Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 206: Lifelong Purpose

"Let's go, people."

The road through the town was eerily silent as Ren, Lilith, Valen, Halwen, and the rest of the fighters continued toward the granaries.

Dust swirled lazily through the air as they moved cautiously, eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. Their weapons remained drawn but lowered, everyone vigilant for any sign of movement.

When they finally arrived at the granary—a large, two-story stone structure with slatted wooden vents and a wide entrance—they slowed. The massive doors were already slightly ajar.

Halwen held up a hand, signaling the group to halt. He peered through the narrow opening.

Ren came to his side and looked in.

Inside, the granary shelves were stacked with burlap sacks and wooden crates filled with grains, dried meats, and smoked fish. Everything was still intact, preserved by luck. Or the fact that the infected don't really need food.

Ren frowned. Something was… off.

On a whim, he crouched, peered under the raised granary, and froze.

"What's wrong?" Halwen asked.

"This."

Halwen crouched and peered under the granary. Curled under the structure, like bags, were rows upon rows of bodies. More infected. Dozens of them.

They were sleeping.

Some twitched faintly, fingers curling and uncurling. Others let out soft, animalistic growls, caught in dreams that twisted their faces.

Halwen leaned toward Ren, voice barely above a breath. "Same as the others. They're dormant, waiting for something."

Ren nodded. "We take what we can. Quietly. Remember, if they wake…"

"We won't get a second chance." Halwen finished grimly.

Each fighter had brought a bag, expecting to carry only what they could manage on foot. But now, with the infected unaware of their presence, Halwen's eyes moved to the shelves with a new plan.

He turned to Ren with a whisper. "If we use a wagon, we can take even more than we planned. One trip. No need to come back."

Ren hesitated. "A wagon's wheels will make noise."

"Not if we move slowly. You've seen the people. They need this, Chosen."

Ren looked again at the food stores, the villagers' hope behind each bag, and gave a quiet nod. "Alright. I'll go find a wagon."

"Thank you." Halwen clapped a hand on his shoulder, grateful.

Ren turned, gesturing for Lilith to follow. She did so without a word, her cloak flaring as she turned from the granary.

As they walked through the town's streets, her voice broke the silence. "Is all of this really necessary?"

Ren glanced sideways. "What do you mean?"

"The food run. The camp. These people." Her voice wasn't cruel, just contemplative. "You said it yourself. All we really need is to find the prison with the Blood Chosen, break him out, and destroy the Red Plague. Why all this… ceremony?"

Ren exhaled slowly, eyes fixed ahead. "You're right. It's not necessary. But that doesn't mean it isn't important."

Lilith tilted her head slightly.

"I'm doing this not because I need to, but because I can." Ren continued. "Yes, I'm not particularly concerned about the state of the world. I just want me and mine to come out of everything in one piece."

"But at the same time, I can't leave these people alone when I have the ability to help. I gain nothing from leaving them but gain something from helping them. Credibility."

"When we arrive in the next city, we won't be just wandering Chosen with missing records. We'll be heroes. Rescuers. That kind of reputation will open doors, especially the doors we need."

Lilith considered that for a moment. "You always know things that no one else does. I'm surprised you don't already know where the Blood Chosen is."

Ren chuckled. "I know where he might be. That's the problem."

He ticked the list off on his fingers. "There are only three high security prisons in Elnoria belonging to the Church. He's in one of them."

"The first is beneath the Creation Church headquarters, in the Holy City. Heavily fortified. No one gets in or out without clearance from a Synod member."

Lilith nodded.

"The second is in the bottom of a man-made canyon, hidden somewhere on Elnorian soil with Resonance magic. An entire town carved into stone, all operated by the Church. Guards, surveillance, everything."

"And the third?"

Ren's smile turned grim. "Beneath a lake. The prison itself is built underwater. No land access. If they put him there, it's because they want him forgotten. That's the most likely place the Blood Chosen is, but I can't bet everything on a guess."

Lilith frowned. "And we can only attempt one of those before our cover is blown."

"Exactly. Once we're exposed, we'll lose access to Church facilities. So I'm buying us time. Gaining favor. Anything that helps us identify the right prison before we break him out."

"But why?" Lilith frowned. "Why do we have to find the Chosen? Isn't the Red Prophet dead? We can just kill the infected."

"But how will we find them all?" Ren asked. "They're all sleeping. Hiding. Preparing for something."

He turned to stare at Lilith. "We need the Blood Chosen. Even if we kill all infected but miss one, that single one can create another army. We must get them all at once."

"Huh." Lilith smiled, her brows raised as she stared at Ren. "You're smarter than you look."

"Thanks. I think."

They turned a corner, and there it was. An old grain wagon, weathered but intact. It stood near what had once been the town stables. The back gate hung open, but the wheels looked usable.

Ren grabbed the wooden shaft and began pulling it free from the tangle of broken beams and crates.

Lilith leaned against the frame, arms folded. "You look incredibly sexy dragging that wagon, you know."

Ren grunted as he pulled. "I'm sure that's exactly what the Creator had in mind when he designed all the Trees that gave me enhanced strength."

Then, a shout rang through the air.

Both of them froze.

Another shout. Louder. Urgent.

Ren dropped the wagon's handle instantly and bolted, Lilith at his side.

They reached the granary just in time to see soldiers fleeing, clutching bulging sacks of food as they sprinted down the road toward the town's edge.

"Move! Get out!" Someone yelled. "They're awake!"

But at the granary door, one person remained. Halwen.

He stood firm in the entrance, sword in hand, arms wide as if to block the entire doorway with his body. Behind him, infected surged up from where they had slept, snarling as their eyes flared red and limbs twitched violently.

"Run!" He bellowed. "I'll hold them!"

Ren's breath caught. "Halwen!"

The commander turned toward him for just a moment, long enough to meet his gaze.

Then the first infected lunged and sank its teeth into his shoulder.

Halwen grunted in pain, shoving the creature back with the last of his strength as more piled toward him.

"No!" Ren yelled, rushing forward.

Lilith caught his arm. "It's too late."

"I— "

"No, you can't save him."

Ren stared as Halwen dropped to his knees, blood pouring down his arm.

He looked back one last time, eyes locking on Ren's.

There was no fear. No regret.

Only purpose.