Path of the Extra

After the void hunting test, they were escorted to a facility where they waited for Solomon. Without saying anything, he brought them back to the academy.

Classes resumed as usual without further issues—at least, on the surface.

As promised, Azriel helped Celestina after class, stopping by the shops inside the academy to buy treats for Iryndra.

The academy, despite its unassuming exterior, had everything a human could need—entertainment, combat facilities, and more. However, there was a noticeable difference since the void hunting test.

Lumine seemed out of it, often glancing at Celestina with a guilty expression. Yelena, noticing this, looked at him with a mix of concern and confusion.

Celestina wasn’t herself either. The smile she usually wore had been replaced with a forced one, and her once bright eyes seemed dull. She spoke less, her interactions feeling hollow.

As for Azriel, he had been silent ever since, his expression unreadable. Unlike Celestina and Lumine, whose changes were evident to those around them, Azriel’s classmates barely noticed anything different. Most of HCS-1 weren’t close enough to him to gauge whether something was off.

Now, Azriel and Celestina stood in the elevator, heading up to his room. Celestina held a bag of snacks in her hands.

The atmosphere wasn’t tense, but it wasn’t comfortable either. Silence lingered between them until Azriel finally broke it.

“I never expected you to react so strongly to Anastasia, especially in public.”

Celestina turned to him, raising her eyebrows.

“I don’t need to hear that from someone who threatened to kill her. Is ripping off heads some sort of hobby for you?”

“…I guess you do have a point.” Azriel paused for a moment before continuing. “If you don’t mind me asking, what happened while I was gone?”

Celestina hesitated, her gaze shifting away as she thought.

“It’s… just something that happened between us a long time ago.”

Azriel blinked, nodding slightly. It wasn’t hard to piece together—Celestina and the other members of the four great clans likely knew who Anastasia was. If Anastasia had spent time with Celestina when they were younger, it made sense.

“Is it true?” she asked, breaking the silence. “The mana collar broke, and you defeated the grade 3 demon?”

Azriel turned to her, meeting her curious gaze. He hesitated before giving a small nod.

“It’s true… though I’d already brought it close to death before the mana collar broke.”

Celestina’s eyes opened slightly. Then, for the first time in a while, her voice carried a faint cheerfulness.

“That’s still an achievement. Only the most skilled can take down a grade 3 demon on their own, as an advanced. For you to do it as an intermediate… that’s beyond impressive.”

Azriel didn’t respond to her praise, and Celestina didn’t seem to mind. For a moment, it felt like she was regaining some of her old energy.

The elevator slid open, and the two stepped out, walking toward Azriel’s room.

“Now that I think about it, Dad came to visit you, didn’t he? The day before I left for the academy.” Celestina’s voice was casual, but her eyes searched his face intently. “For some strange reason, he acted weird that day. He spent the entire time with me and Mom, completely ignoring all his duties…”

She looked up at him questioningly as they walked. Azriel found himself meeting her gaze.

“Did something happen?”

Azriel blinked, caught off guard by the question.

Did Ragnar really not tell her anything?

…Was he the type to leave his daughter out of all this? If that was the case, perhaps it was best for Azriel not to go against his wishes.

“Not really. He asked me what I knew about Neo Genesis, but my knowledge wasn’t much help. After a bit of talking, he left.”

Azriel shook his head, turning away to avoid her sharp gaze. Celestina narrowed her eyes, suspicion flashing across her face, but she let out a sigh instead.

They continued in silence until they reached his door.

Azriel stepped forward, ready to scan his fingerprint on the panel next to the door. But before he could, the lock clicked from the other side, and the door swung open.

Both Azriel and Celestina froze in place as Jasmine stood in the doorway, smiling brightly in her academy uniform.

“You’re finally back! Come on in!” she said cheerfully.

Azriel blinked again, once, then twice. Celestina brushed past him, stepping inside first.

“This is my room, you know…” Azriel muttered under his breath, but he followed her inside anyway, shutting the door behind him.

“Ah! Lady Iryndra, please stop running! It’s dangerous!”

A sudden shout made them both turn. Their eyes widened as someone appeared seemingly out of nowhere, running straight toward them.

The figure was a little girl dressed in black cat pajamas, her golden eyes gleaming with determination. She was fully covered from head to toe, the cat ears on her hood bouncing as she sprinted forward like a blur.

Before Azriel could react, she slammed into him, hitting his stomach with surprising force.

“Oof!”

He stumbled back a step but managed to catch her, ensuring she wasn’t hurt. The little girl wrapped her arms tightly around him, burying her face in his stomach.

“Big brother!” she cried. “Help me! They keep dressing me up in all sorts of clothes! This is child abuse!”

