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

Chapter 728: A Test of Skill

"Princess, what should we do? The Hero of Light—"

A burly soldier approached Roseline, about to say something, but she cut him off immediately.

"Don’t worry. Someone will take the hero’s place on the battlefield."

"Huh?" The soldier blinked, clearly caught off guard. "A replacement for the hero? Who?"

Roseline just gave a small smile. "You’ll find out soon enough."

A moment later, footsteps echoed from behind them, followed by a woman’s cold, steady voice.

"I’m ready, Your Highness!"

Roseline turned around—and there was Evalyn, dressed in sleek silver armor.

Light metal plates protected her chest and abdomen, while her lower body was covered in heavier armor built for real combat.

Her silver hair was tied back into a ponytail, and she held an iron helmet in her arms, ready to put it on once she stepped onto the battlefield.

Roseline’s eyes widened.

"Wow... Evalyn, you look amazing."

Evalyn already had that heroic vibe—probably something she’d inherited from Rei.

But now, wearing armor like this, she really looked like a true hero.

"Thank you." Evalyn smiled and gave a small bow.

"By the way," Evalyn continued, "who will be my assistant in this war?"

Roseline smiled and glanced at the soldier.

"He’ll be the one accompanying you. His name is Reinard."

Evalyn turned to him and extended her hand.

"Nice to meet you. I’ll need your help on the battlefield."

Although she was confident in her abilities, there was no harm in building good relationships with the soldiers.

"This..." Reinard froze, unsure of what to say.

He looked Evalyn up and down, estimating her to be in her early twenties.

And this woman was going to replace the hero of light?

Could the princess be joking?

"What’s wrong? Don’t you trust me?" Roseline raised an eyebrow.

"No, that’s not it, Your Highness." Reinard hurried to clarify. "It’s just that I’m a bit confused. In my opinion, it’s unreasonable to have her take the Hero of Light’s place."

He didn’t know Evalyn, nor was he familiar with her abilities.

How could he possibly feel at ease letting her take the leader’s position in this war?

"Hmmm..." Roseline stroked her chin thoughtfully. She couldn’t blame Reinard. The truth was, she hadn’t witnessed Evalyn’s abilities firsthand either.

Still, because Evalyn was Rei’s descendant in the future, Roseline trusted her.

"How about I prove it?"

Evalyn’s calm voice broke the silence.

"Prove it?" Roseline looked surprised. "How?"

Evalyn turned to Reinard with a playful gaze.

"Attack me. If you can defeat me, I’ll step down as leader. But if you lose, you won’t object again. What do you think?"

Roseline glanced at Reinard, as if waiting for his answer.

"Alright!" Reinard nodded without hesitation and gave a slight smirk. "But if you get hurt, don’t blame me, okay?"

Evalyn rolled her eyes. It was still unclear who would end up getting hurt.

Soon after, the two took their positions three meters apart, facing each other.

The soldiers preparing for battle were quickly drawn to the scene.

"What’s going on?" one soldier asked.

Another soldier explained, and the news quickly spread through the crowd.

"That young woman wants to take the hero’s place?" A tall soldier looked surprised. "Is the Princess joking?"

"Pfft! I don’t get it either. But it’s fine. We’ll see what she’s capable of. Whether she can defeat Reinard or not," the soldier beside him chuckled.

Roseline stood between Evalyn and Reinard. She gave them a warning look and said, "Don’t attack with full force. I don’t want either of you to get hurt. Understand?"

"Understood!" Both nodded in unison.

Roseline stepped back five paces and raised her right hand.

"Begin!"

Reinard charged forward and swung his fist toward Evalyn’s face.

"Don’t blame me if you get hurt, young lady!"

However, Evalyn wasn’t intimidated in the slightest. She took a step back and easily dodged.

Unwilling to give up, Reinard launched another punch, but Evalyn dodged again.

Growing annoyed, Reinard shifted into a fighting stance, then leapt forward and delivered a horizontal kick toward the right side of Evalyn’s face.

This time, Evalyn didn’t dodge. She raised her right arm and blocked the kick.

"What?" Reinard’s eyes widened.

Before he could react, Evalyn moved forward with blinding speed, grabbed his neck, and slammed him to the ground.

Thud!

Reinard’s body slammed into the ground with a loud crash. Luckily, he was wearing armor, so it didn’t hurt too badly.

"Argh!" Reinard groaned, trying to pry her hand off his neck—but it was useless.

Evalyn’s grip was insane. It felt like being held down by iron claws.

After struggling for a few seconds, Reinard finally realized the truth.

She was way stronger than he’d expected... and he didn’t stand a chance.

In the end, he raised both hands.

"I... lost."

Evalyn pulled her hand away and gave him a small smile.

"Good. Then like we agreed earlier, no one’s going to question my leadership. Got it?"

The smile disappeared as she shot a cold look at the other soldiers.

They immediately stiffened, panic flashing across their faces, and quickly bowed their heads.

"We understand!"

Roseline could only stare, completely stunned.

Evalyn was seriously smart. These soldiers were proud, arrogant, and full of themselves.

The only way to subdue them was to shatter that pride.

And that was exactly what she had done.

"Congratulations, Evalyn," Roseline said softly as she walked toward her and patted her shoulder. "This time, you will lead the battle. I apologize for placing such a heavy responsibility on you. I hope you can win."

Rei was injured, and no one could truly replace him against the Demon General Malgrion.

Although Evalyn’s strength had not been fully proven yet, at least she still had a chance of winning.

After all, Evalyn was Rei and her future descendant.

"Don’t worry, Your Highness." Evalyn placed a hand on her chest. "I will bring us victory!"

She’d always wanted to feel what it was like to fight on a real battlefield—especially in a war against the demon race.

And now that the chance was finally right in front of her, there was no way she was going to let it slip away.

Not long after, Reinard led Evalyn to where the rest of the soldiers were already waiting.

He honestly wasn’t sure if they could win this battle, but as a soldier, he couldn’t afford to show even a hint of doubt.

If his morale cracked, it would only drag everyone else down with him.

As Evalyn’s figure slowly disappeared into the distance, Roseline let out a long breath and murmured softly,

"...Please let us win."