The Extra Can't be A Hero

The aftermath of the Foolish Lich's raid brought Alverton to a standstill.

The battlefield is silent now, but the echoes of divine fury still linger in the air. The earth bears the scars of the war—craters, where celestial strikes and mountains sundered the ground, were levelled as if by the hands of titans. The sky, once bright, is choked with unnatural storm clouds, flashing with residual energy that crackles like the dying embers of a fading star.

It felt like a dream, particularly to the ones who witnessed the divine battle.

One minute, they were delving into a Lich's lair, hoping to collect evidence of foul play. The next, they were blessed to watch a battle between two Demigods that could cleave the earth at will.

And it wasn't just the members of the Solaris House that bore witness to Alrock's grandeur. From a distance, a congregation from Alverton watched with bated breaths while their world was turned upside down.

Even before Alrock, the Solaris Lord, arrived on the scene, Amon and his crew's commotion while battling Agva was enough to alarm the officials, particularly the Governor of the trade town.

Governor Valen Wrenleigh rushed to the scene with his trusted advisors and staff, only to be met with a levelled mountain and a levitating, flaming Demigod looking down at him. Even though he was a former mercenary, watching Alrock's indomitable state made the Iron Count freeze in fear. Nobody could resist Alrock's intimidation, especially when he was in his ultimate form.

Only after realising the Prophet had left with Malachi did Alrock finally undid his [Embodiment of the Sun] and revert to his human self. The earth seemingly welcomed his descent as he stood carelessly over the burnt soil and glanced at his beloved children.

Leon was injured, but not to the extent of losing his life. No, it was more of a slight discomfort, given that the Saintess had fully healed him before Alrock's arrival. Horus was still delirious after being hit the hardest by the full force of the Twin Brutes. As for the other youngsters, they were doing exceptionally well, given the fact that they had faced monstrous beings from the Demon Cult.

Far away, Alrock could sense that Carmen was recuperating well, too. Her dragon-blessed body wasn't one to fall that quickly anyway, and her healing factor far exceeded anyone else's in the Solaris House. Hence, Alrock wasn't all that concerned.

Shockingly enough, Amon wasn't harmed in the slightest. Even after facing Malachi one-on-one for an extended period, the eighteen-year-old was largely unscathed, barring some exhaustion, which made Alrock both relieved and confused.

"Amon, you will have some explaining to do…"

There were a million questions the Solaris Lord wished to ask of Amon.

When did he become so powerful? Why did he hide his strength? How did he condense Six Suns before the age of twenty? What was that Lunar mana he displayed? How did he know of the Demon Cult's arrival in Alverton?

But as much as the Solaris Lord was curious, he knew it wasn't the time or place.

Alrock's golden eyes moved towards Governor Valen, who rushed to their side with his entourage. His usually composed face was now tense, but he still held his breath even when faced against the most powerful Knight on the planet.

"Lord Solaris, it's an honour for you to grace our land. My name is Valen Wrenleigh, the Governor of Alverton."

"Save the pleasantries, boy. I have no patience for your facade."

Alrock's impatience blasted the Governor's polite exterior. Usually, he would at least give a conundrum of decorum and play along with the manners of high society. But, the fact that Malachi appeared with a Demon and attempted to kill his most precious people was enough for the Solaris Lord to blow his top off.

"Would you mind explaining how a Demon appeared under your watch? I don't want excuses; give me the truth. Any lies will be met with my fist in your face."

"T-That…"

Governor Valen felt his neck turn cold at Alrock's threat. If it were any other person, the Governor would have kept his cool and used every asset in his brain to wiggle his way out of this pickle. But the person he was talking to was none other than Alrock Solaris, a living legend and the most powerful Knight in the world.

Even if Alrock executed him here, the Hyades High Council would do nothing against the Solaris House. At most, it would be a sanction or two for a few months—a slap on the wrist.

Such was the monolithic power of the Solaris House.

So, the Governor was torn between telling the truth or spinning a tale to save his neck.

'Damn it! How could Agva mess up this badly?! How dare he bring a Demon into Alverton?!'

The Governor cursed the Lich, who messed up his plans. While he worked closely with Agva, it was no more than a business partnership. He would dump Alverton's unwanted to Agva while cleaning up the streets and keeping its prim and proper image as the trading post.

It was a win-win scenario for both of them.

So even Governor Valen was confused about where the Demon came from. He had no clue that Agva was in bed with the Demon Cult and was using the people he provided as research materials for Magatamas. However, even if Valen had told the truth, the Solaris House wouldn't have looked favourably upon a man who had worked hand-in-hand with a Lich, an enemy of humanity.

