The Extra Wants To Live

"Master Carl!"

As Catherine approached the castle gate, holding the Emperor's standard high so that it could be seen clearly, a group of cavalrymen ran out of the castle as if they had been waiting.

They stopped in front of Carl and dismounted.

Among them, a man wearing fancy armor and a green cloak stepped forward from a suitable distance.

"Who are you?"

Carl asked as he drove his horse forward.

Although his speech was polite, his confidence and authority shone as coldly as a blade.

He didn't even get off his horse but looked down at the burly man with his chin up, who looked like he could easily crush him.

The man, who looked to be in his thirties, bowed his head, placed his hand on his chest, and opened his mouth.

"This is Philaine of Davron, son of Goban, Baron of Semilla."

This is Philane Davron, the son of Govan, Marquis of Davron, and Baron Semilla, who inherited Govan's barony of Semilla.

Although he wanted to complicate his self-introduction, he clearly referred to himself at the end as 'Philaine of Davron,' so Carl decided to call him Philaine after that.

"Philaine, it's nice to meet you. This is Carl Hordion"

Only after hearing Philaine's introduction did Carl dismount and stand in front of him.

In front of the large-boned Philaine, Carl looked small and insignificant, but perhaps because of his dignified demeanor, he did not seem to be intimidated at all.

With his slightly dull brown hair and beard, his firm dark brown eyes, and his thick nose and square jaw, Philaine was a man of such massive stature that he might have been better described as a knight or warrior than as the son of a marquis or a baron.

Philaine was a little taken aback when he saw Carl dismount from his horse, because even though he knew that he was the 4th prince, who was rumored to be sickly, he looked so majestic on his horse that she felt very large.

However, when he actually got off the horse, Carl had a small body that barely exceeded his chest.

Because of this, Philaine decided to be very careful about his attitude toward Carl.

Even with such a small body, Carl exuded such strong charisma that it felt similar to him. He couldn't help but be cautious.

"Are you here to pick me up?"

"Yes, Lord Carl." Carl changed his sharp demeanor from a moment ago to a softer one and extended his small hand to Philaine for a handshake.

Philaine willingly shook Carl's hand and lowered his voice.

"Master Carl, first of all, thank you for coming all this way for Dabron. I should have welcomed you with honor and given you time to recover from the aftereffects, but I am sorry that the matter is so urgent that I had no choice but to come and fetch you."

"Are you saying the situation is that bad? I will take responsibility for it, so didn't I tell you to avoid conflict with Tumaria, even if it means mentioning the 4th Prince's name?"

Carl, who had been exchanging greetings gently, spoke firmly and sternly with a sharp gaze to Philaine's words.

He had authority not simply as the 4th prince, but as a commander who received a flag from the emperor and went on a campaign.

If he ignore Carl's words and cause friction with Tumari, he is also ignoring the Emperor's flag.

"I'm sorry. Before we could take action in Haona Davron, Tumaria was acting quite aggressively, so we couldn't move quickly."

"… Are you saying that Tumaria seems to want war?"

Carl asked again, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm not sure, but I've confirmed that they have deployed a small number of troops near the border and are scouting with light cavalry. I've tried contacting them, but they've tightened their guard and haven't responded."

"Let's talk while we move."

Carl realized that the situation was much more dire and serious than he had thought, and jumped on his horse in one breath.

Davron's cavalrymen, including Philaine, also mounted their horses, and soldiers who had dismounted and were walking because their hips were sore also boarded the carriage.

"Depart!" Moving at the speed of the carriage, Carl looked at Philaine running next to him.

"Has Lord Davron deployed his troops?"

"We are conducting reconnaissance with light cavalry and are on the lookout for Salgarez mercenaries and Tumaria troops, but full-scale military operation is not yet in place."

Carl pursed his lips. Fortunately, perhaps thanks to his letter, but the Marquis of Davron seemed to have no intention of going to war.

Even so, the situation was bad. They had to run as quickly as possible.

***

The Marquis of Davron was a very large land.

There were several baronies within this large territory.

To get to the border, one had to cross the Marquisate straight across.

Because the horse was so tired, they had to change horses at a manor they stopped at along the way.

The horses they were originally riding would be given enough rest and then handed over to Carl later.

Although it was his first time riding a horse other than the nameless white horse, Carl was able to ride it without much difficulty.

His brown horse was a little rougher in temperament than his white horse, but no one worried about Carl, and Carl didn't worry about him.

