I'm an Extra, so What?
Chapter 99 - 99: Drinking The Embarrassment Away

Serene's eyes darted nervously between the elf and her Young Master, her hands clutching her maid dress tightly.

"Y-Young Master…" she whispered under her breath, her eyes wide with concern.

Luka ignored her, keeping his gaze locked on the elf, whose expression twisted into a scowl.

"It's mine when I say it's mine," the elf growled, slamming his palm onto the wooden surface.

The table shook under the force.

His hand lingered there, fingers splayed out as if marking territory.

Luka raised both eyebrows, clearly unimpressed.

"Wow, you must be real proud of yourself, huh? Walking around, declaring ownership over random pieces of wood."

He chuckled, taking another casual bite of his fruit, chewing with exaggerated slowness.

"Tell me, you claim the floorboards too? Maybe the air we're breathing? I don't want to intrude on your property."

A few nearby elves paused in their tracks, watching the exchange with interest, whispers beginning to ripple through the crowd.

The elf's eyes darkened, his knuckles whitening as his hand pressed harder against the table.

"You've got a smart mouth for a filthy human," he spat, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone. "I don't like that."

Luka's smirk didn't waver.

He tapped his chin thoughtfully, leaning forward.

"That's funny, because I don't particularly like being threatened by people who don't understand basic concepts like public seating."

His eyes met the elf's with a cold, unyielding glare.

"So, how about you move along before you embarrass yourself?"

The elf's jaw clenched, muscles tightening along his neck.

The tension in the air grew heavier, crackling with the threat of violence.

Luka didn't move; his gaze stayed fixed, challenging, unblinking.

Beside him, his personal maid sat frozen, her hands trembling slightly, but she said nothing.

She knew better than to interfere when her Young Master had that look in his eyes.

Finally, the elf let out a harsh snort, withdrawing his hand from the table.

His glare lingered for a moment longer before he spat at the ground near the human's feet, turning sharply and stomping away, his footsteps loud.

Luka watched him leave, waiting until the elf's hulking form disappeared into the crowd before leaning back and exhaling calmly.

"Well," he said casually, taking another bite of his fruit. "That was fun."

Serene stared at him, mouth slightly agape.

"Y-Young Master… that was reckless…"

"Maybe." He shrugged, popping another berry into his mouth.

"But I didn't feel like moving."

He glanced around at the elves, still whispering and watching him from a distance.

"Guess I'm making a name for myself, huh?"

"…" Serene lowered her gaze, fidgeting. "A…name, yes…"

Luka only grinned wider, thoroughly amused.

"Come on, let's finish eating. I want to see more before we head back."

▬▬ι═══════ﺤ

Arwen stormed across the wooden bridge, his heavy footsteps echoing against the planks as he replayed the earlier encounter with that human.

The scene looped in his mind like a festering wound, refusing to heal.

He could still see that smug grin plastered on the human's face, the way he stood his ground, unflinching, unyielding.

It was as if he didn't understand—or worse, didn't care—about the centuries of bloodshed and hatred that existed between their races.

His jaw tightened, teeth grinding together as he tried, and failed, to shake off the judging stares from his fellow elves.

He could still feel their eyes boring into him, whispers slipping through the crowd like poison-tipped arrows.

"What was he thinking?" Arwen muttered under his breath, his fists clenching until his knuckles turned pale.

He couldn't understand it.

Humans were supposed to be submissive, fearful even.

That was the natural order of things.

And yet, this human… this smug bastard had dared to hold his ground, to match his glare without so much as a flinch.

Arwen's pride screamed for him to go back, to find that human and put him in his place.

But he knew that was impossible.

Open violence against humans—

Especially foreign students from the human Academy—was strictly forbidden within the borders of the Elven Kingdom.

Despite the loathing many elves still held for the human race, the Elven Kingdom prided itself on its so-called "first-world status," claiming to be a beacon of civilization and peace.

That meant fists were kept firmly at one's side.

"Damn it... what a pain in the ass…" Arwen growled, rubbing the bridge of his nose as if trying to massage away the lingering irritation.

His pride still stung, and he couldn't help but come up with a thousand different ways he could've responded.

He could have thrown the human over the railing, dropped him into the endless canopy below.

Or maybe just smashed his smug face against that wooden table.

Anything would've been better than walking away with his pride bleeding out.

But he knew better.

He wasn't stupid.

Getting caught would mean imprisonment—or worse, exile.

And no matter how much Arwen hated humans, it wasn't worth throwing his life away.

His eyes landed on the swinging sign of a nearby tavern, its wooden exterior carved into a trunk.

A low hum of chatter buzzed from within, occasionally broken by bursts of laughter and the clink of tankards.

Arwen's shoulders slumped as he made his way to the door.

"Maybe a drink will clear my head…" he murmured to himself, pushing through the heavy wooden door and stepping into the dimly lit tavern.

A handful of elves dotted the tables.

"…" Arwen walked past them, ignoring the quick glances sent his way, and made his way to the bar top.

He tapped the surface twice, signaling the bartender.

"Make me a Feywood Ale. Strong as you can make it," Arwen ordered, his voice heavy with irritation as he slumped onto the wooden stool.

Behind the counter, a wiry elf with silver hair and tired eyes raised a brow.

"Arwen? Here early today?" The bartender's hands moved with practiced ease, reaching for a glass and a polished bottle.

Feywood Ale was the tavern's specialty, brewed from berries that grew only in the deepest parts of the forest.

It burned going down but left a pleasant, numbing warmth in its wake.

Arwen exhaled sharply, leaning forward against the counter.

"Yeah… not in a great mood," he admitted, resting his elbows on the smooth wood.

The bartender chuckled as he poured the shimmering liquid, the faint glow from the ale casting light across his face.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, sliding the glass over with a soft clink.

Arwen caught the glass and took a long drink, savoring the burn as it slipped down his throat.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and set the glass down with a heavy sigh.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," he muttered, staring into the faintly glowing liquid.

The bartender leaned on the counter, eyes sharp with interest.

"Try me. I've heard it all."

Arwen took another swig before speaking, his eyes hardening.

"Some human had the gall not to move when I told him to."

There was a pause.

The bartender blinked, clearly waiting for the punchline.

"A human?" he echoed, disbelief coloring his tone.

"Not moving? You've got to be joking."

Arwen shook his head.

"I'm dead serious. You should've seen the bastard. Didn't flinch, didn't look away. He just stared right back at me like I wasn't even a threat. Made me look like a damn fool."

His hand tightened around the glass.

"If it weren't for the damn laws, I would've smashed his face into the table right then and there."

The bartender scratched his chin, glancing around to make sure no one was listening too closely.

He leaned in, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.

"Don't let it get to you, Arwen. Maybe the human's just got a death wish. I mean, if he's crazy enough to look you in the eye, he's either stupid or asking for trouble."

A slow grin crept onto Arwen's face, and he raised his glass.

"I'll drink to that," he chuckled, clinking his glass against the counter before downing the rest of his drink.

The warmth spread through his veins, chasing away the lingering tension.

But even as he drank, his mind wandered back to that human's defiant eyes, and the grin slowly faded from his lips.

One way or another, he would make sure that human knew his place.