Despite Being An Extra, I’m The Villain’s Childhood Friend

“Ha! Your life means nothing to me.”

“Still, I have the will to swave your son, my lord.”

Duke Brioche hesitated for a moment as the silence fell, but in the next moment, he began laughing maniacally.

“Hahaha… Hahaha!”

He laughed, grabbing his neck for a while before he abruptly stopped. His voice turned chilling as he spoke.

“I’ve never received such a ludicrous proposal in my lifetime.”

“….”

Izeline swallowed hard.

The Duke’s gaze grew cold. After pondering for a moment, he twitched his eyebrows and opened his mouth.

“Very well. I’ll give you a chance to save my son.”

“But I hwave a condition.”

“What?”

He laughed as if finding it ridiculous.

Not only did she propose something unfathomable, but she also dared to add conditions. Normally, he would have reacted with anger and scorned her, but strangely, he didn’t feel that way. He was curious to hear what this peculiar child had to say.

“Let me be with him. And I want you to refwain from hitting the Young Master.”

“Ha!”

He genuinely couldn’t believe it. Usually, the price for sparing her life would be enough to make her beg, yet she audaciously put forward additional conditions.

‘How interesting.’

Brioche pondered, stroking his lips, then slowly raised one corner of his mouth.

“Very well. I accept those conditions.”

* * *

Tuk.

In the study where Karif and Brioche were finally alone, Brioche placed his teacup down with an uneasy expression. The wrinkles on his forehead revealed his deep thoughts.

“That cheeky child…”

Karif, sitting across the table, raised his face and glanced at Brioche’s face.

“You said the same thing when we first met.”

“Did I?”

Brioche replied as if he couldn’t remember. In response, Karif slightly raised the corner of his mouth as if he had already read his inner thoughts.

“She’s special.”

“She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

“Don’t you think she’s interesting?”

At Karif’s words, Brioche glanced at him once and clicked his tongue.

In truth, he didn’t consider Izeline’s chances of saving Robert to be high. Nonetheless, the child had value worthy of consideration.

As the Duke of Armaty, responsible for one pillar of the Empire, Brioche held the position for a reason. He had a keen eye for discerning people. Briosche had recognized the value of exceptional children early on and had provided various support and education to foster them into capable individuals.

Karif, sitting before him, was one of them.

From being a mere apprentice knight, with Briosch’s active support, Karif rose to the position of the leader of the Ignite Knights, known as the Guardians of the East. Of course, it was possible because of his skill, though without the opportunity in the first place, he wouldn’t have been able to have this position.

Karif, who achieved numerous accomplishments, received the title of Viscount directly from the Emperor. Considering his background as a commoner, it was an exceptional accomplishment.

All of it was thanks to Brioche, who had paved the way for him early on.

Even though he knew that his patron was not someone worthy of great respect, he had no intention of disregarding the favors he had received.

“More importantly, was there really a hole?”

They had momentarily forgotten about the incident due to the commotion. In response to Brioche’s question, Karif nodded and replied.

“There was a small hole in the southeast wall, barely large enough for a child to pass through.”

“Hmm…”

Brioche let out a heavy sigh at those words. In the meanwhile, the report continued.

“It was skillfully done. It seemed that it wasn’t broken by force, but smoothly cut with a weapon.”

“If there’s someone capable of that in Souvri…”

“It hasn’t been confirmed yet whether it was the work of a villager or a passing traveler.”

Brioche nodded even without further explanation. Both of them understood that finding the culprit would likely be difficult.

Despite the clear traces of a sword remaining, if no suspect came to mind, it meant that the person was not a known skilled swordsman. At least among the people Karif knew, there was no one who possessed such swordsmanship.

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No, it was difficult to call it swordsmanship.

“It could be a mage.”

Regardless, it didn’t seem like magic either, as it was cleanly cut with a weapon.

Anyway, it was a puzzling situation.

“But according to the condition of the hole, it doesn’t seem like it has been open for more than a year.”

“In your eyes, what do you think was the purpose of making that hole?”

“…That’s also a part I’m curious about.”

The purpose of the hole was completely unknown. It was ridiculously narrow, barely allowing a young child or a small dog to pass through. It was because it was too absurdly small for spies or thieves to enter.

“It felt like it was made specifically for the Young Master. It’s like they allowed him to freely exit the mansion.”

“Who would risk such danger for that kid?”

“…”

Karif didn’t respond.

The Duke had a habit of belittling his own son, so he let it be. However, he couldn’t imagine any skilled individual getting involved with the four-year-old child and causing such trouble.

“For now, we should patch it up.”

“I will do it.”

“I will also entrust you with the task of finding the culprit.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Both of them knew that it would take a long time to find the culprit. Such unknown incidents required persistent tenacity, so no matter how many years it took, it had to be solved. The one who dared to commit such a crime in the residence of Duke Armaty would surely pay the price.

While contemplating how to identify the culprit, Karif’s thoughts were secretly drawn somewhere, causing him to suppress a smile.

‘…Izeline, was it?’

She was a very interesting child.

Fearless in front of Duke Armaty, who was one of the most influential figures in the Empire, she not only spoke boldly but even set conditions. Such audacity was hard to find, even among the so-called nobles of the Empire.

Her skill in handling the Duke and her audacity were honestly intriguing, making it impossible to look away.

He opened his mouth again.

“What do you think we should do with that child?”

He meant to ask about him offering sponsorship. Brioche touched his chin and parted his lips.

“Well, I’m still considering it.”

In his mind, he was thinking about how to turn her into their person, as he had mentioned she was an interesting child.

Naturally.

“She must have seen through me and fearlessly made her proposal.”

“For a four-year-old, she had an extraordinary insight. She could be a once-in-a-century genius.”

“I agree with that.”

Even in the eyes of the two formidable people of the Empire, the girl named Izeline was remarkable. Karif fell into thought for a moment before he spoke up again.

“What about swordsmanship?”

Surprised by the unexpected suggestion, Brioche raised his head.

“Have you seen any talent?”

“Not specifically… but couldn’t we give her another chance in four years?”

Brioche understood immediately.

If they couldn’t cure Robert’s illness, Izeline decided to sacrifice her life as a consequence.

In the Barcan Empire, there were various methods of execution, and among them, being thrown into the circular arena with wild beasts in front of numerous spectators was considered a relatively merciful form of execution.

If she defeated the wild beasts, she would not only earn the right to live but also receive amnesty. Of course, there was also the option for Brioche to simply spare her life though Karif didn’t mention that part.

“There happens to be a good teacher available.”

Brioche asked with a hesitant expression.

“Are you referring to that person from your household?”

“Yes, I am.”

“But doesn’t he already have a student?”

At that remark, Karif couldn’t help but smile faintly.

“We have no choice but to send them down together.”