Chapter 86
‘Huh?’
Julian’s eyes widened.
He had just lifted his head with a bit of resolve. He had made up his mind to ask Lloyd what had happened in Cremo.
But the moment he raised his head, that resolve and determination completely vanished.
Was it because seeing Lloyd’s face made him forget?
No.
It was because he saw someone approaching from behind Lloyd, who was sitting across the table.
Over his shoulder, a figure was walking toward them.
‘Diego?’
A fellow student from the academy.
They were the same age.
But Diego was much bigger than him.
Naturally, he was stronger and had a booming voice.
Still, they were lucky to have enrolled in the academy around the same time, so they had been able to get along.
At least for the first month after entering.
But after that…
“Julian Frontera. I told you not to eat where people can see you inside the dorm, didn’t I?”
Diego had approached without notice, his voice growling low.
That threatening tone stabbed harshly into one of Julian’s eardrums.
Julian instinctively lowered his head.
He could see Diego’s thick, rugged hand resting on the table.
‘Why now, of all times?’
Julian resented the situation.
He was finally getting to see Lloyd after a long time. He had been trying his best not to lose in a battle of nerves with his usually outrageous brother.
But now, of all times, here, he had to run into Diego—the guy who looked like he wanted to tear him apart whenever he saw him.
It was beyond unlucky.
“Uh, I…”
“You what?”
“……”
Julian fidgeted with his lips.
Diego stared down at Julian, his gaze filled with contempt.
‘Such a pathetic, annoying bastard.’
Diego hated Julian.
Of course, it hadn’t been that way from the start.
When Diego had first entered Magentano University—the academy—he had been a loner.
He came from a very remote province and didn’t know a single soul here.
But someone had reached out to him.
Julian.
‘Hey, I arrived just yesterday too.’
Just a day apart.
They had enrolled around the same time.
And it turned out their hometowns were quite close too.
In that uncertain time, Julian had been a source of support.
They quickly became best friends.
They were inseparable for that entire month.
And Diego was surprised.
Julian was smart and quick-witted.
Grammar, rhetoric, logic, law, natural philosophy, geometry, even astronomy—he absorbed subjects others found difficult with ease.
He was diligent, too.
Sharing the same dorm room, Diego had never once seen Julian sleep in.
He always woke up an hour earlier than everyone else. He washed up neatly, dressed properly, had breakfast, and prepared for classes early.
So, Diego was impressed.
But only for a month.
‘It took just one month to realize that smarts and diligence are useless here.’
Diego had scoffed inwardly.
After a month at the academy, he had come to a realization.
The memory of it brought a sneer to his lips.
Magentano University, the academy, was established for the education of noble children.
But for the students here, studying wasn’t all that important.
In fact, there was something far more important than studying.
Family prestige.
Forming connections through family.
And using those connections for political games.
From early on, they built relationships between noble families, formed their own cartels and sanctuaries, maintained them, and carried them for life. Even after inheriting their family names, those relationships continued. They used them as tools to retain power.
An implicit collective of mutual interest exclusive to nobles. Their own cartel.
And this place—the academy—was the foundation for forming those relationships.
‘It’s laughable, but it’s the undeniable truth.’
The world revolves around power.
Power is solidified through relationships.
And the work? That can be handed off to the ones who study hard.
Once Diego realized that truth, he changed.
‘Don’t talk to me from now on.’
The first thing he did was cut ties with Julian.
He looked serious as he warned Julian not to act friendly.
Julian had looked puzzled at first.
It seemed like he didn’t understand what Diego meant.
So Diego decided to make his intentions clear—with his fist.
After giving him a black eye, Julian finally became obedient.
The reason Diego distanced himself was simple.
‘He’s the son of some backwater baron family.’
A bottom-tier noble.
No power, no fame.
No reason to stay close.
In fact, if he stayed close, he risked being lumped together with such lowly nobility.
Diego thought that would be the worst outcome.
