The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 955 The Gods’ Punishment: Loss of Power

Chirp! Chirp!

Crick! Crick!

The sounds of birds and crickets echoed from all directions.

In the depths of a dense forest, a handsome man lay unconscious.

He wore a rumpled black robe that looked as though it hadn't been changed in a long time.

"Ugh…"

The man, none other than Nolan, groaned softly.

He slowly opened his heavy eyelids.

"A forest?" he muttered as he slowly sat up and surveyed his surroundings. There was nothing but dense trees as far as he could see.

"Have I come back?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again.

Nolan stood up, brushed the dirt from his clothes, and looked around once more.

"So, where am I?"

The forest felt completely unfamiliar. He was one hundred percent certain that this wasn't the Calvron Forest.

"Teleportation Portal!" Nolan whispered.

Nothing happened.

His eyebrows rose slightly. He extended his left hand and snapped his fingers.

"Teleportation Portal!"

Still, nothing happened.

"Could my powers be gone?"

The thought made his heart race.

He closed his eyes and tried to sense the power within him. Strangely, he could still feel an extraordinary force surging inside him.

"What's going on?"

He opened his eyes and stared at his hands in confusion.

"Don't tell me my powers are restricted?"

He wasn't sure if that was really the case, but it was the only possibility that came to mind.

"Okay, Goddess. You're really cruel."

The corner of Nolan's mouth twitched.

Now he was certain that the restriction on his powers was one of the gods' punishments.

He had no idea what the other punishments were, but he was one hundred percent certain that they must be equally severe.

With a deep sigh, Nolan snapped his fingers and muttered, "Directional Light."

Whoosh!

A white arrow of light appeared two meters above his head before pointing toward the south.

Without hesitation, Nolan followed it.

…

"Elina, there's bad news from the capital!"

Evalyn burst into the room with a pale face.

Elina, who had been in the middle of a discussion with Rafine, was startled by her sudden arrival.

"What's wrong?" she asked in confusion.

Evalyn was panting, a golden letter clutched tightly in her hand.

"I just received some bad news from the capital."

She handed the letter to Elina.

"Read it!"

Elina hesitated for a moment before taking it. She opened the letter and quickly read through its contents.

Two minutes later, the confusion on her face instantly turned to horror.

"M-My father has fallen ill!?" she cried in fear. "H-How is that possible?"

Rafine was also shocked when she heard this.

"His Majesty the Emperor has fallen ill? What happened?"

Elina didn't answer. She was still struggling to process the news.

Rafine immediately snatched the letter from her hand and read it herself.

A moment later, the same fear appeared on her face.

"How… could this be…!?"

The letter stated that Ragan had suddenly fallen ill and lost consciousness that morning.

All the doctors in the capital had examined him, but none of them could figure out what was wrong.

The letter also requested that Elina return to the imperial palace immediately.

"Elina, what are you going to do now?"

A tear rolled down Elina's cheek, but she quickly wiped it away.

"Go… I have to go see my father!"

Rafine and Evalyn exchanged glances before giving a slight nod.

"In that case, let's go!"

…

"Damn it! Just how big is this forest, anyway?"

Nolan scratched his head as he stared at the endless sea of trees.

He had been walking for half an hour, but he still couldn't find a way out.

GRR!

A growl came from behind him. Nolan froze and slowly turned around.

A blue tiger monster stood five meters behind him. It was three meters tall, with sharp claws and long fangs.

"Damn it!"

Nolan cursed and quickly raised his hand.

"Fireball!"

Crick…

Nothing happened.

The forest fell silent, except for the monster's growling and the mocking chirping of crickets.

Nolan: "…"

"Run!"

He turned around and ran as fast as he could.

Roar!

The monster roared and chased after him.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

Nolan cursed as he glanced back every now and then.

The monster was incredibly fast. The gap between them was getting smaller and smaller.

"Am I going to die?"

Suddenly, the monster leaped two meters into the air, its jaws wide open.

Nolan closed his eyes.

"You damn monster! How dare you attack an innocent person!?"

A sharp shout suddenly came from ahead.

Boom!

A huge explosion shook the forest.

The blast made Nolan lose his balance and fall to the ground.

"Ouch…"

He rubbed his aching chest. But he didn't stay down for long and quickly got back on his feet.

Looking up, Nolan saw a beautiful black-haired woman floating in the air with a magic staff in her hand.

"Are you okay?"

The woman turned around, revealing a cute and somewhat charming face that made her look even prettier.

Nolan was surprised. He recognized her right away—Ayakami of the Ashikaga clan, one of the most prominent clans in the Eastern Empire of Izanagi.

She was also a close friend of his sister, Sharon.

Nolan quickly brushed the dust off his clothes.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Ayakami."

Ayakami looked surprised. She frowned and stared at him suspiciously.

"Who are you? And how do you know me?"

Her friendly expression quickly turned wary.

Nolan was surprised too.

"It's me, Nolan Lorian, Sharon Lorian's younger brother. Have you forgotten?"

"Nolan Lorian?" Ayakami narrowed her eyes. "Why don't I remember you?"

Nolan's face turned pale.

"Impossible… Did she really forget me?"

Logically, that should have been impossible. After all, Sharon had once told him that Ayakami admired him and even had feelings for him.

At the very least, there was no way she could have forgotten what he looked like.

Various possibilities flashed through his mind, but he couldn't figure out which one was correct.

After composing himself, Nolan looked at Ayakami and apologized.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I was mistaken. I saw you at the match between Falling Star Magic Academy and the Tower of Silence. Forget what I said earlier."

He put on a shy and awkward expression.

For now, it was better to pretend he didn't know her and keep an eye on the situation to figure out what was really going on.

Ayakami relaxed again. She had initially thought he was some kind of evil person or stalker, but it turned out he wasn't.

"Why are you in the Elunor Magic Forest?"

Nolan was stunned.

"The Elunor Magic Forest?"

He knew about that place. The Elunor Magic Forest was the largest magic forest in the world, and all kinds of terrifying monsters lived there.

Even the monsters in Calvron Forest seemed weak compared to the ones here.

The forest was located on the Eastern Continent and was indirectly connected to the Elven Forest.

"I don't know."

Nolan shook his head and pretended to be confused.

"When I woke up, I found myself here."

Ayakami was a little skeptical of his story. But seeing his handsome yet tired face and messy appearance, she couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

"I see."

Ayakami gently landed beside him.

"Come with me. I'll take you to my camp."