Extra's Perfect Ending

Chapter 162: Premium ride

The sun shone brightly in the morning, sitting about 30 degrees above the horizon and rising higher bit by bit. However, much of its light was blocked by the thick winter clouds. The temperature had been dropping steadily every day, and Reeva wouldn’t be surprised if the snow began to fall soon.

"Master, we’re about to leave," Hilda said from behind him, wrapped in a fur coat over her usual maid outfit.

Reeva glanced back at her and replied, "Can’t I enjoy this view a little longer?"

With that, he turned again to gaze at the ocean, which was beginning to freeze over from the biting cold. Soon, sailboats would struggle to cross the waters, and most businesses would grind to a halt. But his burger joint? That would survive, especially in the hands of Jenny.

That woman wasn’t the best, but her loyalty was enough to trust her with the business—at least enough to motivate her with a 40% share.

"We could, but the priest wouldn’t like that," Hilda added.

Reeva smiled. If not for the situation he was stuck in, he would be enjoying life in Tumidus, selling burgers, and maybe even becoming a millionaire—one of the few in an era like this. But fate had other plans.

Honestly, it would’ve been much harder for him if Prince Brent hadn’t claimed him as one of his own. Reeva had been ready to unleash his full demon form to battle the church’s remaining forces. The thought made him chuckle darkly.

That would’ve been fun.

Fighting the entire church while his power surged, running wild through the streets, untouchable. He knew his "fun" would lead to a lot of death, and that would weigh heavily on him when he returned to his normal form.

Speaking of his normal form, he’d expected the picture to separate from his body once the [experimental] fusion wore off. But to his surprise, it was still inside him, fused as ever.

It was both a blessing and a curse. As long as the picture remained within him, the priest couldn’t do anything about it, and they wouldn’t even know it was there. They couldn’t.

The cost of divining the truth about a void-touched divine object was astronomical—crippling even for the Tumidus church. And with Prince Brent’s protection, they couldn’t force any answers out of him either.

However, Reeva knew this wouldn’t last long. Brent was likely acting on impulse to save both Theia and him. Now that they had Theia, they’d probably get rid of him to avoid punishment by the high court.

It was a tricky situation. He had about five days to figure out a way out of this. He needed something to leverage against the church. The gun blueprint he had might work, but that wouldn’t guarantee his safety.

Dealing with the church is such a pain.

Divination made it hard to play around with secrets. The moment they learned he had the gun blueprint, they’d burn a priest without hesitation to extract the truth. He needed to hint at its existence without revealing he had something that valuable.

Alternatively, he could escape. That option seemed far easier than trying to bribe the church, and he had a clear destination in mind. The northern lands could serve as a sanctuary, far from the church’s influence, and maybe he could help Hilda find the scarred man.

I really like that plan.

But he still had some time to think things over.

"Let’s go."

With his morning reflection over, he led the way toward their original destination. They now stood in front of the church, ready for their transfer to the capital. Priests followed closely behind as they approached the carriage.

It was massive, unlike anything he’d seen before. A box of smooth stone, long enough to fit two horses and wide enough for one. The carvings on the stone reminded Reeva of the punishment chamber. No—it was the punishment chamber.

The door opened with the priests pulling it out as though they were dragging a boulder. They hammered a fist-sized metal piece into the door, then used ropes to wrap around it. Five priests lined up and yanked the door open.

Bang!

The heavy stone door hit the ground with the force of thunder. It was thick enough to make a solid house wall.

"Get in," one of the priests motioned, and Reeva complied silently. Hilda followed close behind, and then two others entered—Leon, the northern man he knew, and... Onia.

But Reeva’s focus shifted as soon as he entered the carriage. His mystic energy felt like it was burning. Sure enough, it was like the torture chamber—this was a prison designed to suppress mystic power.

To move the carriage, it took four hours of preparation, and it traveled at a snail’s pace. But despite the drawbacks, it had one great advantage: it could keep a mystic user contained. With the door requiring multiple people to open and shut, it was practically a mobile coffin for mystics.

The inside was dimly lit by a small window carved into the stone door. It let in just enough light to see, but not enough for anyone to fit through. The other source of light came from an oil lamp installed in the center.

It would’ve been a great tool for escape if the whole carriage wasn’t made of stone. If the lamp tipped over, they’d all get an early cremation. A true mobile prison for transferring mystics from place to place.

Reeva settled himself onto the leather seat, at least grateful it was worn in and somewhat comfortable.

They’re not all monsters, after all.

He made himself comfortable on one side and Theia then sat right across him, Leon came in after and chose to sit next to Reeva since Hilda felt very scared to sit next to her. Then the last person came in, it was Theia’s sister.

This puzzles him a bit as to why she is willing to sit here with them when the other carriage is way better than this coffin.