The Extra is a Hero?-Chapter 230: THE LONG FLIGHT HOME [1]

Chapter 226: The Long Flight Home

Then, his eyes narrowed. He looked toward the ruins of the Honour Hall.

"The Relics," Vane stated. "The Sword of Light. Is it secure?"

I held my breath. This was it.

Cessias turned to the shattered dome of the Hall. His eyes widened. The containment field was gone. The pedestal was empty.

"The... the Sanctum," Cessias stammered. "It was the epicenter of the initial blast. I... I assumed the automated defenses sealed it underground."

"Assume nothing," Vane commanded. "Seal the island. No ships leave. No portals open. We do a full inventory. If the King’s Seal is missing, heads will roll. Starting with yours.".

’Crap,’ I thought. ’Lockdown.’

If they locked down the island, they would search everyone. They would find the chest. They would find Excalibur.

I had to move. I had to integrate this stolen loot into a narrative that made it untouchable before the lockdown protocols engaged.

I looked at the chest on my back. It was wrapped in a tapestry depicting the First Hero.

I looked at Eric William, who was currently preening for a media drone near the fountain.

An idea sparked. It was risky, stupid, and relied entirely on Eric’s massive ego.

"Perfect," I whispered.

I hoisted the chest, groaning under the weight. It was heavy enough to crush a normal human, but my E-Rank stats plus the 20% boost from [Fenra’s Eye] made it manageable.

I stumbled out of the alleyway, making as much noise as possible..

"Help!" I wheezed, dragging my feet. "Someone... help!"

Heads turned.

Alastor Greythorn, who was checking on a wounded student, looked up. Evelyn Whitehound, who was coordinating with the medics, spun around.

And Eric William turned.

I limped into the light, looking like a wreck. My coat was torn, my face smeared with soot (applied manually a second ago), and I was hunched over under the massive, tapestry-wrapped burden.

"Wilson?" Eric blinked, stepping away from the camera drone. "You’re alive?"

"Barely," I gasped, dropping to one knee in front of him. I made sure the camera drone had a clear shot of us.

"Thanks to you," I said loudly, my voice trembling with feigned gratitude. "When you held the line... I managed to get away. I... I saw the Hall collapsing."

I patted the chest.

"I couldn’t let them be destroyed. The relics. The history. I grabbed what I could before the roof came down."

The narrative shifted instantly.

I wasn’t a looter stealing a divine weapon. I was a heroic student saving cultural heritage during a disaster, enabled by the bravery of the noble Eric William.

Cessias and Vane turned to look.

"A student?" Cessias frowned. "In the Hall?"

"He saved the relics?" a reporter’s voice echoed from a nearby drone.

Eric stared at me. He saw the chest. He didn’t know what was inside. It could be gold, it could be books. But he saw the opportunity I was handing him on a silver platter.

If he acknowledged me, he became the hero who protected the savior of history. He shared the credit for saving the Hall’s legacy.

Eric’s eyes gleamed. He puffed out his chest.

"Of course," Eric said smoothly, placing a hand on his sword hilt. "I saw you retreating, Wilson. I knew you had a burden. That is why I held the flank. A noble’s duty is to protect the... resources of the realm."

He looked at the camera. "We do not leave history to burn."

Hook, line, and sinker.

"What do you have there, boy?" Councilor Vane’s voice cut through the moment.

The gravity in the plaza increased. Vane walked toward us. He didn’t walk; he glided. The pressure was immense.

I swallowed hard. This was the test.

"Just... boxes, Lord Councilor," I stammered, keeping my head down, playing the terrified commoner. "Old books. A few ceremonial cups. And this heavy case... I think it’s just old armor scraps. It was in the vestry."

I prayed he wouldn’t ask to open it. The Scabbard masked the Sword’s energy, but visually, it was unmistakable.

Vane stopped two meters away. He looked at the chest.

Thump. Thump.

He was listening to my heartbeat.

I wasn’t lying. There were armor scraps in there—I had stuffed some greaves in on top of the Scabbard before closing the lid. And there were books.

Technically, I was telling the truth. Just... omitting the God-Sword.

Vane stared at me for an eternity.

Then, he looked at Eric.

"The William heir," Vane noted. "You protected this luggage-boy?"

Eric flinched at the tone but nodded. "I protected a student carrying Academy property, Councilor."

Vane sneered. "How quaint."

He waved his hand dismissively.

