How to Survive as a Trash Extra Villain

Chapter 100

He was wearing a ghastly smile I had never seen before.

Both Anette and her Red Knight realized in that moment. For some reason, the Chancellor was scheming something!

“If you’ll excuse me.”

As the Chancellor extended both hands, dark red threads made of mana burst forth and attached to their limbs. They soon became invisible, no longer discernible.

“Let’s see.”

When the Chancellor wiggled his fingers, Princess Anette and the Red Knight stood upright like puppets.

“The marionette magic seems to be working well, which puts me in a good mood. It’s time to decorate the final finale.”

“Wh… y…”

Anette struggled to speak, but three syllables were her limit. Even that surprised the Chancellor.

“Hmm, as expected of your pure blood. It’s no ordinary poison, yet you resist this much.”

“….”

“Oh, you asked why. It’s simple. I didn’t want to die.”

“….”

“You may not have known, Your Highness, but at the end of the ritual…”

From the Chancellor’s mouth came the same words the Red Knight had heard earlier.

If so, let’s not die. We don’t have to die. Let’s find another way. That’s what I was about to say.

“But then, I thought it was unfair. Why should vassals who have served the empire for generations have to die?”

“….”

“Do you know how much I’ve invested in them? But you’re different, aren’t you, Your Highness? You have no purpose in life, no meaning. You just went along because we told you to.”

“….”

“So it’s simple. Instead of a thousand of us mongrels, we’ll offer you, the pure-blooded Princess.”

“…!”

Princess Anette’s eyes widened in shock.

“Yes. Your body is the most optimized vessel for the souls of past emperors to descend into. If you sacrifice yourself, it can all end. Of course, it won’t be easy.”

“….”

No.

“I’m here to help you.”

“….”

I don’t want to die.

“Even if you don’t want to, there’s no choice. Haven’t I treated you well since you were a child? So stop being a nuisance… and just die.”

“….”

Tears welled up. Shock? Anger? No… this was betrayal.

“If you refuse, there’s no helping it. The Red Knight you love so dearly will have to die with you.”

“…!”

Anger surged, but—

“Oh, of course, I don’t mean to do anything more here. The poison you both ingested is already turning into a deadly toxin as time passes. If you don’t follow my words, there won’t be time to give the Red Knight the antidote.”

My heart sank coldly. This was despair. I had no choice but to follow the Chancellor, who was smiling smugly.

“First, I’ll take the Soul Stone.”

As the Chancellor curled his fingers, my body moved on its own, picking up the case containing the Soul Stone and handing it to him.

“Let’s go.”

My body followed the Chancellor of its own accord.

I rolled my eyes to look at the Red Knight. Our gazes met. Neither of us had any solutions…

We passed through corridors, turned corners, and opened doors. Another hallway followed. Soon, we reached the ritual chamber.

“…Hm?”

But it was noisy. Unusually loud sounds echoed continuously from beyond the ritual chamber. Even the Chancellor seemed startled and stopped.

“What’s going on…”

“Your Highness!”

“Ugh?!”

A woman in knight’s armor shoved the Chancellor aside and swung her sword. The invisible mana threads snapped, and control over my body returned.

But—

“As expected! You planned to offer Princess Anette as a sacrifice, Chancellor!”

The Red Knight was still under his control.

“Tch, Knight Commander… how did you know?”

The Chancellor, retreating with the Red Knight, asked.

“Hah! Your schemes have already been exposed!”

“Tch!”

The Chancellor clicked his tongue and rushed into the ritual chamber first, with the Red Knight in tow.

“No!”

Anette screamed.

“Knights! Get the Princess inside!”

Knights came to support Anette, but—

“I’m fine. I can move.”

Having detoxified in the meantime, Anette moved her body on her own.

“Knight Commander, what’s going on? What’s happening inside the ritual chamber?”

“Your Highness! Inside, factions have split over your sacrifice, and a civil conflict has erupted! The Chancellor thought he hid it well, but rumors had spread. Thanks to a timely report reaching me, we weren’t too late!”

