The Extra is a Genius!?-Chapter 596: Before the Breakthrough

The birth of Elyria had barely settled into memory when Charlotte’s turn came, and this one did not begin smoothly. Charlotte’s body had never been as resilient as the others. The blessings she had received throughout her life had granted power, protection, and influence far beyond what most saints could ever hope to wield, but power always carried a cost. Each blessing had drawn something from her in return, shaving fragments of vitality away over the years in ways that were not always visible at first glance. What remained was a body far more fragile than Elyra’s or Elena’s, one where even simple exhaustion took longer to recover from.

Childbirth, as the healers quietly warned Noel, would not be easy.

The process lasted much longer than Elyra’s had. Hours passed as the healers worked carefully around the bed, their instructions calm but increasingly precise as Charlotte struggled through each contraction. Sweat clung to her forehead and dampened the soft pink strands of hair that had come loose around her face. Noel remained beside her the entire time, holding her hand whenever she reached for it, offering water when the healers allowed it, and saying very little otherwise. This was not a moment that needed encouragement spoken aloud. Charlotte already knew he was there, and that was enough.

More than once the healers exchanged concerned looks as the strain on Charlotte’s body became visible, her breathing growing uneven, her strength wavering in ways that made even the experienced women pause before guiding her through the next effort. But Charlotte endured it, slower and harder than anything the room had witnessed in the previous births, until the final moment came.

A thin cry filled the room. Relief spread through the healers immediately as one of them carefully lifted the newborn, wrapping the small body in clean cloth before placing the child gently into Charlotte’s arms. "A healthy girl," the healer said softly.

Charlotte leaned back into the pillows, completely exhausted but smiling through the fatigue as she looked down at the small face resting against her arm. The child’s hair already carried a soft shade of pink matching her mother’s, and when her eyes opened briefly they revealed the same golden-yellow color Charlotte possessed. The shape of her face, though, belonged unmistakably to Noel. Charlotte looked toward him, her voice weak but warm. "Her name... is Cloe."

The mountains greeted them with a wind that carried the cold bite of altitude and the faint metallic scent of raw mana drifting through the ravines. It was the kind of place where silence never truly felt peaceful. Even the air seemed to listen.

A week had passed since Cloe’s birth. The mansion had settled into a quieter rhythm during that time, Elena, Elyra, and Charlotte still recovering, their children rarely leaving their arms. Noel had stayed with them as long as he could, letting the calm of the house linger a few days longer than he originally planned. But the last one percent had not disappeared. It waited. And now he had returned to the mountains.

This time, however, he had not come alone.

Daemar stood near the edge of the ridge, the wind moving lightly through the fabric of his coat as he studied the endless chain of peaks stretching into the distance. "This is the first time I’ve actually come here," he said after a moment. "We talk about these mountains in the academy... the unstable mana currents, the creatures that live here. But seeing it in person is different." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Marcus looked around the surrounding cliffs, his expression clearly uneasy. "Yeah... this place gives a bad feeling," he muttered. "You’ve really been training here all these months?"

"Yes." Noel’s gaze moved briefly across the landscape. The mountains were quiet today, but that silence was deceptive. In a place like this, danger never truly disappeared. It simply waited.

"I brought all of you here for a reason," Noel said. "I’m going to ascend to Manacode today."

The words settled over them like a weight. Marcus blinked once. "...That explains it."

Garron let out a low whistle. "So that’s what this is."

"I don’t expect anything to go wrong," Noel continued calmly. "But when someone reaches this level... there’s always a possibility something unusual could happen." His eyes moved briefly between them. "So I’d rather not be alone when it happens."

"You want witnesses," Daemar said.

"And backup," Garron added.

Noel nodded. "If something strange happens during the breakthrough, I want people around who are strong enough to intervene."

Laziel swallowed slightly, glancing around the mountains again. The place already made him uncomfortable, and the situation made it worse.

Marcus rubbed the back of his neck. "Well... if you’re going to do something insane like that, I guess this is the right group for it."

Selene remained silent beside Noel. Unlike the others, she had known about this long before they arrived. Her eyes moved briefly across the peaks before returning to him, calm and certain.

The others exchanged quiet looks, the weight of the moment settling over all of them. Today wasn’t another training session in the mountains.

The path narrowed as they reached the next ridge, the terrain opening into a steep valley carved between two jagged walls of stone. The mana in the air felt heavier here, thicker, pressing faintly against their senses like a constant current.

Laziel wiped his palms against his coat for the third time, cold sweat already forming along his neck. Garron noticed and without warning gave him a heavy slap on the back that echoed loudly across the rock.

"Relax," Garron said with a grin. "Look around. With this group here we look like the elite squad of Princess Seraphina’s army."

Laziel grimaced. "Easy for you to say. Everything in this place is hungry and wants me dead."

Noel stepped closer to the edge of the ridge and looked down into the valley below. "There." The others followed his gaze. "Wait here. There’s only one creature left in that area."

Marcus frowned slightly. "You sound pretty sure about that."

"I am."

Marcus looked at him again. "...Why?"

"I cleared the rest before you arrived."

The others went quiet. Daemar, Marcus, Garron, and Laziel slowly turned their heads toward Selene. She simply smiled, quiet and reassuring. Everything was under control.

The shadow at Noel’s feet shifted. Noir stepped out from it, her dark fur catching the dim light between the peaks. Noel glanced down at her. "Ready, Noir?"

Her voice reached his mind immediately. ’Always, dad.’

Noel nodded once. Then his figure dissolved into shadow. "Shadow Step."

The mountains swallowed him as he descended toward the last creature, and the final percent waited at the bottom of the valley.