I got into school for nothing – 165
I got into school for nothing (165)
Lesson 33. Jade Star – 5
Returning to the village, Kanid was kneeling.
The one who had him on his knees, fuming, was none other than Rucell.
Indeed, Ban Yuwon, instantly understanding how this situation had come to be, first quickly set down Slothy, who had been clinging to his back until now.
It was truly a wise decision.
“I’m sorry, Rucell. But I was thinking of our tribe’s future, so...”
“Even so, leaving me out and sticking Slothy to you in the meantime is just too much! Did you want to make a fool of me like that? I hate you, Dad!”
“Agh!”
It seemed to be effective even on beast-kin, as Kanid writhed in agony.
It was quite an amusing sight, but he couldn’t simply stand by and watch forever, so Ban Yuwon decided to intervene, also taking the opportunity to report the completion of his task.
“Rucell, we’re back.”
“Master!”
Though they had agreed to use the title “Master” only when they were alone, whether it was because they were back on her home planet or to keep her rivals in check, Rucell’s expression was unreserved.
And it wasn’t just her expression that was unreserved...
—*Squeeze*
Rucell, throwing her arms wide and embracing him, nuzzled her head repeatedly into his chest, acting childishly.
“That’s too much! You were getting along so well with Slothy when I wasn’t around... It’s fine if you bring in other women, but I’d prefer you do it where I can see.”
“That would be torture.”
“So, since Rucell is watching now, is it okay?”
Slothy interjected.
She asked with a surprisingly serious expression, subtly gripping Ban Yuwon’s forearm, and Rucell, seeing this, blinked in surprise.
“Slothy, why did you suddenly get so... fast?”
“Because it’s mating season.”
“Hmph, so that’s why you so rudely reached for another woman’s man.”
“Yep, because I’m going to mate.”
At the barrage of explicit words that no civilized person would utter, Ban Yuwon completely recoiled.
“Dokgo Yeon, I’m starting to get scared of the beast-kin. What should I do? Especially the parts that seem likely to fail censorship.”
“Hmph, why the sudden fuss now? Your very existence is a violation of censorship rules.”
What should I do? I have no allies here.
If only As Light were here, I could have eventually steered the conversation towards teasing him, but why is he never around when I need him?!
Ban Yuwon sighed regretfully, and stealthily extracted himself from Rucell, Slothy, and even Dokgo Yeon, who were still engaged in their war of nerves.
It’s a known truth that a man who meddles in a women’s quarrel never sees a good outcome.
“Alright, son-in-law. Did you really finish the work?”
“Yes, would you like to check?”
Ban Yuwon summoned Tikke and projected a certain image.
After finishing the work, he had Tikke float into the air to take pictures of the ground, as a form of inspection. What was visible was a tawny line, drawn across the forest with perfect, unwavering regularity, encircling the Wolf Fang Tribe’s territory like a barrier.
Considering that the Wolf Fang Tribe occupied approximately one-fifth of this Jade Star, Jeda, it was evident just how remarkable the task Ban Yuwon had completed in half a day truly was.
“Son-in-law, are you perhaps a Transcendent?”
“A Transcendent isn’t some martial artist with a dan rank... I’m just human, you know.”
A Transcendent, that is, one who has transcended the limits of existence.
Everyone knows that a Constellation is a Transcendent.
“No, but no matter how I think about it, isn’t it strange? Your aura isn’t that strong, yet your soul’s rank is extremely high, and you possess excessively outstanding Authorities... I’ve heard that some Constellations permanently expend a portion of their power to create avatars capable of acting in the human world. Honestly, if there wasn’t assurance that you were a Union Academy student, I would have suspected you were the avatar of some great Constellation.”
“So something like that exists.”
An avatar, huh? At that word, Ban Yuwon recalled the Constellations he had fought in the Tower previously: ‘Wings of Justice’ and ‘Claws of the Dark Forest’.
What he had fought against then was clearly a monster controlled by a Constellation’s will, but calling it a Constellation’s avatar seemed lacking in many respects.
