The Male Leads Were Stolen By The Extra [EN]: Chapter 132

<132>

30 minutes prior.

“Ugh…!”

Celonia was on the verge of losing her mind from the stench. The overpowering smell numbed her nose, making her nauseous and struggling to breathe.

With her arms seized by two men, she was being led through a dim space. Her hands were bound tightly behind her back, leaving her utterly helpless.

She didn’t know where she was. The moment Galloway tore the parchment, she was instantly transported from the drawing-room to this dark space.

Was this the place where they performed black magic? Was there an altar here?

She looked around to check, but the candles placed sporadically on the walls didn’t provide enough light to clearly identify the location.

However, one thing was certain: this was a dimly lit underground space.

The echoing sounds with each step, the damp and humid air like a thick fog, and the musty smell of mold mixed with the stench all pointed to that.

Where on earth was this basement? If the stench was this strong, she should have sensed the energy, but she hadn’t felt anything so far.

That meant they had either made a perfect effort to conceal the energy, or this place was hidden somewhere other than the mansion.

“Pfft! Looks like you’re finally grasping the situation?”

Grace mocked Celonia, who had been silently walking. She was convinced that Celonia, who had been so agitated earlier, was now frightened and realized her place upon arriving here.

However, Celonia didn’t fall for Grace’s provocation.

Instead, she focused all her senses on figuring out where she was. If she wanted to escape, she needed to remember this passage well.

“You don’t have much time left in that body, so you should make the most of your voice!”

Grace, annoyed by Celonia’s disregard, raised her voice and sneered. Regardless, Celonia continued to look around, her eyes darting about as she thought.

*I think I absorbed the Holy Sword’s energy; will it appear if I need it? I hope so.*

“Are you not listening to me?!”

“Celia.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Grace exploded and forcefully turned Celonia’s shoulder, when a soft voice came from somewhere.

The voice was so familiar to Celonia that she looked at the man walking ahead.

Step, step. Ignoring her gaze, the man stroked Grace’s head and opened his mouth.

“There’s no need to get so worked up. You’ll soon be back in your rightful place, so you should show some generosity.”

It was a gentle and soothing tone.

“…….”

Seeing this, Celonia bit her lip, not wanting to be shaken. Galloway was so naturally calling Grace by the nickname ‘Celia’.

The warm nickname he used to call her with now felt like a dagger cutting through her heart.

“But Father! Look at her attitude! She doesn’t even know her place and acts like she’s the real Princess!”

Even with Galloway’s soothing words, Grace didn’t seem to calm down, glaring at Celonia with venomous eyes.

How brazenly this woman had been suppressing her from the position of Princess. It wasn’t even originally hers, yet she acted as if it were truly her own.

“Haha. It’s all for naught. You are my only precious daughter.”

Galloway let out a hearty laugh and briefly kissed Grace’s head.

Seeing Galloway’s blue eyes, filled with fatherly love, only looking at Grace, Celonia turned her head away.

“Disgusting.”

Because that affection was genuine. She was disgusted by his great fatherly love that justified all the things he had done for his daughter.

“Oh, my. It seems my fake daughter has many complaints.”

Hearing Celonia’s words, Galloway turned his eyes, gleaming with a vile glint. He grabbed Celonia’s chin with his fingers, forcing her to look at him.

She resisted, but it was no use. His grip was so strong that a sharp pain spread through her chin.

“I’d love to make it so hard to find an unharmed spot on your body. But be thankful that this body isn’t yours.”

Celonia, glaring at Galloway with fierce eyes at his absurd words, spat at him.

“Eek! You crazy bitch!”

“Stop!”

Grace tried to rush at Celonia, but Galloway shouted.

“Father!”

“Celia. Have you forgotten? Whose body this is?”

Grace voiced her resentment, but Galloway ignored her and wiped the saliva from his face.

“But that bitch to Father……!”

“Do you want to see a scar on this body your mother left you!”

“…….”

“Don’t forget. This is your body that you will get back.”

*What a show, what a show.*

Celonia frowned as she watched the father and daughter putting on a performance.

Still, one thing was certain: as always, Galloway couldn’t stand even the slightest scratch on this body.

“……Yes, Father.”

In the end, it was Grace who backed down.

“Good girl. Now, I will return everything to you.”

Galloway looked at Grace with satisfaction and resumed walking.

Celonia moved her feet, which had been stopped by the men forcibly leading her.

