Not-So an Extra



—Bang!

The golden eyes stretched wide in horror upon seeing his brother inside a shield flung toward the sea.

"No!! Ian!!"

He screamed at the top of his lungs, his heart pounding in his chest and immediately ran toward where he last saw his brother.

Panic set in as Nathaniel's mind raced with all the possible worst-case scenarios.

'No! No! No!'

He repeated inwardly, trying to block out the terrifying thoughts that threatened to consume him.

While they were initially together, the exploding pavement and panicked crowds caused them to become separated, far from where they had intended to be.

Sensing coming from above, Nathaniel looked upward, only to see a tentacle poised to strike him.

Rather than succumbing to fear, Nathaniel's eyes flashed with anger and took out his sword.

"How dare you do that to my brother!"

Nathaniel's blade shone brightly and shook in his hand.

Without breaking his stride, he swung his sword, unleashing a barrage of crescent-shaped lights toward the tentacle.

—Slash! —Slash! —Slash!

"Rooaarrr!!

The Kraken let out a deafening wail the moment Nathaniel's attack struck its tentacle, a gush of green blood to spurt out and drench the floor.

The Kraken lifted its wounded tentacle to assess the damage and quickly realized that it was bleeding uncontrollably. 

"Rooaarrr!!"

With a furious roar, the massive creature scanned its surroundings, searching for its attacker.

Soon, it spotted a black-haired boy running and without hesitation, it swung its massive tentacles once again.

As Nathaniel prepared to launch his attack, suddenly, a barrage of arch lights flew towards the Kraken, slicing through its tentacles.

"Rooaarrr!!"

The creature recoiled in pain, blood oozing from its wounds.

The teen peeked over his shoulder and saw a white-masked man catching up to him—it was Fredinand.

"Thanks!"

Nathaniel conveyed his gratitude, and Ferdinand nodded in response. 

Together, they ran toward Adrian's fall.

His presence here indicated that he too was separated from Adrian.

Sensing something emerging below, they both leaped to opposite sides.

—Splash!

Without warning, their previous foothold cracked and water shot out. 

They landed gracefully and continued running side by side. 

.

.

.

A few moments ago.

.

.

.

The black-robed man stood stoically next to a building, his grayish eyes locked on two youngsters in the distance.

His master was seen having a conversation with the First Prince.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but notice Nathaniel's serious expression. 

It seemed like something serious was going on.

Shortly, Adrian and Nathaniel bounced in opposite directions as their instincts kicked in. 

The floor below them crumbled down, and water surged up toward the sky.

Without delay, Frediand emerged from his hiding spot and rushed toward Adrian, weaving through the sea of people.

However, as he stepped forward, his foothold suddenly gave way, causing him to leap backward and water to burst out from the cracked floor.

Wasting no time, Fredianand sprinted towards his master as soon as he landed.

The old man deftly zigzagged to avoid the water.

However, before he could reach the boy, another Kraken tentacle struck the newly summoned shield, causing his master to fall into the sea.

"No!! Ian!!"

Darting towards the familiar voice, Frediand saw a black-haired boy running towards the same destination. 

Nathaniel looked up and saw a tentacle about to strike him. 

Without stopping, he quickly drew his sword and unleashed a series of crescent lights toward the tentacle.

—Slash! —Slash! —Slash!

"Rooaarrr!!

The Kraken wailed and its tentacle recoiled with green blood gushed out, drenching the floor.

It lifted its tentacle and saw that its limb was now bleeding uncontrollably.

"Rooaarrr!!"

The Kraken let out an angry roar and brandished its massive tentacles once again.

Fredinand immediately unleashed a barrage of light arches toward the Kraken's tentacle, determined to fend off the creature's attack.

"Rrrooaoarr!!"

The Kraken recoiled in pain as the barrage of blows hit its tentacle.

With a quick glance over his shoulder, Nathaniel turned to Fredinand and conveyed his gratitude.

"Thanks!"

.

.

.

Ferdinand and Nathaniel arrived at the end of the harbor, their hearts racing with anticipation. 

The once bustling harbor was now in ruins, with debris scattered everywhere and the water murky and polluted. 

Without hesitation, they both jumped into the sea.

—Splash! —Splash!

Bubbles of air surrounded them as they sank into the sea.

