A restaurant staff member pushed a mini cart toward the table where Adrian and Mikhail were seated.
“A Course for two, correct?”
“Yes.”
Adrian, who had been resting his arm on the table, responded with a light smile. The staff smiled back and placed the course’s appetizer and a hand towel on the table.
Hmm. Adrian glanced around at the other students nearby. Everyone was smiling and enjoying an elegant meal. It seemed they all had enough spare Tilon to afford the extra charge. Otherwise, those without sufficient funds likely ate somewhere other than the academy’s restaurant.
Just then, as the Gold Dragon sat staring out the window without even touching the appetizer—
“……No matter how you look at it, you need at least enough Tilon to maintain some basic level of dignity.”
Mikhail muttered curtly.
“Completely agree.”
Haah… Adrian groaned and slumped forward onto the table, letting his upper body sprawl across it. From that position, he tilted his head up, revealing a pair of brilliant amber-brown eyes.
“Your Highness.”
“What the hell is that out of nowhere.”
Mikhail frowned and brought his cup to his lips. He’d never wanted to be treated like some fancy prince in the first place. But Adrian grinned and spoke in the formal tone one would use for nobility.
“By any chance, have you always earned your allowance yourself?”
“…….”
The cup lingered at Mikhail’s lips, unmoving for a moment. His long silver lashes fluttered—at least his face was worthy of the title ‘prince.’ Adrian read the answer in that silence. And the Dragon himself had no clever retort at the moment either.
“So what now?”
Just then—
“A Course main dish is here.”
The restaurant staff returned with the cart and placed a juicy, perfectly grilled T-bone steak in front of each of them. The sheer size and quality of the meat made it look like an undeniably luxurious—and expensive—dish.
“Enjoy your meal.”
With a light smile, the staff stepped away from the table. Adrian stared at the steak in front of him and muttered quietly. The prince had just blown his entire fortune on this one meal.
“If you were going to regret it… you should’ve saved your measly Tilon in the first place.”
“It’ll work out. It’s not like I’m going to die just because I’m short 10 Tilon.”
“You’re talking big for someone with absolutely nothing left in his pockets.”
Pfft. Adrian scoffed at the prince, then elegantly sliced into the T-bone steak with his knife.
Neither of them were the type to fret over the little details anyway.
***
As Adrian and Mikhail stepped out of the academy restaurant, students in uniform passed by them.
One of the two started a conversation.
“They say this year’s featured item has been posted?”
It was the ‘Item of the Year’ that the public administration professor had mentioned.
At the word item, both Adrian and Mikhail snapped their heads around. They might have been broke—less than 20 Tilon between the two of them—but this was a fascinating topic.
“Already? What is it this year?”
“I haven’t seen it yet either, but the art department’s gone wild over it.”
The student who had asked the question so eagerly tilted his head with a disappointed sigh. The fact that it was causing a commotion in the art department completely deflated his enthusiasm. After all, if it was just a bunch of free-spirited, emotionally incomprehensible art kids getting worked up over it, then it was probably nothing special.
“They said the second-place item is some… famous violin.”
“A violin? Like, from a famous performer?”
“I don’t know the details.”
“Well, I couldn’t care less about violins, so let’s take the other exit, not the main entrance.”
“Obviously.”
With that, the two students turned and headed down the right corridor toward the stairwell.
Just then— “Hello, students of Basamiel Academy! Are you enjoying your lunch break?”
A few students who had just finished their meals and were trickling out of the cafeteria jerked their heads up at the unfamiliar voice. It echoed from the ceiling in the corridor connected to the dining hall.
“This announcement is especially for this year’s freshmen! Congratulations on making it through your first peaceful week at Basamiel and taking one step closer to experiencing the real Basamiel. Though I imagine you must be feeling very confused and overwhelmed right about now!”
It sounded like a campus broadcast. The upperclassmen, used to this sort of thing, simply continued chatting and eating as they listened. Adrian, meanwhile, noticed several tiny bird sculptures carved out of marble nestled among the ornate ceiling decorations. The voice was coming from those statues.
“It’s time to reveal the most exciting part of the Tilon system—this year’s prize showcase!”
The voice was lively and upbeat. Adrian propped his chin on the window frame as he sat on the ledge. Mikhail leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. The other freshmen had also stopped what they were doing to listen closely to the broadcast.
