The Extra is a Genius!?-Chapter 585: A Table Under One Roof

Early evening settled gently over the Valon mansion, warm lantern light replacing the last traces of daylight that filtered through the tall windows. The world beyond the estate walls continued moving—politics, armies, preparations—but inside the kitchen there was only the quiet rhythm of knives against wood and the low simmer of something cooking steadily over flame.

The contrast was almost disorienting.

Days ago, Noel had been discussing continental alliances and mountain ranges that swallowed expeditions whole. Now he stood at a counter with his sleeves rolled slightly, adjusting the heat beneath a pot while tasting the sauce with a wooden spoon.

He wasn’t particularly gifted in magical theory. Selene knew that better than anyone. But in practical matters—measuring, cutting, timing—he was precise. Efficient. Focused in a different way.

Selene stood beside him, slicing vegetables with clean, controlled movements. Her posture was straight, movements economical, as if even preparing dinner deserved proper form.

"They said they’d be late," she remarked, placing the sliced pieces into a bowl.

"They always say that," Noel replied, tasting again before adding a pinch of seasoning. "And they always come back hungry."

Selene gave a faint hum of agreement.

They had prepared more than necessary. A few extra dishes. Something warm and filling.

Selene moved toward the dining room carrying plates, arranging them with near-symmetry across the long table. Each setting aligned carefully. Glasses placed at equal distance. Cutlery parallel. It wasn’t obsessive—it was simply how she did things.

Noel followed shortly after, bringing the final dish. He set it down, then leaned slightly over the table to adjust the placement by a fraction of an inch.

Selene noticed.

"You’re worse than me," she said without looking at him.

"I learned from the best."

She almost smiled.

The scent of food began to spread through the mansion, warm and inviting. Noel dipped the spoon once more, tasted, then added a final touch before setting it aside.

"Better," he muttered.

Selene finished aligning the last plate and stepped back to inspect the table.

Voices reached the dining room before footsteps did.

"...I’m telling you, this one will fit perfectly," Elyra’s voice carried from the entrance hall, animated, bright. "The stitching is subtle, and the fabric is soft enough—"

They stepped inside together, cloaks loosened, the cool air from outside following them briefly before the door shut behind.

Seraphina was not with them obviously. She had returned to the palace earlier, whatever formal matter had drawn her into the city apparently resolved. The three of them had stayed out longer than planned.

One errand had turned into another.

Charlotte was the first to slow.

She paused halfway down the corridor leading toward the dining room, her head tilting slightly as she inhaled.

"It smells good... do you feel it?" she asked, eyes bright.

Elena adjusted the small bundle she was carrying and gave her a sideways look. "No. That’s just you. Your sense of smell is unfair."

Charlotte smiled faintly and continued forward.

They reached the entrance to the dining room.

Noel was finishing the placement of the last dish on the table, adjusting it with a quiet precision. Selene was already seated, posture relaxed, hands resting lightly in her lap. Warm lantern light reflected across polished wood and porcelain, the air carrying the scent of prepared food.

For a second, the three of them stopped.

He was there.

Noel turned at the subtle shift in presence.

"Hi," he said simply. "I’m home."

Elyra’s lips curved first, controlled but unmistakably pleased. Charlotte’s shoulders eased. Elena’s eyes softened.

Noel’s gaze moved automatically to Elena.

Her belly was impossible to ignore now. Rounder. Lower. The shape unmistakable beneath the fabric of her dress.

He tilted his head slightly.

"Isn’t that already a bit big, Elena?"

Elena placed one hand over it instinctively, smiling with quiet certainty. "Soon," she said. "It won’t be long."

There was no tension in her tone. Just anticipation grounded in reality.

Charlotte stepped closer to the table, inhaling again.

"Welcome back, Noel," she said, leaning slightly toward him. "And yes, it smells very good."

Elyra closed the remaining distance, brushing a kiss against his cheek before moving toward her seat.

"So," she said as she pulled out her chair, smoothing her dress before sitting, "how did it go?"

Noel took his seat at the head of the table, posture relaxed but composed. He reached for his glass before answering. "They all accepted."

Elyra folded her hands neatly over the table, eyes attentive.

"All of them?" she asked.

"All the major powers," Noel confirmed. "Some agreed immediately. Others added conditions. A few are aligning because they have reasons of their own."

"Debt?" Charlotte asked softly.

"Yes."

"And strategy," Elyra added, already understanding.

Noel gave a small nod. "They’re not moving blindly. But they’re moving."

He leaned back slightly.

"It’s a win-win."

Elyra didn’t smile. She studied him instead, head tilted just enough to signal that she wasn’t finished evaluating.

"By that expression," she said calmly, "you’re not done speaking. So say it."

Noel exhaled lightly.

"I can’t hide anything from you."

Selene spoke before he continued.

"He wants to go to the mountains."

The shift in atmosphere was immediate.

Elena’s hand paused mid-movement over her glass.

"The ones dividing the three continents?" she asked.

Noel nodded once.

Elyra leaned forward slightly, her tone controlled but firm.

"You’re aware of how unstable that region is."

"I am."

"The known routes barely touch the outer ridges," she continued. "They’re monitored. Marked. There are escape points built into them precisely because no one trusts the interior."

Charlotte added quietly, "The center has no mapping at all."

Elena’s gaze remained steady on Noel. "Mana storms. Uncatalogued creatures. Terrain that shifts with the seasons."

"No one enters the heart of that range without preparation bordering on obsession," Elyra finished.

Noel listened to each of them without interruption.

"I’m not leaving without a plan," he said calmly. "And I’m not disappearing for months."

Elyra’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Meaning?"

He rested his forearms lightly on the table.

"I’m going to create something first."

Selene turned toward him.

"Now you’ll reveal it?" she asked. "Earlier you didn’t want to tell me."

He gave a faint smile.

"I was waiting until everyone was here."

He kept the explanation simple.

"An artifact. A fixed teleportation link between two points."

Elyra’s gaze sharpened immediately.

"One here," Noel continued. "And one at the training site."

Charlotte tilted her head slightly. "With protections?"

"Of course. Restricted activation. One-way permissions if needed. No uncontrolled access."

Elena watched him quietly, absorbing the implications without speaking.

Selene nodded slowly. "That would let you return daily."

"That’s the idea."

Silence settled for a moment as they processed it.

"It’s not a bad solution," Selene admitted. "You could train under real pressure and still rest here."

Then her expression shifted.

"There’s a problem."

Noel lifted an eyebrow.

"What problem?"

"The mountains are enormous," she said. "You’ve never been there. You can’t mark coordinates for a fixed teleport if you don’t know the terrain."

She wasn’t challenging him. She was stating a logistical flaw.

Noel looked at her for a second.

Then he smiled.

"That has a solution."

A brief pause.

"Shadow Step."

Selene blinked.

Her cheeks warmed slightly before she could stop it.

It was such an obvious answer—moving from shadow to shadow across terrain until he established a stable location. She had analyzed spatial theory and overlooked the simplest application of one of his own abilities.

Noel’s smile deepened just enough to be noticeable.

"Did you forget?"

Selene turned her gaze away, pretending sudden interest in her glass.

Elyra reacted immediately.

"Look what you did," she said flatly.

Charlotte added, "Don’t tease her."

Elena shook her head slightly. "Not funny."

Noel raised both hands in surrender.

"I didn’t mean—"

"You absolutely did," Elyra cut in.

He was being reprimanded from three directions at once.

And he was smiling.

Not because he had won the argument.

But because he was home.