I got into school for nothing - Chapter 110
I got into school for nothing (110)
Lesson 23. Even if it's a Lie - 5
The royal palace of the ancient kingdom, Sanctum.
Ban Yuwon sat with his companions in the room a knight had guided them to, sipping tea.
There was no poison in it.
If cultists were hiding even in the royal palace and he had to repeat the farce that occurred in Room 24, then it wouldn't be a war with cultists; it would be a war with the Tower.
He would ride Lilyth to the top of the Tower, occupy it, and stage a sit-in.
"I was anxious, thinking we might have to go all the way to Room 30, but thankfully, it doesn't seem like it."
"If you hadn't taken the lead, I believe we might have gone all the way to Room 30."
As a result of two Constellations materializing in Room 23, by Room 24, the rumor had already spread widely, and the atmosphere among the people had become subdued, which is a prime example.
Ban Yuwon, as long as he was allowed, rampaged greatly in every room, and with each room transition, the scale of the incidents expanded.
If he hadn't done so, he might still be engaged in a battle of wits with the cultists hiding their identities in the big city, playing a cautious game.
"Don't lie, Ban. Nearly 60% of the guys you trounced weren't cultists, were they?"
"Light, look into my eyes."
"Ah, uhh?"
Ban Yuwon's endlessly serious eyes met Light's.
"What's the definition of a cultist? They're guys who believe in an evil cult, aren't they? And think about what those guys who believed in and followed the 'Wings of Justice' have done to us so far."
"Uh, uhh... cultists, then?"
"You finally understand!"
"For you guys to still be having this conversation all the way in Room 27, really."
Just then, the door opened and a middle-aged man in a uniform entered.
Considering the historical setting of this room was not quite medieval, it was a remarkably refined uniform.
He scanned the group once, then fixed his gaze on Ban Yuwon, whose attire was notably flashy.
Around Room 25, to emphasize that he was the contractor of the Constellation of Light, he had worn the most flamboyant white clothes he possessed, and it had worked wonders.
"Greetings, Contractor of Light. I am Earl Durk, Chamberlain to His Great Majesty the King."
"Pleased to meet you."
"No need to bow your heads. Listening to the rumors of your fame, which echoes throughout the entire kingdom, makes us feel quite shabby."
Earl Durk was speaking in an emotional voice, but Ban Yuwon's companions, upon hearing his words, recalled the atrocities Ban Yuwon had committed in the previous rooms and their eyes twitched.
The most memorable incident in Room 25 was using Eve to create an illusion, which made the contractor of the "Wings of Justice" mistake the contractor of the "Claws of the Dark Forest" for Ban Yuwon and attack.
No, that crazy bastard, the "Wing of Justice," completely ignored the role he was supposed to fulfill in the room (finding and eliminating the contractor of the "Claws of the Dark Forest"), and instead, wasn't he just glaring at Ban Yuwon with burning eyes, intent on trouncing him?!
So, Ban Yuwon kindly led them.
So that those bastards could fulfill their original purpose!
As a result, not only did he cause the mutual destruction of both the "Wing" contractor group and the "Claw" contractor group, but he also succeeded in spreading their infamy throughout the entire kingdom, thus gaining a very significant advantage.
‘That a new rule, "illusions cannot be used," was created because of it was a painful miscalculation...’
—You're too malicious, you villain.
By learning photon magic and becoming able to clumsily manipulate electromagnetic waves, including visible light, and combining it with Eve's illusion abilities, he could create illusions that would fool anyone in an instant, and Ban Yuwon himself was reflecting that he had indeed gone too far due to his excitement.
Fortunately, Earl Durk, the Chamberlain, who couldn't read his thoughts, continued speaking in an emotional voice, like a fan who had met a rock star he'd admired for 30 years and gotten an autograph.
"The Pillar of Light in the small town of Duolla, followed by the extermination of the cultist group operating secretly in the great city of Melinton, the resolution of the plague in the port city. And... just before being summoned to the royal palace, even the eradication of pirates appearing on the sea routes leading to the capital. These pirates were cultists too, weren't they?"
"That is correct."
—They were precisely the contractors of the "Wings of Justice."
Probably in Room 26, to stop the schemes of the "Claw" contractors heading towards the capital, the "Wing" contractors would pursue them by ship, and in the process, they would become entangled with the climbers and engage in cooperative naval warfare; that would have been the original scenario.
Since there was also the rule applicable only in Room 26, "If you fall into the water, you are eliminated," a fierce battle was expected, but....
Ban Yuwon manipulated the ocean currents with elemental magic to induce the two factions to collide, and ultimately cleared Room 26 by lumping them together as pirates and sinking them.
In the midst of that, Dokgo Yeon, remarking "Isn't it fine as long as I don't fall into the water?" showcased her lightness skill, Aquafly, running across the water, which was very impressive.
Light, claiming "I can do that much too!" caused trouble trying to jump onto the water, so they struggled to stop him.
"Amazing, truly a great achievement! I can't believe all of this was accomplished in just one month."
In reality, it was only a full two days.
"With plagues rampant everywhere and cultist groups harming innocent people every night, in this current situation, I cannot express how reassuring it is that a powerful Constellation contractor like you has appeared."
"They are not the only ones to be wary of, Your Excellency."