“I just had to turn on the announcement the moment I heard the news. Oh, you’re wondering why there were no broadcasts for a whole week? That’s because it’s better to skip the first week of the new semester—freshmen, remember this handy tip from your senior!”
Whoever this was, they were clearly a chatterbox. Fitting for someone running the school broadcast. Adrian gave a dry smile and gazed at the vivid blue sky through the window.
“What were we talking about again? Ah, right—the Item of the Year! Freshmen, head to the main building’s central entrance right now. The prize display is set up in the central hallway exhibition area. Think you don’t need to save up Tilon? Oh no, no—once you see what’s waiting, you’ll definitely change your mind!”
The crystal-carved bird statues shimmered with a faint bluish glow. And just like it began, the school broadcast ended on its own whimsical note.
“This has been your storyteller of Basamiel—Pinyata! See you next time without any warning, just like today. Bye-bye!”
Since they were already in the main building’s cafeteria, Adrian and Mikhail stood up the moment the broadcast ended. Their academy shoes tapped briskly across the pristine marble floors.
***
Just like those students had said as they left the cafeteria earlier, it really was better to take a different exit to avoid the crowd. The path to the central entrance was packed with students.
Freshmen and upperclassmen alike buzzed with excitement, unable to hide their anticipation.
“Wow, the prize this year is actually really good.”
“Yeah, but let’s be real—it’s gonna be hell trying to save that much Tilon in just one year.”
“You guys already saw it? What is it?”
“Trust me, it’s better to go see it for yourself. Hurry up!”
Adrian and Mikhail also found themselves in front of the central entrance display not long after. A number of items were neatly placed inside transparent, ornate display cases. Each had a tag that looked like a nameplate, and they were arranged in order from bottom to top.
These were items you could purchase with the academy’s currency—Tilon. Adrian read the brief instructions posted next to the display aloud.
“…‘Once you collect the amount of Tilon listed on the tag, place your contracted hand on top of the case to receive the item.’ That’s what it says.”
Each tag displayed a staggering amount. Just as the students had said earlier, the item on the second tier was a violin. But it was the second-place item. There was one more display shelf above it—where the first-place item was housed.
“If it’s something the academy’s offering, it’s probably some useless—”
Mikhail’s sarcastic remark abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
“Oh…”
A low murmur of awe escaped the prince’s lips. Stripped of his royal demeanor, he looked every bit his age for once. Seeing that unguarded expression for the first time since entering the academy, Adrian turned his gaze toward the sword that had caught Mikhail’s attention.
Elegant wing-shaped patterns curled around the sword’s hilt. Even Adrian, the Gold Dragon who had laid eyes on many fine blades, had to admit—it was an exquisite weapon.
But more importantly, this wasn’t the first time Adrian had seen this sword.
A scene flashed through his mind. Humans standing their ground before a horde of absurdly massive monsters. And at the front of that group stood Mikhail. Back then, the knight Mikhail Luce Inehart had smiled brightly as he looked at the Gold Dragon flying toward him.
…That wasn’t just some ordinary dream.
Adrian furrowed his brow. The very sword Mikhail had wielded in that dream was now resting safely inside this display case at Basamiel Academy.
“…That’s a fine blade,” Adrian murmured.
“Fellen Deeps’ Sword.”
Adrian blinked at the sudden name. Mikhail, his hands now resting on the transparent display case, still hadn’t taken his eyes off the weapon as he continued.
“It’s one of thirteen legendary swords crafted by the artisan who made Temaria.”
“The sword the Headmaster uses was made by Fellen Deeps?”
Mikhail didn’t even seem to hear Adrian’s question.
“Amazing.”
Something flickered in the prince’s crimson eyes. It hadn’t even been a few days since he lost the stunning blade that had once adorned his waist. No doubt he felt its absence keenly.
“This is the one.”
He leaned forward, pressing his pale forehead against the glass, fired up with determination.
“…I have to get it.”
“Really?”
The Gold Dragon gave the boy beside him a sideways glance, his expression somewhere between amused and skeptical at the naïve fire in the prince’s eyes. It was an utterly unrealistic goal, but having already seen a future where Mikhail possessed that sword, Adrian was simply curious about how.
“…How do you plan on earning ten thousand Tilon?”
Adrian muttered under his breath. Their conversation from dinner, where they’d dismissed Tilon as practically useless, had apparently been wiped from the prince’s memory.
But Mikhail would succeed in obtaining those ten thousand Tilon.
Even if Adrian didn’t know how it would happen—he already knew that it would.
