EULE 82

Chapter 82

“I-I’m sorry.”

Jaylin, blushing as she apologized, carefully took a seat in the empty spot.

She opened her book as quietly as possible so as not to disturb the class. But she couldn’t focus properly.

Partly because she had been late and missed the earlier part of the lecture, and partly because her mind was spinning, trying to figure out why the other students were bothering her.

After the History of Magic class ended, Jaylin moved on to her next class.

She had thought Sasha’s worries were unnecessary, but now Jaylin had experienced real, tangible malice firsthand. What had upset them? Had she done something wrong enough to be harassed? Or were they really, as Sasha had said, jealous of her?

Lost in thought, Jaylin walked in a daze.

At that moment, something caught her foot. Losing her balance, she staggered and fell flat to the floor.

The books and papers she had been carrying fell to the ground, and pens and other supplies spilled out of her bag, rolling across the hallway.

Her knees and side hurt from the harsh impact. The loud crash drew everyone’s attention in the corridor straight to her.

“You okay? You should watch where you’re going. Don’t go stumbling down an empty hallway like a clumsy fool.”

A male student standing at the edge of the hallway commented as he bent his extended leg.

Although it seemed like concern, it was really just mocking her.

She had been lost in thought, but not so much that she couldn’t see an obstacle in front of her.

Just then, Rozia, who happened to be nearby, saw Jaylin fall and quickly approached.

Rozia helped Jaylin to her feet. Unlike the students who had harassed her, her voice was full of genuine concern.

“Oh my, are you okay, senpai?”

“I-I’m fine.”

Jaylin brushed off her disheveled uniform as if nothing had happened.

Judging by the scrapes on her knees and palms and the sharp ache in her side, she clearly had bruises, but she didn’t want to show any pain in front of the students who had bullied her.

Jaylin began picking up the items she had dropped. Rozia also helped, gathering the books and pens and handing them back to her. While checking if anything else had fallen, Rozia noticed an unexpected item in a corner of the hallway.

“Huh? Isn’t this yours, senpai?”

Seeing the community bracelet Rozia held, Jaylin touched her wrist. Her bracelet was gone. It seemed the strap had broken when she fell.

“Y-Yes, that’s my community bracelet.”

Jaylin reached for it, but Rozia quickly hid the bracelet behind her back.

“I’m on my way to the department office anyway. I can get it fixed for you. You should go to the infirmary to take care of your injuries.”

“R-Really? Thank you so much.”

Jaylin nodded gratefully at the offer.

Rozia smiled sweetly and said casually, as if it were no big deal:

“It’s nothing. We should help each other, of course.”

“Then I’ll be going now.”

After picking up all the dropped items, Jaylin headed to the infirmary. She needed to hurry to avoid being late for her next class.

More than anything, she wanted to get away quickly. The surrounding students were staring at her like she was a performing elephant in a circus.

At least Rozia had stepped in to help, which was a relief.

‘It’s okay. This is nothing.’

Jaylin reassured herself. She had endured much worse bullying back at the orphanage. Here, no one had bullied her before, so she had temporarily forgotten what it felt like.

Compared to the bullying she had experienced at the orphanage, this was child’s play. But… why did this feel so overwhelming and difficult? She had never thought the bullying back at the orphanage was hard, so why now?

Perhaps it was because she now understood what it meant to have friends at the academy.

Before, she couldn’t even recognize the taste of bitterness. She had never experienced sweetness, so she couldn’t truly understand it. When all you know is bitterness, how could you recognize it as such?

But the connections she had made at Felodian Academy had opened a new world for her.

Now Jaylin knew what sweetness was, and how addictive it could be.

Even though it was hard, she could endure it thanks to the friends who had introduced her to this world. Now she had someone beside her to share her troubles.

Stephan, of course, and even Adrian, though outwardly gruff, would surely listen to her. Sasha, too, never withheld her concern or advice.

It was ironic that because of them, she knew hardship—and because of them, she could endure it.

Still, Jaylin preferred the present. It felt more alive to have someone by her side to share her struggles than to move forward numb to everything. She never wanted to go back to feeling nothing.

And once she knew, there was no going back.

“Hi, Rozia.”

As Rozia entered the workshop, a few classmates greeted her. She returned their greetings and made her way to her seat.

“Hey, hi.”

“Here for an assignment?”

“Yes. I’m finishing the magic stone refinement assignment today.”

“There’s still plenty of time for that assignment. Already starting?”

“Yes. It’s better to get it done early.”

“Top of the year and already this diligent.”

Rozia smiled faintly at the compliment.

“But I enjoy studying. I’m not doing it just for grades.”

“Enjoy studying? You’re extraordinary. Anyway, good luck.”

“You too.”

After finishing the small talk, Rozia sat down. After confirming no one was watching her, she took Jaylin’s community bracelet from her pocket.

She examined the broken bracelet and tried to access Jaylin’s community, but as expected, it was impossible.

Unless you were the owner, you couldn’t access someone else’s community. She could reset it, but that wasn’t her goal.

‘I wanted to see private messages… maybe find some weaknesses. Oh well.’

Still, she was lucky to have obtained the bracelet.

Other students bullied Jaylin as Rozia expected, but it barely met her standards. The so-called “students of the empire’s top academy” were only capable of childish pranks.

It wasn’t enough. At the very least, she wanted to damage Jaylin’s reputation and make a real impact.

So Rozia had no choice but to act. She had already prepared to send Jaylin into ruin. And now, conveniently, the bracelet was in her hands.

‘Opportunity came walking in by itself. Why let it go? Better to make sure it counts.’

Rozia rolled the bracelet in her hands, thinking of a way to mess with Jaylin.

She removed the magic stone from Jaylin’s bracelet and placed it on a flat workbench. Using the magic stone refinement tools, she struck it.

Magic stones are tough and don’t easily break. But even the hardest stones couldn’t withstand repeated blows from the tools.

After striking it several times, Rozia held it up to the sunlight. Examining it from different angles, she saw a very fine crack on its surface—so tiny it would be hard to notice without careful inspection.

‘This should be enough.’

Satisfied, Rozia reinserted the magic stone into the bracelet. Now it looked perfectly intact.

Since the community would be necessary for the final exams, the bracelet would function normally until then.

But continuing to use the cracked stone would subject it to stress each time the community ran.

All Rozia had to do now was casually leave the bracelet at the department office as if nothing happened. Then she could sit back and watch Jaylin sink.

The thought of seeing her flustered during the final exams already excited her.

Having accomplished this, Rozia stretched, feeling refreshed.

Now it was truly time to work on her own magic stone refinement assignment. Before starting, she opened the locked workbench drawer.

Inside were focus-enhancing potions Rozia had prepared.

This potion was Rozia’s secret weapon for bringing Jaylin down.

She took one and swallowed it in a single gulp. When taken before a task, it greatly increased efficiency, producing two to three times the results for the same effort.

According to Felodian Academy rules, using focus-enhancing potions was illegal.

Students were required to control their minds without external aids, both to preserve self-discipline and prevent abuse, even though these potions were common elsewhere.