Becoming an Extra in a Trash Game

Chapter 21

“Are you saying that the acting head of the family, who should be managing and leading the family’s affairs, will be absent? That’s nonsense.”

I lay sideways on the long chair, tossed a grape into my mouth, and shrugged.

“Why is it nonsense? I’m not doing anything anyway. Isn’t Harlon working hard in my place?”

“Absolutely not.”

“I’ll send someone to help Harlon if I see anyone. I’m not just going out to play, you know?”

“I cannot permit it, Young Master.”

I laughed lightly at Alkaido’s fierce opposition.

“Is there anything I can’t do when I want to?”

Watching him press his fingers to his temples as if he had a headache, I calmly plucked grapes and popped them into my mouth, chewing.

“The head of the family won’t allow it.”

“Do you really think so?”

In my opinion, he probably wouldn’t mind at all.

And Alkaido probably anticipates that to some extent.

“At least take three or more elite knights with you, then.”

At his words, I made an exaggerated disgusted expression and shook my head.

“What? To monitor me? And where’s the fun in that?”

I pushed away the grapes as if bored and stretched out, pulling a cushion to hug.

“I’m bored. It’s too boring here. If it’s Alkaido, you should have guessed to some extent that I’d react like this. Right?”

Besides, you should know why I want to go out.

As I mouthed the words, Alkaido furrowed his brow and sighed.

“The wide world. Isn’t it nice? I’m going to travel around the continent a bit, I’ll keep in touch occasionally and send gifts.”

“If three is too many, take at least one with you.”

“Either way. That’s like putting a leash on me. And I’m thinking of leaving even my shadow behind.”

At my words, Alkaido looked at me as if asking why.

“Father favors me too much. Publicly.”

I raised myself from the long chair where I had been sprawled, ran my fingers through my disheveled hair, and glared at Alkaido, moving only my eyes.

“You never know. He might just quickly dispose of me and use me as a public justification to achieve what he wants.”

I mimicked slitting my throat and grinned, and Alkaido couldn’t refute.

“For example, the eldest son of the Kruger family was assassinated in the imperial capital. If he works on public opinion a bit with this, couldn’t Father openly recruit more private soldiers?”

“That’s too extreme a thought.”

I shook my head and said as if it were nothing.

“What would I, who knows nothing of the world, know? I just wrote some fiction. But there are similar things happening, that’s what I’m saying.”

Although he said it was an extreme thought, Alkaido probably knows as much as he needs to.

That’s the only things important to Caiman are his family and Gadia.

‘That’s why in the late game, despite having such great power, he couldn’t use his strength when only Gadia was in the party.’

Alkaido let out a faint sigh and opened his mouth in a slightly subdued tone to persuade me.

“You may not know well because you’ve only been in Labes, which is owned by our family, but the outside is not as safe as this city.”

“I’m telling you, Father would be happy even if something happened to me. And Alkaido, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

I sat arrogantly, leaning my head against the chair’s backrest, and smiled.

“Do you think I’m trying to persuade Alkaido right now?”

“……”

“This is a notification, Alkaido.”

* * *

Suddenly, incomprehensible actions.

Why did Adelian buy the boy at the auction and purchase various items?

Most of the things he told me to buy were common herbs, but why did he say to buy and store them regardless of funds?

If I were to judge based on past memories alone, I would have thought that most of Adelian’s orders to Alkaido were given as jokes.

‘Indeed, was that the reason?’

Alkaido’s resolve was strengthened even more by today’s events.

Even if he called it a notification, if he couldn’t properly persuade me, I was planning to control him so that he could never leave the city.

No matter how useless and incompetent he may be considered by the public, he is still of the Kruger bloodline.

That alone is more than enough value, so I wasn’t going to listen to this nonsense about travel.

“What are you saying? Don’t you trust me? I’m Adelian. Why? Afraid the Adelian coin will crash? Ha. You don’t know about holding…”

The tone might sound a bit frivolous at first.

