Becoming an Extra in a Trash Game

Chapter 22

I put on somewhat rough, ordinary clothes without any decorations, and pulled out a black robe with an automatic repair function from the subspace.

“Should I use this for now?”

And the living metal I obtained from the auction.

After dropping a drop of my blood to imprint it, it changed structure as I wished on my hand, then disappeared as if absorbed into the black robe.

With this, even if it’s not plate armor, my resistance to some physical attacks should have increased.

I dyed Luna’s robe ivory to accommodate her taste, and after reinforcing mine with living metal, it turned dark gray.

When I put it on and looked in the mirror, it’s not a color that stands out too much.

“Young Master, are you… Already dressed?”

“Luna, you’ve changed too?”

Instead of her usual maid outfit, Luna wore a skirt that looked like traditional rabbit race clothing, and it was so fluttery…

“Wouldn’t pants be more comfortable?”

Won’t it be bothersome when riding a horse or moving roughly?

As if sensing my concern, Luna opened her mouth somewhat proudly.

“I’m wearing… Short pants underneath… Long pants are… More uncomfortable when running fast.”

Is that so? I don’t know since I’ve never worn a skirt, but if Luna says so, then it must be.

Having put on somewhat rough casual clothes instead of my usual luxurious attire, my body feels strangely uncomfortable.

While stretching as I waited for Kane, I suddenly met Luna’s eyes.

“Hmm, Luna.”

Saying this now might make me look like a tactless, old-fashioned boss, but.

It’s better to say it late than never.

“Are you really sure you want to come along?”

“…Pardon?”

Luna looks at me with a face that doesn’t understand what I’m saying.

“If you want, I can send you home now with enough retirement money for your family to live comfortably.”

I stroked Luna’s head, who was just blinking her big eyes and spoke kindly.

Actually, Kane and Luna being happily together, that’s my wish as a fan.

That’s not Luna’s dream.

Even though I keep talking about harem endings, Luna, Kane, and all the other heroines are living beings with their own personalities, how can I force my desires on them?

Otaku wishes are just wishes. True fan sentiment is wanting everyone to be happy.

“It might be a harsher and more cruel journey than you think. You might see things you shouldn’t see and maybe even have to kill someone.”

You might become the continent’s public enemy, and even though you killed demons, you might be accused of being a demon and be condemned.

That was the original content, after all.

So I asked. If I were going to do everything exactly as in the original, there would be no reason for me to be here.

Luna was definitely an important party member, and apart from everything else, she’s one of the few people I’ve grown attached to in this unfamiliar place.

Do I really, really.

Have to take her along? Out of my own greed.

“Young Master.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Did she notice my anxiety?

Luna grabbed the hem of my clothes and looked up at me as she spoke.

“If I’m not unnecessary, if I’m not a burden, I’ll follow you. Because I’m your maid, Young Master.”

“……”

This is where one would write about being moved by such emotions.

Seeing Luna speak slowly and clearly, I felt a strange feeling and hugged her tightly, ruffling her hair vigorously.

“Later, okay? You can’t regret it later, alright?”

“Uwaah… I can’t breathe……”

Oh my, how cute.

I grinned and smiled, then looked at Kane who had come wearing his outdoor clothes.

“You didn’t say any goodbyes or anything, right?”

I thought you had grown fond of the knights.

“Of course not.”

Black clothes even on a day like this?

I threw him the black robe that somehow ended up matching and gestured for him to come over.

“Leaving is leaving.”

I smiled playfully at Luna and Kane.

“But we should pack what we need to pack.”

With the family head’s ring, what can’t we do?

If we take too much, Caiman might follow us statistically, but taking a few things shouldn’t be a problem.

I took them to the armory, bullied the guarding soldiers while flaunting the shining ring on my finger to drive them away, and boldly opened the door.

“Let’s see. Wow. This is here. Luna, pack some gaiters too. Kane, pick out a good sword if you find one.”

And as soon as we entered, I opened my eyes wide at the object I saw.

‘This comes from here?’

I quickly picked up a book floating in one corner of the armory.

The thick hardcover book might have once been covered in elaborate gold leaf, but now it was worn and peeling in places, seeming to have little value on the outside.

But I know its value better than anyone.

‘This is that, isn’t it? The newbie-exclusive magic book. Codex.’

An item that boasts very high efficiency in the early stages but becomes useless towards the end.

It’s a kind of scroll storage, where you don’t need the user’s magic power and the magic activates just by finding and reading the desired page.

However, all spells must be pre-stored and must be bestowed by a magician directly.

In other words, you can’t just buy magic scrolls on the market and insert them, and if you want to use a spell, you have to pay a magic tower or magician to bestow it.

And even then, it’s single-use, and even for the same spell, bestowing is more expensive than buying a scroll, and they won’t do high-class magic without intimacy.

‘But I have overflowing money and a title, and above all, most of the heroines who will join later have magic attributes.’

“I’ve chosen……”

“Me too.”

As I put the Codex into a small subspace, Luna comes with white gaiters and Kane with a sword.

Seeing that both look familiar, they must be at least rare grades, if not unique.

“Good, then let’s go.”

“By the way, aren’t you going to wear armor or something?”

“You’re not wearing any either, how much could I move in that heavy stuff?”

Even with lightweight enchantments, metal armor seems to weigh at least 10kg, and even leather isn’t light.

It’s better to trust shield artifacts and pendants…

‘Later, once I get unique armor, well, that’ll solve everything.’

Coming out of the armory, I wrote in a letter “I’ll catch your junior” and stopped a passing servant.

“Take this to Harlon in 3 hours, exactly 3 hours later.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Kane and I mounted the horses Luna had brought, in an atmosphere as if going on a picnic.

