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

”Run! I have to run! I can’t be even a second late!”

Thomas glanced back every now and then as he urged his horse to run faster.

He was afraid Nolan would catch up and kill him. He didn’t want that. He wanted to live.

Half an hour later, the horse beneath him suddenly weakened before finally collapsing.

Thomas was thrown forward and rolled several times across the ground.

”Argh…” He groaned in pain, clutching his aching stomach.

”Damn it!” he growled.

With great effort, he forced himself to his feet and walked over to check on his horse.

”D-Dead?” he muttered in horror.

He couldn’t feel the horse’s heartbeat or breath.

Panic gripped him once again. Without a horse, his speed would be greatly reduced.

”Damn it!” he cursed inwardly.

Gripping his sword tightly, he ran forward with all his might. He no longer spared his horse another glance. His only concern now was getting away from that cursed place.

...

Nolan and Melina sat facing each other. The girl looked both shy and a little afraid.

Before this, she hadn’t known that Nolan possessed such immense power. That was why she’d been able to stay relaxed and calm. But now that she knew, she clearly couldn’t act that way anymore.

Nolan’s reason for coming to see her was still unclear. It was possible he intended to take her away by force, just as Thomas had done earlier.

Or worse, he might even want to kill her.

Just the thought of that second possibility made her tremble with fear. Her face turned pale, and her breathing grew heavy.

Nolan naturally noticed her fear and chuckled softly.

”Don’t overthink it. I don’t mean you any harm. If I wanted to, I would’ve done it a few days ago.”

Melina relaxed a little. What he said made sense.

”By the way, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

”Please go ahead, Young Master!” Melina replied nervously.

Nolan leaned back in his chair.

”According to the stories going around, you gained your powers through a dream, right?”

Melina nodded. ”That’s right. I gained them through a dream.”

”Then, can you tell me about that dream?”

”Tell you about it?” Melina asked in surprise.

Of all the people who had asked how she gained her powers, Nolan was the first to ask about the dream itself.

Usually, once they found out she’d gained her powers through a dream, they would just brush it off and not ask anything else.

”That dream…” Melina recalled the dream before she began her story. ”A woman appeared to me.”

Nolan was surprised but didn’t interrupt her.

”She said I was chosen by fate,” Melina continued, her voice trembling slightly. ”She also said I would bear a heavy burden, so she granted me powers that could help everyone. Then, when I woke up, I suddenly found I could heal any illness.”

Nolan listened intently, taking in every word.

Only after Melina finished did he finally understand everything.

”The woman in that dream is clearly the Goddess of Life,” he murmured.

Still, to be certain, he decided to ask,

”What did she look like?”

Melina thought for a moment before answering, ”I’m not really sure because her face was hidden by clouds. But one thing’s for certain. She was tall, had braided hair, and there was a mysterious symbol on her forehead.”

The mention of a mysterious symbol immediately piqued Nolan’s curiosity.

”A mysterious symbol? What did it look like?”

”It looked like the petals of a blooming flower… no, maybe three leaves? I’m not entirely sure either. Since her face was hidden by clouds, I couldn’t see it clearly.”

Nolan fell into deep thought.

”A flower-shaped symbol... Could it be... her?”

His heart pounded as a woman’s image flashed through his mind. Nolan had been suspicious of someone in the last few days.

However, he was still hesitant and not entirely convinced. His suspicion could be wrong, and that would be incredibly embarrassing.

Now, after hearing Melina’s story, his doubts slowly began to fade. Perhaps the incarnation of the Goddess of Life really was that woman.

”I understand.”

Nolan took a deep breath before slowly rising to his feet.

”In that case, I’ll head back first.”

”Huh? Back?” Melina asked in surprise.

Nolan chuckled and teased, ”Why? Do you want me to stay? Don’t tell me you want me to take you with me too?”

Melina’s face immediately turned as red as a tomato.

”N-No, that’s not it.”

She frantically waved both hands and quickly explained, ”I was just surprised because you’ve only been here for a few days.”

Nolan simply smiled and gave her a small wave.

”My business here is done. I’ve also found what I was looking for. There’s no point in staying any longer.”

After saying that, he turned and walked away, leaving the still-confused Melina behind.

***

Whoosh!

Malverna appeared right beside him.

Nolan, who had been waiting for her, slowly stood up and brushed the dust off the back of his trousers.

”All done?”

”Yep.” Malverna nodded with a satisfied smile.

Nolan raised an eyebrow. ”Why do you look so happy?”

Malverna stretched and replied enthusiastically, ”It’s been a long time since I last went on a rampage. And you know what? The Great Kingdom of Horland is a rotten, evil kingdom. For some reason, I felt completely at ease killing them. It almost felt like I was a hero who came to save the world and become a beacon of hope for humanity. You know what I mean, right?”

Nolan rolled his eyes. Malverna was a demon. What kind of hero was she supposed to be?

It didn’t suit her at all. Still, he didn’t want to ruin her mood, so he simply nodded.

”How many died?”

”I don’t know.” Malverna shrugged. ”Maybe two million or three million people?”

Nolan: ”...”

Seeing the look on his face, Malverna burst out laughing.

”I was just kidding. It wasn’t that many—maybe around five thousand. Most of them were from the royal family, along with soldiers, ministers, and a few nobles. I only went after the people responsible, just like you did in Halveran.”

Nolan nodded in satisfaction. He wanted to teach Thomas a lesson, but he had no intention of dragging innocent people into it.

”In that case, let’s go. We’re done here.”

Malverna nodded, and the two of them vanished from the spot.

…

Three days later...

”Hah... Hah... Hah...”

Thomas panted heavily, glancing over his shoulder every now and then.

”It’s been three days... That guy shouldn’t be chasing me anymore,” he muttered as he tried to catch his breath.

He had been running nonstop for three days without eating or bathing, surviving on nothing but water.

It should have been impossible, but fear had pushed him beyond his limits.

Thomas leaned against a large rock nearby. He looked like a complete wreck—nothing like the proud general and nobleman he once was. His hair was disheveled, and his body gave off a pungent stench.

Suddenly, the sound of people talking reached his ears.

Thomas’s dull eyes lit up.

”Other people... I have to find them!”

Not seeing another person for three days had nearly driven him mad.

Forcing his exhausted body forward, he walked toward the voices and found two farmers chatting casually.

”You guys—”

Before he could finish speaking, one of the farmers said something that left him frozen.

”Have you heard? The Great Kingdom of Horland fell and was destroyed a few days ago. It’s truly unbelievable, isn’t it?”