“You should have more confidence in yourself. Walk with a straight posture—seriously, you’ll ruin your back like this.”
Azriel’s voice carried a faint trace of exasperation as Curtis immediately straightened his posture. The boy’s attempt to follow the instruction was stiff and awkward, making Azriel sigh as he shook his head.
“Curtis, relax your shoulders. Puff your chest out a bit more.”
“L-Like this, Your Highness?” Curtis asked, his movements painfully rigid.
Azriel patted his shoulder in resignation. empire
“Never mind. Just walk how you’re comfortable.”
Curtis deflated like a balloon, hunching over again as he resumed his walk. Azriel suppressed his disappointment and watched him silently.
Ever since they began their search for the void creatures, Curtis had seemed overly cautious around him. It wasn’t surprising—Curtis was timid by nature—but Azriel couldn’t help but feel uneasy about it. For someone who had boldly raised his hand in history class, this level of apprehension was… odd.
Azriel wasn’t bothered by others being wary of him, so long as they didn’t show it in his presence. But if they were to work as a team, Curtis needed to feel at least a little more at ease.
“Your Highness, you’re much kinder than I expected…” Curtis mumbled under his breath.
“Hm?” Azriel raised a brow, glancing at him in mild surprise.
‘Am I seen as some kind of villainous prince?’
The notion was rude, if not amusing.
Noticing Azriel’s confusion, Curtis hurried to explain.
“I-I mean, I thought you didn’t want to get involved with… normal people like us. Maybe we’re just not worthy of your attention.”
Azriel blinked, Curtis’s words deepening his confusion.
“What do you mean by ‘normal people’? I’m not some alien from another world, you know.”
…Okay, technically, maybe he was. But they were all human, weren’t they?
Curtis hesitated, then fumbled with his words.
“Well, with all the rumors about you—especially the good ones—it sometimes feels like you’re not like us. But maybe I’m just overreacting…?”
Azriel chuckled at the response.
“You and everyone else are. Most of those rumors are exaggerated. Even the true ones make it sound like I accomplished everything alone. For example, stopping Neo Genesis’s plans was only possible because others helped. Without them, I’d probably be dead by now.”
Curtis’s eyes lit up with admiration.
“That’s even more amazing, Your Highness! Knowing you could have died any moment but still putting yourself in front of everyone’s blades—you’re so kind and brave!”
Azriel froze, caught off guard by the sudden enthusiasm.
‘Wait… This kid isn’t afraid of me, is he?’
The realization struck him. Curtis wasn’t cautious or distant out of fear—he was idolizing him.
‘Those eyes… He looks like a fan staring at their favorite celebrity.’
Azriel’s discomfort only grew. How was he supposed to treat someone who looked at him like this? Averting his gaze, he turned to Celestina, who had walked up beside him with a mischievous smile.
“You’ve got yourself a little fan,” she teased, hiding a giggle behind her hand. “The way he’s looking at you is adorable.”
Azriel groaned and leaned closer to her, whispering, “Help me out here. How am I supposed to handle this? It’s… uncomfortable.”
Her lips curled in amusement.
“You better get used to it, Azriel. You’ve got a fan club now. Boys and girls alike are lining up outside the academy gates just to catch a glimpse of you.”
He blinked, dumbfounded.
“A fan club?”
She nodded.
“It’s true. Though you probably didn’t see them since you arrived so early today. Trust me, they’re there.”
Azriel scratched the back of his head, muttering, “Looks like the public is finally starting to recognize me as an actual prince.”
Celestina chuckled.
“Just don’t forget about me when you become too famous, Prince Azriel Crimson.”
Rolling his eyes, he retorted, “How funny of you, Princess Celestina Frost.”
The forest remained eerily quiet as they walked, neither void creatures nor other teams crossing their path. Curtis had shifted his attention to Lyra and Isolde, who walked ahead. Azriel allowed himself a small sigh of relief.
“You’ll probably get more engagement offers now, too,” Celestina remarked casually. “Who knows, maybe one of those girls will catch your eye. Or are you still aiming for me?”
Azriel glanced at her, slightly startled. Her tone was genuine—she was simply curious.
‘Right… I did say I was trying to win her over.’
He stopped walking, prompting her to do the same. The others turned back, confused by the sudden halt.
Azriel hesitated before speaking, his expression conflicted.
“I shouldn’t have said those things. Especially since I don’t even feel that way about you. It was wrong of me to play with your feelings for my own selfish reasons. I’m sorry.”
Celestina’s expression froze in surprise as she stared at Azriel, her eyes wide. After a moment, her face relaxed, but she looked up at him, anxiety clear in her eyes.
“We… We’re still friends, right? Or was that just part of your plan to try and win my heart?”
Azriel shook his head quickly, waving his hands in denial.
“No, I genuinely wanted to be friends with you. There was no ulterior motive behind that.”
Her expression softened into a warm smile.
“Then I forgive you… if you help me buy snacks for Iryndra tonight.”
Azriel blinked, then let out a wry laugh.
“If that’s what it takes.”
“….”
“I feel like we’re overhearing something we shouldn’t,” Lyra whispered.
“To think there was drama between the Frost Princess and the Crimson Prince,” Isolde added, smirking.
“A-as expected of His Highness,” Curtis chimed in, starry-eyed. “Even the Frost Princess couldn’t resist his charms..!”
