I Want to Be an Extra

Understanding children is difficult.

But this one is even more challenging.

Lewin pondered and muttered, “…You’re doing well?”

She really was doing well.

But why was she doing so well?

“I guess I’m a bit of a genius.”

Her confident expression as she proudly puffed out her chest was quite endearing.

However, her fleeting glance as if seeking further praise made Lewin slightly concerned about the future.

“You truly are a genius.”

There was no denying it. She was undeniably a genius.

“Right!”

Looking pleased with the compliment, Laila skipped away with light steps, and Lewin nodded in response to her retreating figure.

‘The problem is that she’s a genius in stealth and assassination.’

If it were in his previous life, he would have sought after such talent, with eyes shining with opportunity.

Unfortunately, the Reinhardt family, who traditionally served as the Empire’s Ministerial family, had no need for such skills.

‘I can’t believe this is working.’

Lewin couldn’t help but admire as he watched Laila swiftly maneuver past people.

The basic principle of the stealth technique that Lewin had developed was not overly complicated.

Harmonizing with one’s surroundings.

Becoming one with the background.

And the foundation of it all was the breathing exercise.

‘Absorb mana fully into your entire body and harmonize with the mana.’

It was a method inspired by observing spirits, which could be seen as concentrated forms of mana.

Whether one could perceive spirits or sense mana at all, it all started from there.

The spirits born from nature were merely seen as part of nature until they became aware of mana.

‘I thought it was possible because I stored mana throughout my body through the breathing exercise.’

And it worked when he tried it.

It proved to be remarkably effective.

Since it didn’t utilize any distinct mana, it wouldn’t be detected by mana detection methods. Furthermore, it worked exceptionally well even against those with keen senses, as it blended seamlessly with the natural background.

Sometimes he struggled with old-fashioned traps, but after multiple lifetimes as a hero, he had learned to decipher them easily.

That’s how he managed to pilfer hidden artifacts from royal families and nobles and use them for the greater good, and how he had taken the life of the concealed Demon King.

He even put it to good use for skipping class in this current life.

‘Is that also a talent?’

In contrast, the young girl Laila had yet to master the breathing exercise.

Though she was familiar with mana due to her noble lineage and the presence of mana around her heart, that was the extent of it.

It could be said that she was a genius for quickly absorbing and applying the basics of the stealth technique he taught her.

‘Even geniuses have their limits.’

But that was all.

Even if one was a genius with a sword, it still required mana to infuse into the blade.

The distinction between geniuses in theory and practice was not without reason.

If the body couldn’t keep up, theory would forever remain just theory.

“Huh?”

Lost in thought, Lewin looked ahead and made an unexpected discovery.

***

“And they all got lost.”

“I see.”

Laila, who had been gleefully darting around, soon grew tired and began chattering beside Lewin.

In summary, she explained why she was here and why she had been left alone.

“Everyone seems to have a knack for getting lost,” Laila lamented, and Lewin nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, it’s quite common.”

Lewin recalled the image of Laila’s back that he had seen earlier, when she momentarily blended into her surroundings, making it difficult to distinguish her.

‘I wonder if she received a blessing or a curse from a God’

It wasn’t a special technique or the manipulation of mana. It was something so natural, so inherent to her being that it could be considered a natural phenomenon.

‘She simply lacks a presence.’

Even after living through ten lives, Lewin had never heard of a God of Stealth or a God of Nonexistence. Perhaps she had been blessed by one of those nameless Gods often spoken of, who have lost their names.

Lewin felt a chill, a sense of foreboding that he couldn’t explain without such an explanation.

“How can they always get lost like that!”

Observing Laila’s demeanor, as if she was blaming others for something that wasn’t their fault, Lewin silently gazed at her.

‘Why?’

He couldn’t help but ask this question purely out of curiosity.

Reinhardt.

The family itself exuded an aura that was by no means ordinary.

In this era of peace, they could be considered a family even more powerful than the Dryerf Duke House.

‘But why?’

On closer inspection, Laila’s appearance was exceptional as well.

Her flowing blonde hair below her shoulders gleamed, and her blue eyes, which transparently revealed her emotions, sparkled like jewels.

Though her face had yet to fully mature, based on his experience from ten lifetimes, it was evident that she would grow into a beauty that would captivate both him and ordinary individuals.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Her voice, too, was clear and distinct.

‘Why… can’t it be distinctly audible?’

When he realized this, numerous thoughts began to surface.

“No, it’s odd.”

It was then that Lewin finally grasped the truth.

He had been taken aback when she detected his stealth and caught him, but even before that, he hadn’t been aware of Laila’s presence.

“What is it?”

“It’s something remarkable.”

Though comparing his current body to his prime was a stretch, he was rapidly growing, accumulating experience from ten lifetimes.

The fact that he, of all people, failed to notice an ordinary child who was not a professional assassin.

‘It’s tempting.’

A talent that begins to tempt, even when he doesn’t seek to be a hero.

If he hadn’t resolved against becoming a hero, he would have sought to recruit her by any means necessary.

“Remember the technique I taught you today.”

“Yes!”

The sight of her clumsily nodding her head while smiling was truly endearing.

But why did it appear somewhat blurred?

‘I don’t know how she will utilize the talent bestowed upon her by the heavens.’

That would be her fate.

“Are you troubled?”

“Huh?”

Fate.

Isn’t it a word that carries a tinge of bitterness?

“No, it’s not like that.”