Anette looked up at the ritual chamber the Chancellor had entered. The Knight Commander spoke.

“Your Highness, the ritual is…”

“I already know. A thousand sacrifices.”

“…Correct. But with casualties from the infighting, the thousand sacrifices are no longer possible even if they tried. The knights, including myself, have resolved to protect you, so please command us to enter and eliminate the traitors.”

Tears welled up. I thought I’d die trembling with betrayal, but—

“…Let’s go!”

***

“Ah, ahh…”

It’s a common scene in fairy tales. The crown prince, witnessing the imperial palace burning and collapsing in civil war, sheds tears of sorrow. A heartbreaking story of vowing revenge against the rebels who killed the emperor, embarking on the path of a vengeful spirit.

“This isn’t right…”

That was Princess Anette’s state of mind. The Defardly Empire Liberation Army, which had carried a single belief for the Defardly Empire for a thousand years, was crumbling.

Those I believed to be family, those I thought would laugh together—haha, hoho—and live together forever, were dying before my eyes.

“Die!”

“Guh! I won’t… go alone…!”

“Ugh! So… tenacious…!”

An external invasion? No. No one had discovered us. We were safe.

“Hand over Princess Anette!”

“Shut up! Protect the Princess!”

A lack of supplies? No. We had enough to be self-sufficient.

“Princess Anette! Accept the Soul Stone!”

“Princess Anette! Escape!”

A break in faith? No. We were on the verge of realizing it.

The Defardly Empire’s treasure, vast amounts of mana stones, an impossibly complex magic circle, even the resurrection theories of demon worshippers—everything had been perfectly prepared over a thousand years.

Above all, we had the Soul Stone, said to contain the souls of past emperors, and the bloodline of Hamerd to soothe their grudges.

But how did it come to this…!

How did we end up fighting among ourselves? I was deceived from the start and even betrayed. A few kept their faith in me, but… the difference in numbers was clear.

Worst of all, the Red Knight, who should have been our greatest asset, was in the Chancellor’s grasp.

In the hands of the Chancellor, whom I trusted second only to the Red Knight!

“Tch, your knight is pathetically weak.”

“What, what did you say?!”

Anette turned to see the Golden Princess, glowing with golden light.

“Don’t think I’ll overlook you insulting my people just because you’re cooperating with us!”

“And if I don’t, what will you do?”

Princess Adela extended her hand. Golden mana traced a magic circle, and a beam shot forward. The rebels in its path were swept away. It was impressive power, but… there were too many enemies.

“Tch, is there no escape route?!”

Prince Kazaks, freed from his restraints, wielded his golden sword fiercely, but there was no way to handle the endless waves of fanatics.

“Ugh?!”

The Knight Commander, following Anette, stepped back. Just moments ago, a fellow knight who shared the same belief and fought alongside her rose like a zombie, aiming a sword at her. Kazaks rushed in and cut the knight down.

“Snap out of it! The living must live! Do you intend to kill the lord you serve out of petty sentiment?!”

“…I’m sorry, but thank you, despite kidnapping me…!”

Their bodies moved instantly, fending off the incoming enemies while looking up at the mastermind.

The Chancellor was relentlessly shooting red mana, desecrating corpses.

“Hahaha! The plan went awry at the end, but you lot are far beyond your ability to handle!”

It felt like the end.

Boom!

If gazes hadn’t turned to the ritual chamber’s door, opened with a thoughtless sound, it might have been.

The man who entered first wore a dark green robe and held a long rifle.

He immediately raised the hunting rifle and fired at the Chancellor. The Chancellor quickly manipulated threads to pull corpses as a shield, blocking the bullet.

The gunman muttered,

“Tch. Would’ve been nice if you died.”

“Who, who are you! How dare you ambush the Grand Chancellor of the Defardly Empire! Blasphemous fool!”

“Who am I? Can’t you tell from the fact that I recognized you the moment I saw you?”

The gunman’s eyes were cynical, as if at odds with the world.

