An Extra's Rise in an Eroge-Chapter 192: Family Reunion

The warmth of the morning sun filtered through the infirmary windows, rousing me from my deep slumber. Blinking away the remnants of sleep, I shifted slightly, only to realize I wasn’t alone.

Alicia. Cedric. Nadia. Akira. And several others.

All of them were gathered around my bed, their faces a mix of concern and relief.

"You’re finally awake," Alicia said, her soft voice laced with worry.

"Damn, Arthur, you really had us worried," Cedric added, crossing his arms. "We got discharged yesterday, but you were still out cold."

I stretched slightly, feeling the stiffness in my limbs. "I’m fine," I assured them, offering a small smirk. "Just needed some rest."

They all exchanged glances, relieved, but before anyone could press further, a staff member entered the room.

"That’s enough," the stern voice of one of the infirmary in-charges rang out. "He needs space. You can’t all crowd in here."

There were murmurs of protest, but ultimately, everyone began to shuffle out, some throwing me lingering glances before leaving.

As the door finally closed behind them, I exhaled. That was… a lot of people.

Once the room was quiet again, I glanced toward one of the attendants, casually asking, "What about Julie and Paige? I didn’t see them here."

"They were given the day off after working the night shift," the attendant replied. "They made sure everything was cleaned up before they left."

A small smirk tugged at my lips. Of course they did. Not a single trace of last night’s debauchery remained. They were thorough.

I sank back into the bed, letting my body relax. No one would ever know what happened here. Only me.

And that was fucking perfect.

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Just as I was about to sink back into the bed, a voice called out.

"Oh! You’re awake. Perfect."

I turned my head, still groggy. Standing there was Professor Samantha, arms crossed, an unreadable expression on her face.

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"Good morning, Professor," I greeted, forcing myself to sit up.

She tilted her head slightly. "Well~ I wish I could say the same for you."

I narrowed my eyes. "I don’t like the tone of that. Is something the matter?"

"Yes. We need to go somewhere."

I sighed. "Where?"

"No time for explanations. Dress up."

She tossed a set of clothes onto my lap—lavish, high-quality fabric, something way too fancy for an ordinary outing.

I raised an eyebrow. "Wow~ What’s the occasion? Why so... bright?"

"Just get on with it."

"Okay, okay."

As I got dressed, stretching out the lingering soreness from last night, Samantha spoke with the infirmary staff. I could hear a few hushed exchanges but couldn’t make out the details.

Pulling on the final piece of the outfit, I adjusted the fit and turned to her. "Alright, I’m ready."

"Great. Let’s go."

We stepped out, making our way toward the exit. The air outside was crisp, a stark contrast to the warmth of the infirmary.

I glanced at her. "So, will you tell me where we’re going now?"

She smirked but didn’t answer right away. After a few seconds, she finally spoke.

"You’ll find out soon enough."

With that, she effortlessly hoisted me up, tucking me under her arm like a sack of potatoes. And before I could even protest, she took off at an insane speed, dashing straight toward the teleportation building.

The moment we arrived, it was clear they had been expecting us. As soon as we stepped into the center of the formation, the teleportation spell was activated. Darkness swallowed my vision.

Then, in the blink of an eye, I found myself in a grand, opulent chamber. The air was heavy with authority, and surrounding me were knights clad in armor bearing the royal insignia.

"Royal knights?" I muttered, still piecing together the situation.

Before I could fully take it in, a voice—one that I hadn’t heard in a while—rang out, filled with surprise and relief.

"My son!!"

I turned slowly toward the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway was a familiar figure.

Warmth flickered inside me at the sight, though I wouldn’t exactly say I had missed her. Still, after everything that had happened, it was… comforting to see her.

Mother.

Before Arthur could say another word, Iliyana rushed toward him, her heels clicking sharply against the marble floor. In the next instant, she pulled him into a tight embrace. The familiar scent of her perfume filled his senses, bringing back memories of home.

"You reckless child!" she scolded, her voice wavering between relief and frustration. "Do you have any idea how worried we were when we heard you had collapsed? That you weren’t waking up?"

Arthur let out a strained chuckle. "I can imagine…"

She pulled back slightly, cupping his face in her hands as she scanned him from head to toe, searching for any sign of lingering injuries. "Are you hurt anywhere? Dizzy? Do you need a healer?"

