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

”Arnold, do you know the Crescent Moon Swordsman?”

”I know him.”

Elina’s eyes lit up at those words.

”Then, can you tell me how to win him over?”

This time, Arnold fell silent, as if thinking deeply.

A moment later, he replied calmly, ”If I’m not mistaken, he has one regret that’s pretty well known.”

”A regret?”

Arnold gave a slight nod. His massive body slowly descended until he was only twenty meters above the ground.

”The Crescent Moon Swordsman had a son in the past. However, the two didn’t get along, and eventually, his son left for an unknown place. Because the Crescent Moon Swordsman was too proud, he never went to make peace with his son.”

Arnold raised his head and gazed toward the horizon with a complicated expression.

”Finally, after decades had passed, he received word that his son had died. The Crescent Moon Swordsman was devastated by the news. He frantically searched for where his son was buried, but he failed to find him. It was as if the world itself was deliberately hiding his son’s grave from him.”

”Fortunately…” Arnold let out a long sigh. ”He received another piece of news about his infant granddaughter. He spent all his savings and eventually managed to find her in an orphanage. After that, he devoted himself to taking care of his granddaughter. But then, when she turned five, she disappeared.”

Elina was shocked by what she heard.

”Disappeared? What happened?”

Arnold shook his head.

”No one knows exactly how it happened. But according to my sources, the ones who kidnapped her were slave traders who happened to be passing through the forest where the Crescent Moon Swordsman lived.”

Elina’s face grew somber. She hadn’t expected the swordsman’s life to be so tragic.

Now she understood why the swordsman refused to take on any work or other commitments—he was still worried about his granddaughter.

”What terrible luck. Do you know why this happened, Arnold?”

”I don’t know. But in my opinion, that’s the price he had to pay.”

”The price he had to pay?” Elina was stunned.

”Your Highness, great power comes at a great cost. Take the Seven Singularities, for example. Don’t view them as extraordinary individuals without any burdens. In reality, they all have a price to pay. Even my lord is no exception.”

His voice grew faint, tinged with a sadness he could hardly hide.

Elina pursed her lips. Arnold’s words felt like a rock shattering her confidence.

She had indeed believed that before. The Seven Singularities were invincible figures. It was impossible for them to live lives filled with hardship or misery.

But it turned out that wasn’t the case. They had to pay a price for possessing such power.

”What price must the Singularity of Chaos pay?”

The question startled Elina herself. She quickly covered her mouth.

However, instead of feeling afraid, she felt curious. She wanted to know the answer.

Deep down, something in her heart was urging her to find out.

Arnold stayed silent for a while before finally answering in a soft voice, ”Loneliness and… being alone…”

…

”So, how are you going to help me find my granddaughter?”

The Crescent Moon Swordsman sat on the worn-out sofa and stared intently at Cedric.

Cedric felt a tightness in his chest, as if he were being stared down by a prehistoric monster.

”Ahem!” He cleared his throat softly to suppress his fear before explaining, ”I have my own connections. Trust me, I can find your granddaughter in no time.”

The Crescent Moon Swordsman narrowed his eyes and replied, ”My granddaughter has been missing since she was five years old. Considering how much time has passed, she should be twenty-five years old now.”

A sigh escaped his lips as his cold, sharp demeanor slowly faded.

”One month.”

He raised his index finger.

”I’ll give you one month. If you can’t find my granddaughter, don’t expect to get my help.”

Cedric and Margaretta’s faces lit up. Although it was only one month, that was more than enough.

”Don’t worry, Crescent Moon Swordsman. I’ll bring her to you before the month is over,” Cedric said confidently.

The Crescent Moon Swordsman waved his hand.

”Go. I want to be alone now.”

Cedric and Margaretta didn’t linger and immediately took their leave.

As they stepped out of the wooden house, they saw the soldiers blocking someone’s path.

”Oh?” Cedric raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw the uninvited guest. ”Who’s this? Elina? What a coincidence.”

Elina, who was being stopped by the soldiers, was surprised to see him.

”Cedric?” Her eyes narrowed. ”Why are you here?”

”Why am I here, you ask?”

Cedric laughed as he slowly descended.

”Shouldn’t I be asking you that? Why are you here? What’s your purpose?”

Elina fell silent. She couldn’t understand how Cedric could have known she was coming here.

Could he have known I was coming here? But… how is that possible?

Information about the Crescent Moon Swordsman was known only to a select few. Even Elina had only learned about him through Luvistar.

”That woman is the reason.”

Arnold’s calm voice echoed in her mind.

Elina’s gaze naturally shifted toward Margaretta, who was standing beside Cedric.

”She has the ability to see the future. It’s highly likely that she detected your journey.”

Elina’s eyes widened.

The power to see the future? What kind of power is that? Isn’t that basically cheating?

”Such a power does exist, but its use is limited. It usually takes a long time before it can be used again. Besides, there’s a price to pay every time it’s used.”

Elina furrowed her brow. Despite those limitations, Margaretta was clearly a threat that couldn’t be ignored.

After calming herself, Elina snorted coldly.

”You don’t need to know.”

Cedric gave a small chuckle.

”Then you don’t need to know my purpose either.”

He and Margaretta walked past her.

But after taking a few steps, Cedric suddenly stopped. He glanced back over his shoulder and said calmly, ”Elina, I know who’s behind that incident. And I swear, I’ll make you pay a thousandfold. So be careful.”

After saying that, he turned away and walked off with Margaretta and her soldiers.

Elina watched them leave with an indifferent expression.

Cedric’s threat didn’t instill even the slightest bit of fear in her.

From the very beginning, the battle for the throne had been a contest between the candidates, each trying to defeat the others.

So, what she was doing wasn’t wrong.

Pushing those thoughts aside, she took a deep breath and looked at the wooden house in front of her.

”Let’s get started…”