EULE 48

Chapter 48

Sensing Jaeyllin’s presence, Lionel lifted his head and set down the pen in his hand.

“You’re here?”

“Ah, h-hello, s-senior.”

Because she didn’t want to keep Lionel waiting, Jaeyllin had run all the way to the library, and her breathing was a complete mess.

Only after arriving in front of Lionel did Jaeyllin finally manage to steady her breath.

“Did you run all the way here?”

“Y-yes.”

“You could’ve come slowly.”

“N-no, it’s okay. I wanted to come quickly.”

At her words, Lionel’s eyes curved into a gentle smile.

“You must be tired. Sit down.”

Lionel smiled as he gestured toward the seat across from him.

Jaeyllin hesitated before perching on the edge of the chair he had offered, sitting rather awkwardly. She had no idea why Lionel had called her here.

“Um, so… why did you ask me to come to the library?”

At her question, Lionel crossed his arms and leaned slightly toward her.

“Did you forget? We agreed to meet up here and study together whenever we had free time. But ever since midterms, you haven’t come to the library once. I wondered if something had happened.”

“Ah…”

Jaeyllin had assumed that after midterms were over, studying with Lionel at the library was over too.

“Or… is it because you don’t want to study with me anymore?”

There was no way she disliked it. Startled, Jaeyllin frantically shook her head to deny his words.

“N-no! I like it.”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

Lionel smiled down at her. Unable to withstand his warm gaze, Jaeyllin hurriedly pulled out her books and assignments from her bag and laid them on the desk.

Although he had called her here under the pretense of studying, Lionel didn’t seem particularly focused on that.

Instead, he rested his head on the desk and looked up at her.

“I didn’t know you joined a club. Which one did you join?”

“Ah, it’s the a-astronomy club, called ‘Orbital and Dynamic Relations of the Stars.’”

“I know that one. Isn’t Stephan the club president?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

Jaeyllin nodded as she opened her book.

“I’m in the student council.”

“Y-yes, I heard that from Sasha.”

“From Sasha?”

“Yes. She’s in o-our clubroom right now. She said the student council is too crowded and busy.”

“I see. How many members does your club have?”

“Th-three. Stephan, Adrian, and me.”

“Hmm, that’s not many. The clubroom must be quiet.”

“Y-yes. It’s often empty, and I’m alone a lot too.”

“Really? Then I should stop by sometime.”

Lionel smiled faintly.

“Really?”

Jaeyllin’s face lit up at his words, but immediately fell again as she recalled Stephan and Sasha quarreling earlier.

“Ah… Stephan doesn’t like outsiders coming in…”

Come to think of it, Adrian hated it too. She still remembered how he had reacted the first time they met in the clubroom.

He had brusquely said that non-members weren’t allowed inside.

Today, perhaps because he had been completely out of sorts, he had ignored Sasha entering, but normally he would’ve raised hell.

Jaeyllin quietly added,

“Ah, Adrian too.”

“Don’t worry. If I’m just visiting briefly, it won’t be a problem.”

“Still, I think it’d be better if you ask Stephan first, just in case.”

“Mm, alright.”

Seeing how restless Jaeyllin looked, Lionel nodded obediently and stretched as he straightened up.

“Shall we study now? I’ve got a lot to do today. What about you?”

“M-me too.”

Because she had scrapped and redone her previous assignment, Jaeyllin now had to redraw her design from the beginning.

Pulling out a clean sheet of paper, she carefully began sketching again.

Lionel also returned to the assignment he had been working on before she arrived.

By the time Jaeyllin had nearly completed her ice-element barrier design, the bracelet on her wrist buzzed three short times.

It was different from the usual one-time buzz when Stephan messaged her directly.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Murmuring in confusion, she drew Lionel’s attention.

“When it buzzes three times, it means you’ve been officially summoned. That doesn’t happen often. Check the community.”

Jaeyllin quickly opened the community. As soon as the screen appeared, she spotted an official notice pinned to the top.

<Investigation Committee for Alleged Cheating in the Anti-Monster Simulation Midterm>

Complainants: Rowan Archfield and 25 others
Accused: Jaeyllin Britson
Location: Magic Engineering Building, Room 305
Time: Today, 15:30

It has been alleged that Ms. Jaeyllin Britson, a 4th-year student in the Department of Magic Design, engaged in cheating during the Anti-Monster Simulation midterm and thereby obtained an unfairly high score.

Cheating and falsifying results is considered a grave disruption to the Academy’s order and may result in disciplinary action such as suspension or expulsion in accordance with Article 12, Clause 1 of the Academy Code.

The above-mentioned student is therefore required to attend the Investigation Committee today to explain and resolve the suspicions.

Failure to attend may result in immediate disadvantages such as suspension or expulsion. We look forward to your presence at the Committee.

— Pellodian Academy Investigation Committee

Jaeyllin’s face went pale.

Noticing the serious look on her face, Lionel asked with concern,

“What is it? Bad news?”

“T-they’re saying I… cheated on the midterm simulation exam…”

“What?”

“They’re summoning me to the Investigation Committee.”

“I can’t see your community screen. Can you share the message with me?”

Still clumsy with the system, Jaeyllin followed Lionel’s instructions and shared the full notice with him.

Lionel’s brows furrowed slightly as he read.

He remembered how he had seen Jaeyllin preparing for the Anti-Monster simulation test back when they first met here.

She had drawn up the design herself, and he had even helped her a little.

Her approach to magic design was certainly unique, but it wasn’t cheating.

Besides, Lionel had reviewed and analyzed other teams’ exams through the community for his own final prep. He knew very well how Jaeyllin had handled her test.

In fact, it wasn’t surprising this committee was convened.

Jaeyllin’s performance had been remarkable—especially the moment she shot down the Kelastine in one strike, saving Adrian and Nathan. That scene had been unforgettable.

Anyone who had seen the record would have thought the same.

Even Lionel admitted that if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he might not have believed it either.

“Of course they’d think she must have cheated somehow.”

For a mere 4th-year student in the Department of Magic Design, her ability was unbelievable.

“I—I’m really innocent. I never cheated. I didn’t manipulate anything.”

Jaeyllin’s hands were trembling now, her anxiety plain to see.

Though Lionel hadn’t known her long, he could already see through her character.

If nothing else, Jaeyllin wasn’t the type of person who would ever cheat on an exam.

“Don’t worry too much. It’s just a suspicion. All you need to do is attend and prove your innocence.”

“H-how can I prove that? I don’t have anything solid to show…”

“Just like you did with me.”

She lifted her head at his words.

“Remember, when we first met here, you showed me your process. Do it like that. That’s all you need.”

At his reassurance, Jaeyllin’s trembling subsided.

She slowly nodded in understanding.

“Do you still have the diagrams and research notes from midterms?”

“Y-yes, at home.”

“Go and bring everything. Don’t leave out a single thing. Even your failed attempts count as evidence to support your case. The committee starts in one hour, so you don’t have much time.”

“Y-yes.”

“Go, quickly! I’ll clean up here.”

Just before the committee was set to begin, Jaeyllin arrived at the classroom where it was being held.

There was no time to stall; she knew she had to walk through that door immediately. But her heart needed a moment to steady.

She had only received the summons an hour ago.

The notice was one-sided and the time unbearably short. It felt deeply unfair. But she had been told that the rules left little room for the accused: too much time would allow them to fabricate evidence or bribe witnesses.

Still, Jaeyllin couldn’t understand why these suspicions had even been raised. She was innocent.

She hadn’t manipulated anything.

So, just as Senior Lionel said, she had to walk back out of this room without punishment. She must.