Since we often went out together and ate food in the village, everyone probably won’t pay much attention.

The shadows were originally invisible to their eyes, so no one would notice that they were not here today.

But we should act like fugitives.

“Hey, run!”

I spurred the horse and laughed loudly as I rushed towards the castle gate, and Luna and Kane belatedly followed my sudden action.

“Y-young master, it’s dangerous…!”

“We’re not children.”

“What does it matter? Get in the mood, we’re escaping from this castle now.”

I gestured for the gate to be opened, and the soldiers, who seemed to have been dozing in the good sunlight, hurriedly lowered the drawbridge.

The sound of horse hooves hitting the ground is cheerful.

Skillfully controlling my swaying body and holding the reins, I drove in a slight arc and galloped across the drawbridge that was almost completely lowered.

“Hyah!”

Just before touching the ground completely, I spurred once more as if jumping over an obstacle while the drawbridge was still floating in the air, and continued riding along the road.

The sound of wind brushed past my ears and my hair swayed refreshingly.

Even people who recognize my face from afar and avoid eye contact while turning away don’t bother me today.

“Why are you so excited?”

“Just, it’s the beginning, so I’m trying to raise the tension. Think about it, it’s the start of an adventure in its own way. Isn’t it?”

For Kane, wandering outside might only bring memories of being deceived and sold as a slave, and running away and hiding.

“It’s important to get stronger, but there’s no need to be obsessed with just that.”

It will be a bit different now. Like protagonists in other novels, traveling with companions, eating delicious food, and making good memories.

In the end, we’ll defeat all enemies and be happy.

Because I’ll support you like that.

“Still… Don’t go… Too fast, it’s dangerous……”

Luna seemed to scold me lightly, so I said yes, yes, and then suddenly spoke.

“Ah, Luna, no more ‘Young Master’ from now on.”

“Eh… Eh? Why……”

If you call me Young Master outside, anyone would think it’s a childish noble son who lured his servants to run away.

Kane, don’t look at me with those eyes that say what’s the difference…

I smiled shamelessly and looked at Luna as if to say, what, why?

“You understand, right, Luna? In that sense, try calling my name.”

Luna stuttered with a flustered face and slightly turned her head.

“I’ll… Go ahead……”

“…Where?”

Do you know where I’m trying to go?

Before I could add anything, Luna increased her horse’s speed and rushed ahead.

“Wait, that’s not the right direction!”

I ended up laughing and shouted at Luna, who was riding her horse far away in a different direction, and Luna, with reddened cheeks, came back to my side.

“By the way, Kane, I’m thinking of going straight to the big city near your hometown through a warp gate. Is that okay?”

I threw out the words as if asking if he didn’t need to prepare mentally or anything, and golden eyes met mine.

“I thought you’d say we need to move along the road for practical experience or something, but that’s not the case?”

“Why bother? We can arrive comfortably if we spend money. Besides, practical experience can start from around there.”

If we follow the road, it might take months.

The romance of travel is good, but there’s no need to take such a difficult route to a hometown you couldn’t return to for years.

‘Moreover, because of Kruger’s influence, there are few monsters or bandits around here.’

I decline experience just for simple camping.

If we’re going to do that, it’s better to be stuck in a labyrinth.

The advantage of gaining practical experience while also earning some pocket money.

“The wind… Is refreshing.”

“It is, ah, I think someone’s baking bread somewhere. It smells delicious.”

It’s a pleasant feeling.

Today might be the most free and peaceful day of all our days to come.

I turned my head to look at Luna and Kane, and somehow I felt like I saw an illusion of blood stains spreading on their bodies.

“Let’s do well together.”

Not some ending where we all die together or something.

“Alright.”

“Yes…!”

Let’s see an ending where everyone smiles. In this world.

* * *

“Hello. Are you here to use the warp gate?”

At the warp gate management office, there was a manager who looked like a goat clan.

The proportion of beastkin seems quite high, as even the legs under the skirt have reverse joints.

Even the pupils are horizontal, which is fascinating, but there’s no need to keep glancing and risk my face being recognized.

I showed the fake ID I had made through Alkaido, then pulled the hood attached to my robe down low and just nodded.

“Two humans, one beastkin, three horses. Where would you like to go?”

“Norwell Mining City.”

When I spoke in a low voice, the manager nodded once and flipped through a map book with recorded coordinates.

“It’s quite a distance, is that alright? Fees are charged differently according to distance.”

I nodded to hide my voice, and the manager who was inputting coordinates into a structure that looked like a round doorframe spoke again.

“It’s 300 gold for two humans, 80 gold for the beastkin. 615 gold for three horses. The horses weigh a lot, you see.”

I poured gold onto a table set up on one side to pay the fee and stood in front of the gate.

Living organisms can’t go into subspace, so it can’t be helped. The manager brought out magic stones that were stored separately and put them into grooves carved on the outside of the structure, then pressed something to operate it, and a resonating hum was heard.

Then, starting from the center of the round structure, the air began to ripple, and a strange light mixed with green and blue leaked out, and soon, with the sound of something tearing, a rippling gate opened.

‘How fascinating.’

From the outside, it looks like a liquid full of glowing luminescent material floating in the air.

Feeling somehow tense, I swallowed dry saliva once and glanced at Kane and Luna.

“Then let’s cross over.”

Still, I can’t show weakness in front of those two.

As I took a step into the warp gate, I felt like I was being sucked into somewhere.

Like the feeling of your body sinking into the floor just before falling asleep.

And when I closed my eyes and opened them again, I was standing in an unfamiliar place.