The Extra Who Stole the Hero's System-Chapter 60: Megmura - 4

"Mudrel," Herald greeted, his voice calm, utterly devoid of surprise. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

My mind reeled. Mudrel. The name slammed into me, a chilling, undeniable truth. Mudrel. The man responsible for Prudee Sapphire’s death. Evelina’s brother. The one who had killed him. The commander of the men in red hats and tunics.

I wasn’t angry. Just utterly, profoundly shocked at the plot twist that had just occurred. Herald, the warrior fighting the cult, was allied with Mudrel, the man who had murdered Evelina’s brother. My mind scrambled, trying to process this impossible connection. The lines were blurring into an unrecognizable mess.

"Herald," I managed, my voice a little strained, "how... how do you know Mudrel?" My gaze darted between the two men, trying to find a logical explanation for this bizarre alliance.

Mudrel, a burly man with a scarred face and a grim expression, stepped forward from his chair. He wore simple, practical clothing, but there was an undeniable aura of hardened experience about him. He glanced at me, his eyes sharp, then back at Herald. "He’s your new apprentice, Herald? The one with the... unique signature?" His voice was gruff, but held a hint of curiosity.

"Indeed," Herald confirmed, his eye fixed on Mudrel. "Kai Lorne. He will be useful."

"Useful?" Mudrel scoffed, a humorless laugh escaping him. "He looks like a pampered noble. Doesn’t look like he’s seen a day of hardship."

"Mudrel," I pressed, ignoring his jab, "you’re... you’re the commander of the Republican Movement in Ostina, aren’t you?" I knew this guards at the Sapphire manor, when I spoke with them about Evelina past. The Republican Movement was a shadowy, often violent organization that believed Eudenia shouldn’t be an ethno-region of Ostina, but rather its own independent republic. Their methods often involved terroristic activities, including killing members of the Ostinan aristocracy, whom they viewed as oppressors.

Mudrel’s eyes narrowed. "You know a lot for a pampered noble. Yes. I am." His gaze hardened. "And you know what we fight for."

"I do," I replied, my voice calm. "Freedom for Eudenia. But your methods... they’re extreme. Killing innocents, even nobles..."

I tried to probe him, to figure out where he stood on the way they chose to show their hatred for the system. Personally, I couldn’t care less about what happened to the Ostinan nobility. But this man—he wasn’t just tied to Evelina’s past. He was tied to my future too.

"Innocents?" Mudrel scoffed, a bitter laugh. "There are no innocents in this system, boy. Only oppressors and the oppressed. The Ostinan aristocracy... they bleed our lands dry. They foster the very trades that enslave people, that turn our women into beasts." His gaze flickered towards the hatch above, towards Megmura.

"Herald," I turned to my master, my voice low, "how do you know him?"

Herald sighed, He looked at Mudrel, then back at me. "Mudrel and I... our paths crossed many years ago. I suspected him of being part of the cult, because of the attire he put on, the republican movement cloth."

My brow furrowed. The Republican Movement cloth? Their red hats and tunics? How could that be a cult attire?

"Both Mudrel and I knew," Herald continued, his voice flat, "that the Republican Movement has been deeply infiltrated by the cult. They use its legitimate grievances, its desire for freedom, to further their own dark agenda. They twist its ideals, corrupt its members, turning it into a tool for chaos and destruction."

Mudrel nodded grimly. "They prey on our desperation, on our rage. They offer power, a way to fight back, but it comes at a price. A price I’ve seen paid too many times."

"Mudrel has agreed to be my spy within the movement," Herald concluded, his eye fixed on me. "He feeds me information. He helps me identify cult members, even if their actions are cloaked in the guise of political rebellion."

A spy. Mudrel was Herald’s spy. This was a kind of mess the novel never prepared me for. The so-called good guys were teaming up with rebels, who didn’t even realize they’d been infiltrated by the real enemy. Nothing was clear-cut—just layers of lies and shifting loyalties.

As we talked, I noticed a small girl with a tail peeking out from behind Mudrel’s leg. It was a cat beast-kin, cute and utterly adorable, with large, frightened eyes. She was cute and shy, always hiding behind Mudrel, clutching at his trousers.

Mudrel noticed my gaze. A rare, soft smile touched his grim lips. "Ah, that’s Bella," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "I bought her from the popular vendor besides the alleyway, in Megmura. Gave her her freedom." He stroked her head, and Bella purred softly, rubbing against his leg. "If I could, I would buy more. But the Ostinan nobility... they are the ones fostering such action, harbouring such trades. They benefit through trade taxes, through influence gains in the region. They are the true villains, feeding off the misery of our people." His voice hardened again, his gaze filled with bitter resentment.

"Bella," Mudrel continued, his voice softening once more as he looked at the beast-kin, "she reminded me of my daughter. Lost her years ago. To the Ostinan nobility. They took her. For their... experiments."

His daughter. Lost to the nobility. This was his trauma. His reason for fighting. Not just for Eudenia’s freedom, but for personal vengeance. It was a mirror of Herald’s own pain, a shared wound that bound them together.

The conversation continued, a grim exchange of information and grim realities. Herald and Mudrel discussed the cult’s movements, their infiltration tactics, their growing influence. I listened, absorbing every detail, trying to piece together the fragmented picture of this altered narrative. The cult was everywhere, insidious, pervasive. They were not just a distant threat; they were woven into the very fabric of society, manipulating events from the shadows.

Herald then turned to me. A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips.

"Hey," Herald said, his voice calm, "I have a gift for you."