Despite their whispered conversation, Azriel and Celestina clearly heard every word.
A mischievous idea popped into Azriel’s mind, and a sly smirk tugged at his lips.
Celestina caught the look and immediately felt a sense of dread. She could already tell this wouldn’t end well. Her suspicions were confirmed when Azriel opened his mouth.
“Speaking of drama, did you know that at the last Christmas banquet, I told Celest—Mmfpf!”
“That’s enough!”
Celestina was on her toes in an instant, clamping her hands over his mouth. Her glare was fierce, but it couldn’t mask the blush creeping up her neck. The tips of her ears burned a vivid red.
Azriel’s smirk was hidden now, but the mischievous glint in his eyes betrayed him. He didn’t even try to pretend innocence.
After a few seconds of glaring, Celestina hesitated. She narrowed her eyes, watching him carefully as he raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.
“Fine,” she muttered warily, stepping back and letting him go.
The moment she did, his smirk returned in full force.
“…For someone who just asked for my forgiveness a few minutes ago, you really have a talent for making me regret being so forgiving.”
Azriel could see that, unlike him, Celestina didn’t take his attempts to make her fall for him too seriously. However, that didn’t mean Azriel was comfortable with it. He didn’t want to play with someone’s feelings without any genuine reason.
Despite Celestina not taking it to heart, Azriel’s earlier sincerity still made her accept his apology. But now…
What a hateful prince!
“Sorry, sorry. That was the last time, I promise. I won’t bring up your “dark” history again.”
Celestina’s face darkened, especially with the intense gazes of Curtis, Isolde, and Lyra now fixed on her. They were curious—far too curious. Who knew what rumors might start spreading?
But before Celestina could speak, she narrowed her eyes and spun around quickly.
The others instantly became alert, their faces turning serious.
Azriel’s gaze sharpened as well, though his lips curled into something more intrigued than alarmed.
The ground began to tremble, faint vibrations crawling beneath their feet. The trees around them swayed violently, their red and yellow leaves fluttering to the ground like dying embers.
Azriel didn’t have to wait long before something emerged in his vision.
No, not just his vision—every cadet of his team saw them.
Two shapes loomed before Azriel’s eyes. One stood in front of Celestina. And another pair before Curtis, Isolde, and Lyra.
The first void creature confronting Azriel floated in the air, its massive wings carrying it above the treetops. It gazed down at him with a disturbing stillness. The worst part was the unnatural grace of its flight—each flap of its bat-like wings was so smooth, it barely made a sound. Its elongated skull ended in serrated, beak-like jaws filled with needle-thin teeth. Hollow, glassy eyes locked onto Azriel, seeming to pierce straight through him.
The creature was at least twice his size.
‘A Nightstrider Hawk,’ Azriel thought.
‘It reminds me of that dinosaur—what was it called again? Petrol… Ptrelo… ah, no. A Pterosaur.’
Killing it would earn him only 5 points.
Lowering his gaze, Azriel looked at the second void creature. It was advancing toward him on all fours, its movements eerily silent despite the tremors.
Its hulking frame rippled with corded muscle, patches of dark fur slicked and matted. Long arms ended in jagged claws, each capable of shredding through stone. Its yellow eyes glowed faintly, filled with a primal, unsettling intelligence. Its face twisted into a sneer—a disturbingly human-like expression of disdain.
‘Isn’t it just some sort of gorilla?’
An Ebonclimber.
An extremely ugly gorilla.
Azriel sneered back at it.
“…!”
The creature froze mid-step. Its lips curled downward into an angry frown as it locked eyes with him.
‘Heh. Yeah, fuck you too.’
Killing that thing alone would give Azriel and his team the 20 points they needed to pass this test.
He shifted his attention to Celestina. She was staring up at the source of the tremors—a void creature towering over everything around it, except the Nightstrider Hawk.
Its jagged, monstrous form seemed to mock the human shape. A single, oversized eye glared from its misshapen head, radiating nothing but pure rage. Crystals erupted from its flesh, some faintly glowing, others as sharp as razors. Its lumbering gait left deep cracks in the ground beneath it with every step.
A Shardling Giant.
Fifteen points for that one.
Finally, Azriel glanced toward Curtis, Isolde, and Lyra. They were pale as they stared at what loomed before them.
Its sleek, black carapace absorbed what little sunlight filtered through the trees. Long, jagged pincers clicked rhythmically, and its segmented tail arched high, ending in a crystalline stinger that shimmered ominously.
A Void Scorpion.
But not just one.
Standing beside it was another Void Scorpion, identical in form and just as menacing.
Killing both would net the team 10 points in total.
The trio took hesitant steps back, their faces drawn tight with fear. Celestina mirrored their movements, retreating cautiously.
Azriel, however, remained rooted in place.
‘Ah, I see. The Void Scorpions are Grade 2 beasts. The Nightstrider Hawk is also a Grade 2 beast, while the Shardling Giant is a Grade 1 beast. But…’
His gaze sharpened even further, narrowing on the Ebonclimber. It had come to a stop, but now it turned its head toward the Nightstrider Hawk. The bird flapped its wings, descending gracefully before landing beside the gorilla-like creature.
‘What the fuck…?’
Azriel’s eyes widened as he realized the truth. His focus shifted to the mana core within the Ebonclimber.
It wasn’t just any mana core.
It was a level 3 mana core.
…It was a Grade 3 demon.