EULE 100

Chapter 100

“Hey, that kid’s just walking off without even listening when someone’s talking to him?”

“Guess he knows once you catch hold of him, there’s no escape.”

“Tch.”

Stefan stuck his lower lip out.

“There really are a lot of academy students today. Probably because everyone’s shopping for what they need before the term starts.”

Adrian leaned crookedly against the marble railing, watching the people passing along the road.

Now that she thought about it, familiar faces were flashing past in Jaeyllin’s view too.

Not people she was close with, but faces she often passed in the academy hallways.

“Oh, right! I need to pay you for the work you did during the break.”

Stefan pulled out his checkbook, filled in some numbers, and handed it to Jaeyllin.

Her eyes went wide as she took the check. The amount was about a third of the festival’s total profit.

It was the remainder after subtracting the cost of the materials Stefan had used to make magic tools.

“S-so much? But I just did what I was going to do over break anyway. I don’t deserve this. It doesn’t even feel like I worked.”

Jaeyllin shook her head and tried to hand the check back, but Stefan was adamant.

“You’re skilled labor. The accounting has to be precise. Later, when I get investment from my brother and sister, I’ll give you more.”

“Are you sure you’re settling things properly?”

“Of course. Who do you think I am? I may not look it, but I’ve got Panteago blood running in my veins. When it comes to money, I’m thorough to the core!”

“And yet you didn’t even put my name in?”

“That’s different. Anyway, I’ll divide everything fairly, so don’t worry at all. And thanks to us, the Panteago family’s going to make a huge profit from the info that low-grade mana stones can be monetized. I’ll make sure to squeeze some of that out for you too.”

“Then what about me? I spent the whole break taking care of you guys at your house.”

“You ate and slept there for free, didn’t you?”

“……”

“But really, will the magic tool market get that big? They bought up all those low-grade mana stones… what if it fails?”

“Then they go bankrupt. It’s got nothing to do with us.”

“S-still…”

Even with talk of his family’s ruin, Stefan looked unconcerned.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. My family won’t fall that easily. Anyway, what did my second brother say? After that briefing you two were whispering secretly.”

“H-he gave me his card. Said to call if I ever needed a lawyer. He even offered to be my exclusive attorney…”

“Huh? Him? Not for our company, but your personal lawyer?”

The finger Stefan had been lazily twirling toward all three of them stopped, pointing directly at Jaeyllin.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I-I don’t know. For starters, he said he’d help with the patent registration. And then…”

Jaeyllin trailed off, fidgeting with her sleeve and glancing at Stefan and Adrian.

“What? What is it? Spit it out. I’m dying of curiosity here.”

“…He asked how the company profits would be split. Said it seemed like a really unfair contract for me and that it’d be better to redo it.”

Adrian sat silently. Stefan’s brother was right.

Honestly, Adrian had only been insisting on having his name included and asking for money to tease Stefan. Compared to Jaeyllin’s contributions, he hadn’t done anything.

Even the capital was just the profit from the festival—a free ride, essentially.

“Whose side is my brother even on? So, are you going to do it?”

“N-no.”

“Why not? He’s strict about things like that. If he said it, it’s for your benefit. And I’m not just saying that because he’s my brother—he’s really skilled at this stuff. He’d never let a puppy like you take a loss.”

“T-the legal fees were too expensive… A-and I’m satisfied with my current shares. Without you and Adrian, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this anyway. I’m not even sure there’s a need to file a patent.”

“Hm. If he said it, there must be a reason. Just think it over more. You’ve still got time, so don’t look at it too negatively.”

“O-okay. I’ll talk with him again then.”

“Still, what a betrayal. He didn’t say a word to me but went straight to you with an offer.”

“S-sorry.”

“No, no. Puppy doesn’t have to apologize. Honestly, I’d have done the same. My brother knows exactly who the most important person here is…”

While Stefan stared off in thought, Jaeyllin spotted a familiar face beyond his shoulder.

“Oh? I-it’s Sasha.”

As soon as she spoke, Stefan jerked his head around, saw Sasha, and quickly yanked down the arm Jaeyllin was raising in greeting. He crouched fast.

“Quick, you guys get down too.”

Confused, Jaeyllin followed his lead and whispered,

“W-why are we avoiding Sasha?”

