claude had summoned the relevant people to the training ground.
“Won’t you consider quietly returning to the north if I provide support from the knight order?”
“Although that bastard Mihail would be annoying, I thought about it and realized there’s no reason to quietly give up. Besides, one purifier is more helpful than an entire division of the Knight Order.”
Claude retorted, raising his eyes coldly.
Really.
Those two don’t seem like lord and vassal, but enemies.
Mortal enemies who can’t wait to devour each other.
But wait a minute…
I belatedly drew in a sharp breath as I noticed something unsettling in what Claude had just said.
“Um… Sir Andantino’s name is…?”
“Hm? You mean Mihail?”
Johann said nonchalantly, as if asking if there was any problem.
Oh, my.
If it’s Mihail, isn’t he one of the three heroes? His surname was Andantino?
Although surprised by this unknown fact, I responded as calmly as possible.
“Ah. I thought I should know the name of the person I’ll be meeting soon.”
“He’s a weirdo unsuited for the position of Holy Knight Order Commander.”
“……”
The last comment was from Claude.
I closed my mouth, unable to find words to respond. Glancing sideways, I saw Johann nodding as if in agreement.
My goodness, the relationship between these three is a complete mess!
Just then, the knights who had disappeared somewhere returned carrying a large box. I looked at it, wondering what it could be.
Clank.
As the knights put the box down on the ground, Jesuf opened his mouth.
“Now then, let’s have Miss Seraphina demonstrate her purification ability.”
He turned a key in the lock and continued.
“It’s a low-level undead, a ghoul.”
“……?”
When I looked at him with an expression demanding explanation, Johann whispered in my ear.
“Just do as you did during the purifier test.”
“What?”
“I mean, close your eyes tightly and do it.”
“……”
I looked alternately at Johann and Claude with squinted eyes.
Look at this.
Johann seemed to hope that I would show poor skills, while Claude had a grave face as if insisting that the purifier must come with him.
“The Knight Order would be better.”
“We’ll see about that. There’s no resource better than a purifier for defeating undead. Let’s send the Knight Order to Sir Andantino.”
So depending on how I perform now, the deployment locations of the Knight Order and the purifier could be switched.
Gulp.
Not the north.
Not the Grodes Mountains.
I decided to do as Johann said, closing my eyes tightly and doing whatever came to mind.
I’ll show you terrible skills!
Grooooar. Grooooowl.
As the box was opened, a dark shape oozed out, wobbling. It was a ghoul that had been captured and kept in the imperial palace.
“Ugh……”
Although it was in my memories, this was the first time seeing it in person. It was dirtier than I thought when seeing it directly. How should I put it… It looked like moving filth.
Grrrrrr!
Seeing them suddenly rush at me, I squeezed my eyes shut.
It was less out of fear and more to unleash my purification ability haphazardly and poorly as Johann had instructed.
Fwooooosh!
I felt a bright light explode powerfully over my closed eyelids.
Screeeeech!
At the ghoul’s scream, I slightly opened my eyes.
Did it work?
The ghoul had disappeared.
I habitually looked at Johann.
Did I do it right?
But…
Seeing his usually glossy silver hair standing on end as if struck by lightning, I gaped in astonishment.
“Kuk.”
I heard Claude’s laughter from the side.
Jesuf was frowning as much as he could, as if to say how could such an irreverent act be committed.
I had irreverently included the Emperor in my purification range.
“Puhaha! Skills worthy of immediate deployment!”
“……”
I couldn’t respond to Claude’s words as he burst out laughing beside me. Johann was glaring at me fiercely.
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