Happy Birthday
Stopping a little distance ahead of him, Solomon looked at Azriel with the same mischievous eyes he always had.
Ragnar, on the other hand, didn't spare a single glance at him as his ice-blue eyes swept through the training ground.
The moment the soldiers met Ragnar's gaze, it felt like a cold bucket of water had been poured over them, snapping them out of their shock.
"I greet Lord Ragnar and Saint Solomon!"
All the soldiers straightened their backs, hitting their right fists against their chests before bowing their heads down.
'Did I just hear someone's bone crack?'
As Azriel thought this, Ragnar's voice cut through the air, sending shivers down his spine.
"Leave. Now."
The moment he spoke those words, the soldiers broke into a run, hurriedly clearing the training ground, leaving only Azriel, Ragnar, and Solomon, who watched everything with an amused smile.
The air around them grew awkward as Ragnar finally looked at Azriel without saying anything, his expression unreadable.
'The hell is this...'
Unable to bear the atmosphere any longer, Azriel gazed straight into Ragnar's eyes, trying to smile.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Uncle Ragnar."
He tried to lighten the mood, but Ragnar's intense stare felt like he was peering into Azriel's soul.
'Was the joke too soon?'
Sensing the tension, Solomon chuckled and spoke up.
"See! Told you he's become much livelier."
Ragnar hummed in response to Solomon as he suddenly walked closer to Azriel, making him tense up.
'Solomon convinced him that I'm not a skinwalker, right?'
Panicking inwardly at the thought that Solomon might have failed to convince Ragnar, Azriel was prepared to make a run for it—if that would have even worked.
But then...
'Huh?'
Azriel exclaimed, bewildered, as Ragnar suddenly placed both hands on his shoulders.
"It really is you, huh? To think you were actually alive all this time," Ragnar said softly, with a small smile on his face as he gazed at Azriel.
"Yeah..."
That was all Azriel could manage to say at the sudden turn of events.
He sighed with relief, realizing his fears were unfounded.
"Dying like that would have been too boring for someone like him anyway," Solomon chimed in from behind.
Ignoring Solomon's words, Ragnar spoke to Azriel again as he turned around and started walking away.
"Come. We should go somewhere more comfortable since we have a lot to talk about."
******
Azriel sat behind a table, gazing questioningly at the plate filled with rice and fried chicken in front of him. Ragnar and Solomon were sitting on the other sides of the table, looking at him.
"I thought you must be hungry after everything that happened, so I asked them to prepare something. Unfortunately, there wasn't really anything better to serve here," Ragnar said, dispelling Azriel's slight confusion.
'Anything better?'
Azriel thought as he tried not to drool.
He hadn't realized how hungry he actually was after everything that had happened.
Not only that, he couldn't even remember the last time he had eaten something properly in his previous life since his family had died.
"You don't need to worry, Uncle Ragnar. This is plenty."
Saying that, he took the spoon and tasted a bit of the dish.
"Delicious..."
It was honestly perhaps the tastiest food he had ever eaten in his life. The food assaulted his taste buds, making his eyes almost tear up.
'Haha, and here I always used to complain to Mom for making something so simple...'
Azriel thought bitterly, recalling memories from his previous life, how he used to fight with his mom about eating rice and chicken.
'I really was an ungrateful brat to them...'
"Personally, I prefer the juicy meat of those void creatures, especially after you grill them. Gods! Azriel, have you ever tasted a dark basilisk? You would die eating them—figuratively and literally!" Solomon exclaimed excitedly, as Ragnar glared at him, annoyed.
"Haha, I haven't had the chance to encounter a dark basilisk yet, though I'm not sure if I'm really eager to either," Azriel said nervously with a chuckle.
'I swear, his brain needs to be researched.'
'Though I have [Redo], so I could technically eat them even if I die.'
Azriel shook his head to dispel the weird ideas he was starting to get because of Solomon and continued munching on his food happily.
Before he even knew it, Azriel was done eating, feeling slightly disappointed.
"You want more?" Ragnar asked, noticing his expression, but Azriel shook his head.
"There is no need. This was plenty."
Ragnar hummed as he leaned back in his chair, while Solomon sipped a glass of wine that he seemingly produced from nowhere. His eyes were closed, his usual serene smile on his peaceful face.
'I swear, the way he acts so carefree makes me forget that he is an actual saint.'
Sighing, Azriel decided to ask the question he knew everyone was waiting for him to voice.
"How are they... my family, I mean?"
The moment he spoke, Solomon opened his eyes, his expression turning sour.
"Suffocating. What else?" Solomon said bitterly, making Azriel confused. Luckily, Ragnar elaborated.
"They're all doing fine, at least physically. But being in the Crimson Estate just feels suffocating ever since you... died."
"Your sister has barely left the academy and spends all her time training until she collapses. Your father distracts himself with work, blaming himself for your death, thinking he failed you as a father."
"As for your mother... she barely leaves her room unless she's eating with Joaquin."
Azriel's heart ached hearing about the state of his family, the damage his death had caused.
'And there's no way to contact them right now...'
"Well, it shows just how much they actually cared for you," Solomon said, trying to cheer him up.
Azriel just shook his head and responded, his voice bitter.
"...I am unworthy of their love."
Not just theirs, but also that of his previous family as Leo Karumi. What had he really done to make any of his families proud?
Nothing.
"That doesn't matter," Ragnar suddenly spoke up, his voice becoming stern.
"Whether you think you are worthy or not of their love doesn't change the fact that they love you. Trust me, no matter what you do, your parents will always love you. I would know since I am a parent myself, after all."
"I mean, look at Celestina, my little princess—"
"Alright, alright! Please stop talking. I don't want to sit here listening to you ramble about your daughter for five hours straight again!" Solomon suddenly shouted, glaring at Ragnar, who coughed and looked away awkwardly.
"Right, I got sidetracked. Apologies."
Seeing their banter, Azriel's mood lifted a little as he tried to suppress a chuckle.
'They are certainly close.'
'But Celestina Frost, huh...'
He obviously knew who she was.
Celestina Frost was, after all, one of the main characters who was part of the protagonist's harem, just like his sister.
He only had his knowledge from the book since, as the previous Azriel, the most he did was exchange small greetings with her when he attended a banquet or something similar.
'Honestly, out of all the heroines, I liked her the most...'
She was probably, apart from Jasmine, the strongest heroine in the protagonist's harem. She was strong, smart, useful, and...
'Extremely beautiful,' Azriel thought, recalling the few times he had met her.
"Oh right! I totally forgot, since you decided to be the gift itself," Solomon suddenly said, making Ragnar and Azriel look at him confused.
'Gift itself?'
"It's already 00:48 as well, damn," Solomon added.
"What are you talking about?" Ragnar asked. Solomon chuckled before responding.
"Ha! Glad to see I'm not the only one who forgot. Have you forgotten what day just passed?"
The moment he said that, Ragnar's eyes widened, his usual unreadable face riddled with shock before it returned to normal.
A sigh escaped his lips.
"Of course I would forget as well..."
Solomon turned towards Azriel, meeting his eyes directly.
"Happy late birthday, Azriel," he said with a big smile.
"Mm, happy birthday. Sorry that we forgot," Ragnar also added.
Azriel kept blinking at them for a few seconds before he finally spoke...
"My what now?"