The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne

Gulvar sipped his tea, lost in thought as he tried to figure out how to deal with the kingdom’s growing problems.

But before he could enjoy even a moment of peace, hurried footsteps sounded outside.

A second later, Alex burst into the room. His face was tense, filled with panic and urgency.

”Your Majesty, we’re in danger!”

Gulvar immediately choked on his tea. He coughed violently, then glared at Alex in irritation.

”Could you at least knock first? That’s extremely rude!”

But Alex seemed to ignore the scolding. His voice trembled as he said, ”Your Majesty, chaos has broken out in the capital! Dozens of buildings have suddenly exploded, and the city is now in a state of emergency!”

Gulvar’s eyes widened. He slammed his left hand onto the table and demanded coldly, ”Explain exactly what’s happening.”

Alex quickly reported the incidents unfolding throughout the capital. The more Gulvar listened, the darker his expression became.

His breathing turned heavy, and both his fists clenched tightly.

”Dozens of buildings exploded, and the fire is spreading to the surrounding area…” Gulvar repeated in a grim voice. ”How many casualties?”

Alex shook his head. ”I can’t confirm the exact number yet. Our soldiers are evacuating civilians, but based on my estimate, it’s already around a hundred—maybe more. The fire is fierce and hard to control. Most of the people inside the inns and houses were asleep when it happened.”

He hesitated, then added in a low voice, ”You could say they died without ever realizing what was happening.”

His final words plunged the room into silence.

Dying in one’s sleep was a terrifying thought.

Although it was painless—since those who experienced it were unaware—just imagining it was enough to make Gulvar feel sick with fear.

He suppressed his unease and asked again, ”What caused this fire? It couldn’t have happened out of the blue, could it?”

”Regarding that…” Alex’s expression darkened. ”I still haven’t received any concrete information. However, according to witnesses, several mysterious figures were seen roaming around the building before it exploded. They’re most likely the culprits.”

His voice carried a clear sense of helplessness. The Ancient Kingdom of Eron—or more precisely, its capital—seemed to have been plagued by misfortune these past few days.

First came the chaos at Alina’s birthday party, and now an even worse disaster had shaken the entire capital.

It felt as though an enemy lurked in the shadows, waiting for the perfect moment to bring the kingdom to ruin.

It wasn’t just Alex—Gulvar felt the same. The two incidents, one at the palace and one in the city, shared the same pattern: silent, sudden, and precise.

Gulvar even began to suspect the mastermind was the same person—someone from within the royal palace itself.

The attacks were too clean, as if the culprit knew exactly when and where to strike.

”I understand. Carry out my orders. Find the mastermind behind these attacks—no matter what it takes. If necessary, use the artifact in the treasure chamber. If I’m not mistaken, the kingdom possesses an artifact capable of revealing the truth as long as you channel your will into it,” Gulvar commanded.

Alex bowed his head. ”As you command, Your Majesty!”

Then he turned and left.

Gulvar sank back into his seat. His eyes narrowed as his mind raced for answers.

”Who did this? Could it really be Nolan Lorian? If so, what’s his motive? And when did he strike?”

His suspicion toward Nolan had skyrocketed. At first, he had only needed a scapegoat to calm the people in the throne room.

But now, it seemed his suspicions were coming true—Nolan was most likely the culprit.

”Nolan Lorian…” He clenched his teeth, his eyes flashing with a dangerous glint. ”I don’t know what grudge you hold against my kingdom. But if you want to take this game that far, I don’t mind. Let’s see who lasts longer.”

Of course, he didn’t rule out the possibility that the culprit was someone within the palace. Whether it was Nolan or someone else, he had to find out.

Once the truth was revealed, he would make the culprit suffer a torment worse than hell itself.

…

Two hundred kilometers away from Altheris, tens of thousands of soldiers were marching at breakneck speed, led by a burly man at the front.

They were the troops Gulvar had dispatched to hunt down Nolan and Seira.

Half an hour later, the massive force gradually slowed before coming to a complete stop.

The leader, Erkan, raised his right hand and ordered, ”Rest for now. No need to set up tents—we’ll only be here for an hour.”

”Yes, sir!” the soldiers answered in unison.

After that, they dismounted and took a break.

They had been traveling all night. Exhaustion was written all over them—especially on their horses.

Erkan dismounted as well and led his horse a short distance away from the soldiers.

He tied it to a tree trunk nearly three meters tall, then walked over to a slender soldier.

”Has he arrived yet, Crosmon?” Erkan asked.

Crosmon glanced at the letter in his hand and shook his head.

”Not yet, General. But Thousand Faces should be here any moment.”

Erkan nodded. ”Good. We’ll wait for an hour. I hope he shows up soon. If not…”

”If not, are you going to kill me?”

A teasing voice came from behind.

Erkan and Crosmon stiffened. They turned at once and saw a short man in a black cloak walking toward them.

His hood was pulled low, hiding his face completely.

Erkan narrowed his eyes and sneered. ”Glad you finally showed up. Otherwise, I’d have hunted you down once this was over.”

Crosmon let out a breath of relief when he saw the man appear.

He stepped forward and said, ”Thank you for coming, Thousand Faces. We need your help to find Nolan Lorian and Seira Lorian.”

Thousand Faces stopped in front of them, then slowly lifted his hood.

In an instant, his horrifying appearance was revealed. His head was bald, and his skin was deathly pale.

But that wasn’t what made him terrifying—it was the small faces grafted all around his own.

Each one had eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Dozens upon dozens of them clung to his head like a grotesque mask.

They probably didn’t reach a thousand as his name suggested, but there were clearly more than a hundred.

Crosmon swallowed hard. Cold sweat trickled from the back of his neck to his forehead.

This was the first time he had seen Thousand Faces’ true appearance. He had to admit it was horrifying—the worst sight he had ever witnessed in his life.

”Hehehe…” Thousand Faces chuckled. ”Why are you so pale? Does my appearance scare you?”

Crosmon quickly forced himself to calm down and shook his head.

”It’s not fear. Just surprise.”

Thousand Faces knew he was lying, but he said nothing. He was used to such reactions, and he no longer cared.

”Don’t waste time. Find their whereabouts,” Erkan ordered coldly.

Thousand Faces was a notorious Celestial Mage in the Ancient Kingdom of Eron.

However, he wasn’t a good person. He was a criminal who had once brought chaos to the kingdom.

In the past, he had attacked a small city and sacrificed its inhabitants for his rituals.

As a result, he became a high-profile fugitive, with an enormous bounty on his head.

But now, Erkan desperately needed his help to track down Nolan and Seira. After all, Thousand Faces was the only Celestial Mage in the entire Ancient Kingdom of Eron.

”Heh…” Thousand Faces smiled faintly. ”Don’t rush. Let’s make a deal first.”