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

”The Demon Emperor... is dead.”

The words hit Roseline like a bolt from the blue.

She stared blankly at the place where the Demon Emperor had been standing just moments ago.

”The Demon Emperor... is dead?” she repeated.

It was hard to believe. The Demon Emperor was known as the strongest being across the five continents, second only to the Dragon Ancestor.

Yet many believed he had long surpassed even the dragon ancestor. The belief wasn’t unfounded, considering the dragon ancestor had never once revealed itself to the world.

And now, the Demon Emperor was dead.

It felt utterly unreal.

Meanwhile, the human soldiers turned their attention toward the center of the battlefield.

The Demon Emperor, who had been standing there just moments before, was gone.

”The Demon Emperor is gone? How is that possible?” one of them exclaimed.

The others were just as shocked. They frantically searched the battlefield, but there was no trace of him anywhere.

There was only one explanation left—the Demon Emperor Zerathos had fallen.

”Incredible... Incredible! We defeated the Demon Emperor! The Demon Empire is finished!”

One soldier dropped to his knees and burst into tears.

”That’s right! Hahaha! We won! Victory is finally ours!”

Another soldier started crying as well, and soon the entire battlefield was filled with tears, laughter, and cheers of joy.

Laughter and tears echoed across the battlefield like the chimes of victory.

Everyone knew history was about to change.

The Demon Empire would no longer exist on this continent.

Rei let out a sigh of relief. His already weakened body felt even more exhausted.

But he knew he couldn’t collapse yet. If he did, he would miss the most important moment of his life.

His eyes drifted toward Roseline and Evalyn, and he began walking in their direction.

”Are you both okay?” he asked softly.

Yet his eyes never left Evalyn, making it obvious who he was truly concerned about.

Roseline naturally noticed this and simply smiled to herself.

”We’re fine,” Evalyn replied weakly. ”What about you? You were fatally wounded just now, weren’t you? And then...”

Her expression darkened.

”You were about to use a suicide technique, weren’t you?”

She didn’t know the name of the hero’s forbidden technique that demanded the user’s life as its price. But after witnessing Rei’s condition earlier, she was certain he had been ready to use it.

His life force had noticeably weakened, and more importantly, his power had surged to nearly twice its normal level.

Those signs alone were enough to convince her that Rei had been ready to take that desperate step.

Roseline’s eyes widened in shock. She immediately turned to Rei and asked coldly, ”Is that true, Rei?”

Rei’s face paled. He looked at Evalyn helplessly, but he couldn’t blame her for figuring it out.

In the end, he could only nod stiffly.

”Evalyn... it’s true,” he muttered, lowering his head in shame. ”I’m sorry.”

Tears welled up in Roseline’s eyes. Without warning, she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around him.

”You idiot! Don’t ever do something so reckless again, you jerk!” she sobbed, tightening her embrace.

Rei stood frozen for a moment. It took him several seconds to recover from his shock before he let out a long sigh.

Returning the embrace, he said softly, ”I’m sorry. I didn’t want you or the soldiers to die in vain. The final attack Demon Emperor Zerathos was about to unleash had an enormous area of effect. If I hadn’t done that, you, I, and everyone else here would have died. That would have been a devastating loss for humanity.”

”Still...” Roseline’s body trembled. She raised her head and looked at him with tearful, reddened eyes. ”I don’t want to lose you. If you die, I don’t want to keep living either. Please... don’t ever do that again, okay?”

Her voice grew quieter with each word, overflowing with sorrow.

Rei’s heart ached at the sight of her tear-streaked face. This was the first time he had ever seen Roseline cry like this.

He gently wiped away the tears on her cheeks and nodded firmly.

”Don’t worry. I won’t do something that reckless again. I promise.”

Roseline finally smiled and gave a small nod.

”I’ll hold you to that promise.”

Watching the tender moment between the two, Evalyn could only shake her head in envy.

At first, she had thought Rei was the most insensitive man she had ever met. But it turned out she was wrong.

Nolan was far more insensitive—and far more annoying—than Rei.

After that heartfelt moment came to an end, Rei and Roseline finally broke their embrace.

The moment they turned toward Evalyn, embarrassment immediately washed over them.

”Ahem! Please forget everything you just saw,” Roseline said with an awkward cough.

”Don’t worry. I didn’t see a thing.”

Evalyn promptly covered her eyes with both hands.

Her reaction only made the two of them feel even more embarrassed.

Trying to change the subject, Rei cleared his throat and was about to speak when Lucas’s cold voice suddenly rang out.

”Evalyn, tell me. How did you obtain the Divine Sword Luminus?”

All three were startled.

They turned to see Lucas walking toward them, accompanied by generals from various kingdoms.

Every pair of eyes was fixed on Evalyn, scrutinizing her every reaction.

Rei frowned and was about to step in, but Evalyn quickly stopped him.

She glanced at him and gave a small nod, as if to say, ”I’m fine. Don’t worry.”

Rei swallowed the words that had already reached the tip of his tongue and chose to trust her.

Evalyn then turned her gaze to Lucas without the slightest trace of fear.

”The Divine Sword Luminus you saw earlier was a fake,” she said without hesitation.

”A fake?”

Lucas and the others were visibly shocked.

A moment later, Lucas frowned and shook his head.

”Impossible. I clearly felt its aura. You might be able to fool the others, but you can’t fool me.”

”I’ve said what I had to say. Believe me or don’t—your choice,” Evalyn said with a shrug.

”You...” Lucas clenched his jaw, clearly irritated by her attitude.

Before either of them could say anything else, Rei stepped in.

”Alright, alright. Calm down. We just finished a battle.”

He looked at the generals.

”You guys should head back. The soldiers need you, and they’re probably waiting for orders.”

The generals looked at one another before nodding. Rei had a point.

Once they were gone, Rei turned his attention back to Lucas.

”You too, Lucas. Your injuries are serious. Go get some rest.”

Lucas stared at him coldly for a moment but said nothing. In the end, he simply turned around and walked away.

A sigh of relief escaped Rei’s lips. Fortunately, Lucas had backed down.

Turning to Evalyn, he lowered his head slightly.

”I’m sorry.”

Evalyn waved her hand dismissively.

”It wasn’t your fault. Thank you for helping me, Ancestor.”

Rei straightened and offered her a gentle smile.

”By the way, let’s celebrate our victory!” Roseline said cheerfully.

She had already begun planning the celebration in her mind. This was one of the greatest victories in human history. Naturally, it deserved to be celebrated.

”You’re right, Your Highness. How about asking His Majesty to open the imperial palace hall and invite everyone? Or perhaps hold a grand celebration in the palace courtyard and welcome the people as well? That sounds like a lot of fun,” Rei suggested.

”You’re right! That’s a wonderful idea!”

Roseline’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

But then—

”I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can join you.”