I got into school for nothing - 193
I got into school for nothing (193)
Lesson 38. Ban Yuwon's words come true - 3
After several hours of flight in heavy silence, deliberately ignoring the curious stares of those squirming with eagerness about what had happened during Ban Yuwon's school trip, the party safely arrived at London Heathrow Airport.
"Isn't that quick?"
"Well, I told you, America gifted it to us because they wanted us to come quickly."
So that was the meaning behind it.
Apparently, it was the latest model aircraft, incorporating new materials that had emerged on Earth after the dimensional evolution and mana energy engineering technology that was just beginning to be clumsily handled.
Upon hearing those words, Lilyth reacted with wide, disbelieving eyes.
"This, the latest model...? Not a toy?"
If we interfere with their technology for no reason and Earthlings quickly succeed in interdimensional travel, it'll become a headache.
The ideal scenario is for the advancement of technology and magic to occur in tandem with the growth of humanity's overall power.
Waving goodbye to the pilot, they disembarked the plane and soon met a person waiting for them with a picket sign—it was the beautiful secretary Lilyth had imitated yesterday.
However, as he had told Lilyth yesterday, Ban Yuwon wasn't particularly fond of glasses, so he didn't find her especially attractive.
"Welcome to England."
Although she spoke Korean with almost perfect pronunciation, none of the party members were surprised. After all, Ban Yuwon understood all languages, Rucell, as a Union student, was equipped with automatic translation abilities, and the rest of the group held such prominent positions that having a Korean-speaking guide accompany them wherever they went was simply routine.
"Pleased to meet you, members of Oculus Ruber, and Ban Yuwon. I am Eleni Mark, and I will be assisting you in England."
Spotting Ban Yuwon, she adjusted her glasses and tried to act familiar, to which Ban Yumi retorted with icy eyes.
"Ban Yuwon is also a guild member."
"My apologies. It's just that his unique image is so strong."
She spoke quite politely, but no one failed to understand the underlying meaning of her words.
Ban Yuwon thought it was fortunate that this person wouldn't be following them into the dungeon.
That way, he could prevent his sister from becoming a murderer!
"We picked her as our top choice, and she's already hitting us hard right from the start."
"Should we just take the plane back?"
"Yu Jina will remember this..."
"Isn't that just a pattern of remembering and nothing else?"
Naturally, Eleni Mark would not dare to underestimate Oculus Ruber, the world's number one guild.
It was less about intentionally trying to spite them and more about her true feelings inadvertently showing through.
From the perspective of those who expected more from Ban Yuwon, now that he had returned to Earth from other dimensions, it might seem as if he was being tied down to Oculus Ruber because of his family.
Ban Yuwon fully understood their thoughts and positions, but he had no intention of acceding to their wishes.
His main stage was Union, not Earth, so why would he actively move here on Earth?
Of course, as someone who enjoyed attention, he didn't dislike people showing interest in him. However, since he was already operating on a multi-dimensional scale... on Earth, no matter how much the media hyped him up, it just felt like villagers swarming out to welcome him back home after a long-awaited break, like a homecoming.
A feeling of just being unnecessarily noisy, wishing everyone would quickly go back to their own business.
"On Earth, it's most comfortable to just ride on my sister's coattails. Not Ban Yuwon of Oculus Ruber, but Ban Yuwon *from* Oculus Ruber – that's what I prefer."
Indeed.
He had thought that way until he learned about her secret.
His mother probably knew too, that not uploading Ban Yumi's videos to the Rebellion channel was merely a temporary measure.
Before long, Earth would undeniably begin interacting with other dimensions, and given that there was even a Constellation tracking her unique Authority...
"He couldn't stick by her side and protect her forever, nor could he hide this somewhere safe."
He'd have to reconsider the detailed response once all the information was gathered, but anyway, no sooner had he gotten rid of Lyu Cheolmyeong than an even more annoying problem cropped up like a ghost, making it unbearable.
But for now, there was nothing he could really do, so he had no choice but to focus on the dungeon they needed to clear immediately.
"The team that will be joining you is already waiting at the hotel. You'll be able to have a simple dinner with them tonight and talk."
Inside the limousine on the way to the hotel, Eleni Mark explained the upcoming schedule.
