Chương 23: System

'Dammit, it stings a lot.'

The wound on his neck wasn't deep or anything really serious, but still...

It stung.

He did his best to look unbothered by everything.

All he could do now was keep caressing her hair as Jasmine sobbed on his shoulders.

Her arms were tightly embracing him as if afraid that Azriel would run away.

'At least I have outgrown her, huh...'

Before his memories, he recalled being the same height as her.

Azriel had already frozen the wound on his neck.

He couldn't show her that something like this hurt.

He was sure that he could handle most physical pain.

Besides...

In everyone's eyes now, he was someone who survived the void realm for two whole years.

Showing weakness wasn't something he could do.

Now he had to act like the prince who clawed his way out of hell.

Acting.

That was something Azriel was sure he could do.

Even better than lying, perhaps.

As Leo, he used to be in the theater club back in high school for an entire year.

He was quite good at it as well, playing various roles, including the male lead several times in many plays.

But in the end...

He quit.

Just like the basketball club and the music club.

No matter what he tried, Leo could never find anything to fill the emptiness in his chest.

Everyone around him was busy chasing their dreams, working hard, yet it was like he was the only one who had none.

Nothing.

Just temporary excitement was all he could get when he tried something new.

But whenever he started to get good at something...

The excitement would be gone.

'...I simply have to play the role of a survivor this time.'

A treacherous one at that.

'You were the same, weren't you... Azriel?'

Someone who was also empty, just like him.

Having no ambitions.

'Both of us trained to make at least our parents proud, yet... we failed miserably at that, huh?'

He could recall the memories of the previous Azriel who trained almost every night.

There was no real reason for him to train.

Not a real goal he was chasing.

He simply tried to make his parents proud in his own way.

But...

He never really got the chance.

Neither of them ever did.

"How... how are you here? You were supposed to be dead."

Snapping him out of his thoughts was the hoarse voice of Jasmine.

He could see her glancing up at him with tears still in her eyes.

"It's a long story... but..."

In the end, Azriel told her the same story he had told Solomon and Ragnar.

Not just that, but also about how he became a wanderer in Europe, though he did omit the part about his encounter with the Crying Fog.

'...I'll get my revenge on that bastard one day,'

He was sure of it.

For some reason, he just had a nagging feeling that he was going to meet that abomination again one day.

Finished talking, he glanced at Jasmine's face.

She was extremely pale as she looked at him wide-eyed in disbelief.

Azriel was sure if he said more she might actually collapse.

"T-two years... you really spent two years in the void realm?"

Hearing her question, Azriel nodded.

"Yeah... I did,"

'In an alternative timeline... perhaps.'

"And just for you to end up in Europe after leaving the void realm..."

"...yeah."

Azriel didn't really know what to say anymore.

'At least the Europe part wasn't a lie.'

"Oh, by the way, dear sister of mine..."

"Y-yes?"

He could see her looking up at him nervously for suddenly calling her out.

"How long are you planning to not... let me go?"

"W-what? What do you mean by that?"

Tears started forming again in her eyes.

Azriel suppressed a sigh and merely smiled bitterly at the misunderstanding that had just formed.

"I meant your arms... are you going to keep hugging me?"

"H-huh? Ah!"

As if finally realizing, she hurriedly jumped back.

Azriel tried his best to suppress a chuckle.

He could see her face becoming red from embarrassment.

Jasmine hurriedly turned around and picked up Silver Shine making it disappeared.

'...Mother's soul weapon, huh.'

Just like how Azriel got Void Eater from their father, Jasmine got hers from their mother, Aeliana.

"Ah! Your neck, Azriel!"

Noticing the wound she had inflicted, she hurriedly threw a health potion that she pulled out of her storage ring.

Luckily, Azriel managed to catch it easily.

'Dammit! What is it with rich people and them throwing expensive stuff all the time!'

Was it really that hard to just hand it over normally?

Drinking the health potion calmly, he eventually threw the empty vial on the ground.

What?

It was not like it had any value left.

Azriel was about to part his lips until he suddenly froze.

Because...

[• System: Unlocked!]

: [Processing information...]

"Huh...?"

Notifications were suddenly flashing in front of his eyes.

"...Azriel?"

[ • Main Event Completed: Home Sweet Home.]

[ • Main Quest Completed: Survive Europe and return to EASC.]

[ • Performance evaluation: Excellent!]

-> [Not even dying in both worlds could break you]

-> [Unlocking the first form Death's Blossom was as easy as breathing for the son of death]

-> [Not even a Titan could break your mind and prevent you from returning home]

-> [Deceitful against friends and foes. Dying twice was not enough for someone like you to stop being two-faced. Magnificent.]

[ • Event Experience: 11% gained]

-> [Mana core level 2: [0%——[14%]————————————100%]

Azriel felt a warm, blissful energy suddenly invade his body. Controlling the mana in his body became even easier as it became thicker and flowed smoother. Sadly, the euphoric energy disappeared shortly after.

[ • Quest Reward: Skill gained!]

-> [Core Reaper]

: [Status will be updated]

[ • The plot has been altered: Your survival is changing the timeline!]

Azriel's mind blanked as he kept trying to keep up with the messages popping up in his vision.

The messages were in beautiful obsidian black and white panels, the same colors as his status.

His face was frozen with a smile.

'Just what... what is all of this?'

"...."

System.

He thought he didn't get one.

He was wrong.

But the system he has isn't the same as the protagonist's.

Not in the slightest.

He honestly couldn't even call it a system.

Still...

"Heh."

His face cracked into a grin.

He was honestly never planning to sit by the sidelines and watch everything unfold before him anyway.

'Now I get rewarded as well for messing with the plot! Great!'

"Azriel, are you okay...?"

Hearing Jasmine's voice, he turned towards her. She had been watching him this entire time, looking at him weirdly.

'Dammit, she must think I've gone crazy...'

"Ah, sorry, sis. I was just lost in thought about something."

It was a pathetic excuse.

But his mind was currently too focused on the system in front of his vision to come up with something decent.

"...Right."

He could see pity in her eyes.

'Yep, she totally thinks I've lost it... Ah, at least it supports my story of being in the void realm for two years if she thinks I've gone a little crazy.'

'I'll deal with this system stuff later.'

Shaking his head, he spoke to Jasmine.

"How about we go and meet Uncle Ragnar? He must still be waiting with Grandmaster Thomas."

Jasmine nodded at his words.

"Sounds good to me. Let's go; we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."

Both of them started walking side by side.

The silence between them wasn't awkward; instead, it was quite comfortable.

Making his lips curve upwards.

Until...

"I guess those weird habits after spending two years in the void realm didn't change, though..."

Azriel almost stumbled on his own feet hearing her quiet words reach his ears.