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Chapter 12
Jaylin stood up awkwardly and answered in a voice so small it sounded like a whisper.
“H-here!”
But the man who had been calling Jaylin’s name loud enough to shake the entire cafeteria didn’t seem to hear her. He raised his voice even more.
“Jaylin Brittson! Is there a Jaylin Brittson here?”
A few students grumbled, annoyed by the noise.
“Sorry, sorry. I’m looking for someone.”
Brushing off the students’ complaints with an easygoing smile, the man looked ready to call out again. Before he could, Jaylin, too timid to raise her voice, rushed over to him.
“Oh! You’re Jaylin? Sorry, sorry. I’m super late, aren’t I?”
“It’s fine. I-I just got here too.”
“Really? That’s a relief. Sit down, quick. Since I’m late, I’ll buy the drinks.”
As he moved toward the café counter, the man looked back at Jaylin.
“What do you like?”
Thrown by the abrupt question, Jaylin could only blink and repeat,
“Huh?”
“What kind of drink do you like? Coffee? Tea? Orange juice? Milk?”
“I’m okay with anything.”
“Ah, okay. Then let’s go with coffee. Gotta wake the brain up in the morning, right? Espresso? Latte? Cappuccino? What should it beee~.”
Not seeming to need Jaylin’s input, the man hummed to himself and walked off toward the register.
A few minutes later, he returned carrying a tray with two cups and a mountain of pastries stacked on top.
Jaylin, surprised, stammered,
“W-what is all this?”
“I haven’t eaten breakfast yet. You haven’t either, right? It’s way too early—no way you already ate. So dig in. Let’s start with food. I rushed over here without eating a thing—I’m starving.”
The man stuffed a pastry into his mouth as he rambled without pausing for breath.
“Come on, eat up. These pastries are amazing.”
Even as he munched, he didn’t forget to offer Jaylin another bite. With his mouth full, he mumbled,
“Why are you being all formal? Aren’t you a fourth-year?”
“Yes, I’m a fourth-year.”
“Then why speak so formally? Talk casually. I mean, sure, I failed the entrance exam a few times, so I’m probably older than you, but I’m not some stuck-up old man. But seriously, why are you so tiny? You need to eat more.”
Jaylin couldn’t keep up with his chaotic conversation and gave up replying altogether, taking a small bite from a pastry on the tray.
Just as the man had said, the pastry was delicious. The sweet cream inside melted softly in her mouth.
“Oh, right. We didn’t even introduce ourselves yet. I’m Stephan Pantea, same major as you—Magical Engineering.”
Stephan brushed the crumbs off his hand and held it out for a handshake.
The rings on his long fingers and the bracelets on his wrist shimmered as they caught the light.
“I’m Jaylin Brittson.”
“Hey, I said no formal speech! That won’t do.”
“I-I’m Jaylin Brittson.”
Her casual tone sounded awkward, like a shirt that didn’t quite fit. As Jaylin fidgeted nervously with her fingers, Stephan, swallowing a mouthful of pastry, lifted his chin with a smug expression.
“Ahem. And yes, you guessed right. The Pantea Department Store, the Pantea General Store, Pantea Trading—all of them belong to my family. I’m from the Pantea line, you see.”
“I-I see.”
With his puffed-up attitude, he could’ve easily come off as obnoxious. But strangely, he didn’t.
Maybe it was because he was speaking with a mouth full of crumbs and lacking any elegance, or because his bragging felt more like playful banter.
Though Stephan assumed Jaylin would know the Pantea name, unfortunately, she had never even heard of it.
Not noticing her blank look, Stephan leaned closer and lowered his voice.
“Y’know, the noble brats here act like commerce is beneath them, but what can they do? Not every noble’s rich. I’d much rather have money. They say there’s no hierarchy in the Academy, but if you look closely, that’s not really true. Even if everyone pretends to get along, lots of nobles won’t truly mingle unless you’re on the same level.”
