Chapter 12: Cafeteria

Alec stood by Reina’s desk until the last student left the classroom. They were even considerate enough to close the door behind them, but not before Alec saw Taryeon mouthing that he was going on ahead.

“What do you need, Miss Woltz?” He asked with his hands behind his back, doing his best to be polite. He wanted to get on her good side.

“I need to be completely honest with you, Alec.”

’?’ Alec’s head tilted in confusion.

“I downplayed your situation in front of the other students. I made it seem like it wasn’t a big deal. In reality…”

“It is a very big deal?” Zach offered when Reina hesitated.

“You could say that. But at the same time, having no attributes is so rare that I don’t think there’s another formless mage in the Kingdom. There isn’t much information about it. Fortunately, though, we have a great library here at the Academy. The relevant information isn’t on the first floor, though, so you won’t be able to access it yet.

“You know what. Meet me here after classes are done for the day. I’ll see what I can find out in the meantime.”

“Understood. Thank you, Miss Woltz.” Alec bowed his head in gratitude for Reina’s consideration and willingness to research his condition.

Reina waved away his thankfulness.

“My job is to help you students flourish, so I’m just doing what I’m paid to do. Relax a little and focus on your upcoming classes.”

“Will do.”

Reina dismissed him.

The conversation hadn’t taken that long, so Alec hurried. Maybe he could catch up to Taryeon. However, it seemed Taryeon and the other first years had hurried to the cafeteria for lunch. Reina’s class had dragged a little long.

Alec slowed down as he arrived, his head on a swivel as he looked for Taryeon. He didn’t find him at once. He did see Victoria, however, and he considered walking over and clearing the air immediately, but her surroundings made him reconsider.

She was surrounded by nobles. It wasn’t just her table, either.

One half of the cafeteria had ornate tables with armchairs, with servers carrying trays and silver platters of food.

The other half had rows of benches and a serving station where the commoner students were served their food, which, even at a glance, was clearly lower in quality than the nobles’ food.

It was segregation.

’Trying to talk to her now probably isn’t a bad idea.’ Alec realized that he might have underestimated the clear divide between nobility and peasantry. Although the Academy reined in the gap by offering equal education to both sides, there were some things that couldn’t be brushed under the rug.

Eventually, Alec found Taryeon, Isidore, Maura, and another Warrior Division student sitting at a table. Taryeon saw Alec and raised a hand to point at the seat he called. Alec nodded and turned around to grab food before heading over.

“Argh?!”

“Oh, sorry.”

But before he did that, he accidentally crossed paths with another student. Neither have them had looked where they were going, and they ended up colliding. It was just a slight bump, and neither of them fell to the ground.

“Watch where you’re going, peasant!”

’I dislike being called a peasant more than I thought I would,’ Alec thought to himself as he looked at the angry face of the kid he accidentally collided with. It was hard to take a child like that seriously when he couldn’t even control his emotions. But Alec hadn’t forgotten about his current situation.

His eyes darted over the kid’s light blue hair and pressed uniform. He was about to bow his head and apologize when he caught sight of the emblem pinned to his chest.

A blue hawk.

[Benjamin Mason]

[Third son of the Mason Count Family. Currently attending the Vongrad Kingdom’s Royal Academy as a first-year student at the Noble Warrior Division.]

“You’re right. I should look where I’m going.”

“Hmph. You call that an apology? Whatever. Get out of my sight.” Benjamin snorted and dismissed Alec with a look of disgust on his face.

Alec could have taken it if it were just that. He knew that causing trouble on his first day with his aristocratic superiors was a bad idea. He shouldn’t do it.

But Benjamin had almost run him over with his carriage yesterday morning. Granted, Benjamin hadn’t been the one driving. But he was the one in charge, and seeing as how the other nobles’ carriages had moved carefully, clearly there was something wrong. Alec could imagine, just from this interaction, how Benjamin had ordered his driver to speed up and not care for whoever was in the way.

“But I’m not the only one.”

“What…?” Benjamin raised an eyebrow and turned back to the insect he thought should already be retreating.

“You almost ran me over with your carriage yesterday morning, and now you’re walking right into me. Are your eyes for show?” Alec had been standing still while scanning the cafeteria until he found Taryeon’s group.

He hadn’t even taken more than half a step when he collided with Benjamin.

If Benjamin had used the decorative orbs on the upper half of his face, he would have avoided this embarrassment.

“You…!”

Alec saw the anger rise in Benjamin’s eyes. He even saw the kid raise his hand slightly.

’Oh, shit.’ Alec braced himself for a fight. Maybe he had underestimated the tyranny of a young noble.

However, Benjamin noticed the looks they were getting.

“You’re…awfully insolent for a peasant who only knows how to be in the way, who relies on handouts, and who is a leech to our society,” Benjamin hissed. Then, he turned and pointed sharply at the lunch lady.

“If any of you serve this peasant food today, you’re fired,” He said calmly.

Alec raised an eyebrow.

“What gives you the power to interfere with the Academy’s staff?” He demanded.

“Heh,” Benjamin scoffed.

“The Academy’s? My family is in charge of the food for this place. If I want to fire one of the kitchen workers, I can do it on a whim. And if I want to stop you from ever eating at the cafeteria during your four years here?” Benjamin leaned in close enough for Alec to smell the sweat from the warrior student’s first lesson.

“Then. I. Can. Do. That.” Benjamin enunciated every word clearly, mocking Alec.

’Well…Shit.’

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