The Extra is a Genius!?-Chapter 516: Awake

The first thing Noel noticed was movement.

Not sharp enough to startle him awake, not strong enough to feel dangerous. Just a constant, slow sway that carried weight behind it, rocking him gently from side to side. It took a few seconds for his thoughts to gather, for the sensation to stop being abstract and become recognizable.

A ship.

His eyes opened to a wooden ceiling reinforced with thin mana lines, faintly glowing where the light caught them. The air was different too—cooler, carrying traces of salt and damp wood. Each rise and fall confirmed it further.

They were already in the water.

Instinct took over before reason could catch up. Noel tried to sit up, muscles tensing out of habit.

His body refused.

Strength drained midway through the motion, leaving his arms trembling as he exhaled sharply and sank back. Everything felt heavier than it should have, as if his limbs hadn’t quite remembered how to respond yet.

Beside him, someone stirred.

Selene sat at his side, her back resting against the cabin wall. Her short blue hair was slightly disheveled, her posture relaxed, eyes closed. For a moment, she looked asleep.

The instant Noel moved again, her cyan eyes opened.

They fixed on him without hesitation.

"You’re awake," she said quietly.

She leaned forward at once, one hand pressing gently against his shoulder while the other slipped behind his back. With controlled care, she helped him sit up, guiding the motion so his body wouldn’t give out completely.

"Careful," Selene murmured. "You’re still weak."

Noel let himself lean against her, not bothering to hide it. "What happened?" he asked, voice rough. "Did I pass out?"

She nodded.

"Yes. Again."

There was no reproach in her tone, only concern edged with familiarity. "You overworked yourself," she added softly. "Just like always."

Noel lifted a hand to his hair, fingers dragging through it as he exhaled. "I thought we had time."

"You said we did," Selene replied. "That we could afford to slow down."

The ship creaked around them, the steady rhythm filling the brief silence.

Noel closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the weight of his own body, the dull exhaustion still clinging to him. Safe. Supported. And yet—

Outpaced by his own limits.

When he opened his eyes again, he didn’t argue.

He simply accepted it.

Noel lifted a hand to his hair, fingers combing through it in a slow, distracted motion. He was still leaning against Selene, her presence steady at his side, grounding him more than he wanted to admit.

"I couldn’t slow down," he said quietly.

Selene didn’t interrupt. She waited.

"Theo can’t see the island," Noel continued. His hand dropped back to his lap. "Not Marcus’s. Not Roberto’s. There’s interference everywhere—thick enough that even fragments won’t get through."

His jaw tightened slightly. "That bothers me more than collapsing ever did."

Selene turned her head toward him. "Interference doesn’t always mean danger."

"No," Noel agreed. "But it means something doesn’t want to be seen."

The ship creaked again, wood shifting against water, as if punctuating the thought.

Selene studied his expression for a moment before speaking. "Marcus is strong," she said calmly. "You know that. Even if something goes wrong, he can handle himself."

"I know," Noel replied without hesitation. "That’s not what scares me."

She hesitated, then added, "And Roberto... he’s changed. He’s been reliable lately. More than before."

Noel’s gaze drifted to the opposite wall, unfocused. "That’s exactly why I’m afraid."

Selene frowned slightly. "Noel—"

"Do you remember what Noctis told us?" he asked, cutting in softly. "Not to trust blindly the ones closest to us. That the most dangerous things don’t always announce themselves."

Silence stretched between them.

"I’m scared of Roberto," Noel said at last. The words came out low, stripped of bravado. "Of what he might be. Or what he’s already become."

Selene didn’t recoil from it. She didn’t dismiss it either.

"Noir feels it too," Noel added. "She’s been uneasy around him for a while now. And she doesn’t usually get things like that wrong."

That caught Selene’s attention. Her expression shifted—not into alarm, but into consideration.

"You think this isn’t suspicion," she said slowly. "You think it’s instinct."

Noel nodded once.

"Paranoia screams," he said. "This doesn’t. It just... sits there. Waiting."

Selene didn’t answer right away.

She watched him for a few seconds, really watched him this time—not the strategist, not the one who was always calculating outcomes and risks, but the boy sitting beside her, shoulders heavy, eyes tired in a way that had nothing to do with mana or wounds.

Then she moved.

She shifted closer and wrapped her arms around him without a word, careful not to jolt him, not to make it feel sudden or forced. Just a quiet, natural motion, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Her forehead rested lightly against his shoulder as she held him, firm enough that he could feel it, gentle enough that he didn’t feel trapped.

She just stayed there.

Noel froze for half a second, caught off guard more by the simplicity of it than the contact itself. Then his breath slipped out of him in a long, slow exhale, tension easing from his frame as he leaned into her without thinking.

His arms came up on their own, wrapping around her back.

The steady rocking of the ship continued around them, wood creaking softly, water brushing against the hull like a distant, repetitive whisper. The world didn’t pause for them—but for a moment, it felt far enough away not to press in.

Noel rested his chin lightly against her shoulder, eyes closed. His body was still exhausted, still heavy, but the weight inside his chest eased in a different way. Not gone. Just... shared.

After a while, Selene shifted slightly, careful as she loosened her arms. The embrace ended without ceremony, without awkwardness. She stayed close, though, her shoulder still brushing his.

Noel stayed still for a few seconds after the embrace loosened, as if moving too quickly might break whatever fragile balance he’d found. Then he drew in a slow breath and shifted slightly, enough to look at Selene properly.

"...How long?" he asked.

She knew what he meant.

Selene didn’t answer immediately, and that hesitation told him more than the words themselves ever could. When she finally spoke, her voice was calm, careful.

"A few days," she said. "You were unconscious the entire time."

Noel blinked.

"...Days," he repeated, quieter this time. He leaned back against the wall, staring at the wooden planks without really seeing them. "That’s... yeah. That’s more than I thought."

More than he liked.

Selene watched him closely. "You needed it," she said. "Your body was done. If you’d pushed any further—"

"I know," Noel interrupted, not sharply, but fast. "I know. I’m not arguing."

He exhaled and rubbed his face with one hand, fingers dragging down slowly. "Still doesn’t mean I’m happy about it."

A faint hint of a smile tugged at Selene’s lips. "I figured."

She shifted slightly, then added, "You should check the mission. Just to see where things stand."

Noel hesitated for half a second, then nodded. "...Yeah. You’re right."

He straightened a little, more out of habit than strength, and murmured, "Status."

A blue shimmer unfolded in front of him, the familiar system window stabilizing almost instantly.

[Mission Status]

Time Remaining: 91 Days

Noel stared at it.

"...Shit," he muttered.

Selene raised an eyebrow. He glanced at her almost immediately. "—Sorry. Didn’t mean to."

"It’s fine," she said, dryly. "I’ve heard worse. From you."

He let out a short breath that might’ve been a laugh and dismissed the window with a flick of his fingers. The blue light vanished, leaving the quiet creak of the ship behind.

"A few days," Noel repeated, more to himself now. "I really just... dropped out of everything."

"Nothing fell apart," Selene said. "Not here, at least."

Noel nodded slowly. As stressed as he felt, there was something else underneath it—something unexpected. His body didn’t ache. His mana felt steady. Clean.

"...I feel fine," he admitted. "Like, actually fine. Not just ’I can move’ fine."

Selene’s expression softened. "Because you finally rested."

Noel closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, gaze sharpening.

"Guess that means it’s over," he said quietly. "The break, I mean."

The ship rocked beneath them, steady and unrelenting.

Time hadn’t stopped for him.

And now that he was awake again, he couldn’t afford to fall behind not when Marcus was still out there.