Chapter 356: Apple, Chocolate, Strawberry

"If you keep lying like this, little brother, your clothes will wrinkle."

Lying on top of his bed with his face buried in his pillow, Azriel merely hummed. A flask rested loosely in his left hand. A Desert Eagle hung loosely from his right.

"If someone else, like a maid, walked in right now, they might mistake this for a suicide scene..."

Jasmine muttered under her breath.

Her eyes narrowed in worry as she stared at his neck. There were clear scratch marks there, raw and red, with dried blood staining his skin and seeping into the pillowcase.

"Did you recharge your gun?"

"Mhm."

"And you regenerated your mana with the flask?"

"Mhm..."

"...Was that really smart, considering you have mana core syndrome?"

"I’m not feeling feverish, so it’s okay," Azriel mumbled into the sheets.

But Jasmine’s expression stayed dark.

"How many times did you drink after recharging your mana?"

"...Just a few more sips. I’m not drunk... so you don’t need to worry about me causing trouble..."

"That wasn’t what I was worried about."

Her gaze stayed fixed on the scratch marks at his throat.

"Celestina will be here soon. We’ll be going with her and Nol to dinner, but she can heal your wound before then..."

At Jasmine’s words, the Desert Eagle vanished from his hand. He placed his now-free hand over his neck, covering the wound.

Jasmine sniffed the air. Beneath the faint bite of alcohol, there was another scent, warmer, almost nostalgic—hot chocolate... seeping from the flask.

"Did you have another one of those episodes...?"

Of course Jasmine knew. She didn’t know how many times Azriel had gone through them since they entered this spell, but she knew about the episodes. She knew because Azriel had told her.

This time, though, he stayed silent, and a quiet sigh escaped her lips.

"...Azriel."

She called his name suddenly, and he turned his head quickly, blinking up at her in surprise. Before he could say anything, Jasmine spoke again, her tone grave.

"I really think you should quit drinking from that flask."

Azriel’s eyes flickered with confusion, and Jasmine elaborated.

"I can smell chocolate milk from it."

Azriel’s brows knit together. He lifted the flask to his nose and sniffed.

"...I don’t really smell any hint of milk or chocolate. Only apple juice. Are you sure this isn’t just one of your cravings? Perhaps it’s been so long you’re starting to become delusional, Sister..."

Whether he was joking or half-serious, Jasmine still stared at the flask warily.

"...You can smell apple juice, which is your favorite drink, while chocolate milk is mine. And every time you get these episodes, the only way to make them go away is when you drink from that flask..."

The more he listened, the more Azriel’s expression shifted, a slow realization settling in.

"Oh..."

He looked down at the flask in his hand, his gaze turning curious.

"Huh... so that’s why it’s called [Crazy Flask]. Making me so addicted that I’ll practically go crazy without it. Talk about literal."

Azriel smiled faintly.

"This is no joking matter..."

But Jasmine didn’t return the smile. Azriel sighed and looked at her with a softer expression.

"It’s not like I can quit now, not while in this scenario. I need to keep creating these mana-charged bullets in case we need them... which we probably will."

"I know, but... I’m afraid the longer you drink from it, the harder it’ll be to quit."

"You don’t need to be scared. I’ll quit immediately after this scenario, and if there are any side effects, we can use our clan’s resources to detox me. It’s not like I’m addicted to alcohol like you, Sister."

"...Still, you are my little brother. It’s precisely because I’m aware of my flaws that I don’t want you to get them. Why else do you think I left that note back at the academy, when you and Saint Solomon were drunk after becoming the apex of the first years?"

"Oh? So that’s why you left that note..."

Azriel recalled it, but it felt like the truth behind it had only now come to light.

"I understand. But just trust me, okay? We’ve got bigger issues to deal with than my potential addiction."

"I don’t really think that’s a wis—"

Before Jasmine could finish, a knock came from the door, cutting her off.

"It’s me. May I come in?"

Celestina had arrived.

Jasmine gave him a look that screamed they would talk about this later. Azriel rubbed the back of his neck with a wry smile as he got up.

"Yeah, come in."

The door opened and Celestina stepped inside, wearing a modest yet beautiful dress that suited her perfectly.

"Are you guys ready?" she asked, a soft-hearted smile on her face.

"Not yet. We’re waiting for Nol and Sir Felix."

