Extra in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 137
137 – Legend (6)
Common brown hair, yet an uncommon and striking appearance.
It was a face that could not easily be forgotten, and Ethan recognized it immediately.
It was a face he had never seen before.
However, for some reason, Ethan did not feel the man was unfamiliar.
Despite being a face he had never encountered, there was a strange sense of familiarity emanating from the man.
“Let’s see. Who are you?”
In a surprisingly familiar tone, Ethan casually asked the man.
Beneath that voice lay a sense of inquiry.
Ethan had noticed the man’s presence while he was busy striking at Armianon’s head.
In the midst of it all, Ethan sensed someone’s aura and realized that someone was watching him from nearby.
Yet, he did not cease his attack, for he felt no hostility from that gaze.
His instincts, which usually warned him of danger, were eerily silent.
Thus, Ethan continued his assault, leaving the man unattended.
Of course, he remained aware of the man, even if he felt no immediate threat.
Though there was no sense of hostility now, that could change at any moment.
However, the man had done nothing but watch Ethan all along.
Right up to this very moment.
Inappropriately for the situation, Ethan was purely curious about the man’s identity.
By appearance, he should be much younger than Ethan.
Yet, it was not something he could simply dismiss.
The reason was the man’s skill.
Ethan had noticed the man’s presence at some point.
This meant that the man had managed to conceal his aura until he reached that position.
—
It would be one thing if I had been completely off guard, but it makes no sense to miss someone’s presence in the midst of battle.
No, a warrior of the Ten Swords rank would never let their guard down completely.
Yet the fact that I couldn’t detect that presence signifies one thing.
At the very least, the man’s skill is equal to or greater than my own.
Of course, it’s not entirely impossible that other possibilities exist.
If someone has trained their stealth to the utmost, it might be possible to conceal their presence, and given that there are strange powers known as Gifts in this world, I couldn’t dismiss that possibility entirely.
However, Ethan rejected that possibility.
The aura emanating from the man was undoubtedly that of a true warrior.
A unique atmosphere that only those who have reached a lofty level can possess.
And that aura was present in the man.
In other words, the likelihood that he is a warrior is high.
A warrior I have never seen before, who may possess skills superior to my own.
Ethan’s tone towards him carried a certain degree of respect.
While it was far from being polite or courteous, considering Ethan’s usual manner of speaking, this level of decorum could be seen as quite respectful.
It was due to the uncertainty of the man’s age.
At first glance, he appeared quite youthful, but Ethan did not take that at face value.
It is only natural for an exceptional warrior to look younger than their age, and once one reaches a certain level, the standards shift entirely.
A close example would be Blood Flower, who had just been here moments ago.
She appeared to be in her twenties, yet her actual age far exceeded that.
Thus, it was unreasonable to guess someone’s age based solely on their appearance.
Considering that level, he could very well be older than Ethan himself.
From one to ten, there was nothing certain.
He was truly a man who seemed to have dropped from the sky.
It didn’t strike Ethan as strange that he didn’t recognize the face of someone with such skill.
Ethan was well aware that the world is vast and filled with extraordinary individuals.
‘In the first place, that’s not the important issue right now.’
In another situation, at another time, he might have paid closer attention to the man before him.
He would have tried to find out who he was, what kind of person he was.
However, this was not that kind of situation.
There was no room for such leisure.
Time is not on our side.
The forces below are holding their ground in their own way, but Ethan knew.
As time passes, the situation will become increasingly unfavorable.
The countless gelatinous monsters, with their endless numbers, are falling even now, but just as many are rising somewhere else.
In contrast, the stamina, magic, and mental fortitude of those resisting are finite, and as time goes on, that depletion accelerates.
And once a certain point is crossed, they will completely collapse.
Knowing this, Ethan decided to bury his doubts.
The most important thing was to gain the help of the man before him.
With that thought, Ethan opened his mouth.
“No, I don’t know where you live, but if it’s okay, could you help me—”
However, Ethan stopped mid-sentence.
It was because the energy of the man in front of him had suddenly changed.
Until now, despite being right there, he had been unable to read that energy accurately.
But now, he could perceive it clearly.
What could he be thinking all of a sudden?
Ethan’s face, which had furrowed in confusion, suddenly stiffened.
And soon, his eyes widened to an unimaginable degree.
