Extra's Survival: Raising SSS-Rank Characters Is My Only Option

Finally, they had reached the part Encrid had been waiting for.

He had not asked the branch manager of the Blue Moon to contact its leader without a reason. He had several goals in mind, and now it was time to make them clear.

Encrid raised one finger.

”Three things.”

”First, the man I asked your branch to find.”

That was the most important one.

Encrid wanted to find Rael and bring him under his command. It was not something he was willing to negotiate over. He had already waited longer than he originally expected, and every additional day increased the possibility of losing his chance to find Rael.

”The commission continues.”

The Reaper gave a small nod.

Encrid acknowledged it with a nod of his own before raising a second finger.

”Second, when I send a message to the Blue Moon, the Blue Moon answers.”

He continued before the Reaper could respond.

”I will not send messages often, and I will not ask for anything without understanding its value. And whenever I ask for your assistance, I will provide suitable compensation.”

He paused for a moment.

”But sometime within the next two years, I will send you a message. When that happens, I will ask for help on a scale that you may consider completely unreasonable.”

Encrid looked directly into the Reaper’s eyes.

”Answer anyway.”

The Reaper remained silent.

”That,” Encrid continued, ”is what I am actually buying tonight.”

The Reaper stared at him for several moments.

It was not an easy promise to make.

Encrid was essentially asking for a free token that would allow him to call upon the Reaper of the Blue Moon for any task he wanted in the future. There would be no conditions attached to that request beyond the agreement they had just made.

Even if Encrid eventually asked him to assassinate the Emperor himself, the Reaper would be expected to fulfill the request.

It was an unreasonable demand.

Under normal circumstances, the Reaper would never agree to something so open-ended.

But Encrid also knew something that very few people in the world knew.

The Reaper loved his daughter more than anything else.

He had spent eleven years searching for a way to save her. He had torn apart organizations, followed countless leads, and used his position in the Blue Moon to search for answers that no one else could find.

If killing the Emperor was the price required to save Sera, the Reaper would probably do it without hesitation.

Encrid knew that - that’s the reason he made such an unreasonable demand.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then, at last, the Reaper gave a small nod.

”Agreed.”

Encrid smiled and raised his third finger.

”Third, what I have given you and how I came to know it will remain between you and me.”

He paused.

”Forever.”

The Reaper studied him for a long moment.

Then he nodded.

”Agreed. All three.”

Encrid relaxed slightly.

He had expected the negotiation to be difficult, but at least the most important part was settled.

However, the Reaper spoke again.

There was no change in his tone.

There was no anger in his voice, and there was no obvious threat either.

He spoke as casually as a man discussing the weather.

”One matter remains, my lord.”

Encrid looked at him.

”After this, I will leave you to your training.”

The Reaper’s expression remained calm.

”But if this procedure fails, if my daughter dies while your instructions are in the hands of my healers, then you must understand something.”

He paused.

”Duke Aegis Von Gannon is a powerful man. His estate is heavily defended, and his knights are famous throughout the kingdom.”

The Reaper’s eyes remained fixed on Encrid.

”But none of that will matter.”

Encrid’s expression hardened.

”Distance will not matter either.”

The Reaper continued speaking in the same calm voice.

”If my daughter dies, Duke Aegis Von Gannon will simply no longer have a fourth son.”

There was another brief pause.

”There will be no negotiation. There will be no explanation. My blade will reach you regardless of where you are.”

The words were terrifying precisely because of how calmly he said them.

”I am not saying this because I am angry, nor because I doubt your treatment. I am telling you this so that you understand the consequences clearly, without fear or confusion.”

The Reaper looked directly into his eyes.

”Do you still stand behind your words?”

Encrid stared back at him.

There were many things he could have said.

He could have explained that the information came from a novel whose author had never overlooked details like this.

He could have explained that he had already risked his life several times based on what he remembered from that novel.

He could have told the Reaper that threats would not change whether the treatment worked or not.

But none of those explanations mattered.

He was standing in front of a man who could carry out that threat before most people would even realize what was happening.

More importantly, the Reaper had not asked him whether he was afraid.

He had asked whether Encrid believed in the treatment.

Encrid answered honestly.

”I stand behind them.”

The Reaper studied him for another moment.

Then he nodded once.

It was the same small gesture he had made when they first met, simple and precise, like a man confirming that a calculation had come out correctly.

”Then good night, my lord.”

He tilted his head slightly.

”My daughter’s name is Sera.”

He paused.

”If your words are true, you will hear that name again.”

The blue lamps hissed softly.

Encrid blinked.

The drill ground was empty.

The Reaper was gone.

Encrid remained standing alone in the cold for several moments. He looked toward the place where the man had been standing, but there was nothing there.

There were no footprints.

There was no sound.

There was nothing to prove that anyone had been there at all.

Eventually, Encrid walked back to the mounting block and sat down.

He placed his elbows on his knees and lowered his head into his hands.

Only then did he realize that his hands were shaking.

He remained there until his breathing finally became steady again.

The system appeared in the corner of his vision.

[ Narrative Relevance: 1.41% → 1.78% ]

Encrid stared at the message for several seconds before letting out a long breath.

His narrative relevance had increased.

Apparently, his importance to the story had grown.

Unfortunately, Encrid could not help feeling that his remaining lifespan had decreased by at least ten years.

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