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

Chapter 962: The Gods’ Punishment: To Be Forgotten

Early in the morning...

Ayakami and the others stepped out of their tents and greeted each other.

Suddenly, they heard Tony’s panicked voice nearby.

”M-Mike’s gone!”

Everyone was startled.

”Gone? What do you mean?” Keyn asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

”I-I don’t know!”

Tony shook his head, his face pale with panic.

”When I woke up, he was already gone! Where did he go?”

Kleith smiled dismissively.

”Don’t worry about it too much. He probably just left early because he was embarrassed.”

His explanation made sense, so they didn’t think much of it and quickly moved on.

Ayakami walked over to Nolan, who had already woken up.

”How did you sleep? I’m sorry I couldn’t prepare a better place for you.”

Nolan shook his head.

”It’s fine. By the way, when are we leaving?” he asked as he stood up.

Ayakami paused for a moment before answering, ”Soon. Get ready.”

Nolan nodded and walked toward a nearby river to wash his face.

Ayakami stared at his back with a dazed expression. For some reason, the thought of parting ways with Nolan soon made her feel sad and uneasy.

She didn’t understand why she felt that way.

Could it be that I like him?

The moment that thought crossed her mind, her face flushed as red as a tomato. She quickly shook her head and denied it.

”H-How could that be!? I must be mistaken... Yeah, that’s it! I’m wrong!”

They had only met yesterday afternoon. How could she have fallen for him that quickly?

Still, she couldn’t shake off that crazy possibility, and it made her body feel strangely hot for no reason.

Half an hour later...

”Are you guys ready?” Ayakami asked, carrying her bag.

”Ready!” Tony, Kleith, Keyn, and Mary answered in unison.

”In that case, let’s go.”

The six of them then left the area and headed toward the city.

***

The city of Rudard was located right next to the forest and was directly under the rule of the Izanagi Eastern Empire.

Despite its remote location, the city was bustling with economic activity.

Most of its residents were farmers and ranchers who sold their produce directly to merchants from other cities.

Ayakami and her group soon arrived at a wooden house. They entered cautiously and met up with members of the other group.

After exchanging a few words with them, Ayakami reported the results of their test to the proctor, who was also the dean of the Falling Star Academy.

Nolan didn’t go inside. After all, he was still a stranger to them.

Fifteen minutes later, Ayakami came out looking completely different. She was wearing a black kimono that suited her perfectly.

”Let’s go,” she said with a smile.

Nolan gave a slight nod.

The two walked side by side. Every now and then, they could hear the laughter and playful voices of children nearby.

”Nolan, are you from the Eastern Continent?” Ayakami asked hesitantly.

She knew the question was a little rude, but she really couldn’t hold herself back any longer.

Just as she had expected Nolan might get angry, the opposite happened.

”Yes, I’m from the Eastern Continent.”

Ayakami breathed a sigh of relief. She had been afraid Nolan would take offense, but he didn’t.

”So, which family are you from? Is it one of the three first-class clans?”

The three first-class clans were the Ashikaga, Inuzuka, and Takeda.

Although Ayakami wasn’t sure whether Nolan was from the Ashikaga—the same clan as her—the possibility still existed. After all, the Ashikaga clan was enormous.

There were branch clans scattered across several cities throughout the empire.

She came from the main line of the clan, so her status was very high. It was possible that Nolan had heard of her from other clan members.

Nolan gave a small chuckle and shook his head.

”None of the three. My last name is Lorian, not Ashikaga, Inuzuka, or Takeda.”

”So, the name Lorian is real? I thought you were just making it up.”

Ayakami’s face flushed with embarrassment.

Nolan fell silent. Did he really look like a liar?

”It’s a real name,” Nolan replied casually.

Ayakami pursed her lips. She still couldn’t understand how Nolan could have the surname Lorian.

As far as she could remember, there was no prince named Nolan in the Great Velmora Empire.

However, she was too embarrassed to ask any more questions, so she decided to change the subject.

Before they knew it, they had arrived at a five-meter-tall portal belonging to the Falling Star Academy in Rudard City.

According to the rules, Ayakami was supposed to ask the city ruler for permission before using it.

But as the eldest daughter of the Ashikaga family, she had special permission to use the portal whenever she wanted.

Ayakami threw ten magic stones into the portal.

Whoosh!

The portal lit up brightly, and a blue vortex appeared at its entrance.

Ayakami set the coordinates for the southern region of the Great Velmora Empire before stepping back and saying, ”All set. You can go inside now.”

Nolan smiled at her and ruffled her hair.

”Thank you, Ayakami. I’ll repay your kindness tenfold in the future.”

Feeling his touch, her beautiful face flushed as red as an apple. Strangely, though, she didn’t feel angry. She merely nodded weakly.

”Umh...”

Nolan pulled his hand away and walked toward the portal, but his steps suddenly halted. He glanced back at Ayakami over his shoulder.

”Ayakami, I want to ask you something.”

Three question marks seemed to appear above Ayakami’s head.

”What is it?”

Nolan paused for a moment before asking softly, ”Do you really not remember me?”

Ayakami was stunned. She looked into Nolan’s hopeful eyes, and her heart ached as if it had been pierced by a knife.

She didn’t understand why Nolan was asking her that, but her gut told her that this question would determine something important in the future.

Taking a deep breath, she shook her head and gave him a wry smile.

”I’m sorry, I... really don’t know you.”

Nolan’s smile faded as he looked away from Ayakami.

”I understand. It’s okay.”

He closed his eyes and stepped into the portal.

”One of the gods’ punishments... to be forgotten by all living creatures. The gods really don’t mess around,” he whispered before disappearing from view.

...

The Imperial Palace...

The Imperial Palace was usually bustling with activity. Today, however, it seemed almost deserted, with only a few guards occasionally passing by.

”Hey, I heard the princes and Princess Elina are coming today. I wonder what’s going to happen later. Will the battle for the throne be put on hold for a while?”

A maid whispered to her friend beside her.

”Shh!” Her friend quickly covered her mouth. ”Don’t talk about that! You’ll only bring trouble for yourself and your family!”

The maid panicked and nodded frantically.

Her friend removed her hand from the maid’s mouth and whispered, ”But you’re right. I’m pretty curious to see how the battle for the throne will play out. It’s definitely worth waiting for. After all, the outcome will determine the fate of everyone in this empire.”