“Because we still haven’t made up after that fight.”

“Still?”

“Yeah.”

But Stefan’s attempt to avoid her was pointless—Adrian, arms crossed, leisurely waved at Sasha.

Too late, Stefan reached out to stop him, but Sasha had already seen.

“Ugh! What are you doing? Duck down now!”

“What? Afraid I’ll start talking to you?”

Sasha marched up and snapped at Stefan in a blunt voice.

“Gasp!”

Startled, Stefan sucked in a deep breath. Sasha vaulted over the marble railing and plopped into an empty seat.

“You’re not still sulking at me, are you?”

“No way! You think I’m that petty?”

He waved his hands furiously but couldn’t even look her in the eye.

Sasha heaved a sigh.

“Just let it go already. I even apologized to Jaeyllin afterward, you know. Hm?”

“It’s true. S-Sasha apologized and even helped get revenge when someone else bullied me. I’m really fine.”

“Really? Well, then I’ll let it slide too.”

Since Sasha had bent first—and with Jaeyllin on her side—Stefan grudgingly accepted the truce.

Not that his pride seemed hurt; Sasha only chuckled at how cute he was.

“Sasha, i-it’s been a while. Did you have a good break?”

“Of course. I did.”

“D-did you come shopping too?”

“Yeah. Needed some things before classes start, and I was meeting up here with Nathan and Lionel.”

At the sound of Lionel’s name, Jaeyllin flinched.

Thankfully, no one else at the table seemed to notice.

“Oh! I should call Nathan and Lionel over.”

Sasha opened her community interface and summoned them.

“There. They’ll be here soon.”

Jaeyllin wanted to stop her but had no excuse.

Not long after, Nathan arrived first, followed by waiters carrying armfuls of desserts Sasha had ordered.

“Hey, long time no see! How was your break?”

Nathan grinned, tanned dark from the sun.

“G-good. But, Nathan, why… why are you…”

“Oh, this? I tanned on purpose. I spent the break vacationing in southern Cyril. How do I look? Pretty manly, right?”

He flexed his arm toward Jaeyllin.

“Y-yeah. It suits you.”

“Looks more like some sleazy thug to me.”

Adrian, looking the most like a thug himself, threw cold water on the mood, but Nathan didn’t care. Soon after, Lionel arrived as well. Jaeyllin glanced sidelong at him.

Even when she tried not to, her eyes kept drifting back.

Lionel hadn’t changed much from before the break. Jaeyllin lowered her head, repeating quickly in her mind:

I don’t like Senior Lionel anymore. I don’t like Senior Lionel anymore.

“Hey. Been a while, everyone. What were you up to here?”

“We were celebrating something.”

Stefan shook his already-empty champagne glass at Lionel’s question.

“Celebrating? What’s that about?”

“It’s a secret for now.”

Sasha pestered him, but Stefan just shook his head.

“Nope. It’s business. I’ll tell you later.”

At the word business, Sasha dropped it. From then on, the group chattered about how they’d spent their vacation.

Nathan went on about the shining seas and sun of southern Cyril, and the grand nightly parties.

Sasha said she’d had a fun time back in her family’s domain, though she hadn’t slacked on training.

Lionel talked about study and training at his estate, then joining Nathan at the end of the break for social events in southern Cyril.

Stefan bragged about the fun he’d had with Adrian and Jaeyllin at his house.

Since Lionel had arrived, Jaeyllin had grown quieter and quieter.

But with so many people, no one noticed. Even without her, there were plenty of voices.

Especially Stefan, Sasha, and Nathan, who kept up a lively chatter.

Adrian didn’t say much, but whenever he did, his words were sharp enough to flip the conversation on its head.

Jaeyllin silently listened, nibbling on desserts.

She thought she wouldn’t be able to taste anything with Lionel sitting right there, but the patissier’s skill in this upscale café at the heart of the capital was unmistakable—it tasted incredible.

The food and sweets from Stefan’s mansion had been delicious too, but these desserts felt like they came with a fanfare overhead.

Just then, when Jaeyllin reached for the next plate, Lionel’s fork stopped hers. He gently pushed the éclair she’d been about to take to the side.

“This one’s not for you.”