บท 48: Drunk Azriel
"Congratulations on becoming the Apex for the first years, Prince Azriel."
Daniel said, standing beside Azriel in front of the door to his new room.
This room would be his home until the end of his academy days—unless, of course, he lost the title of Apex.
Azriel hummed, his gaze fixed on the door.
'To think I actually became the Apex...'
A title that was originally meant for the protagonist was now his, because he had survived and attended the academy.
Not only that, but the very room that was supposed to belong to the protagonist was now his as well.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Azriel turned to Daniel.
"Daniel... do you wish to retire?"
"...Pardon?"
Daniel looked puzzled, unsure if he had heard correctly.
Azriel turned to him with a small, knowing smile.
"What I mean is, would you like to stop working from now on?"
Daniel's eyes widened in shock.
"Ah! M-my prince, I need this job to feed my family... I can't afford to lose it."
Azriel chuckled softly.
"I think you're misunderstanding me. What I'm proposing is that if you do something for me, I'll make sure you're taken care of."
Daniel blinked in surprise.
"...Something for you?"
Azriel nodded.
"Yes. In exchange, I'll ensure you have enough money to retire comfortably for the rest of your life. Your children, your grandchildren—they'll never need to work again."
Daniel swallowed hard, his heart pounding as he considered Azriel's words.
The offer was incredibly tempting.
As a prince of the Crimson Clan, Azriel had the resources to back up his promises.
There was no reason to doubt his sincerity, given his status.
Unable to resist the temptation, Daniel nodded meekly.
"W-what do I need to do?"
Azriel's smile widened, and for a moment, Daniel felt a shiver run down his spine as he looked into those blood-red eyes.
"Nothing too difficult—just a simple task."
Azriel placed a hand on Daniel's shoulder, causing him to flinch.
"You know the instructor named Juliet, right?"
Daniel, though still confused, nodded.
"Excellent... Here's what I need you to do."
Azriel then proceeded to explain his plan, detailing exactly what Daniel had to do to secure his financial future.
Azriel had been fully aware of all the instructors in the room during his exam earlier that day.
He knew each of them, and he was also aware of Instructor Juliet's negative views toward the children of the four great clans.
'In the book, Celestina, Jasmine, and Caleus had quite a headache dealing with her all the time...'
Back then, Juliet hadn't been much of a problem, perhaps because Lumine had been the Apex.
But now?
Azriel wasn't willing to take that risk.
He had noticed the way Juliet had looked at him during the exam, and he wasn't going to sit idly by if she tried anything.
After explaining his plan to the shocked but compliant Daniel, Azriel finally entered his new home leaving him behind.
"Wow..."
Azriel was awestruck as he took in his new home.
The room was luxurious, perched high above the city with floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a breathtaking view of CASC.
The living room was a perfect blend of sleek modern design and comfort—plush, cream-colored sofas were arranged around a low glass coffee table, with subtle gold accents hinting at quiet opulence.
Azriel wandered further into the room.
"I'm certainly glad I decided to become the Apex."
At the far end of the room, a balcony extended outward.
Azriel stepped out onto it, looking down at the academy sprawling below.
"Would I die if I jumped from this height?"
As crazy as it might sound, he wasn't a normal human.
His curiosity about the limits of a grade 3 intermediate was piqued.
Azriel shook his head with a slight chuckle.
"...I'll try another day."
Definitely another day.
"I'm pretty sure you'd break a few bones from this height... you know, like all 206 of them."
A familiar voice teased from behind.
Azriel smiled softly as he recognized the voice.
"You forgot how to knock?"
Azriel turned around to see Solomon leaning casually against the couch.
"Heh, just came to congratulate you on becoming the Apex. We should celebrate!"
Azriel had to resist the urge to let his lips twitch in annoyance.
'Still doesn't excuse him from not knocking!'
He sighed, giving in.
"Fine..."
Azriel made his way to the kitchen, opening the cabinets.
'I wonder if it's actually here...'
In the book, when this room belonged to the protagonist, he had discovered something in one of the cabinets.
And that something was...
'Ha! Here it is!'
A collection of fine wines.
Azriel turned around with a grin.
"Tell me, Solomon, red or white?"
"Huh... have you gone crazy?"
Solomon scoffed, but his grin matched Azriel's.
"All of them."
Since the first Void Generation, global restrictions on teenage alcohol consumption had been relaxed.
The new regulations allowed anyone aged 15 or older who was a Grade 3 Awakened to drink, provided they had the consent of their legal guardian.
Luckily—or perhaps not—Azriel met all the conditions, or at least all except the last one, but no one would really check on that.
