Extra's Perfect Ending-Chapter 176: Already have a plan

As they arrived in the village, Reeva watched through the peepholes, noticing the small crowd that had gathered around the prison carriage. It was likely curiosity—after all, not every day did the villagers get to see something like this: a massive stone block being dragged through the snow by horses. Reeva could relate. He’d probably be staring too if he were on the outside.

The village chief approached and greeted the convoy. Royals and priests arriving in this remote place were probably a once-in-a-lifetime event for the villagers, and Reeva could feel the weight of the situation. But for him, this was just another step on a path he hadn’t asked to walk.

Leaning back from the peephole, Reeva thought about the events that were supposed to happen here. In the original story, Klad had briefly stayed in this village after escaping a cult. His time here was short, just about a week, but during that time, he stumbled upon a legend—a tale about an abandoned well in the forest.

According to the story, a ghost appeared there, kidnapping anyone who visited at night. Naturally, Klad, being the man of action he was, had to investigate.

But what he found wasn’t a ghost—it was a potion hidden in the depths of the well, a potion with the power to change someone’s mystic circle. The only reason it took him so long was because of his injuries and the sheer size of the cave beneath the well.

Reeva hoped Brent, Klad’s friend, would know more about this than Klad did. Brent was, after all, the biggest anomaly. He wasn’t in the original story, and he seemed to possess knowledge beyond what anyone in this world should. Reeva suspected that Brent, like himself, might also be from Earth, another person pulled into this world by the author.

If Brent knew about the well’s secret, it would explain a lot. Maybe they were both working from the same cheat sheet, with similar goals but different methods. But that line of thinking could wait. Reeva had more pressing concerns.

The most important one was how to get the blue-haired royal guard’s attention before morning. Once the sun rose, everything would change. If Theia’s mystic circle was altered, Reeva might be forced to reveal his status as an apostle—a move that could end badly for him. He couldn’t rely on people to be rational or understanding.

More likely than not, they’d see him as a threat, a heretic disguised as a miracle, and they’d want him dead.

He was still brainstorming ways to reach the blue-haired woman without drawing suspicion when Onia, sitting nearby, seemed to have other plans.

Reeva glanced over at her, wondering what she was thinking. Her calm, almost unreadable expression gave nothing away. But he knew her well enough by now to sense that something was brewing in her mind.

"Hey, could you bring me out?" Onia asked, pressing herself against the door to look outside. The priest standing guard looked over, clearly annoyed at her request.

"Ma’am, we can’t just open this door on your command, even if you—"

"Even if I have the royal crest?"

"What!?"

Onia reached into her dress and produced a golden crest in the shape of a reed encircling the sun. Seeing this, the priest panicked.

"How did you..."

"It doesn’t matter. I order you to let me out."

"Right..."

The priest didn’t know how to react at first. His instinct was to consult his fellow priest. After some back-and-forth and a command from Plusuts, the order finally came down to open the door. It took at least four or five people to pull the heavy door open, and to ensure that Reeva and the other heretics didn’t escape, some of the royal guards gathered around.

Seeing the number of people approaching the carriage, Reeva realized the plan. Brent and his friends were under arrest—closely watched, but still arrested. That meant they couldn’t move freely.

Sneaking off in the dark to some underground cave was the most suspicious thing they could do. However, with all the attention focused on the gathering, they might be able to slip away unnoticed. Reeva imagined they had some kind of mystic trick to help them vanish when no one was looking.

A second later, in the corner of the street, Reeva spotted three hooded figures walking by. He knew it was likely Klad and his friends. He could alert the others to them right now, but that would mean Theia wouldn’t get the potion.

He suppressed the urge. It would’ve been fun to expose them, but he held back, waiting patiently for the door to fully open. When it did, Onia stepped out with a confident expression.

"Lady, why were you in there to begin with?" the priest asked.

Naturally, being friends with the royal prince and attending the royal academy meant Onia shouldn’t have been grouped with Reeva or Hilda.

"I just wanted to talk to him," Onia replied.

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Onia quickly threw out a weak excuse that would likely be accepted anyway. The royal crest was more than enough to stop any questioning. It was a symbol of high honor, an item only given to princes and princesses, and it allowed those who held it nearly the same status.

Onia stepped out with her usual air of confidence. It was clear she’d planned this all along. However, when she steps out Reeva decides to use this time to make way for himself.

"Priest, I have something important to tell you," he said.

"Shut up, you don’t have the right to speak," the priest snapped.

"This is important to your church. Divine my truth. If I’m lying, you can leave me out in the snow or burn me at the stakes"

Reeva had decided to use this method instead. It would cut down on so much time and effort, and it played into their desires. Obviously, they wanted to burn the heretic. If he gave them this chance, they would surely bite.

"You will regret this," the priest said. His mouth warns Reeva but his eyes are filled with fire.

Sure enough, he jumped at any opportunity to exterminate a heretic. He called in another priest who could use divination. Soon, they gathered around, eager to witness Reeva being judged by their god.

"Oh God, witness this conversation and lend us Your judgment," the divination priest said calmly, as Reeva readied himself for what was to come.