Beyond the Script: The Extra Who Stole the Mangakyo

Chapter 35: Chapter 35

A Changed Man

(Seraphina's POV)

The Beast Taming class was one of the few subjects Seraphina truly cared about. The ability to form bonds with magical creatures fascinated her—understanding them, communicating with them, growing stronger together. @@novelbin@@

Her silver hair flowed behind her as she walked into the training grounds, where the students gathered in a semi-circle around the instructor. Beasts of various sizes were present, restrained by magic formations.

As she scanned the group, her golden eyes narrowed slightly when she spotted Alden Blackwood.

Or rather, the Alden Blackwood she once knew was .

---

The Alden She Knew

Before, he had been... pathetic. Clingy, desperate, always trying to earn her attention. She had never outright hated him, but she had certainly looked down on him.

Born into nobility yet disowned and discarded, he had tried to gain favor wherever he could. He had approached her constantly, offering compliments, trying to impress her with small feats.

She had dismissed him every time.

Now, however... he was different.

---

The first time she had truly noticed the change was during the Virtual Combat Test.

She had expected him to flounder, to beg for mercy, to be crushed immediately. Instead, he had held his own against Alicia. Not just that—he had outmaneuvered her, buying time, even daring to grin in the face of defeat.

And then there was his beast.

The Nine-Tailed Fox.

Her breath had caught in her throat the moment she had seen it. The legendary celestial fox, so rare that it was thought impossible to obtain .

She had thought it was luck.

But the way Alden carried himself, the confidence in his steps, the calculating sharpness in his eyes—it made her wonder.

This wasn't luck.

This was intentional.

And it unsettled her.

She stood near Alicia, watching the instructor—a tall beastmaster with a scarred face and sharp blue eyes—begin his lecture.

"Today, we'll begin your first attempts at forming contracts with magical beasts."

A few students fidgeted in excitement. Others gulped, looking at the more feral creatures in the cages.

Seraphina didn't react. She had already formed a contract with her beast long ago—a majestic Ice Griffin that had served her family for generations.

Her gaze drifted back to Alden.

He stood calmly, arms crossed, his black hair neatly tied back. His sunglasses, ever-present, added to his air of mystery.

Then, his fox materialized beside him in a flash of white light.

The other students whispered in awe.

Alicia, standing beside her, clicked her tongue.

---

"He's changed," Seraphina muttered.

Alicia folded her arms. "Obviously. You saw it yourself."

Seraphina hesitated. "Do you think it's real?"

Alicia's golden eyes glanced at her sharply. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... his past and present don't match. It's like he's an entirely different person."

Alicia's lips pressed into a thin line. "I've been thinking the same thing."

Seraphina nodded. "Could he be possessed?"

Alicia's fingers tightened on her sleeve.

Demons were known to take over weak-willed humans. But was that the case here?

"He doesn't act like someone possessed," Alicia finally said. "He's too... controlled. If a demon had taken him, we'd see cracks."

Seraphina frowned. She had seen possessed people before—their erratic behavior, the moments where their control slipped.

Alden was different.

Calm. Unfazed. As if he had seen everything before.

As the lesson continued, Seraphina barely focused on the instructor's words.

She was too busy watching Alden.

The way he observed the beasts, the way he analyzed his surroundings, the way he spoke to his fox as if they shared an unspoken understanding.

Was it really possible for someone to change this much in such a short time?

She didn't have an answer.

But she intended to find out.