The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 100

30 minutes ago.

“…Damn it.”

Mack Lion, sprawled on the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood.

He no longer possessed his Dragon’s Heart; he had gifted it to Grace.

“The reason you joined forces with the monsters…ugh…was this?”

He swallowed the pain, glaring at Celonia, who stood beside him, his eyes burning with fury.

Incredibly, he had been defeated by the two of them.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“Don’t I know your capabilities? How could I not realize that your sudden surge in power stems from the monsters’ energy, ugh?”

Mack Lion understood. Celonia’s interception of his sword as he charged toward the Griffin was no mere coincidence.

After their blades clashed, he knew this Celonia was not the one he remembered.

Her swordsmanship still had flaws, but her strength was undeniably different. Each time their swords met, his hand vibrated from the impact.

She even managed to neutralize his aura, meant for attack, with her own sword.

And that bastard, Tan. He suspected it, but hadn’t imagined it would reach this level.

Not only did he nullify Mack Lion’s Dragon power, but he also overwhelmed him with a tremendous force that shook the very ground.

In the blink of an eye, the one who had been behind him was now in front, relentlessly cutting him down with a speed he couldn’t match.

It was a complete and utter defeat.

“Damn it, damn it!”

Mack Lion cursed, his face contorted with resentment.

If he still had his heart, he wouldn’t be so helpless. If he only had his heart, he could have dealt with those two in an instant…!

“Screech!”

The Griffin, waddling closer, pecked at Mack Lion’s prone body with its beak, venting its own rage.

Even monsters dared to mock him now.

The noble dignity of a Dragon had been dragged through the mud.

His pride shattered, Mack Lion gritted his teeth, attempting to conjure energy in his hand to obliterate the Griffin with a single blow.

However, with a fizzling sound, the energy, which had briefly flared to the size of a fist, immediately dissipated. He had exhausted all his power.

“Ha, haha…”

Mack Lion lowered his hand, dumbfounded.

He truly lacked the strength to even lift a finger. Blood flowed freely from wounds all over his body.

Especially from the severely torn gash on his left side, blood gushed out.

That was Tan’s doing. The moment Celonia was struck by Mack Lion’s sword, Tan had lost control, tearing into his side in a single, brutal motion.

“What are you going to do now? Ugh, are you going to kill me?”

“…”

Celonia stared silently at the expected outcome.

Her own condition wasn’t much better.

During the battle, Mack Lion, enraged by being constantly pushed back, had unleashed his Dragon energy relentlessly, as if he had gone berserk.

She had sustained injuries everywhere while dodging the energy that erupted randomly from the ground.

She had also been cut by Mack Lion’s sword, leaving gashes on her arms and legs.

Of course, Tan had tried to intervene, but Celonia insisted she was fine, pleading with him to trust her and refusing his aid.

Perhaps she believed Mack Lion wouldn’t actually kill her.

But because of that, Mack Lion had fallen even faster than anticipated. Tan, driven mad by seeing her injured, had simply overwhelmed Mack Lion.

“Should I really kill him?”

Tan, standing beside her, muttered, his eyes burning like fire as he looked down at Mack Lion.

Veins throbbed on the back of his hand. If it weren’t for Celonia, he would have torn that bastard to pieces.

Was that the reason? Seeing him still breathing, a dark desire began to creep up from his feet.

Since fragments of past memories had surfaced, Tan had found it increasingly difficult to suppress his negative emotions.

Occasionally, his mind would become clouded, as if a dark fog was engulfing him.

Again and again…

Just then, Tan lowered his head, feeling a warmth enveloping his hand.

“Thank you.”

Along with Celonia’s gentle voice, he saw her white hand holding his.

The blue veins throbbing on the back of Tan’s hand subsided, and the rising dark desire also faded.

However, the darkness that had filled his mind left behind lingering remnants.

“Mack Lion.”

Celonia, unaware of his internal struggle, slowly lowered herself and reached out to Mack Lion, who lay defeated on the ground.

“You always acted so high and mighty, but look at you now. You couldn’t even recognize such obvious tricks.”

“What…?”

“Stop spacing out and face reality.”

Soon, Celonia’s hand rested on his chest, emitting a soft, white light.

