The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist novel Chapter 26

Chapter 26 - 26: Ready to play

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Alden's POV

The hum of the hover car was barely audible over the wind slicing past as it zoomed above the glowing skyline of Avaloria.

Inside, Alden von Crestvale sat with arms folded, gazing out the tinted window at the sprawling cityscape.

Under the soft lighting of the vehicle, his sharp features betraying nothing but mild contemplation.

His driver, an older man named Elric, said nothing—he knew better than to interrupt Alden when he was brooding.

Alden, meanwhile, was lost in thought.

Silver hair. Blue eyes. That smirk. That annoyingly confident smirk.

"Tch," Alden scoffed to himself. "Who even smirks like that after barely dodging a attack?"

He wasn't annoyed. Of course not. He just found Alex... mildly frustrating.

In a way that made his sword hand itch and his competitive soul burn.

"That guy's definitely not more handsome than me," he muttered. Elric raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Still, there was no denying it—Alex Dragonheart had proven himself to be a worthy competitor.

Their last sparring session had ended in a draw, and it nagged at Alden in a way he didn't like. Not because he lost—no, they both had held back.

They'd only used sword arts. No mana bursts, no domain techniques, no body enhancements. Pure swordplay.

And even then, the guy had kept up with him.

"He's strong," Alden admitted internally. "But that doesn't mean I'll lose ."

He leaned back in the seat, eyes narrowing. Something told him Alex hadn't shown everything either. That thought was both thrilling... and annoying.

Ding.

A notification pinged on his EtherPad.

He tapped it lazily, expecting a news bulletin—only to be greeted by a holo-call.

"Big sis," he smirked.

"Finally remembered you had a brother, Alicia? Or did the student council president finally take a break from running the world?"

A holographic projection of Alicia von Crestvale flickered to life in the seat across from him.

Her long, white hair was tied in a high ponytail, and her sharp amethyst eyes sparkled with amusement.

"You brat," she replied, mock-offended. "I've been busy keeping Zenith Academy from exploding.

Do you know how hard it is to manage the Shades and student council while fending off marriage proposals from every noble house?"

"Tragic," Alden deadpanned. "Truly. My heart bleeds."

"And yet, here you are, ignoring direct family instructions and playing swordsman ."

He rolled his eyes. "I didn't play. I tested someone."

"Oh? Do tell."

Alden leaned forward slightly, his tone serious. "I met someone interesting. Silver hair, blue eyes. Commoner background, supposedly. His name's Alex Dragonheart."

Alicia raised an eyebrow. "Dragonheart? Sounds made up."

"Probably," Alden shrugged. "But he's strong. We had a match. It ended in a draw."

"A draw? With you?" Alicia blinked, looking genuinely surprised. "Using our family's sword art?"

"Just the sword arts," he clarified. "We didn't use mana techniques. Pure skill."

"And he kept up?" she mused, eyes narrowing. "Interesting."

"Yeah, I thought so too."

"He's not more handsome than me," Alden added again, just for good measure. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

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