Extra 2: The Girl, the Lieutenant, and the Adventurer

Extra 2: The Girl, the Lieutenant, and the Adventurer

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A small spark crackled in the depths of the fireplace.

The old woman narrowed her eyes at the sound, and, with her hand still on the teacup, began to speak quietly.

"The story begins when the adventurers find a certain girl."

The hero leaned forward.

The princess and the swordsman also quietly raised their heads.

"That day, the forest was on fire. The fire had spread during the night, and by morning some of the trees had turned to charcoal. The smell of smoke was still lingering, and an adventuring party was passing by the edge of the cliff when they found the child."

The old woman looked a little into the distance.

"It was raining. A soft, quiet rain. ...At the bottom of the cliff, in the mud, there was a girl lying face down. She was covered in mud and her clothes were all messed up...but she was still alive."

The princess gently placed her hand over her mouth, as if she had heard a painful story.

"But more than that, the child was all alone. She wouldn't tell us her name. No one knew where she came from. No one knew her."

The swordsman muttered briefly.

"...It's as if she just fell there out of nowhere."

The old woman nodded slightly.

"Yes, that's exactly what it felt like. But... from there, little by little, she began to find a place for herself."

And then—she placed her fingers on the rim of the teacup and slowly spoke her next words.

"The person who was taking care of the child was a lieutenant named Filina."

The old woman then went quiet for a moment.

The heroes remained silent, waiting for the story to continue.

The old woman's face looked as if she wanted to cry, or maybe even laugh, but it was only for a moment, and she quickly resumed speaking in a serious voice.

"She was a tall, silent woman, wearing a white cloak and standing with her back straight. She was also said to be an expert spearman, and always kept her favorite spear, the tip of which was covered with cloth, nearby."

"She was also the bookkeeper for the adventure group... and it seems she was the only one in the group who could do any kind of math. However, she always had a serious look on her face, and it seems she was considered a bit scary by the group."

The hero folded his arms and shook his head slightly.

"Was she in a position like a guardian for the girl who was found?"

The old woman tilts her head.

"...I don't know. But she was always by the child's side. It seemed like the child was scared at first, too."

And then the narrative moves on again - quietly but surely, to the next part of the past.

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★

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At breakfast, Lieutenant Filina stood quietly in front of the serving table where the other members were lined up. Her back was straight, and even her feet were perfectly in place.

She keeps her gaze straight ahead and her movements are kept to a bare minimum: take the plate, offer it, pull it away. She repeats this process like a well-tuned machine.

A petite girl at the end of the line took a step forward and reached out her hand in a panic.

As if she had predicted it, Filina handed the plate over in perfect order.

The girl timidly said, "Ah... thank you."

Filina doesn't reply. She doesn't move her head, and she doesn't even blink.

As if to say, "No need to bow." Filina didn't even bow, and continued to stand guard at her post in silence.

A member of the group, who was watching the scene from a short distance away, whispered to the girl.

"...That's the lieutenant. She basically doesn't make eye contact with anyone. Don't worry about it."

"There's a rumor that if you talk to her, she'll bite you."

•

•

Dinner was over, and night was drawing to a close. When the girl returned with an empty waterskin, Filina was sitting by the campfire, a ledger spread across her lap. The flickering flames cast a dim light on her expressionless face.

The girl suddenly felt someone looking at her and turned around.

For a moment, she thought Filina was definitely looking at her, but her eyes quickly returned to the ledger.

As the girl sat down, Filina occasionally looked up and continued counting something with a grim expression on her face. A string of numbers, the remaining supplies, the expected date for resupply—there was no room for emotion, and no conversation took place between them.

•

•

One day, as the girl was returning from shopping, she was suddenly stopped at the entrance to town by a stranger.

"Where are you from? Do you frequent this area often?"

The girl tilted her head in confusion as the man spoke to her in a light-hearted tone.

At that moment, a shadow suddenly grew.

Filina stood there silently.

The traveler shrugged in shock at her intimidating height.

"--Please only contact members of this group after obtaining permission from the leader."

The voice was surprisingly polite. It was as clear as the surface of cold water, yet you couldn't see the bottom at all. It was a voice that seemed to be completely stripped of all emotion.

The traveler's mouth twitched, he laughed apologetically, and left the place.

Without even a glance at the girl, Filina turned on her heel and walked away without saying a word.　

The girl said nothing and simply followed her back.

