Extra S*ave Saves the Crown Prince

It has been three days since I arrived in Einfork.

There were separate quarters for the slaves, but I was specially assigned to live in a corner of the herb warehouse by the priest.

There was barely enough room to lie down, but I was still grateful because the slave quarters don’t really have a separate one for women.

I was able to sleep well because I secretly liked the smell of the herbs.

The only problem was that it was a lot of work.

“Seth, can you help me with the laundry?”

“Seth, do you remember how many I counted earlier?”

“Seth, can you help me clean this?”

“Priest, may I take Seth for a moment?”

My main job was to help out in the herb warehouse, but they were short-handed, so I volunteered to help out in other departments in my spare time.

Everyone seemed to have a lot on their plate, so I lent a helping hand, but they came back for more every time.

“Do you want me to make a numbered list? Seth?”

There were people who came to the herb warehouse from morning to evening, to the extent that the priests couldn’t help but talk about it in a funny way.

Herbs are difficult to manage, so it’s a lot of work, but when I saw them, I would be so lost in those herbs that I wouldn’t even notice that the day had already gone by.

⚘

“Huh?”

After lunch, I helped wash the dishes and was on my way back to the herb warehouse.

I heard a crash and turned around to see that a cart had just tipped over. Firewood fell to the ground in a heap.

“Oh, thank God, huh?”

I couldn’t pretend I didn’t see him, so I rushed over to pick up the wood, but he saw me first, and he was surprised.

“Seth?!”

The sound of his greasy voice sent goosebumps up my arms.

He used to tell me that he was going to Einfork to become a knight, but he ended up here.

“That’s right, how can we meet here again, it’s really fate!”

I don’t think it’s fate, it’s just a coincidence.

“No way, you!”

He suddenly clamped one hand over his mouth. I prepared to back away quietly, because based on my experience, there’s a good chance something weird will come out of his mouth after that.

“Are you trying to find me, here!”

“No.”

“But you came all the way to Einfork!”

“No.”

“No?”

“No. Not at all.”

“Well…? Well, let’s just say it is. I’ve been doing fine, and as you can see, I’m unharmed.”

‘I didn’t ask…’

Apparently, people change easily.

His name was Ronde, and he was the son of a baron, but his family was poor, so he was living a commoner’s life.

I met him while doing odd jobs at a restaurant, and I remembered him because he had a huge ego.

“By any chance, did you become a knight?”

It didn’t look like it at first glance, but I still asked him out of politeness…

He wasn’t really a bad person. He was a good man at heart.

“I’m still training. If the path to knighthood were easy, anyone could become one.”

“I see.”

“Seth. You’ve gotten prettier since I last saw you.”

Instead of answering, I finished clearing the wood and ducked to avoid him.

“I can’t tell if it’s really fate. I thought you were at the palace. Seth, you’re welcome to visit me anytime. I’ll be waiting for you at the stables.”

“…You work at the stables?”

“It’s not work, it’s training. I’m learning how to handle horses.”

“Okay, I’ll take my leave then.”

“I see. It’s been a while, and you’re probably a bit shy, I understand. I’m fine, so come see me whenever you’re ready.”

(T/N: Hahaha he’s funny.)

I clenched and unclenched my fists.

I got another person to avoid as much as possible in this place.

Unless, of course, if I mean to avoid them in a completely different way.

A few hours later.

I felt the peaceful air suddenly shatter.

A chill ran down my back, sending goosebumps up my spine.

I felt my heart drop to the ground, and I grabbed my collar with one hand.

Pooh-ooh-.

The sound of a horn rang out loudly. The flags began to flutter profusely like drums. The seemingly calm atmosphere of the camp changed drastically.

It was a signal that a demon had arrived.

Thud, thud, thud.

Soldiers were seen approaching the fortress in rows and columns, as if they knew the demon had appeared.

There was already a group waiting ahead in advance.

A rider was holding a flag overhead, and waving it desperately.

‘If the flag is waved overhead, it means that a great demon has appeared.’

A small shiver ran down my spine as I remembered what Priest O’mont had told me.

Thud, thud, thud.

From the other side came the Knights of Thorn on horseback.

They were casually riding out in front of the soldiers. Their black cloaks fluttered dazzlingly in the wind.

And finally, he appeared.

His black horse was the largest among the horses, making him stand out even more.

He seemed to be the biggest target in that group.

He wore a dark red cloak that made him look as if he had already been soaked in blood, which made it even harder to breathe when you look at him.

He raised one arm at the head of the line, and with a snap, the fortress gates rose open.

The crown prince charged furiously towards the open door.

“Aaaaaaah!”

The mercenaries and knights rushed after him, and a cloud of dust enveloped them.

I tried to see out of it somehow, but the winds of dust obscured my vision.

By the time the dust had settled, the fortress gates had already closed firmly behind them.

With that, they rushed out into the battlefield.

“Hah. Hah.”

Ronde was clutching a cart tightly. His face was as white as a sheet even though he couldn’t see the demon at all.

“Seth. Don’t be so scared. At least it’s outside the fortress this time.”

I could see that his body was shaking.

“Have you ever seen a demon before, by any chance?”

“Yes! It came out of that tree over there the other day. Whoa. Whoa.”

“Then did you see the rift, too?”

“The rift?”

“The one where the demon comes out.”

“Hmmmm. It’s hard to see because they come out so fast. It’s not like we’re waiting for it to come out.”

“What does a demon look like then?”

