Reborn as an Extra with the SSS-Divine Debt System and my Past Skills

The dinner ended without further incident. General Ryan had laughed too loudly, drank too much wine, and seemed utterly unaware of the silent chains shifting beneath his very nose.

Lucius, calm as ever, excused himself once the plates were cleared.

The secretary waited just outside the general's quarters, his expression tense. He fell into step beside Lucius as they walked through the dimly lit halls of Lumious.

The night air outside was cold, the kind of sharp chill that crept under the skin.

For a while, neither spoke. The secretary kept glancing sideways at Lucius, his lips pressed into a thin line as if holding back words.

Finally, he bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"…What did you do? The shackles… they feel lighter. I don't feel… I don't feel the urge to follow the general anymore."

His voice trembled.

Lucius gave him a sideways glance, unbothered.

"I modified the contract. The bindings are no longer tied to Ryan. They belong to me now."

The secretary froze in his tracks.

"To… you?"

Lucius stopped as well, turning just enough for the lantern light to catch the faintest smirk at the edge of his lips.

"Yes. That way, you and the soldiers don't have to fear him."

The secretary's hands curled into fists at his sides. His voice cracked.

"That doesn't mean anything! You only replaced one master with another. One chain for a different one. How is that freedom?"

Lucius chuckled, low and humorless.

"Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I did nothing more than switch collars. But unlike Ryan, I have no intention of staying here or micromanaging this cesspit of a settlement."

The secretary's eyes widened at the bluntness of the remark.

Lucius continued, voice calm but firm.

"Once the dust settles, once Ryan is removed and your people can breathe again, I'll leave."

"I have no interest in Lumious beyond ensuring it doesn't collapse and drag the surrounding lands into ruin. I'll provide you with food, supplies—enough to survive. But the rest will be your burden, not mine."

Silence.

The secretary swallowed hard, his shoulders trembling with suppressed emotion. His instincts screamed that the man beside him wasn't lying.

For the first time in years, he felt the faint stirrings of trust, something he thought had long since been beaten out of him.

"…I see. Then… perhaps this time, I can believe. Perhaps this time, we have a chance."

His voice was softer now, but steadier.

Lucius's gaze lingered on him for a brief moment before he started walking again.

"Believe if you want. But belief won't save anyone unless you act."

When they reached the guest quarters, Lucius halted at the door. His expression was unreadable as he spoke again.

"Gather the soldiers. Tell them the chains are broken. Tell them whatever you like. From here on, whether they rise up behind you, or tear each other apart in chaos, it won't matter to me. Survival or ruin—it's their choice. And yours."

The secretary stiffened. His heart pounded against his ribs, but he bowed his head.

"Understood."

Lucius gave a faint nod and stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

Meanwhile, across the settlement, the soldiers were finishing their meager dinners. Bowls scraped, spoons clattered, and silence hung over the dining hall like a suffocating shroud.

They ate not out of hunger, but out of habit—slaves feeding themselves because the chains forced them to.

Then it happened.

One soldier gasped suddenly, clutching at his chest. Another dropped his spoon with a clatter, staring at his trembling hands. Then another, and another.

"What… what is this? I feel—lighter?"

One muttered, eyes wide.

"The pressure—The weight in my head… it's gone."

Another choked, tears welling in his eyes.

Confusion rippled through the hall, followed swiftly by disbelief. For years, the contract had suffocated them, bound their wills, crushed their spirits.

And now, suddenly, it had loosened. They still felt faint traces of it, but it no longer clawed at their every thought.

Hope—raw, fragile, terrifying—crept into their expressions.

Berry, sitting at the edge of the hall with the others, noticed it first. He leaned back in his chair and gave the faintest signal with his hand. A silent message to his companions.

It's time.

Luna's cold eyes swept across the soldiers, while Mira leaned forward, watching their reactions with quiet intensity. Verus clenched his jaw, unable to mask the fire burning in his chest.

The soldiers didn't understand what had happened. They whispered, they trembled, they reached for each other like drowning men clinging to driftwood.

And into that chaos, Verus's voice cut through, steady and loud.

"Listen."

The soldiers turned, startled.

"You've been given another chance. Another chance to stand, another chance to live as men rather than dogs. I don't know how long this window will last—but I know this much. If you waste it, you'll regret it until the day you die."

Verus said firmly, his gaze sweeping across the hall.

The soldiers froze, hanging on his words.

Verus's fists tightened. His voice grew heavier.

"Next time… choose better. Choose a leader you can trust with your lives. Someone who fights for you, not over you. This chance won't come twice."

The silence that followed was deafening. The soldiers stared at him, their breaths uneven, as though his words had struck some buried part of their souls.

Berry stood, stretching casually.

"That's enough. We've planted the seed. Let's move before someone gets suspicious."

He muttered to his group.

Luna gave one last glance at the soldiers, her lips curling faintly. Mira whistled softly, calling her familiars to heel.

The group turned to leave.

But Verus lingered at the doorway, his teeth clenched tight. He looked back one last time at the ragged soldiers, their faces caught between fear and hope, despair and defiance.

In his chest, a storm raged.

'If they don't seize this chance… then what was the point of all this?'

He bit down hard, forcing himself to turn away.

"Don't waste it."

He muttered under his breath, before stepping out into the cold night.

The soldiers sat in uneasy silence long after Verus and his group left. At first, there were murmurs—faint talk of freedom, of what could be done now that the weight on their minds was loosening.

But the longer they spoke, the faster those words crumbled into fear.

"What good is freedom if we don't know what to do with it?"

One muttered.

Another slammed his fist against the table, though his voice shook.

"Even if we rise, the general will crush us. He always does."

The hope that had sparked moments ago began to dim, replaced by the familiar, suffocating despair. Their heads hung, their hands trembled.

Some thought of fleeing, others of surrendering again. Slowly, the room was being swallowed by hopeless silence.

The door creaked open.

The secretary stepped inside, his eyes burning with resolve the soldiers had never seen in him before.

"You're wrong.

He said firmly.

"But this time…it's different. The general's hold has been broken. We finally have a chance to take back our lives—and I will lead you. Not as your master, but as one of you. Together, we can make sure the general never shackles us again."