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★

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"Somehow, when I heard it, it didn't seem like a scary image... After all, she was helping her."

The princess responded to the hero's thoughts with a smile.

"This Filina...she's a bit like my maid. She's always silent, but she's always the one closest to me."

"Maybe she's just clumsy."

The swordsman also responds.

An old woman standing beside the hearth, quietly pouring hot water, shook her head gently.

"Yes, thanks to her, everyone began to realize that maybe Filina isn't really that kind of person."

---

★

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As the adventuring group was on their way to town, a girl was hopping around behind the resting group, collecting some cloth that had been drying on a tree branch.

"Hmmm... just a little more, just a little more...!"

Unable to reach the cloth, she grits she teeth and continues stretching.

"...I guess you're still in growing season..."

In response to that small murmur, a shadow approached silently.

It was Filina. She approached silently, stretched out her hand, removed the cloth from the branch, and held it out in front of the girl.

The girl was dumbfounded for a moment, but then a smile like a blossoming flower appeared on her face.

•

•

Just another day. In front of the bonfire, Filina was reading the report with perfect posture once again.

--But right in front of her, the girl opened her mouth wide, rolled her eyes, and for some reason began making mysterious facial expressions with all her might.

"Tomorrow's departure time is 6:00 AM. Today's supply situation is... two boxes..."

Her voice was clearly trembling.

Still, Filina continued flipping through the ledger as if nothing had happened.

However, her fingertips were moving more like wringing out a rag than turning over a page.

Then, all of a sudden, only the left foot begins to tap.

Knock...knock...knock...knock...

The rhythm was abnormally short, and it looked like someone was stomping along while enduring something.

The members of the group looked as if they had seen something they shouldn't have seen, and not a single one of them could laugh; their gazes just wandered into space.

In this atmosphere, the girl picked up a spoon and began to imitate the lieutenant.

"Departure time is 5..., hm? 6:00 AM"

Filina's report no longer made any sound. She slammed the ledger book shut with her right hand and banged the pouch on her waist with her left. She kept her back straight and continued to stomp her feet.

Someone muttered something.

"...Lieutenant, what are you doing right now...?"

As if she had heard those words, Filina tightened her lips, turned around, and disappeared somewhere.

•

•

Clang, clang...

In the circle around the campfire, the sound of regular footsteps approached again.

Of course, it was the lieutenant, Filina, who had returned with perfect posture.

It was as if the stomping of her feet and the trembling of her face from earlier had never happened in the first place.

She stood up straight in her designated position and quietly opened the ledger with a cool look in her eyes.

Their movements were unwavering, and their gazes were fixed straight ahead - no, it looked as though they were slightly avoiding the girl, but no one said anything.

Then, Filina declared in a dignified voice.

"Tomorrow's departure time is 6:00 AM. Today's supplies are two boxes of preserved food--"

A quiet ripple of whispers spread among the members.

"...she pretended it never happened..."

"She rebooted."

"Well, something incredible just happened."

The girl was still holding the spoon in her mouth and her shoulders were twitching.

But then the incident happened.

Filina stopped flipping through the ledger, straightened up, and spoke quietly.

"Well then, everyone, I look forward to working with you today..."

At that moment, time stopped.

The group members stood as still as stone statues, and the girl dropped the spoon from her mouth.

Filina's eyes widened, and the next moment her whole face turned red, right down to the tips of her ears, and her hands began to tremble slightly.

...And again, she just turns away without saying anything.

Without closing her report or tapping the porch, she quietly left by the shortest route.

•

•

Thus, the girl who had blended into the adventure group...gradually, but surely, something began to change. However, they soon found out.

Why was the girl being chased?

--What was that girl?

•

•

"Commander, we have received the following report."

The commander narrowed his eyes as he received the report that Filina handed him.

"What... a group of scientists, and even a former hired adventurer... what on earth is that girl...?"

His eyes land on one sentence and his mouth twitches.

"...What? A 'long-lived species'...?"

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★★★★★

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[The Runaway Wizard] Extra Edition Live Commentary & Comments Thread [Hell Begins Again]

1: Anonymous of the Wind

　It's a spinoff so I'm scared of what's going to happen.

　Hopefully they can be together again

2: Anonymous of the Wind

　Just seeing the four of them together brings tears to my eyes

5: Anonymous of the Wind

　The overprotective three and the mysterious wizard

　Seriously, I don't know why I just can't stop smiling

6: Anonymous of the Wind

　First, how much life is left?

