The Extra is a Genius!?-Chapter 499: The Closest Move

The silence lingered after Clara’s words, stretched thin like a thread pulled too far but not yet snapped. No one rushed to fill it. Everyone was tired enough to let it breathe.

Noel lowered the device slowly, his fingers loosening around it as if the tension in his grip had finally found somewhere else to go. He took a breath, steady and unhurried, the kind you take when you already know what you’re about to say and just need to accept it first.

"You’re right," he said.

His voice was calm, almost plain, without the edge of urgency that had been hanging over him moments earlier.

"If I go alone, I get there faster," Noel continued, eyes lifting briefly toward the horizon before returning to the group. "I won’t pretend otherwise."

No one interrupted him.

"But we lose everything else," he added. "The moment we split, we throw away the only advantage we’ve had so far."

He paused, letting the words settle, then nodded once, more to himself than to anyone else.

"We don’t break the plan now."

Elyra didn’t hesitate.

"Good," she said. "That would’ve been stupid."

There was no insult in it, just honesty delivered the way she always did, like setting something heavy on the table and expecting everyone to deal with the weight of it.

Selene gave a short nod.

"This way is safer."

That was all she said, but it was enough. She didn’t need to dress it up. The meaning was clear.

Elena glanced around the group, her expression softer, tired but steady.

"And it keeps us together," she added quietly.

Noel felt something ease in his chest at that, not relief exactly, but alignment, like pieces clicking back into place after drifting apart. The decision didn’t feel heroic. It didn’t feel brave. It felt necessary.

"We move as planned," Noel said. "We don’t stop. And we don’t rush blindly."

He didn’t say where they were going next. The urgency was still there, pressing at the back of his mind like a clock he refused to look at, but the tension in the air had shifted. It wasn’t gone. Just steadier.

They didn’t waste time before moving on to what came next.

Harper and Maria joined them near the edge of the open area, both of them looking as tired as everyone else, but already shifting into something closer to command than recovery. Around them, people were beginning to organize on their own, small groups forming naturally as the initial shock faded.

"We’ll stay," Harper said first, direct as always. "People are tired, but they’re safe. That’s what matters right now."

Maria nodded, eyes scanning the surroundings as she spoke.

"The island isn’t stable yet," she added. "But it’s not falling apart either. We can hold it if we’re careful."

Noel listened without interrupting.

"We stabilize first," Maria continued. "No big repairs until everything settles. No pushing mana into cracked structures just to make things look better."

Harper gestured toward several groups already gathering nearby.

"The dwarves offered to help with repairs," he said. "Structural work. Reinforcing what’s still standing. They know how to do that without overloading the place."

Maria picked up where he left off. "The elves volunteered to manage mana flow," she said. "They’ll keep the ambient levels even, prevent surges, and help people recover without stressing the island further."

"And the humans?" Noel asked.

Harper snorted quietly.

"Everything else," he said. "Logistics. Food. Moving people where they need to be. Watching shifts. The boring stuff that keeps things from going wrong."

Noel nodded once.

"If anything feels wrong," he said, "you pull back. I don’t care how small it looks."

"We know," Harper replied without hesitation.

Maria met Noel’s eyes. "We’ll keep watch," she said. "And we’ll make sure no one does anything reckless while you’re gone."

There was a brief pause, then Harper spoke again, his tone rougher than before.

"And... thanks," he said. "All of you. For getting this far."

Maria nodded in agreement. "You gave them a chance," she added. "We won’t waste it."

Noel didn’t answer with words. He just inclined his head slightly.

That was enough.

As they turned back toward the rest of the group, the device at Noel’s side activated again, the familiar hum cutting through the low voices around them.

Theo’s voice came through immediately.

"Next island has the Saint," he said. "And... another one."

Noel frowned slightly. "Another what?"

"A guy who looks like he has more muscle than sense," Theo replied dryly. "From what I can tell, Charlotte already knocked him out. Non-lethal."

Noel blinked. "She did what?"

Theo continued, unfazed. "He wasn’t listening. She put him to sleep."

There was a short pause, then Theo added, almost as an afterthought, "And he was holding two daggers."

Noel stared at the device for a second.

"Charlotte?," he muttered. "With daggers?"

He let out a quiet breath, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Looks like he pissed her off," Noel said under his breath. "That takes effort. Getting Charlotte angry isn’t easy."

He shook his head slightly.

"Yeah," he added. "He had it coming."

They regrouped near the edge of the island, where the fractured ground dropped away into open air. From there, the next island was visible, close enough to feel reachable, its outline steady against the sky. It was the nearest one left. Charlotte and Garron.

Noel stood a step ahead of the others, shoulders slightly tense as he focused inward. The exhaustion was there now, no longer something he could ignore. His mana responded slower than it had earlier, like a limb that had been pushed too hard and hadn’t fully recovered yet. Shadow Step again would hurt. Not dangerously. Just enough to remind him that he wasn’t endless.

Theo’s voice came through the device one last time.

"That route is clean," he said. "No interference so far."

Noel nodded once, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Then we go there."

Elyra didn’t hesitate.

"No delays."

Selene adjusted her stance, eyes already fixed on the destination.

"Ready."

Elena looked around at the group, making sure no one was missing, no one lagging behind. When she spoke, her voice was calm, steady.

"Let’s move."

Noel took a breath and let his focus narrow, the world around him dulling as Shadow Step began to take shape. The familiar pull settled in his chest, heavier than before, but manageable.

’Not much left,’ he thought. ’Charlotte, then the ship... then Marcus... I just hope they’re holding.’

Noir shifted closer to him, her presence brushing against his awareness. Her voice slipped into his mind, quiet but firm.

’Be careful, dad. I don’t trust Roberto.’

Noel didn’t answer out loud. He only tightened his grip for a moment, then steadied it again.

’Let’s hope nothing’s happened,’ he replied silently.

Shadow folded around them.

The island vanished beneath their feet, and the group moved as one toward what waited next.