🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 81
“Do you know how exhausting it is to be the topic of everyone’s gossip?”
“Well, if it’s about something good, that’s a good thing, right?”
“What’s good about this? It’s an article meant to stir people’s jealousy.”
“This article stirs jealousy?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Almost everyone here comes from noble families or wealthy backgrounds.”
Hearing this sudden bit of background info, Stephan looked confused and tried to argue.
“Right? But this is a place where skill matters. Your background or title doesn’t determine your skill. So what’s the problem?”
“Exactly. But imagine someone like Jaelin, who has no background, suddenly stands out here. This is a group where people have always thought of themselves as special. If someone they’ve underestimated becomes famous for their skill, how do you think they’d feel? Wouldn’t it make them sick with envy?”
“Sick… why?”
Stephan genuinely looked puzzled.
“Jealousy. People like Jaelin, who have no background and seem easy to handle, need to be careful.”
“Jaelin’s easy to handle?”
“Yep.”
“What are you talking about? Jaelin isn’t easy to handle at all.”
“That’s your opinion. The fact remains that Jaelin’s family and background aren’t anything special. Someone they considered insignificant has amazing skill. And she’s even close to Lionel, who’s like an idol among nobles? That’s basically asking for people to hate her.”
“What? Insignificant? How can anyone say that about Jaelin!”
Stephan screeched at the word “insignificant.”
“I’m not saying it’s my opinion! That’s how most privileged people think! Nobles don’t even consider anyone outside their class as equals!”
“Even you’re a noble!”
“I’m different!”
“You’re not different at all! How can you call someone that right in front of them? You think you’re special because, even as a noble, you respect other classes.”
Stephan teased, and Sasha’s face turned red. She wanted to retort but couldn’t find the words—unfortunately, Stephan had struck a nerve.
Adrian, annoyed by their argument, raised an eyebrow.
“If you’re going to fight, take it somewhere else. My ears are about to explode.”
Sasha glared at Stephan, then turned sharply to Jaelin.
“Anyway, a lot of people will be approaching you for a while. I don’t know how they’ll bother you, but be careful.”
“Uh… okay.”
Jaelin replied but was skeptical. She didn’t think students at the academy would be that interested in her to the point of bothering her.
“By the way, who wrote this article?”
Sasha snatched the bulletin from Stephan’s hands.
But Stephan didn’t want to let go, so he gripped it harder. Eventually, the newspaper tore in half between their struggle.
Sasha screamed, holding the ripped bulletin.
“Ah! What are you doing?”
“You! Because of you, Jaelin’s face got torn in half! What are you going to do about this?”
Stephan waved his finger at Sasha, shouting. Sasha blamed him back.
“If you hadn’t been holding on so stubbornly, Jaelin’s face wouldn’t have been torn!”
“That’s because you were just too strong! Typical of the Swordsmanship Department. Do you think ordinary people could tear paper in half this easily?”
“Wh-what? Strong? You’re done talking?”
“Yeah! I’m done. So what?”
Stephan puffed out his chest, teasing, while Sasha glared and huffed.
“It’s better to be strong than a weakling like you!”
“Weakling…?”
Stephan looked down at his own body in despair.
Jaelin stepped in to stop their fight.
“U-um… guys, it’s okay if my face is torn, so… please stop.”
She tried to mediate, but they were too busy glaring at each other.
Trying to shift the topic, Jaelin brought up the conversation they had before the fight.
“So… who wrote this? I’m really curious.”
Maybe out of sympathy for Jaelin’s efforts, Stephan and Sasha stopped glaring at each other and began flipping through their halves of the torn bulletin.
“This side… the author isn’t listed.”
“Not here either.”
“Strange. Usually the author is included. Did someone submit this anonymously? Suspicious.”
“You’re suspicious of everything. This is obviously a good article full of praise for Jaelin. You’re just jealous.”
Stephan’s teasing sparked a third round of argument.
“It’s not jealousy! And how is this full of praise? It’s clearly designed to criticize Jaelin. Whoever wrote it cleverly hid comments like ‘she grew up in an orphanage’ or ‘called Lionel master’ to make her look bad.”
Sasha waved her half of the bulletin threateningly at Stephan.
“Ha… don’t bother our Jaelin. You’re just jealous and harassing her for no reason.”
Indeed, Stephan held grudges. Ever since Sasha called her ‘insignificant,’ he’d been picking apart her every word.
Finally, Sasha exploded.
“Hey! There’s no man more petty than you in this academy!”
She threw her half of the bulletin at Stephan and ran out of the cafeteria.
“Ugh! My ears! Why is her voice so loud?”
Stephan grumbled, peeling the bulletin off his face.
“But Jaelin, am I petty? I’m not, right? Who else is as open-minded as me?”
“Ah! Oh no! It’s already this late! I-I have to go to the next class.”
Jaelin quickly packed her books and stood up. Her reaction was stiff, but Stephan didn’t notice.
“Class? Then go quickly.”
“Y-yeah.”
Stephan finally turned to Adrian.
“Adrian, do you think I’m petty?”
Adrian silently got up and followed Jaelin, who had already left.
“Peanut, let’s go together.”
Before Stephan could react, Adrian and Jaelin disappeared in the blink of an eye.
“What? Where’s everyone going and leaving me? Wait… are you avoiding my question? Hey! Answer me!”
Stephan noticed something was off and chased after them, but they were already gone.
Unfortunately, Sasha’s warning was not unfounded.
From the very next day, Jaelin could feel the change in how students treated her.
Until now, no one had paid her any attention, no matter where she walked in the academy.
The only exception was on the first day when she called Lionel “Master,” and a few students had giggled while eyeing her—but that was it.
Even during the inquiry about cheating on midterms, students hadn’t cared about her. Now, it was different.
Whispers followed her wherever she went.
Jaelin walked firmly toward her next class. This level of harassment was nothing—she had endured worse neglect and bullying at the orphanage.
When she was nearly at the classroom for her general education class, a student approaching from the opposite side suddenly spoke.
“Uh? You’re in the Magic History class, right? The classroom’s been renovated, so today’s class will be in Humanities Building, Room 502.”
The Humanities Building was far away, across half the academy. To avoid being late, she had to run.
She thanked the student and hurried off.
Rushing, she barely arrived at the new classroom just before class started.
Because of the sudden change, Room 502 was empty. She assumed students would arrive soon, but no students or professor came.
‘Did I get the classroom wrong…?’
No, she hadn’t misheard. The student had clearly said Humanities 502.
Usually, such changes are announced through the community system, but her magic stone hadn’t even pinged once.
“…Ah.”
She recalled the faint smirk on the student’s face when giving her the room info.
And the meaningfully smiling students standing behind him.
They had deliberately given her the wrong classroom to harass her.
Jaelin hurried back to her actual Magic History classroom.
By the time she arrived, more than half the class had already passed.
“Student, if you’re going to disrupt the class by arriving late, wouldn’t it have been better not to come at all?”
The professor’s remark made several students try to suppress their laughter as they looked at her. Among them was the student who had misled her earlier.