If this child were to resist her fate in the future, he wouldn’t mind lending her a helping hand.

“……?”

“•?”

It was Laila who would later shed tears because of it, but that is a tale for a distant day.

***

A little while later, Lewin safely reunited Laila with her missing party.

“Isn’t this a bit much?”

Although there was some commotion due to the stealth technique that even trained knights couldn’t detect, with a few knights drawing their swords in shock, it soon settled down.

Lewin received praise for finding Laila, but he was forcibly taken away by the servants, including Alex.

“I thought doing good deeds would earn me praise.”

He grumbled with a pout, receiving cold voices in response.

“Ah, you did really well.”

“As expected of the young master.”

“Wow, you’re amazing.”

“You truly are the best, young master.”

Alex, Daisy, Eyriel, and Hains praised Lewin in unenthusiastic voices, as if they had rehearsed it beforehand.

“Hey, just curse at me instead.”

Lewin let out a hollow laugh in response to their cold reactions.

“There’s no servant who would curse their master.”

“Right. Even if we’re abandoned, as servants, we have no choice.”

Alex and Daisy spoke these words in front of and behind Lewin, respectively.

Especially Daisy, perhaps still harboring some resentment from the morning incident, had a sharp edge to her words.

“Right, young master.”

“It was merely a compliment.”

Eyriel and Hains also stood by Lewin’s side.

‘Did I overdo it?’

The handling was too clean.

No matter how well one blended into the surroundings, something would always remain in reality.

Spirits, which could be described as clusters of mana, materialized using mana. But humans did the opposite. Therefore, if one was physically touched, their existence couldn’t be erased.

‘There is a way to counter that, but…’

Was it really necessary to go to such lengths just to avoid a lesson?

.

.

.

“I should have done it.”

Five hours had passed since the start of the class.

Lewin couldn’t help but regret his decision.

“This time, young master…”

This was already the third class.

The lessons kept coming without a break, as if they had designated the entire day for it.

‘They’re really determined, huh.’

As Lewin looked around with such thoughts, he noticed Alex and Daisy exchanging knowing grins.

‘What’s the issue?’

‘It’s all your karma, young master.’

Although they didn’t say it aloud, Lewin could hear the voice in his mind, causing him to grit his teeth and continue with the lesson.

It was because he knew that solving the given tasks quickly would be more beneficial than wasting time here.

“Well, this time…”

“Here’s the answer.”

“Huh…?”

“The answer for the next one.”

The assigned teacher was left baffled by the answers that flowed out before he even had a chance to explain the problem.

“Um, well…”

Had Lewin already learned the content from someone else?

Then why attend the class at all?

“Um, then next is…”

But the teacher was a professional.

Although he was about to move on to the next topic he had prepared, he soon realized that it was unnecessary.

“It’s already done.”

Witnessing all the prepared problems being solved within just ten minutes, he could only despair.

***

Three hours later, the class finally ended.

“This is child abuse.”

Being made to study for eight hours straight.

It was undeniably abuse.

In response to Lewin’s protest, who had previously sacrificed his sleep time and burned his life away, Alex replied firmly.

“If you want to attend the academy, you’ll have to do even more than this.”

This is just the foundation of education.

In higher education, it’s common for students to increase their study hours in order to graduate.

Pointing out this fact, Lewin’s expression turned grim.

“Do I really have to?”

“Young Master….”

Alex’s expression twisted upon hearing Lewin’s words.

He knew all too well that the escape attempts, which had become a daily routine in the Duke’s household, could also happen at the academy.

But there were individuals who took the matter even more seriously than Alex.

It was the three individuals who were supposed to accompany Lewin to the academy.

“Mr. Butler, can’t we just give up on the entrance exam?”

Eyriel, her face pale, spoke with a trembling voice.

There were dozens of servants serving Lewin Dee Dryerf, and when considering the entire staff managing the Duke’s household, there were hundreds of them.

If Lewin were to run away, half of them would help in the search for him.

However, the instances where they found Lewin were few and far between. And most of those rare instances were when Lewin himself revealed his presence.

“Young Master….”

“I don’t have confidence either.”

Daisy and Hains looked at Lewin with fearful eyes.

“Sigh….”

Although Alex would have loved to accompany them, the academy was considered a sanctuary in the country.

While it was rare to witness, everyone was expected to put effort into their studies at the academy, regardless of their social status.

Therefore, bringing servants along was strictly prohibited.

Even the presence of bodyguards posed challenges unless there were special circumstances.

Of course, it was not entirely impossible.

If similarly-aged servants who were eligible for academy admission were to come along, the academy tended to provide as much convenience as possible.

That’s why Daisy and the other two had planned to take the entrance exam at the same time as Lewin’s academy admission.

Although there was a slight age difference, given their association with the Duke’s household, accommodating such a request was a simple matter.

“Young Master….”

The problem lay in the determination of the parties involved.

If they failed the entrance exam, they wouldn’t be granted such considerations.

“Don’t you feel sorry for the children?”

“I’m the most pitiful one here.”

To subject such children to the swamp of excessive studying!

The three individuals who witnessed Lewin’s unwavering insistence could only wear gloomy expressions, but there was nothing they could do.

They had just two more years.

During that time, they could only hope that the young master, who seemed so destined to follow this path, would change his mind.

.

.

.

Another year passed, and Lewin Dee Dryerf, now 9 years old.

“Please, Young Master…”

The hero who had saved the world nine times remained steadfast in his 10th life, defying the expectations of those around him.