Path of the Extra

Nol shrugged, still chewing.

"No idea. I fell asleep."

Azriel sighed.

The two of them were sitting opposite each other in the cafeteria.

After class had ended, Celestina had gone to chat with Lumine and Yelena, likely trying to form connections.

Seizing the opportunity, Azriel had fled to meet up with Nol in the cafeteria, where they were now enjoying a much-needed meal.

Neither of them held back with their food.

Nol had overslept and barely made it to class on time, while Azriel had skipped breakfast altogether.

There was also another reason Azriel had hurried over here.

He knew that most of the halls and classrooms would soon be flooded with second- and third-year students trying to recruit first-years into their factions.

There was a high chance that Celestina, Lumine, and Yelena were now trying to fend off such advances.

"Master, are you planning to join the Crimson Faction?"

Nol asked between bites.

Azriel shook his head.

"No, there's no reason for me to join my sister's faction, nor do I have any interest in it."

"Will she be okay with that?"

Nol asked, looking confused.

Azriel thought for a moment before replying.

"I'm sure my dear sister won't mind if I don't join the Crimson Faction, but she'll definitely ask me about it today... The real problem will be the other students."

Nol's confusion deepened as Azriel continued, taking a bite of fried chicken.

"The second- and third-year students are much bolder than you might think. Even my title as Prince won't deter them. In fact, being the Apex will only attract them more. These upperclassmen understand the true meaning of being a hero, and they definitely won't shy away from approaching me..."

'Though the real ones who will suffer are Yelena and Lumine...'

Both were unknown before entering the academy, and the upperclassmen are likely going to try and take advantage of that—especially Lumine, given that he's ranked second.

The moment they find out about his rank, things could get difficult.

'Still, I won't help them unless absolutely necessary... I'm not their babysitter.'

Azriel intended to befriend the main cast, sure, but that didn't mean he was going to hold their hands through everything.

He wanted them to become stronger than they were in the book, and if that required throwing them into the fire, he'd do it without hesitation.

'...If I recall correctly, a certain event is going to happen today.'

Specifically, something involving Lumine.

There were always people dissatisfied with the rankings, and in the book, Lumine had been the Apex and even got into a duel on the first day because of it.

But now that Lumine was ranked second, would the same thing happen?

'It's not like they can try the same thing with me...'

Azriel could feel the stares directed at him and Nol in the cafeteria.

By now, they must have realized who he was—Azriel Crimson.

Most of them were probably still confused by the negative rumors surrounding him and his trip to the Void Realm.

Add to that the fact that he's a prince and the Apex, and they couldn't just recklessly challenge him without proper backing.

'...Unless it's that person, but he probably didn't attend class today.'

Azriel smiled slightly as he stood up.

"Master?"

Nol looked at him, puzzled.

"Let's pack this food and go... If I'm right, we'll be able to enjoy a good show while eating."

If his hunch was correct, something entertaining was about to happen.

*****

"How did you become friends with Azriel Crimson...?"

Lumine and Yelena walked through the corridors of the academy, surrounded by other students, when Yelena asked the question.

Lumine had to stop himself from twitching his lips in discomfort.

If he had to tell her the full story, she might look at him like he was some kind of idiot.

And who could blame her?

Anyone would think that if he admitted it all started with him chasing some weird butterfly.

"...I met him at the academy cemetery."

Yelena looked at him, wide-eyed, as they continued walking.

They were heading to one of the gym rooms in the academy to train.

"There's a cemetery in the academy?"

she asked, furrowing her brows.

Lumine nodded.

If he was right, it was probably filled with the graves of deceased students and instructors.

"Wait..."

Yelena's brows furrowed further.

"Why were both of you even there?"

Not daring to meet her gaze, Lumine kept his eyes forward.

"I... I was just, you know, exploring the academy at the time when I suddenly found myself there. The same was probably true for Azriel, I presume."

He could feel her skeptical stare but chose to ignore it.

"Is that so? But still..."

Yelena hesitated, clearly holding back her words.

Lumine glanced at her, curious.

"What is it?"

"You know... can we trust him?"

Lumine sighed.

He couldn't blame her for being cautious, especially given her past.

"Why would you think otherwise?"

"You know what they say about him, right? That he was basically a delinquent before his disappearance."

Lumine stopped in his tracks as they reached the stairs.

"You shouldn't judge a person based on some rumors, Yelena. Besides..."

He recalled the time he spent with Azriel in the cafeteria.

"He's a kind person. Trust me."

Yelena still looked a little doubtful but eventually sighed.

"If you say so, I'll trust you..."

Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes at Lumine.

"What about Celestina?"

Lumine blinked.

"What about her?"

"Do you trust her?"

It was the same question she had asked about Azriel, but Lumine felt the meaning was entirely different this time.

A chill ran down his spine, as if answering wrong would bring some sort of calamity.

Celestina had spoken to both of them after class when Azriel suddenly disappeared as well.

He could tell she wanted to be friends with them too.

"Well... she s-seems to be close with Azriel, so I guess she can be trusted... a little."

Her emerald eyes seemed to be judging him, as if he were on trial, but then they suddenly softened as she smiled.

"If that's all, then it's fine, I suppose..."

Lumine sighed in relief, even though he didn't fully understand why.

It felt like he had just dodged a bullet.

"I take it you are Lumine Versille, ranked second?"

A loud voice boomed through the hallway, drawing the attention of Lumine and Yelena.

They looked up the stairs to see a group of students standing at the top, among them a tall figure with long red hair.

"My name is Kai, ranked ninth."

The other students also turned their attention toward the commotion, their curiosity piqued.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know. Are they going to fight?"

"Woah! already on the first day?"

Kai, towering over both Lumine and Yelena, stepped down the stairs until he was face-to-face with Lumine.

The grinning Kai looked down at him, his smile widening.

Lumine and Yelena exchanged puzzled glances.

"Is something wrong?"

Lumine asked.

Kai's grin grew even wider.

"Yes, in fact, there is something wrong."

Yelena's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"And what would that be?"

"That your ranking, Lumine Versille, is bullshit."

Lumine's eyes widened in surprise, as did those of the students watching the confrontation.

"Bullshit? How can that be?"

"Maybe he cheated?"

"That's impossible."

"The exams were overseen by the best instructors and the headmistress herself."

"Exactly."

Yelena's face darkened with anger.

"No one can cheat in the exams. All rankings are legitimate."

Kai shook his head.

"You're telling me that this no-name outperformed Princess Celestina and everyone else who has made a name for themselves before coming to the academy?"

Lumine met Kai's gaze calmly.

"And what if I did?"

Kai's expression hardened.

"Then I say that's bullshit. You must have used some kind of drug to enhance your powers temporarily. That would also explain why you sent that poor cadet to the infirmary—because you couldn't control your powers properly"

Yelena scoffed at his words.

"That's a baseless accusation. What proof do you have?"

Kai leaned forward, lowering his voice so only Lumine and Yelena could hear.

"Prince Azriel told me himself."

""!!""