In the short time that Carl strode over, grabbed the reins, and climbed on, this ill-tempered horse had become a quiet and obedient child.

'They said you were sick, but that was just a rumor.'

When Philaine saw Carl driving the horse quickly without feeling the slightest bit of fatigue, she dismissed the information given by the nobles planted in the center as nonsense.

Carl appeared small and lanky at first glance, but he had rough, tough hands that were only slightly reddened from holding the rough leather reins and running in this chilly weather.

He was a warrior who had already been completed, with unwavering stamina and a strong lower body that could drive a horse. And those eyes.

Could he really say that he was 'a sickly, ignorant, barbarian' after seeing those fierce eyes with hid own eyes?

Thanks to driving his horse like crazy, Carl was barely able to reach Davron Castle just as the sun was setting.

They ran so fast that they covered the wide territory in half a day. The soldiers who had endured the pain in the cushionless carriages felt as if their backs were being torn apart.

Seeing the emperor's flag held by Carl, Philaine, and Catherine running in a hurry, the light cavalry patrolling around Davron Castle with torches in hand quickly overtook them and ran toward the castle.

Upon hearing the news that the 4th prince, who had gone on a campaign under the emperor's flag, had arrived with Philaine, the side gate of Davron Castle, which was kept under strict guard, opened, and knights and soldiers came out to greet Carl.

Even in the midst of the urgency, they followed the procedure, checked on Carl, and quickly opened the gate.

They were like Dabron guarding the border.

Carl, who entered Davron Castle, a fortress built solely for war, followed Philaine to the eastern castle without even having time to look at its strength.

When they climbed up the eastern ramparts, they could see a vast plain stretching out endlessly.

The sun had set, and beyond the plains that had turned purple, the rocky mountains that jutted out here and there shone alone.

Davron Castle was located at the narrow waist of the Celle Mountains, which divided the border with Tumaria. After passing through a relatively shallow valley, they settled in a location leading to an endless wilderness.

The reason the valley was not tightly blocked was probably because Hardion also had an ambition to conquer that wilderness.

"Father."

Carl, who had been momentarily absorbed in the beauty of nature, suddenly came to his senses at Philaine's words.

And he felt eyes watching him quietly.

A middle-aged man with graying hair pulled back and tied up, and a beard that covered his chin and cheeks and reached down to his chest, tied with a string, was looking down at Carl.

'He is a rock-like person.'

The moment Carl looked into his eyes that were hotter than a torch, he felt that way.

He was a person who, like the rocky mountain in the wilderness, had been eroded by the harsh sandstorms for a long time, but had still maintained his place as he always had.

'These are not the eyes of a young child.'

The man, Govan, also saw Carl and noticed that he was not ordinary.

An intense charisma and steely will that you wouldn't find in other kids his age were shining in Carl's vivid green eyes.

"This is Dabron's Goban."

"This is Carl." The two introduced themselves simply, without any grandiose rhetoric, and shook hands.

"I heard about the deployment of troops in Tumari, but what is the situation?"

"There has been no special movement since then."

"The Salgarez mercenary group will be even more extreme."

"Yes." He got to the point too quickly, so other people were confused.

Carl leaned against the castle wall with his eyes narrowed and glared at the dark wilderness. Beyond, across the wilderness, he saw a light emanating from the garrison of Tumaris. There were quite a lot of them.

"It's not like the mercenaries joined hands with Tumaria, right?"

At Carl's sharp question, Govan looked down with sunken eyes at the small back with his cloak fluttering.

Carl now suspected that the Salgarez mercenary group, under the auspices of Tumaria, was doing this in order to fan the flames of war.

That is, doesn't Tumaria's aggressive attitude show that they want war?

"That is unknown."

There was nothing they could do as Tumaria stubbornly held on and ignored their calls. If they moved their troops hastily, an all-out war could break out.

"Where is the location of the Salgarez mercenary group?"

At Carl's words, Govan stood next to him and pointed directly to the wilderness with his fingertips.

"They are located in the southeast quadrant of the plains, near the rocky outcroppings."

Carl's gaze followed the direction Govan indicated. He could make out the distant lights flickering, indicating the presence of the mercenary camp.

The prince's eyes narrowed further as he calculated the distance and potential threats.

"Master Carl, what are your orders?" Philaine inquired, sensing the urgency in Carl's demeanor.