However, the words contained within were not light.

Alkaido silently laughed while tracing his beard with his fingertips.

Despite having watched him for so long, to think that his own eyes were so low-level as to not fathom that depth.

He asked on what grounds he was so confident.

What should he believe in to let him out there?

Please give a clue to erase the misdeeds of the past 10 years. Give the basis for certainty.

When he pleaded like that, what did his other master say?

‘Alkaido, then only Alkaido should know. Actually, I.’

Alkaido recalled how he had beckoned him over and whispered in a low voice to his ear.

‘My trait. It’s precognition, Alkaido.’

* * *

Trying to lie outright, my conscience…

Doesn’t hurt that much.

“If you think about it, it’s not even a big lie, is it?”

What’s precognition anyway?

Isn’t it seeing the future?

I’ve read the novel and saved the continent several times in the game, so isn’t that as good as seeing the future, if not making it?

With just one word about precognition, I dismissed Alkaido and opened one of the large subspaces in the ring that had been empty.

“Is there anything I need to pack?”

Then I casually tossed in books from the study, blankets I sleep with, and even candlesticks with a nonchalant, chic hand movement.

I met eyes with Luna, who had returned at some point without my noticing.

“Why are you looking at me like that’s so strange?”

“What… Are you doing right now?”

“Ah, I’m just packing various things that might be needed during the trip.”

“Eh… Why… are you packing those…?”

“You never know what might happen in the world. Besides, isn’t it fine since the bag has no weight and is large?”

A female friend I knew used to say.

She said she was a peddler.

She carried everything from nail clippers to colored paper to the sparklers they give you when you buy a cake.

At first, I wondered why, but there were times when I needed to borrow something…

Every time, she would be so proud, saying she felt the pride of being a peddler.

She even carried a bag as big as her torso, but mine has no weight and doesn’t get in the way of my hands, so what’s wrong with that?

Now it’s my turn to feel that pride.

“Why the books…?”

“To read when I’m bored or use it as kindling?”

“What about the blanket…?”

“I was tempted to put the whole bed in there, but I held back. Even if I have to sleep outdoors, I should sleep well covered with a blanket.”

“Then this…”

I quickly changed the subject before hearing more nagging.

“By the way, what’s that in your hand?”

I looked at the letter in Luna’s hand and asked, feeling slightly tense, and Luna tilted her head and opened her mouth.

“A servant gave it to me… When I said I was going… To the Young Master’s room…”

…I hope it’s not from Gadia saying she’s coming.

I took it casually and looked at the crest stamped on the sealing wax, hmm, it’s the crest of an unfamiliar family.

I waved it between my fingers and asked Luna.

“Do you know which family it’s from?”

“Um… This is… The Chester family crest…”

Chester?

I can’t remember right away, is it an acquaintance the original Adelian was in contact with?

I put my hand on the family ring and pulled out a letter opener from among the miscellaneous items I had thrown in haphazardly.

“Ah, it’s from Debussy.”

My dearest, something about sunshine, flower fragrance. Skipping all these flowery phrases.

I flipped through the three-page letter, reading quickly, and smiled, lifting the corners of my mouth.

“Young master… What does it say…?”

“Seems like there was a group from Debussy’s side when we went to the temple last time. They’re asking to borrow Kane.”

I read something without any substance.

I crumpled it up roughly and opened my mouth to Luna, who was looking up at me with pink eyes.”Luna, if you have anything heavy to carry around, give it to me in advance. I’ll keep it for you.”

Luna ponders at my casually thrown words.

Well, being a girl, she probably wants to carry a lot of things. Just thinking about my female friends, their bags were always full of stuff.

After contemplating for a while, Luna approached me slightly and opened her mouth.

“…Young Master.”

“Huh? What?”

“Can… A field… Go in too?”

A field? Surely not a carrot field?

I just blinked at Luna’s words and then smiled awkwardly.

