Shattered Innocence: Transmigrated Into a Novel as an Extra

"I am here to meet with Guild Master Corvina."

Her breath caught.

That voice.

A voice she knew.

A voice she had not expected to hear again.

Corvina sat up straighter, her hands still against the desk as she turned her attention toward the door. Her mind worked faster than her body, scanning through the possibilities before she could fully accept what her instincts already told her.

The receptionist, a young woman with sharp eyes and an even sharper tongue, shot the man standing before her an irritated glare.

"If I let everyone who wanted to meet the Guild Master waltz right in, this entire guild would turn into a marketplace," she snapped, clearly unimpressed. "State your business properly or get in line like everyone else."

Her voice carried through the hall, drawing the attention of several adventurers. And, as if waiting for an excuse to release their simmering frustration, they turned toward the newcomer with a mix of amusement and disdain.

"Who does this guy think he is?" one of them scoffed, arms crossed.

"Another fool wanting special treatment?" another sneered.

Laughter rippled through the crowd, low and mocking.

"Maybe he thinks he's some important noble," someone joked.

The air in the guild hall was thick with exhaustion, irritation, and unspoken resentment over the failed expedition. This man—this stranger who spoke as if he had any right to demand an audience with Corvina—was the perfect target to take their frustrations out on.

But then—

"My name is Lucavion."

The words cut through the noise.

A casual statement. No hint of arrogance. No attempt to justify himself. Just a name. A declaration.

But to Corvina—

To her—

It was enough.

Instant recognition struck like lightning.

Lucavion.

Not Luca.

Lucavion.

If he had given the name Luca, she might have hesitated. Might have dismissed it as another desperate fool trying to claim the name for himself—it had happened before, after all.

But none of those impostors had known his real name.

Because no one in Stormhaven did.

None of the adventurers surrounding him—mocking him, laughing at him—realized what they had just heard.

But she did.

Corvina's breath stilled for only a moment before her fingers moved instinctively, pressing against the smooth surface of the artifact embedded in her desk.

The response was immediate.

A soft hum of magic. A faint flicker of golden light.

At the reception desk, the lamp sitting beside the young woman flared to life.

A signal.

The receptionist, mid-sentence in her scolding, snapped her mouth shut as the glow bathed the desk in its command. Her eyes darted toward the private office, realization dawning instantly.

A slow breath. A begrudging acknowledgment.

She turned back to the man before her, her earlier irritation replaced with something more neutral.

"…You may proceed."

A hush settled over the surrounding adventurers, confusion flashing across their faces.

"What?"

"That's it?"

"Who is this guy?"

But the receptionist said nothing more, simply stepping aside.

Lucavion, his expression unreadable, gave the smallest tilt of his head before moving forward.

And in the distance, behind her desk, Corvina exhaled slowly.

She leaned back slightly, her fingers still resting against the artifact, the glow now fading.

Her mind raced.

He's alive.

Corvina exhaled slowly, her fingers pressing against the desk as she processed what had just happened.

He was alive.

Lucavion was alive.

Her grip on the artifact tightened slightly before she forced herself to release it. She had invested too much into this man for him to simply die. If he had perished—if all that effort, all those calculations, all those risks had been for nothing—then everything would have gone wrong.

And she hated when things went wrong.

A quiet breath. A mental shift. By the time the door opened, she had already composed herself, her expression schooled into its usual cool indifference.

Lucavion stepped inside, his usual air of lazy confidence preceding him. He took his time, his sharp eyes scanning the room in an almost casual manner, before finally letting his gaze settle on her.

Then, his lips curled into that infuriating smirk.

"You are alive, Lucavion," Corvina said, her voice even.

Lucavion tilted his head slightly, his smirk deepening. "Miss me?"

Corvina exhaled sharply, rolling her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. "I should have known you'd be insufferable the moment you walked through that door."

Lucavion placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. "And here I thought you'd be happy to see me."

Before Corvina could respond—

"Hiek! Hey… why are you pinching me?!"

Corvina's head snapped toward the voice, her sharp eyes landing on the source of the commotion.

And then she paused.

Because standing beside Lucavion—arms crossed, expression irritated—was a woman.

Not just any woman.

A woman with striking amber eyes and an air of authority that was impossible to ignore.

And, judging by the way she was now glaring daggers at Lucavion—one who was clearly not used to being dragged around like this.

Corvina blinked once. Then twice.

Her gaze flickered between the two of them, her mind rapidly adjusting to this unexpected development.

Slowly, her expression shifted into something that could almost be described as amused.

Corvina's gaze lingered on the woman for a moment longer, a flicker of curiosity breaking through her usual composed demeanor.

She had never seen this woman before.

And she would have remembered if she had.

The sharp amber eyes. The way she carried herself, poised but with a tension that spoke of someone who wasn't used to being led into rooms without having the upper hand. And then there was the undeniable presence about her—one that didn't demand attention, but commanded it effortlessly.

Yes. This was not an ordinary woman.

Corvina leaned forward slightly, fingers steepling in front of her as her sharp gaze flicked toward Lucavion. "And who, exactly, is this?" she asked smoothly.

Lucavion, standing far too relaxed for someone in the presence of an obviously powerful individual, let out a small sigh. Then, without missing a beat, he turned toward the woman and offered her the most insufferable smirk.

"Well, go on," he said with an exaggerated wave of his hand. "Introduce yourself. We're all so curious."

The woman didn't look at Corvina.

No.

Instead, she glared at Lucavion.

A withering look, filled with the kind of barely restrained annoyance that Corvina found herself appreciating.

Lucavion, entirely unaffected, simply tilted his head and added, "Or do you need me to do it for you?"

The woman scoffed, arms crossing over her chest. "Don't push your luck."

Lucavion gave her an innocent look. "Me? Never."

The response was immediate. She pinched his arm—hard.

"Hiek! Hey—" Lucavion flinched, rubbing at the spot with a mock-offended expression. "Why are you so violent?"

The woman gave him a pointed look. "Why do you deserve anything else?"

Corvina watched the exchange in silence, her amusement only growing.

Because this was interesting.

Very interesting.

It wasn't the bickering—no, that was normal for Lucavion. He had a way of drawing out reactions from people, of poking and prodding until even the most composed individuals lost their patience.

What intrigued her was the way he was acting.

Lucavion did not defer to anyone.

Not nobles. Not mercenaries. Not even her.

And yet, here he was, bantering but not pushing. Teasing but not provoking.

That meant something.

That meant that this woman—whoever she was—was someone he respected enough not to step too far.

And that made her someone Corvina had to take seriously.

Filing that observation away, she finally let her lips quirk into a faint smile. "You're no fun," Lucavion muttered, still rubbing his arm as he glanced back at Corvina.

"You must be used to that by now," the woman retorted.

Corvina chuckled under her breath before returning to her original question. "Lucavion," she said smoothly, "I'd like to know who our guest is."

Lucavion let out a long-suffering sigh, as if this were the most inconvenient thing that had ever happened to him.

"Fine, fine," he said, shaking his head before turning toward the woman with a half-smirk. "Would you like me to embellish or keep it simple?"

The woman exhaled, clearly done with his nonsense. "Just say it."

Lucavion looked back at Corvina and, with the same easy confidence he always carried, said, "Guildmaster, allow me to introduce you to—"

He paused, eyes glinting with something unreadable.

Then, after a brief second, he gave a small, almost amused shrug.

"—Aeliana."