But then again, yes.
If, from the beginning, it was an artificial life form carefully created with the premise of a Constellation directly imbuing and moving a part of its soul, then it could indeed be called an avatar.
Incidentally, the rare concepts obtained from fighting those creatures at the time—Light Wings and Dark Claws—were respectively held by Ban Yuwon’s machine familiars, Gwangjo and Heukrang.
“I conducted a few experiments during the collection process... If Slothy’s ability is utilized, it seems easy to turn this wasteland back into a forest. As the Wolf Fang Tribe’s territory, of course.”
“Perfect. I’ll ask you then, once everything is over. However, when will this battle end...?”
“We need to finish it within two weeks.”
Since the special activity period is a maximum of two weeks.
“As the chieftain also knows, this is also a barrier that confines us. Just holding out won’t win us the battle against the enemy.”
“Of course. But this was the best countermeasure. Because...”
Because the enemy isn’t only on the ground.
At the sight of Kanid gritting his teeth as he spoke, Ban Yuwon suddenly recalled what had happened during a previous special activity.
“These bastards brought spaceships?”
“Exactly. That’s why we had to limit the battlefield.”
“Indeed...”
Ban Yuwon imagined.
Relentless attacks from high above, far beyond the beast-kin’s territory, and in the midst of it all, other beast-kin tribes narrowing their encirclement and attacking from all sides.
He found himself wondering how they had managed to hold out in such a situation.
“Not to boast, but our tribe is the strongest. And I, its representative, am even stronger.”
“It certainly seems that way.”
“Hahaha, those who overcome the temptation of a Constellation’s power grow even stronger.”
Kanid said proudly.
So the Constellation that granted Rucell her Heart Furnace was Kanid’s contracted Constellation, after all.
Ban Yuwon tended to regard contracts with Constellations as little more than slave contracts, but those with strong convictions and deep spiritual cultivation could wield their power efficiently without being swayed by a Constellation, growing immensely in the process.
Kanid was precisely such a person, having endured all this time even with his contracted Constellation coveting his daughter.
Indeed, the primal magic and quality of Wildness hidden within his body was more threatening than any being Ban Yuwon had ever encountered—even more so than Dokgo Yeon. However, considering that this was the same man who had been kneeling before his daughter just now, Ban Yuwon felt an indescribably subtle emotion.
“Well then, our hero has returned, so let’s resume the feast!”
Whether or not he was aware of the thoughts his son-in-law held, Kanid threw an arm around his shoulder, hearty and bold.
Indeed, everyone was already trying to soothe their battle-charged spirits by kicking off a drinking party.
When Kanid pulled Ban Yuwon along and leaped onto the widest branch of the tallest tree, which served as a plaza, everyone greeted them with cheers.
“The successor has arrived!”
“Did you see that just now? He handles trees better than the Sloth-kin. Our tribe’s future is looking solid!”
“Our hero! Come sit over here.”
“Nice to meet you all.”
Beast-kin, descended from various animal bloodlines, all smiled brightly and welcomed him.
Ban Yuwon was particularly wary of the Ox-kin and Cat-kin, but with Slothy already eyeing him greedily, he didn’t want to create any unnecessary trouble, so he tried his best to control his gaze.
“Rucell, stop fighting and come here! You should be occupying your Master’s side seat!”
“Oh, alright!”
Rucell, who had been locked in a battle of wills with the other women, leaped onto the branches, landing smoothly next to Ban Yuwon in an instant.
As Ban Yuwon was left speechless, captivated by the beast-kin’s uniquely agile movements and the seemingly contradictory sway of certain body parts, Rucell, noticing this, smiled coquettishly and leaned her body against him.
“I... I learned a lot of things from Mom.”
“Even if you learned it in just one day...”
“How much I learned... I’ll show you tonight.”
“Uh, right.”
He had somewhat anticipated this when they came to Jeda, Dimension E-1, for their special activity, but Rucell was more aggressive than he could have imagined.
