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

Chapter 946: Cedric’s Victory

The battle between Cedric’s and Elina’s forces was getting intense.

Even the heavy rain couldn’t drown out the chaos of the battle.

"Damn it! How does Elina Lorian have a force this strong?"

Code 004 sped past the edge of Calvron Forest, carrying Velissa over his right shoulder.

He glanced back at the battle between his comrades and Elina’s forces.

At first glance, they seemed to have the upper hand and were steadily pushing Elina’s forces back. But Code 004 knew this advantage was only temporary.

If the battle dragged on until reinforcements arrived, they would surely be wiped out on the spot.

Suddenly—

Boom!

A fireball struck the ground directly in front of him.

Code 004 reacted quickly. He spun in midair before landing safely among the trees behind him.

"Who’s there!? Come out—don’t be a coward!" he shouted angrily.

"Hehehe... Are you surprised?"

A beautiful, petite woman suddenly materialized out of thin air.

Code 004’s eyes widened in fear.

"Y-You... That little girl from earlier!?"

The smirk on Mira’s face instantly froze.

"L-Little girl!?" she gritted her teeth in anger. "Damn you! How dare you call me a little girl!?"

She raised her staff and shouted, "Fireball!"

Buzz!

A three-meter-wide fireball shot toward Code 004 at breakneck speed.

Code 004 didn’t dare take any chances. He jumped aside and barely managed to dodge it.

"You let your guard down!"

Mira’s teasing voice rang out from behind him.

Before he could react, a powerful blow struck his back, followed by an explosion.

"Argh!"

He was sent flying, crashing to the ground and rolling several times before finally stopping.

"Ahem!"

Code 004 groaned in pain as he rubbed his scorched back.

"Hehehe... Is that all you’ve got? How pathetic."

Mira hovered two meters above his head.

Her appearance, resembling that of a little witch, made her look adorable.

But behind that cute appearance was a woman who could easily lose her temper if anyone dared to mock her height.

Code 004 gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain.

"What... happened... to Code 001...?" he stammered.

"Code 001?"

Mira blinked innocently before tapping her forehead.

"Ah, so that’s it. I get it. You mean your friend?"

She descended and landed right in front of him.

"I killed him."

"W-What...?"

"Didn’t you hear me?"

Mira giggled softly before repeating herself in a playful tone.

"I killed him. Before he died, I tortured him until he begged me to stop. Isn’t that funny? He was the one who came here looking for trouble, yet he ended up being the one begging for mercy."

"Hehehe... To be honest, that scene was so much fun!"

Mira squirmed with delight, her breath coming in short gasps as she recalled what had just happened.

Code 004’s face turned pale.

"Y-You’re crazy... You’re completely crazy!" he shouted angrily.

He no longer cared about his mission to kidnap Velissa. Code 001 was his older brother.

Learning how brutally his brother had died had driven him completely out of his mind.

"Die!"

Code 004 pulled a dagger from his pocket and lunged at her.

But before the dagger could reach Mira, an ice sword pierced through his stomach.

"Gyah...!"

Code 004 coughed up a mouthful of blood.

His body froze in place, and the tip of his dagger stopped just a few centimeters from Mira’s nose.

"Y-You..."

He lowered his gaze and stared at the ice sword piercing his stomach in disbelief.

Mira moved her right hand, and the ice sword was instantly pulled from his body.

The sudden movement caused Code 004, who was already in agony, to suffer even more pain.

His body grew weak. He struggled to keep his balance before finally collapsing to the ground.

Mira yawned. She couldn’t understand where Cedric Lorian had gotten the confidence to attack the Virella mansion with such a weak force.

Unwilling to stay any longer, she walked toward Velissa, whose body was covered by a sack.

Just as she was about to remove it, two daggers suddenly shot toward her from behind.

Mira was startled and hurriedly stepped back.

Whoosh!

White smoke burst out from both sides and quickly spread, covering the area around them.

"Damn! I let my guard down!"

Mira stomped her foot, and the smoke slowly dissipated as the wind swept it away.

Unfortunately, Velissa and Code 004 had vanished as well.

...

"Failed?"

Elina looked at Mira, who stood with her head bowed, her face filled with guilt.

"That’s right, Your Highness. I-I’m sorry!"

The pay she received from tonight’s job alone was equivalent to her monthly income. Yet she had made a mistake by underestimating her enemy.

If she could turn back time, she would slap her own foolish and careless self.

Elina didn’t answer.

The tense atmosphere in the room made Mira’s breathing grow heavier.

"I understand."

Elina finally spoke.

"It’s okay. Everything went according to plan."

"Huh?"

Mira’s eyes widened at those words.

She straightened her stiff body and asked in surprise, "Y-Your Highness, what do you mean?"

Elina let out a small chuckle.

"I’m sorry for keeping this from you. Actually, I did intend to let Cedric’s forces take Velissa."

"Huh!? Huh!? How is that possible!?"

Mira could no longer remain calm.

"If that’s the case, then why did we stop them from kidnapping her?"

Elina leaned back in her chair.

"To make Cedric believe he succeeded. What else?"

"B-But..."

Mira was about to say something, but she couldn’t find the words.

She didn’t understand Elina’s plan at all.

And indeed, from the very beginning, Elina had no intention of telling anyone—including Mira—about it.

"Thanks for all your hard work. You can ask Rafine for your payment."

Mira still looked dazed by everything that had happened.

But she didn’t say anything else. She simply walked out of the room with a confused look on her face.

Whoosh!

Arnold appeared right in front of her.

Elina smiled in relief when she saw that he was unharmed.

"How did the fight go? Did you get hurt?"

Arnold simply chuckled.

"I’m fine. Everything’s taken care of."

Elina nodded in satisfaction.

She didn’t ask who Cedric had sent or how strong they were.

None of that mattered.

The only thing she needed to think about now was how to deal with the Crescent Moon Swordsman three days later.

...

Three days later...

Cedric sat comfortably on the sofa while Margaretta gently massaged his shoulders from behind.

"They should’ve finished the job by now," Cedric said casually as he took a sip of tea.

Just as he said that, five figures appeared in front of him.

One of them was carrying a gray sack over his right shoulder.

"We’re back, Master!" the man on the right said.

Cedric nodded in satisfaction.

But then, he noticed something was wrong.

"Why did only five of you return?" he asked coldly. "Where are the others?"

The man paused for a moment before answering in a heavy voice.

"They... are dead."