Besides, even if Azriel hadn't met the conditions, the consequences would have been negligible.
No one would be foolish enough to challenge a prince over something like that.
Both Azriel and Solomon settled onto stools behind the counter.
"I thought you didn't like alcohol."
Solomon said, eyeing Azriel.
"You didn't touch a drop at the banquet."
Azriel shrugged, his gaze fixed on the bottle in his hands.
"I don't."
He replied.
"I absolutely loathe it. It makes me want to vomit just from touching it. I'd rather gnaw off my own limbs."
Solomon raised an eyebrow, watching Azriel with curiosity as he took a sip.
"Then why the hell are you drinking?"
Azriel chuckled.
"Maybe I'll tell you one day."
Solomon clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Fine! keep your secrets. But don't expect that stunt with Freya to work again. She's already figured it out."
Azriel took a deep gulp of wine and nodded toward Solomon.
"Yeah, but it was necessary. We didn't have another option, did we?"
"Oh, I know. She's dying to meet you, but if she does, it might jeopardize the plan. Can't blame her—I have questions of my own."
Azriel shook his head.
"I told you, if you ask me, you might never get what you truly want."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. But it would be bad for me if you died next week."
"I won't."
Azriel said, his tone growing serious as he looked intently at Solomon.
His cheeks were slightly flushed.
"But expect everything we planned to go to shit."
Solomon grinned.
"It already was."
*****
Jasmine stood in front of the door to Azriel's new living quarters—the same room she had occupied last year as the apex of the first years.
Now, as the apex of the second years and the student council president, she had intended to congratulate Azriel tomorrow instead of today.
To her, it wasn't surprising that Azriel had become the apex.
Unless he chose otherwise, it was a given in her eyes—after all, he was her little brother.
It was only natural.
But she had changed her mind.
Instead of waiting until tomorrow, she decided to visit today.
Because...
'He didn't find my collection, did he?'
A cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
Surely not.
It hadn't even been a full day.
'Maybe he's already asleep?'
Jasmine remembered that she might have accidentally left her precious wine collection behind when she moved out.
With everything happening around Azriel's return, it had slipped her mind.
'I don't even remember him drinking before...'
Surely, the bottles would be safe.
She knocked lightly on the door and heard voices from within.
"Coming, coming! Solomon, don't tell me you invited people over for a party now?"
"Pfft, please, as if this small place could handle a party of mine!"
'Solomon?'
Jasmine recognized the voices instantly.
How could she not?
She knew they were acquainted but hadn't realized Azriel was that close with him.
When the door opened, her attention shifted to the person standing before her.
Azriel leaned against the doorframe, his shirt unbuttoned, revealing his skin, his hair tousled.
His cheeks were flushed red, and he looked slightly disheveled.
Behind him, Solomon was sprawled on the couch in a similar state, a bottle balanced precariously on his chest.
"Oh? My dear sister graces us with her presence! Here to join us for a drink?"
"Don't tell me—"
Jasmine's eyes widened in disbelief.
She didn't want to believe it.
'Drunk Azriel...'
If anyone else had seen Azriel in his current state, they might have found him in some sort of way charming.
But for Jasmine?
'So cute!'
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง 
Crypthh
Crypthh Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Also, please give me all of those golden tickets and power stones you have hidden!
บท 49: Cemetery
"I messed up…"
Lumine walked through the empty corridors, his footsteps echoing with each step.
His face was grim as he replayed yesterday's entrance exam in his mind.
It was currently 11:00 p.m., and most students had either returned to their rooms or gone out for the evening, leaving the academy eerily quiet.
Except for Lumine.
"I didn't even become the apex..."
The realization had hit him the moment he was shown to his room—on the floor just below the highest one.
It was a clear sign: Lumine was ranked second, not first.
He had failed the quest.
Since then, he hadn't left his room, too disheartened to face anyone.
Thankfully, his childhood friend Yelena hadn't pressed the matter, giving him space to process everything.
"It's my own fault."
Lumine muttered, his voice laced with frustration.
What truly gnawed at him wasn't just losing the apex title, but the events that transpired during the entrance exam.
"If only I had controlled my powers better…!"
Lumine had been trained by the system to fight void creatures and survive in the void realm, but humans?
That was a different story.
It hadn't even been a year since he'd acquired the system, which allowed him to unlock countless skills, affinities, and even buy health potions using the system points he earned from quests.
But never had he been tasked with fighting another human.
This was his first time.
Now, he understood a critical flaw: having power didn't mean mastering it.
"I need to fix this."