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Azriel crouched down, his expression shifting from surprise to something gentler. His wide eyes softened as he pursed his lips.

“….”

After a moment, a warm smile spread across his face, chasing away the storm of emotions that had clouded him earlier. With one arm, he pulled her closer, gently patting her hooded head.

He glanced up at Jasmine, who stood nearby with her arms crossed, pouting like a guilty child.

“It’s a crime not to dress her up,” Jasmine muttered defensively, turning her gaze away.

A soft chuckle escaped Azriel’s lips. There was something tender in his expression that made Jasmine avert her eyes even more, her cheeks faintly red.

She looked toward Celestina, desperate for support.

Celestina stood frozen, her hands trembling slightly before she suddenly lunged forward, gripping Jasmine’s arm tightly.

Her voice dropped to a whisper, as if afraid to disturb the scene before her.

“W-what is this? She… she looks adorable!”

Hearing her words, Iryndra turned her head to look at Celestina, then at the bag of snacks, and finally at Azriel, her golden eyes practically screaming a single question: Who is she?

Azriel’s smile didn’t falter.

“You should introduce yourself,” he said gently. “Celestina is the heiress of the Frost Clan. She came here specifically to meet you and even brought these snacks for you to enjoy.”

Iryndra blinked at him, her expression innocent. But then, her eyes widened, and she leapt out of his embrace, her cheeks flushing a deep red.

Embarrassed by her earlier actions in front of a literal princess, she hastily forced a composed mask onto her face. Straightening her posture, she spoke in a strong, clear voice that caught Celestina off guard.

“My name is Iryndra Crimson. It’s an honor to meet the Frost Heiress.”

She followed her words with an elegant bow befitting royalty. The gesture would have been far more impressive—and less adorable—if she hadn’t been wearing cat pajamas, her ears burning bright red beneath the hood.

Celestina, however, didn’t laugh. Instead, she crouched down to Iryndra’s level, a soft smile gracing her lips.

“It’s my honor to meet the youngest princess of the Crimson Clan,” she said sincerely.

Standing up, Celestina walked to the bag of snacks, picked it up, and held it out with the same gentle smile.

“I brought these hoping we could enjoy them together tonight. It would be nice to get to know one another better.”

Iryndra blinked at her, her golden eyes sparkling. The composed mask she had worn a moment ago shattered completely, replaced by an excited, childlike grin. She nodded enthusiastically, her hooded ears bobbing with the motion.

Azriel suppressed a chuckle, but before he could say anything, Amaya walked in, her expression overly dramatic.

“The three of you can enjoy these snacks after getting changed,” Amaya said, her voice warm.

“I’ve already prepared everything for you to spend the night, Lady Celestina.”

Celestina’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of Amaya.

“…It has been a while, Lady Amaya,” she said softly.

Another smile, this one even gentler, crossed her face.

“I’m happy to see you again.”

Amaya nodded with an equally warm expression.

“The feeling is mutual, Princess.”

Azriel, watching the exchange, stood and dusted off his pants.

“Alright. I’ll head out now. Have fun, and don’t stay up too late.”

At his words, all four of them turned to him with identical looks of confusion. Iryndra rushed to his side, gripping his pants tightly.

“Big brother, why are you leaving?” she asked, her voice small, her golden eyes drooping in a way that made Azriel almost stagger. Almost.

“Huh? Where are you going now?” Jasmine asked, her confusion mirroring Iryndra’s.

Azriel blinked, genuinely puzzled by their reactions.

“To another place to stay for the night? It’s not like I’m staying here,” he replied casually.

Celestina, clearly alarmed, quickly spoke up.

“But there are plenty of bedrooms here for all of us. It’s not like we’re taking your room. There’s no need for you to leave at all.”

Azriel offered her a small, knowing smile.

“I understand, but isn’t this supposed to be a girls’ sleepover? It wouldn’t feel right for me to stay. Just use this entire place however you want. Don’t worry—I already have a place to stay.”

Jasmine hesitated for a moment, her brows furrowing. Her voice grew stronger as she spoke.

“You haven’t forgotten the deal you made with Mom, right? You’re not allowed to leave the academy alone. And certainly not after sundown.”

Azriel’s expression softened as he looked at her.

“I haven’t forgotten. Don’t worry—I’ll stay within the academy. In fact, I’ll be just a floor beneath you all. So stop worrying and enjoy your night.”

Before anyone could protest further, Azriel gently pried Iryndra’s hands off his pants and slipped out the door.

Closing it behind him, he leaned back against the solid wood, his head resting against it.

With a deep sigh, he shut his eyes.

‘…It’s going to be a long night.’