Extra in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 121
121 – Entry (3)
“Johanna?”
At the sight of that familiar face, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes in surprise.
The time spent with just Pana and me had felt rather awkward, so the first emotion I felt upon seeing her was relief.
Of course, I also felt a sense of comfort knowing she was safe.
However, that relief quickly faded.
I realized that this situation wasn’t particularly good for me.
If it were a stranger, it might be different, but in front of someone I knew, it was even more uncomfortable to show my skills.
In other words, it meant I was now more uneasy than before.
“…It seems you’re not injured.”
Johanna looked me over and said that with a slightly relieved expression.
“I’m glad to see you’re safe too, Johanna.”
Johanna showed no visible wounds either.
If she had come here after passing through the same level of trials that Pana and I had faced, that was only to be expected.
Johanna’s skills were certainly not at a level where she would be injured by just a few golems.
“What about the others?”
“I don’t know. When I opened my eyes, I was alone.”
“I see.”
It seemed that the symptoms she experienced were similar to those of me and Pana.
After that, Johanna and I exchanged brief conversations, and through those exchanges, I realized that she had gone through a process similar to mine to arrive at this place.
However, there was one difference.
“You didn’t meet anyone else in the maze?”
“Yeah.”
It appeared that she hadn’t encountered anyone else in the maze.
While that struck me as somewhat odd, I soon accepted it.
There was no guarantee that this space was designed for everyone to undergo exactly the same process.
Even a slight difference wouldn’t be strange.
Anyway, as I was organizing information while chatting with her about various things.
“Looks like you know each other?”
Pana, who had been quietly observing our conversation, interjected.
At that moment, I realized my oversight.
No matter how pleasant it was to meet someone I knew, it was rude to continue talking without including her.
Johanna’s gaze naturally turned toward Pana as well.
“You are…?”
“I’m Pana El Kultan.”
Johanna’s eyes widened slightly at that introduction.
I understood that she already knew her name, as we were part of the same group.
However, judging by her reaction, it seemed this was the first time she was seeing her in person.
“…Johanna Fairlyn.”
Yet, the change that appeared on Johanna’s face vanished in an instant.
She quickly composed herself, and Johanna also revealed her name.
And with that, their conversation came to an end.
“…”
From the way they faced each other, I sensed a subtle tension.
It wasn’t a feeling of hostility toward one another.
—
It would be close to having no interest in the other person at all.
Johanna had always been aware of such a personality, but comparing her previous behavior—constantly initiating conversation with me, a stranger—to how she was now felt somewhat unfamiliar.
Perhaps this is what Pana usually looks like.
The rumors I had heard about her at camp were roughly in line with this feeling.
If viewed this way, her attitude towards me should be considered unusual.
And I could roughly guess the source of that unusual attitude.
‘Interest.’
What was clearly reflected in Pana’s gaze towards me was a distinct curiosity.
She was intrigued by me as a person.
Perhaps that interest had begun because of the incident that occurred when we first met.
Realizing this, I inwardly blamed my own foolishness.
If one is to act, one must do so perfectly; yet, I had let my guard down simply because there was no one I knew around, leading to this situation.
Resolving to be more cautious moving forward, I decided to focus on the reality before me.
“What are your thoughts, Johanna? Are you planning to look for Max or Hector first?”
Although I had joined them, my purpose remained unchanged.
To move forward through this grave and reach its end.
So, if Johanna’s goal was to reunite with her group, I was prepared to leave her behind, even if it meant going against the flow.
Johanna, who saw me merely as a rookie mercenary, wouldn’t understand at all and would likely suspect me, but it couldn’t be helped.
Preventing the ‘organization’s’ conspiracy was more important to me than avoiding suspicion.
As I waited for Johanna’s response with such thoughts in mind.
“No. I’m prioritizing moving forward over reuniting.”
Johanna gave an unexpected answer.
To be honest, I had thought her top priority would be to join Max and Hector along with the rest of the group.
However, her response was different.
From the look in her eyes, it was clear she wasn’t just saying what she didn’t mean while gauging my expression.
After all, Johanna wasn’t the type to do such a thing.
‘…….’
In that case, a question arose.
Why did she readily accept Max’s proposal?
She was a mercenary with a level of recognition that could be counted on one hand, even in Darville.
If she had wanted to take on a commission, she could have easily secured a hefty reward in just a few minutes.
However, she chose not to do so and instead accompanied our party, with no particular compensation to be gained.
At first, I thought she might be genuinely interested in the hero’s tomb, like Max, but after observing her throughout our journey, it seemed she was surprisingly indifferent to it.
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She also appeared to have little interest in the hero’s sword, which was the very flower of the hero’s tomb and essentially the greatest motivation for those who had gathered here.
If it were simply because she was not one to reveal her true feelings, I would have nothing to say, but I didn’t think that was the case.
I truly felt that she had no interest in the hero’s tomb itself.
If that was indeed the case, then why had she come here?
She had even turned down a chance to earn a large sum of money, choosing instead to endure hardships for a place that she didn’t seem particularly interested in.
I was curious about the reason behind it.
“…Then let’s proceed together.”
I didn’t feel the need to voice that thought.
Thus, unintentionally, our party became three.
*
How long had it been since we rejoined Johanna and continued along the forest path?
I began to feel a subtle sense of alienation.
And that alienation was emanating from the forest itself.
At first, I thought it might just be a simple illusion.
But it wasn’t.
“Something… feels off.”
Perhaps Pana felt it too, as she was carefully observing our surroundings.
“Hmm… I’m not sure.”
In contrast, Johanna seemed oblivious to the strange alienation that Pana and I were sensing.
It wasn’t really something to blame Johanna for.
Pana and I were merely feeling the alienation without knowing its cause.
However, we couldn’t remain trapped by an alienation whose cause we didn’t understand, so after a brief pause, we resumed our steps.
“After all this effort to get outside, it’s not much different from being in a maze.”
During our resumed walk, Pana suddenly spoke up.
“…That’s true.”
Until now, I had mostly just nodded along with her comments, but this time I responded with genuine agreement.
It was nice to be out of the maze, but to be honest, the flow of things hadn’t been much different from being inside it.
The same scene kept repeating itself.
In essence, only the landscape had changed; what we were doing was no different from a maze.
No, it could even be said that it was of poorer quality.
In the maze, we would occasionally encounter a golem, but here, there was nothing of the sort yet.
The only redeeming aspect was that, compared to the suffocating indoors, the open forest felt a bit more comfortable.
However, they say words can become seeds.
“…Wait a moment.”
Pana suddenly stopped in her tracks.
I too halted my steps as soon as those words fell.
Though I didn’t speak, I already knew.
The first guest had finally appeared.
A quick glance to the side revealed that Johanna was also watching intently with sharp eyes.
All of our gazes were directed toward the thicket before us.
How long had it been in that state?
The underbrush shook violently, and something pushed through, revealing itself.
“That is…”
“What on earth…”
Pana and Johanna’s faces scrunched up simultaneously at the sight of ‘it.’
I thought it was understandable.
I felt the same way.
No, anyone present would likely have shown a similar reaction.
What had suddenly appeared had a form that instinctively provoked human discomfort.
If I were to describe that form in words, it felt like a ragged monster sculpted from black slime.
“Ugh…”
To make matters worse, it emitted a grotesque, unwelcome groan.
“…It seems Berhavil has worse tastes than I thought.”
Pana quietly added.
I did not agree.
I still believed that this place could not have been created by Berhavil.
I was merely expressing my sincere condolences for the tarnished honor of Berhavil, unexpectedly so.
“Let me handle this.”
With those words, Johanna stepped forward.