Chapter 6
2. Extras Don’t Need Obsession Either (1)
In my memory, Prince Izador might have had ulterior motives, but he wasn’t a sinister character.
But the crown prince was the complete opposite. He approached Hiakin, who had lost his sister and was left alone, using revenge as a pretext, and Hiakin, having lost his only family, ended up taking his hand.
‘This time, I need to make sure Hiakin manifests gradually so he doesn’t catch the crown prince’s eye.’
Hiakin, having lost his one and only guardian, is an easy target for those in power to pull to their side. I have to change that flow this time.
‘If I die, Hiakin will just end up being used by revenge again. For my brother’s sake, I can’t die like this.’
I don’t want my brother to walk such a horrific path.
Of course, to make that happen, it would be best to go to Brondearn as Prince Izador recommended.
‘But the best way is for him to go to the military academy with me.’
That way, I can handle whatever happens. The rest can be prepared step by step afterward.
‘Above all, I don’t know how Blair and the other Brondearns would treat Hiakin while I’m gone, so it’s uncomfortable to leave him behind alone.’
However, I need to induce him to undergo his first manifestation before the academy enrollment deadline…
‘Seeing the abnormal reaction, it probably won’t take long.’
If some trigger arises or he learns how to handle mana, he’ll manifest.
‘Should I deliberately make him continuously exposed to mana?’
But I’m a guide with not even a speck of mana.
Of course, it’s not like there’s no way at all.
The pill refined by extracting mana from an esper’s blood, ‘Nexium.’
Guides can only stabilize an esper’s mana and don’t possess mana themselves, but by taking Nexium, they can temporarily handle an esper’s mana in pill form.
The pill I took at the Lorraine count’s house was exactly that.
‘But I can’t take it without permission again. One slip, and this time I’ll really end up in the management agency’s detention.’
As I repeatedly thought up and discarded various methods, my mind eventually reached the idea of borrowing power from another esper.
‘For example, Acteon or someone…’
The reason the Brondearn people manifest unusually quickly isn’t anything special.
‘Though it’s unusual that all the espers born there are high-rank.’
Mana has a property of reacting to mana.
When a high-rank esper’s mana stimulates the latent mana within a pre-manifestor, they undergo their first manifestation earlier than others and become a manifestor.
That was exactly why the Brondearn children manifested unusually early.
‘Since it’s a family where high-rank espers are common, Hiakin should be influenced quite a bit too.’
Perhaps if Hiakin reacts to Acteon or others who have already undergone first manifestation, he might manifest quickly.
‘Even if it doesn’t work, I have to make it work.’
I looked at Hiakin with concern, then glanced at Blair, who was still ignoring me, and turned my head back to the window.
For some reason, seeing that enormous mansion-like estate in the distance, it seemed we were almost there.
‘It’s certain… It’s like they’ve plastered their name in huge letters saying it’s no ordinary family.’
The estates in the central district all boasted vast grounds and lavish mansions, but that one was overwhelmingly the largest among them.
With a garden that seemed to occupy an entire district by itself, and a mansion that felt enormously large even from this far away, despite still having a ways to go, it stood out unrivaled.
On top of that, an exterior as beautiful as the royal palace. There was no telling how much money had been invested.
“We’ve arrived.”
As expected, Blair informed us that this was the place where we’d be staying anew. His voice was dry to the point of being chilly.
The carriage passed through an ornate, glossy iron gate. It seemed that massive thing was the main entrance. As we went further in, the view opened up, revealing a splendid garden.
If it were any other time, I might have ordinarily been moved, thinking what a truly beautiful place.
But to my eyes, having eaten my share of experience at Estra Military Academy, it just made me think they’d suffer from bugs every summer.
If I stepped on even one flower wrong, my year’s salary might evaporate, so I should stay far away.
In contrast, Hiakin couldn’t hide his overflowing admiration.
That sight was cute yet poignant. Once we safely escape this country and become independent someday, it might be nice to make a flower bed in front of the house.
However, this leisure didn’t last long. The moment we got out of the carriage, what greeted us was…
“Hello, I’m Liliope Ortis. This is my younger brother.”
As his guardian, I greeted first. When I lifted my head, a young man who looked about the same age as Hiakin was standing there.
Jet-black hair. Silver-gray eyes tinged with a light ash. Even though he was the same age as Hiakin, he was already a head taller than me. Despite not having entered the military academy yet, his ingrained movements and lines were more soldierly than mine.
Moreover.
‘It’s beyond imagination…’
He was handsome enough to make me let my guard down for a moment. Even knowing that the slight curve of his eyes as he looked this way was a formal smile, he was disconcertingly handsome.
Is this it? The overwhelming beauty that’s a prerequisite for the male lead?
Despite having just come of age, his build and height, larger than most adults, exuded even more intimidation.
Yes. He was none other than the male lead who would kill me.
Acteon Brondearn.
‘With a face like that, he could make a living doing anything without needing to be a soldier or whatever.’
Of all things, I had to be reborn as the protagonist of this novel and end up enlisting. Instead of responding to my greeting, I simply stared back at those eyes quietly watching me.
