Is It Wrong for an Extra to Steal the Protagonist's Harem?

The Magic Department combat courtyard slowly emptied as the morning sun climbed higher, drying the dew from the scorched sand and scattered training debris. The first-year mages left through the heavy iron gates in groups, the excitement of surviving the charging drills fading into exhausted relief. Martin was animatedly explaining his accidental triumph to Hanks, while Emma walked beside Alicia, already adding to her casting-delay ledger without looking back.

Ren Montclair did not leave the courtyard.

He stood alone near the center of the trampled ring, his wooden practice blade resting loosely at his side. He watched the heavy, leather-padded training golem grind its way back to the starting line, its runes clicking as it reset.

"Edelhart," Ren called out, his voice carrying through the quiet yard. "Keep the construct active for one more cycle."

Alex paused by the weapon racks, returning Cassandra's brass whistle. He turned around, his bandaged right hand resting lightly against his hip. Across the courtyard, Cassandra leaned beneath the shade of a stone archway, watching her two most capable students without interfering.

A few paces behind Ren, Lena stood with her arms crossed over her leather chest guard. Her eyes remained fixed on Ren's posture, her vigilance showing the instincts of a royal guard rather than a simple academy classmate.

"Your casting delay was the lowest in the class, Ren," Alex said, walking toward the control pillar. "You don't need another test."

"My delay is fine for a standard static shield," Ren corrected, his blue eyes locking onto Alex. "But a static shield drains too much mana against sustained force. Run the golem."

Alex reached out with his uninjured left hand and pulled the heavy brass lever on the control pillar.

The construct's runic eyes flared crimson. With a violent screech of iron and leather, the massive golem surged forward, tearing through the courtyard sand as it charged straight toward Ren.

Ren lowered his stance. Instead of using his Light affinity to form a barrier, he tried to copy the exact footwork Alex had used. He pushed mana into his boots, trying to change his footing against the sand so he could pivot around the construct's flank.

The attempt failed immediately.

Ren's mana couldn't give him the same control over his footing. His energy slipped against the ground instead of anchoring him. His lead foot stuttered, throwing his weight forward just as the golem reached him.

The construct's padded shoulder clipped Ren's chest. The impact wasn't direct, but it sent him skidding across the dirt, his practice sword flying from his grip.

Ren rolled with the momentum and stopped on one knee, coughing up dust.

"Stop borrowing another person's answer," Alex said evenly, stepping away from the control pillar. "You don't have friction control. You're forcing a technique that doesn't suit your Light affinity. It doesn't work, and you're going to get yourself killed trying to prove it does."

Ren wiped the dirt from his mouth and retrieved his wooden sword. He didn't argue. Instead, he drew his mana inward again, golden Light gathering around his legs.

"Then I use what I have," Ren muttered.

He didn't wait for Alex to reset the golem. Ren focused a concentrated burst of Light beneath his left boot, trying to use the sudden release of energy to propel himself sideways.

He triggered the burst.

The flash was blinding and chaotic. Light had no physical weight, but the sudden release of energy threw Ren violently off-balance. He was launched sideways, his boots leaving the ground as he hurtled toward the courtyard wall.

Before his shoulder could hit the stone, Lena moved.

She crossed the distance in a blur, catching Ren by the upper arm and planting her boots firmly against the ground. She stopped him inches from the wall.

"You are over-channeling," Lena said bluntly. She looked Ren directly in the eyes, her grip firm. "Protecting people requires you to survive your own training. If you break your neck experimenting in a dirt ring, you fail everyone relying on you."

Ren exhaled and gently pulled his arm free. He knew she was referring to his hidden royal identity, to the crown he secretly carried, even if Alex supposedly didn't know. "I know, Lena. But a burst should give me clean movement. I just need to control the output."

Alex walked across the sand and stopped a few feet away. "You're trying to move your body using an element that has no mass. That's why it's throwing you instead of carrying you."

Ren frowned at his boots. "Then how do I match your speed without friction?"

"You don't need a full movement spell," Alex said, gesturing toward the starting line. "A Knight's charge is one committed line. You only need a brief flash that moves your body out of that attack line."

Ren processed the words. Not a sustained run. Not a slide. One tiny movement at exactly the right moment.

"Just a flash," Ren repeated softly, looking toward the control pillar.

"Just a flash," Alex confirmed. "Stop treating your Light like a physical push. Treat it like a skip through space."

Ren stepped away from the wall and returned to the center of the ring. The frustration that had clouded his judgment was gone, replaced by sharp focus. He was already building the foundation of a new and unstable spell in his mind.

He stopped at the center mark and looked at Alex. The competitive tension between them hung heavily in the air.

"The Blackwood tomb," Ren said suddenly, lowering his voice so Cassandra couldn't hear. "The hidden piece you recovered during the forest expedition. That's where you learned your footwork, isn't it?"

Alex held his gaze. "Yes."

"I felt a pull toward that part of the forest," Ren continued, his blue eyes narrowing as he pieced together the timeline. "But when my squad reached the location, the tomb was already empty. You were already gone." Ren tightened his grip on his sword. "Did you take the Blackwood cache because you knew it belonged to me?"

"Ownership doesn't exist before discovery, Ren," Alex answered steadily. "But yes. I knew you would have found it if I hadn't."

A flash of anger crossed Ren's face. His mana spiked, golden Light flaring around him. He had lost the Champion position to Alex, and now Alex was admitting that he had deliberately taken away a crucial opportunity.

But the anger didn't turn murderous. It became something else.

Ren let out a short, dry laugh and shook his head. The golden Light settled around his boots again. The realization didn't break him. It pushed him forward. He could not wait for fate to hand him the power he needed to reclaim his throne.

"Run the golem," Ren ordered.

Alex walked back to the pillar and pulled the lever.

The construct roared to life, its iron boots pounding against the sand as it accelerated toward Ren for a third time.

Ren didn't lower his stance. He didn't try to grip the earth. He waited until the padded shoulder was less than three feet away, until the impact was certain.

Then he released a compressed spark of Light beneath his rear boot heel.

Snap.

A razor-thin flash burst across the ground. Ren's form blurred. He didn't slide. He simply vanished from the golem's path, reappearing half a meter to the left.

The heavy construct smashed through empty air, its momentum carrying it past Ren until it crashed into the courtyard wall.

Ren stumbled when he reappeared. He hissed in pain, grabbing his left calf. The flash had scorched his boot and nearly torn the muscle, proving the technique was raw, dangerous, and unstable.

But it worked.

He had created the first crude version of Lightstep.

Lena released a slow breath of relief, her hand finally leaving her weapon hilt. On the balcony, Cassandra gave a single approving nod before turning back toward the Spire.

Ren forced himself upright, ignoring the burning pain in his leg. He looked across the courtyard at Alex, a fierce grin spreading across his face.

"Next time you steal my opportunity, Edelhart," Ren said, breathing heavily, "I will already have made something better."

Alex smiled back, the rivalry between them settling into genuine respect. "I'll hold you to that."

As Alex turned to leave the courtyard, the translucent blue interface of the System appeared silently at the edge of his vision.

[Meaningful Main-Cast Coordination Achieved: +30 LP] [Current Balance: 130 LP]

Alex dismissed the screen without breaking his stride. He had taken the protagonist's intended path, but Ren Montclair was refusing to be left behind.