Mack Lion recognized it well.

It was the healing light she often used when tending to him or the other saviors.

She pushed him to this state and then used healing magic? How dare a mere human toy with him?

“How dare you deceive me…!”

Enraged, Mack Lion shouted, his murderous golden eyes blazing, but his voice quickly trailed off.

The string that had been holding his mind together, sustained by a single thought, stretched taut and then snapped.

“Huh, huh…!”

Then, emotions hidden deep within his memories, like a colossal tidal wave, instantly washed over him as he struggled to understand what was happening.

His whole body trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes.

The emotions that had been unilaterally suppressed were returning like scattered puzzle pieces.

Along with the memories of that day. The day his feelings for Celonia, whom he had previously dismissed as a meaningless and annoying presence, began to blossom.

* * *

Two weeks into the subjugation campaign. That day, too, seemed insignificant at first.

“Kugh…”

Mack Lion, having quietly slipped away from the group, leaned against a tree, suppressing a groan.

His legs giving way, he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

“Hoo…”

He frowned, clutching his side with his large hand.

Fortunately, he was wearing dark clothing, so the tear in the fabric wasn’t immediately noticeable.

That way, those cumbersome people wouldn’t notice.

He possessed the pride of a Dragon. He could never allow them to see him injured by something so trivial.

Just moments ago, as they had traversed a particularly difficult swamp, they were ambushed by ogres, as if the creatures had been lying in wait.

Dozens of ogres had charged at them simultaneously, having been hidden somewhere nearby, forcing Mack Lion to exert all his strength.

It was clear that the humans’ strength was insufficient, so he had felt compelled to display his immense power.

However, he had overextended himself in defeating the ogres, and as a result, his heart had momentarily weakened.

He didn’t know if they had been specifically targeting that vulnerability, but at the precise moment his heart faltered, an ogre’s crude fingernail had grazed his side.

His left side had been torn open mercilessly.

As long as he possessed his heart’s full power, he wouldn’t be easily injured by external forces, but if he overused his heart’s energy, he became vulnerable in such a weakened state.

Even for a transcendent being, the power of the heart was not limitless.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a deep wound. Since they were camping here tonight anyway, he could roughly stop the bleeding and leave it alone; it would heal on its own.

Mack Lion looked up at the sky, feeling a throbbing pain that was more than just a burning sensation.

He saw the sky above the monster forest, filled with gloomy dark clouds, along with the faint outline of the blue barrier he had erected [a magical shield to protect the camp].

“Annoying.”

Apart from the slight furrow of his brow caused by the pain, his expression remained indifferent.

Subjugation alongside humans was something that was not in his nature. It couldn’t be more cumbersome.

Moreover, he had no idea how much longer it would take to reach the castle, thanks to this damn Demon King’s barrier.

It had already been two weeks since he had been traveling with Celonia, Ian, and Reyev, but they remained uncomfortable and bothersome.

For a noble and dignified Dragon to have to cooperate with humans… He would have refused without hesitation if it weren’t for the Emperor’s request.

But as a Dragon, he had a duty to step forward for the peace of this empire. His predecessors had done so as well.

It was the Dragons who had driven out the monsters that originally occupied this land, making it possible for humans to live here.

Since then, Dragons had tacitly used their power for the benefit of humans. It was an act of arrogant consideration and pity that they, with their transcendent power, showed to the weak humans.

As beings with immense power, they were naturally superior to the Emperor, and they enjoyed looking after humans as if they were their own people. Humans were quite an interesting amusement for the boring and tedious life of a Dragon.

“Mack Lion-nim.”

It was then.

Into his vision, filled with the gloomy sky that darkened even his mood, a white and round face suddenly appeared.

“What.”

Startled, Mack Lion flinched, but he quickly composed himself, looking at Celonia with a straight face as if nothing had happened.

This woman was the one he considered the most burdensome member of the subjugation party.

Ian and Reyev were at least skilled in swordsmanship and were somewhat helpful, but this woman was not.

Moreover, though he hadn’t revealed it to them, he had noticed her panting with a pale face, as if she were on the verge of collapse, several times during their march.

Anyway… Annoying and bothersome.