The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne Chapter 977 Malverna's Dangerous Conditions

"You want to side with Princess Elina?" Orlan asked, surprised.

Nolan gave a slight nod.

"Princess Elina said she's interested in me and wants me to help her fight for the throne. Sorry—I know this came out of nowhere," he said sheepishly.

Orlan was silent for a moment before letting out a long sigh.

"It's okay."

He patted Nolan on the shoulder.

"From the beginning, I knew you wouldn't be able to stay at my house forever. You're smart, and you should use that intelligence to achieve something greater than just teaching Alicia."

Nolan smiled and nodded.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. But…"

Orlan's expression turned a little sad as he glanced at Alicia in the distance.

"Could you come back to Valmiris every now and then? Alicia really likes you. I'm not even sure she'll want to keep studying if you're not the one teaching her."

"Of course."

Nolan agreed without hesitation.

"I'll come back every month to check on her progress."

Orlan smiled contentedly.

"In that case, I'll be counting on you."

***

The birthday party went off without a hitch. One by one, the nobles said their goodbyes to Elina and Rafine.

"I'll head back now."

Duke Austin patted Rafine on the shoulder.

"Be careful on your way home, Father," Rafine reminded him.

Duke Austin smiled.

After exchanging a few more words with Elina and Rafine, he turned and left.

"Your Highness, thank you for having us. And once again, happy birthday!"

Orlan walked over to Elina with a gentle smile.

"Thank you as well, Marquis Orlan, Lady Syra, and Alicia."

Elina was about to pinch Alicia's cheek, but Alicia quickly hid behind Syra.

Her hostile glare caught Elina by surprise.

"What's wrong with her, Marquis Orlan?"

Orlan smiled awkwardly.

"It's nothing. She's just upset because Nolan will be working for you."

"Ah…"

Elina was at a loss for words. She felt a little guilty toward Alicia for "stealing" Nolan from her.

With a gentle smile, she walked over to Alicia and crouched down.

"I didn't steal your brother Nolan. Once the battle for the throne is over, I'll give him back to you."

Alicia's annoyance slowly faded as she pursed her lips.

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Of course."

Elina held out her pinky.

"Let's make a promise."

Alicia held out her own pinky and hooked it around Elina's.

"Whoever lies turns into a pig!" they said in unison.

The next moment, they both burst out laughing.

Orlan and Syra exchanged glances and smiled.

After saying their goodbyes, Orlan, Syra, and Alicia left.

It took another fifteen minutes for the hall to become completely empty.

"Huh…"

Elina flopped onto the sofa and loosened her hair tie.

"I'm so tired."

Rafine handed her a cup of tea.

"Do you want to go to bed early?"

Elina shook her head.

"I still have some business to take care of. By the way…"

She took a sip of her tea before looking around.

"Where's Nolan?"

Rafine was startled and looked around as well, but Nolan was nowhere to be seen.

"I could've sworn he was in this hall just a moment ago. Where did he go?"

The two exchanged confused glances.

…

Dozens of kilometers away from Virella was a barren area, its cracked ground stretching as far as the eye could see.

"Is this the place?"

Nolan looked up and gazed at the vast expanse before him.

"Yes, my lord. Malverna is hidden behind the special chamber your clone created."

Nolan gave a slight nod before stomping his foot on the ground.

Thud!

The ground beneath them suddenly trembled as a strange fluctuation appeared in front of them.

A moment later, a veil parted, revealing a giant tree that towered dozens of meters above them.

What caught their attention the most was the cocoon hanging from one of its branches.

Nolan reached out his hand, and the cocoon slowly floated down.

He caught it and carefully placed it on the ground.

As he peeled away the layers covering it, Malverna's beautiful sleeping face was revealed.

Nolan placed a hand on her forehead and examined her body.

His expression instantly turned serious.

"Her soul… is shattered?"

"Shattered?" Arnold was stunned as he stared down at Malverna in horror. "T-Then, what should we do, my lord?"

Nolan didn't answer. His brow furrowed as his mind raced through various ways to help Malverna regain consciousness.

Unfortunately, he couldn't think of a way to do it. The soul was the core of a living being.

Once it was shattered, it would be extremely difficult to repair.

Even if it could be repaired, that person would never be the same again.

They would essentially be reborn as a different being, including their personality.

Staring at Malverna's pale face, Nolan felt a pang of sorrow. This woman, who had once been so arrogant, had been reduced to this state.

He really couldn't bear to see her like this.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly pulled his hand away from Malverna's face and stood up.

"Arnold, have you ever heard of the Pearl of Life?"

"The Pearl of Life?"

Arnold paused thoughtfully before nodding.

"I've heard of it. They say it's a priceless natural treasure, and there's only one in the entire world. But..."

His expression turned helpless.

"It only exists in legends. No one's ever actually seen it with their own eyes."

"No, I've seen it," Nolan interrupted.

"Huh?" Arnold's eyes widened. "Y-You've seen it?"

Nolan gave a slight nod and folded his arms across his chest.

"As a member of the dragon race, you've heard of monsters beyond the catastrophe level, right?"

Arnold's heart skipped a beat when he heard that.

In this world, monsters were divided into several tiers.

The weakest were low-, mid-, and high-tier monsters, followed by city-level, nation-level, and finally, catastrophe-level monsters.

There was one more type of monster above the catastrophe level, known as a world-class monster.

If a catastrophe-level monster could split the Central Continent in two with its full power, then a world-class monster could split the entire world in half.

No one had ever seen such a monster. They existed only in rumors and legends.

"My lord, are you saying the Pearl of Life is inside that monster?"

Nolan gazed up at the night sky.

"It's on the Island of Silence, also known as the island that fell from heaven."

"The Island of Silence..."

Arnold narrowed his eyes.

It was an island that had appeared in the ancient legends of the dragon race.

According to the legends, the island had fallen from heaven, bringing with it materials that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world.

Arnold remembered Nolan telling him about his journey to the Island of Silence.

"Are you planning to take it from that world-class monster?"

Nolan smiled faintly and turned to face him.

"That's right. Arnold, it's been a long time since we've fought together. What do you say?"

Arnold's blood instantly began to boil. His breathing quickened, and he eagerly nodded.

"My lord, you're really crazy! I love it..."