Extra's Path To No Harem-Chapter 205: Sword Master

The youngest man ever to reach the rank of Sword Master.

That alone was enough to make the air feel heavier.

Signut’s initial shock quickly faded, replaced by sharp suspicion. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked between Anna and the surroundings, clearly sensing that something was off.

"Why is Your Highness here?" he asked, his tone calm but edged with pressure. "You should be at the banquet hall. The celebration hasn’t ended yet."

"Th-that is..."

Anna hesitated, her usual composure faltering under his gaze. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, struggling to find a convincing explanation. Signut didn’t interrupt—he simply waited, arms crossed, silently applying pressure.

After a few moments of this one-sided interrogation, his attention shifted.

To me.

"And you," he said, eyes locking onto my helmet. "Which division are you from?"

His gaze swept over my armor in a single glance.

"I don’t recognize that helmet."

"...."

I stayed silent.

Not because I didn’t want to answer—but because I couldn’t.

A Sword Master’s senses were no joke. If I spoke, even a single word, there was a real chance he’d pick up on my voice and piece things together.

The silence stretched.

Signut’s brows furrowed.

"...Who are you?"

The temperature in the room seemed to drop. His hand slowly drifted toward the hilt of his sword—not in open hostility, but as a warning.

"Remove your helmet," he said firmly. "Now."

His eyes sharpened.

"If you refuse, I’ll remove it myself."

Cold sweat slid down my back.

This wasn’t an empty threat.

If he made a move, there was no chance I could stop him—not without revealing far more than I wanted to.

If I took off my helmet now, I’d be recognized instantly.

Someone of a Sword Master’s caliber wouldn’t miss it—not my face, not my presence, not the faint traces of mana clinging to me. To him, I’d be nothing more than a wanted criminal standing right in front of his eyes.

But defying his command wasn’t an option either.

Disobedience, here and now, would invite consequences far worse than exposure.

I turned my head slightly and looked at Anna, desperation clear in my eyes—a silent plea for help.

But the moment our gazes met, my heart sank.

Her pupils were shaking violently.

...This is bad.

Anna was panicking.

She was usually composed to the point of being unshakable, yet right now she looked completely thrown off balance. I didn’t know what had unsettled her so badly, but one thing was clear—relying on her in this moment was impossible.

"This is my final warning," the Sword Master said coldly.

"Remove your helmet and reveal your identity. Now."

Final warning.

Those words carried weight.

When spoken by a Sword Master, they weren’t a threat—they were a declaration of intent.

The pressure around us thickened, invisible yet crushing. The air itself felt heavier, as though my lungs were being squeezed with every breath.

Killing intent.

Pure, overwhelming, and completely undisguised.

My instincts screamed at me to move, to do something, but my body refused to obey. Sweat trickled down my spine beneath the armor as my thoughts spiraled.

If I reveal myself, everything ends here.

If I resist, I might not leave this place alive.

My fingers twitched at my side, hovering uncertainly near the hilt of my sword—not to draw it, but out of reflex, like a cornered animal baring its fangs.

No. That would only make things worse.

Think.

There has to be a way out.

As the Sword Master took a single step forward, the pressure spiked sharply, and the faint creak of strained metal echoed from my armor.

Anna, who had been frozen in panic just moments ago, suddenly moved.

Before I could even react, she lunged forward.

And then—

"Hyah...!"

"Y–Your Highness—?! Guhk!"

She slammed straight into Signut’s torso.

For a Sword Master like him, dodging something like that would’ve been effortless. Almost instinctual.

But he didn’t.

Maybe it was hesitation.

Maybe it was surprise.

Or maybe—just for a split second—he was afraid that dodging would put Anna in danger instead.

Whatever the reason, that single moment was enough.

Signut staggered, eyes wide, and fell backward from the unexpected impact, crashing heavily against the floor.

"Run—! Run away now!" Anna shouted.

Her voice shook, but it was loud enough. Clear enough.

She had created an opening.

I wasn’t about to waste it.

I sprang forward without a second thought.

"Kyaah...!"

Anna had lost her balance in the collision and fallen alongside Signut. I reached her in an instant, slipping an arm beneath her knees and another around her back, lifting her up before she could even protest.

Her body was light—far too light for someone carrying the weight she did.

"Hold on," I muttered—more to myself than to her.

"What about the bomb? Did you disarm it completely?"

"Yes! It won’t activate anymore," Anna replied without hesitation.

Good.

That single word loosened the tight knot in my chest. If the bomb was neutralized, then there was no reason for us to remain here any longer. Staying would only invite unnecessary trouble.

