The Extra is a Genius!?-Chapter 104: A Line You Can’t Cross Lightly

The room was completely still.

Noir lay curled up at the foot of the bed, unusually quiet, ears pressed flat against his head as if sensing something intangible in the atmosphere. No sound came from the halls. No wind stirred the curtains. It was as if the world itself was holding its breath.

Elyra stood by the bed, her eyes fixed on Noel. The warmth from before was gone. What remained was calm, composed... and ice-cold.

Noel met her gaze without flinching.

"I understand perfectly what I said," he said, voice even. "And I understand the weight it carries."

Elyra didn’t move.

"You know this isn’t something to joke about," she said, her voice low and precise. "It’s not something you say lightly."

Noel nodded once. "I know. That’s exactly why I’m saying it."

Nothing moved.

Even Noir didn’t so much as blink.

A storm was coming—but it hadn’t broken yet.

Elyra exhaled quietly through her nose and turned away, stepping slowly across the room. Her movements were graceful, but controlled—like someone holding back too much all at once.

"I’ve seen you do things that shouldn’t be possible," she said. "You always seem to be one step ahead of everyone. Like you already know what’s going to happen."

She turned back to face him.

"But this... this isn’t about instinct, or strategy, or duels."

Her voice sharpened slightly.

"This is my mother we’re talking about. This is a sickness—slow, painful, and relentless."

She paused, her fingers curling slightly at her sides.

"Do you know how many resources we’ve burned through, Noel?"

He stayed silent.

"We brought in the best healers from all over Valor. Then from Elarith. Even priests. Nothing helped. Not a single thing worked."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Not a single one of them even knew what they were dealing with."

Noel remained still, letting her speak.

This wasn’t anger. It was exhaustion wrapped in control.

A silence stretched between them again.

Then he finally spoke—his voice calm, steady.

"I understand."

He stepped forward once.

"But I need you to trust me."

Noel didn’t move. He just held her gaze.

Then he finally spoke—his voice calm, steady.

"I’m not asking you to believe in a miracle. I’m asking you to believe in me."

Elyra didn’t reply right away. She turned her head slightly, but her eyes stayed locked on him.

"...Go on."

Noel took a quiet breath.

"I can make the cure," he said. "But to do it, I need something that’s only found in Iskandar territory."

That made her eyebrows rise. "The Iskandars? What could they possibly have that my family doesn’t?"

"I can’t say the name specifically," Noel answered. "But there’s a plant—rare, fragile. It only grows during the first month of spring, and only once per year. It grows in the highest snowy peak of their mountain range. Nowhere else."

Elyra crossed her arms. Her expression didn’t soften.

"And this plant... it can cure her?"

Noel nodded. "Yes. Not by itself. There are other ingredients, but they’re common. The plant is the key."

She didn’t speak immediately. The fire in her voice was gone now—replaced by something more dangerous: thought.

Her tone didn’t rise. It was calm—careful. But there was a cold edge beneath every word

"And this cure of yours," she said slowly, "can it work for the others too?"

"It should," Noel said. "If it works on your mother... it will work on anyone affected."

But he could feel the weight of the question still hanging in the air.

And the weight of what came next.

Her tone didn’t rise. It was calm—careful. But there was a cold edge beneath every word.

"I’m going to be honest with you, Noel."

She took a few slow steps, her gaze drifting toward the window before returning to him.

"I care about you. A lot more than I expected to. After everything these past few months... I thought I understood who you were."

She paused, studying his face.

"But this? This isn’t something I can take lightly. It’s my mother. If you’re wrong... if this ends badly..."

"I know," Noel said, cutting in softly. "That’s exactly why I’m telling you this now."

He stepped toward her, voice quiet but unwavering.

"I’ll have to talk to Selene too. I’m guessing she’s already been summoned back to Iskandar."

Elyra raised an eyebrow. "And you? Don’t you have to return to Thorne for the wedding? I heard it’s soon."

Noel blinked.

"Oh. Right. How do you know? I’m supposed to attend, but that’s it. No one asked me to help with anything."

She smiled faintly, just for a moment.

"Did you forget I’m an Estermont? If something happens on this continent, I hear about it."

He gave her a look. "Figures."

The silence returned—not heavy, not strained. Just quiet.

Elyra stood there for a moment, arms loosely crossed, watching Noel like she was seeing him for the first time. Not as a classmate, not as a clever ally or occasional source of amusement—but as someone real. Someone who had just offered to take on a burden she hadn’t let anyone else touch.

Noel stayed silent, unmoving—just waiting.

Finally, she took a slow breath.

"...Alright," she said. Her voice wasn’t sharp anymore. It was low, measured. "I’ll trust you."

Noel exhaled quietly, the tension in his shoulders loosening, but only slightly.

Elyra looked down at Noir, who had crept closer without a sound and was now resting his head against her leg. She reached down and brushed her fingers through his fur without thinking.

"But you need to understand something," she continued, her eyes never leaving Noel. "If you’re wrong—if this goes badly—it won’t just be a failure."

She took a step toward him.

"It’ll be personal."

Her gaze held his, unwavering.

"I won’t be able to forgive you."

Noel didn’t flinch.

"I know."

They stood there, the words settling between them like stone. A quiet understanding passed in the silence—unchanging, irreversible, and real.

And nothing more needed to be said. There were no promises left to make, only actions waiting to unfold.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is fr(e)𝒆novelkiss