Originally, the dinner venue was Buckingham Palace, not the hotel, and a meeting with the King of England was also scheduled. However, Ban Yumi, who detested such formal occasions, had flatly refused, leading to the change.
"Now that I think about it, where was England's ace party?"
Lee Hyeonji, who had been looking for alcohol even in the limousine, had her champagne bottle snatched by Yu Jina and pouted, saying.
"You're an executive, and you didn't even know that? It's the Phoenix Knights."
"They are England's proudest and strongest knightly order. Their leader, Kiira McBride, is a world-renowned practitioner ranked 3rd."
"Geh."
Eleni proudly added to Kang Miyeon's explanation.
But Lee Hyeonji flinched back in alarm, scrunching her neck, though it was unclear if it was because of the Phoenix Knights or Kiira McBride.
And Ban Yuwon had a word that bothered him even more than that.
"What's a 'knightly order'?"
Kang Miyeon kindly informed him as he tilted his head in question.
"In England and several other European countries, ability users affiliated with the state are called 'knights'. A knightly order is a party comprised of them. In other words, they're combatants belonging to state-owned guilds."
Eleni smiled brightly and added.
"They are actually granted knighthoods. And they receive pensions too."
"Does our country have anything like that?"
"I heard if you're affiliated with the state, you get military exemption."
"I want to escape to Union quickly."
Eleni Mark, listening to the siblings' conversation, was itching to tell them that if they immigrated to England, they wouldn't have to worry about military service, but she held herself back.
This was because fierce, warning gazes were flying at her from Kang Miyeon and Lee Hyeonji.
Moreover, there was no way the Ban family would willingly let Ban Yuwon enlist, so it was a futile dream to begin with.
"We've arrived. Ah, the members of the Phoenix Knights are outside."
"Oh, everyone's so friendly..."
Ban Yuwon, who had been looking for England's ace party out the window, trailed off.
Seeing his pupils quake violently, Ban Yumi said sarcastically.
"That's Kiira McBride. She's your type, isn't she?"
"Th-that's *her*?"
"What?!"
Ban Yumi, who had been maintaining her composure, cried out in shock.
What a relief. If his sister had known that and lured him here, he would have severed their sibling ties right then and there.
"What are you talking about?"
"Is this related to what you were talking about before we left?"
"Red hair... green eyes!"
Ban Yuwon made Rucell sit back down as she abruptly rose to her feet.
He had hoped the limousine wouldn't stop, but it was a futile wish.
Ban Yuwon, fervently hoping the other person wouldn't recognize him, got out of the car with Rucell, but...
"Oh, hello! I'm Kiira McBride. We've met before, haven't we?"
From the very beginning, the other party walked straight towards Ban Yuwon, aimed precisely at him, and extended a hand!
"We don't know English, so how about we speak Korean?"
"Ah, hello to you too! Of course, I'm happiest to see *him* though... ♡"
Lee Hyeonji, speaking brusquely, pushed her aside on Ban Yuwon's behalf, but the other party, either completely ignorant of Korean or unwilling to speak it, replied in heavily accented English, merely waving a hand airily at Lee Hyeonji before turning her gaze back to Ban Yuwon.
Crimson hair flowing down to her waist, emerald-like green eyes sparkling.
And the fiery flames boiling within her body.
Flames?
"—She's a Constellation's contractor. Of the Follower of Ten Thousand Kalpas you mentioned yesterday!"
"[There was no mention of Britain's top-ranked individual being a Constellation's contractor!]"
As Cellon, who had been silently observing the situation, gave a sharp warning, Lilyth offered an aggrieved excuse.
Indeed, there would be an enormous number of ability users who wielded flames on Earth, so it would have been impossible to suspect and investigate all of them as contractors of the Follower of Ten Thousand Kalpas.
"What, you already noticed? You're quick."
"I've always had pretty good eyes."
Ban Yuwon shrugged in response, and she flashed a deep smile, as if finding something incredibly amusing.
"I noticed that even two years ago."
"Two years ago, you say..."
The woman before him, Kiira McBride, was Britain's top-ranked individual, and at the same time, a Constellation's contractor.
