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

Chapter 863: Rescue Plan

”Brother, I’ve got the troops ready. When are we leaving?” Elina asked.

Nolan picked up his sword from the table and strapped it to his waist.

”Right now.”

”Okay!” Elina gave a slight nod before turning and walking away.

Rafine walked over to Nolan, looking a little hesitant.

Nolan noticed the change in her expression and casually asked, ”What’s wrong?”

Rafine bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze.

”Can I come with you?”

Nolan chuckled.

”Of course. But let your father know first. I’ll send you the locations of those bandits. Once we deal with the group that kidnapped Novaria, the other bandit groups in the nearby cities are bound to find out. We need to get ahead of them.”

Rafine’s eyes lit up.

”I understand!”

Right after that, she headed to her study and contacted Alvaron using the magic orb connected to Duke Austin’s manor.

Before long, the mansion where Nolan, Elina, and Rafine lived was bustling with activity as the order to assemble spread.

As captain of the mansion’s garrison, Luvistar naturally took charge.

He gathered two hundred trained soldiers, and they stood ready, waiting for further orders.

When he saw Nolan and Rafine walking out, he greeted them and asked, ”When will we depart, Your Highness?”

Nolan mounted his black horse.

”Now. I’ve found them.”

His gaze remained fixed on a towering mountain shrouded in the night’s mist.

”...They’re on Mount Elmont.”

***

Mount Elmont was a towering mountain about twenty kilometers from Virella.

It was the home of all kinds of wild animals and monsters, so Virella’s soldiers often came here to train and hunt.

Since the mountain was quite far from the city, their training usually took one to two weeks.

Over time, they became very familiar with the trails leading up the mountain.

In less than two hours, they finally arrived at its foot.

Nolan raised his hand, and all the soldiers stopped at once.

”What’s wrong, Nolan?” Rafine asked.

Nolan remained silent, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

”I can sense a powerful monster nearby. If we’re not careful, we’ll all be in danger.”

Hearing his warning, Luvistar and the soldiers behind him immediately became more alert.

From their experience hunting on this mountain, they knew Nolan wasn’t wrong.

Many powerful monsters lived near the foot of the mountain, and they had encountered one before.

”Then what should we do, Your Highness?” Luvistar asked.

”Follow me. As much as possible, keep your horses from making too much noise. Understood?”

”Understood!” the soldiers replied in unison.

With that, Nolan steered his horse toward the mountain’s entrance, about thirty meters from where they stood.

The path was quite narrow, only wide enough for two horses to pass side by side. But in Nolan’s eyes, it was the safest route they could take.

As Nolan, Rafine, Luvistar, and the soldiers rode their horses up the mountain, the bandits inside the wooden house where Novaria was being held captive were having a blast.

”Hahaha! I won!”

A burly, bald man with a scar running down the right side of his face slammed his cards onto the table.

The moment his companions saw them, they cried out in unison.

”Argh! Damn it! How can you be so lucky!? I won’t stand for this!”

”Damn it! My money! That was supposed to be for renting beautiful women in the next town!”

”Are you cheating, man? You’ve won twice already, damn it!”

Seeing their frustrated expressions, the bald man burst out laughing.

”Thanks for the prize. I’ll gladly take it.”

He swept the stack of bills and gold coins off the table.

His companions could only sigh in frustration. There was nothing they could do about it.

The burly blond man sitting beside him picked up a mug of beer and gulped it down.

The cold, intoxicating drink instantly washed away his frustration.

”By the way,” he said, looking at the others. ”Have you guys found a buyer for those slaves yet?”

The burly red-haired man sitting across from him picked up his mug and took a swig.

”Yeah. Jakes will take them.”

Hearing that name, everyone was surprised.

Jakes was a wealthy merchant from the northern region. To most people, he was an honest businessman who owned numerous mines and inns.

But only a select few knew that his biggest source of income didn’t come from those businesses. Instead, it came from the underground trade of prostitution, slave trafficking, and illegal substances.

Jakes had also become one of their biggest customers. Most of the slaves he bought came from them.

”Tsk! Tsk! If Jakes is handling them, there’s nothing to worry about. We’re definitely going to be rich tomorrow!” the bald man said with a hearty laugh.

The others grinned in agreement.

”By the way, can I have a little fun with that beautiful woman?” the red-haired man asked, waggling his eyebrows.

”No, you idiot! She’s our best catch. If she gets damaged, Jakes won’t take her,” the bald man scolded.

”Tch! Fine.” The red-haired man took another swig of his beer before slamming the mug onto the table. ”But I have to admit, that woman is unbelievably beautiful. She carries herself like a noblewoman. Do you think she’s from a prominent family?”

His companions exchanged glances. Until he brought it up, none of them had even considered the possibility.

Their expressions immediately turned serious. They had managed to keep their operation running for so long because several noble families were backing them.

Most of those nobles were from the southern, western, and northern regions. There were a few in the eastern region as well, but not many.

They had also never targeted noble families. Everyone they had kidnapped so far had been commoners.

However, the red-haired man’s words immediately set off alarm bells in their minds. If he was right, they were in serious trouble.

”N-No, that can’t be. Maybe it’s just a coincidence. Besides, she could just be the daughter of some wealthy merchant,” the bald man argued.

The others exchanged glances again, but the doubt on their faces remained.

Still, they needed the money, and they were already used to doing dirty work like this, so they chose not to think about it any further.

”All right, let’s wrap this up.”

The blond man stood and walked outside.

”Where are you going, buddy?” the bald man asked.

”I want to get some fresh air.” The blond man waved a hand and disappeared from sight.

The bald man wanted to remind him that there were many monsters nearby, but by then, the man was already gone.