After passing through a narrow passage, she arrived in front of an iron door that appeared to be about 2 meters tall.

Creak.

At Galloway’s gesture to open the door without hesitation, the sound of rust scraped past her eardrums. Then, an eerie stench of blood rushed in through the opened door.

“Drag her in.”

At Galloway’s command, the men roughly pulled Celonia’s arms and led her inside.

Splash, splash. The sound echoed with each step due to the water pooled on the floor.

Celonia raised her head to see where she was, but she froze stiff.

It was an altar. The one she had been looking for so desperately.

On the platform above the two steps was a large silver altar.

There was a book on the altar, and Celonia thought it might be a book containing spells for black magic.

In front of the altar was a jet-black altar, and there was a large magic circle floating in the air that she had never seen before.

Inside a large sphere, elaborate formulas were drawn, and red pebbles were inserted between the formulas.

There seemed to be at least 100 pebbles.

*‘What are those pebbles?’*

What were those red pebbles floating in the air with the magic circle?

It was said that human lives were needed to use black magic. Were those the lives of the sacrificed people?

Confused, Celonia lowered her head and realized that the water pooled on the floor was not transparent but red.

*This is… not water.*

*‘It’s blood…….’*

Realizing that fact, Celonia quickly raised her head and looked around.

Then, on the left side of the room, which was brighter than the passage she had passed through, she noticed piles of bundles.

The red liquid flowing from those bundles seemed to have pooled in various places on the uneven floor.

*‘Could it be that those are all people……?’*

Horrified, Celonia counted the number of bundles with a pale face.

However, there was an enormous amount piled up on the left, so the number could not be estimated.

“Hmm. Looks like you’ve noticed? That’s right.”

Grace chuckled, seeing Celonia’s expression.

*‘Laughing?’*

Laughing at that?

Laughing at the people who died unjustly because of them?

“You’re crazy. You’re seriously crazy.”

What on earth are you going to do……? How dare you…….

In the end, unable to contain her resentment, Celonia shouted at Grace with reddened eyes.

“You shouldn’t have changed souls in the first place! If it was to avoid the subjugation [military campaign], you shouldn’t have said you’d participate in the subjugation party! Do you think it makes sense to sacrifice other people for this after you made your own choice?”

It was originally Celonia who said she would participate in the subjugation party.

If it was something she didn’t want to do so badly, she shouldn’t have said she would join in the first place. Does it make sense to change souls after saying you would do it? What kind of selfish choice is that?

“You really know a lot, don’t you? But you only know one thing and not the other. How foolish.”

Grace’s green eyes, gleaming eerily, moved closer and closer to Celonia.

“If I could have avoided participating in the subjugation, I would have done so, of course. But I can’t. Because that’s the destiny of the protagonist.”

“……What?”

Celonia was momentarily stunned by the word protagonist that came out of Grace’s mouth.

What is she talking about?

“I am the protagonist of this world. The female protagonist.”

“You…….”

“The male protagonist is Ian Cherbil. Hmm. I don’t like it.”

Grace frowned as if she was dissatisfied.

“…….”

Celonia was mentally blank.

*That’s the destiny of the protagonist.*

So she knows everything? That this is a world inside a book?

“I can’t change such a big framework. What can I do? I’m the protagonist. If it’s destiny, I have to accept it.”

Grace shrugged her shoulders with an arrogant face.

From those hateful words, Celonia could be sure. She really knew. The identity of this world.

How?

Celonia’s gaze went straight to the book on the altar. She could vaguely see the cover. She thought it was a book containing black magic spells, but now that she looked at it, the title was familiar.

*Surviving the Demon King…….*

“But I really didn’t want to leave home and suffer for half a year. Besides, subjugating the Demon King? It hurts. Ugh, I hate sleeping in the mud instead of a bed, and what about demon meat? Ugh! It makes me sick just thinking about it.”

“……So. You changed souls because you hated that?”

“Yeah. But look at this. You came back alive too, right? Be grateful to me. I’m the protagonist, so you came back safely.”

“…….”

“You know. Not all humans are the same. I’m the protagonist, and you’re nothing. So isn’t it better for you, who are insignificant, to sacrifice a little instead of me, the protagonist, suffering? Don’t you think so?”

Grace, who suddenly brought her face close to Celonia, raised the corners of her mouth with a very satisfied look.

“You were just an extra who existed for me, the protagonist, to shine more.”