The Extra is a Genius!? - Chapter 424

Chapter 424: Chapter 424: Weight of Truth
The silence that followed Noctis’s disappearance felt unnatural — the kind that pressed against their chests until it became hard to breathe. The faint warmth he’d left behind had already faded, leaving only the cold air of the library and the faint hum of flickering mana lamps along the wall.

For a long while, no one spoke.

Charlotte’s hands were clasped over her heart, her lips moving in a silent prayer she didn’t finish. Elyra leaned against a shelf, arms crossed, her expression a mix of disbelief and exhaustion. Elena’s amber eyes lingered on the empty spot where the hologram had stood, while Selene stood close to her.

Noir lay curled beside Noel, her violet eyes glimmering faintly, reflecting the lingering shimmer of dissipated mana.

Noel finally exhaled, the sound breaking the still air. “Guess that really happened,” he murmured. His voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed the exhaustion behind it.

Elyra gave a half-hearted laugh. “Yeah. Just another normal day — fighting monsters, killing Pillars, and talking to some kind of god from another world. Totally normal.”

Charlotte’s lips twitched at the attempt at humor, but the weight of what they’d seen still hung too heavy to truly laugh. She whispered, “He… really was trying to save everyone, wasn’t he?”

Noel nodded faintly. “Yeah. And maybe he still is.”

They moved together without needing to say it — dragging chairs closer, sitting on the library floor among fallen books and shards of crystal. The great hall that had once felt sacred now seemed small, almost fragile in its silence.

Selene’s voice broke it. “So… what now?”

Noel looked down at his hands, still trembling slightly. “Now?” He gave a tired, humorless smile. “Now we try to understand what the hell we just learned.”

The others nodded slowly. For the first time in a long while, there was no battle to fight, no danger to run toward — only truth, heavy and impossible to ignore.

“Well,” Noel began after a long pause, his voice quiet but steady, “I guess you’re all curious about the world I came from.”

The sentence hung there, uncertain — like he was still testing the weight of saying it aloud. The others turned toward him almost at once. Charlotte’s eyes were wide but dim, still dulled by the shattering of her faith. Elyra leaned forward slightly, elbows on her knees, while Selene and Elena sat in patient silence. Noir raised her head, tail twitching faintly behind him.

Five pairs of eyes turned toward him — waiting. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “It’s… different. There’s no mana, no monsters, no knights or empires. Just people. A lot of them. The world is huge — entire continents filled with cities made of metal and glass. You could walk for weeks and still never see the end of one.”

Elyra blinked. “Metal and glass? How does that even work?”

Noel smiled faintly. “We had what we called technology. Machines that made life easier — trains that carried thousands of people across countries, and planes that flew through the sky faster than any wyvern or monster you’ve seen.”

Selene’s brows rose slightly. “You could… fly?”

“Yeah,” Noel said, a hint of pride slipping through his tired voice. “Not with wings or spells. The machines used engines — complicated systems of metal, fire, and fuel. We also had cars that moved without horses, powered by those same engines. Lights that came from wires, not crystals. Entire buildings that reached the clouds.”

Elena leaned in slightly, curiosity breaking through her usual composure. “So, no one used mana at all?”

“Nope. Not even a drop,” Noel replied. “We learned to control energy through science — equations, research, tools. It’s what replaced magic for us.”

Charlotte, who had been quiet until now, looked up with a faint, wistful smile. “It sounds… peaceful.”

“Sometimes it was,” Noel said honestly. “There were wars, yeah, but most people lived calm lives. Went to work, met friends, complained about taxes — normal stuff.” His lips quirked upward. “Our biggest worries were missing the morning train or forgetting to pay bills, not surviving a monster raid.”

That earned a small laugh from Elyra, and even Selene’s eyes softened.

Noel looked down again, tracing a line in the dust with his finger. “It wasn’t perfect, but it was home. Every street had a story, every sound meant something. I guess… I still miss it sometimes.”

Charlotte’s gaze lingered on him, thoughtful. “Even after everything you’ve lived here?”

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “I guess a part of me always will.”

Noel lifted his gaze again, catching the faint melancholy that had settled over them. He gave a small shrug, forcing a crooked smile.

“Oh, but don’t get me wrong,” he said, waving a hand lightly. “My life there ended a long time ago. The one I have here… despite everything that’s happened, I wouldn’t trade it.”

He leaned back against the bookshelf, smirking faintly. “I mean, who else would look after you lot if I wasn’t around?”

Elyra let out a sharp laugh before she could stop herself. “Please, Noel. The daughter of the wealthiest family in Vaelterra doesn’t exactly need a babysitter.” She tilted her head smugly, her grey eyes glinting.

Selene arched an eyebrow, hiding a tiny smile. “And I’ve been managing just fine on my own since before I met you.”

Elena folded her arms, feigning seriousness. “I’d argue I’m usually the one keeping you out of trouble.”

Charlotte, who had been quiet for most of the night, finally smiled — a real, soft one that reached her golden eyes. “He’s right about one thing, though. Somehow, he always ends up protecting us anyway.”

Noel chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. “Yeah, well… someone’s gotta make sure you don’t get yourselves killed out there.”

Elyra folded her arms and shot him a sharp look, her lips curving into a faint smirk. “Excuse me? You’re the one who keeps nearly dying every other week, not us.”

