Shattered Innocence: Transmigrated Into a Novel as an Extra

Three Days Later—Corvina's Office

Corvina exhaled as she set down another stack of reports, her fingers massaging her temples as the weight of exhaustion settled in.

She had been working non-stop on Lucavion's request, pulling favors, contacting informants, and digging through war records that weren't meant to be easily accessed.

The War of Valerius Plains had been monumental—a decisive turning point for the Arcanis Empire, not just in strategy but in its military evolution. It was the war that had introduced the newly renovated mage units, shifting battlefield tactics in ways the world had never seen before.

A war that should have had countless records of the Awakened warriors who participated.

And yet—

Lucavion's request had proven to be both easier and more complicated than she had anticipated.

At first, she had assumed it would take months to filter through the vast records of knights who had fought in the war.

But as she dug deeper, she realized something odd.

The number of Awakened individuals who had participated in the war was far lower than she expected.

At least… on paper.

Her fingers drummed against the desk as she stared at the open documents before her.

'Why?'

Why were the numbers so low?

Awakened individuals were the most valuable assets in any war. Their presence on a battlefield could shift tides in an instant, their abilities capable of taking on entire units.

And yet, the number of recorded Awakened fighters in the Valerius Plains War was minimal.

At first, she had assumed it was simply a matter of classification—that some fighters weren't officially listed as Awakened due to their lesser abilities.

But no.

Even in the final battle—the one Lucavion had specifically pointed her toward—there were almost no Awakened warriors recorded.

Only a handful.

And most of them were either high-ranking officers or mages assigned to Arcanis's experimental divisions.

Which meant one thing—

'Whoever Lucavion is looking for…'

She exhaled slowly, her fingers pressing against the parchment.

'…He wasn't just anyone.'

He was important.

And the fact that he disappeared right after the third year of the war—after appearing just once—made it even more suspicious.

Her gaze flickered to a separate report—one of the documents she had personally had to pull strings to obtain.

It listed the wind-based Awakened knights in the war.

And among them—

Only one fit the criteria Lucavion had given her.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the paper.

This was it.

She had found him.

Now the question was—

Did she really want to tell Lucavion what she had just discovered?

'This is important to him,' she thought, exhaling slowly. 'Which means it's dangerous.'

But danger didn't scare her.

It just made things more interesting.

Without wasting any more time, Corvina reached for the small, smooth [Emberwood Summoning Paper] beside her desk.

It was a common artifact, widely used thanks to the unique properties of Emberwood, a rare magical tree. When one side of the parchment was burned, its twin—no matter how far away—would ignite the same way, signaling the recipient.

A simple, reliable way to send an urgent summons.

She picked up a nearby candle, the flickering light casting a warm glow across her desk, and without hesitation, touched the flame to the edge of the paper.

The fire caught instantly, curling at the edges as the parchment blackened and disappeared in mere seconds.

Somewhere, wherever Lucavion was—

His copy of the Emberwood Paper was burning too.

Now, all she had to do was wait.

And knowing Lucavion—

He wouldn't take long to arrive.

******

The knock came exactly when she expected it.

Not rushed. Not impatient.

But deliberate.

A calculated gesture—one that told her Lucavion was in control of his arrival, even if she already knew that he had come the moment he saw the summons burn.

Corvina exhaled slowly, leaning back into her chair as she spoke. "Come in."

The door opened, and Lucavion stepped inside.

His usual air of arrogance followed him, the smirk barely gracing his lips, but Corvina didn't miss the sharpness in his eyes—the anticipation just beneath his composed exterior.

He didn't waste time.

"Did you find him?"

His voice was smooth, calm.

Too calm.

She had expected that.

Lucavion was a man of control—but he was also a man of volatility. And she was about to hand him something that would test just how much of that control he actually had.

Corvina reached for the folder beside her, flipping it open with slow, deliberate movements. She let the silence stretch just long enough to make sure he felt the weight of what she was about to say.

Then—

"I found him."

The words left her lips without hesitation.

Lucavion's fingers twitched.

Not much—but just enough for Corvina to notice.

She didn't linger on it, though. Instead, she continued, lifting her eyes from the document and meeting his gaze.

"The man you're looking for… His name is Aldric Veltorin."

She set the folder down in front of her, the crisp parchment inside detailing everything she had managed to find in the past three days.

"A noble-born knight," she began, her voice even, measured. "Thirty years old. Formerly a Captain in the Arcanis Military, currently unaffiliated—but still very much active."

Lucavion's eyes darkened slightly.

Corvina continued, watching him carefully.

"Ranked 6-star Awakened."

A beat of silence.

Then—Lucavion exhaled sharply through his nose, running a gloved hand through his dark hair. His smirk twitched—but it wasn't amusement this time.

Corvina had expected as much.

A 6-star Awakened was not insignificant

And yet, this was the man who had vanished from the war after appearing just once?

Something wasn't adding up.

She tapped her fingers lightly against the desk. "He left the military after the third year of the war. Officially, it was marked as an honorable discharge—but I wanted to dug deeper."

Lucavion's gaze snapped back to her.

Corvina tapped her fingers against the desk, exhaling sharply as she looked at Lucavion. "It wasn't just any noble who was thrown onto that battlefield. Aldric Veltorin belonged to House Veltorin—a once-powerful noble house with deep military roots. But three years into the Valerius Plains War, the family was torn apart by internal strife."

Lucavion remained silent, but Corvina could see the sharp glint in his eyes—the way his fingers curled slightly, as if already piecing together the puzzle in his mind.

"Their lord at the time—Marquis Elarion Veltorin—was caught in a bitter succession conflict with his younger brother, Callidus Veltorin," she continued. "It was bloody, political, and riddled with schemes from both sides. But Callidus had the upper hand—not because he was stronger, but because he had the favor of the Royal Family."

She slid another document toward Lucavion, the parchment crisp, the ink still bold despite its age.

"Aldric was Elarion's most trusted knight. A 5-star Awakened at the time—fiercely loyal. And because of that, he was a threat. Callidus needed him gone. So, with the Royal Family's backing, he orchestrated a punishment disguised as duty."

Corvina leaned forward, her voice lowering slightly. "They sent him to the battlefield, not as an honored knight, but as a man stripped of his titles—thrown into the war as a means to ensure he never returned."

Lucavion's jaw tightened.

Corvina smirked, but it wasn't out of amusement. It was out of understanding. "And then, just as planned—Marquis Elarion was assassinated. Callidus became the new head of House Veltorin, and Aldric disappeared from the records."

She tapped the last page. "But he didn't die."

Lucavion's gaze darkened.

"Aldric Veltorin survived the war," Corvina said smoothly. "And now? He's unaffiliated, unbound to any banner—but still active."

She leaned back in her chair, watching as Lucavion processed the information. "The real question is, Lucavion… What exactly do you plan to do with this information?"

Because from the look in his eyes—

She already knew the answer.