‘My family’s not exactly high-profile either.’
In reality, Diego’s family was only at the viscount level.
They were well-off thanks to their local specialties, but they couldn’t even dream of standing next to true royal capital nobles.
That’s why Diego became desperate.
He clung to students higher up the academy’s social ladder.
He tried his best to please the children of noble houses from the royal capital.
When they needed muscle, he became their lackey.
At the same time, he never forgot to harass lower-status noble children like Julian.
He wanted everyone to see that he was clearly different from the bottom-tier nobility and had drawn a line between them.
In short, Diego had become a loyal hunting dog for the royal capital noble kids.
And now was no different.
A hunting dog proves its worth through the hunt.
Diego leaned in close to Julian’s face, like a predator inspecting its prey.
“I asked you a question. Why are you eating here?”
“……”
“Answer.”
“Uh, well…”
“Well?”
“Today was a bit… unusual, so…”
“Unusual? What do you mean?”
“……”
“Does someone visiting you mean the rules don’t apply and you get special treatment? Huh?”
“……”
“What do we learn in law class? The law isn’t something soft, right? But here you are, breaking the rules.”
“……”
“What were the rules here again?”
“That’s…”
“Baron house riffraff don’t eat where people can see them. Why? Because it’s unpleasant. Did you forget?”
“……”
Julian’s mouth closed.
He clenched his teeth tightly.
He wanted to protest. He wanted to lash out at that ridiculous nonsense.
But he couldn’t.
Doing so would only bring more cruelty upon him.
No one would protect him. No one would care even if he cried out that it was unfair.
The reason was simple.
Their families had far more power.
The memories of countless beatings and helplessness already engraved in his body suppressed any urge to resist.
Instead of resisting Diego, Julian looked toward Lloyd.
Was it a look asking for help?
No.
‘Please stay out of it.’
He spoke to Lloyd with his eyes.
Telling him not to get involved in what he was seeing.
If Lloyd got involved and made things worse, it could tarnish the family’s reputation. It could stir up pointless conflict.
So he asked him to look the other way.
To pretend he didn’t see anything.
And so, Lloyd, who had been watching the situation, replied with his gaze.
‘Yeah. Of course. Why would I?’
Lloyd shrugged.
He even raised an eyebrow for show.
At first, he had wondered what was going on.
But it took only a brief moment to figure it all out.
Because it was a scene he’d seen often in South Korea.
‘Obvious. Classic school bullying.’
Bullying.
School violence.
Something so ordinary in Korea, where he had been born and raised.
Of course, he hadn’t experienced it himself.
But he had seen it all around him.
In elementary school.
Middle school, and even high school.
There was always a jungle-like law of power behind classroom life.
The so-called popular bullies, and the lackeys who clung to them.
Once you were targeted by those types, school life became unbearable. No—far worse than that.
Inhumane bullying and exploitation followed like it was normal.
Everyone hushed it up, but it was always nearby.
If you were a student in Korea, it was something you couldn’t avoid.
And it didn’t seem to be any different here.
‘People are people, no matter the place.’
Lloyd looked at Julian across the table.
Small, skinny.
And from an unimpressive family.
Of course, being the son of a baron was still a big deal when compared to the general population of the kingdom.
But the problem was that this place was Magentano University—this academy.
‘Only those recommended by nobles get admitted.’
Julian was admitted through such a recommendation.
Backed by his baron house.
And he had probably been branded as the lowest-ranked student among them.
But Lloyd didn’t unfold his arms.
He just continued to observe.
Because of Julian’s request?
No.
‘I’ll watch for now.’
He didn’t want to step in prematurely.
He was just a passerby here. He might be visiting for just one day and never return.
But if he stepped in and escalated things?
If he blocked the threat.
If he beat down the threat.
And then left.
And never came back?
‘Only that kid would suffer more.’
Any sense of relief or comfort would be short-lived.
