The Extra System: Summoner of Shadows

"This experience has changed me," said Cedric in response to her question. Ember looked at him with deep, inquisitive eyes, making him a little embarrassed as he sifted through the books. Nonetheless, he maintained the demeanor of a scholar. "In this world, the truth doesn't matter. If one of my older brothers were in my stead, no one would dare question him."

Ember seemed saddened but agreed with his statement. Cedric might be a useless prince, but his older brothers and sisters were anything but that. The Everhart family was known throughout the six kingdoms for their magic. Each member earned a great deal of respect, except for one.

Cedric found a book that interested him and realized it was a collection of recent newspapers. This was what he needed at the moment, to understand how far the story had already gone, to discern what he could use and what he could not. 

After pulling the book and taking a seat to read it, Cedric realized that Ember was still standing. He looked at her with confusion, and she looked at him with confusion over his confusion. 

"Is there something wrong, my lord?" asked Ember with slight nervousness. 

"Do you need to leave? Why are you still standing?" questioned Cedric as he pointed to a chair not far away. "Take a seat as this will take a while."

"A... seat?" muttered Ember with wide eyes. "But protecting you is best done while I'm standing, as every retainer does."

"Anyone who attacks me inside this guest house knows your powers as well as my lack of them," said Cedric with a smile. "And no one would want to be the enemy of an entire kingdom. Take a seat."

"I—"

"Please?"

Ember was silent, then nodded before taking the seat next to him, placing her sword on her lap and resting a hand on the hilt. Cedric sighed and opened the newspaper.

Retainers in this world, even in the memories of the previous prince, were not treated as equals. This was a monarchy, and even sitting at the same level as their lord could result in dismissal or punishment. For that reason, Ember was a little uncomfortable.

Cedric allowed her to take her time as he began reading through the newspapers. To understand the general state of the world, he began from the oldest to the newest. The entire read took him about an hour and a half, as he skimmed over the titles that seemed irrelevant. 

"I understand now," muttered Cedric as he closed the book, making Ember turn toward him with confusion. During the past ninety minutes, she had sat there like a statue. "I have a plan, Ember."

"A plan for what?" asked his retainer with interest. 

"A plan to exonerate me, of course," said Cedric with a smile as he rose to place the book back. "One can never be too careful. We have to assume that the enemy is one step ahead of us. For that reason, I need you to visit the gardens."

"The gardens? Where the incident happened?"

"Indeed." Cedric nodded toward his retainer. "A vine coiled around my foot, causing me to trip and fall over Lady Caroline. At the same time, several nobles just happened to be passing by, who later acted as witnesses."

Cedric explained her mission as he looked through the books again, this time finding a different one. It was a book about botany. Although a little old, it had illustrations he could use. Ember watched as he flipped through the pages without sitting. 

"What are you doing, sir?"

"As I suspected, the vines that coiled around my legs aren't found in the Valoria Kingdom. The closest one to my memory is this, but it grows in underground mana veins," said Cedric as he walked over and showed her the illustration. "Go to the garden and find anything resembling this. I don't think you will."

"…do you mean that you have been framed?"

"Not just framed, but an attempt was made to assassinate me," said Cedric with a frown as he looked at the vines in the book. "These vines release a magical poison that infects the mind, causing hallucinations. I believe that whoever used this against me also planned to kill me."

"…kill you?" muttered Ember as her expression crumbled, her eyes losing their luster as a suffocating bloodlust leaked from her body. The mere mention of killing Cedric made her beyond enraged. "I will—"

"Calm down," interrupted Cedric as he patted her head, making her flinch and snap out of her bloodlust. "As you can see, I haven't died, but I would have if not for your intervention."

"I failed to protect you," she looked at him with shame. "It was my job to ensure your safety, but I allowed them to hurt you like this."

"We will have our revenge, don't worry," said Cedric with a wicked smile, which made Ember stare at him in a daze. Then, he removed his hand from her head as he pushed the book toward her. "But right now, I need you to help me, alright?"

"Your wishes are my command," said Ember as she rose and bowed before taking the book to memorize the vines and their shape. Cedric nodded at her with a smile as he watched her leave.

Once she was gone, Cedric thought back to what he had read in the newspapers. Whether by luck or design, he had transmigrated before the novel began. In a sense, he was still in the prologue.

In *Records of Elaris*, the novel begins when the main character transmigrates through a dungeon, arriving at the kingdom of Aeloria. However, those dungeons have yet to appear throughout the world. From the newspapers, Cedric realized that it would take another six months until the First Summoning.

As he remembered the novel, he found it strange that his class was a summoner. This class was obsolete and rarely found in any kingdom, let alone a royal family. The church ensured that every summoner was monitored because they feared another calamity. 

Cedric did not wish to think about the history of Elaris at the moment. That was his least favorite chapter, considered to be the prologue of the story before it began. But at the moment, he was living in the later stages of that period, right before the beginning of the new era.

"I cannot use a Mimic without having skills in my Characters Menu, but I can still use the Observe skill," thought Cedric as he went toward the window and looked out over the estate. "Maybe I will gain something useful. Observe." Cedric activated the skill.

[The prince looked out through the window, his eyes piercing through the mansion's structure. He was looking for clues that could exonerate him. But no matter how hard he looked, he found nothing.]

Well, that was useless, thought Cedric as he sighed and was about to deactivate the skill. But the next instant, the narrator continued, revealing something that made his blood run cold.

[But while the naïve prince thought he was safe inside a prison, he couldn't have been more wrong. For a shadow lurked just outside, awaiting the chance to strike him dead and finish its mission. All it needed was a careless opportunity from the prince.]

Cedric froze the moment he heard those words, but his mana bottomed out, and the skill deactivated. His entire body was covered in sweat, knowing that whatever awaited him outside could very easily kill him.

'Did the assassin return? How did it know that I sent Ember off? Even worse, how do I summon her back?' thought Cedric as he tried to appear calm on the surface, but his heart was anything but calm. 'Why is this assassin so hellbent on finishing off the prince?' was a question he couldn't figure out.