Path of the Extra

As Nol closed the door, instead of sitting next to Azriel, he leaned against the large table in front of him.

"I could have just beheaded all of them, Master..."

Pretending not to hear what Nol said, Azriel closed his eyes.

After entering the academy gates, the bodyguards weren't allowed to follow, so they obviously had to return.

Jasmine had also parted ways with Azriel, as she was now the student council president and had various duties to attend to.

Fortunately, someone from the academy had been waiting for Nol and Azriel at the gate, leading them to the room they were currently in while they awaited their turn for the exam.

Although the academy claimed that everyone was treated equally, the children of the Four Great Clans inevitably received special treatment.

Azriel's status as a prince meant that certain privileges were afforded to him that others wouldn't normally get.

The same was true for the other children of the Great Clans.

He was lucky.

Walking through the corridors to this room had been exhausting, with all the burning gazes directed at him.

Even the person leading him and Nol had that same look but had to restrain themselves.

Azriel had too much on his mind, particularly the upcoming Void Dungeon incident, to focus much on his appearance or other trivial matters.

Still, he had to maintain some semblance of his princely demeanor, which was draining.

He was just glad no one had approached him... yet.

'I wonder if he's already here...'

If he went outside the room, he might run into the protagonist or another main character.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't curious about meeting them.

Who wouldn't be?

Seeing the characters he'd read about for so long, now alive, living and breathing in the same academy as him—it was only natural to feel intrigued.

Azriel opened his eyes and looked over at Nol, who was staring at him blankly.

"Is something the matter, Master?"

Azriel smiled wryly.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me 'Master'?"

"Eh? You know that's impossible. You are my Master, after all."

Nol shook his head dramatically, refusing to abandon the title.

"Haa... Seriously, you're too serious."

'Not that it's a bad thing to have someone as loyal as Nol by my side.'

"Nol."

Azriel said suddenly, his tone more serious.

Nol immediately stopped smiling and straightened his posture.

"Is something wrong, Master?"

"...How does it feel to live on Earth?"

Nol tilted his head slightly, seemingly deep in thought.

"Well... I haven't really seen much yet, except for Master's home, but..."

A wide smile appeared on his face.

"I love it. Especially the food on Earth! In White Haven, you'd never feel hungry, not needing food at all, but gods, was that a curse instead of a blessing!"

Azriel nodded, understanding Nol's enthusiasm.

'He's right... the food in this world is to die for.'

"I want to try all kinds of different dishes Earth has to offer!"

Nol's excitement was palpable, and he was already drooling at the thought.

Azriel found himself smiling unconsciously at Nol's behavior, but his smile faded as he spoke his next words.

"You know that following my plan might mean you never get to eat anything else. You might... die."

Nol stiffened at Azriel's words, his face turning serious as he looked Azriel directly in the eyes.

"Master... if it wasn't for you, I would never have come to know the divine blessing the gods have given us—something that could make me cry out of sheer pleasure: food."

His gaze was unwavering, filled with pure honesty and loyalty.

A small smile crept onto Nol's face.

"My life was given by you, and so it would only be right if I die for you."

Hearing such heartfelt words of loyalty and admiration directed toward him, Azriel could only... laugh.

'Ah... I really am lucky.'

"Besides, Master..."

Nol wasn't finished.

"My knowledge of this world might be akin to that of a child, but I can say for certain that I am not afraid to die... and I never will be."

Before Azriel could respond to Nol's statement, a knock came from the door, which opened with a creak.

"Prince Azriel, Sir Nol."

The same person who had led them to the room earlier was standing there.

He bowed slightly.

"The exam is about to begin. Please follow me."

Azriel stood up and began walking toward him, with Nol close behind.

The staff member, who wasn't wearing a student uniform, indicated that he was likely an instructor or had another role within the academy.

As the staff member turned and began walking ahead of them, Azriel spoke quietly, just loud enough for Nol to hear.

"Hey, Nol."

Nol kept walking but looked over at Azriel, who had a genuine smile on his face—a rare sight since their time together on Earth.

"Once all of this is over... let's go have a buffet together, shall we?"

Nol's face lit up with delight.

"I can't wait!"

*****

"Seems like we have a lot of lively children this year."

Instructor Salvator chuckled as he took the last seat at the end of the large white marble table, joining the others.

Three other instructors were already seated at the table.

To Salvator's left was Instructor Solomon, who sat with his eyes closed, a smirk playing on his lips as he leaned back in his chair, feet propped up on the table.

Next to Solomon, seated in the middle of the other instructors, was a strikingly beautiful woman with obsidian-black hair.

Her posture was upright, and her pink eyes were focused intently on the closed door leading to the hall where the students waited for their turn.

The aura around her was so intense that only Solomon dared to sit close to her without showing discomfort.

She was the headmistress of the academy—Freya Selene.

It wasn't that it was impossible to sit closer to her; it was just that the other instructors in the room preferred not to.

Each one of them held significant positions within the academy, but Freya's presence commanded a different level of respect.

"Ranni, give me the documents."

Freya suddenly spoke, her voice cutting through the room.

Instructor Ranni nodded and passed the documents to Freya.

"These should be all the students for this year who take priority."

Ranni added with a bored expression as Freya glanced over the papers.

There were only three names on the list.

"Azriel Crimson, Celestina Frost, and... oh?"

Freya's eyebrows rose slightly as she read the last name.

"Yes, it looks like his daughter is joining us as well this year."

Instructor Juliet chimed in with a small smile.

"Anastasia..."

Freya murmured, rolling the name on her tongue.

It would be a lie to say Freya wasn't intrigued by Anastasia.

Anyone would be if they knew who her father was.

'So, the daughter of Sylius Gale will be attending the academy as well, huh?'

Everyone in the room was aware of Anastasia connection to Sylius Gale.

In fact, they also knew that the so-called strongest saint was using a fake name.

Sylius Gale didn't truly exist; it was an alias, a disguise known only to a select few. Anastasia connection to her father was a well-guarded secret.

'To think we would have three priority students this year.'

It had already been a surprise to have two last year, Jasmine and Caleus, but this year...

'Time is finally about to move forward again.'

A small smile appeared on Freya's usually impassive face, causing the other instructors, except for Solomon, to look at her with wide-eyed surprise.

"We shall begin the exam, moving alphabetically, starting with the priority students."

Freya announced.

"Bring Azriel Crimson in."

The moment she spoke, Solomon's eyes snapped open, and his smirk widened.

"Finally!"