　We need to get the research team to check it out.

　There are suspicions that she is a long-lived species

7: Anonymous of the Wind

　When they suggested going to the royal capital, the wizard flatly refused...

11: Anonymous of the Wind

　It was the first time I'd seen such a disgusted face

　……Ah!

13: Anonymous of the Wind

　Wow... ahhh...

17: Anonymous of the Wind

　She started crying!!!

19: Anonymous of the Wind

　She's seriously crying

　The Wizard-chan who has never cried before...

22: Anonymous of the Wind

　Crying like a child...

27: Anonymous of the Wind

　The entrance and exit are naturally blocked lol

　I feel a strong determination to never let her escape again.

30: Anonymous of the Wind

　I laughed at how they were able to divide up the roles without even looking at each other.

34: Anonymous of the Wind

　Personally, I think the role of the hugger should be a hero rather than a princess.

36: Anonymous of the Wind

　Why are you so refusing, Wizard-chan?

40: Anonymous of the Wind

　Well, I guess she hates the royal capital.

　No problem

　If we go to a local doctor, we'll get a diagnosis too.

42: Anonymous of the Wind

　That was also rejected lol

47: Anonymous of the Wind

　Do you hate being investigated...?

　Or are you crying because you think you'll get an injection if you go to the doctor?

50: Anonymous of the Wind

　It's not like she's dogs or cats...

54: Anonymous of the Wind

　Huh?

　Something approached the princess

59: Anonymous of the Wind

　What is it, she looks so happy

　She suddenly started smiling.

63: Anonymous of the Wind

　"Princess... I've been hiding this, but... I actually have twice the lifespan of an average person."

　……Eh?

　Is that what it means to be a long-lived species?

67: Anonymous of the Wind

　Niki, the long-lived species expert, said that she was from the mural from 500 years ago.

70: Anonymous of the Wind

　"So, the lifespan I have left now is just about the same as an average person!"

　There's no way such a convenient story could exist.

74: Anonymous of the Wind

　Oh no, I can smell hell.

77: Anonymous of the Wind

　"So you don't have to worry about me."

　Don't say it with a smile

80: Anonymous of the Wind

　That's a complete lie lol

　grass……

81: Anonymous of the Wind

　The princess's face is amazing

86: Anonymous of the Wind

　Well, that's what happens when you're alone and someone suddenly throws a bomb at you.

89: Anonymous of the Wind

　She thought hard about it.

92: Anonymous of the Wind

　No one believes it lol

　There's a real possibility!

102: Anonymous of the Wind

　The moment she said "twice as long as you have a lifespan," the swordsman's eyes suddenly went blank... I didn't miss that.

106: Anonymous of the Wind

　[Breaking News] Princess, pale-faced, makes the wizard sit upright

110: Anonymous of the Wind

　The wizard seems to be thinking, "Huh? Did I do something to deserve my scolding?"

114: Anonymous of the Wind

　This kid is really bad at lying...

123: Anonymous of the Wind

　If the reason she was crying was because she was afraid of injections, then it might have been a relief.

126: Anonymous of the Wind

　In that case, the princess would probably burn down the entire hospital.

135: Anonymous of the Wind

　That's the average person's lifespan left, what is a the average lifespan again?

138: Anonymous of the Wind

　"I thought the princess would definitely believe me..."

　↑This one word made the princess's eyes sparkle.

146: Anonymous of the Wind

　Now that she's alone, the wizard is crying again...

159: Anonymous of the Wind

　There's really no chance of this...

170: Anonymous of the Wind

　Ahh don't cry...

190: Anonymous of the Wind

　Someone hurry up and call the long-lived expert Niki!

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★

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[I Believed in You] Apologies to Niki, the long-lived species expert, part 32 [Our pride]

26: Long-lived Niki

　Oh hahaha

　Everyone, you don't need to apologize so much...

　Let's watch the extra episode instead.

28: Anonymous of the Wind

　Long-lived species Niki!

　So you were in a place like this!

　Come on, hurry up and come to the main thread

32: Long-lived Niki

　Huh?

　What is this all of a sudden?

38: Anonymous of the Wind

　Long-lived Niki, it's about time for you to show up

　The main thread has become an atmosphere of "Come on, hurry up! Call him!"

41: Long-lived Niki

　No, but even if someone like me shows up...

　You see, my theory was just a little hit...

43: Anonymous of the Wind

　Shut up! Come on!!