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

Chapter 673: Pursuit! (2)

About a hundred kilometers from the city of Miravelda lay an extremely famous valley known as Nethravel—one of the most dangerous places in the Ancient Kingdom of Eron.

Aside from its rugged terrain, countless monsters lurked within.

Their levels varied from low to medium to high. There were even rumors that city-level monsters lived deep inside.

From time to time, they would appear near the outskirts, hunting for prey.

”Nethravel Valley,” Seira murmured with a serious expression. ”Nolan, it looks like we’re in trouble.”

She stared at the valley stretching out before them. It was silent, shrouded in mist, with no sign of life anywhere.

Even though they were only at the edge, Seira could already feel the danger waiting ahead.

Nolan calmly scanned the surroundings. Then he asked, ”Do you think we can make it through?”

Seira fell silent. Wasn’t the answer obvious?

They were ordinary people—no, Nolan was a mage. But that was all.

If he insisted on crossing this valley, they would both end up as monster fodder.

It would be better to be captured by the royal palace troops than to die here in such a foolish way.

Still, Seira didn’t say any of that. She was certain Nolan had a reason for choosing this route.

Sensing her silence, Nolan simply smiled. He patted the back of her hand and reassured her, ”Don’t worry. I have a way to keep us safe. I chose this path because it’ll get us to our destination faster. And more importantly, I’m sure the troops chasing us will think twice before entering.”

Seira took a deep breath and tightened her embrace around him.

”I understand. I trust you.”

Nolan nodded, satisfied. Having someone who trusted his every decision was truly a blessing.

Without hesitation, he urged his horse forward. Instead of forcing it to sprint like before, he let it move at a steady, unhurried pace.

At the same time, he whispered, ’Stealth...’

In an instant, his body, Seira’s, and the horse beneath them vanished without a trace.

An hour later, about two kilometers from Nethravel Valley, Erkan and his troops halted in a neat formation.

Erkan stared at the valley with a grim expression.

”Are they really inside?” he asked heavily.

”Yes.” Thousand Faces slowly descended and landed beside him. ”They’re inside. They’re heading toward the far end of the valley to escape.”

Thousand Faces’ eyes narrowed sharply. He hadn’t expected Nolan and Seira to be reckless enough to enter Nethravel Valley.

Even he, a Celestial Mage, wouldn’t dare step into that place.

The valley was far too dangerous and had claimed countless lives. According to the records, tens of thousands died there every year.

The monsters inside were ferocious and uncontrollable.

Worse still, their numbers were overwhelming. Entering was practically suicide.

Erkan was speechless. He couldn’t understand where Nolan and Seira had found the courage.

’Could it be they’ve lost all hope and chosen this path?’ he wondered.

Pushing the thought aside, he turned to Thousand Faces and asked, ”Can you help us?”

Thousand Faces glanced at him, then grinned widely.

”Sure. But—”

Before he could finish, Erkan raised his right hand and said coldly, ”Another twenty million Rune coins.”

”Deal!” Thousand Faces nodded without hesitation. Stepping forward, he ordered, ”Follow me. And whatever you do, don’t leave the barrier I’m about to set up.”

He slammed the tip of his staff into the ground. In an instant, a circular barrier appeared, then expanded until it covered the soldiers.

”Everyone!” Erkan shouted. ”Do not step outside this barrier! If you do, you’ll die! Understood?”

”Understood, General!” the soldiers replied in unison.

With that, they entered Nethravel Valley to search for Nolan and Seira.

***

”This place is truly eerie,” Seira muttered, scanning her surroundings warily.

The valley felt strange, as if they had stepped into another world. Thick fog blanketed the area, limiting visibility to only five meters.

What stood out the most were the bizarre trees—each only about a meter tall.

They had noses, mouths, and eyes.

They looked as though they were sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of their presence.

It was the first time Seira had ever seen something like this.

Suppressing her fear, she turned to Nolan and asked, ”How much farther do we have to go?”

”Not much longer,” Nolan replied casually.

He could already sense the exit about two kilometers ahead. But he wasn’t in a hurry. He wanted to match his pace with the troops chasing them.

The distance between them was shrinking—now only twelve kilometers.

’But I have to admit, the Celestial Mage they hired is pretty impressive. He managed to bring that many troops into this valley without being detected. I underestimated him,”’ Nolan thought with an inward chuckle.

Entering Nethravel Valley was no small matter. Nolan was certain most Celestial Mages would think twice before stepping into this place.

That alone proved the mage accompanying the army wasn’t someone to underestimate.

”Well, it’s only because there aren’t any monsters here capable of detecting them. If there were... wouldn’t that be amusing?”

A cold smile spread across his lips.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled. The horse whinnied in fear and reared up in panic.

Nolan furrowed his brow and pulled the reins, forcing it to calm down.

”What’s happening?” Seira asked sharply, tightening her grip around his waist.

Thud!

Thud!

The shaking grew worse, and the sound of heavy footsteps drew closer.

Nolan stared ahead and whispered, ”There’s a ten-meter-tall monster up ahead.”

His words sent a chill down Seira’s spine. With a trembling voice, she asked, ”What should we do?”

Nolan patted her thigh and reassured her.

”Don’t worry. That monster won’t be able to find us.”

Moments later, a massive shadow emerged from the fog ahead.

At first, the shadow was blurry. But as it drew closer, its shape became clear—a dragon-like monster, shaped like a dragon but without wings.

Seira’s heart pounded violently, and her breathing turned heavy. She clutched Nolan’s robe tightly, as if it were the only thing keeping her calm.

Unlike Seira, Nolan smiled at the monster’s appearance.

His purple eyes began to glow faintly, then transformed into the Eyes of Chaos.

In a cold voice, he whispered, ”Follow my orders...”

The monster froze instantly. Its red eyes turned vacant, as if its soul had been stripped away.

Nolan’s smile widened as he commanded, ”Destroy the troop formation behind me. Remember—don’t kill them all. Leave half alive. Understand?”

The monster nodded stiffly, then walked past them and disappeared into the fog.

Seira thought it was about to attack. She squeezed her eyes shut.

Seconds passed, but the pain she expected never came.

When she opened her eyes again, the monster was gone.

”Huh? Where did it go?”