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

Whoosh!

Nolan appeared in the air, carrying Luna in his arms.

The little girl’s face flushed as red as a tomato, her body stiffening, unable to react to what Nolan had just done.

”Can you stand?” Nolan asked casually.

Luna nodded. But the moment her eyes landed on the dark, endless ocean below, panic set in, and she shook her head frantically.

”I can’t stand, Singularity of Chaos. Keep holding me like this,” she pleaded, her voice trembling.

Nolan chuckled softly, not intending to tease her. In truth, Luna would float helplessly if he let go.

But judging by her reaction, it was clear she might faint if released suddenly.

”Then let’s wait for your grandmother. She should be here any minute now,” Nolan said.

He had contacted Singularity of Life earlier, so she should be arriving shortly.

Less than five seconds later, the space around them trembled.

A butterfly-shaped ray of light appeared, slowly expanding until it revealed the graceful figure of Seria, a white veil covering her face.

She fixed Nolan with a meaningful gaze, but the moment her eyes fell on Luna in his arms, they widened in shock.

”Luna!?” she cried, her voice filled with panic.

Tears streamed down Luna’s cheeks as she looked at her grandmother.

”Grandma!”

Nolan released his hold. Luna’s heart raced with fear, but she didn’t fall.

Still crying, she ran to Seria and threw herself into her grandmother’s arms.

”Woaa! Grandma, I missed you! I’m sorry for disappearing like that! Woaa!”

She cried uncontrollably, pressing her face against Seria’s chest and holding on tightly.

Seria’s tears flowed freely as she hugged her granddaughter just as tightly, as if she never wanted to let go.

”I missed you too, my dear granddaughter,” Seria whispered.

They poured out all the longing they had kept inside before slowly letting go of each other.

Seria gently wiped the tears from the corners of Luna’s eyes and asked with a mix of worry and relief, ”Where have you been all this time? Don’t you know how worried your mother and I were in the elf forest? We thought wild animals might have gotten you... but I suppose that’s not true. Anyway, I’ve placed a protection spell on you.”

Luna smiled softly. ”It’s a long story, Grandma. How about we return to the elf forest first? After that, I’ll tell you... and Mom too.”

Though she no longer wished to stay in the elf forest, there was no harm in visiting her hometown. Besides, her mother must be worried about her.

Seria smiled and nodded slowly. ”All right. Let’s go back.”

Luna turned her gaze toward the Singularity of Chaos.

”Singularity of Chaos, would you like to come with me to the elf forest?”

Her words caught both Nolan and Seria off guard. They exchanged a meaningful glance.

Nolan was about to refuse, but Seria spoke before he could.

”Come with us. I can’t let someone who has done so much for me leave without a proper reward.”

Her voice was calm and composed, yet anyone paying attention could sense the joy she was barely keeping in check.

Nolan had no reason to refuse. He nodded slightly and replied casually, ”Alright, I’ll come.”

Luna was overjoyed, but she didn’t realize that Seria’s happiness far surpassed hers.

”Let’s go,” Seria said.

The three of them turned into light and vanished.

***

The Elf Forest lay nine hundred kilometers from the Eastern Empire of Izanagi.

Its remote and strategic location made it difficult to access.

Moreover, entry was forbidden, as it was the elves’ sacred habitat.

The lack of transportation routes and human settlements only added to the forest’s inaccessibility.

At that moment, Nolan, Seria, and Luna appeared at what could only be called the edge of the forest.

Though ”edge” didn’t feel entirely accurate—behind them, the forest stretched on, but the trees were shorter than those ahead.

”Let’s go in,” Seria said.

Nolan and Luna nodded, following her lead. Luna moved confidently, clearly at home in this environment.

Nolan, however, observed everything with curiosity, tinged with excitement.

’So this is what the inside of an elf forest looks like... How fascinating,’ he murmured.

In the past, he’d never had the chance to visit, since Seria had forbidden it.

Naturally, he understood her reasons. At the time, their relationship needed to be kept hidden from the Singularities.

If he appeared in Seria’s territory without a good reason, the other Singularities would surely notice and raise unnecessary suspicions.

Although his relationship with Seria had ended, he still couldn’t enter freely.

Fortunately, bringing Luna home provided a valid excuse, so he was allowed to accompany them.

As the three of them walked on, the trees around them grew taller and taller.

’What an incredible size,”’ Nolan murmured in awe. ’If anything like this had ever existed in my world, it would have caused a catastrophic disaster.’

He couldn’t determine their exact height, but he estimated them to be around a hundred meters tall.

Next to those towering trees, he felt tiny, almost insignificant.

The further they went, the stranger the atmosphere became. It was as if a powerful trap had been laid all around them.

”Is this a magic formation?” he asked casually.

Seria glanced at him and nodded slightly.

”Yes, it’s a magic formation created by my daughter.”

Nolan didn’t press further.

Soon, they spotted an elf settlement in the distance. Unlike human or dragon civilizations, the elves lived in harmony with nature, building their homes from wood, either nestled high in the trees or hidden among the roots.

When the three of them appeared, the elves paused, surprised by their sudden arrival.

”That’s... Luna!” one of them exclaimed, joy lighting up their face.

The others quickly noticed her and ran toward Luna, their faces lighting up with joy.

”Luna! Where have you been? Why haven’t we seen you all this time?”

”I heard you were eaten by a monster! Is that true?”

”Luna, I’m so glad you’re okay. Do you know how worried I was?”

Surrounded by the elves, Luna felt overwhelmed and unsure how to answer their flood of questions.

But she wasn’t angry. After all, these were her old friends.

With a gentle smile, she said, ”I’m fine. Thank you for worrying about me. But right now, I want to see my mother. Could you all make way?”

At once, the elves stepped aside.

”Sorry, Luna, I was too surprised to see you appear,” one said shyly.

”Me too... I’m sorry,” added another.

They all apologized quickly, and Luna responded with a warm smile.

”It’s okay. Thank you for caring about me. I’ll join you later and tell you everything, all right?”

The elves brightened and answered in unison, ”Good!”

Nolan watched the scene, a smile tugging at his lips.

’What an extraordinary girl,’ he murmured in admiration.