“I’m a villain. Just like you.”

He looked as fierce as a hunting hound.

“Hey, Prince!”

“Prince Kazaks!”

Muller and Shuga ran toward Prince Kazaks. A blue spear and storm clouds raged, but the Defardly Liberation Army wasn’t easily breached.

Martin surveyed the battlefield. Adela and Kazaks, allied with a small group of knights, faced hundreds of enemies.

I wanted to slit the throat of the puppeteer who seemed to be the leader, but a single misstep could get me swept away by the grunts.

Do I have no choice but to join those knights?

If I were alone, that’s surely what I’d do.

But there’s no need for that.

Lina, Elisha, Mary, Bord, and even the insufferable Gilbert. When they’re on my side, the protagonist party is reliable. Plus, Luri.

No, actually, none of that matters. Is it because Know-It-All and Wild Instinct reached Lv 4…? I’ve been brimming with baseless confidence since earlier.

“I’ll draw their attention…”

My muttering drew the gazes of the protagonist party and Luri.

“Take down the mastermind.”

With the end of my words, I moved. I tucked the hunting rifle away for a moment and drew two daggers from my chest.

Right. I’ve never trained in dagger techniques. But—

Know-It-All (Lv 4) fully analyzes the battlefield, including the enemies’ tendencies, incoming attacks, and the target’s movements!

Wild Instinct (Lv 4) heightens your senses! You instinctively grasp what the enemies in front of you are thinking and where they’ll attack!

Movement (Lv 3) ensures fantastical agility!

Like a hunting hound, I charged in, spinning my body and swinging the daggers.

“Got—argh!”

“Ugh!”

I slit the throats of two enemies. Attacks came stabbing in from all directions.

Know-It-All (Lv 4) focuses all mental faculties!

In an instant, my nerve endings burned as every moment became as clear as a photograph. Thirteen weapons were attacking. Luckily, one direction was weak.

I slid to dodge the attacks from thirteen directions, counterattacked, and climbed over their weapons, stepping on enemies’ heads or shoulders to leap.

There he is.

Know-It-All had been screaming it. The weakness of this fanatic horde was singular: the Chancellor up there.

“You, who the hell…!”

The Chancellor flinched and swung his hand. The hound tearing through the Liberation Army and leaping toward him was truly terrifying. Ten corpses connected to the red threads at his fingertips surged toward Martin, but—

“Ugh?!”

What kind of monstrous reflexes! He grabbed the ankle of the first corpse to reach him, threw it, and used the recoil to escape his position!

His strength was so great that the mana threads snapped as the corpse flew.

Dangerous.

This guy, this one alone, cannot be left alone. No matter how large an army, it’s useless. He’s a hound that will break through and tear out your throat.

“Seize him!”

Martin fell back into the Liberation Army, but with fantastical movements, he dodged all attacks and swung his daggers, taking down soldiers one by one.

“We must capture that one at all costs!”

He evaded and weaved through the charging enemies, moving freely among them.

Damn it, how did it come to this!

A civil conflict breaking out? I could accept that. But these intruders suddenly made everything a mess.

Why are they here!

The heirs of the Four Great Ducal Families, who should be in prison, and that trash cadet I ordered to be dealt with!

A blue spearman and a water mage disrupted the army’s rear.

Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t catch this ghostly hound tearing through the entire army.

“Now! Charge!”

At Princess Anette’s command, the knights advanced. The defensive knights, bolstered by support, began their counterattack. Even Princess Adela and Prince Kazaks, meant to be sacrificial pawns, turned into formidable forces, overwhelming the Liberation Army.

“Got you.”

“?!”

I turned to see six figures. A red bow, a staff of storm clouds, a giant’s shield. The heirs of the Four Great Ducal Families. And the precious gem of the Elidore Marquisate. But more than them… the aura of the two swordsmen among them was too fierce.

“Tch!”

The Chancellor had no choice but to clap his hands. Buried bombs exploded, scattering thick smoke everywhere.