Therefore, he decided to spin a lie.

"I'm innocent in this, Lord Solaris! I have no idea where the Demon came from!"

"Bullshit! My men were almost killed because of that Demon! Are you trying to claim that you knew nothing while such a strong necrotic energy as in your backyard?!"

No trained individual worth his salt would be unaware of the dastardly energy that lingered in the air. With the mountain destroyed and Agva no longer present to hide its energy, vast amounts of necrotic energy filled the atmosphere. It was exceedingly suffocating, indicating that the lands had become corrupted with the lingering thoughts of anguish from those who suffered under the Foolish Lich's hands.

Hence, there were only two options.

One is that the Governor was simply too negligent to recognise that a Lich had been living under his nose over the past few years or that he was complicit in the crime.

"L-Lord Solaris, it must have been those former nobles! While I have been busy governing Alverton, I'd left the countryside to those former nobles! You know how they are! They're unscrupulous and would do anything to get back at me!"

"Valen! What are you saying?!"

The men who followed the Governor here were so completely flabbergasted that they were thrown under the bus.

"They must have held a grudge from when I'd usurped them and cleaned their corrupt system! They must have been sacrificing humans to the Lich to frame me and bring me down! Please, you have to believe me!"

"V-Valen, how dare you be so shameless?! You were the one who…!"

"Don't listen to their lies, Lord Solaris! They've always been corrupt and evil! They would do anything to regain their former glory, even lying to your noble self!"

"Y-You…"

The nobles were speechless at how fast the proud and usually calm Governor could change his tune. What they didn't know was how, as a mercenary, Valen Wrenleigh had learnt the arts of survival, even the dirty trades. If he had to be shameless to survive, so be it.

Unfortunately, the Governor wasn't getting much love from the Solaris Lord. Adrenaline was still pumping in his veins, and after letting Malachi and the Prophet go, he needed an outlet to vent his frustrations.

"Grandpa Alrock, perhaps I can help you."

Before Governor Valen could continue with his lies, Leon stepped up and stood by Alrock. Thinking that the young hero was coming to his aide, Valen brightened up like a sunflower. But alas… reality was far from kind.

"We have proof that the Governor colluded with the Lich. A group of people has been collecting evidence of his misdeeds. We're here because we received a tip that he's been sending children from orphanages to the Lich."

Leon explained calmly, but those who knew him could tell he was seconds away from blowing his fuse. The evil and suffering he saw in the Lich's lair made the young hero retch and wholly disgusted at the Governor.

And yet, he had to watch the Governor try to spin lies that he knew were patently false.

It was too much for the hero to watch.

"Governor, please turn yourself in. We have evidence." Leon turned to Vekka, the resistance leader, and declared with a clear heart.

"Hero… Leon, you shouldn't trust the words of those people. They're bottomfeeders and don't deserve your time of day. You must understand that I've done good for Alverton, and all they do is waste our resources."

"Governor… even at this juncture, you're still stubborn!"

Leon couldn't contain his fury any longer—his voice erupted in a raw, unrestrained scream at the Governor. The weight of countless injustices, the suffering of the innocent, pressed upon him like a crushing tide, demanding retribution. Every fibre of his was burned with the need to see justice served, to avenge those who had lost their lives.

But before he could act, a firm hand gripped his shoulder. This time, Alrock stepped in, his steady presence keeping Leon from losing himself in his rage.

"Leave it to me, Leon. Governor, for now, I will place you under house arrest. In your absence, the Solaris House will take charge of Alverton. Due to the sensitivity of the case, I will investigate the issue myself."

Hearing those words, the Governor finally fell into a panic attack.

"Lord Solaris, even if you are the Solaris House, you can't just take over Alverton based on your words… You will need to get permission from the High Council and…"

"Are you threatening me?"

"N-No, my lord…"

The Governor cowered back and lowered his head. He gritted his teeth while cursing his weakness. At his current position, there was no way he could clash with the Solaris House. However, he had a few connections to pull.

'If that's how you want to play it… I will have to call my own reinforcements.'

Begrudgingly, the Governor returned to Alverton with a heavy heart as he plotted his next move. While Alrock felt it was a waste to let him go now, he wasn't in Solfea anymore. If he attacked a Governor without evidence, scrutiny from the Hyades High Council was sure to follow.

But more importantly… there was another matter he had to tend to.

"Now, Amon… Would you kindly explain what happened here?"

"..."

Amon looked to Yue, who only whistled gently like a maiden in the summer breeze. Sighing, the young Knight held his head and knew the gig was up. It was time to come clean.