"I’m fine, Mother. Really."

She huffed, clearly unconvinced. But before she could start another round of fussing, heavy footsteps echoed through the room.

A deep, authoritative voice followed. "You’ve made me proud, son."

Arthur turned his gaze toward the source of the voice—his father, Lucious Ludwig.

Despite his usual composed tone, there was unmistakable pride in his eyes.

"Thank you, Father," Arthur responded.

"The Reckless Genius, huh? I like it!" Lucious chuckled, completely ignoring the confusion on his son’s face. He clapped Arthur on the back—hard—sending a fresh wave of pain through his already sore body.

"Lucious, that’s enough!" Elona, Arthur’s stepmother, interjected, placing a hand on his shoulder to rein him in.

Arthur frowned. "Wait, what’s this ’Reckless Genius’ thing?"

Elona smirked. "Oh? So, you don’t know?"

Arthur shook his head. "No clue. I just woke up and got dragged here by Master." He gestured toward Samantha Hall, who was standing nearby, speaking with a high-ranking knight.

His mother’s eyes widened slightly. "Did you just say ’Master’? You mean Samantha Hall accepted you as a disciple?"

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, but don’t change the subject. What’s with that cringy title?"

Iliyana chuckled at his reaction. "While you were unconscious, word spread about how you recklessly took on two Master-rank swordsmen—and won. That kind of feat doesn’t go unnoticed. Hence, the title."

Before Arthur could respond, she placed a soft kiss on his forehead. "Worried as I may be, I’m still proud of you, son."

"Alright, that’s enough," Lucious interrupted. "We can continue this family moment later. Let’s get moving."

"Ah, yes." Iliyana finally released Arthur from her embrace. "Come on, there’s someone waiting to meet you."

"Well, I’m at the royal palace, you’re the emperor’s daughter… it’s not hard to guess who I’m about to meet," Arthur said as he walked alongside the others. "But I still don’t get why I was rushed here like that."

"Because you have something in your possession that sent the royal court into chaos." Samantha Hall joined the conversation, her voice calm but firm. "I had orders to bring you to the palace the moment you regained consciousness." She then gestured toward Arthur’s parents. "Their presence here is just a coincidence."

Arthur glanced at his parents before turning his attention back to Samantha.

She smiled and gave a polite nod. "It’s nice to meet you, Duke Lucious, Duchess Elona, and Duchess Iliyana. I am Samantha Hall, a professor at Arcane Academy."

"Nice to meet you too, Professor Samantha," Lucious responded with a smirk. "But I still think ’Commander Samantha’ has a better ring to it."

Iliyana immediately pinched his side.

"What was that for?" he protested.

Ignoring him, Iliyana shook Samantha’s hand with a warm smile. "Who doesn’t know you, Professor Samantha? The youngest Grandmaster in the empire, promoted to Commander at 22, and then left the military at 25 to train future generations at Arcane Academy."

"What you’re doing is truly noble," Elona added. "Most wouldn’t leave the prestigious rank of Commander just to teach a bunch of kids."

"Thank you for the compliments, but being an instructor isn’t as bad as it sounds. They pay quite a hefty amount, you know?" Samantha joked.

"I believe they do," Iliyana chuckled before giving Arthur a sideways glance. "So, what do you think of my son? I heard he became your disciple. I hope he hasn’t been causing you trouble."

"Oh no—no trouble at all." Samantha shook her head with a small smile. "Arthur is a prodigy. He excels in every subject—magic, swordsmanship, alchemy, weapon mastery… you name it. It’s as if he was made for all of it. Whatever I teach him, he absorbs like a sponge."

She sighed dramatically. "Honestly, my only concern is what to even teach him next. He’s so good at everything that I sometimes wonder if I’m enough to bring out his full potential."

As Samantha continued to praise Arthur, they unknowingly arrived at their destination.

The knight leading them stepped forward, interrupting Samantha’s rambling, snapping everyone back to reality.

Arthur looked ahead and saw two royal knights standing on either side of a grand set of doors, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

Upon seeing them, the knights bowed their heads. "We greet the Duke and Duchesses. The Emperor is waiting inside."

With that, they pushed the heavy doors open.

Arthur’s parents nodded and stepped inside, but Samantha remained where she was. Her role here was done.