The Extra is a Genius!?-Chapter 566: Before the Departure

"Spatial Shift."

The dormitory dissolved without distortion, the spatial frame folding cleanly around him, and in the next breath the air changed. Warmer. Richer. Familiar.

Noel reappeared inside his bedroom in the Estermont mansion, boots settling softly against polished marble veined in pale gold. The ceiling arched high above him, detailed with restrained noble ornamentation rather than excess. Tall windows let afternoon light spill across dark wood furnishings and deep-toned carpets, the atmosphere composed and quiet in a way the academy never quite was.

He stood still for a moment, letting the transition settle through his core. No misalignment. No drift. The spell obeyed him perfectly now.

Five months ago, he would have needed to focus.

Now it was instinct.

His gaze moved slowly across the room. This was not a temporary space. Not a borrowed one. It was part of something larger—of a household built to endure.

He had returned to say goodbye.

After Balthor, he would not be stopping. Tharvaldur was only the first step. There were other territories to visit, other leaders to speak to, other forces to measure and persuade. Negotiations would take time. Logistics would take longer.

If everything went smoothly, perhaps a few weeks.

If not...

A month, at least.

His jaw tightened slightly at the thought.

They were all pregnant.

Elena’s calm strength. Charlotte’s bright stubbornness. Elyra’s calculated determination. Even Selene, steady and composed despite everything, carrying her own quiet fire.

They needed him close. Not as a fighter. Not as a strategist.

As him.

And yet the world did not pause for that.

Noel walked toward the window, resting one hand lightly against the cool glass as he looked out over the vast gardens below, maids moving in quiet patterns, guards stationed at their posts beyond the hedges.

’There’s no perfect timing for war,’ he thought, the realization heavy but steady.

If he waited for everything to feel safe, he would never move.

He exhaled slowly and turned toward the door.

This was necessary.

Noel stepped into the corridor, the door closing softly behind him.

The interior of the mansion carried that same composed nobility as the exterior—polished marble floors reflecting filtered light from tall arched windows, subtle gold inlays tracing the edges of the walls, discreet servants moving with quiet efficiency. Everything functioned smoothly, like a well-maintained mechanism built for comfort rather than display.

It was easy to get lost here.

Not physically.

Spatial awareness was never his issue.

But the estate was vast enough that finding four different women in different moods could become an unintended expedition.

He tilted his head slightly. "Please, Noir. I’ll follow you," he said calmly as he walked.

Her voice brushed against his thoughts with quiet certainty. ’You won’t need to. They’re all in the garden. Tea. Together. You’re lucky.’

He huffed faintly. "Good."

Instead of walking the long route through corridors and terraces, he decided to shorten the distance.

"Shadow Step."

The world folded through darkness.

For a split second, everything aligned—

And then—

Bum.

Wood met forehead with an unmistakable thud.

A teacup tipped. Porcelain clinked sharply. Liquid spilled across polished surface and silk fabric.

There was a brief silence.

Then Elyra’s voice, perfectly controlled and perfectly amused, drifted down from above him. "Noel, if you wanted to appear under the table, you could have simply walked like a normal person. Or is there another reason you chose that specific angle?"

Noel pushed himself out from beneath the table quickly, one hand rubbing the side of his head as he straightened. "I did not have any suspicious intentions," he said, tone defensive but not flustered. "I miscalculated by a few centimeters. That’s all. I came to say goodbye."

On the grass nearby, Charlotte was mid-stretch beside Selene, one leg extended gracefully as she shifted from a yoga position. She blinked once, then smiled. "Good. If you had left without telling us, I would have asked Elyra to prepare something unpleasant to track you down."

Selene remained seated on the grass, posture straight, expression calm, though the faintest glint of amusement rested in her cyan eyes.

Noel’s expression shifted briefly, seriousness settling over him as he looked at all of them. "I would never forget you," he said quietly.

The weight in his voice was real. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Then the moment passed, and his usual composure returned.

Elena, seated at the table with one hand resting naturally over her visible belly, smiled gently. "We know," she said.

Selene gave a small nod in agreement.

The lightness faded naturally.

Selene rose from the grass, brushing a few strands of blue hair back over her shoulder before looking at him properly. "How long will you be gone?" she asked, her tone calm but focused.

Noel didn’t hesitate, though he chose his words carefully. "If everything moves smoothly, no more than a month. But it depends on negotiations. I’m not asking for trade routes or political favors. I’m asking kingdoms to prepare for war. That isn’t something anyone agrees to lightly."

Charlotte straightened from her stretch, folding her legs beneath her as she sat on the grass. Elena’s hand remained over her belly, her gaze steady on him.