"Oh, right. I met Nol on my way here. He said he wasn’t feeling well, so he wouldn’t be joining us today."

Jasmine frowned.

"...That’s unusual of Nol."

Celestina nodded.

"He did look pale. I offered to heal him, but he claimed to have no injuries and said he was just feeling homesick. Sir Henrik is escorting him to his room."

’The Frost Knight... Sir Henrik is here, huh? I’d almost forgotten about that,’

Azriel thought.

Pressing her lips together, Jasmine lowered her gaze.

"The sooner we finish this scenario, the better it will be for all of us."

"I can agree to that."

Celestina nodded again, though this time a troubled expression clouded her face.

"Still... is it really a smart idea for us to go together?"

Jasmine’s expression brightened as she nodded without hesitation.

"Of course. Aside from Nol, everyone who is in this room right now is all I care about. So we’re going to be working together, no matter what is said at that dinner, to get out of this scenario. And if they see two great clans working together, we’ll have more influence and support. Lioren will have less, and he’ll be forced to take all of us much more seriously before making his decisions."

"Oh, I’m sure Lioren already takes you plenty seriously, dear sister..."

Azriel joked, earning himself a sharp scowl when Jasmine turned around.

Celestina tilted her head, confused.

"What do you mean by—"

She stopped mid-sentence as her eyes fell on the blood on the bed and on Azriel’s neck, almost staining his clothes.

"What happened? Why are you wounded?"

Azriel shrugged lightly. Then his shoulders visibly slumped, and he cast his gaze down with a sad look.

"My sister is not as kind as you’d think..." he murmured.

Celestina’s eyes widened as she turned to Jasmine.

"You, out of all people, harmed Azriel? Your little brother? Really?"

She looked utterly incredulous, while Jasmine ground her teeth.

"Of course I didn’t! He’s joking!"

She glared at Azriel.

"He did that—"

But she suddenly clamped her mouth shut and looked away with an annoyed click of her tongue.

Azriel wanted to tease her more but was afraid of getting the bed burned—or worse, his face.

"You can tell her why. I don’t mind."

Jasmine looked at him in surprise, blinking.

"...Really?"

"Yeah."

Hesitating for a moment, she eventually explained the situation to Celestina, who was already moving closer to Azriel. He sat on the bed and tilted his head slightly, exposing his neck. Celestina hovered her hand above the wound, and a soft white light began to glow from her palm, healing it at a visible pace.

As she listened and pieced everything together, the surprise on her face only grew. When she finished healing him, she pulled her hand back and looked at Azriel with curiosity.

"Can I see it?"

Azriel nodded and summoned the [Crazy Flask], handing it to her.

Curiously, she examined the flask like it was some priceless artifact, her eyes laser-focused on every detail. At last she opened it and took a careful sniff. Her eyelids fluttered a few times in mild surprise.

"Strawberry milk..."

’Strawberry milk?’

Azriel repeated in his mind.

Well, he had certainly learned something new today—something that hadn’t been in the book. So Celestina likes strawberry milk.

"Here. Thank you. Be careful with it, though."

Celestina handed the flask back, and while there wasn’t a hint of worry on her face, the warning in her voice was clear.

"I will."

"Yeah, right," Jasmine muttered.

Azriel heard her and saw her roll her eyes, making his lips twitch.

"Oh, right..." Suddenly, Azriel remembered something.

"Since we’re still waiting for our knights—who are as good as useless if they can’t even protect their masters—why don’t you ask me that question you still had last time, Celestina?"

He still wasn’t sure if they could still be called friends, but he spoke to her without any title and casually.

Celestina looked hesitant.

"Well... I think we can find another appropriate moment to discuss that..."

"It’s not like we’re going to be too busy trying to get out of this scenario with the potential of dying soon," he said dryly.

"Don’t say that," Jasmine admonished, while Celestina closed her eyes briefly and sighed.

"You’re right, I guess."

When she opened her eyes again, she looked at Azriel much more seriously. Her voice was calm, emotionless on the surface, but there was weight behind every word.

"Back at the containment facility... I understand that it was a game to you and to Lioren. But I still cannot figure out why a certain someone was there, or what he had to do with you two—or, more precisely, with me. So I want to ask if you have any idea."

She then took something from her storage ring and handed it to him.

"This is something he left for me, inside the mouth of Mister Edge, who was gruesomely tortured and killed, when we were fighting inside the containment facility."

