18. A Small Help for the Bullied
“It's common.”
It was the cafeteria for breakfast. Sena, who had monopolized a corner table, explained as she rolled seafood pasta onto her fork.
“Killing fellow magicians isn't anything to be surprised about.”
“A murder happens, and the perpetrator just strolls around the academy unscathed?”
“This is Luna's domain, beyond the reach of kingdom law.”
My head spun. I couldn't keep thinking of this place as some wholesome academy tale where students laughed together, competed in friendly rivalry, and grew. It was a savage world where they wielded combat magic that could kill anyone effortlessly, rife with extreme class discrimination and utter disregard for kingdom law. Here, strength alone made the law, the order, and even turned you into a king. After witnessing humans getting crushed on my first day, the fact that I still imagined an academy story made me a real idiot...!
“Besides, the kingdom itself is an extreme class society that doesn't give a damn about commoners' safety.”
So that's what they meant by “birds of a feather flock together.” I was shoving dry bread into my mouth and reaching for milk when—
Boom!
It wasn't a crash or clatter—it was an explosion that suddenly rocked the cafeteria. Students let out sharp screams, and I nearly choked in shock.
“W-what the hell was that?”
I barely managed to gulp down some of Sena's water to clear my throat. When I asked, Sena glanced indifferently toward the explosion site.
“Nothing.”
“That doesn't look like nothing at all.”
I stood up to see what was going on. The blast had come from the back of the cafeteria, where there were no tables. As students buzzed and backed away, I spotted a fallen student, others checking on him, and a group aiming wands at them.
Maybe because we'd just been talking about class discrimination and bullying among students? I immediately pegged it as a bullying scene. As an instructor, a sense of duty to intervene surged through me, and with my rattan cane holster slung over my shoulder, I hurried toward the center of the commotion.
“You lot, come out. What the hell are you doing kicking up dust in this sacred cafeteria...”
“Are you insane?”
The one who suddenly grabbed my arm was Julia. She was wearing the exact look I'd expect from someone staring at a madman—me.
“W-why?”
“You're trying to play instructor and break up the fight, right?”
“Obviously. Let go.”
“Don't get involved. No matter what. That's not just a fight.”
Not just a fight? Then what the hell was it? I hung back at a distance to observe, and for a moment, I was speechless.
The apparent victims weren't like the regular students. I'd assumed they were commoners, but their ears were pointed.
“Elves?”
“Yeah. Elves.”
“What does that have to—oh.”
The aggressors were human students. Their smug, grinning faces were unfamiliar, but one looked like someone I'd passed by—probably one of Eri's magicians.
“Stop it already!”
Another elf shielded the fallen one and shouted desperately.
“We don't want to fight!”
“Even war's the same.”
A male magician with an especially large wand sneered.
“You might not want to, but you still have to.”
“That's war! We're not—we're magicians, not soldiers!”
“Luna's got nothing to do with the current war, so we don't either?”
They snickered with their gang, their smug faces making me itch to punch them. Their leader Eri would grumble but leave after a few words, but these guys with their inflated egos weren't backing down?
“Luna's neutral, sure. But my family isn't! Right now, my little brother's fighting elves on the front lines!”
Come to think of it, that made sense. The academy had declared neutrality with overwhelming power, staying out of the kingdom-elf war. So the academy itself was detached from the conflict, allowing elves and humans to study together without emotional clashes—as fellow students.
But nobles? Nobility was a rank bestowed by the kingdom, so they were inevitably tied to kingdom politics. The academy might be neutral, but noble magicians were exceptions. Tensions from the war had already carved deep emotional divides here. With fewer elves, they became easy prey for human magicians.
“Just pretend you didn't see and walk away.”
Julia said it with genuine worry, but I refused. My intervention had nothing to do with war or politics. I was just fulfilling my duty as an instructor.
I shook off Julia's hand, pushed through the students, and stepped right into the fray.
“That's enough.”
The human magicians scowled at my stern command. The one with the oversized wand pointed it rudely at me.
“Who the hell are you, punk?”
Punk? This guy had no idea who I was.
“Hey, hey. Isn't that the instructor guy?”
“Oh! The Punishment Instructor or whatever?”
