The Extra of The Lunerra

The morning after Clara told me what she had seen, a notification popped up on my watch.

The Prince had replied to the email I had sent him.

The only thing he said was that he might make some space for me in a few hours.

I was a little... confused, actually. I kept thinking why the Clairvoyance would have shown Clara five-year-old Sue.

And at the same time, what it implied.

But I wasn't so absent-minded that I didn't appreciate the space the prince had created for me, so I was at the palace at the exact time he had specified, even waiting for him to arrive at the room where we were to meet.

And... he did.

The door to the room opened wide, and Prince Lucas sat down in the armchair opposite me, looking very tired. He couldn't help wrinkling his forehead with his fingers as the door closed behind him.

"You look tired."

He looked up at me without taking his fingers off his forehead.

"Unfortunately. Which... I have a feeling you'll be another reason for me to be."

He took a deep breath, straightened up slightly, and focused completely on me.

"What are you planning now, Aiden?"

I took a sip of the tea I'd been offered before he came into the room.

"As usual, something that will be of great use to us. I don't think I need to tell you how much the Laute Family case has benefited Cevilian."

His eyes first focused on the tea in my hand, then he glanced at the table in front of him and, seeing that there was one prepared for him, he picked up the cup.

He replied before taking a sip of his own.

"You must also know how much it gives me a headache..."

But after a sip, he paused, one eyebrow raised slightly as his eyes narrowed.

"Huh, they poured coffee..."

He paused momentarily, then rolled his eyes as if something had occurred to him.

Before turning back to me, he put his cup down on the table and gave it a gentle push as if he didn't want to drink anymore.

"Anyway. I'm asking you again what you're planning. I don't doubt that you are thinking of something useful, but I would like to hear how 'risky' and 'problematic' it will be. Every time you appear in front of me there is something more problematic underneath."

...

He's not wrong, I guess.

"Saligia."

Lucas stopped suddenly. His eyes narrowed rapidly, his lips flattened.

He didn't say anything, but his ears were completely on me now.

"My goal is to take down one of Saligia's connections, specifically to the underworld. Which... I intend to damage the underworld in the process."

"Which underworld, Aiden? There's more than one underworld on our planet, unfortunately."

When he said that... he sounded like he was expecting something. Even though he remained serious, he couldn't quite hide the tension and curiosity in his voice.

"The one in Piarlin. More specifically, Old Gundam."

And it was at this moment that I realized...

"Old.. Gundam?"

That the look on Lucas' face didn't actually imply 'expectation'.

"You can't be serious, Aiden..."

On the contrary, he knew I was going to say something he didn't want to hear, but begged me not to say it.

"You've targeted the biggest mafia on the entire planet...?"

I took another sip of my tea.

"Well, yes."

"..."

His eyes twitched as if he was thinking about how to break his silence while maintaining it.

Then...

"I knew... I knew you'd say something like that... I wouldn't expect anything less, would I? Every time you had to do something crazier than the last..."

The corners of his lips curved upward slightly. For some reason, though, he wasn't very happy, even though he was smiling.

"What exactly are you going to do in Old Gundam?"

"I will wipe the leaders of the Black Blood from the face of the planet."

He continued as if that wasn't the answer he wanted.

"And how are you going to do that?"

"Oh, it's simple. I'll infiltrate them. And as you know, none of the leaders of the Black Bloods are 'powerful' men in terms of fighting power."

"..."

"All of them combined are not worth one me. So as long as I infiltrate, the rest is not a problem."

"..."

I paused when I realized Lucas hadn't said anything, hadn't even blinked.

"...?"

I lowered the hand holding my tea slightly, raised my other hand, and waved it in his field of view.

"You don't seem to be listening."

"Because if it was that easy to kill them, Piarlin could have done it like ten times by now..."

"Lucas."

I placed my tea on the table.

"I'm not overconfident, and I'm not suggesting that I can simply do what Piarlin hasn't been able to do for years."

I'd been relaxed in my chair until now, but this time I straightened up.

"It will be difficult. I never thought it would be easy. I've been preparing for months, I've planned everything I need to do in the best possible way. And, besides, I know things the Piarlin don't. I plan to use them to infiltrate them."

I tapped lightly on my watch and all the files, photos, and videos I had prepared before the meeting appeared on the table between us.

"I've gathered all the information I can, all the weaknesses I can find, everything, with evidence and statistics."

