The Extra's Supremacy-Chapter 48: Aftermath [2]

Exile’s sharp amber eyes locked onto Alvin.

"Why those three?" he asked.

Alvin smirked. "You said I’d be free if I completed the mission—and I did."

He leaned back slightly, tone relaxed but firm. "Now that I’m free, I need a few things. Friends... and spies."

Exile blinked, caught off guard. "Spies, huh?"

Alvin’s grin widened. "You gave me freedom. I’m just making use of it."

Exile tilted his head. "So... are you finally going to reveal yourself to the world?"

At those words, Alvin’s smile faded slightly.

A memory surfaced—Alvida’s last message. "Those memories and your real twin are the clue to finding the Lost One."

He took a slow, steady breath.

"I think I will," he said. "Especially since no artifacts are allowed inside Everbright Academy."

Exile looked genuinely stunned this time. "Wait—Academy? Are you serious?"

Alvin nodded. "Dead serious."

Exile let out a long sigh, brushing his fingers through his hair.

"Well then," he muttered, "we’re going to have a very long conversation, aren’t we?"

Alvin simply smiled.

***

In the heart of the Vaelcrest estate, inside the grand main house, silence reigned.

Amanda Vaelcrest, the family’s dignified matriarch, sat alone on a velvet sofa in the main hall.

Her eyes were locked on a framed photo—one that captured her three children together, smiling, before everything had changed.

Then the silence broke.

A servant burst into the hall, breathless, eyes wide with urgency. "Madam! Urgent news!"

Amanda’s tired gaze shifted toward her, voice low. "What is it?"

The servant swallowed hard. "There are survivors... from the Forgotten Ruin."

The photo in Amanda’s hands slipped slightly as her grip tightened. freeweɓnovel.cѳm

Her eyes widened. She stood. "Speak. All of it. Now."

The woman quickly relayed everything she’d learned—about the portal flaring, the trainees returning, and the confirmation of surviving individuals.

By the time she finished, Amanda’s eyes had turned red with restrained emotion. Her fists clenched at her sides, shoulders trembling.

Without a word, Amanda turned and stormed down the hall.

She didn’t bother knocking when she reached her husband’s office. She pushed the door open and walked straight in.

Inside, Erwin Vaelcrest sat behind his polished desk, reviewing documents. He didn’t look up.

"I assume something’s happened," he said coolly. "You know I’m working, Amanda."

Only then did he lift his gaze. His sharp blue eyes met Amanda’s stormy gray ones.

She didn’t hesitate.

Amanda’s gray eyes burned with fury as she stepped closer. "Survivors," she said, voice low but trembling. "There are survivors from the Forgotten Ruin."

That got his attention.

Erwin’s pen paused mid-stroke. His icy blue eyes slowly rose to meet hers.

"...Who?"

She took another step forward. "Boban. A few trainees. And Robert."

His brow twitched. "Robert’s alive?"

Amanda’s fists clenched at her sides. "But no word of Alvida. She wasn’t with them."

Erwin sat back in his chair, face unreadable.

Amanda’s voice cracked. "They said she stayed behind. That she sacrificed herself... for the others."

Erwin closed his eyes briefly. "I see."

"You see?" Amanda’s voice sharpened. "That’s all you have to say?"

He opened his eyes again, calm and composed. "She was a Vaelcrest. If she died protecting others, then she died with honor."

"That was our daughter, Erwin!" Amanda’s voice rose, breaking the formality. "Not some soldier on a battlefield. Our daughter!"

For a long moment, neither spoke.

Then Erwin stood, walked over to the large window overlooking the estate grounds, and spoke softly.

"She made her choice. Just like I did, when I sent her."

Amanda eyes locked on Erwin.

She watched him in silence for a few seconds, long enough for the weight of her words to build.

Then she spoke, her voice trembling with rage and grief.

"You’ve changed."

Her fists clenched at her sides.

"And don’t even think about making Alice the heir of this family."

Erwin’s pen paused on the page.

"First it was Alvin," Amanda continued, her voice breaking. "He disappeared right after you named him the next heir. And you... you barely flinched."

She took a step closer, her breath shaky.

"And now Alvida is gone, d-dead. And you just keep sitting there, like none of it matters."

"Is this all we are to you now? Just tools to uphold the Vaelcrest name?"

Tears brimmed in her eyes.

"The family name is more important than your blood?"

A heavy silence filled the room.

"I’m leaving, Erwin."

She turned and walked away.

Erwin didn’t stop her. His eyes followed her until she disappeared around the corner.

Only then did he lower his gaze back to the paperwork in front of him.

Her words echoed in his mind.

"The family name is more important than your blood?"

His expression didn’t shift. Not even slightly.

But his hand trembled, just for a moment.

Then he turned to the mirror beside his desk and stared at the reflection.

At the man staring back.

And quietly, he asked himself,

"...How did it come to this?"

"What changed?"

***

Inside Everbright Academy... Girl’s Dormitory.

In one of the dorm rooms, a mobile phone began to ring.

Under the covers, a girl with green hair shifted slightly, still half-asleep. Her gray eyes fluttered open, annoyed by the sudden noise.

It was Alice Vaelcrest.

She groaned softly, glancing at the screen.

8:23 A.M.

’Who’s calling this early...?’

She blinked the sleep away and checked the caller ID.

[-Mother-]

Alice’s brows twitched.

’Mother? Tch... Don’t tell me I have to hear her voice first thing in the morning?’

With a sigh, she answered and raised the phone to her ear.

"...What is it, Mother?" she asked, voice flat and disinterested.

For a few seconds, there was only silence.

Then, Amanda’s voice came through—soft, shaky, and unlike anything Alice was used to.

"...Little Alice, c-can we talk?"

Alice blinked.

Something in that voice... felt off.

"...Sure," she said, sitting up slowly. "I’m listening."

But Amanda’s next words made her go still.

"Not like this. Let’s meet at a café."

Alice’s eyes widened.

Her mother? Outside? In public?

As far as she knew, Amanda never attended parties, never left the estate unless absolutely necessary.

She was a ghost in high society.

And now she wanted to meet?

Alice’s thoughts spiraled.

’Something happened... something serious.’

"...Alright," she replied after a brief pause. "Send me the location. I’ll be there within the hour."

She ended the call, her gaze lingering on the screen.

’What’s going on?’