The Extra Can't be A Hero

On Leon's orders, Gale and Adelia joined Fenric on his quest to hunt down the ghosts of the ancient civilisation. However, hunting ghosts was easier said than done. They had no experience tracking down the mysterious phantoms, and even if they did, they had no clue where to begin. The only thing they could do was return to the place where Fenric first saw them and wait patiently until the desert Sun set.

Legend has it that ghosts were easier to find when it turned dark, and historically speaking, the ghosts of Olavaguel usually appeared at night. Hence, it was worth a shot to wait patiently, even if it meant that they were all alone in the silent, eerie streets.

Hours passed, and the waiting game turned into a battle of resilience. The group struggled to stay awake, particularly Gale, who lacked any stimulants to open his eyes. He fell asleep multiple times during the watch, and the girl by his side repeatedly reprimanded him.

"Ow! Don't pinch me so hard!"

"Then stop falling asleep! We have a job, you know?" Adelia folded her arms in akimbo and continued her stern scolding. "You were up last night, weren't you? Drinking beer all night with the others!"

"Urgh, how did you know?"

"You guys were so rowdy that I could hear your laughter from the other wing! Hah, we're here on official business, can't you wisen up a little?"

"Always so naggy…"

Gale tapped on his head to tune out the noises. Yes, Gale was overly friendly to the recruits, but it was for a good reason. Truthfully, the respect for Leon among the recruits wasn't fully established yet, as most had pledged allegiances to Amon and Yue. So, to help warm them up to the idea of following Leon's orders, Gale was tasked to be the friend in the equation. To bridge the gap between commander and subordinate, and to secretly give Leon feedback and ideas on how to increase his standing.

Alas, Gale was too lazy to explain everything.

"Have we seen any signs of the ghosts?"

"Not yet," Adelia muttered, frowning as she eyed the eerie, silent alleyways ahead. "At this rate, I'll end up making a ghost myself."

"How fun."

Gale stretched his aching muscles and rose to his feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Fenric—rigid and still, like a bronze statue. His sharp, unblinking gaze was held steady, and he was in the posture of a sentinel guarding someone of great importance.

And sure enough, someone was yawning at his feet.

Looking no older than twelve, the young girl looked out of place, as if she was way past her bedtime. Even with her preadolescent appearance, one couldn't deny the charm exuded from her tiny body.

Eris looked like a child pulled from a forgotten fairytale—delicate, quiet, and unsettling in ways most couldn't quite name. She stood barely over four feet, with a frail frame that gave her the appearance of someone who might vanish if the wind blew too hard. Her skin was pale and smooth, untouched by sun or age, almost doll-like in its perfection. But her eyes—stormy grey, deep and watchful—betrayed her truth. They held a veteran's weariness, like someone who had seen far too much for far too long.

Her hair was... strange. Not just white, but a soft, almost colorless hue that shimmered oddly between pale lavender and ghostly blue, depending on the light. It grew in uneven lengths—some strands long enough to brush her elbows, others cropped close to the scalp, as if cut by a distracted hand or grown wild in defiance of order.

Dressed in Victorian style, the young girl was akin to an immortal doll that collectors would like to obtain. Yet, even if they used every fibre of their being to obtain her, all that awaited them was death and suffering.

For she was cursed… cursed with the eyes to see beyond life and death.

"Lady Eris, would you like to take a break?"

"Don't talk to me, Fenric. You're disturbing me."

"... understood."

Usually, it wouldn't be strange to take offence from a kid lacking respect. But Fenric was the junior in this case. Even if her body didn't show it, Eris was two years older than the tanned monk. Due to her innate magical constitution, Eris was cursed to grow slowly. So, even though she was a year shy of thirty, the necromancer still possessed the body of a twelve-year-old.

And that curse… had given her a lifetime of headaches.

"..."

The four members of Eldorin stood in an awkward circle. Fenric protected himself before Eris, while Gale and Adelia flanked them on either side. Though their interactions were sparse, professionalism anchored them—they were on a mission. Each gave Eris the space she needed, doing their best to stay alert despite the quiet tension in the air.

Alas, the silent lull of the night was getting to them.

"Fenric, are you sure that the ghosts appeared here?"

"Of course!"

"I'm not doubting you, but…"

Gale glanced down and noticed Eris, her eyes tightly shut. It seemed their voices didn't bother her—as long as none of them spoke directly to her. Hence, Gale took this opportunity to bond with the fearsomely powerful monk.

"Fenric, remind me. How did you join Eldorin again?"

"Ah, I haven't told you yet!"

Fenric clapped his hands together and beamed with a great smile. Unlike the other recruits brought in by Amon and Yue, the runic monk was considered the most personable. However, since their paths rarely crossed and they were never assigned to the same mission, Gale hadn't learnt a thing about Fenric.

"I was still a recluse monk in the mountains two years ago. Learning the ropes from my abbot and studying runes all day."