"It’s not simple," Noel continued, voice even. "Each ruler will calculate losses. Troops. Influence. Borders left exposed. Some of them might refuse outright. Others will want guarantees I can’t easily give."

Elyra leaned back slightly in her chair, fingers interlaced over her lap as she studied him with a measured expression. "Roberto told you it would be a duel. One against one," she said. "If you gather armies behind him, from his perspective that could look like betrayal. Like driving a dagger into his back."

Noel met her gaze without flinching. "Roberto has already bent the rules once," he replied, not angry, just clear. "He’s manipulated events before. I’m not gambling the future of everyone here on the assumption that he’ll suddenly decide to be honorable. We will have one real opportunity. If I misjudge it, we don’t get a second."

The silence that followed wasn’t heavy. It was thoughtful.

Elyra watched him a moment longer, then gave a small nod. "Good. I would have been disappointed if that wasn’t your answer."

She shifted slightly, tone turning practical. "You’ll need to speak with the Thorne as well."

Noel’s jaw tightened faintly.

"You may not want to," she continued evenly, "but they remain one of the strongest military powers on the human continent. In raw force, they surpass us. The Estermont hold influence and wealth. The Thorne hold soldiers."

He looked away briefly toward the hedges lining the garden, discomfort flickering across his expression.

He knew she was right.

That didn’t make it easier.

Before the silence could stretch too far, Selene spoke, her voice steady but quieter than before.

"You should also speak to my mother," she said, fingers resting lightly against the fabric over her abdomen. "If it becomes necessary... you can tell her I will forgive her."

The words were simple. Too simple for what they carried.

Noel turned toward her immediately. There was no hesitation in his response. "I won’t use that unless you truly mean it," he said, his tone firm but gentle, stepping closer to her without breaking eye contact. "Your forgiveness isn’t a bargaining chip. Not for armies. Not for alliances. If you haven’t forgiven her, I won’t pretend otherwise."

Selene held his gaze for a long second. There was no visible crack in her composure, but something softened behind her cyan eyes.

"Alright, thank you," she replied quietly.

She gave a small nod, accepting both his answer and the boundary he had drawn. He wasn’t rejecting strategy. He was placing her above it.

The silence that followed Selene’s words settled into something steadier, less tense but no less meaningful. For a moment, no one spoke about war or negotiations.

It was Elyra who shifted the direction naturally, as she often did when conversations grew too heavy.

"You do remember," she said, fingers resting lightly over the porcelain cup in front of her, "that you’re not disappearing into the void. My family made sure of that."

Noel glanced at her, already knowing what she meant.

"The communication artifacts," she continued, a faint note of quiet pride in her tone. "They’re stable now. Fully integrated. Production is under Estermont supervision."

Charlotte smiled lightly. "You say that like it wasn’t obvious they would monopolize it."

Elyra did not deny it. "If we were going to fund the development and secure the distribution networks, we weren’t going to let it scatter into the hands of every minor noble with ambition."

Noel exhaled softly through his nose, not disagreeing. He had contributed ideas—fragments, concepts—but it was the dwarven engineers who had turned theory into something tangible, and the Estermont who had ensured it spread under their banner.

Elena looked at him gently. "So we can reach you."

"You can," Noel confirmed, tone steady. "At any time."

There was reassurance in that, even if no one said it directly.

Distance no longer meant silence.

And in a world preparing for war, that mattered more than any of them openly admitted.

For a few seconds, no one moved.

The conversation had said what it needed to say. There were no dramatic promises left hanging in the air, no desperate pleas for him to stay. They all understood why he had to go. That didn’t make it lighter—but it made it steady.

Noel looked at each of them in turn.

Elena, calm as always, one hand resting protectively over her belly. Charlotte, sitting straighter than usual despite the softness in her expression. Elyra, composed, already calculating three steps ahead even now. Selene, quiet and centered, watching him with that still intensity that never wavered.

He stepped closer, brushing his fingers lightly against Elena’s shoulder, then letting his hand fall naturally to his side.

"I’ll move quickly," he said, voice even. "See you soon. And if anything happens—anything at all—contact me immediately."

Elyra gave a small nod. "We will."

Charlotte smiled faintly. "Try not to appear under someone else’s table this time."

Selene didn’t speak, but her gaze held his for a second longer, and that was enough.

Noel drew a slow breath, grounding himself.

"Spatial Shift."

The air folded inward with a subtle distortion, space tightening and releasing in the same instant. His figure dissolved cleanly, repositioned elsewhere before the leaves in the garden had time to settle from the disturbance.

Silence followed.

The four of them remained where they were, sunlight filtering through the branches above, tea cooling slowly on the table.