Azriel looked at the note but didn’t show much of a reaction.

’Huh. So he thought Celestina was aware of him going to be there, and that’s why she brought me along to counter him? Well, that’s too bad a guess for him. She was unaware... but I wasn’t.’

The containment facility had a lot of hidden plot points in the book Azriel had read, so of course he knew about the key players who were actually responsible for the incident.

Because Lumine and Celestina wouldn’t have been able to take down the Black Antlered King and the Abyssal without causing much more damage and death. The fight would have escalated outside the facility and taken the lives of many innocents.

"Let me see."

Jasmine came to Azriel’s other side, and he handed her the letter without complaint.

"’J’? Who is J?"

"...There is video footage," Celestina said quietly.

"It showed the part where Mister Edge was tortured and killed... and the person who did it."

Her face visibly darkened as tension settled over her features.

"He is known as someone equally terrifying as the Overseer of the underground world. The greatest murderer there is. The king of assassins—The Jester."

"...!"

Jasmine’s eyes went wide in horror.

"Don’t tell me... that madman is coming after you!?"

Celestina gave a heavy nod.

"I think that seems to be the case. But to be sure, I had to ask you..."

She looked at Azriel again.

"I can’t tell if the Jester was also part of the game you and Lioren were playing while using me, or if he is someone outside of it and truly after my life for some other reason."

Despite the bombshell she had dropped, Azriel looked utterly unfazed.

The king of assassins—a terrifying entity known to never fail, whether in broad daylight or at night. Someone feared even in the underground world. Someone rumored to be equal to the Overseer—the Overseer who was the king of the underground world and so mysterious and frightening that not even the great kings, the Church, or the government dared to go after him.

...And that someone was after the current heiress of the great Frost Clan.

"That’s a difficult question to answer, honestly..."

"What do you mean?" Celestina asked.

Azriel sighed, got up, and walked a few steps away before turning back to face them. The two girls sat on the bed, watching him seriously. He gave them an amused smile.

"Well, the thing you really need to know is... yes. The Jester is after your life, Celestina."

Both girls’ eyes widened.

"Shit..." Jasmine cursed under her breath.

"Did you tell Uncle?"

Celestina, her expression dark, shook her head.

"Not yet... Not until I was sure. It’s not something I can just drop on him without definite proof. But Sir Henrik knows, and he said that if I didn’t tell him after the auction, he would. I was planning to ask Azriel then, but I never really got the chance until now..."

Jasmine groaned.

"This is bad... really bad. They say he has never failed... and now he’s coming after you? Why would he...?"

"I really don’t know..." Celestina replied.

Azriel could see how nervous she was. She wasn’t even trying to hide it; she was too busy feeling it.

Clenching her fists, Celestina looked at him.

"If you know he’s after me... do you know any information that might help? I understand that you’ll want to be compensated, so please name your price."

Azriel’s amused smile returned as he glanced briefly at Jasmine.

’She really cares about her a lot, huh...’

"No."

Azriel’s answer made both of them freeze, faces going pale.

"N-No?" Celestina repeated, then bit her lip and looked down with a hollow little smile.

"I see... I understand. Thank you for confirming my question, though."

Jasmine glared at Azriel with enough force to set him on fire, while Azriel looked back at her with the same calm expression.

"No. I won’t ask for any compensation."

"Huh?"

"Huh?"

Both of them stared at him, stunned, like they were trying to process whether they’d heard correctly.

Azriel’s amused smile softened.

"I won’t ask for compensation from you when you’ve healed me so many times without asking for anything in return. And besides..."

He glanced at Jasmine, his voice growing a bit quieter.

"I guess I’m in a better mood these days..."

"Little brother..." Jasmine whispered.

Looking at him with wide, hopeful eyes, Celestina leaned forward slightly.

"So... you’ll tell me information about the Jester? You actually have some on him? How? N-No, I’m just thankful for whatever you can give."

"I’ll do you better than just some scraps."

Celestina looked at him in confusion, but Azriel’s smile turned amused again.

"The king of assassins, the Jester... is actually inside this very estate."

"—!!"

Both girls shot to their feet, eyes wide. Before they could say anything, Azriel dropped the biggest bombshell yet—well, besides anything that had to do with him, of course.

"And his name is... Caleus Nebula."