Of course, what makes this possible is not simply that I've been working on this for months.

As always, it's the information I have from the game.

Months of effort to verify that this information had not changed, but also to be able to prepare these documents so that when the time came for me to implement the plan, everything would be complete.

"This is the biggest blow we can deal to Saligia. Forget the Laute Family, the Holar War, or Eshaware.

We'll take down more than half of their information networks, more than half of their trade. We'll be able to learn things about them that we never knew. At the same time, we will rid the Piarlin of the cancer that is growing steadily inside them, and we will strengthen our relationship and communication with them. There's more, yes, but I don't think I need to continue."

That alone is enough for Lucas to agree to cooperate.

But it's not that I don't understand why he's hesitating.

So I'll do my best to convince him.

"I just need you to help me with the finances and the paperwork. In the end, even if I fail, you have nothing to lose. But think of what we'll gain if I succeed. We have a Cevilian who has the full support of Holar, whose contacts with Eshaware are improving. With Piarlin as an ally, we could make Cevilian the greatest power on the planet. At least after Akael."

Lucas never once took his eyes off the files I was presenting to him during my speech.

He seemed to be studying everything from start to finish.

He needed one last push.

"You can leave everything to me, just sit back and watch what I do."

I raised my hand and moved it aside, and all the screens between us receded to the side, even if they didn't disappear completely.

With the screens gone, Lucas suddenly locked eyes with me.

"Lucas. You know why I've done everything I've ever done, even my main purpose for doing what I want to do now. You also know who I am, what I've achieved so far, and what it means that I've prepared so much for this."

He didn't avert his eyes.

"I know..."

"Well, let me ask you this then..."

And I simply narrowed mine.

"Do you trust me?"

"..."

A deep silence suddenly fell over the room.

A silence that grows heavier with each second.

But, then...

"Haaaah..."

The silence was broken by a deep sigh from Lucas.

"Yes..."

He leaned his back all the way back in his seat, his head falling back slightly as he looked away from me and up at the ceiling.

As if... questioning his life.

"Unfortunately, I do."

*******

~tick ~tock

There was no sound except that of the analog clock in the room.

~tick ~tock

Although almost all the windows were open, the only thing coming from outside was the fresh air warmed by the sun.

~tick ~tock

I was trying hard not to swallow, feeling just... oppressed by the two blue eyes staring directly at me.

"Now... why are you here, Adrian?"

And finally, the woman who looked like she could strangle me with just her eyes opened her mouth.

I swallowed.

"For my internship application... Ms. Melany..."

One of her eyebrows raised slightly.

"Internship?"

I don't know why, but ever since I walked into her room, she had this look like she didn't like me.

As if I had interrupted something important.

"You don't... need to come here to do that, you know?"

"Yes... yes, I know. But my situation is a bit... special... you could say."

After my words, her expression became more confused.

"Special, huh?"

Though, rather than confused...

"What kind of 'special'?"

She was curious, I guess.

"I've had some... things happen during my education this year... I'm talking about before the dungeon incident."

The emotion in her expression suddenly became more pronounced. She nodded her head up and down once.

"I think, and I say this because I'm not sure myself, I met someone quite important. And, well... at the end of this encounter, that person told me that when it was time for my internship, I shouldn't apply but I should come to you and tell you his name."

It was precisely at this moment that her expression suddenly changed.

Though the surprise and curiosity remained on her face, her eyes narrowed, her lips flattened.

As if... she was sure she was not going to like what she was going to hear.

"What is this person's name?"

I swallowed again.

I thought it would be much easier. That there would be no problems, that it would be quite simple.

"Chris Laergas..."

"Chris...?"

It couldn't be further from the truth...

"Wait, wait... Did you say Laergas?"

Rector Melany's eyes widened. She had been sitting comfortably in her chair until now, but suddenly she jumped up, put her hands on her desk, and leaned closer to me.

There was actually quite a distance between us.

But... there was a restlessness, a tension in me, as if she was right next to me.

"Y- yes..."

When the Rector heard me confirming her, she first stayed where she was for a few seconds.

Then... she closed her open mouth and swallowed, just as I had just done.

The expression on her face became so complicated that I couldn't tell if it was pity, sadness, or fear.

Just...

"Oh..."

I'm pretty sure nothing good is going to happen to me...

"Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into, Adrian...?"

"..."