Perhaps Slothy’s unexpected entry had provoked her.
Until now, he had somehow maintained a balance, but now he might truly need to brace himself.
‘The concept of ‘subordination’ had been holding me back until now, but seeing that the other beast-kin also have no objection to Rucell serving me as her Master... is this truly normal after all?’
Until he came to this planet, the only beast-kin Ban Yuwon knew was Rucell. RAn0ObeS
Therefore, even after making a contract with her and having her serve him as Master, he couldn’t be sure to what extent that relationship was mutually permissible.
When they had dated previously, he had declared that she could act as she pleased from now on, and Rucell had seemed happy with that—but that had merely been an act to reassure her.
On the contrary, Ban Yuwon had hoped that Rucell would someday move past her passive attitude of simply accepting everything he offered, and instead demand something closer to a normal romantic relationship, or at least a friendship.
Yet, up until this point, Rucell had focused all her actions on Ban Yuwon, desiring only to serve him.
‘It can’t be wrong, can it? Perhaps it’s a universal concept held by Rucell’s species, and she desires such a way of life. But still, something... doesn’t feel right.’
After all, he’d gone to Union Academy, where intellectuals from countless civilizations mingled, so he wanted something more.
Did she not wish to express herself without relying on a master-servant relationship?
Whenever Ban Yuwon thought about his relationship with Rucell, he always arrived at the same conclusion. However, he couldn’t bring himself to discuss it with Rucell, as it was clear she would blame herself and become dejected.
‘...It’s probably just because the time we’ve been together is short. Since I’m the one who unilaterally receives, perhaps I have no choice but to consciously pay more attention.’
As long as the master-servant relationship cannot be dissolved, the same conclusion always arises.
If asked why he was always agonizing over the same conclusion, he would have no answer.
“Rucell, come here.”
“Yes, Master!♡”
Ban Yuwon embraced Rucell, and tried his best to convey his true feelings through the physical contact.
At the sight, seemingly flaunting their relationship, the drunken revelers cheered once more.
“They’re a truly perfect pair. So well-matched!”
“Who would have thought our princess would find such a partner, who!”
“Sniff, I can still clearly see our princess toddling around...”
“...Princess?”
Just then, a certain word caught his attention.
When Ban Yuwon looked at Rucell and asked, she blushed and replied.
“Ah, well, because I’m the chieftain’s daughter, everyone playfully uses that title...”
“Our tribe is, in itself, a nation. Previously, several noble families centered around our clan formed a village, but as more people began to rely on our strength and entered our service, it took on the form that could be called a nation.”
Kanid toughly struck the neck of a wine bottle and poured, providing further explanation.
Indeed, if one is the leader of a tribe that occupies one-fifth of a planet, wouldn’t that truly make him a king?
It was natural, then, that Rucell would be called a princess.
“Hmm, but you mentioned ‘families’... Considering how Slothy, a sloth-kin, also needs to leave descendants, are beast-kin traits indeed passed down through generations?”
“That’s right. A wolf cannot give birth to a mongrel, can it?”
Kanid affirmed with a hearty laugh.
But Ban Yuwon, seeing Rucell’s mother, Lucia, who had silently appeared and was leaning against him, couldn’t help but ask again.
“What about in the case of a hybrid?”
Lucia was, by all appearances, a fox.
Wolves and foxes, while both canids, are clearly distinct animals, aren’t they?
“As expected, my son-in-law is clever. Usually, they strongly inherit the characteristics of either the mother or the father. But occasionally, a new species emerges, inheriting traits from both.”
“That’s as good as having heard the full explanation already. Which means Rucell is...”
“Mhm, that’s precisely it. That’s also why her soul’s rank was overwhelming from the moment she was born.”
Kanid affirmed.
Rucell, perhaps embarrassed by the discussion of her origins, buried her face in Ban Yuwon’s chest.
“Rucell is a hybrid who strongly inherited the blood of both a God-Eating Wolf and a Nine-Tailed Fox.”
“Oh, wow.”
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