If he had better control over his abilities, he wouldn't have accidentally sent that cadet to the infirmary.
He needed more training.
"The system won't be able to help me with this…"
Trying to shake off the gloom, Lumine continued to explore the academy.
The place was vast, and he chuckled to himself, thinking he might get lost if he wasn't careful.
Still, he knew he couldn't wander for too long.
Tomorrow, classes would start, and it was better to get some rest.
He had no idea who the apex really was, even though they lived just one floor above him.
He didn't want to seem annoying by seeking them out.
"I wonder if it's him…"
Azriel Crimson.
The name had been circulating in rumors—stories of the prince who would attend the academy.
Unfortunately, neither Lumine nor Yelena had caught a glimpse of him.
They didn't even know what he looked like.
If Azriel was indeed the apex, Lumine was relieved he hadn't gone knocking on his door yet.
Who could blame him?
Even if Azriel was the most mysterious of the princes, with a past shrouded in negativity before his two-year disappearance, he was still a prince.
Lumine couldn't afford to accidentally offend him.
As Lumine wandered through the dimly lit corridors, his mind lost in thought, he suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
"What is that...?"
In the soft glow of the sparse lights, the corridors seemed cloaked in shadow.
Yet, ahead of him, an azure glow pierced through the darkness, making him squint.
It was a tiny, floating blue orb that danced in the air, casting an ethereal light on its surroundings.
The orb shimmered with a gentle luminescence, beckoning him closer.
With no one around, Lumine moved forward cautiously.
Each step he took seemed to dim the light, but the orb remained steadfast in its brilliance.
As he drew nearer, the orb's light softened, allowing him to see clearly.
Lumine froze in awe.
It wasn't a mere orb—it was a butterfly.
Its wings were a mesmerizing expanse of blue, alive with a radiant shimmer that seemed to pulse with an inner light.
The wingspan, nearly the length of his hand, fluttered gracefully, catching the faintest glimmers of light and painting the air with an enchanting dance of colors.
The butterfly's beauty was otherworldly, and Lumine, captivated, extended a trembling finger towards it.
As if sensing his intention, the butterfly alighted gently on his finger.
A smile unwittingly spread across Lumine's face.
There was something profoundly serene about this delicate creature, an inexplicable calm that washed over him.
Suddenly, the butterfly took flight, circling around his head before darting away.
Lumine's eyes widened in surprise.
"Hey, wait up!"
An inexplicable urge drove him to follow.
The butterfly fluttered ahead, moving leisurely despite its absence of a mana core, and Lumine, driven by a curious sense of purpose, ran after it.
The corridors blurred past him as he sprinted, his breath growing ragged and his legs aching.
He was grateful no one was around to witness his frenzied chase.
Bursting out into the open, Lumine continued his pursuit under the starlit sky.
But as the butterfly turned a corner, it vanished from sight.
Panting heavily, Lumine searched desperately, his eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of the creature.
Sweat clung to his skin, and exhaustion weighed on him as he trudged forward.
Suddenly, he came to a halt.
In his distracted state, he had wandered into an unfamiliar place.
His breath caught in his throat as he took in his surroundings.
All around him were rows upon rows of tombstones.
"I didn't know the academy had such a place..."
His voice came out as a hushed whisper, as if speaking louder might disturb the tranquility of the resting souls.
A pang of guilt pricked at him for his earlier heedless sprint through this solemn ground.
Slowly, he walked among the gravestones, reading the names etched into the stone—names he didn't recognize.
The dates of birth and death varied widely: some from over fifty years ago, others from just ten years past, and some from this very year.
Flowers adorned the stones, adding a touch of color to the otherwise somber scene.
Lumine was about to resign himself to the fact that the butterfly was nowhere to be found when he abruptly stopped again.
Standing directly in his path was a stranger—a person he had never seen before.
His hair was a deep, obsidian black, and his eyes were a striking crimson that mirrored the intensity of the setting sun.
He stared at the tombstones with an expression of solemn contemplation.
The stranger, though appearing no older than Lumine, carried an aura of maturity beyond his years.
Lumine hesitated, unsure whether this individual was a fellow student or an instructor, and uncertain how to approach.
Not wanting to intrude, Lumine was about to turn away, but their eyes met.
The intensity of the crimson gaze seemed to freeze him in place, and he felt an inexplicable itch on his back before it quickly faded.
The stranger, equally surprised to see Lumine here at this hour, quickly regained his composure.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"It's nice to meet you. My name is Azriel Crimson."
ความคิดของผู้สร้าง
Crypthh
Crypthh
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
Also, please give me all of those golden tickets and power stones you have hidden!
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