The Extra is a Genius!? - Chapter 420

Chapter 420: Chapter 420: Library
Night came slowly over Thorne lands.

The fires outside had long gone out, leaving only faint trails of smoke curling into the dark sky. Inside Noel’s room, the quiet hum of the mana lamps gave everything a soft, golden glow. The battle felt like a distant nightmare — yet none of them had truly rested.

Noel sat near the window, his coat draped loosely over the back of the chair. Charlotte, Elyra, Elena, and Selene were gathered nearby, each still carrying traces of exhaustion. Noir lay curled in the corner, her tail flicking lazily, but her violet eyes remained alert.

It was Elyra who broke the silence first. “It’s strange,” she murmured, brushing a lock of black hair from her face. “In just a few days, we’ll be back at the academy. It’ll be the first term with Daemar as the director instead of Nicolas.”

Elena leaned against the desk, one eyebrow raised. “You sound almost curious. Don’t you already know what’s going on there? You’re still the vice president of the student council.”

Elyra smiled faintly and shook her head. “I’ve been away for too long. I’ll ask Seraphina to fill me in once we return.”

Noel leaned back, his gaze distant. “Yeah… once we finish what we have to do here, we’ll go back.” His voice carried a quiet finality. “After that, I’m done with this place.”

Charlotte looked at him, her expression softening. “You really won’t regret that? It seems like your family’s changed, Noel. Even your father… he’s not the same as before.”

Noel let out a quiet breath, his eyes fixed on the floor. “Maybe they have changed. But that doesn’t erase what they did — or how they treated me. People like that don’t deserve a second chance.”

He paused, the shadows shifting across his face. “I just want distance. Peace.”

For a moment, nobody spoke. Then his eyes drifted to Selene.

She met his gaze calmly, her expression unreadable.

“It’s true,” she said softly. “I understand how that feels.”

Her voice carried no bitterness — just quiet honesty. “My mother… she spent years trying to control me, shape me into something I wasn’t. The more I tried to please her, the worse it got. Eventually, I realized it didn’t matter what I did — she’d never see me as her daughter, only as a tool.”

Elyra looked down, and Charlotte’s hands tightened slightly around her knees.

Selene continued, her tone faint but steady. “Maybe one day I’ll forgive her. But pretending we can be a family again? I can’t. I won’t.”

Noel nodded slowly. “Then I’m not alone in that.”

The room fell silent again — not heavy, but quiet in a way that felt shared. The kind of silence that came after understanding, not after pain.

Outside, the night deepened. The last remnants of light vanished beyond the hills, and the first stars began to flicker above the ruined estate.

Noir lifted her head, her voice brushing against Noel’s mind. ‘It’s time.’

He stood, reaching for Revenant Fang. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

The others rose with him. Whatever waited in the depths of the Thorne library, they would face it together.

The corridors of the Thorne mansion were quiet. Only the distant sound of dripping water broke the silence as Noel and the others made their way through the dim halls. The golden lamps along the walls flickered occasionally, their light reflecting off cracked marble and torn banners still bearing the Thorne crest.

Charlotte walked a few steps behind Noel, her curiosity clear even through her exhaustion. “So,” she asked, tilting her head slightly, “what is it you’re planning to show us, exactly?”

Noel’s boots clicked softly against the stone floor. He didn’t slow down. “Honestly?” he said, glancing back at her. “I’m not even sure myself. I just know there’s something down there I need to see.”

Selene, walking beside Elyra, folded her arms. “That’s comforting.”

Noel gave her a faint smirk. “If it helps, I’m hoping it’s something good. After everything that’s happened, we could use a break.”

Charlotte hummed quietly, as if thinking it over. “Good things don’t usually wait in libraries.”

Elena let out a soft laugh. “She’s right. I’ve read enough of Elyra’s horror novels to know that never ends well.”

Elyra rolled her eyes, brushing dust from her sleeve. “They’re historical dramas, not horror.”

“Half the characters die,” Charlotte pointed out.

“Tragic realism,” Elyra corrected, her tone flat but a smile tugging at her lips.

Despite the banter, the atmosphere felt heavier the further they walked. The air cooled, the light dimmed, and the corridors widened into the long western hall that led to the oldest part of the mansion. Noir padded silently at the front, her ears flicking every time a faint creak echoed through the rafters.

Elena slowed for a moment, running her fingers along the polished wood panels. “It’s strange,” she murmured. “It feels like the whole place is… watching us.”

They kept walking until the hall opened into a wide, circular foyer. At the far end stood a towering set of double doors carved from dark oak, each panel etched with the Thorne crest and lines of delicate runes that pulsed faintly with golden light.

Charlotte took a quiet step forward, her voice barely above a whisper. “So this is it?”

Noel nodded once. “The library.”

Noel stepped up to the door and placed his hand against the cold wood.

The last time he’d come this way, the lock had pulsed with warded light, sealed by layers of enchantment his father alone could lift.

This time, it didn’t resist.

The runes shimmered faintly — then went still. With a soft, echoing click, the door eased open, as if it had been waiting for him.

A faint breeze rolled out, carrying with it the scent of paper, ink, and dust untouched for decades. The lamps behind them flickered, throwing long shadows into the room beyond.

When Noel pushed the door fully open, even he had to stop for a moment.