“It’s okay, Seth. We have the Crown Prince here. He’ll protect us. You don’t have to be so scared. Besides, I’m here.”

He probably hadn’t seen a demon before. He was probably busy running away and hiding somewhere, because if he had, he would have told the story first.

Even now, his face was bloodless.

BANG!

Boom!

The ground shook with a tremendous sound.

Ronde quickly ducked behind the cart.

I bit my lip and ran towards the herb warehouse.

“Seth!”

I could hear him calling after me, but I ignored him. My heart was beating fast and I was nervous. I wanted to do something, anything, to help the crown prince right now.

Please don’t get hurt.

Please be safe.

My mind flashed back to that cave on Salt Island, where he was chained and bleeding.

The gaping wound in his chest couldn’t have been a sword cut.

I knew it was because he was always in the front line, but seeing it with my own eyes was different.

My heart beat so fast and it hurt.

“Seth. You came.”

O’mont calmly gathered the herbs and packed them away.

It looked so natural, like it was something he’d always done, but his face was resolute.

In his hands were herbs with hemostatic, analgesic, and paralyzing properties.

He already had them on his hand, but he was preparing more in case he didn’t have enough.

Priest O’mont and I loaded the herbs into a cart and headed to the infirmary, which was already being overloaded by patients but they were busy making room for new ones.

I naturally expected there to be injuries, and seeing the preparations, made me even more nervous.

I wondered if it was futile to hope that no one would get hurt.

Even if it’s selfish, I don’t want anyone to get hurt anymore.

For the first time, I felt like getting down on my knees and praying fervently.

⚘

Kiiiin.

When the gates of the fortress opened again, it was already deep in the starry night. The priests had come out ahead of time and were waiting at the gate.

Divine power heals mental wounds better than physical ones.

Each returning soldier was told to stand to wait on either side of a priest to give him some divine power.

“I have no divine power, so I’ll have to use my own body to help.”

O’mont squinted one eye as he moved to the back row.

I hid behind a nearby building with my heart pounding in my chest, I was facing the gate.

Thud, thud, thud.

The pounding of horses’ hooves was preceded by a pungent scent.

Smoke from burning demon carcasses billowed over the walls, and as they approached, the sickly scent of blood filled my nostrils.

The smell of blood was so thick that it made my head spin.

I hoped it was the blood of a demon.

I watched as they rode in on horseback.

The large black horse was as imposing as its owner.

The man at the reins had the power to change the air with his mere presence.

The priests and everyone else standing bowed naturally.

He was a hero of the most precious rank. He was always standing at the forefront, desperate to protect those behind him.

No one could deny that his mere presence in Einfork alone made the people here feel safer.

I wanted to get a closer look at his face, but I held back, knowing that I had to hide my presence.

His pace was slower than his furious run when he went out, and that allowed me to look at him a bit longer.

Thud.

He dismounted.

It felt a little unnatural to have one leg on the ground, but he soon trotted along as if nothing had happened.

“Your Highness.”

The servant approached and led his black steed back to the stables, the dirt was turning dark red with each step he took.

I followed his back as he headed toward the barracks, hoping for God’s sake that it wasn’t his blood.

I could see the two Knights of Thorn following behind him, they seemed to be engaged in some sort of conversation.

Only when he was out of the procession did the priests’ divine power blow out to the knights and soldiers like a warm breeze.

The smell of smoke and blood mingled in the air as they returned, exhausted.

“Bring the wounded, this way!”

The wounded were laid out on the stretchers that had been prepared one-by-one. O’mont was helping to lead the wounded to the infirmary.

Soon, bloodstains were forming on his white priestly robes.

Every nerve in my body urged me to follow the crown prince, but I turned myself away and approached the priest.

“Huck, huck.”

“Hey! Stay with me!”

“Breathe, breathe!”

“Ugh!”

Some of those who made it back safely didn’t make it to their quarters and collapsed at the door. Some were wounded, some were dead, and some were covered with white cloths that had been prepared in advance.

It all happened spontaneously, as if it hadn’t been a day or two.

Images of the explosion on the salt island were superimposed with these wounded people.

The people running around with no body parts were not so different from them now.

“Seth.”

‘Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!’

The screams seemed to be right in my ears. I had a vision of the island shaking as the dirt rose up.

“Seth!”

“…What?”

“Follow me.”

I turned to see a worried-looking O’mont, and the sight of his face brought me back to reality.

Worry was the last thing I needed right now. There are others who have been hurt and I needed to help them.

I slapped my cheeks with both hands.

“Yes!”

I hurried after the wounded on stretchers and to O’mont.

In front of the crown prince’s barracks.

The crown prince suddenly stopped walking.

“Your Highness, what is it?”

Captain Ricks searched his lord’s complexion. His golden eyes glowed formidably in the darkness.

After every battle, he would need to fight with himself, to exhaust his sharpened energy.

He would often spend his time alone, leaving everyone behind him.

The power that overflowed from his human body was always barely contained.

Ricks, watched from the sidelines, and knew that better than anyone.

“Shall we step back?”

He had to know when to back off, for the Crown Prince’s sake and everyone else’s. He knew how hard he beat himself up when he couldn’t control his power.

“No.”

The crown prince turned and looked back towards the entrance of the fortress for a moment.

For some reason, he felt like he should look back there. It seemed like he heard a nostalgic name.

But there was nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual post-battle cleanup going on.

With that, he looked away.

His steps toward the barracks resumed their pace, he was then being followed closely by Captain Ricks.