Path of the Extra

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!'