As he looked at the man with disbelief, Ethan’s mouth slowly opened.
“…Wade?”
*
“…Wade?”
Ethan’s eyes were shaking uncontrollably.
As if he had just witnessed something unbelievable.
“…It’s been a while.”
I greeted Ethan with a slight bow of my head.
“Is it really… really you, Wade?”
To Ethan, who still looked as if he couldn’t believe it, I nodded in response.
“Were you… alive all this time?”
“Yes.”
I lightly affirmed his question.
“…….”
Ethan stared at me with a blank expression.
However, that look didn’t last long.
Soon, Ethan’s expression returned to normal.
With a face that had regained its calm, Ethan lightly nodded.
“…Yeah, well. I had a vague feeling it might be like that.”
Ethan’s murmured words seemed to hold a kernel of truth.
If it weren’t true, he wouldn’t have been able to recover from his surprise so quickly.
“I have a lot to say, but the first thing I need to say is different.”
Ethan lifted his gaze to meet mine.
“I’m glad you’re alive, Wade.”
*
“I’m glad you’re alive. Wade.”
At those words, in his expression, I felt a moment of profound silence.
His sincerity came through loud and clear.
For the first time since being wrongfully accused, I revealed my true identity to someone.
The emotions I couldn’t express in words about that moment naturally contributed to that silence.
I revealed my identity to Ethan by exposing my magical power.
There were ways to drop my disguise, but given that I wasn’t entirely without an audience, I judged that this approach was more certain when it came to someone like Ethan.
Every person has a unique magical resonance.
Of course, those who have reached a superhuman level can control even the essence of their unique magic, but that’s merely a matter of alteration; it’s impossible to perfectly mimic someone else’s resonance.
That’s why Ethan recognized my identity right away.
He had encountered my magic before.
To be honest, I felt a twinge of anxiety.
Given the circumstances I was in.
Now, the belief that I was dead had become widely accepted, but in the eyes of the public, I was a murderer who had killed the prince of the empire and fled.
If it were to be revealed that I was still alive, it was obvious that the empire would come after me with a vengeance.
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In such a situation, revealing my identity was bound to carry significant risks.
Unless the person I was revealing it to was family or someone with whom I had a very close bond.
In that regard, Ethan was in a rather delicate position.
I had navigated hardships together in my own way, and we had even trained together, but when asked if our bond was deep, it was a bit ambiguous to nod my head in agreement.
However, I decided to trust Ethan.
Though it was a short time, I chose to believe in my judgment of the person known as Ethan Bertrand.
Thus, I revealed my true identity.
And it seemed that choice was not wrong after all.
“What on earth happened to you?”
Ethan, shaking off his surprise, asked with a look of disbelief this time.
“Do you have any idea how flustered I was when I heard the rumors? Suddenly, a prince’s murder?”
A deep sense of doubt and an incredulousness that showed no intention of being concealed colored his voice.
It was entirely understandable. If I were in Ethan’s position, I would have reacted the same way.
“…Well, there were various things.”
However, I had no leisure to kindly unravel that question.
“We’ll talk about the details later.”
“…Hah, I suppose that makes sense.”
Ethan, who had been looking at me with a complicated expression for a moment, nodded reluctantly.
He must have known how urgent the situation was.
“Well then, that means we need to deal with this guy first…”
His gaze fell downward.
Toward the Arminanon we were standing on.
“This guy, I just can’t see a way out.”
Ethan added, his expression showing his dissatisfaction.
“I managed to pierce the scales somehow, but beyond that, nothing more.”
As he spoke, Ethan pointed to his sword still embedded in the head of the Arminanon.
In truth, there was no need for an explanation.
I had been watching all his actions.
I had yet to attack directly, but I knew that the scales of the Arminanon possessed an absurd level of hardness.
Even after taking a blow infused with the full power of ten swords, it had only sustained a scratch.
That could be described as an unimaginable toughness.
Yet, Ethan had managed to pierce such scales.
Using nothing less than a sword technique.
Although it was an imperfect swordsmanship, it was undoubtedly swordsmanship.
In my memories, Ethan had been unable to wield it.
Yet now, he was handling swordsmanship.
Feeling a mix of emotions about that fact, I said,
“I’ll give it a try.”
It was now my time to step forward.