I turned on my heel and left the Emperor’s chamber, lifting Anna into my arms without another thought.

And then—

"How dare you...!"

The roar came from behind us, filled with pure fury.

"With Her Highness—stop right there!"

Damn it.

I clicked my tongue as I felt a terrifying pressure surge through the corridor. He’d regained his senses far faster than I’d expected.

Signut.

I didn’t even need to look back to know his eyes were blazing red. His presence alone was overwhelming—his aura raging wildly, flooding the hallway like a storm about to tear everything apart.

It felt less like a human chasing us... and more like a beast unleashed from its cage.

Fierce.

Violent.

And terrifyingly sharp.

The killing intent pouring from his sword scraped against my skin, sending a chill straight down my spine. It was the kind of pressure that made your instincts scream before your mind could catch up.

If that blade reached me, there would be no second chance.

I tightened my grip around Anna and poured every ounce of strength into my legs.

Run.

That was the only thought in my head.

"If I get caught," I muttered grimly, breath coming faster, "I’m dead."

No explanations.

No excuses.

I’d be dragged back, labeled a traitor or a criminal, and beheaded on the spot.

"Stop right there."

The moment those words left his mouth, a sharp warning screamed through my instincts.

I didn’t think—I moved.

I twisted my body sideways, dragging Anna with me as I shifted my footing.

CRASH!

The ground where my foot had been about to land exploded inward, stone shattering as Signut’s aura carved a clean crater into the floor.

"Damn it...!"

Cold sweat burst out all at once.

If I’d been even a fraction of a second slower, my ankle would’ve been gone.

No—worse. If I were an ordinary person, that single strike would’ve ended everything right there.

My heart pounded violently as I stared at the smoking crater.

...Is this man insane?

He launched an attack like that while I was holding Anna.

The Imperial Princess.

Of course, judging by the angle and timing, he’d aimed for surgical precision. If everything had gone according to his plan, only my ankle would have been severed—clean, efficient, disabling.

A Sword Master’s confidence.

But that was exactly what made it terrifying.

The fact that he could calculate something like that in an instant.

Thanks to my unnaturally sharp senses—no, my accumulated experience from countless near-death moments—I’d barely managed to evade it.

Barely.

Even so, this was madness.

Attacking so recklessly while the Princess was right here... If anything had gone wrong, the consequences would’ve been unthinkable.

I tightened my grip slightly around Anna, positioning my body between her and Signut without even realizing it.

She sucked in a quiet breath behind me, but didn’t scream. That alone told me how much composure she was forcing herself to maintain.

"...You dodged that?"

Signut’s voice carried genuine disbelief.

"How...?"

His brows knit together as he stared at me, eyes sharp, searching—as if trying to recalculate everything he thought he knew.

He hadn’t expected this.

Not even a little.

The momentary confusion on his face told me everything—but I didn’t have the luxury of savoring it.

"Where to next?"

I asked the question while tightening my grip around Anna, my feet already moving before she even answered. My lungs burned, the cold night air slicing into my chest with every breath.

"Over there!" Anna pointed urgently. "That tall building—the armory!"

I followed her gaze. Rising above the surrounding structures was a massive stone building, its silhouette sharp against the dark sky. Even from a distance, I could feel it—an overwhelming presence of mana, volatile and dense.

The armory.

Which meant only one thing.

Explosives. A ridiculous amount of them.

"So that’s the plan..." I muttered.

They hadn’t just thrown bombs around at random. Every location had meaning.

First, the banquet hall—packed with nobles, symbols of power and authority.

Then the Emperor’s bedroom—an unmistakable declaration of defiance.

And now the armory.

If that place went up, it wouldn’t just be an attack. It would be chaos. A chain reaction capable of tearing half the capital apart.

They really had planned this thoroughly.

"Stop right there!"

A furious shout rang out behind me.

Signut.

I didn’t need to look back to know how close he was. I could hear the heavy rhythm of his footsteps, feel the pressure of his presence bearing down on my back.

"Tch."

I clicked my tongue and immediately changed direction, veering sharply toward the armory. Stone pavement scraped beneath my boots as I pushed my body harder, faster, ignoring the protest screaming through my muscles.

"Hold on tight," I murmured to Anna.

She nodded without a word, arms tightening around my neck.

Behind us, Signut swore loudly, his pace increasing as he realized where we were headed.

"Don’t even think about it!"

Too late.

If they wanted to turn the armory into their final move, then I’d make sure it became the place where everything ended instead.