Extra's Perfect Ending

Chapter 96: The farmland owner

"What did you give to the policeman?"

"What do you mean? Oh, right—I just gave them a tip about the heretic. We can use them to help stop the heretic."

"Aren’t they with the church?" Reeva felt puzzled. The police are under the church, which is directly responsible for dealing with heretics.

"You’re overselling the church. Sure, they control the cops, but they don’t micromanage them. Think about it—why would the church let people know they have a deal with a heretic?"

Reeva couldn’t argue with that. Clearly, he didn’t know the inner workings of a police station that well.

Currently, they were traveling to the northern farm via carriage. Holen had used a rental service to secure quick transportation. It sped up their journey by four times, but it was quite costly. If you didn’t own the carriage, renting one could cost up to a stac just to use the service.

The high cost wasn’t due to the difficulty of providing the service, but because of how popular it was. Or less popular it was. In Lmemore, you could find a taxi-like service for 5 coins a trip, but in Tumidus, where people are less likely to pay for transportation, such services simply didn’t exist.

The only option here was to rent a carriage for the whole day, which cost one stac. The price was high because the carriage could be used for more profitable ventures.

Holen didn’t hesitate to pay, as he said, "I’ve already got what I need." It seemed like Holen was mainly interested in the daggers, so he had no qualms about spending that kind of money.

After a while, the carriage halted, signaling their arrival at the northern farmland. The area was thriving, with a variety of crops being grown. However, the majority of the plants were orange trees, lined up in neat rows. A closer look revealed some cabbage and carrots, likely planted for the owner’s personal consumption.

The knight at the gate looked rather confused. There were no further appointments as far as he knew, but upon seeing Holen and the others, he relaxed. Holen had been here earlier in the day.

"Why are you here again, Sir Holen?"

"I’m here with my co-detectives. I’d like to speak with Gully privately."

"My lord is... not of sound mind," the knight said in a low voice, not wanting anyone else to hear him slander his own lord. Unbothered, Holen replied.

"Don’t worry, it’s nothing much. I just want to confirm something."

"Alright, but the maid has to stay here," the knight said firmly.

"Wait..." Theia was about to object on Hilda’s behalf, but the knight quickly cut her off with a stern look. He doesn’t want another word of this incident to get out.

"The maid stays! I don’t want anyone else to see this."

"Young miss, don’t worry about me," Hilda said, easing Theia’s concerns.

"At least your maid has some sense," the knight muttered.

He gestured for them to follow inside, sliding open the iron gate as they entered. The northern estate was rather spacious, with many paths to explore. They traveled along a gravel road until the orange trees gave way to a well-tended garden.

Beyond that, a grand wooden manor stood tall. Its architecture suggests it was built in the late medieval period, with large windows and a pointed roof. The knight led them inside.

Servants moved quietly about, cleaning the wooden manor, but Reeva noticed an air of gloom about them. They didn’t appear sick, just... depressed.

The servants didn’t seem to welcome guests, and most of them lacked even the faintest smile. It wasn’t uncommon for servants to be unhappy, but they usually didn’t appear this depressed.

From what Reeva had heard, Gully, the Easterner, didn’t treat his servants poorly. This likely stem from the fact that Gully seem to not be in the right mind.

They ascended the stairs and arrived at a room with a door that was certainly more luxurious than the others.

"Remember, not a word about this leaves the manor," the knight warned.

"Yes, sir," Holen replied, half-joking, half-serious. He had already agreed to these terms earlier in the day. Theia and Reeva remained silent.

The knight looked around before opening the door. Inside was a spacious master bedroom with a large glass window offering a full view of the garden.

A king-size bed was on the right side of the room, accompanied by a table and a lamp giving off a soft light. Although the sun had not yet set, the room was dim.

On the bed lay a man who appeared to be in his thirties. His brown skin marked him as an Easterner. At first glance, it was clear the man was not in the right state of mind.

"Hello... you again?" the man said, recognizing Holen.

"Yep, this best detective has a few more questions."

"Hahaha," the man laughed as if it were his last laugh. "What else do you want from me? What could you possibly want from a man who has been abandoned by God?" His voice was dejected.

"You might have a chance of returning to God," Holen said, trying to gauge the man’s reaction.

The man fell silent, casting a meaningful glance at the ceiling. "That’s not possible. God is everything. Being rejected by everything is a meaningless existence. I tried before, but it’s no use..."

"Even with this?" Holen asked, presenting the man with a white slate—the invitation from the jewelry lady. The Eastern man’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you giving it to me?" His eyes were mesmerized by the white slate.

"Not without a price..." Holen began, but the man didn’t wait for him to finish. He jumped up from the bed, his eyes wild with greed and desperation.

"What do you want? I’ll give you everything—my wealth, my land—please, just tell me what you want!"

"My lord, please reconsider," the knight interjected, his voice filled with concern. "You’re not of sound mind. We should make this decision when you’re more sober..."

"I am already sober!" the man shouted, his voice filled with a mix of determination and madness.