Azrael stood up from the floor, shaking his head to wash off the dizziness. "Who says goodbye that way?" He muttered in disbelief.
He stood up and walked towards his bed with mild frustration. From his memory, Dante had always been like that, not caring whether he awakened or not.
He slumped into his bed, back lying flat as he gazed at the ceiling.
The weight of his new life had settled, and he had accepted it.
His gaze shifted to the window. The sight beyond it was the expansive estate of the Malvorin clan.
Demons moved about, each one with grace and power.
Each one of them was a symbol of either potential or power.
Although he could not see much from his position, he saw enough to understand how big the estate was.
A smile formed on his lips as he sat upright.
"System, you were about to give me a package earlier, right?" He asked, a grin spreading across his lips.
From the little bit of novels he had read, he knew that whenever the system gave a gift, it was bound to be very helpful to the host.
[The Host's rewards have been exchanged to cure the host's curse]
The words flashed in his sight, cold and unhinged.
Azrael's eyes shrank. "The fuck was that? Can't you cure the curse as a meeting gift?" Azrael asked with furrowed brows.
[To compensate the host, the gift pack will be given when you gain your first skill.]
Azrael's anger reduced as he heard those words.
"First skill, huh?" He mused, stroking his chin.
"I should visit the library then," he muttered again, standing up from his bed.
With those thoughts, he stood up from his bed, his destination clear: the library.
The reason was simple: the clan was going to provide him with some things for awakening, like skill fruits. Although it was based on how high his core's rank was, though.
The door opened with a soft click.
Calmly, Azrael stepped out, his left hand dipped in the pocket of his trousers.
The maids lining the corridors bowed as he passed them.
He replied with a nod and a smile. Then a thought arose in his mind.
"Follow me," he said to one of the maids.
Without question or hesitation, the maid he called, a young female demon that looked to be in her 20's. Blue hair instead of the signature crimson hair of the Malvorin clan. But her horns were red.
Her steps trailed behind Azrael, following him without uttering a word.
Her position was replaced almost immediately, as if maids had been placed in hiding in case something like that happened.
Azrael turned onto another path as he walked. There was only one door at the end of this place, a huge, imposing silver door.
Before Azrael could even try to push it open, the doors swung wide open on their own, revealing the wide, expansive library.
Shelves stretching far beyond his vision. They were easily taller than any tree he had seen in his previous life, too.
Azrael could not help but widen his eyes as he saw the space.
He was sure it had been expanded magically by maybe a spatial skill.
Because it looked too big, the size of maybe one-third of the entire estate.
And considering the number of buildings in the estate, it felt too unrealistic.
None of the shock showed on his face. He walked through the door, the maid following behind him.
"What is your name?" He suddenly asked.
The maid was caught by surprise. It was common knowledge that none of the direct heirs or even clan members of the Malvorin clan cared about the names of their maids.
There was simply nothing to do with it.
"Clara," she said, masking her disbelief before Azrael got angry.
At least that was what she thought.
Azrael nodded.
"Clara, do you know where the great elder to test me is?" He asked, turning back to meet her gaze.
As their gaze met, Clara's head instinctively dipped low to avoid direct contact with him.
"Look at me," Azrael commanded.
Clara's head almost blew off as she heard those words. Her worldview was shattered like fragile glass from the words of Azrael.
She could not say no; that was disrespect that had no remedy but death.
And looking at a direct heir face-to-face was no different.
She was torn; even if it was Azrael's order, there was no difference.
"Young master Azrael, I am fine this way."
'Whatever,' Azrael thought.
"Do you know where the great elder is?" He repeated.
Clara shook her head. "No, young master."
Azrael sighed.
"Two lost sheep we are," he joked as he walked further.
Right on cue, soft sounds echoed through the hallway of the library.
It was a slender maid. She carried herself towards Azrael with calm.
"Greetings, young master Azrael," she bowed deeply. "Master Alaric has sent me to get you."
Azrael nodded. Obviously, that should be the name of the elder in charge of the library and assessment.
"This way, young master," she bowed before turning deeper into the library.
Azrael followed under her guidance with Clara.
They walked through the towering shelves, the thick smell of paper wafting through the air.
Even though Azrael had been in his fair share of libraries, he was sure none of them had as many books as the ones here.
'No, I am sure this place has more books than the whole of earth combined. I wonder how a person can remember all of the books here.'
But he could also understand the reason for the number of books.
The Malvorin clan had a legacy of millions of years, easily surpassing humanity on Earth.
"Here, young master," she bowed, stopping before a shelf.
Azrael furrowed his brows in confusion.
Seeing the confusion in his eyes, the maid went on to explain.
"The great elder just prefers silence, so he does the assessment in an enclosed space."
"Oh!" Azrael nodded.
The maid pressed a switch that appeared out of nowhere. The shelves began to shift to the left.
It only stopped when there was enough space for a person to pass.
Without hesitation, he walked into the place.
He turned to tell Clara to stay back. But the shelf had long since shut, so silently that he did but hear a sound.
Clara, as expected, was not following him.
"Azrael, you came really quickly for your assessment. Are you that tired of your mundane life?" The words wafted through the air, slowly and gently.