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

”Please explain,” Rei said calmly.

Arnold smiled faintly and spoke frankly. ”Actually, our demands are not that unreasonable. All the Celestial Empire of Velgranth wants is the return of the territories that were forcibly seized by the demon race.”

Rei was stunned. ”That’s all?”

”That’s right. That’s all.” Arnold nodded with a faint smile. ”Can you agree to that?”

Rei fell silent. It was not just him—even Lucas looked confused by the request.

At first, they had assumed Arnold would make far greater demands in exchange for the dragon race’s support. However, that was not the case, which only made them feel both confused and suspicious.

”W-Wait a moment, Prince Arnold.” Rei raised his hand and stared at him intently. ”Are you certain that’s all you want? Don’t you intend to take control of the entire western region after the Demon Empire falls?”

He simply could not believe that the Celestial Empire of Velgranth only wanted that in return for their assistance. It made little sense to him.

”I understand why you find it hard to believe. But those are the Dragon Emperor’s orders, and I am merely relaying them,” Arnold replied bluntly, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

Rei and Lucas fell silent once again. Even now, they still found it difficult to believe him.

After a brief pause, Arnold continued.

”However, I believe the Dragon Emperor has his own reasons for making that decision. The Western Continent is far too vast for us to govern alone. Besides, the dragon race dislikes remaining in one place for too long, so territorial expansion is not something we truly desire.”

”However, I believe the Dragon Emperor has his own reasons for making that decision. The Western Continent is far too vast for us to govern alone. Besides, the dragon race dislikes remaining in one place for too long, so territorial expansion is not something we truly desire.”

That explanation slightly eased the tension in Rei and Lucas’s expressions. Although it still sounded somewhat questionable, they chose to accept it for now.

”I understand,” Rei said firmly. ”Then how many troops will you send?”

”We will send ten thousand dragon troops to counter the Demon Empire’s aerial forces. That way, you can focus entirely on the ground battle,” Arnold explained casually. ”What do you think?”

Rei and Lucas considered the offer carefully. Overall, it sounded highly advantageous.

The Demon Empire possessed overwhelming aerial strength, relying on countless flying demon beasts as mounts.

Meanwhile, humanity lacked that capability.

Taming flying monsters was extremely difficult. Even when someone succeeded, the numbers were usually far too small to meet the demands of large-scale warfare.

”That’s an excellent idea!” Rei said enthusiastically. Extending his right hand, he continued, ”It’s a pleasure working with you.”

Arnold extended his hand as well and shook it firmly.

”The pleasure is mine.”

The two exchanged smiles before continuing their discussion about the upcoming assault.

09:34

From the very beginning, Lucas had remained silent, leaving the negotiations entirely to Rei.

Yet for some reason, seeing Rei handle everything so smoothly irritated him.

’Why is this guy always one step ahead of me?’ he muttered inwardly, glancing at Rei with a mixture of frustration, admiration, and envy.

The gap between them seemed to widen with every passing moment, and the thought made his chest feel tight and uncomfortable.

An hour later, the discussion finally came to an end, and Arnold prepared to leave.

However, when he noticed Roseline nearby, he paused in surprise before quickly approaching her.

”Good afternoon, Your Highness. It’s a pleasure to meet you, and I apologize for not noticing your presence earlier,” he greeted respectfully.

Roseline smiled gently. ”Good afternoon to you as well, Your Highness the Prince. It’s alright—I understand your situation. And thank you for coming and offering your assistance. I’m certain we will win this war.”

”Hahaha!” Arnold laughed heartily as he waved his hand dismissively. ”What are you saying, Your Highness? It is my empire and I who should be thanking you instead. The demon race has caused us trouble time and time again. Now is finally the time to retaliate and make them pay for their actions.”

Roseline chuckled softly and nodded in agreement. The two continued chatting casually until Arnold’s gaze suddenly fell upon Evalyn, who was standing beside Roseline.

”You…”

”Ah, she’s my friend. Her name is Evalyn,” Roseline quickly interrupted before explaining further, ”Her background is rather unique. She is a renowned warrior from the Central Continent who joined us to avenge her family, who were killed by demon forces several years ago.”

Roseline then turned toward Evalyn and introduced Arnold to her.

”And Evalyn, this is the First Prince of the Celestial Empire of Velgranth. Go ahead and greet him.”

Evalyn snapped out of her thoughts and extended her hand.

”I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness the Prince,” she greeted respectfully.

Arnold smiled faintly and shook her hand.

”It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Evalyn. I hope you succeed in avenging your family,” he replied politely.

Evalyn simply gave a small smile and nodded.

After exchanging a few more words, Arnold finally took his leave.

Evalyn watched his departing figure with a dazed expression.

Noticing this, Roseline asked curiously, ”Why are you staring at him like that? Don’t tell me you like him?”

Evalyn froze and quickly shook her head.

”N-No, it’s not like that. It’s just…” She narrowed her eyes slightly. ”For some reason, he feels strangely familiar. As if I’ve seen him somewhere in the era I came from.”

The name Arnold and his appearance stirred old memories within her, yet she could not remember where she had seen him before.

Then, she suddenly remembered Nolan… and the Emperor’s birthday banquet.

”My name is Arnold, and I am a direct subordinate of the Singularity of Chaos!”

Her eyes widened, and her heart began to race.

’Wait… Arnold!? A subordinate of the Singularity of Chaos!?’ she exclaimed inwardly.

Now she remembered. That man was the direct subordinate of the Singularity of Chaos who had appeared at the Emperor’s birthday banquet.

”Evalyn? What’s wrong? Are you alright?” Roseline’s worried voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Evalyn took a deep breath before shaking her head.

”I’m fine. Sorry for making you worry.”

Roseline narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

Her gaze occasionally drifted toward Arnold’s retreating figure, her expression thoughtful.

”Everyone,” Rei called out loudly, drawing everyone’s attention. ”We will launch the attack tomorrow! Rest well and prepare yourselves for the assault! Generals, gather here immediately. There are several things we need to discuss!”

”Yes, Hero of Light!” everyone responded respectfully.

…

”Your Majesty, please wake up!”

Inside the grand and luxurious bedroom, Yuria looked at Zerathos with a sorrowful and distressed expression.

She had never expected the Demon Emperor—whom she regarded as invincible, almost like a god—to suffer such a devastating defeat.

The day before, she had found Demon Emperor Zerathos lying unconscious in the Deathlands of Vulatus.

Fortunately, he had not sustained any serious internal injuries, only a few minor cuts across his body.

Even so, Yuria had witnessed firsthand the catastrophic state of Vulatus after the battle.

That alone was enough to prove one thing—the clash between the Demon Emperor and the human had been unimaginably fierce and destructive.

As Yuria remained lost in sorrow, a faint groan suddenly escaped Zerathos’s lips.

Startled, she quickly looked at him. The Demon Emperor, who had remained motionless until now, was finally showing signs of waking up.

”Your Majesty!” she called out, her eyes lighting up with joy.

Zerathos slowly opened his eyes and looked at her weakly.

”Y-Yuria… is that you?”