The Extra's Rise-Chapter 216: Rachel’s Sweet Sixteen (1)

Recruiting Reika Solienne had ended in failure.

Not surprising.

On paper, the offer was excellent—a competitive salary, stability, and a future in a growing guild that would one day shake the world. But to someone like Reika, who had spent her entire life dodging disappointments, it was just another too-good-to-be-true story.

From her perspective, Ouroboros was barely even a guild yet. A newly minted Bronze-rank guild, lacking reputation, lacking security and hadn’t even gotten permanent status yet. And I? Some mysterious, masked figure throwing contracts around like a desperate recruiter for an already very suspicious guild.

So naturally, I was also very suspicious.

She had no reason to trust me. No reason to believe that, of all people, I had chosen her for a reason she couldn’t yet see.

So, I let it go. For now.

I’d try again after Rachel’s birthday.

Rachel’s birthday was on the 15th of July, a full-blown continental event in the North.

The Creighton family spared no expense, turning what should have been a simple sweet sixteen celebration into a grand affair that echoed across the entire Northern Continent—and, inevitably, bled into the rest of the world.

The Second Princess of the North was turning sixteen.

And the world would know it.

I was, of course, invited.

Not because I was Arthur Nightingale. Even though I was Rank 1, I didn’t have noble standing. Because I was her close friend.

I found myself genuinely looking forward to seeing Rachel again. She had that way about her—effortless warmth, boundless energy, the kind of presence that could lift a room just by being in it.

It was impossible not to get swept up in her vibrance.

And I wanted her to be happy on her birthday.

I looked out the window as the plane descended over Luminarc, the capital city of the land owned by the Creighton family—a place where the sky was always crisp and the air carried the scent of frost, even in summer.

The moment I stepped off the plane, I heard her.

"Arthur!"

A familiar, bright voice called out over the terminal, and I turned to see her—Rachel Creighton, waving enthusiastically, holding a sign with my name on it.

Déjà vu.

For a second, I was back in the Eastern continent, stepping off a plane as Seraphina greeted me with that same eager energy.

Rachel, however, was… louder.

Beside her stood a woman with silver hair and deep blue eyes, her expression far more reserved—calm, composed, watching.

Kathyln Creighton.

Rachel’s older sister.

Five years her senior, an exceptional mage in her own right, but not quite the prodigy Rachel was.

Unlike Rachel, she didn’t radiate excitement. She measured the world before stepping into it.

I took a step forward, smiling.

"Rach," I said. "You really made a sign?"

"Of course!" she grinned. "I had to make sure you felt welcome!"

As if I could ever feel unwelcome with her around.

Rachel barely gave Kathyln time to finish her sentence before she tossed the sign into her sister’s arms and lunged forward, arms open.

I barely had a second to prepare before she collided into me, wrapping me in a tight hug.

"I missed you," she said, her voice warm against my shoulder.

"I missed you too," I replied, arms instinctively circling her back.

We’d kept in touch—calls, messages, even a few late-night conversations. But it wasn’t the same.

Being here, in front of each other, felt different.

Better.

Rachel pulled back, still beaming, and turned to gesture at her sister.

"Anyway! This is my sister, Kathyln."

I straightened up. While I didn’t need to bother with honorifics when addressing Rachel, Seraphina, or Cecilia—the perks of being close friends—the same couldn’t be said for Kathyln.

She was a Creighton. The eldest daughter. A princess.

I placed a hand over my chest and bowed lightly. "It’s an honor, Your Highness. My name is Arthur Nightingale."

Kathyln tilted her head slightly, studying me. Then, she extended a hand, offering a small smile.

"Just Kathyln," she corrected, shaking my hand. "No need for titles. I heard a lot about you from Rachel."

"Thank you, then—Kathyln," I said, appreciating the gesture.

Rachel, meanwhile, had gone suspiciously quiet.

A second later, I glanced at her and saw it—the telltale pink creeping up her cheeks.

I raised an eyebrow. "Did you really talk a lot about me?"

"Not much," Rachel mumbled, suddenly very interested in the way her fingers twirled a strand of golden hair.

Kathyln let out a soft hum, her blue eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Not much?" she repeated. "I think the definition of ’not much’ has changed in recent years. Considering the amount of yapping I had to endure, I’d say it was quite a lot."

I almost burst out laughing right then and there.

Rachel Creighton. The radiant, confident, never-embarrassed Princess of the North.

Absolutely flustered.

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She turned a deeper shade of red and lightly shoved her sister’s arm.

"S-shut up, big sis! Let’s go already!"

Before I could say another word, she grabbed my wrist and pulled me along.

Kathyln followed at a leisurely pace, still looking far too entertained for my liking.

The three of us stepped into the sleek, high-tech car waiting for us outside. No security, no guards.

There was no need.

Kathyln Creighton was standing on the verge of Immortal-rank—one of the strongest people in the world, and easily among the top one hundred and fifty.

Anyone foolish enough to think they could threaten the princesses of the North?

Wouldn’t even get the chance to blink before regret set in.

"But Rach, you didn’t have to come pick me up," I said, leaning back against the plush seat. "Shouldn’t you be drowning in birthday preparations?"

She turned to me, her sapphire eyes locking onto mine, and shrugged as if the answer was obvious. "I don’t care. I care more about you."

I stared.

Rachel had always been bold, but somehow, hearing her say that so plainly, so effortlessly—it did something to me.

I felt the heat rise to my cheeks, and I quickly looked away, focusing on the passing cityscape through the tinted window.

The car glided smoothly over the streets, nearly silent save for the faint hum of the engine. Kathyln sat in the front, composed as ever, while Rachel and I were in the back.

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And that’s when I noticed it.

Her mana.

Rachel had changed.

’She reached White-rank,’ I realized, my eyes flickering back to her, scanning her more closely. It was subtle, but the difference was there—in the way her presence felt, in the way mana seemed to shift around her rather than just through her.

This was faster than in the novel. Much faster.

Rachel must have caught my stare, because she suddenly smirked.

"Arthur," she murmured, her voice carrying a hint of something teasing, something unspoken. "You’re staring."

I turned my head away, forcing myself to look at anything but her.

She laughed—soft, delighted. Then, under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear—"I don’t mind if you do, though… in private."

My fingers twitched slightly against my knee.

First Seraphina. Now Rachel.

’What is happening?’ I thought, suppressing a shudder. Then, another thought surfaced.

Cecilia.

A chill ran down my spine.

I could only imagine what she was going to pull. And that thought was, frankly, terrifying.

Rachel, seemingly oblivious to my inner crisis, shifted slightly, resting her chin against her palm as she watched me.

"So, Arthur," she started casually, but her voice held an edge of curiosity. "You spent a lot of time in Mount Hua, right?"

I nodded.

Her expression softened, just slightly. "How was it? Being with Seraphina?"

I thought back to my time there.

I had gained a lot—not just in strength, but in something deeper.

Mount Hua had given me the idea for my second movement, a technique that would only come to life once I reached Integration-rank. That alone made my time there invaluable.

But more than that—more than any skill, any breakthrough—I had gained something else.

Seraphina.

I looked at Rachel. She tilted her head slightly, waiting.

I wondered…

Could I help her move past her own demons?

Was it time yet?

"It was good," I finally said, choosing my words carefully. "I learned a lot. And, of course… I spent time with Sera."

Rachel’s lips parted slightly at that, her expression unreadable.

Then, she smiled.

But this time, it didn’t quite reach her eyes.