"Really? Sounds boring and tough."

"Not at all! Our monastery had ancient origins, and the runes we had could be dated back to the Age of the Dragons. So, every day is a new challenge with a new puzzle to solve. Honestly, those were the best times of my life!"

"Hmmm, so why did you leave?"

Although they hadn't interacted much, Gale could understand what Fenric was like. Humble, curious and noble. If he wished to, he could have stayed in his monastery his entire life, zoning in on one study topic.

"Well… While researching the runes buried in my temple, I accidentally stumbled across a forbidden seal. Long story short… I touched something I shouldn't have and cracked open a rift to the Demon Realm."

"... you what?"

"Haha, I know! Embarrassing, isn't it?"

Fenric scratched the back of his head and let out a dry laugh.

"Our monastery is strong, and there were about a dozen runic monks, including my master, who faced the Demons that were pouring out. But it proved to be too much for us to handle. Just as we thought our home would be destroyed and our lives forfeited, Lord Amon and Lady Yue appeared and saved us."

As he recounted the otherworldly scene, the tanned monk's eyes glistened with excitement.

"Lord Amon and Lady Yue's display of strength that day was something that will stay with me forever! Lord Amon cleaved a Greater Demon in two with one swing, while Lady Yue's constant magical barrage ended the horde in minutes. They were truly the epitome of what defenders of our planet should be!"

Gale's lip cracked into a smirk, as he knew what Fenric was saying. Ever since his time at the Academy, he had a front-row seat to Amon's greatness. In fact, he could practically visualise how Amon saved Fenric's monastery with just one sword in his hand.

"So, when they asked me to join Eldorin, it wasn't even a consideration. They were also willing to enhance my powers and guide my path. I would have been a fool to reject their offer."

In [Bright], Fenric would have been yet another victim of the Demon race—a poor bystander who couldn't bloom his talents into a great runic monk.

However, the timeline had changed for Fenric. With Amon and Yue's guidance, he would be a pivotal asset in the fight against the Demon Cult and the oncoming Calamities.

"Then… what about Eris?"

Gale asked in a whisper, afraid to break the necromancer from her concentration. Fenric's eyes twitched a little, but he answered with a sigh:

"Lady Eris… Her circumstances were far more tragic than mine. It's not my place to tell her story, but… You have to forgive her blunt and straightforward nature, especially when she's talking about Sir Leon. She isn't one… to like heroes."

"Ah, I see."

The number of people who suffered under the Demon Cult and prayed for the Hero to save them was endless. Alas, Leon only had one body and couldn't save everyone, even if he desperately wished to.

"Don't worry, Leon won't mind that at all. That's the beauty of his character."

"Haha, I believe that."

Gale and Fenric shared a smile.

"If you have time to gossip about others, why don't you go and search the grounds?"

As the mood warmed, Eris opened her eyes and blasted the duo.

"L-Lady Eris! S-Sorry to wake you!"

"I wasn't sleeping, you moron!" The childlike woman snorted while folding her arms. "While you guys were busy gossiping about other people's affairs, I was searching for any hints of the ghosts you mentioned. Also, I pumped out some mana to trigger their appearance. And sure enough…"

Eris raised her chin and directed her companion's attention elsewhere. Following her line of sight, they saw the same two ghosts that Fenric had seen a day prior, and their eyes instantly lit up.

"G-Ghosts! D-Damn, didn't think I would see one in my life…" Adelia stammered while burying her fear.

"Don't worry," Eris glanced back at the shivering Knight, only to hold her head. "These aren't actual ghosts, but remnants of consciousness."

"What's the difference?"

"Their souls are no longer in the material realm, just that… their deaths were too brutal that pieces of their intense emotions remained on the land, even thousands of years later."

"Their deaths were brutal? What does that mean?"

"... just listen."

The female ghost wailed with all her heart: "It burns… My daughter… My daughter… God… At least save her…"

The elderly man also wept: "Everything is burning… burning… save me…"

With Eris amplifying their voices with mana, the group could hear every detail of the phantoms' cries. They were pleading and begging, all while writhing in pain. Evidently, they were killed in the most tragic fashion. Watching this all unfold, the necromancer's face turned stone cold as she deduced:

"My guess is… a calamity had befallen the ancient dynasty, and they were annihilated all at once."

As Eris watched the dissipating phantoms, she turned around and gestured to the others.

"Let's leave, there's nothing else to be gained here."

"H-Huh?"

"They're just memories… remnants of an apocalyptic event. We won't find any clues to their base even if we investigate them. They were likely just commoners who passed away in the tragic event, forced to watch their families burn while the upper class hid in their sanctuaries."

Eris stepped away, but as she heard the woman bellow one final time, she bit her lip and waved her arm in anger. And with that, a wisp of blue fire engulfed the two phantoms, forever evaporating their memory from the material plane.

With a voice as soft as a butterfly's flap, the necromancer whispered:

"Rest in peace."