He had met her by chance when he came to England for a school trip in the past—but now, he couldn't even be sure if it had truly been a coincidence.
No, was she even an Earthling to begin with?
She was far too strong for that.
He couldn't precisely read her Level, but it was certainly clear that she was stronger than Ban Yumi.
"Can we meet tonight? Just the two of us."
Kiira McBride chuckled and whispered into his ear.
Not even Korean, let alone English, but in an alien language that only Ban Yuwon and Rucell could understand in that place.
"Alright."
As long as he didn't know how much the other person knew, he couldn't even risk glancing back at Ban Yumi.
Ban Yuwon forced a relaxed smile and nodded.
Of course, the members of Oculus Ruber, who had clearly witnessed the scene but were unaware of the full circumstances, could only assume he had succumbed to the red-haired beauty's charm!
"What are you doing to our Yuwon right now!"
"Are British women always this aggressive?"
"Uh, Yumingming just died standing up?"
"......So this is what it means to fall into one's own trap."
Meanwhile, the party members of the Phoenix Knights, who had come out with her to greet the group, were admiring the scene with innocent wonder.
"Wow, our commander is seducing a minor."
"So she never had scandals because of her taste!"
"While looks can be fixed with plastic surgery, there's nothing you can do about age...!"
He had worried that the entire party might be a group of contractors, but fortunately, they were at the same level as publicly known.
Ban Yuwon glanced at the red-haired beauty, who was smiling and locked onto him regardless of what others were saying, and secretly checked with Eve.
"Can you monitor her without being detected?"
"Heheheh."
Eve shook her head firmly.
Indeed, Ban Yuwon himself wasn't confident he could deceive her with his Gwoeyeonggong, so he figured Eve wouldn't have much luck either.
Frankly, if he were to fight Kiira McBride right now, he could certainly bewilder her with Eve's illusions, but that was a tactic only usable in a short, decisive battle.
"Hey, Ban Yuwon."
The resurrected Ban Yumi called out to him.
She was frowning, as if wondering what exactly he was worried about.
"What did she say to tempt you?"
"She didn't tempt me, so don't worry."
"I *did* tempt him, though?"
Kiira interjected into the siblings' conversation.
Hearing that, Lee Hyeonji shouted loudly.
"This bitch actually knows Korean!"
"You're quite something, insulting her by calling her a bitch even after knowing she understands it."
Kang Miyeon sighed.
She hoped this string of comedic antics would end, but...
Regrettably, the real show hadn't even begun.
* * *
As Eleni, the guide, had mentioned, that evening the members of Oculus Ruber and the Phoenix Knights gathered for a simple dinner. Unlike Oculus Ruber, which was composed solely of women, the Phoenix Knights also had men, but perhaps they had been warned beforehand, as no one tried to make a move on the members.
Furthermore, even Kiira McBride, who had made a move on Ban Yuwon the moment they met, was well-behaved, leading everyone to believe she had simply given Ban Yuwon a slightly over-the-top greeting, but...
"Did you come secretly?"
"Yeah, though one person knows."
That night, no one but Rucell, who shared a room with Ban Yuwon, would have known that the two had met in secret.
"So—how much have you figured out?"
To Kiira McBride, who asked with sparkling, intrigued eyes, Ban Yuwon replied without hiding his guarded posture.
"That you've contracted with a Constellation, and that Constellation's name is the Follower of Ten Thousand Kalpas..."
He couldn't reveal the fact that the Follower of Ten Thousand Kalpas was tracking someone with a specific, unique Authority.
If possible, he wanted to bet on the chance that she hadn't yet realized Ban Yumi's Authority.
So instead.
"—And that there's a possibility you're not an Earthling."
He decided to say something else that might rattle her.
"That's right! I'm from the S-7 Dimension."
From his perspective, it was quite a confident strike, but her reaction was utterly unapologetic.
Ban Yuwon clicked his tongue, pondering what to say next, when the very next moment, what she pulled out from her pocket blew away all his thoughts.
"And I'm also an early member of the Rebel Force...!"
"Huh?!"
[Rebel Force ― No.3]
It was the phrase written on the platinum card she had pulled out.
...So the Earth viewer wasn't Grandpa or his sister, but *this* person?!
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