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

”Achoo!” Nolan suddenly sneezed loudly.

He quickly looked to his right and left, alert and cautious, but saw no one who appeared suspicious or malicious.

”Strange...” he muttered, rubbing his chin. ”Is someone talking about me?”

There’s a saying that if someone sneezes out of nowhere, it means someone is either speaking ill of them or harboring bad intentions.

Apparently, his sneeze earlier might really have something to do with one of those things.

Nolan shook his head lightly, then pulled open the window shade on his right and gazed at the beautiful stretch of grassland outside.

It had been over five hours since the ride began. According to the schedule, he would arrive sometime tomorrow—or at the latest, within a day and a half.

Well, that was to be expected. The distance between the capital and the southern region was immense. Fortunately, the empire’s road infrastructure was well-developed and efficient, allowing the journey to proceed smoothly and quickly.

Otherwise, a trip like this could’ve taken five to seven days one way.

”Hmmm...” Nolan narrowed his eyes and murmured, ”I’m curious about how things have been in the capital while I was away at Marquis Orlan’s mansion. Could something big be waiting for me there?”

His departure to the Caltheron mansion certainly wouldn’t have gone unnoticed by the other members of the imperial family—his father, Aldric, Cedric, Adalen, and the rest.

Because of that, he suspected his siblings might have been making certain moves in his absence.

Still, he wasn’t too concerned about anyone trying to harm Elina.

After all, he had already stationed Arnold by her side—to protect her from the shadows.

”Malverna, are you there?” Nolan called out casually.

Whoosh!

A cloud of black smoke suddenly appeared beside him.

Moments later, Malverna’s beautiful figure emerged from within it, settling into a seated position with her legs crossed nonchalantly.

She shot him a sharp glare and asked in an irritated tone, ”Why did you call me? Do you need something?”

Although she was trying to accept the reality of being a slave, a flicker of reluctance and resentment remained in her heart.

Nolan was fully aware of that—but he didn’t care. As long as she obeyed and didn’t rebel, that was enough for him.

”I just wanted to ask you something,” he said, leaning back comfortably in his chair. ”Did you set up the magic circle I asked for around the Caltheron mansion?”

”I did,” Malverna replied curtly.

Nolan nodded in satisfaction. ”Good.”

To prevent the Caltheron family from becoming a target of the Underworld Gate, he had instructed Malverna to place a protective magic circle around their mansion.

The circle was designed to block any form of powerful magic intended to cause harm.

After all, the Caltherons were Elina’s supporters in the succession for the throne, and Nolan wouldn’t allow any harm to come to them.

”By the way,” he added, taking a sip of the warm tea he had prepared earlier, ”are you getting used to this world? Have you gotten a sense of how things are now?”

Malverna’s expression grew complicated at his question.

”I’ve tried...” she murmured, letting out a long sigh. ”I didn’t expect the world to have changed so drastically after a thousand years of death.”

Earlier, Nolan had given her several books to help her learn about the current era.

After reading the books and absorbing their contents, she was stunned—more than a thousand years had passed since her time. And the bastard disciple who had betrayed her and stolen all her power had finally met his end at the hands of two legendary heroes, now remembered as the Transcendents.

Nolan had told her this before, but seeing the truth laid bare was still a shock.

To make matters worse, her demon race had become pariahs—outcasts with no place left on the continent.

Nolan briefly glanced at Malverna’s pained expression but didn’t show the slightest trace of pity.

To him, the demon race deserved their downfall. Because of their actions, the continent had nearly been plunged into utter chaos.

Even so, he couldn’t pretend that humanity was any holier.

If hatred and warfare were allowed to fester, it wouldn’t be surprising if humans eventually met the same fate.

Malverna took a deep breath, steadying her emotions. Then she looked at Nolan calmly and changed the subject.

”In one of the books I read, I came across figures called the Seven Singularities. Do they really stand at the top of this world?”

Nolan gave a small nod. ”Yes. They’re the most powerful individuals alive—their strength is far beyond what ordinary beings can comprehend.”

Malverna paused at his answer, a dissatisfied look appearing on her face.

”In your opinion, how would I compare to them? Who’s stronger?”

”You?” Nolan gave her a sidelong glance, his tone dripping with mockery. ”Pfft... Do I really need to answer that?”

Blue veins bulged on Malverna’s forehead, and her hands clenched tightly into fists.

But before she could say a word, Nolan calmly took another sip of tea and continued, ”Malverna, I know you’re incredibly strong. You were once the Demon Empress—the supreme ruler of your era. But what you need to understand is this... the world you knew no longer exists.”

He glanced out the window, his gaze cold and distant. ”The Singularities are beings who have reached the absolute peak in their respective domains. And you... even if you were to fully regain your power from back then—you wouldn’t stand a chance.”

He paused for a moment before adding, ”Not just you. Your disciple who betrayed you in the past, even the Transcendents who defeated him—they’re all still far from being able to rival the Singularities.”

Malverna was stunned. She wanted to argue—but no words came.

What Nolan said was arrogant and infuriating—but also true.

The Singularities were anomalies—beings that should never have existed in this world.

Take, for instance, the Singularity of Chaos, who was said to be capable of slaying a Catastrophe-Level Dragon with ease.

And the dragon race... was among the most powerful on the continent. Even during her reign, a dragon of that level could have annihilated the entire demon race without effort.

That was why Malverna had never dared to provoke them. She knew full well the scale of destruction such a being could unleash.

And yet, such a powerful creature could be effortlessly defeated by a single Singularity.

That was... truly terrifying.

Suddenly, an absurd thought crossed her mind. She narrowed her eyes, staring at Nolan with suspicion.

”By the way, Nolan Lorian. There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” she said cautiously. ”Are you... one of the Seven Singularities?”

Nolan didn’t answer—he simply chuckled, a playful glint in his eyes.

Yet that one look was all the answer she needed.

”You...” Malverna whispered, then fell silent, the rest of her words caught in her throat.