Julian would be met with even harsher bullying than before.
Lloyd had already seen that happen countless times back in Korea.
‘So let’s assess the situation first.’
Lloyd’s gaze sharpened as he observed.
How far Julian could stand up for himself in this kind of situation. What level of bullying he had been enduring.
What method would be best to end it.
What kind of preparation would be necessary.
Lloyd silently observed, thinking and calculating.
And in that time, Diego’s behavior toward Julian kept crossing the line.
Diego raised his hand, as big as a pot lid.
He tapped Julian’s small head.
“See, this is why you and your family are just trash. Got it? Honestly, does your family even have anything to brag about? Fresh air? Clean water? Filthy, dirty peasants? What else do you have?”
Tap, tap.
“On the other hand, my family? We’ve got a specialty product recognized across the kingdom. You know it, right? Laconata. Last year, my father even presented it to His Majesty.”
Tap, thud!
“So families that are basically beggars should learn their place, yeah? Eat where people can’t see you. Got it?”
Thud, thump!
His palm came down harder on Julian’s head.
What started as light tapping turned into near-striking blows.
“So stop acting out, yeah? You not gonna lower your eyes?”
“……”
Julian didn’t even fight back. He simply took the abuse as it came. His only attempt at defense with his small body was clumsily covering his head with his arms.
And because of that, his slightly rolled-up sleeve had revealed part of his forearm.
His forearm was covered in bruises.
From old, yellowing bruises to fresh, dark ones.
Julian’s thin arm was a complete mess.
It wasn’t the result of a day or two of beatings.
The moment he saw that—
Lloyd made up his mind.
And he replayed one particular detail he’d heard earlier.
‘Laconata. Knew I’d seen that face somewhere.’
Lloyd’s eyes turned cold as he looked at Diego.
His brain was running at full speed.
A plan was forming.
Actions and outcomes. Cause and effect. Tangled threads unraveling. Prediction and process. The final conclusion.
“What does your dad do for a living?”
Resting his chin on one hand,
He asked in a low, calm voice.
Diego’s hand, which had been striking Julian, stopped mid-air.
For the first time, his gaze slowly creaked toward this direction.
“What?”
His eyebrow twitched as he looked at Lloyd.
He shot a fierce glare at the guy who had just mentioned his father.
‘What the hell is this?’
He’d seen Lloyd sitting across from Julian earlier.
But Diego had ignored him.
He figured he was just another beggar who came to see Julian—another loser hanging around with another loser. So he hadn’t paid any attention.
But now, that same loser was throwing cheeky remarks at him.
“I asked you. What does your dad do for a living?”
“Hah. The wise and merciful Viscount of Lacona. And who the hell are you supposed to be?”
“Who do you think? You seriously don’t recognize me?”
“What?”
Before anyone realized it, Lloyd was already standing.
He faced the much larger Diego.
With a cold smile on his face.
“Wow. Same thing happened with the Iron-Blooded Knight. Even though Lacona territory is geographically next to ours, I guess there’s barely any real exchange, so the kids don’t even know each other’s faces. Seeing you not recognize me confirms it.”
“What are you talking abou—urk!”
Thud!
Just as Diego tried to respond—
Lloyd’s front kick shot forward like a lightning bolt and slammed directly into Diego’s solar plexus.
“Guh!”
It was a kick delivered while rotating one [Circle].
Diego’s body folded in half.
Then he was launched backward.
Crashing through two tables, he rolled across the floor.
Lloyd’s lip curled into a savage grin.
The guy had no luck.
He picked the wrong place, and the wrong opponent.
To show such disrespect toward a royal guest invited by the queen himself, and inside a royal-sponsored academy? Not even the dean or a supervisor could blame Lloyd for this one.
Besides…
“Man, what are you gonna do now? Sounds like your wise and merciful dad still hasn’t told you about the water bill.”
Lloyd’s voice carried a genuine tone of sympathy and pity.