Knowing his personality all too well, I wanted to leave as vague an impression as possible rather than bother smiling at him.
‘It’s obvious we’ll have a hard time getting close anyway.’
Sure enough, Acteon gave what seemed like a faint smile, then…
“….”
He ignored my greeting.
“Blair, Father is waiting.”
I’d expected this kind of treatment, but actually being ignored like this felt strangely off-putting.
‘Well, it makes sense. I’d feel uneasy around someone who might end up killing me too.’
Blair exchanged a brief word with the butler who had been waiting outside the mansion beforehand, then led me and Hiakin inside.
Throughout, Acteon didn’t spare me another glance. Instead, he listened as Blair mentioned he’d show us to our rooms first.
“…Do we really have to stay here?”
Hiakin poked my side and whispered to me without the other two noticing. I just nodded slightly instead of answering. If you hate it, hurry up and manifest. Then you can stay in the school dorms.
Acteon silently took the lead up the stairs ahead of Blair. It seemed he intended to escort us to our rooms himself.
‘Normally, that would be the lady of the house’s job.’
Does that mean there’s no one in the mansion right now to handle such things? Just then, someone appeared in the hallway.
“Acteon.”
Ah, damn it. I couldn’t help but make a sour face. Fortunately, they didn’t seem to recognize who I was.
‘I forgot that guy was on leave too.’
Who was it? The second young master of the house.
Those vivid purple eyes glared this way, brimming with wariness. They scanned us from head to toe with no trace of courtesy, but I couldn’t show my displeasure, so I quietly swallowed the bitter feeling.
Cassiel Brondearn.
Acteon’s older brother, mentioned in *Taming the Catastrophic Transcendent*, and a sub-male lead.
He’s oversensitive and quick to spew verbal abuse, but he gets reformed through Milia and ends up desperately clinging to her.
‘And a character I didn’t particularly like….’
I smoothed my expression as best I could and awkwardly turned my head away from him. Cassiel smirked crookedly, observed Hiakin intently for a moment, then paused briefly on my face.
“Messengers have been coming and going all afternoon—I guess this is why?”
“Ah, it must have bothered you. But it’s almost dinnertime, so you should get ready too, Brother.”
Acteon soothed him skillfully, as if Cassiel’s irritability wasn’t new. But Cassiel remained uncooperative.
“You’re not seriously telling me to come down because Father wants us to eat dinner in the same space as an unmanifested one and a B-grade, are you?”
“Even if you don’t like it, Father won’t tolerate your absence.”
“….”
Only after Acteon delivered what was almost a threat did Cassiel bite his lip hard and turn away.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
“Well, I suppose overlooking a B-grade that’s basically underfoot is one thing, but sponsoring an unmanifested one must mean he’s got potential for a decent grade.”
…He couldn’t possibly know about me, right?
I was about to ask if he knew me, but Cassiel, who had been looking at me with eyes full of contempt, just passed us by and headed downstairs.
‘Sheesh, I can tell just how skewed the standards are in this household.’
A sigh escaped me without thinking. Then I locked eyes with Acteon, who had apparently been watching me at some point.
“….”
Once again, he ignored me. At this rate, it was like being treated as a ghost.
As I’ve said before… B-grade isn’t low at all, but the people in this house have such inflated expectations that they probably see A-grade as barely usable and only S-grade as worthwhile.
‘Ugh, damn this grade-obsessed world.’
Calm down inwardly, don’t get involved—I repeated to myself, steadying my mind, when Hiakin called out to me.
“…Why are all noble houses like this?”
Tell me about it. It’s obvious, though. Here too, they’re probably snarling and fighting over succession based on manifestation grades.
Still, they’re only snubbing me; they seem somewhat lenient toward Hiakin. That wasn’t too bad.
Moreover, Acteon…
‘I imagined he’d have a much darker vibe after what happened.’
The starting point of Acteon’s trauma: the Claire Brondearn rampage incident.
In the original, the trigger for Acteon’s trauma was the incident where Cassiel’s twin, Claire, rampaged and died.
Claire Brondearn, an S-grade transcendent who had completed her second manifestation early and shuttled across battlefields.
Realizing at a young age that a mere flick of her finger could sweep away dozens of lives, Claire was deeply shocked and developed a profound aversion to killing people.
Unable to endure her crumbling psyche, she ultimately killed her own guide with her own hands.
‘And that guide was the only person Acteon had opened his heart to here.’
The incident had already happened before I recalled my memories of the original, so there was nothing I could do to intervene.
So I’d come prepared with considerable resolve, expecting Acteon to be in a state too damaged to approach…
‘But on the surface, he looks fine.’
Unlike Cassiel, who bristled at everyone, Acteon wore a calm, serene expression. Though it was just a mask-like smile layered on top.
As I walked through the opulent, beautiful interior of the mansion, I kept my gaze on Acteon’s back.
‘Maybe I can hope he’s a little okay?’
But I was being presumptuous.
My expectations for Acteon’s healthy growth without trauma, and for romance—it took less than a full day for them to shatter to pieces.
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