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

Chapter 685: Landslide Victory (2)

Upon hearing Elina’s threat, the soldiers did not dare move. They immediately dropped their weapons and knelt in the sand.

The soldiers from the eastern region quickly restrained them, preventing any resistance.

Elina gave a faint smile, then turned back to Erkan.

”You’ve already lost. Surrender,” she said coldly.

”Ugh...” Erkan gritted his teeth. Then he regained his confidence and sneered. ”Don’t be so cocky, Elina Lorian! Do you really think you’ve already won? Hahaha! You’re so naive!”

Elina furrowed her brows, unsure what he meant.

Noticing her confusion, Erkan snickered. ”Have you forgotten that this is the territory of the Ancient Kingdom of Eron? An hour ago, right after we left that valley, I sent a distress signal to the royal palace. They’re probably on their way right now! You’re finished! Hahaha!”

Erkan wasn’t a fool. After losing more than ten thousand soldiers, he had immediately sent a distress signal to the royal palace.

The signal was a magical device directly linked to the palace itself. Within one or two hours, reinforcements would surely arrive.

And when that happened, Elina, Nolan, Seira, and their troops would have no chance of returning to the Great Velmora Empire.

Elina’s expression instantly tightened. She hadn’t expected Erkan to be this cunning.

He had realized he was about to lose and sent a distress message to the royal palace. If reinforcements arrived, Elina and her troops would be wiped out.

Just as panic began to grip her, Nolan’s calm voice suddenly sounded from behind her.

”Don’t worry, Elina.”

Elina was startled. She turned toward Nolan and felt an indescribable sense of relief.

”Don’t worry? What do you mean?” she asked.

Erkan was also confused. He stared at Nolan warily.

Among all the cunning people he had ever met, Nolan was the most dangerous.

He had not only hidden his true strength but also deceived everyone with his reputation as a worthless prince.

If Erkan had not let his guard down, things would not have ended like this. The mission would have been completed, and he would have received a massive reward from Gulvar.

But it was too late now. All he could do was hope reinforcements from the royal palace would arrive soon. Only then could the tables turn.

But then Nolan spoke, and a chill ran down Erkan’s spine.

”You might not know this, but the royal capital is currently engulfed in chaos. Gulvar won’t have time to send reinforcements. He’s in trouble himself. How could he possibly spare troops in a situation like that?”

Erkan’s heart pounded, his breathing turning heavy.

”Don’t talk nonsense, Nolan Lorian! I’ll rip your mouth apart!” Erkan growled.

Elina frowned and was about to cut his head off, but Nolan immediately stopped her.

”No need to dirty your hands. Just wait. In five minutes, a letter from that person will arrive.”

Elina nodded and followed her brother’s instructions.

Erkan snorted, still confident the royal palace would send reinforcements.

But strangely, after three minutes had passed, a sense of unease began to gnaw at him.

’Could what Nolan Lorian said be true?’

The thought flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

’Impossible. Yes, it’s impossible! That man is cunning. He’s just trying to break me and crush my troops’ morale. Yes, that must be it!’

With his confidence restored, Erkan smiled thinly and glared coldly at Nolan.

Nolan merely smiled and said nothing.

Second by second, time passed until the five minutes Nolan mentioned finally came.

Yet there was nothing, except the piercing howl of the night wind.

Erkan burst into laughter and mocked, ”Hahaha! Are you rambling, Nolan Lorian? I knew you were just spouting nonsense!”

His soldiers, who had been panicking earlier, also began to regain their confidence.

Even as they knelt, they no longer looked afraid, as if certain they would win in the end.

Nolan smiled calmly. ”Don’t get ahead of yourselves. The message has arrived.”

A moment later, the sound of flapping wings came from the distance.

Everyone instinctively turned and saw a crow flying swiftly toward them.

Nolan raised his right hand, and the crow landed on it.

He gently stroked its head, then untied the white scroll from its ankle.

Under Erkan’s shocked and panicked gaze, Nolan unrolled the scroll and read it.

Time seemed to slow. Erkan’s breathing grew heavier with each passing second.

”Success,” Nolan whispered with a faint smile. He folded the scroll and handed it to Elina.

”Take it and read. I’m sure you’ll be surprised.”

Elina hesitated. She was still holding Erkan hostage. If she let him go, wouldn’t all her effort be wasted?

Noticing her hesitation, Nolan reassured her. ”Don’t worry. Once he hears it, he’ll be too shocked to keep fighting.”

Elina took a deep breath. She released her arm from around Erkan’s neck, then kicked him in the back.

Erkan was sent flying forward. His body slammed into the sand, which looked soft but was sharp enough to scrape his skin.

He was about to get up in rage, but Elina’s horrified voice suddenly rang out.

”The capital... has fallen!? How is that possible!?”

Her words hit like a bomb, shattering the hearts of all the kingdom’s soldiers, including Erkan.

”I-Impossible! You must be lying!” Erkan screamed.

But Elina had no intention of arguing with him. She rolled up the scroll and tossed it at him.

”Read it yourself. You’ll find out the truth,” she replied indifferently.

Erkan hurriedly caught it and began to read.

”[The capital is in chaos and ruin. The hundreds of mysterious people I sent have successfully set fire to houses, shops, and more. The recorded casualties are already in the thousands, perhaps even higher. The survivors have fled to the underground shelters and the royal palace, but that alone is not enough. Everyone looks panicked and terrified. Everything is exactly as you said, Nolan Lorian. Soon, the people will rise up in revolt, and my father’s power will no longer hold. Thank you for your cooperation. I hope you return to your empire safely. Sincerely, Karakh Leyrn.]”

Bang!

Erkan felt as if his head had been struck by a hammer. His face turned pale, as if all the blood had drained from it.

His mouth opened and closed, as if he had countless words to say, but none came out.

”How... is that possible?”

The scroll slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. He slumped forward as if all his strength had vanished in an instant.

The sight shattered the morale of his soldiers.

They understood what it meant. The moment Erkan broke, it confirmed one thing: Nolan was right.