Path of the Extra

The cafeteria was fairly empty when Celestina, Yelena, and Lumine arrived after finishing their test before the class ended.

As they sat down, Celestina took a seat opposite the two, watching as they both eagerly dug into their food.

Celestina smiled slightly.

She had already interacted with a few people at the academy.

Thanks to Azriel, she was grateful to count Lumine and Yelena—along with Azriel himself—as her friends.

Azriel's presence had made it easier for her to grow closer to them.

Normally, most people would want to befriend her for their own gain, something Celestina understood well.

She, too, had made connections to potentially bring allies to the Frost Clan in the future.

But Lumine and Yelena were different—they didn't seem to care about using her or Azriel for their own purposes.

'Though I should do something about the other classmates...'

She mused, noticing the distance between herself, Azriel, and the rest of the class.

If Azriel wasn't going to address it, she felt she should at least try, especially if the situation remained unresolved after their trip to the Void Dungeon.

She didn't blame Azriel for not trying to unite the class; if he didn't want to, that was fine with her.

"Hey, do you think Azriel will be alright?"

Lumine's voice interrupted her thoughts, his tone tinged with concern.

'What a good friend Azriel has found...'

"He told me it's probably because of everything that happened in the Celestial Arena,"

Yelena frowned slightly.

"But then, shouldn't Lumine have been called as well? Besides, we followed the academy's rules, didn't we?"

Even if on the first day, they hadn't broken any rules since everything had happened within the Celestial Arena.

'She's right.'

Even though Lumine hadn't fought, he was still heavily involved, and in a way, Yelena was too.

It made sense that they should have been called to the Headmistress's office as well.

'Is Cadet Vergil there too?'

Celestina wondered.

After Azriel left, Vergil had also disappeared, and no one had asked what happened between them.

She was a bit worried that Vergil might try something to get revenge on Azriel.

'Azriel should be able to handle it though...'

She doubted that anyone among the first years could gain an advantage over him.

"Maybe it's not academy-related?"

Lumine suggested, breaking into her thoughts.

Before Celestina could respond, a voice cut through the air.

"Master isn't with you guys?"

A silver-haired boy approached their table, glancing around as if searching for Azriel.

'His name was Nol.'

Celestina recalled. Yesterday, Nol had disappeared the moment Azriel did, without them noticing.

"He had to stay in class, waiting for Instructor Salvator since he was called by the Headmistress, apparently." Lumine informed him.

"Oh..."

Nol's shoulders slumped in disappointment as he stood in front of their table.

"Did you get to leave class early as well?" Yelena asked curiously.

Nol shrugged. "No, I was about to fall asleep, so I asked to go to the bathroom."

"I see..." Yelena murmured, unsure how to respond.

"Your name is Nol, right?"

Nol turned his head towards Celestina and nodded with a small smile.

"Master spoke a lot about you, Princess Celestina."

"O-Oh, is that so?"

Celestina didn't know how to respond to that.

'What did he tell him?'

She wondered, curiosity piqued.

But she quickly cleared her throat, pushing the thought aside.

"Cadet Nol... can I ask what your ranking is?"

After the academy session yesterday, she had tried to find someone named Nol in the top 100 but had no luck.

"Me? I'm ranked 237th."

"I see..."

'So I was wrong...'

Celestina felt a bit disappointed.

She assumed Nol was hiding his rank, especially recalling how Azriel didn't dismiss his words lightly and how confidently Nol had spoken about taking on Kai.

"...You're ranked 237th?"

Lumine asked quietly, seeming doubtful for some reason, causing Celestina and Yelena to frown.

Nol turned towards him, still smiling but with his eyes slightly narrowed.

"That's correct. Oh, and—"

Suddenly, Nol bowed his head slightly.

"I would like to thank you for being friends with Master. It seems that Master cares about you a lot, Lumine."

Lumine got flustered at the sudden gesture and Nol's words.

"P-Please stop bowing! I should be the one thanking him for wanting to be friends with me."

Nol laughed, while Yelena giggled. Celestina, however, narrowed her eyes.

'He diverted the topic...'

"I didn't think Master would have any friends at the academy, knowing him."

Celestina tilted her head, while Lumine and Yelena looked on curiously.

"Cadet Nol, how did you meet Azriel?"

Nol's smile widened at Celestina's question.

"Please, just call me Nol."

Celestina nodded.

"As for how I met Master? That was in the Void Realm."

""!!""

Their eyes widened in surprise at his words.

Celestina knew Azriel had been in the Void Realm, unlike Yelena and Lumine, but she hadn't known that the boy in front of her had been there too.

'He... he was with Azriel there?'

"So the rumors are true... he was actually in the Void Realm?"

"And you were with him?" Yelena added, drawing in a sharp breath.

Nol merely nodded.

"Well, I don't think it's right for me to speak about that time unless Master gives permission. Anyway, I should probably go before Instructor Juliet gives me another scolding."

With that, Nol grinned and walked away, leaving the three of them to process what they had just heard.

'If he was with Azriel there... there's no way he's just ranked 237th.'

Celestina was certain of that.

But how strong was Nol?

She didn't know.

*****

After class, Azriel followed Instructor Salvator towards Headmistress Freya's office. Neither spoke as they made their way inside.

Behind her desk sat Freya herself, but what caught Azriel's attention was the presence of others in the room.

Solomon was leaning against the wall, Ranni was there as well, and Juliet stood next to Freya on her right.

All except Freya turned toward him—Ranni smiling, Solomon grinning, and Juliet narrowing her eyes.

Azriel walked forward and, without waiting for an invitation, sat in the chair across from Freya.

Instructor Salvator closed the door behind them and took his place on Freya's left.

Freya stopped writing on the paper before her and met Azriel's gaze with a blank expression.

"Do you know why I called you here?"

Azriel cracked a small smile.

"I don't."

Freya narrowed her eyes, remaining silent for a few seconds before speaking again.

"...You're lying." She said, a sigh escaping her lips.

"Not that it matters anymore."

Azriel showed no reaction, maintaining his composure as he continued to look at her.

'She should smile more... I'm sure she'd find someone with a face as pretty as hers.'

He mused, though he wisely kept that thought to himself.

Freya's tone shifted to one of formal authority as she addressed him.

"Cadet Azriel Crimson, I, Freya Selene, Headmistress of the Hero Academy, have called you here to personally assign you a mission during your upcoming trip to the Void Dungeon."