“Then put your wand away and scram.”
The reason I let them off without punishment and sent them packing? It was for the elves' sake. If I took their side and punished these guys, the retaliation would hit the elves hard.
My gut burned, but this was the best help I could offer.
“But I heard this punk's a servant? And he's ordering magicians around?”
Figures he couldn't grasp a single word properly. Eri, their boss, would leave after grumbling, but this self-important magician wasn't fleeing?
His wand locked onto me precisely. Tension made me swallow hard.
“Should I turn this meatbag into mincemeat?”
“H-hey, Sven. Cut it out and let's go.”
“Why? You want me to tuck tail and run from a servant too? You know I hate even stepping in the shadow of lowly scum like him.”
“That punk's master is Sena Michele.”
The magician called Sven paled at Sena's name. He frantically scanned the surroundings, on guard for her presence. But Sena, eating quietly in her corner spot, was out of sight. He relaxed a bit but still lowered his wand.
“Fuck... Of all people, Sena?”
“Servant or not, touch that woman's property and you won't just die—you'll wish you had. Let's go.”
“Hah, fuck...! R-real... Sena?”
Still reeling from the shock, he muttered her name again as the gang fled like cowards.
The surrounding students buzzed oddly, staring. I quickly directed them.
“Fight's over. Go eat. If you're done, get back to studying.”
I phrased it formally, like a proper professor playing the instructor role. That way, they'd think, Oh, he stopped it because he's an instructor. Sure enough, they dispersed without a word.
Julia approached and promptly kicked my shin.
“You idiot!”
“Ow! You bitch! Want another ass-whooping?”
“You were dead set on causing trouble! If you do that, it could hurt Lady Sena!”
Her words about harm coming to Sena shut me up. This wasn't just a student brawl—it stemmed from political issues. Even if Sena ignored that stuff, fallout was another matter. I felt the blood drain from my face.
“I'm fine.”
Sena, having finished eating, approached.
“Lee Hyun did the right thing.”
“...Still, I'm sorry.”
“Why?”
Sena dumped her empty plate into the dishwashing bin and straightened her clothes impassively.
“Do you think that was wrong in your eyes?”
“But it could have affected you...”
“Don't worry about me. Do what you think is right.”
Her blue eyes, glancing at me, were purely clear.
“Picking sides in political games... I'm sick of it too.”
Julia sighed deeply as Sena left the cafeteria first.
“Phew. At least that's a relief. Listen up—even if the academy's neutral on the war, students...”
“Don't explain, you explainer.”
I ignored Julia's question about what an “explainer” was. Meanwhile, the elves slipped out of the cafeteria without even a thank-you.
After breakfast, we headed to Leden's lab. Sena settled into a rocking chair in the corner for a short nap, and I sat beside Leden, who was whittling a wand.
“Leden, want to check out the canes I made?”
“Oh, you got them already? As expected from a skilled craftsman—fast hands too. Let me see for reference.”
As I pulled the canes from the holster, Leden suddenly offered something.
“What's this?”
It was a crude ring woven from dried leaves. Pretty, but not fancy.
“You made it? You've got some unexpected hobbies.”
“Not me.”
As I took the leaf ring, Leden smiled brightly and patted my shoulder.
“The elves asked me to pass it to you.”
“...The elves?”
No way—the ones from the cafeteria? But giving me a ring... it couldn't be a proposal, right? We give rings for proposals too. Elves probably do the same. But the elves I helped were guys... My mind went blank.
“It's the elves' traditional ring of grace.”
“...Grace?”
“A ring given by elves who swear never to forget a favor. Try it on.”
I slipped the ring onto my index finger, clueless. A faint warmth spread, and suddenly the leaf ring melted into my skin. A subtle ring-shaped tattoo appeared, then vanished after about ten seconds.
“H-huh? It's gone?”
“It's a magic ring. The elves' grace has now seeped into your body.”
“What's the benefit?”
Sena called out from her nap in the rocker.
“You've earned the elves' trust.”
“And that means?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. With that grace absorbed, any elf will trust you.”
I rubbed the spot where the ring had sunk in with my thumb.
“Not now, but someday it'll pay off. Be grateful.”