The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 910 Was It All Just an Illusion? (What If)

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Previously on The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne...
Prince Nolan has vanished, despite extensive searches across the empire and beyond. Emperor Ragan, worried for his son's safety and the kingdom's stability, expands the search to neighboring kingdoms. Meanwhile, Luke informs Evalyn of Nolan's disappearance, and Evalyn volunteers to lead the search. In the Eastern Izanagi Empire, Ryuuten discusses Nolan's vanishing with Kaede and reveals his plan to eliminate three impatient clans.

Nolan lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

It had been two days since he woke up, but his parents still hadn't come to see him.

Even so, he wasn't surprised. He knew his father and mother well enough to expect it.

They were cold, indifferent people who always put family matters above everything else.

Since childhood, Nolan had grown up without the love a child should have received. Instead, he had been molded into the "perfect" person his parents wanted him to be.

He studied math, economics, world history, piano, martial arts, and countless other subjects.

The same routine repeated day after day until he felt sick just thinking about it.

That was why, after being reincarnated as Nolan Lorian, he finally felt free from the chains that had bound him for so long.

He just wanted to live on his own terms, free from burdens, and simply be himself.

It wasn't exactly easy, especially with his status as a prince, but Nolan didn't mind.

Ragan loved him dearly, despite the punishments he often gave him for his mischievous behavior.

His mother always spoiled him, and Elina, his beloved younger sister, was always there to support him, even if she could be a little annoying at times.

"If it weren't for Seira, I wouldn't have bothered coming back to this world."

Nolan closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Seira was his greatest regret. He had to make things right. Only then could he finally find peace.

The room was silent except for the birds chirping outside.

Clack!

The door swung open, and a female doctor walked in.

She was a striking woman with long brown hair neatly braided into a bun.

Slightly taller than average, she had black eyes framed by long, curled lashes. A tiny mole beneath her right eye gave her an even more captivating look.

Even beneath her loose doctor's coat, it was hard to hide her graceful figure.

A name tag reading Dr. Reina was pinned to the right side of her chest.

"Good morning, Nolan Frey. How are you feeling? Does anything hurt?"

Hearing her voice, Nolan slowly opened his eyes and met Reina's gentle gaze.

He gave her a faint smile. "I'm fine, Doctor. Is it time for the checkup?"

"That's right." Reina nodded. "Just stay still for a moment, okay? It won't take long."

Nolan nodded and closed his eyes again, allowing Reina to examine him.

The checkup consisted of five fairly lengthy steps: checking his heart rate, taking his temperature, injecting him with three types of vitamins, measuring his blood sugar, and finally making sure his body wasn't showing any unusual reactions.

After all, his body had been in a coma for two years and was still incredibly weak.

Fifteen minutes later, the checkup was finally over.

"Your body is in excellent condition. I didn't find any abnormalities or allergies. If your recovery continues like this, you should be able to leave in two months," Reina said.

Her beautiful face was filled with undisguised admiration as she continued, "To be honest, I never expected to witness a miracle like this. It's the first time in my life I've seen something like this."

Although she looked young, Reina was actually thirty-six years old. She had been a doctor for over ten years and had treated countless patients.

To her, what had happened to Nolan was more than just a miracle—it was something with only about a 0.0001 percent chance of happening.

"I don't know either." Nolan slowly shook his head. "Maybe the gods still care about me."

Reina let out a soft chuckle. Then she sat down beside him and asked gently, "By the way, is there something you want to tell me?"

"Tell you?" Nolan looked at her in confusion.

Reina smiled and explained, "You've been in a coma for two years. That's a very... very long time. Your body was also in a vegetative state. In the medical field, there are two possible explanations regarding the consciousness of a comatose patient. The first is..."

She raised her index finger.

"The person retains their consciousness. They can still hear the people around them, but they can't respond because of their comatose state. Since you don't remember anything, I'm fairly certain you weren't conscious during your coma. And the second possibility…"

She raised her middle finger before continuing, "In some cases, people in a coma experience what could be described as a spiritual journey. There was a report in 2009 about a patient who had been in a coma for seven years. According to his account, he saw hell—a place where countless people were cast into a sea of burning fire. Of course, there's a medical explanation for that."

Reina crossed her legs, her smile softening.

"When someone is in a coma, the brain does its best to visualize that person's fears or desires to keep their consciousness from fading away. I also heard about another case involving a female patient who experienced what felt like a second life. In that life, she married a man, had children, and lived to a ripe old age. But when she died, she woke up from her coma and wept uncontrollably because that entire life had been nothing more than an illusion created by her brain."

Nolan felt as though a giant hammer had struck him over the head after hearing those words.

"An illusory life... created by the brain?" he muttered, fear clearly etched across his face.

For the first time, doubt crept into his heart.

What if... his life as "Nolan Lorian" had been nothing more than an illusion created by his brain?

His heart pounded violently as overwhelming panic consumed him, like thousands of ants crawling across his back.

He wanted to deny it because he was absolutely certain that was the real world. His life as Nolan Lorian had been real.

But... what was the basis for that certainty?

His power as the Singularity of Chaos was gone. He was nothing more than an ordinary human now, completely powerless.

Before he realized it, the thought that everything had been nothing but an illusion began to consume him, and his memories slowly started to fade away.

"Ugh..."

A wave of nausea washed over him. At the same time, the heart monitor beside his bed began beeping rapidly.

Beep... Beep... Beep...

Seeing that, Reina panicked and immediately checked on him.

"Nolan Frey!? Nolan Frey!? Are you okay!?"

But Nolan didn't seem to hear her. His vision gradually blurred, and moments later, he lost consciousness once again.