Extra's Perfect Ending

Chapter 97: Asking safe question

Gully nearly jumped out of the bed to grab the white slate, the desperation in his eyes painfully apparent.

"This best detective isn’t in need of money..." Holen began.

"But I am. That’s my slate," Reeva interjected unapologetically. He viewed it as a transaction where both sides would be satisfied.

"....."

Holen was speechless but still went along with it. Gully, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind at all.

"How much do you want? I could give you this damn mansion. I don’t care about it anymore," Gully said, looking more dejected with each passing moment.

"Just some money and information. I’m curious about your dealings," Holen corrected himself, waving the white slate around. The middle-aged man smiled as words easily flowed out of Gully’s mouth. The first time Holen had come, he had to use every trick he knew to get Gully to reveal even a small part of his secrets.

"What do you want to know?" Gully asked, his eyes glued to the white slate as if it would vanish if he looked away.

"Your involvement with the cult."

"I already told you before, I don’t know anything! I just got in touch with Riche, and he showed me the way—the truth of the world. Everything is one, everything is absolute. Nothing and all things matter in this universe; we are one... we are all one..." Gully continued to ramble on about the cult’s teachings, which were mostly incomprehensible.

"How did you get into the cult?"

"As I said, Riche introduced me to it... and then he showed me the way..."

"How exactly did he do that? You didn’t believe in the cult before, right? What changed your mind?"

Gully closed his eyes, trying to recount the moment.

"That day, it was a bit rainy in Tumidus. But amidst that rain, someone visited me, saying he was an old friend of mine. Riche entered my house at that moment, saying he had something that would interest me. Looking back, I regret doubting his intentions. But I was a little on edge since our relationship wasn’t the best after I purchased his land. After I met him, I became a true believer."

"I still haven’t heard what Riche did to convince you. Surely, you don’t suddenly forsake the sun god just for this," Holen pressed, knowing that Gully was avoiding the main point.

"No, that’s where you’re wrong. The sun god is also part of ’him.’ By believing in ’him,’ you’re also believing in the sun god because everything is him—all the land you walk, all the skies you see."

"And who is this god of yours?"

"I’m not blessed enough to know ’his’ name. But I know he exists. Riche showed me his power, and now I’m a true believer."

"You’re still not answering the first question: how did you get into the cult? What exactly made you join?" Holen circled back, trying to get a straight answer as Gully continued to avoid the topic.

"I already told you... Riche visited me and... and... and..."

Gully began repeating himself, his eyes becoming unfocused as his head started to shake slightly. Everyone in the room shifted away from him, wary of the possibility that Gully might lose control.

Except for the knight, who quickly moved in to hold his master in place.

"What the hell did you guys do to my lord?!" The knight held Gully down as his condition worsened, his words filled with anger. He regretted ever letting these people into the manor.

"You saw it! We didn’t do anything! We only asked him questions!" Holen protested desperately. They had only been questioning Gully. Meanwhile, Reeva gripped his flintlock pistol with determination, ready to fire if Gully showed any signs of doing something dangerous.

Theia backed away further than anyone else. As curious as she was about mystics, she knew this situation was bad news.

"AGHHHHH!"

Gully screamed uncontrollably, his hands gripping the bed as he tried to fight off whatever was happening to him. The knight struggled to keep his master from harming himself, using all his strength to pin Gully down.

But it was futile. Veins began to bulge across Gully’s body, and the knight’s grip weakened—not because he was losing strength, but because Gully’s strength was increasing.

"My lord, please stop!" The knight pleaded, desperately trying to snap Gully out of it, but his cries only seemed to make things worse. Gully’s screams grew louder, and with a terrifying burst of power, he pried the knight’s hands off him.

"AGHHHH!"

Gully finally broke free and launched himself at the knight, sinking his teeth into the man’s neck and ripping out a chunk of flesh. Blood gushed out as the knight screamed in agony.

Bang!

The deafening sound of Reeva’s pistol echoed through the room. He had no choice but to fire. Gully’s actions were clearly no longer human.

The bullet struck the eastern man squarely in the spine, but it barely seemed to slow him down. Gully’s screams grew louder as he let go of the knight, who was now desperately trying to stop the bleeding from his neck, though it was a futile effort. Too much blood had already been lost. The knight’s body flop on the ground.

"Run!"

Reeva grabbed Theia’s arm to halt her from using her powers. Theia was about to ask why, but Reeva didn’t give her a chance. He pulled her out of the room.

In the hallway, Reeva saw Holen already far ahead, nearly fifty steps away. He had to admit, the detective had some serious survival instincts—he’d probably started moving before Gully even bit the knight.

Reeva could also see the maid and servants running toward the sound of the gunshot, their faces plastered with worry for their lord, but it was too late.

Behind Reeva, the ornate door of the master bedroom shattered, and out slithered a long white tentacle with a mouth at its tip. A quick glance was all Reeva needed to recognize it.

A white demon.