The Hidden Extra: The Lazy Prince Refuses to Ascend The Throne
Chapter 64: Source of the Problem

Chapter 64: Source of the Problem

The Caltheron family mansion was large and spacious. Of course, compared to the Imperial Palace, it was still modest in scale.

Even so, for a noble residence, Nolan had to admit this was the largest mansion he had ever seen. Perhaps only the estates of the Dukes could rival it.

At the moment, Nolan was strolling leisurely down a wide corridor, taking in the surroundings with interest.

Elegant paintings lined the walls on both sides—each one a visual delight for someone with a refined eye like his.

In his previous life, he had been the heir to a wealthy family, so his sense of aesthetics was already well developed. After reincarnating as Nolan Lorian, it had only become more refined.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness."

As he walked, the few maids and guards he passed greeted him with polite bows.

Nolan responded with a warm nod and gentle smile, showing no hint of arrogance or pride.

Slowly but surely, this attitude began to shift their impression of him.

After all, his reputation as an arrogant and useless prince was well-known, both among the nobles and the common people.

Even the servants of noble households had heard of him.

But now, seeing him in person, their views began to change—if only little by little.

Though he appeared to be wandering aimlessly, Nolan was actually studying the layout of the mansion, committing each detail to memory in case of future danger.

Eventually, he exited the corridor and found himself in the mansion’s backyard.

"A flower garden, huh?" He murmured in mild surprise, then smiled faintly.

The garden was quite expansive, with various types of flowers blooming on either side.

The ground was carpeted with short, soft grass—comfortable enough to walk on barefoot.

The flowers were clearly well-maintained, and several maids could be seen tending to them, watering carefully with hoses.

As Nolan stepped into the garden, the maids looked up in shock. They quickly turned off the water and bowed respectfully.

"Good afternoon, Your Highness," they greeted in unison, their expressions tinged with nervousness.

Noticing their reaction, Nolan said nothing—he simply returned a calm, casual smile.

"May I enter the garden?" he asked.

The maids quickly lifted their heads and offered polite smiles.

"Of course, Your Highness. Butler Alex informed us that you’re free to go anywhere," the maid on the left replied.

"Very well. Thank you." Nolan gave a slight nod before continuing deeper into the garden.

As his figure grew smaller in the distance, the maids exchanged wide-eyed glances.

"Did you see that?" The maid on the left whispered.

"I did! Isn’t this strange? They say Prince Nolan is some shameless womanizer who preys on young girls... But he didn’t seem like that at all," her friend replied, just as baffled.

"I also heard he’s an ugly man who likes to beat maids. So why hasn’t he touched us? Is it because we serve the Caltheron family, and he doesn’t dare? But as far as I know, Prince Nolan’s status is higher than Lord Orlan’s. Even if he did hurt us, our lord wouldn’t be able to stop him," the other maid added.

The three of them fell silent, then looked at each other—shock spreading across their faces as the same realization dawned on all of them.

"Could it be... those rumors were all lies?!"

***

Meanwhile, Nolan continued walking, completely unaware that they had just stumbled upon a significant truth.

But even if he did find out, he wouldn’t care in the slightest. After all, those nasty rumors were ones he had spread himself—and not once had he regretted it.

His steps came to an abrupt halt near a swing hanging beneath a tree.

Narrowing his eyes, he focused on a faint mound hidden beneath the grass.

Another one buried here? he thought, a flicker of alarm in his chest.

The "it" he referred to was a magic talisman—the true cause behind Alicia’s curse at birth and the reason Orlan’s wife, Syra, was growing weaker by the day, her vitality slowly draining away.

From the moment he set foot inside the mansion, he had sensed something was off.

Moreover, he had already discovered a concealed magic circle enveloping the entire estate.

And the points that formed the circle? They were the exact locations of those buried talismans.

With cautious steps, he approached and squatted in front of the mound.

He quickly dug into the soil, and sure enough, a magic talisman emerged.

It was made of black glass, shaped like a pentagon, with a golden grail symbol and a star pattern clearly etched in the center.

"Just as I thought... it’s the work of a black mage," Nolan muttered, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Black mages were known for wielding forbidden and taboo magic—spells officially banned by every empire and kingdom across the continent.

Even other races—elves, dragons, and demons—had agreed to the ban.

And with good reason: such magic has the power to corrupt morals and destabilize the very order of the world.

Take Soul Binding, for example—a forbidden spell that lets the caster transfer their soul into another person’s body, or Underworld Orders, a dark magic capable of raising the dead.

Of course, the resurrected aren’t truly brought back—it’s just an empty shell, a soulless corpse, no different from a zombie.

So it’s no surprise such spells are considered both taboo and forbidden.

Black mages who practice these arts are scattered across the continent in various groups. But the most infamous—and most feared—of them all is an organization known as the Underworld Gate.

They were immensely powerful, and the taboo magic they wielded was always connected to curses and corpse manipulation.

The golden grail symbol—known as the Grail of Eternity—etched into the talisman was undeniable proof that the incidents involving Alicia and Orlan’s wife, Syra, were directly linked to them.

"The Underworld Gate, huh? I figured as much," he muttered, a cold smile tugging at his lips.

The members of the Underworld Gate were like pests—elusive and nearly impossible to wipe out.

In the past, his father had carried out a large-scale purge against them, but the results were disappointing.

They fled to other kingdoms and disappeared without a trace.

Even so, occasional reports hinted at their continued activity within the Empire—though such sightings were rare.

Nolan slipped the talisman into his pocket and carefully restored the mound of earth to its original state.

Although he had already identified the culprits and pinpointed the formation points around the mansion, he knew better than to act recklessly.

This was no simple scheme. The placement of the talismans was too precise, too methodical—there had to be someone orchestrating it from behind the scenes.

"They’re probably disguised... as maids or guards," he whispered, his voice cold.

Still, he was somewhat doubtful about the latter. The guards rarely—if ever—came to the back garden. That made the maids the most likely suspects.

Just then, hurried footsteps echoed behind him, followed by a maid’s panicked cry.

"Prince Nolan! It’s an emergency! Young Lady Alicia is having a violent convulsion! Lord Orlan sent me to fetch you right away!"