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

Chapter 686: The Reasons Behind the Action

”Tie them all up. We’ll take them hostage and wait for the royal palace to bring the ransom,” Elina ordered coldly.

The soldiers didn’t dare to object. They immediately bound the enemy soldiers’ arms and lined them up neatly.

Elina turned away and walked toward her older brother.

”Brother, everything is taken care of,” she said with a gentle smile. ”What’s next?”

Nolan patted her head. ”Now we just wait. I’m sure the royal palace will come to ransom Erkan and the others. Since you led this battle, you’ll be the one to step forward and negotiate with them.”

Elina didn’t object. The two then chatted casually until Seira’s worried voice called out from behind them.

”Nolan, Elina!”

They both turned at the same time and smiled.

”We’re fine,” Nolan replied casually.

But Seira didn’t take his word for it. She inspected Nolan from head to toe, sending a shiver down his spine.

He quickly grabbed both her hands and cleared his throat awkwardly.

”Ahem! Alright, that’s enough. Stop checking me. Didn’t I already say I’m fine?”

Seira puffed out her cheeks. ”Still, I’m worried. I have to make sure.”

”That’s embarrassing, Sister,” Nolan sighed helplessly.

He was already nineteen years old, yet his sister still treated him like a little kid. It was truly humiliating.

”What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Seira rolled her eyes. ”In my eyes, you’re still my little brother.”

Watching their argument, Elina smiled and whispered, ’I knew it... only Big Sister Seira can handle him.’

Afterward, Elina, along with Nolan and Seira, began helping the soldiers tend to the defeated troops.

Perhaps because of the letter he had read, Erkan seemed to have lost his spirit. He didn’t resist, let alone fight back, as he was forcibly carried away by the soldiers of the Eastern Region.

”It seems his spirit is truly shattered,” Elina commented.

Nolan nodded slightly. ”That’s only natural. He’s a man deeply loyal to the royal palace. After realizing that the real danger lies within the royal family itself, while he’s powerless to do anything, it would break him.”

Most soldiers were deeply loyal to their king or emperor. In other words, they were merely the rulers’ dogs in this world.

A dog would feel sorrow knowing its owner was in danger but being unable to help. That was precisely what happened to Erkan.

The royal capital had fallen, yet he hadn’t been there to defend it.

It was no wonder his confidence shattered at that moment.

”Alright, don’t dwell on it. That’s not our concern. The most important thing now is to order the soldiers to set up camp around here. And don’t forget—you need to rest first,” Nolan said gently as he ruffled Elina’s hair. ”You haven’t slept since you arrived, have you?”

Elina felt a warm sensation in her heart. She hadn’t slept at all and had only taken brief breaks to restore the strength of her horse and troops.

Clear signs of exhaustion showed under her eyes.

”I understand. Thank you for your concern,” Elina whispered softly.

Nolan simply smiled and gave a small nod. After Elina left, he remained there alone, silently observing the enemy soldiers being lined up.

”Why are you so quiet? Don’t you want to see me? Don’t you miss me?”

Nolan turned toward his shadow on the ground and gave a faint smirk.

Not long after, Malverna appeared without her mask.

She looked stunning, like a goddess of the moon descending upon the world.

Malverna shot him an annoyed glance. ”Do you know how worried your sister was? Because of you, she rode her horse like a madwoman without stopping to rest even once. If it weren’t for the spell I cast in secret, she would’ve collapsed right in the middle of the road.”

There was no way a human could ride a horse for two days straight without rest.

So Malverna had secretly cast a spell on Elina and the soldiers to keep them conscious.

”I know I was wrong,” Nolan admitted. ”But you’re by her side, so I’m sure she’ll be fine. Am I wrong?”

Seeing his playful gaze, Malverna felt embarrassed and snorted coldly.

”You’re really annoying,” she muttered.

Nolan shrugged, as if accepting her sarcastic remark.

”Alright, back to the main topic. I want to ask, what happened to Elina while I was gone? There were no major issues, right?”

Malverna shook her head. ”None. Everything was calm. Too calm, actually.”

She had even hoped a hired assassin or something similar would appear to target Elina.

Unfortunately, that simple wish never came true. She had no choice but to remain idle, spending her time doing nothing but reading books.

”Pfft!” Nolan chuckled softly and patted her on the shoulder. ”Don’t worry. In the future, there will be plenty of exciting things waiting for you. Just be patient.”

Malverna was puzzled by his words but didn’t press further.

”By the way, I’m curious about something,” Malverna said seriously. ”With your power, destroying the Ancient Kingdom of Eron should be effortless. Why did you ask your younger sister for help instead?”

She still remembered clearly how Nolan had destroyed the capital of the Holy Empire of Valtanir with a snap of his fingers.

Doing the same to the Ancient Kingdom of Eron should have been easy for him.

Nolan didn’t answer immediately. He slowly sat down on the sand and stretched out his long legs.

”Sit down,” he said, patting the spot beside him.

Malverna sat down as well and stretched her legs.

A gentle evening breeze brushed across their faces, making the moment feel strangely peaceful.

”There are four important reasons why I didn’t use the same method I used on the Holy Empire of Valtanir. First—”

Nolan raised his index finger. ”What happened to the Ancient Kingdom of Eron is different from what happened to the Holy Empire of Valtanir. From the beginning, they never showed any intent to kill me or my sister, unlike what the Singularity of Light did in the past. Second...”

He raised his middle finger. ”The Ancient Kingdom of Eron is already rotten from within. Even without my intervention, it will collapse in the future. So I don’t want to dirty my hands unnecessarily. Third...”

His ring finger rose. ”The Singularities are forbidden from destroying a city, kingdom, or empire. If I ever did that, the other Singularities would take direct action. I’m confident in my own power, but facing all of them at once... I’m not sure I could win.”

Malverna listened carefully to all three reasons and found them reasonable. The first and second, in particular, acted as restraints that kept Nolan from acting recklessly.

”Then the fourth?” Malverna asked.

Nolan gave a faint smile and replied calmly, ”For Elina, of course.”