[Mystery Box]

"A place that no one survived," replied Aria to his question with a frown. "What makes you want to throw away your life? You should make him reconsider, Miss Knight."

"Please wait, Cedric," called Ember as she rushed to stand beside him. "What is this change of plans? Where are we going?"

"As I said before, the Valley of Death," said Cedric with a grin. "I never planned on going straight back to Aeloria. Not to mention that our pursuers would expect us at the border."

"A few assassins are better than a death trap," said Ember with a frown as Cedric followed after Aria through the grove. "His Majesty would never approve of this."

"His Majesty? Oh, you mean my father," said Cedric with a grin. "This is a secret from anyone except us three. I know that there would be an uproar if the king heard about this."

"It is my duty to report—" began Ember. 

Cedric stopped and turned toward her. His green eyes looked cold as they reflected the sunlight. She was drenched in sweat as she felt like he was a different person. "Please remember, Ember. You follow me, not the king or the kingdom. You are my retainer and friend, so can I trust you with my secrets from now on?"

Ember felt her mouth turn dry as she met his piercing gaze. Somehow, she knew that he could see through her mind. His eyes could pierce the truth or lies she would decide to spout. But she was torn inside between the kingdom and the prince.

"I cannot…" she began, looking at the ground. "In order to ensure your safety…"

"You are more than enough, but I need to know if I can trust you," Cedric declared, and Ember flinched. Those same words were the ones that made her loyal to him in the first place. The world called him a deadbeat, but Ember began to wonder. 

'Does anyone in the world even know his true character? How capable he was during this nightmare of a trip?' she thought to herself. It took her a few moments of self-reflection to decide what she wanted to do. 'I want to witness more of this side of his.'

Ember forgot about the kingdom and her oath to serve it. In her eyes, she wanted to do nothing other than to serve the man before her, because she knew that great things awaited him, and she wanted to bear witness to them. 

"I, Ember Twilight, vow to serve no one other than you, Cedric Everhart, for the rest of my days. I shall not sleep, eat, or breathe without your command. You can trust me, and I will never tell a soul."

Cedric thought it was excessive, but a change happened in his character menu, and the system notified him about it.

[A summary report is ready. Reveal?] 

[Yes / No] 

That message was still the first thing he saw, but beneath it appeared a different hologram. It was a response to what was happening with Ember. 

[A character has sworn an oath to follow you. You have unlocked them as a follower and can mimic their skills without limit. Story Points can also be used to upgrade the character's skills, class, or treat any ailments.]

This was the most recent notification he obtained. Cedric had yet to sit down and reap his rewards from the quest because of the tight time schedule: trial, lunch, and then the wind. 

"Thank you, Ember. I will never betray your trust in me," said Cedric with a genuine smile. Ember raised her head at him with pride. "And don't worry about the Valley of Death. I have a clear objective there."

"Understood, Cedric," said Ember as she rose. Then, she turned toward Aria, who was watching their melodramatic act with boredom. "Can you tell us more about the valley in order to prepare?"

"A way to kill time, I guess," said Aria before she pointed toward the path ahead. "Let's cross this grove of trees, and I can tell you all about it."

Aria made true on her promise. Once they had a better foothold and could walk while chatting, she began to tell them about the valley. Cedric knew most of what she said, but it was always better to refresh his memory. 

In the Records of Elaris, the six kingdoms did not even make up half of the continent. The other half was filled with unexplored regions, and most of those were lethal to humans for various reasons. 

Some of them could have mythical monsters, and others could have hidden tribes of fantasy races. The protagonist would meet one such tribe later, revealing their existence to the world. As for the Valley of Death, it was one of the entrances to those unexplored lands. 

The name came from a long history of unexplained deaths in the valley. There are no records of someone returning from that place alive. The more that Ember heard about the valley, the more reluctant she became to let Cedric enter it. 

At the same time that Aria was telling them these things, Cedric was busy reaping his rewards. He asked the system to generate a summary, and there was a long list of notifications waiting for him to explore. 

[Congratulations! As the Extra Character, Cedric Everhart, you have managed to finish the Sub-Arc "Trial of Lies" and proved your innocence.] 

[Quest Goals have been fulfilled.] 

[10 SPs have been awarded for personal achievements.] 

[15 SPs have been awarded for impact on the story.] 

[25 SPs have been awarded for a dazzling performance!] 

[Analyzing your performance… filtering a list of rewards…] 

Ding! 

[You have obtained a Mystery Box!] 

[Mystery Box (Bronze): a box obtainable only through the Extra System, designed to help the extra character in achieving a fulfilling ending for the story. The items inside include, but are not limited to, skills, weapons, artifacts, or consumables!] 

Cedric was excited as he read the reward. Although it was not a skill or anything great, he had a single motto at the moment: 

"X MEANS DIVINE!" 

Every extra skill that he obtained from the system was overpowered because it transcended the limits of what he could achieve with mana. Even the ones that required mana seemed to be rather efficient considering his small magical pool. 

Cedric had to postpone opening the box while with others. Although he had no idea what kind of box it was, it would be bad if a weapon appeared out of thin air. His excitement was still palpable, mistaken for being excited about the valley itself. 

"You don't seem afraid of the valley," said Aria with a frown. "Are you scheming something, brat?"

"I just know a way to survive the valley," said Cedric with a grin as he hummed a happy tune. He loved this world. Everything made him excited, even the danger it involved. His old world was rather boring for his taste. If he could, he wished to stay in this world even after the story ends.