“Should we just buy a lot of carrots?”

The large subspace in the Kruger ring doesn’t seem to let materials deteriorate, unlike the small subspace.

“Is that… Okay?”

I was planning to stock up on some food anyway in preparation for encounters with other races.

What difference would adding carrots make?

I nodded, and Luna smiled brightly.

“But… When are you planning to leave… to prepare like this… Already?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? Tomorrow.”

“Ah… Tomorrow… Tomorrow?”

I looked at my room, which had become quite empty, and considered going around the castle to put more things in, then looked at Luna.

“Isn’t that… Too sudden?”

“Why? Is there more to prepare? Anyway, we’re leaving tomorrow, so get ready.”

Trips never go according to plan, Luna.

“Then… I’ll go write a letter… To my family…”

“On your way out, please tell Kane that we’re leaving tomorrow too.”

“Okay…”

After Luna left, I threw myself onto the bed that was left bare without even a blanket, as there was nothing else to pack.

For now, Alkaido said he could hold onto the shadows until tomorrow, so it’s a bit rushed, but there’s no helping it.

If we keep them with us, we don’t know when we might get caught up in Caiman’s plans.

‘Actually, I can’t trust anyone except Kane and Luna.’

Even Alkaido, while not an enemy now, we don’t know how things will turn out in the end.

That’s why I prepared teleport scrolls with the fixed coordinates erased, just in case.

‘If worst comes to worst, I’ll have to tear this to hide the route once.’

Kane probably can’t beat the shadows yet.

If we keep them with us, not only will our information leak out, but my life might become a chess piece for Caiman.

“You said we’re leaving tomorrow?”

While lying on the bed pondering various things, Kane appeared, probably having heard the message from Luna.

I didn’t get up, just moved my eyes to look at him while still lying down and nodded.

“Why, too fast? Can’t be helped though.”

“No, it’s not too fast, but.”

Kane sat down in a chair a little distance away and lightly tapped the table with his finger.

“You don’t have a reason to go either, do you? After all, the purpose of the deal we made was firstly for me to become stronger, and secondly for you to be loyal to me afterward.”

“What, so you’re asking to go alone?”

“If you don’t trust me, I’m saying you could send someone else with me.”

I snorted at Kane’s words.

“What are you talking about? I probably trust you more than you trust yourself.”

You don’t know what sacrifices you made and what you ended up doing, do you?

I know everything.

I sat up and met eyes with the 18-year-old protagonist who still didn’t know how far his potential extended.

[Author, why do you keep giving us sweet potatoes? Are you on a sweet potato diet?]

[It’s for historical accuracy.]

[No, what is this nonsense? Why is historical accuracy coming up here!]

I remembered a time when the author’s comment caused an uproar among fans.

Historical accuracy… Later, when the continent becomes chaotic and public safety worsens, everyone becomes wary of outsiders, and even if you kindly ask for a meal, many shops won’t sell to outsiders or use poor-quality ingredients.

Because everyone’s struggling to make ends meet.

So how would the hopeless main party eat well?

Later, there comes a moment when they can’t even buy food unless they hunt it themselves, like savages.

Why?

Because they can’t speak!

“If you act a bit friendly and say, “Oh mother, shall I chop some firewood for you?” wouldn’t they give you at least one potato?”

Even when they eliminate the Evil god cult group midway, there’s no need for questions.

They just cut off heads, burn the bodies, and blow up the mansion to destroy the underground human sacrifice room…

Because the person was well-respected in the city, they were wanted without question and had to move under the cover of night for a while.

If they had at least spoken up about them being Evil god cult worshippers, things might have been different!

I recalled the future I knew, and my eyes turned salty.

Come to think of it, I trust Kane’s strength, but I can’t trust his speaking skills.

No, I just can’t trust that part of the entire party.

“So I just trust this guy.”

I gave up on explaining and summed it up vaguely, then gave a thumbs up, and Kane’s eyes also turned salty.