Selene nodded lightly, her tone calm but teasing. “She’s right. You’ve had more close calls than all of us combined.”

Elena leaned forward a little, resting her chin on her hand. “Honestly, it’s a miracle you’re even standing after everything that’s happened.”

Charlotte gave a small, warm smile despite her pale expression. “So if anything, we’re the ones making sure you don’t die again.”

Noel blinked, caught off guard by how quickly the conversation turned on him. “…Right. Guess that’s fair.”

Elyra grinned, triumphant. “More than fair. Imagine us just letting you run off into danger alone again. Not happening.”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as a small, genuine laugh escaped him. “Alright, alright — I get it. You win.”

Selene’s voice softened. “Good. Then stay alive, and let us do the same.”

For a moment, the group fell quiet — not heavy silence this time, but something steady, reassuring.

Noir stretched lazily beside Noel, her violet eyes glowing faintly as her voice echoed in his mind. ‘They’re right, you know.’

‘Yeah,’ Noel thought, watching the four girls who’d fought beside him through fire and blood. ‘I know.’

The laughter faded, leaving behind a softer silence — the kind that felt more like rest than emptiness. The air in the library was still thick with the scent of dust and smoke, but the tension had finally eased.

Charlotte sat with her hands folded over her knees, staring at the faint golden sigil glowing faintly on her wrist — the remnant of her holy blessing. Her expression was distant, almost fragile.

Noel noticed. “Charlotte,” he said quietly, “you’ve been awfully quiet.”

She looked up, her golden eyes dim but steady. “It’s just… everything Noctis said. All this time I’ve believed I was serving something pure. Something sacred. But if Elarin truly—” She stopped herself, her voice trembling. “I don’t even know what to believe anymore.”

Noel leaned forward, his tone calm but certain. “Then believe in what you’ve done. You’ve saved people, helped them, healed them. Whatever Elarin became — that doesn’t erase what you are.”

Charlotte’s lips parted, but no words came out. Instead, a small, broken smile formed. “You always make it sound simple.”

Elyra crossed her legs, resting her elbow on her knee. “Because it is. Gods, Pillars, or whatever — it doesn’t change what we’ve seen. You’re still you, Charlotte. That’s all that matters.”

Selene nodded. “We all have pieces of the past that don’t fit anymore. What matters is what we do with them now.”

Elena, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke up. “She’s right. The truth doesn’t erase who we are — it just reminds us why we keep moving forward.”

Charlotte exhaled shakily, looking between them. The weight in her expression softened slightly. “You’re all terrible at comforting people, you know that?”

Elyra smirked. “And yet it worked.”

That drew a quiet laugh from Charlotte — small, but real.

Noel looked around at all of them, the faint warmth returning to his chest. “We’ve been through worse than this,” he said. “If we got through the Holy Capital, we can get through this too.”

Elyra raised an eyebrow. “You say that like this is the end of it.”

He gave a wry smile. “I wish.”

Noel rose first, brushing dirt from his sleeves. “We should go,” he said softly. “The others will be waiting.”

Elyra stretched her arms with a groan. “Finally. If I sit here any longer, I’ll fuse with the floor.”

Selene gave her a calm, teasing glance. “You’d still find a way to complain even in your sleep.”

That earned a quiet laugh from Charlotte — soft but real. Her voice came low as she stood, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. “It’s strange… everything feels quieter now, but heavier too.”

Noel nodded, his expression thoughtful. “That’s because it’s not over.” He paused, his gaze shifting toward the distant light spilling through the doorway. “But at least now we know what we’re standing against.”

They began walking together through the corridor, their steps echoing against the scorched marble. The air outside was cold and clear — dawn rising over the wounded mansion. Soldiers were gathered across the courtyard, tending to the injured and clearing rubble. Sylvette’s voice carried through the air, calm and composed, giving orders with a confidence that made Noel pause briefly to watch her.

Elyra followed his gaze. “She’s got things under control.”

“Yeah,” Noel murmured. “She’ll make a good heir.”

They stepped into the open courtyard, the cool air brushing against their faces. The smoke from the night’s fires was thinning, replaced by the smell of morning.

Then Noel turned to the group, his tone steady but firm. “Listen… everything you’ve heard about me — about where I come from — it stays between us. No one else can know. Please.”

Charlotte frowned slightly. “Not even him?”

“No,” Noel said flatly. “He already has enough to deal with. And after all this, the less people know, the safer we are. The man who stole the crystal… he’s not someone we can afford to provoke.”

Selene folded her arms. “And your father?”

Noel glanced toward the far end of the courtyard, where the Thorne banner fluttered weakly in the breeze. “He’s already sent word to King Alveron.

If I’m right, the Imperial delegation will arrive soon.”

Elyra said surprised. “That’s actually pretty fast.”

Noel gave a faint smile. “Yeah. It’s better this way. The sooner they arrive, the sooner we can sort everything out here and go to the academy.”

For a moment, the group stood in silence, watching the first rays of sunlight touch the ruins. The world felt fragile again — wounded but still breathing.

Charlotte clasped her hands together and spoke softly. “Then we keep this secret. For now.”

Noel nodded. “Thank you.”

Noir padded beside him, her shadow stretching long across the courtyard. ‘You trust them,’ her voice murmured in his mind.

‘With my life,’ he replied.