Jaylin nodded and listened intently.
Just then, the cafeteria doors opened and a group of people walked in. Stephan glanced at them and gave a low whistle.
“Oooh. The prince arrives.”
“P-prince?”
Still not used to casual speech, Jaylin slipped back into formal language. Flustered, she quickly corrected herself.
“Wait—there’s a real prince here…?”
“There is, but I didn’t mean an actual prince. Look over there. You’ll get it when you see him.”
Stephan leaned closer and pointed.
Standing where his finger directed was none other than Lionel—the same boy Jaylin had seen in the hallway earlier.
“He’s not a prince. That’s Lionel… s-sunbae.”
Stephan looked at Jaylin, surprised.
“Huh? School hasn’t even started yet—how do you already know Lionel? Well, I guess he is pretty famous. Is he known outside the Academy too? Maybe it’d be weirder not to know him.”
Even without Jaylin responding, Stephan continued answering his own questions.
As Lionel walked toward an empty table, his eyes briefly met Jaylin’s. He smiled faintly—just enough for her to notice—and gave her a small nod.
After Lionel passed, Stephan looked around with a shocked expression, then scowled and shuddered.
“What was that…? Did he eat something bad for breakfast? Why was he sending weird signals my way? And that creepy smile—ugh!”
He rubbed his arms as if he’d gotten goosebumps.
“Anyway, that guy’s the crème de la crème of nobles. Top-tier bloodline, incredible skills, gorgeous face. Must be exhausting, living with all that. Right?”
“S-Stephan, you’re handsome and rich too. Maybe it feels similar…?”
Stephan dropped his pastry in shock, his eyes wide.
“Whaaat! Jaylin, you’ve got a good eye, huh? I am quite the looker. And rich. My skills are… well, maybe just a little behind…!”
He flipped his silver hair back with flair and raised his chin proudly. His expression was so smug it looked like he might soar into the sky.
Jaylin regretted saying anything.
“Anyway, starting in our fourth year, we’re required to take these mock collaborative courses with students from other majors. If you get into Lionel’s team, you’re guaranteed a top score. Problem is… no one wants to team up with Magical Engineering majors.”
“W-why not?”
“It’s a mock battle course against monsters. Who wants to team with us? We’ve got no stamina, not enough firepower to deal real damage like the battle majors do, and even if we build great artifacts, there’s a high chance they malfunction in actual combat.”
“I-I see…”
“Even if you write good formulas, the magic stones aren’t efficient. You need top-tier ones just to stand a chance against monsters—and those aren’t cheap. So there are limits.”
Still, Jaylin didn’t mind. Just being able to take a class with Lionel made her happy. Even if they weren’t on the same team, as long as they were in the same class, she’d get to see him.
Stephan continued sharing tons of useful info—mandatory fourth-year classes, easy electives for credits, tips for course registration.
“Okay! That’s all for course sign-ups!”
“Thanks f-for your help today.”
“That was nothing. Now for the real reason I called you out.”
“Huh? R-real reason?”
They’d met today for course registration—but apparently, there was something even more important.
“We can’t talk about it here. Let’s go. I’ll show you around the Academy while we walk.”
Jaylin stood up and followed Stephan. Before leaving, she looked around the cafeteria, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Lionel—but he was already gone.
Pushing down her disappointment, she followed Stephan.
He led her all over the Academy.
It was enormous. Each major had its own buildings and facilities, and there were plenty of additional spaces for convenience and student use.
Pellodian Academy was more like a small village than a school.
Running into Lionel twice in such a huge place really had been a miracle.
Since there wasn’t enough time in the day to show her everything, Stephan focused on places Jaylin was most likely to visit.
There was the library, filled with textbooks and ancient tomes; the hologram arena for mock monster battles; and the Magic Engineering building where their major was located.
And finally, Stephan guided her to the Student Center, where all the various clubrooms were gathered.