"Get them out of my sight. Instructors! Get your students to the docks. We are evacuating the civilians. The Council is seizing the crash site."

"Go!" Evelyn Whitehound appeared beside me instantly. She didn’t ask questions. She grabbed my arm and hauled me up.

"Good thinking, Wilson," she whispered, eyeing the chest. "Saving the archives. That’s extra credit."

"I try, Professor," I panted.

"Let me help you with that," Alastor offered, reaching for the chest.

"No!" I shouted, pulling away.

Alastor blinked, surprised by my vehemence.

"I mean..." I lowered my voice. "It’s... fragile. And heavy. I’ve got it. Adrenaline, you know? I want to carry it to the ship. Closure."

Alastor shrugged, grinning. "Suit yourself, kid. You got guts. Weird guts, but guts."

We began to move.

The evacuation was chaotic but organized. The "Top 10" teams were ushered toward the VIP docks where the Celestial Wind was waiting, its engines already humming for an emergency takeoff.

I walked in the middle of the pack, clutching my chest like a lifeline.

Leon fell into step beside me. He looked terrible—his face bruised, his armor cracked—but his eyes were clear. The white flame of his breakthrough had settled into a quiet, simmering confidence.

"You missed the big fight," Leon said, nodding at the chest on my back. "Playing librarian?"

"Someone has to," I grunted. "While you were busy being the main character, I was saving the overdue books."

Leon chuckled. It was a tired, honest sound.

"You were right, Michael," he said softly.

"About what?"

"About the flame. In the library. You told me to find a new perspective." He looked at his hands. "I stopped trying to be perfect. I just... burned."

"And you saved everyone," I said. "Not bad for a rich kid."

Leon smiled. "I owe you. Again."

"Keep a tab," I said. "I’m expensive."

We reached the docks. The airship ramp was lowered.

I stepped onto the metal grating, the vibration of the engines traveling up my legs.

Safe.

Once I was on the ship, under the Academy’s jurisdiction, the Council couldn’t search my personal belongings without a warrant. And with the chaos of the "Skyfall Incident," paperwork would be backed up for months.

I made my way to the cargo hold, claiming I needed to secure the "fragile artifacts" personally.

I found a secluded corner behind a stack of supply crates.

I set the lead chest down.

"Exhale," I whispered.

I slumped against the crate, my legs finally giving out.

My mana was empty. My stamina was gone. My nerves were fried.

But I had it.

I opened the chest.

Inside, nestled among old books and rusty greaves, lay the black Dragon-Leather Scabbard. And inside that, the hilt of Excalibur gleamed with a dull, dormant gold light.

The weapon that could kill a Demon King.

The weapon that, in the original game, was supposed to be lost today, stolen by the Cult to start the Age of Darkness.

"Script change," I muttered, running my finger over the hilt. "The bad guys don’t get the nuke."

Nox poked his head out of my pocket. He eyed the Void-Heart Fragment I had looted earlier, which was currently sitting in my inventory.

"Not yet," I told him. "We need to process that properly. If you eat it raw, you’ll explode."

...Boring...

I closed the chest and locked it.

The ship lurched as it detached from the dock. We were leaving Sky Island.

I pulled out my phone. The signal was patchy, but a message came through.

[Victor: Market is going crazy. Rumors are flying that the Hero Sword was lost in the collapse. The Church is in panic mode.]

I typed a reply.

[Me: Let them panic. Fear drives up the price of protection.

Buy stock in Holy Water and Warding Crystals.

And get the Vault ready. I’m bringing home a souvenir.]

I leaned back, closing my eyes.

The Sky Island Arc was over.

We had survived the assassins in Rolune. We had cleared the Tower. We had stopped the Cult’s primary objective on the island.

But as the adrenaline faded, a new realization settled in.

The Cult had failed to get the Sword. That meant their plan was broken.

They wouldn’t just retreat. They would adapt.

And they would be looking for the anomaly that stopped them.

"Let them come," I whispered into the hum of the cargo hold. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

I touched the ring on my finger—Fenra’s Eye. I felt the weight of Excalibur in the box. I felt the presence of Draken at my hip and Nox in my pocket.

I wasn’t an Extra anymore.

I was a player. And I had just stolen the game pieces.

(To be continued)

[Quest Log Updated]

[Main Quest: The Awakening]

[Objective: Upgrade Dimensional Storage to Void Vault.]

[Objective: Unlock the First Seal of Excalibur.]

[Time Limit: Until the ’Festival of Gears’.]

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