The library stretched far beyond what any of them expected — a cathedral of books. Rows upon rows of towering shelves reached up into an arched ceiling of glass and enchanted stone. Crystalline orbs floated between the aisles, casting warm light over gold-trimmed banisters and velvet ladders that moved on their own.

A spiral staircase coiled up the center, vanishing into the upper tiers like a stairway into the clouds. The air felt alive — dense with knowledge, old mana, and the faint hum of enchantments buried deep within the walls.

Elena’s eyes widened instantly. She stepped forward without waiting for permission, her hands brushing over the spines of the nearest volumes. “It’s… incredible,” she whispered, her voice trembling with awe. “Some of these are first editions. That script— it’s pre-reform imperial. I’ve only ever seen fragments of it before.”

Charlotte smiled softly at her reaction. “I think we found your heaven.”

Elena didn’t even glance back, her gaze devouring every shelf. “If heaven smells like parchment and ink, then yes.”

Elyra, hands on her hips, let out a quiet sigh. “Alright, scholar. Try not to drown in your own enthusiasm.” She turned to Noel. “So… what exactly are we looking for?”

Noel ran a hand through his hair, eyes scanning the endless maze of shelves. “Something unusual. A hidden seal, a strange book, anything that doesn’t belong.”

He hesitated for a moment, then murmured under his breath, “Status.”

Nothing. No flicker, no sound, no blue glow. Just silence.

He frowned slightly. “Figures.”

The others glanced at him questioningly, but he brushed it off, stepping further into the room.

He took a slow breath, the smell of old paper filling his lungs. “Alright,” he said finally, exhaling. “Guess we’ll have to search everything the old-fashioned way.”

Noir’s voice echoed faintly in his head, laced with faint amusement. ‘You always pick the easy jobs, huh?’

Noel smirked faintly. “Yeah,” he muttered. “Always.”

And with that, they spread out — six figures moving quietly among centuries of forgotten knowledge.

An hour passed.

The soft rustle of pages filled the vast library, mixed with the occasional sigh of frustration.

Charlotte was sorting through old scrolls, Elyra inspecting a shelf lined with locked grimoires, and Elena still marveling at the language of half-decayed tomes. Selene moved methodically, checking corners for any kind of hidden seal, while Noir patrolled in silence between the aisles.

And Noel — Noel was running out of patience.

He shut another book with a sharp thud, dust flying up in a small cloud. “Nothing,” he muttered. “Not even a hint.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, pacing between two rows of shelves. “We’ve searched every damn corner, and all we’ve found are moldy archives and family reports.”

Elyra glanced over from a distance. “Maybe it was moved. Or destroyed.”

Noel shook his head. “No. The s—” he stopped himself, clenching his jaw. “It said there was something here. I can feel it.”

Another minute passed. His patience snapped.

“Fine,” he muttered under his breath. “Claim reward.”

A faint chime rang through his mind — and suddenly, his body tensed.

Blue light rippled up his arms, veins glowing faintly under his skin as mana surged through him. The sensation was overwhelming — pressure, heat, then release, like water flooding a sealed chamber.

[Reward Claimed.]

[+30% Mana Core Progress Increased.]

[Current Core Progress: 82.68% — Mana Core: Ascendant.]

Noel gasped quietly, gripping his chest. Noir’s ears perked up, sensing the flare. ‘Your mana… it’s stronger again.’

“Yeah,” he whispered. “A bit too strong.”

Then the hum returned — louder this time, vibrating through the air.

A soft click, followed by a low, pulsing tone. The lamps dimmed. In front of Noel, a ripple of light appeared, twisting and shaping itself into a humanoid silhouette.

Noel froze, his heartbeat quickening. The glow thickened, details forming — dark hair, defined features, a confident grin.

And then the face came into focus.

“WHAT THE FUCK!!”

Noel stumbled backward so fast he tripped, landing hard on the floor as the glowing figure solidified before him. His voice echoed through the massive library, making dust rain from the higher shelves.

The others turned instantly.

Charlotte gasped, rushing forward. “Noel?! What’s wrong?!”

Selene appeared beside her, her wand already raised. “What in the world—?”

They all stopped when they saw it.

The hologram stood calmly before them — a young man, around their age, with messy black hair, dark eyes that glimmered faintly blue, and a casual smirk that seemed completely out of place in the eerie silence.

But none of them recognized him.

Not Elyra, not Elena, not Selene, not even Charlotte.

Elena tilted her head, whispering, “He… he looks human. But who is he?”

Elyra frowned. “Definitely not someone from Valor. His clothes are— strange.”

Charlotte’s voice softened. “He looks… familiar somehow, but I can’t place it.”

No one could.

Except Noel.

His pulse thundered in his ears as he stared at the projection — because that face, that expression, that crooked smile… it was his.

Not the him they knew.

Not the Noel Thorne who stood before them now.

But the face of the young man he’d been before.

Before he died.

Before he woke up in this world.

The hologram straightened its collar, looked directly at him, and grinned.

“Hey,” it said casually, voice smooth, eerily real. “Been a while.”

It gave a small nod, eyes flicking over Noel as if looking into a mirror.

“Pretty handsome, huh?”

Noel’s breath caught in his throat. The others exchanged confused glances.

But only he understood what — and who — he was looking at.