Their eyes darted frantically in every direction, scouring the murky waters for any signs of Adrian.

However, the sight that greeted them was enough to make their hearts skip a beat.

There, they saw five figures wearing black robes surrounding Adrian and a girl who lay motionless inside a massive, translucent sphere.

'Those people!'

Looking at their appearance, Nathaniel could easily recognize them.

They were none other than the members of that shitty organization!

Wasting no more time, Nathaniel and Ferdinand unleashed a volley of wind bullets toward the attackers.

"Unf!"

A crimson hue tainted the surrounding water as one of them fell lifeless and sank into the sea.

How dare they try to harm his little brother in front of him!

Panic spread across their faces as they witnessed their comrade's demise.

Immediately, Nathaniel and Fredinand swam toward them.

Not wanting the duo to get any closer, they fired wind bullets at them. 

Nathaniel quickly cast a shield to protect himself and Ferdinand from the attack.

—Boom! —Boom! —Boom!

Bubbles of air obscured Nathaniel and Fredinand's sight as the bullet crashed into the shield.

However, amidst the haze, a blinding light covered the entire area. 

Nathaniel and Ferdinand jolted in surprise upon realizing that the attacks just now were merely bait and that their goal was to activate the Blink Sphere to escape!

"N—unff!"

Nathaniel's mouth bubbled with air as he tried to scream.

As the blinding light subsided, the people in front of them vanished without a trace.

—Adrian was kidnapped.

.

.

.

The eyelids fluttered before revealing a pair of beautiful azure eyes.

Adrian blinked a few times and clutched his head as a surge of headache swirled inside.

"You're awake…?"

A weak tone mixed with relief pricked his ears.

Adrian removed his hand from his forehead and noticed a pair of purple jewels ahead. 

Without wasting any time, he quickly sat up, realizing that he had been sleeping on someone's thighs. 

Adrian had no idea how he had ended up there.

Shifting his attention, he scanned the surroundings. 

Adrian found himself inside an iron cage with the girl, in what seemed to be a cave or underground environment.

The room was bathed in warm orange hues, with flickering torches providing the sole source of illumination. 

Adrian couldn't discern whether it was day or night beyond the walls. 

Black-robed guards sat at a nearby table, engrossed in a game of cards.

However, Adrian was stunned when he noticed another cage beside his own.

In contrast to his own cage, the one adjacent to him was packed with children of his age group—around 20 to 30 kids in each of the five cages, excluding his own.

Several children stared at him but quickly looked away when he glared back at them.

Judging from their appearance, Adrian could tell that they were commoners, and some were from slums. 

It appeared that the kidnappers had categorized their origins.

And just like before, he was unable to detect any mana in the area, which suggested that a Mana Disruption Device had been installed.

Adrian looked at his wrist and his Telesphere was gone.

Soon, the boy tried to rummage through his pocket but found nothing. 

'Goddamnit! Not my precious pouch of gold and sword!'

Adrian could suddenly feel a surge of pain inside his head returning.

Well, doubtlessly, they took all of their valuable items.

Now that the tracking devices were removed from him, waiting to be rescued was not an option.

He had to find a way to escape on his own.

Soon a familiar voice emerged.

"It's 197 to 201."

Adrian turned towards her, and she leaned in to speak in a hushed tone.

"The time gap between shifts during the guard change is approximately 197 to 201 seconds."

'Ah, I see.'

So in other words, they had 3 minutes to escape from this room, huh?

"You count them?"

Adrian asked and she chuckled before eventually nodding.

"Yes!"

Surprisingly, the girl next to him was far from useless; she was actually quite intelligent. 

While he was unconscious, she gathered valuable information.

Upon seeing her smile, Adrian furrowed his brow in confusion. 

They were in the midst of being kidnapped, and he couldn't comprehend how the girl next to him could still laugh gleefully in the face of danger.

Unbeknownst to him, Adrian's tongue rolled on its own accord.

"What's your last name?"

The girl offered him a smile before standing and curtseying.

"Please forgive me for the late introduction. Your Highness, my name is Leticia Florance."

"..."

Now Adrian understood the source of her politeness, intelligence, and persistence, and what Nathaniel said he would benefit from marrying this young lady before him.

It turned out that she was the daughter of a Duke from the neutral faction; Duke of Florance.