Ban Yuwon wore a grave expression and warned him.
"You must be wary of those who impersonate my role. They call themselves contractors of the 'Wing' and wield the power of false light. Even I was almost fooled when I first met them."
"Hmph."
"They claim their mission is to find and eliminate cultists, but in reality, they are merely cultists with the same roots as the others. They pretend to hunt cultists while secretly aiding them, allowing them to roam freely as they please."
As Ban Yuwon exaggerated and explained what had happened in Room 24, Earl Durk clenched his fists in fury.
"Such... such audacious individuals I've never seen!"
"In fact, they do not openly reveal their existence but operate secretly throughout the kingdom. Then, when they are cornered, they reveal their true colors... and indeed, they wield the power of an evil Constellation."
It was true that the contractor of the Wing did not openly reveal their existence.
Come to think of it, even in Room 23, didn't the Wing contractor initially move secretly without revealing their identity?
Presumably, that must have been their restriction.
Just as the Claw contractors could only reveal their power at night, the Wing contractors were bound by the restriction of not being able to reveal their identity to the public and operate!
‘Yeah, that's why they get beaten by me.’
If they had just quietly hidden until the end, nothing would have happened, but because the Constellation couldn't stand being ignored and acted out, the relationship deteriorated to this extent.
On the other hand, Ban Yuwon, through his activities in Room 24, had gained the grand name of "Contractor of Light."
The more he went through Rooms 25 and 26, the more entertaining it was to watch his reputation grow.
When one cannot openly use force, the one with the loudest voice wins.
And the greater the reputation, the louder the voice!
Now, Ban Yuwon's voice was louder than that of both Constellations' contractors combined.
"I intend to organize an army."
Earl Durk got to the point.
"His Majesty is also firmly resolved to completely wipe out those cultists. And this is all because an ability user like you has promised cooperation."
"It is an honor to be of assistance. I swear upon the name of the Constellation I serve, I will surely lead this holy war to victory."
Ban Yuwon, now quite accustomed to it, cast a Light Enchantment (enveloping objects with light magic. It looked incredibly powerful and righteous, but its effects weren't particularly great) throughout the entire room, creating the appearance of a sacred space.
Earl Durk, under the illusion that a god was personally delivering a revelation, had tears welling in his eyes.
"Very reassuring. If you succeed in wiping out those cultists, His Majesty will personally commend you."
"That you trust and rely on an insignificant traveler like me makes me truly glad."
"Yes, I entrust this to you, Brigadier General!"
"Yes! ...Brigadier General?"
* * *
Even though he was able to organize an army, the problems caused by the Trick Room's unique rules still remained.
Among them, what was particularly problematic was the rule added in Room 24.
—You cannot attack first unless you are attacked.
The other rules were not such a big problem compared to this one.
This rule, which had stubbornly persisted without disappearing through Rooms 25 and 26, was a rule that applied only to Rebellion members, i.e., the climbers.
The problem was that both factions, the Claw and Wing contractors, knew about this rule.
Even the knight in Room 24, fearing a counterattack if he charged first directly, didn't he weaken him with potent poison before attacking?
From Room 25 onwards, their movements became overtly deliberate, as they desperately tried not to attack them directly.
Well, that's why Ban Yuwon resorted to methods such as creating illusions or manipulating ocean currents.
"If I issue an attack order to the army to kill them, that would also count as a preemptive strike, wouldn't it?"
"Wouldn't it?"
It was good that an atmosphere of ostracizing Constellation contractors had formed on a national scale, but to achieve a beautiful finish, one must complete the task perfectly.
The climber's position, which was originally just to assist the Wing contractors in hunting the Claw contractors, was purely Ban Yuwon's achievement to inflate it to this extent.
If so, he had to thoroughly consider how to utilize the army he could now command thanks to that, and act accordingly.
‘An army, how do I use an army? Isn't this a bust? Wouldn't it be better if I just dealt with the contractors myself before the army was organized...? Wait a minute. Organize, organize...?’
At that moment, a thought flashed through his mind.
It was an absurd thought, but if it were possible, he could truly finish this room in an instant.
In fact, he had cleared Rooms 24, 25, and 26 in a similar fashion.
Ban Yuwon let out a small chuckle and stood up from his seat.
"I need to go meet the Chamberlain again."
"Tell us what it's about before you go."
"To ask if I can directly interfere with organizing the army. Specifically, conscription."
"...Wait a minute."
Dokgo Yeon's face froze solid.
"No, right? You're not thinking what I'm thinking, are you?"
"I've thought about this before, but don't you think you and I are really on the same wavelength?"
"Gah...?! Are you crazy?"
"What is it? Hey, what is it?!"
Light, who hadn't understood any of the conversation, interjected with a tilted head, but Dokgo Yeon merely pressed her forehead and shook her head.
"Once we get past this Trick Room section, there won't be many incidents like this. So calm down, Dokgo Yeon."
"Alright, alright, just finish it quickly..."
"I said, what is it?!"
Ban Yuwon sought out the Chamberlain and made his suggestion, and the Chamberlain readily accepted his request.
And the next day, by Tower time, a national soldier selection audition was held.
An audition to organize a legion aiming to exterminate the rat-like cultists hiding in this country, alongside the Contractor of Light!
...Naturally, absence was treason.
Comments