Not-So an Extra

—Rustle!

Adrian shoved the bushes away and upon arriving at the end of the earth sliding, several people were seen scattered everywhere.

It looked like Ralph got the prisoners out of the cage.

Studying the surroundings, he found Sylvina and Rhea amidst the crowd, they were treating the wounded prisoners.

It seemed Ralph called them here.

Not too far away from them, he saw Ralph talking with two men and a woman—the main target of the mission.

They were bowing continuously, expressing their gratitude and Ralph's bewildered face was palpable.

"So… it's a happy ending, huh?"

Péréz who stood beside him chimed in and Adrian flatly replied.

"Not yet."

The wheat-haired boy's forehead creased and glanced at him with a confused look.

"Huh? Why?"

"We still need to escort them to the nearby town."

It was not like they could leave the prisoners here and go on their way.

Upon hearing it Péréz could only heave a long sigh.

"Haa… you're right."

With that, Adrian checked the map on his Telesphere to look for any nearby town available. 

Péréz switched his attention to the front.

His hazel eyes crossed paths with Ralph, who had just finished his business with the woman before both nodded their heads in silence.

As a thought hit him, Péréz asked Adrian.

"By the way, how are we going to make it to the nearby town with so many people like this? I mean, we don't have any wagon to transport them?"

"Well, we can make a big raft and tie it to the horses. It won't be comfortable, but it's the best we can do."

Adrian answered without removing his eyes from his Telesphere.

Péréz couldn't help but marvel inwardly at the boy's intelligence.

Again, the boy next to him effortlessly demonstrated his cleverness once more.

Somehow Péréz wondered what his brain was actually made of.

The Imperial gene was truly terrifying, huh?

"Then, should we start making the raft then?"

Péréz suggested and Adrian nodded his head in response.

"Sure."

Just right after they turned around, Adrian's eyebrows furrowed when he sensed multiple foreign presences approaching them in the distance.

"Péréz follow me."

"Huh? Uh, okay."

Without further ado, Adrian swiftly ran towards the nearest tree and leaped onto a branch, shadowed by Péréz.

Something amiss was going on.

If those people were part of Gizel's team, Adrian would have recognized a familiar presence such as Fredinand or Nathaniel.

However, he suspected that the individuals currently present were not affiliated with his homeroom teacher's team.

After running for a few minutes, a group of people on horseback appeared in the distance.

They were dressed in shabby clothes, had matted hair, and were armed on horses.

The riders darted their eyes vigorously from left to right as if searching for something important.

The boys halted his step and hid behind a big tree trunk.

"What the—there are still more of them?"

Péréz whispered in disbelief.

Despite their attempts to think positively, their appearances were suspicious and thuggish.

"What are we going to do now?"

Adrian might have let them pass if they were going in a different direction.

But since they were headed toward the prisoners, he couldn't risk letting them get any closer.

Because it would be a disaster if the prisoners were entangled in their fight if the battle was unavoidable.

"First, let's find out who they are."

Thus, Adrian jumped onto a higher branch.

.

.

.

—Clip —Clop —Clip —Clop 

Fifteen people rode their horses through the wilderness, the sound of their hooves creating a rhythmic beat.

The group's appearances varied in degrees of shabbiness and unkemptness.

"—just where are they?"

One woman with dirty and disheveled clothes muttered under her breath whilst scanning the area.

"Tsk! Don't tell me that Professor gives us the wrong direction again."

She grumbled and a man with matted light brown hair reminded her.

"Shh, he might hear you."

She turned to him and rolled her eyes boredly.

"Well, it isn't our fault that the mission failed—"

"He's still our client, so please speak mindfully."

The man in the forefront, who appeared to be the leader of the party, cut in.

The woman bit her lower lip and quickly apologized.

"I understand, please forgive me."

"The most important thing right now is to find them."

"Yes, Captain!"

They responded in unison.

Since their mission to act as bandits had failed, Gizel gave them a new job, which made him split the group into two teams.

The first team was assigned to take care of the bandits, while the second team was tasked with guarding the prisoners until the town's guard arrived.

—Drrtt!

However, without warning, the ground beneath them began to shake violently, causing their horses to whine and rear up in fear.

They immediately regrouped and scattered their eyes in every direction, trying to assess what was going on.

Suddenly, an enormous wall of earth soared up in front of them, obstructing their route.

As the uneasiness crept in, the leader of the group quickly turned their horse sideways and gave an order.

"This way!"

The group followed suit, but before they could proceed any further, another earthen wall emerged and blocked their path.

—Neigh!

Their anxiety grew thicker with each passing moment when the earth's walls kept rising from all sides, closing in from all angles.

—Drrtt!

The sound of rocks sliding above and the sky gradually darkening forced them to look up.

To their surprise, an earth wall was descending from above, encasing and imprisoning them in a cube of earth.

Questions rang out in the blackness, each person desperate to understand what was transpiring.

"What is happening?!"

"What is going on?!"

Despite the chaos, the leader's firm voice cut through the panic.

"Everyone, please, calm down!"

The group slowly quietened and directed their attention toward the light that glowed brightly in the darkness.

A fireball resting on top of the leader's palm came into view, illuminating his face with an eerie light.

He tried to open his mouth, but before he could say a word, there was someone faster.

"Who are you?"